WI Day Trip

Quinn and I are enjoying opportunities to visit with

friends and family this week!

This afternoon we headed to mom and dad's since my

grandparents were up for the day and night. 

Even with weather in the 90's,

Quinn didn't miss a beat, all that heat and

humidity sure made his cheeks rosy red though!

Country Living

Our day consisted of...

A Quinn and mama road trip to visit a friend and her adorable little guy.....

..Enjoying the beautiful scenery as we drove through towns like Jordan, Gaylord, Henderson and Winthrop, MN. 

...Enjoying my time chatting and catching up with Missy

Keeping plenty busy with Quinn getting into, well...everything!..

..Burning off energy outside while chasing ducks, playing with a kitty and dog and appreciating the awesome weather!

Embracing the quiet and peaceful drive home as Quinn feel asleep instantly..........

Thanks for having us over, Melissa!

A Special Day

 Steve's first Father's Day

Last Year - 2010

 At friend's Matt and Melissa's wedding

~ May 2010 ~

 First Easter with Quinn, April 2010

 Quinn's Baptism Affirmation,  June 2010

 Summer 2010

 First Christmas with Quinn, Dec. 2010

 Boys having breakfast, April 2011

 Daddy and Quinn enjoying a Spring Day.

The boys and daddy's cool car!

Dear Steve,

I had fun collecting a few of my favorite photos of you with our son to honor you on your 2nd Father's Day! What a blessing an attentive, hardworking and kind father is, not only for his children but also for their mother! I am so thankful that Quinn and our newest little one to arrive this winter, have such a wonderful father figure to guide them through life's many ups and downs!

Thank you for all you do for Quinn. Those long hours you put in at work every day without complaint to support your family, the smile you always have as you walk though the door at the end of the day and announce, 'How's my Family?!', the positive attitude you display each and every day. I love seeing how much you have changed and learned in the almost year and a half that you have been a dad!  Just as I found a few minutes to run down to your office and post this entry, I can hear you and Quinn upstairs dancing and singing away to Raffi! 

I try and remember to thank God every day for pairing us together! (Okay, I just noticed that the music has just changed from Raffi to Rap! ...I also love how you are providing Quinn with such a variety of different genres of music...Raffi to Rap, something only Steve would do!)

I hope you know how loved you are this Father's Day and Always,

Gretchen and Quinn

Backyard wildlife!

The other day, as I was standing on our deck something bright green caught my eye, and I was delighted to see that it was an adorable little tree frog.  I'm sure if I had inspected it further, I would have been able to see the little little suction cup grippers on his feet that allowed him to crawl up high onto our deck!

As a kid, my siblings and I loved playing with unique animals, reptiles and amphibians!  When we took a family fishing trip and had trouble catching any fish, we hardly ever had trouble catching painted turtles and we would bring a few home as pets.  All the minnows purchased as bait but never used also became pets. We would put them in our kiddie pools and have them race.  Reptiles such as snakes and toads were a big hit, as well as salamanders! ...I have no problems letting Quinn find his own  strange   unique pets as he grows up. What a fun part of childhood where many of the best memories are made!

A visit to see Great Grandma Sophie

  Quinn (16 months) with Great Grandma Sophie and Grandpa J.

~ June 17, 2011 ~

As you can see, Quinn had a lot of fun visiting

his great grandma this morning!! 

Quinn is almost 16 months old! (6/20/2011)

 My little sweetie at 16 months.

 Look at those big feet! There is nothing

'baby' about Quinn anymore.  He is 100% big boy these days!

 He is starting to get the cheesy smile down pat!  "Say CHEESE!"

 ...And boy, does he love his cuddling stuffed animals!

Especially his two little blanket/teddy bears.

Time is just flying by in the Johannes household! 

 We're keeping busy with day to day activities, as well as doctor appointments for baby #2, Steve's softball games, purchasing a new SUV (for our soon to be family of four), selling an old car, play dates with friends, volunteering at VBS (vacation bible school), get together with friends and family and more.  (Isn't summer awesome?!)

Quinn is growing up right before our eyes!  There usually isn't a day that goes by, where Steve doesn't comment on how much Quinn grew during the day when he

was at work! 

 We are truly having one of the best summers. Quinn is more active and on the go this year than last, and we try and keep busy with activities that best suit his personality. (mainly, any activity that allow him to RUN/move!)

We've been taking bike rides, walks, visits to parks and the library and meeting more and more friends through numerous ECFC classes we took over the

winter and spring months. 

Along with his motor skills strengthening daily, he is slowly getting the vocal skills down! But let's be honest, he is much more a doer than a talker!  So with that said, imagine my excitement when Quinn mimicked me and said Tucker today! (And it actually sounded like Tucker!) 

Lots and lots of kids, oh my!

 Sydney and Quinn at Play date.

 Very interested in baby Logan.

 We noticed four (out of the seven kids) reading together...

so we thought it would be fun to get ALL of the kids together!

 It took a little time and work,

But it turned out great!

Toni, Nolan and Abby

Quinn, Haven, Logan and Sydney

Play date: June 15, 2011

Baby makes FOUR!

Our first photo as a family of four (plus Tuck!)

We found out we were expecting baby #2 waaaaay back on April 23rd (the day before Easter). Steve and I were getting ready to go to a Twins game with some good friends of ours, and since the four of us enjoy having a couple beers while watching the game, I thought it best to just make sure I wasn't pregnant. 

When I checked the pregnancy test after a few minutes, I was surprised and very excited to see two lines!  Steve was playing with Quinn in the other room, so I walked in to tell him our plans for the day were going to be slightly changed! The rest of our morning was spent just allowing our new reality to sink in! I kept asking, "Am I really pregnant?" I did the same thing with Quinn...just one of those magical moments that go down in history as some of the best moments of our lives. Knowing we were bringing another sweet baby into our family (and knowing just how awesome and wonderful a responsibility since we already have Quinn!)

My pregnancy has been similar yet different than it was with Quinn.  On the positive end, I've felt a lot less nauseous and crummy this time around. With Quinn, I could only eat cheddar cheese, saltines and bland cereal. It was awful! I would often tell Steve during those early months that we were only going to be having one child!  This time around, although I have been feeling waves of nausea, and extreme fatigue (who doesn't get that?!) I'm finally starting to feel like myself again...ahhh, finally! Meaning, I don't have to take a nap every single day while Quinn is napping. 


 I really can't complain too much if I'm comparing it to my first pregnancy... and I can (and do) eat everything... :)  Does this mean girl or boy?  

Since we found out on the day before Easter, we decided to tell my family on Easter morning when

we saw them, as everyone was together already (perfect timing if you ask me!) 

I hand wrote a few little messages in the Easter eggs such as, "I'm going to be a big brother" and "Baby Johannes #2 due to arrive in early 2012". The hardest part was persuading Quinn to pass the eggs out to everyone (he wanted to keep them all!) 

It was a fun day.  Baby #2 finally has a due date, too!  Quinn is expecting to become a big brother on:  January 1st, 2012. Happy New Year!  (He turns two on 2/20 - it's going to be a busy, fun winter!)