Minnesota State Fair

Today Matt, Kristi and I went to the MN State Fair, otherwise known as the Great MN Get-Together. It is one of the nation's largest and best-attended state fairs, as well as boasting the most "foods on a stick" of any fair, such as cheese on a stick, MN hotdish (known to most as casserole) on a stick, spaghetti and meatballs on a stick, deep fried candy bar on a stick, and much more. Every year there are a few new treats on a stick added to the lineup, and this year one of them is chocolate covered bacon on a stick... sounds strange, right?

I was wondering how I would feel at this point (34.5 weeks) and if I'd want to go or not, but I was feeling good, so we went for it. We left home earlier in the morning so we could get back home for our last evening before school starts tomorrow. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and I held up surprisingly well. Here are some pictures from our day. Enjoy!



Kristi took this picture of Matt and I and wanted me to put my big belly in where your face should go. Funny picture! Notice the famous big yellow slide in the background.


One of Matt's favorite state fair treats - Pickle on a Stick!

I took this picture of Kristi for her to send to her friends in Alaska... home of the roving moose in the street. :)





I love to go to the Miracle of Birth Center, an agricultural education exhibit that is the birthplace of approximately 200 animals every summer, including chicks, ducklings, bunnies, calves, lambs and piglets during the fair’s 12 day run. The animals are so cute, and fun to watch in their first few days and to pet. :)




And 7 hours after we arrived, we were definitely ready to go home... we'll sleep well tonight! It's fun to think that next year we will have a little baby to experience the fun with us. :)

Matt's 32nd Birthday!

Matt turned 32 on Friday, August 15th, and we did some fun things that day, like go to see The Dark Knight at the MN Zoo Imax Theatre. But a week later we had a birthday "fun day" around town - a full day! First we went to the Science Museum of MN in downtown St. Paul to see an Omni theater film about movie special effects and to see the Star Wars exhibit. It was awesome! Next we ate lunch at Fabulous Fern's Bar & Grill, a few blocks from the St. Paul Cathedral. After that we made a stop at Home Depot (one of Matt's favorite stores) to buy a gadget for Matt's summer garage organization project, then to Babies R Us to buy a baby swing. You may notice my rather large belly - how could you not... :) I'm now 34.5 weeks and counting, and getting more and more excited every day. Lastly we stopped by Brad and Jessica's house to see our niece and nephews, Sarah, Tommy, and Jacob. My Dad was watching them because Brad and Jess are out of town at a Luis Palau festival in Portland. So we played with the little guys for awhile before their dinner time. Finally we got back home and Kristi made dinner for us. It was a fun and full day. Here are some pictures... Happy Birthday, Matt! :)





















Fun fact: Did you know that Yoda's appearance was partly patterned after Albert Einstein? Also, the same guy that did Grover's voice from Sesame Street and another character (can't remember which one) from the Muppets did Yoda's voice too.

Baby Shower!

On Saturday, August 9th, several family members and friends gathered to shower Baby Johnson and I with love and well wishes at my first baby shower. There were people from all parts of my life - my mom and sister, aunts, cousins, and a grandma, high school and college friends and their moms, friends that I met through my sister, and a neighbor of my parents that my family grew up with. Such a fun group! Many came from out of town, including from Rochester and Fergus Falls, MN, and Lacrosse, WI. But I think the prize for coming the farthest for the shower is my best friend Laura from high school. Laura lives in the Los Angeles, CA area, and it meant so much to me to have her there. Laura and I have been friends for 17 years, and she is and has been such a great friend to me over the years - supportive, encouraging, and caring, just to name a few. After the shower, we went to Laura's family cabin in Alexandria, MN with her parents for a few days. I think I've been going to that cabin with them for almost all of the 17 years of our friendship, so that summer visit is always fun and something I really look forward to.

Here are some pictures from the shower. Thanks to everyone that came to celebrate with me - I so very much appreciate your love and support, and our baby will be so lucky to have such a wonderful group of extended family and friends!


Here are the wonderful shower planners - my sister Kristi, my friend Jamie that I taught with at Minnehaha, and my sister-in-law and good friend Abby. My other sister-in-law Jessica also helped plan the shower, but she couldn't make it that morning - she was taking pictures at her friends wedding. We missed you Jess!





All of the decorations were really cute and the food was great. Awesome shower, party planners!



Jamie, Abby, Janna, and Laura hanging out by the beverages. I love these gals!





