Joyce's Recent Doings

Joyce loves her bath (for some live action shots go to searcypages.com). In fact some people talk about baths being a soothing, relaxing thing that lulls their baby to sleep. Not this one. Joyce splashes vigorously, slaps wash clothes up and down between sucking on them and shouts her excitement. If you take her out before she's good and ready to get out she screams in a frustrated rage that doesn't really soothe anyone.

She is more and more expressive. When I took her to school the other day, one of the secretaries told me, "She is the happiest baby; she looks every minute like she's about to break into song." We are waiting for that day - in the mean time we are quite happy with her ever expanding vocalizing that is including all kinds of vowel sounds made with exciting twists and turns of her tongue.

Joyce had her good friends Decker and Mckinley over to play. To show them a good time she had them hang out with her on her brand new IKEA bed. Yes this 8 month old has a bed. Since it is extends into a full size twin bed we are hoping she can use it up until the time she enters college. Maybe even bring it with her if she wants.

Joyce Embraces Food

Joyce has really gotten into the whole food thing. She struggled initially with the concept of swallowing something other than breast milk but now she plunges into beets (pictured above), carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, peaches, apple sauce all mixed with a variety of grains (rice, barley etc). But she loves it best of all when we mix any of those things with plain yogurt. She loves those probiotics.

Breakfast is a real treat. Who needs a high chair when you can perch your baby precariously on the table?

A picnic outside was Joyce's dream dinner destination.

She even got to chew on a corn cob.

Fruits of Our Labors

John and I have taken up canning. I always thought of it as a long and messy process, but find that it is actually less of both of those things than I anticipated. Our wonderful friend and neighbor down the street Barbara bequeathed us her canning jars. As we pour the food into her jars, I think about how many times Barbara filled them for her family (she is in her 70's and some of the jars she gave us are from the 60's) and now we will hopefully fill them many times for ours. So now above our sink sit pint and quart jars full of orange crushed tomatoes, golden peaches, rusty salsa, and red halved tomatoes. It's our art work.

must post

dear all johnsons...must post more and more stuff like this ----->



i post stuff all the time because i have my very own blog. get going.

To my wonderful Sura Kay

Wow, i got it from the song "together forever- lyrics online Our Saviors love, "
" Well it is hard to say good bye and let go. and it is hard to see it end...when the memories we have made may never happen again... but it's harder some time to ever ease the together times we shared.... so when were apart remember all this love thank the Lord above who showed us the way.. that we can be together forever someday we can be together forever some day.."
This song has helped me to know that we will be together someday just like we will be able to see Grandpa Johnson again, I will be able to see my Kay again in heaven, (Tuffy and Sammy-it is not there time yet.) I am sorry to Grandma Johnson that I don't have a picture of her on here but i just wanted to let Kay know that I love her, she is my best friend, part of our family, helped me destressed and was helping me to be comforted (along with Tuffy and sam), I will miss Kay a lot but I know she will not be suffering anymore/she will not be in pain and she will not have cancer any more, please say hi to Grandpa for me and teh rest of our family, and Grandma Johnson. I am very sad right now because I will miss her, I am happy she will be pain/cancer free, I am having a hard time right now, she is leaving me on this Thursday, September 11, 2008- 4 months after Grandpa Johnson died and 4 years after Grandma Johnson died- I miss both of them, now on Thursday Kay will go to heaven and join them. I will see you there someday my Kay. Sura Kay know tha tI love you so much, thanks to those who let me have you, Tuffy and our Sammy/ I am so glad that you had a chance to be friends with Tuffy, Sammy and me/Grandpa Johnson. I remeber that Grandpa Johnson when I was little at teh reuion would ask me who I would want to ride and I always wanted to ride Kay-like she was my horse, so now I have to say goodbye to my Kay on Thursday because she is suffering so badly- she has cancer, she can't put her tail down, not really eating/drinking, walking slowly, she is weak espically in her knees,so it is her time to go to heaven on thurs. I thought I would let you all knwo I am doing this for Kay and what is best for her, the vet is comeing ober to help her, and mom and Kim will be here with me, and I knwo you all will be with me too.. anyways I love you kay and I will miss you. Your friends Tuffy is doing well even though she tore her diagtal ligament she is healing adn the vet will let me knwo what to do and she is on stall rest and I will take wonderful care of her don't worry, and sammy is diong well too.
I love you all so much.
Love you Kay
love always forever
Mels