a new view

i think the best part of having a one year old is finally being able to turn around the carseat. it is amazing how one little move can make such a big difference for all of us. this is a picture of gerrit's first trip out in the big boy seat. we took a special trip to the nursery to get plants for our new vegetable garden. he thought it was quite funny when we just turned around to look at him.

big monkey birthday bash

our little monkey turned one! to celebrate we had a monkey party with all gerrit's friends complete with monkey mask invitations, monkey cakes, monkey cupcakes, pipe cleaner monkeys, and a monkey pinata. and in true johnston fashion (including our wedding and gerrit's baptism) the day turned out to be hot. so with a few phone calls we turned the party into a pool party with a couple pools and a slip 'n slide.

the kids had fun in the water, playing in gerrit's new sandbox, breaking the pinata, and feeding the geese. and gerrit had a great time watching them all! you can find a slide show of some of the party highlights below or check out rest of the photos at our website.

gerrit's birthday present

hugh has been working hard on gerrit's big birthday present for a couple weeks, but had the new sandbox ready for all the kids to enjoy for gerrit's first birthday party. the sandbox is complete with a storable lid, benches, and a toy box. we thought it might be too big until there about 15 kids in there comfortably play at once during the birthday party. watch the sandbox's progression below.

the monkey is walking

wait a second! have we told you gerrit is walking? its true! it has probably been almost three weeks now since the crawl was left in the dust. i am not sure how it all clicked, but it is definitely now the preferred means of transportation for the monkey and getting better everyday.

gerrit's bag of tricks

life with gerrit is getting funner every day. he seems to be at the perfect age...he thrives on hearing cheers of "good boy," so we are using that to our advantage and teaching him some new "tricks"...sooo big, he signs please and thank you, dances when he hears music, and he even immitates us whenever we sneeze. here is a video of a few of his tricks.

baby no name faber

we are so excited baby faber has finally made HIS appearance! he was a couple weeks early, but it seems like cassie had been having contractions for months now and must have seemed even longer for cassie. he was born on april 17 weighing in at 7lb 11oz. and 21". mom and baby are doing well after a little time heating up under the heat lamps and cassie is excited to be able to take this baby home with her today. the hardest part seems to be deciding on his name. last night they had finally settled on carson for the first name (a name big brother ethan selected long ago) and it was their goal to have a middle name picked out by the time they left the hospital today...we will keep you posted. he looks like a faber--check out his picture and the rest of the photos are at our website.

first steps

gerrit has been on the move for a while now, but lately he is trying a new means to get from a to b. walking! when he first made his move, we would have to stand him up and do everything in our power to coerce him to take a step. with in a couple weeks, he is now pulling himself up on the coffee table, letting go for a few steps and then lunging for nearest sturdy object to catch his fall. walking is by no means his preferred means of travel yet, but we are getting there. check out a video of the drunken sailor.