The shower game was baby charades, with baby-related words like diaper change, lullaby, etc. There were several teams playing against each other. It was fun, and everyone got into it - great game Jamie!







We received so many wonderful gifts at the shower, including many to go with our nursery theme of ladybugs. My mom and dad gave us most of the cute ladybug things for the baby room, but one of the things Matt's aunt Rose and cousin Kristina gave was an adorable ladybug bikini! I love it! I guess there aren't many times in life that you can look as cute in a two-piece swimsuit than as a baby girl, right? :)



Matt's grandma, Marjorie Anderson, was able to make it to the shower, and I was so happy she could be there. She was enjoying the gifts too!





Nemo was also a hit at the shower. She sat near the gifts during most of the gift opening... and after all that excitement, boy was she pooped! :)



Most of my Bethel Roomies were able to make it to the shower - Janna, Ang, Abby, Katrina, and her cutie-pie son, Micah. We missed you Janine!



It was a really fun morning. I feel very blessed to have so many loving and supportive family members and friends. Thanks again to everyone who came and made it so special for me and our little one!

Something Beautiful

I don't know if you're like me, but I go through phases with music - certain artists, groups, or songs that I love to listen to over and over again ("repeat" is my friend.) Right now I'm into the new Coldplay album, Viva La Vida. Another song that I'm loving right now is called "Something Beautiful" by Newsboys. The story behind this song is cute enough for me to blog about, so bear with me. First of all, the song has a bit of a euro/techno dance beat to it, which, I'm going to be really honest right now for all the world to read (or just those reading this post), I kind of like. (Oh, who am I kidding, I more than kind of like it.) In college I studied abroad in Germany for a semester, so I somehow feel more than entitled to appreciate this kind of music.

Anyway, the song is on my iTunes list, and every time I play it (remember - I like the "repeat" function), the baby starts moving... I call it her "euro dance." It's more than just a kick here and there, it's a steady, fast, rhythmic beat of a kick. Coincidence? I think not. Now I realize that some people are thinking to themselves, "Hmmm, I don't think that's what the experts meant when they said that it's beneficial to play music for the baby in the womb." Rest assured, I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, including classical. Matt and I have joked that if this song were playing when the baby is born, she might come out dancing. :) If you ever get a chance to listen to it, you'll know what I mean.

But I don't just like the beat of this song, I am a words person. I generally don't mind the type of music if I like the words and/or the message of the song. Here are the lyrics of Something Beautiful by Newsboys:

I wanna start it over
I wanna start again
I want a new beginning
One without an end
I feel it inside
Calling out to me

CHORUS
It's a voice that whispers my name
It's a kiss without any shame
Something beautiful
Like a song that stirs in my head
Singing love will take us where
Something's beautiful

I've heard it in the silence
Seen it on a face
I've felt it in a long hour
Like a sweet embrace
I know this is true
It's calling out to me

CHORUS

It's the child on her wedding day
It's the daddy that gives her away
Something beautiful
When we laugh so hard we cry
It's the love between you and I
Something beautiful

I am certainly not a theologian, but these lyrics mean to me that God can change your life every day if you are open to it - to start over and have a new beginning, one without an end. With Christ in your heart, anything is possible. You can see the beauty and love in even the smallest things... how many times have you laughed so hard you've cried? It happens to me all the time. Think about the love you have for your family and dear friends. That love can't even hold a candle to the love that Christ has for us. Isn't that cool? I hope you are blessed today like I am and that you have something happen like described in the song, or similar. With a deep joy in your heart, you never know what will happen... something beautiful.

Baby's Room

Matt and I have been slowly but surely putting together the baby's room, and we're really having fun with it. Our friend Gina from MA let us borrow tons of clothes that her little girl Matilda wore when she was a baby, so that has been a huge blessing to have so many nice baby clothes to start out with (thank you Gina!) Matilda was also born in October, so all of the clothes are very seasonally and size appropriate, which is very helpful too.

Last week my mom came over to help us sort through it all, which was such a huge help. It was so awesome to have her there - it made the task of sorting through all the clothes much less daunting, and she had some great advice for me. Thanks, Mom! The following pictures are of us (myself, my mom, and Nemo trying out a baby hat) sorting clothes, and then several of the still-in-progress baby room. Funny how Nemo somehow gets in on all of these pictures, huh? :) We will have to post more pictures of the room when it is further along, in several weeks.