Who the Heck Is Making These Decisions?

Busy day for Mom at work today, sorry this is so late in the afternoon. She usually tries to help me with this by lunch. We know you're all out there, chomping at the bit, awaiting the next post. Speaking of, I guess I should warn you that tomorrow Mom starts a CADD (Computer Aided Design & Drafting) class in the am's. So, the post will be happening in the afternoons for the next few days. See? Aren't you glad I'm hear to let you know what's going on in the world.

A few of you have voiced concerns about the Kevin Garnett trade to the Celtics. In our house, we feel that its good for Kevin. He deserves to be with a team that will help him get a championship. Hopefully the team will not be over run with egos, as they are here. We're more concerned with the Luis Castillo trade to the Mets yesterday. He's batting 305 with 50-some RBI, and they get rid of him so we get a couple of minor leaguers. Can anyone explain? What about Silva? Get rid of him. (**Sorry G-pa E, I know you could give a rip about this post.)

Now I Wanna Be a Baseball Team Owner,
HAJ

I Think I Want To Be a Rock Star

Happy Monday! This weekend turned out to be a bit of a bust for us. Mom got sick. She's still not feeling well today, which means that she didn't get to go with Dad and me to Will Fest Saturday night and she wasn't up for much yesterday either. I spent the afternoon in the pool, lounging.

As for Will Fest, that was the most fun I think I've had so far in my life. It was my friends all playing and singing live music! When I finally realized what was going on, I booked right up to the front of the stage, and rocked out the whole night! Dad even let me stay up until 10! I still wasn't tired though. I would've listened to them all night. I loved it when Tom V. played the guitar to me! No one could tell, but I pee'd myself I was so excited! Mom said she'll start taking me to more live shows since she knows how much I like it now. I can't wait until next year. Hopefully this will continue for many years to come.

I wanna rock,
HAJ

Real chocolate milk at a real resturant

First time learning on a straw

Escape Artist

What a great day! Swimming with Palmer in my pool was the best! The only thing was, he kept trying to escape. He's a funny one, that Palmer.

We don't have much on the docket today, probably just hanging out around the house. Maybe more swimming, it supposed to be nice outside. Tonight we're going to the Berigan's for Will Fest '07! I can't wait to go, and see the band play. I love music and it'll be my first time to see a band live. Well, I guess I saw them last year, but I was only 3 days old.

What the Dilly Yo,

HAJ

Cow Chair

Here it is! The ever famous "cow chair." Its kinda weird, but I kinda like it. Mom says she likes it cuz its different. Dad calls it unique. Funny how no one will actually come out and say they like it.

Mom's having some of the girls over for "lunch" today. These days always end up with a bunch of giggling, and us kids end up taking naps just a little longer than usual. It'll be fun though cuz my main man Palmer is coming over and his cousins Abbylee and Briella. We always have fun when we're together.

Mom is going to make her friends look at the house see what they think of it. She's trying to decide whether or not to paint it. This affects you, because if she decides to paint it, you'll just have to wait that much longer to see photos. Oh, I just had a great idea. Maybe we'll do an online poll, and you guys could vote on what you think. Let's just see how today goes, and we'll take it from there. Happy Friday!

Now or never,

HAJ

PS - Shout out to Uncle Addison and Auntie Gina, Happy Anniversary!

Me and My Shadow

Me and my shadow, my shadow and me. We're always together, as close as can be.... That's the song Dad always sings about me. I'm hot on his trail where ever he goes. He's got one of those... what do you call 'em? Magnetic personalities.

Today is the typical busy day with Mom. We're going to get groceries, pick up her new "cow chair" (picture to follow), run over a surprise birthday present (sshhh, its Lini's birthday, don't tell.), and do the laundry and clean the house. Whew! The nice part is that its only 98 degrees outside with 100% humidity. It would really be awful to do all that if it was cooler outside. cough, cough.

Who died and made you boss?
HAJ

Mmm...Carrots

Have you ever heard of such a kid that had a peanut butter and jelly sammy for dinner, (because Mom is still unsure if I should be eating Thai food) along with a bowl of carrots, and the kid went for the carrots and not the yummy sammy? I am not my mother's son. But she thought it was pretty cool.

Close on the heels of love,
HAJ

Month 13 Archives

Henry, Henry, Henry,

This is a couple days late, but we've been traveling the country and time has been sparse. This month you've traveled through Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. Be sure to check them off your list. It was quite the adventure for you and me. Some even said I was crazy to attempt. It was harder than I thought, especially the pee breaks. Mine, not yours. Thank goodness for those Koala Kare thingys in bathrooms. Saved both our lives. But I'm very impressed with your patience and ability to stay awake for so many hours. We'll do it again sometime.

