Christmas 2009

We had a wonderful Christmas Day. Logan woke up at his usual early hour and opened the gifts from his Grandpa and Grandpa Johnston from Florida. When he opened one of the gifts, he said, "Ooohh, books!" He loves books!

We spent the afternoon with the Atchleys and then enjoyed a quiet evening at home. That was, until I realized that our refrigerator/freezer had died! We moved all of our freezer stuff into the deep-freeze and all of the refrigerator stuff into coolers and put them on the back porch. Thank goodness it was cold outside!

First thing Saturday morning, we went to Sears and ordered a new refrigerator. It was delivered yesterday. We are so thankful we didn't have to go any longer than we did without one!

On Saturday evening, we were with the McKinleys and Logan got sick. Very sick. He threw up twice while we were there and once on the way home. I was so upset about him getting sick that I didn't take any pictures at this Christmas. But trust me, you didn't really want to see Logan throwing up all over the presents anyways, right?! He didn't get sick after the incident in the car, but I kept him home from church on Sunday because I wanted to be sure that he wasn't going to get sick again.

On Sunday night, I got very sick. I was sick all night and most of yesterday. I'm feeling much better today. Zeb and I both took vacation time this week, so I was not happy about having to spend my first vacation day in bed. But at least it was at the beginning of the week. We're praying Zeb doesn't get it!

Logan's body has been covered in some kind of rash/break-out since last Tuesday. We weren't sure if it was something he wore, something he ate or something else. So, Zeb took him to the doctor yesterday. Apparently, it is just his sensitive skin flaring up. Poor little guy -- it looks so uncomfortable! Although we didn't notice any symptoms, he does have ear infections in both ears. So, he's been covered in break-outs, throwing up and ear infections.

We plan to spend the next couple of days just relaxing around the house. Our friends from Chicago are coming at the end of the week, so we want to be sure that we are all feeling better by then!

Christmas Eve

What a great day!

Moooooo

The other day, when approaching some Christmas lights, Logan forgot that he was to say, "oooooohhhhhh," and instead, made the sound, "mmmmmmmmmmooooooooooo." No, it wasn't a cow made out of Christmas lights, he just said the wrong word. So adorable.

The Italian Connection: A Restaurant Review

Zeb and I had heard really great things about this "exclusive" Italian restaurant, The Italian Connection. There was all this intriguing talk: "You have to have reservations or you can't get a seat." "You have to park behind the building," like it's a secret place or something. So, we decided to try it for our anniversary...our very special once-in-a-lifetime 5th anniversary.

We should have known better when we arrived and "park behind the building" was code for "they don't have a parking lot, so you park on the street." We were on a residential street and we parked in front of some one's home. When we pulled up, I immediately noticed that there was laundry hanging on the line at one of the houses. It was 30 degrees! Who does that?!

So, we walk up the very rough road to get to the restaurant and we walk in the front door. Wait...was it the front door? I don't know because we stepped right into the area where people were sitting. We were a little embarrassed, almost ready to turn around and walk out when the hostess comes up and says, "Do you have reservations?" We weren't in the back. This was the front. Oh my.

So, we get seated about 2 steps from the door. There are wine bottles all around, as decor, and everything was crammed in so tight, I was afraid that I was going to knock something over. The tables were so close that we could easily hear all the conversations around us. But it's all worth it if the food is good, right?

So, we anxiously await our bread with the special garlic butter. Cold bread. Cold butter. Very garlicky butter. Not great. Waiting for our drinks. We are served the house salad. Lettuce with a little cole slaw dressing. Not great. We are still waiting for our drinks. Then we order fried meatballs. A few months ago, I cooked some meatballs on the stove top and burned them a little bit. Yep, that's what these were like, only theirs were bigger and they cost more!

