Christmas 2008

Well its happened again folks. Another year has come and gone and it is once again time for a little Christmas update from the Johnson's. What you say? You are new to this game? Well you had better do some catching up. The rest of the class is years ahead. Better check in with the ghost of Christmas blogs past (You know the one with the laptop and iphone under his cloak) and do some reminiscing (2005, 2006, 2007) before we have to go all Jacob Marley on you and send all three to your inbox at random hours of the night.

I must admit that I often put this letter/blog off most years out of sheer procrastination. By this year however I think I am really stating to enjoy the chance to look back and give thanks. Because it has been a good year to be a Johnson.

Since we last wrote at Christmas Scotty has had a number of firsts. First Christmas, first word (I say it was Dada, Erika says it was ball. I'll just have to relish in word number two- Guitar.), first steps (can we take that one back?), and first birthday, to name a few. The kid is all boy and loves him a good truck or tractor and he just may be my path to one day getting a dog. He has also taken to football, or at least pointing it out on the TV every time dad is watching. So he can either identify football on the TV or understands probability and statistics and knows chances are if the TV is on and Dads around that its football. But I don't get to take much credit for all the good things he does as I think it has something to do with that world class mother of his.

If I said Erika has taken to being a mother like a duck to water it would be a compliment to the ducks hydrophilic nature. It seems like every day there is something he has learned because she takes the time to help him understand his ever expanding world. We all knew she was a great teacher. Her class size has just shrunk. And while I know she has occasional pangs of longing for the friendships, accomplishment, and recognition (not to mention paycheck) of a high school teacher its nothing a big hug or kiss from one of her boys can't chase away. This year she has added many talents to her domestic repertoire from bread baking (my favorite) to online scrap booking (my less than favorite) and her sewing is even getting to be pretty impressive. Like I said she is taking this mom thing pretty seriously.

I continue to slave away in this Siberian salt mine of a town called San Clemente. Don't laugh life here can be challenging. Some days my five mile commute down Pacific Coast Highway is cloudy and last week I even turned the heater on for a couple of minutes. Don't even get me started on how much dew there is on my car in the morning. I love my job building a private practice as a chiropractor and while the challenges of these times are not lost on me at least the successes end in me doing what I truly love to do. It helps that I work with good people and a fine mentor in Michael Kreutz.

This year like many in the past has been one to reflect on and give thanks. I definitely have gained a new empathy for good old Bob Cratchit. While he didn't have the money or possessions of Scrooge, he found great joy in the things money does not buy, and as a result was truly happy even in the midst of various hardships. (Now I must admit, I haven't got it nearly as bad as Bob. Dr. Kreutz is no Scrooge and really I'm the one always trying to make the office colder not adding lumps of coal to the fire and Scotty is no Tiny Tim...he couldn't even pass for just plain old Tim. No He's a regular Husky Tim.) But like Mr. Cratchit this has been a year to give thanks for the simple things in life that bring us real joy.

And each year when we begin to feel so blessed that we just can't take it anymore, the holidays hit us and we are reminded that on top of it all, we have been the recipients of the greatest gift ever given to mankind in the form of a babe born in Bethlehem.

May we each take a the time to give thanks for that which brings joy into our lives, and ponder with reverence a loving Father in Heaven and the gift of His Son during this special time of year and always.

Merry Christmas From the Johnson's

Summer Vacation

This blog is officially on hiatus. Check the Baby Bandwagon for Johnson family updates.

Just Another Foodie

For those of you who don't know, there are a lot of things that make the Johnson side of the family the wacky, zany, quirky (funny those are all words I use when describing someone else who I think is weird but can't come right out and say it. Strange coincidence? I think not.) family that they are. In fact for Christmas this year Erika and I put together a children's ABC's book with just those things in mind. It was a hit with one recurring theme. More than anything else on the list. More than baseball games, guitar jam sessions, beach activities, singing, Davey Crockett, Weird Al, and Ishtar, we Johnson's love food.

Foodie is a word that has found its way into the lexicon these days and I think it fits (although Erika likes to often evoke the less endearing "Food Snob" on occasion when describing the extents we go to for a good meal). You see a foodie (as defined bywikipedia) is different from a gourmet in that "gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food. For this reason, foodies are sometimes viewed as obsessively interested in all things culinary."

That kinda nails us. Its why Food Network gets Tivo'ed more than any other channel or Williams Sonoma is My favorite store in the mall. You want proof? Read one of my sisters blogs it won't take you long to get the picture - (Michal - Allison).

If you have checked in on this blog with any regularity you may know that tradition is important to us. As is raising up the next generation of Johnson's with an appreciation for those traditions. Scotty being our firstborn gets bombarded at times with the many loves we want to instill in him. But then there are just things that he takes to so easily we know that it was no mistake he ended up with us.

Case in point. It's about that time (according to our baby guru Dr. Sears) to start introducing Scotty to new foods. Not really for nourishment, (he still likes a good home made meal...and by home I mean Mom) but for texture and flavor introduction. The kid has been begging for whatever it is we are eating since he could see that we were eating but it was a bit of a shock at first. Here are a couple of clips of him eating his first bites of rice cereal- the look on his face is classic but don't let it fool you he wanted more. Sorry they're kinda sketchy but all I had was the cell phone.




Since then he has broadened his horizons to include a love of applesauce, avocados, sweet potatoes, small pieces of bread, nibbles of dad's ice cream (when mom's not looking), grass (only when dad's not looking- hey I'm protective of my lawn), and the most unexpected garlic.
That last one has a story and since you are still reading at this point I might as well tell it. Erika and I had gone out to dinner (a rare treat as any new parent and frugal new business owner will tell you.) thanks to a gift certificate from Erika's dad. As the meal wound down We grew tired of Scotty's begging so we started giving him little scraps (wow he sounds like a dog). A little piece of bread here, some avocado there, then I spied the left over garlic from Erika's fries (this and the onions on her sandwich might make you think we don't kiss anymore now that we are parents, but that is not true.....I just like the taste of garlic and onions. ) and thought I might play a trick on my little garbage disposal. So before Erika could veto me I slipped him a small piece. The cartoon-like take he did made me wish I had it on tape. But to our surprise after the initial shock (probably due to the fact that he had been eating bread right before) he chomped it down and begged for more. Alright, I thought. This time I will have my camera ready. Out came the cell phone and in went another slightly larger piece.....and then......nothing. He liked it? Not even a wink from the kid. Well initially I was disappointed, but deep inside I knew that this was yet another sign that this kid is going to be a Johnson through and through. In fact as I contemplate eternity in my minds eye I can seeScotty pre -mortally as he anticipated his chance to have a body and all that this earthly experience meant. And I see him looking forward to the experience of eating good food. And with that in mind looking at our family and saying "thats the one." "Thats the family I'm going to."

Welcome to the family kid......Now if he was only as excited about clearing the table.