Your major break through this month was that you can pull yourself up. You are doing it like crazy. I know that means walking is just around the corner. You're getting so mobile and I'm not yet used to getting up to check on you or following you where ever you go, thus the stair incident. I know its my fault, I promise we'll get the gates.

Lately I'm realizing that you not only look exactly like your dad, but you are starting to take on his personality. When we go to stores, people oooh and aahh, and you tilt your head and smile and give that "aren't I so cute?" look. You stare at people in restaurants until they look back and then you say "hi" in your cute little high voice. You are breaking hearts all over this city, and now after this weekend, the country. Those girls at the antique shop in Louisburg, KS will never be the same.

The other day at the grocery store someone asked me if you were mine. I was floored. But I knew she didn't mean it like I just stole you out of someone else's cart. You just look so much like Daddy. At a restaurant the other night, the waiter told Daddy that there's no way he could ever deny being your father. Not that he would, but it never stops. We're all walking down the street and I watch people and I hear "I know who the daddy of that baby is!" or "Wow, look at those two!" Don't get me wrong, I love that you look like him, because I still think he's the cutest in all the land, and I always wished that you would look like him and get his personality. Anyway, you have a few things from me too. Just the other day someone said they were sure you have my ear lobes.

Loves, Mama

I Left My Heart In Kansas City

OK - here's what happened. Mom thought she had her phone all hooked up to blog on the road, but of course, she only had it set up to accept "text" and not photos. So then she fixed that after we arrived in KC. Only to realize that the new house that Nesa moved into is SO far out into the country, that she didn't have internet service on her phone. So the only time she could blog was when we went "into town". THEN, of course, she forgot. So, sorry the pictures were few and far between. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Above is me and Chris, and Mom in the background. Chris is really cool military guy. I liked hanging out with him. The craziest part of the whole trip was the dogs you saw in my earlier post, Midnight and Sadie. They were very nice too me, but wow are they big. I got used to them after a while, but at first I was a bit apprehensive. It was so nice to see Nesa and Mike, Chris and Tim too. Thank you guys so much for your hospitality, and we can't wait to come back.

Some of you were wondering about the drive to and from KC. Mom said she was impressed with how well I was behaved. A little fussy on the way until Des Moines where we stopped and ate. Then I actually took a 45 minute nap, and was good for the rest of the 8 hour trip. (8 hours only because Mom got lost not once, but 3 times.) Same deal on the way home, just a quick 45 minute nap after Des Moines, and this time it only took 7 hours.

Lock, stock and barrel,
HAJ

They put me in charge of the important stuff.

I'm not sure about these two.

We made it.

Gasing up

Call It a Blog!

Sorry, no new picture today. Mom forgot to take a pic of me yesterday, so we thought we'd bring out an oldie (not so old) but a goodie.

I'm feeling fine today you guys. Thanks for your well wishes. I think the whole thing was a fluke. I was great at school all day, and great last night, and great again this morning. Still going strong.

I'm getting really excited because Mom and I are going on a MAJOR road trip tomorrow to Kansas City to see Nesa! Daddy can't go because of work. Its so sad to me, but guess what?!?!? Mom learned how to blog from her phone yesterday, so we can keep Dad and all of you posted of our adventures when we're out of town or don't have access to a computer. This is going to be so fun. The posts won't be so long, because Mom is really bad at typing on her phone, but at least we'll get a photo and a little caption, and call it a blog!

Dime a dozen,
HAJ

Was It the Eggs?

So, I don't know. I think I might be sick today. Dad thought for sure felt like a had a fever first thing this morning. I was kinda cranky and whiny too. Dad gave me a bite of his eggs. I don't even like eggs, but I ate it anyway, and they made me gag. Then I threw up all over Mom and her work clothes. She was trying to decide if I threw up because of the eggs or because I was sick. Also, its been 12 days since my shots, and the Dr. said some kids get a fever 10 days after their shots, so maybe that's what happened. Anyway, I started getting more energetic, cooling down, and in a much better mood, so Mom went to work. She's on high alert today though, just in case Lini calls.

I've been better,
HAJ

Another Life Lesson

We spent the weekend convertibling. Its a word. Look it up. OK, don't. We were off driving around all over from one end of the city to the next. It was a nice way to get outside and enjoy the weather. I even got a fancy new car seat. This was my first time in Miss Barbara Blue facing forward. MUCH less windy this way.