Our drinks arrived after the burnt meatballs. I ordered chicken Parmesan for my meal and Zeb ordered fettuccine antonio and sausage links. My chicken was chicken strips on a bed of lemon juice. Within a few minutes, the lemon juice was absorbed into the chicken breading and I couldn't eat it without getting that sour look on my face...you know the one...the face you get when you're eating a sourpatch kid. Yeah, that one. The pasta and sauce were no better than a Chef Boyardee meal without the meat.

Zeb's meal looked tasty but it wasn't.The sausage honestly wasn't that bad, and I don't really like sausage, so that's saying a lot.

We never did get a drink refill and I didn't bring my leftovers home. I think that's the first time EVER I didn't bring leftovers with me!

So, we were really disappointed. We had very high expectations for our restaurant adventure. Unfortunately, not every new restaurant experience can end up as delightful as the Bourbon Street Hideaway (love, love, LOVE that place).

Boy, Oh Boy

So, this morning since Logan was up at 5:30 a.m., we had plenty of time before we had to get ready for church. Logan has started standing in front of the tv and likes to stand very close, so I'm constantly trying to teach him to step away. This morning, I put his chair at a reasonable distance away from the tv and sat him down there. I was in the kitchen, working at the table and could see him perfectly. He didn't realize this. Before I knew it, he was standing on his chair and fell right out. He didn't cry, he just stood back up, and walked over to the tv. I sat him back in his chair and said, "Sit." He shakes his head and says, "sit." I leave the room. He turns around to see if I'm watching him and then slowly starts to stand up and I say, "Sit down." So he says, "sit," and he does. This happens over and over and each time, he keeps looking over his shoulder to see if I'm looking and as soon as he thought that I'm wasn't, he slowly started to stand up. Seriously -- he is starting to learn how to push my buttons!!! But I have to admit, the whole thing was pretty cute (in my opinion!).


And if you're wondering what my other boy has been up to lately, he has decided that he likes to sleep in the laundry basket! Don't worry -- these are not clean sheets!!!

Santa Likes Bandido's

Apparently, Santa likes Bandido's because we saw him eating lunch there today! I haven't taken Logan to get his picture with Santa because Logan seems to be scared of characters dressed in costumes. But he was NOT afraid of Santa. He kept looking back at him and smiling and waving. Somehow, he knows about Santa. (I never told him!)

Has anyone else noticed the change in Bandido's salsa? That used to be my favorite place to eat, but today, the salsa was definitely different. And also, the past two times we have been there, the service hasn't been so great. It makes me sad, but after the salsa change, I'm not sure I'll ever go back there!

Today, Logan was watching tv like this....

...typcial boy...won't sit up straight!

5 Years!

Today, we celebrate 5 years of marriage! We certainly wouldn't say that things have always been easy, but now, at 5 years into it, we can definitely say that we have a wonderful life! We are so blessed in many ways, but tonight, as we were talking about our past 5 years, we both agreed that Logan is definitely the highlight of the past 5 years. He has certainly brought so much joy into our family and has definitely brought us closer together as husband and wife. I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful husband (don't get me wrong -- he is not perfect, but then again, neither am I!), and that Zeb is such a wonderful daddy to Logan.

5 years -- really?! It's hard to believe!!!

Have You Heard?!

Lou Holtz, one of Notre Dame's past coaches, is speaking at Indiana Tech's commencement ceremony in May. It just so happens that ZEB (a HUGE Lou Holtz fan) is graduating with his bachelor's degree this May. Needless to say, Zeb is giddy about it!

http://www.indianatech.edu/News/Pages/Holtz.aspx

Also, I am very pleased to announce that Zeb got a new job! Starting January 18, he will be an admissions counselor at Indiana Tech (he currently works in the Registrar's Office). We are very excited about this, too...it's been an exciting week all around at the Johnston household!

Busy

We have been so busy lately -- 'Tis the season, right?! We are no where near ready for Christmas, but we are ready for some time to relax, so the holiday will be nice! Logan keeps us on the go. He's walking everywhere now. It's so funny because when we try to come after him (chase him), he knows he's supposed to run, but he's not that good yet, so he gets all excited and wants to take off...but usually ends up following over. He also likes to jump on the bed (when we are holding his hands). He just laughs and laughs -- the best sound in the world to me!

