Short But Sweet

February flew by and with the excitement of Ross's 1st birthday, so many little things got lost in the shuffle. Spring weather is here and we've been outside every single day enjoying it. Bridget is sweet and sassy and Ross is rough and tough. He's not walking yet, but that doesn't slow him down one bit. I need to be a step ahead of him, but usually end up two behind him! I let go of one more baby thing a few days ago. I nursed him for the last time...it was time to be done and I can't believe we made it for his whole first year! My goal was to be able to nurse him longer than I could with Bridget. We did that and a whole lot more! I already miss those quiet, relaxing moments with him, but am looking forward to the big boy cuddles, hugs and "I love you's" I know I'll get soon.

Bridget is officially enrolled in her first dance class and is thrilled. I thought for sure she'd end up in soccer first, but I heard of this class that was getting ready to start and I jumped on it. She is practicing her twirls and spins and would wear her new tutu dress everyday if I let her.

I hung around at her school a little extra long the other morning and got to watch a little of the morning routine. I was so proud of her for being such a good little student...counting, recognizing letters, reciting the days of the week. She's amazing!

Here's a random collection of some of our February moments...

We've had a lot of lady bugs in the house lately. Don't know where they're coming from, but Bridget loves to play with them and Ross love to...squish them!

Warm and sunny days are plentiful!

Valentine's Day was most definitely overshadowed by Ross's 1st birthday, but we did what we could!

My friend Carrie took these...what can I even say about them?? They're the most precious pictures ever!

Bridget passed out princess valentines at school. She drew her signature happy face on each envelope. Her signature being that each happy face isn't complete until she draws the butt...

We sent some more valentines out the 2011 way...made them, took pictures with my phone and texted them out!

An occasional afternoon bath helps get us through a crazy day a home

A not so sweet moment this month was Bridget's first trip to the ER.

She's fine. She ended up with something called Nursemaid's Elbow. Click here for a brief description that pretty much sums up what happened. I felt horrible. We were both crying in the ER. The nurses assured us this happens all the time. A quick pop and it was back in place. I have to give a big shout out to Health Park Hospital. We were in and out of the ER in an hour and everyone was so compassionate to a crying patient and crying mommy!

One last lovey dovey photo of Ross loving on his new pillow pet. Both kids love these silly things! Why didn't I come up with the idea of a pillow AND a pet??

Long Story Short...

We went to Disney this weekend.

Actually, not even the whole weekend, just on Sunday.

Todd's parents called earlier in the week to see if they could bring Bridget to Disney with them for the weekend. Bridget about died when we told her she was going to Disney with Grandma and Grandpa. She talked about it all week and reminded us several times that just she was going, not us.

On Saturday morning when they came to get her she hardly waved goodbye to us. She was so ready! Fast forward to later that afternoon and we got a call that she was a little tired and cranky, but probably just needed a good dinner and a good night's sleep. Nope. They couldn't even make it through dinner with her. She missed her mommy and daddy a lot. At 9:00 on Saturday night Todd and I decided we'd drive up there to make the rescue...not sure who needed it more-Bridget or Grandma and Grandpa!

Todd, Ross and I were up early and at the Magic Kingdom by 9 that morning. We got big, big hugs from Bridget and made the very most of our spontaneous and unplanned day at Disney!

Our first stop was something we did not get to on our last visit to Disney in December...the princesses! Unlike when I was a kid, the characters do not roam around the park throughout the day. They are set up in designated areas where you have to wait in line to meet them. We waited about 40 minutes to meet the princesses, but clearly it was worth it...

A few more characters we met...

She has no idea who Pinocchio is, but insisted we wait in line to meet him.

Sorry I cut your head off, Pooh...

The park was packed and no ride had a line of less than 45 minutes. Between meeting characters, watching the shows, stopping for snacks and bathroom breaks, we could fit in only a few rides! You would need a full week at the Magic Kingdom to do it all!

He is such a good boy and loved it all! He barely squirmed or fussed the whole day.

Ice cream at Disney is a must. Such a little treat that tops off the whole day. She loves to eat it and I love to take pictures of it...

Bridget isn't the only Johnston who loves ice cream...

All done!

A totally unplanned, but magical day! A weekend away for Bridget just wasn't meant to be, but we loved being able to spend another day at Disney with the kids...everything happens for a reason!

Officially One

Rossy Boy turned one last Tuesday, February 8th, but it didn't quite seem official until this past weekend at his party. Nothing better than a round of Happy Birthday, a messy cake smash and lots of friends and family to help make it all seem real. It was a special day for him, for us, and I hope for everyone who celebrated with us!

Jody flew in for the weekend just for the occasion and she couldn't get enough of the kids and vice versa. They love her!

The morning of the party was cold and the grass was wet from the rain the day before, but we still set up in the backyard. It turned out to be the most beautiful and sunny day. There was inflatable dinosaurs, plastic dinosaurs, dinosaur cupcakes, dinosaur bubbles and a bounce house-which has nothing to do with dinosaurs, but is always a big crowd pleaser!

Ross helped test out the snacks and the bounce house for all his friends!

Friends came and the fun started. Love all these happy faces!

John

Baylee

Sammy

Ellie and Amy

Gabe

This has to be one of my favorite moments of the day. Bridget and Livi whacking each other with the inflatable dinosaurs! They were laughing and hitting and falling on top of each other for at least 45 minutes. It was so cute!

Ross loves to eat and he'll eat anything. He throws a little temper tantrum at the end of every meal because the food is gone. And just like Bridget he looooooves sweets. My friend and neighbor, Julie, made him his own little dinosaur smash cake. One little cupcake just wan't going to be enough for this guy! It was classic...

Just one more...

Thank you, Courtney for taking these pictures!

No doubt, he would have eaten the entire thing, but we couldn't let him do that. He had plenty though! Enough to keep him going and skip his afternoon nap!

The night ended with some Just Dance on the Wii and Chinese Food. I think Bridget and Jody are dancing to Walk Like an Egyptian here!

I'm very proud of this too...

It's my first custom card that I made from scratch. My photos, my design! I've been wanting to learn how to create my own cards for awhile now and since getting my new camera, I've been even more motivated to figure it all out-and I think I've got it now! I love the challenge of being creative and it's nice to have little projects like this to work on when I have some down time. The only bad thing is that there are only so many cards I can make for myself...I think our friends and family might a get a bit overwhelmed with a new card of Bridget and Ross every week:) I've made a few cards for some friends and they've all been really happy with them. I'd love the chance to do more, so let me know if you want one!

Nothing more to say except that it was a wonderful day in honor of Ross. I've been on a happy high ever since just knowing what happy little lives Bridget and Ross have thanks to the amazing people that surround them.