You're not going to believe what I did yesterday. While Mom was downstairs on the computer, she let me crawl around down there, basically unsupervised. There really isn't anything I can get into, so she thought it would be fine. Well, I heard Daddy come home upstairs, so I proceeded to crawl all the way up the stairs, unsupervised. Daddy looked over at me and almost died. He said, "hey buddy," in a very calm voice. Then, very calmly picked me up, then calmly called for Mom. She, still sitting at the computer, had NO CLUE what just happened. Daddy came down to see her, pale as a ghost. They both immediately were nauseous.

Then they took me to the stairs and tried to recreate the incident, supervised. I fell backwards at least 5 times, and luckily Mom was there to catch me. Talk about lessons learned and a huge wake up call to the parents. But for me, I've found a new place to have some fun. Can you believe, they still haven't gotten a gate?

As solid as the ground we stand on,
HAJ

PS - Shout out to Auntie M! This is a big one, have a great day! I wish we could have gone to your party.

One Big Step

One small step for man, one huge step for Henry.

Take a walk on the wild side,

HAJ

Big Steps

I can navigate this step, going up, with no problems. It doesn't even slow me down. But climbing down it, well that's another story. It makes me cranky just thinking about it. I try to get close, but then I just chicken out. Dad tried to help scoot me to the edge, but I wish he'd just pick me up. Its easier, and then every body's happy.

So hungry he could eat the north end out of a south bound cow,
HAJ

PS - What was going on 9 months ago? There's a lot of birthdays these days. Shout out to G. Uncle Butch - Happy Birthday man, hope you have chance to enjoy it!

Street Music

Anyone wanna guess how I got here? Yep, its happening. Lini's been telling Mom that I have been pulling myself up for weeks now, but I've never done it at home. Until now. Its started out like this. The I thought, why not? And this was the final step. So, there ya go! More milestones, whether you're ready or not.

Yesterday's birthday party for Mr. Gunkelman was crazy! Like nothing I've ever seen before. We were all sitting there having cheese and champagne, all of a sudden a bunch of street performers came in, playing bongos, guitars, and honking horns! They even sang a happy birthday song. I was a little scared of the clown guy, but he made me a dog balloon, and Tom a balloon hat, so I thought, well, he can't be all bad. They were so fun! We had a great time, and here's the card I made for Tom. It is my first piece of artwork, and will probably be worth millions.

Fall for it,
HAJ

PS - Shout outs today to again, Mr. Gunkelman (Happy 78! Shhh, don't worry, you're secret is safe with me.) And to my cousin Andrew - 18 baby! Time to buy a lottery ticket and hit the casino in Flandreau! And last but not least to G. Auntie Jodi, I know this is a big one, but trust me, you're more beautiful now then at 30 anyway.

Koozie Time

Most of you who know my parents, know that they can't drink any beverage without one of these can koozies! I finally got my own this weekend, and what a difference it makes on my juice. Heck, when its 100 degrees outside you need all the help you can get.

Today we're busy! There's grocery shopping, cleaning, shopping for lights for the outside of the house. By the way, the house is really coming along, but not finished yet. Don't worry there's photos coming. Our neighbors are even saying how nice it looks. It seems maybe we aren't the hillbillies of the neighborhood anymore, and maybe they'll all just over look the dead grass.

Later today we're off to my Mom's office for happy hour! I know, I hope they spike my sippy cup. NOT! (I'm bring it back.) It's Mr. Gunkelman's birthday tomorrow, and he invited ME to come to his party! Can you believe it? The only reason Mom gets to go is because she has to bring me. Now we know how she rates.

It takes two to tango,
HAJ

Cute Little Green Frog

Since today is turning out to be a slow news day, Mom is making me post a few more of the pictures she took when I was swimming in my new frog pool. I know, its a little over kill, but she just insisted that they had to be shared. There's this one that I'm just barely squinting into the sun, and then this one that really shows my teeth and that I'm having fun. This one, I can't tell you what was going on in my mind, but it was a glimpse to my wild side. Finally I'll give you one guess as to who I'm looking at in this picture, and its not my mom. Hope you enjoy them!

Better than a slap up the side of the head with a dead fish,
HAJ

Wheels On the Bus Go Round

Check out my new ride I got for my birthday from my cousins Presley and Cody! I just love it, obviously. And Dad and Mom love it too because that song will not be annoying at all. (cough, cough). It has all kinds of buttons to push and horns and a compartment in the seat I can put things in and take things out.

Lately, since I've been crawling, people are coming up to me and telling me I'm thinning out. Like, what? Are you calling me fat? What must I looked like before? No, seriously, though, its true. Mom noticed it yesterday on my thighs. The rolls just aren't as deep as they once were. Just look at this picture from March. Times are a changin'. I, personally, think its great. I'm sick of shopping in the "husky" section at all the stores.