For the first time the other day, I just let him walk -- wherever he wanted to go in the house. I know that seems silly, but before, we were always trying to keep him contained in the living room....but when I just let him go and I followed him, he went straight for daddy and mommy's bedroom!

He also likes to look out the windows beside our front door. They are the full length of the door (you know what I'm talking about...those windows....beside the door)....so he pulls back the curtain and pokes his head out to get a look outside.

I am really hoping that we have some snowy, yet warm (for winter) days, so that we can get Logan outside to play in the snow. I can't wait to see how he reacts!

Buckeyes

What is your favorite holiday treat?

Bittersweet

This afternoon was Logan's last physical therapy session. We are so proud of him and the hard work that he has done to overcome his physical set-backs. For those of you who don't know, when Logan was 3 weeks old, I found a lump on his neck. After many tests, it was determined to be a pulled muscle that likely occurred during his delivery. He was diagnosed with torticollis. He started physical therapy about a year ago.

Miss Gloria has been coming to our home every Thursday for almost a year now. We are going to miss her, but she was thrilled, as are we, that Logan doesn't need PT anymore! He still tends to favor the one side, especially when he's at rest (watching tv or looking at a book), but it's nothing that we can't keep working on at home.

We are certainly going to miss Miss Gloria and knowing that Logan has accomplished this reminds us that he is growing up. We are happy that he's growing up, but you know, it's just a little sad to see your baby getting bigger!!! Bittersweet, I'd say.


Here are some pictures of therapy throughout the past year...

And here's a picture of Logan and Miss Gloria on their final day together. We will miss her!

Date Night

I don't think that we're alone in our feelings about being new parents and never wanting to leave our little one. We leave him enough when we have to go to work during the day...I treasure every spare minute and want to spend it with him! However, we do understand that mommy & daddy also need some grown-up time, so last night, Zeb and I had a date night.


What a great night in Fort Wayne -- who says Fort Wayne has nothing fun to do?! We had an amazing time. First, we went to the Living Christmas Tree. It is an annual production filled with some dance, drama and of course, Christmas carols! This is the second time that we've gone and it was just as amazing this time as the first time I saw it. The stage is set up with a huge tree...so big that about 100 or so (I don't know, I'm guessing on that number) singers sit in the tree and sing. It's too hard to explain, so here are some pictures (the best we could get)....

We went to a 4:00 show, and the big joke there was that that is the time all the old people go...I guess Zeb and I are old!

After the show, we went to an amazing restaurant called the Bourbon Street Hideaway. If you live in Fort Wayne and haven't heard of it, I'm not surprised, but you MUST go. We love watching the Food Network and seeing all of these amazing restaurants, and we also talk about how we wish Fort Wayne would have more restaurants other than "chain" ones. Well, we found this place, and it's going to be our special place. The food wasn't exactly cheap, so we won't go there often, but I'm guessing that we'll try to get there once a year now...maybe the show and this restaurant will become our tradition.

It's actually a tiny place and if you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't be able to find it. It's actually in a basement. The ceilings were low and it's really small...definitely a hidden gem. We ordered a lot of food. I took pictures. But don't judge me because we didn't really eat all of this food, we had some left over. But my, my -- it was GOOD!

This is the entrance. The door is on the left. See what I mean, if you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't even notice it!

Our appetizer...Brie cheese with garlic, almonds and onions...served with French Bread.

The house salad....amazing....

My meal -- chicken, shrimp and rice.

Zeb's meal -- pork and cheesy grits (yuck!)

Our dessert -- chocolate bread pudding (we did NOT have any of this left-over!!!)

We had a great night, but we were definitely ready to head home to our little guy. I know we talked about him most of the night. We are pretty sure that by next year, he'll be old enough to go with us. There were some young boys sitting in front of us at the show and they were loving it! This was definitely the perfect way to get into the holiday season!