True blue,

HAJ
PS - I have got to send a shout out to my cousin Presley! Happy Birthday!! I can't wait to see you in August and I wish I was there to party it down with you today! Also, to my pseudo-auntie Kari - have a great birthday and make Dan buy you dinner.

Family Ties

I'm finally home from my whirl-wind tour of SD. It was such a great weekend. I got to see tons of my family, including Great Grandma Nelson - shown above. She won me over with that sucker. I'm telling you, the way to my heart is through anything sugar based.

I spent the majority of my time with Great Gma & Gpa Johnston. I just played at their house all the time while Mom and Dad were off galavanting around doing who knows what. I also got to see cousin Jerid and meet is super cute girlfriend Ashley. That was a nice surprise. And of course spent time with Uncle Butch and Auntie Jodi, and Great, Great Auntie Kay. I mean, I'm telling you, I met up with about everybody. We had such a blast, so much so that Mom got lazy and didn't really take photos. I know, I know. Major regrets.

The two biggest milestones reached over the weekend was that I decided NOT to scream all the way home from SD. I didn't nap either, but Mom was relieved the screaming was done, at least for that trip. AND - I figured out how to crawl up the step into the kitchen. And my parents STILL haven't bought any gates. Get a move on.

I never went to bed with an ugly woman; woke up with a few,

HAJ

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A

It's finally happened, after something like 9 years in the hands of the Japanese, the Mustard Yellow Belt is finally back in the hands of the USA! U-S-A, U-S-A! Say it with me people. Joey Chestnut finally defeated the all powerful Kobayashi in the Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest. Joey crammed down 66 HDBs (hotdogs and buns) in 12 minutes, breaking his own world record of 59.5, and Kobayashi only managed 63. This includes a very close call of the barfing reversal of fortune, which could have gotten Kobayashi disqualified. Not to mention his "arthritic jaw" he's been complaining about for weeks, which most of us that are in the know, think was a ruse. To check out all the results go to the International Federation Of Competitive Eating. My favorite is Crazy Legs Conti, the world leader in buffet eating with having eaten 5.5lbs of buffet food in 12 minutes.

Maybe you guys didn't know, but my mom is a HUGE fan of the IFOCE, and this is her favorite event of the 4th of July. Its just another family tradition, being passed through the generations.

Well, we're off to SD today. I won't have access to a computer so I'm signing off until Monday. Please have wonderful and safe weekend, and eat a hotdog for me!

He has a hollow leg,

HAJ

PS - First, my new pool. Check. It. Out. And - I had my one year shots today and totally rocked them out. Sweet, they're done.

It's Independence Day

Happy Independence Day everyone! Hopefully you are all going to be grillin' and chillin'. That's what we're planning on here in MN. Its going to be a beautiful, sunny and warm 85, low humidity, and that just means I'll be swimmin' in my redneck swimmin' pool all afternoon. Be safe and have fun, and remember, as all holidays go, this is a free day on your diet so go crazy!

I love being free, it's the best way to be,
HAJ

PS - Hope you're feeling good today Miss Molly.

Getting Ready to Overeat

I spent this morning hanging out with my parents and wrestling around. We're all pretty checked out since tomorrow is a holiday, and we have the rest of the week off, and most importantly we're heading to SD on Thursday. We're going to Brookings to visit the fam. Nick's Hamburgers, here we come! Pizza King - don't you run away from me. And George's Pizza, I won't forget about you, just get that deep dish ready for me baby!

Never place anything bigger in your ear than your elbow,
HAJ

Swimmin' Old School Style

How are y'all likin' my redneck swimmin' pool? Can you believe my dad thought of this? It was so awesome! I just love it when he pours water on my head, and it even has its own fountain, or some people call it "water feature". And Mom likes it because I still can't crawl out of it, but I can give her a nice view to check out.

Good To Go,

HAJ

Bucket Hat

Check out my new hat! I even kind of like it, and I don't mind wearing it. Surprisingly. I think its because someone else I know has one like it that he wears all the time too.

Yesterday we spent the day out on the boat. It was better with my new, bigger life jacket. The Valentine's even joined us and it was Patrick's first boat ride. He and I went swimming in the lake too, with our dads. It was really fun, even though the water was a bit cold, it didn't bother us one bit. I'm sure you'd probably like to see some pictures of that adventure, but Mom's battery in the camera died right after taking the shots of me by the stove. Notice? Don't worry, it wasn't on, but I'm itchin' to start cookin'.

Pack it in,
HAJ

PS - I missed a shout to my uncle Larry C. on Friday, Happy Birthday and can't wait to meet up in August. And then yesterday was sweet Frannie B's big day! Wow, 7, I don't even know how many that is!