Introducing our little guy!!

Our little guy has finally arrived. We are naming him Ethan Garrett Johnson. He was born on July 5th at 6:44am. His other stats are...8lbs 14oz (2lbs 2oz bigger than Ashlie) and 21inches long.

Check out those chubby cheeks!!

He was a lot bigger than anyone expected him to be. If we would have expected an almost 9lb baby, I would have definately got an epidural. But I guess now I can say I went completely natural. Ethan's shoulders got stuck and there were some concerns because of that. The doctor wondered if his clavacal had been broken, but after getting him checked out he seemed fine.

He already has rolls

In the hospital he also had some problems with his blood sugar levels and his oxygen levels kept dropping. After spending a couple of hours with me, they basically took him and had him hooked up to all sorts of monitors. They would bring him to me to nurse him, and took him again. But he seems to have overcome those problems now.

Yesterday he had his 2 week check and is now a big 9lb 10oz baby. He is growing fast.  He likes to eat, and eats about every two hours.  He is slowly making his way to every three hours.  YEAH!!

The girls have loved him.  They have been great helps to me lately.  It took a little longer for me to get back to moving the way I used to.  He was a big baby and I ended up tearing quite a bit.  For the most part I am back to my normal self.  As normal as you can be with a new baby in the family anyway. 

Meeting big sisters for the first time.

Ashlie commented the first time she held him "Heavy" 
I guess she was expecting the weight of a baby doll.

What we have been up to lately....Besides having a baby

Okay it's been forever since I posted anything on my blog.  This pregnancy had me wiped out a lot.  I was lucky to get the basic stuff done, and still try to keep the kids busy and happy.  So here is an update on what we have done since February.  Wow, longer than I thought.  ***WARNING ***  VERY LONG POST

MARCH - We took a trip to Blackfoot for Kaitlynn's baptism.  It's always fun to go and visit family and let the kids hang out.  Boy they are goofy girls. 

Did I mention that they were goofy girls?

They all wanted to sit by each other.  So they just piled in one seat.

We also got to go for a spin on Grandpa's new toy.  Not sure when he got it, but it was the first time my girls were able to ride it.

APRIL - Even though it was a COLD!! Easter, we did make it to a couple of Easter egg hunts.  The girls had fun, but Ashlie just wanted to go and play on the toys in the park.  Then the organizers of one of the hunts decided to delay it for 10 minutes.  Okay, I understand that they didn't want any kids to miss out, but when they 10am sharp, shouldn't you be there before 10.  Plus, did I mention it was freezing COLD!  Lindsay didn't get pictures this year, mommy couldn't be three places at once.  We all know how fast the egg hunts are over, and this pregnant mamma couldn't run across the park before it was over.  Why can't they put the 9yr olds by the 2 and under group?

Isn't this such a pretty picture of Kaylee

Ashlie discovered she LOVES chocolate eggs.

Lindsay finally got her alarm clock

Lindsay has been trying to earn money to do stuff.  One of the ways has been a dollar club.  Her and a few friends will walk dogs, read books to kids and other simple jobs for neighbors all for a dollar.  I hope our neighbors are understanding.  Now granted a lot of times she does it for free.  I think one of her favorite things to do is to walk the neighbors dogs.  She misses Sadie, not that she could walk her.

MAY - Ashlie's birthday was in May.  Lindsay and her friend Emilie decided to plan a birthday party for her.  They did some jobs to earn some money for decorations, party favors and even a couple simple presents.  They took invitations around to a couple of Ashlie's friends, and hosted the party.  They wanted mamma to leave, so they could do it all themselves.  I stuck around, but told them that this was their party not mine.  They did a good job, and I think both the big kids as well as the little ones had fun.

They played some simple games

The older girls even made and decorated the cake.

We had a family party (cake and icecream) for her later.  I made her a baby cake.  She really liked it.  It took her two blows but she was able to blow out her candles all by herself.  She got a scooter from us, she was always trying to ride the older girls, didn't take her long to figure out "Ashlie's Scooter" as she calls it.

We also made another trip to Blackfoot for Steven's Baptism.  The girls were able to wear their Easter dresses that I made.  Easter was on Conference weekend, so they didn't wear them until after Easter.

May also brought all the end of school year stuff.  Lindsay had a field trip to the pond, so they could release the butterflies they had been tending.  We arrived early to the pond, so the two younger girls were able to get up close and personal with the butterflys.  They were mesmerized.

Kaylee also graduated from preschool.  She has learned so much.  I admit I haven't worked with her very much and was very glad to see that she caught onto things quickly.  She is so excited to start kindergarten.  She loved Teacher Vicky, and will miss her.

We had a little scare with Ashlie the middle of May.  She went to church with no problems, and came home limping and not willing to walk or use her left leg.  We had no clue what had happened to her.  Nothing had happened in Nursey.  I had a doctor appt the next day so we asked the doctor about it.  She ended up getting x-rays of her hip, leg and ankle.  There were no breaks, but she did have a little bit of soft tissue swelling.  She is two and running into things all the time, so that was no surprise.  They ended up doing some blood work, they were concerned it might be leukemia.  The blood work came back low, rather than high.  About a week later she decided to start using it again.  Still no clue what happened, but I am glad it ended well.  For the x-rays they thought that they would have to hold her down.  Mommy couldn't be there with her because I was pregnant.  She was awesome, holding really still for them, and not fighting them at all.  When they did the blood work, she watched them and started crying "mommy" when they actually poked her, but she didn't move her arm.  They said "all done", she quit crying for the most part, and just whined "all done".  The nurses were very impressed with her.  She did think it was cool that she had an owie like daddy.  (When daddy gives blood)

Kaylee finally got to go on her field trip to the farm.  It had been cancelled before because of rain and was almost cancelled again because of rain.  I was able to go with her, we saw a new baby calf that had been born that morning.  There were lots of cows that were going to have a baby anyday. 

For some reason the pigs were a big hit, something about being able to dump handfulls of dirt on their heads appealled to the kids. 

JUNE - Lindsay is really into making cakes.  So when she came up with the idea to make a cake for father's day, I decided to help her.  She found a picture that had a race track and car on it.  It was much more elaborate than what we ended up doing, but the main idea was there.  Lindsay was extremely happy with the way it turned out.

The city has a bunch of different classes you can sign up and take for the summer.  Lindsay decided to try Tae Kwon Do for the month of June.  She wouldn't let me take pictures and didn't even want me in the park when she was at class.  She did tell me all about how she was able to break boards, she thought that was cool.  She would love to continue, we will see how things go.  She also chose to sign up for swimming lessons.  They pick her up from the school and take her to the pool.  They take thier lesson and have time to play afterwards.  The bus then drops them back off at the school.  It works really well for me.  I just send her out the door at the right time.  Kaylee chose to sign up for two dance classes.  She has had a lot of fun, and wasn't afraid to show off for mommy and the camera.

JULY - July has been full of more dance, more swimming, fireworks, parades, and of course having a new little one join our family.  We had a family reuinion, no pics because I didn't go and Wade had his hands full with the girls.

August will be full of reunions, soccer starting, and then school starting.  It has been a busy summer.

Last post for today....I think

I just went upstairs to check on the girls, they were watching tv.  Ashlie had found herself a new chair to sit on, or in.  I thought it was so cute, had to snap a picture.  Who but an almost 2yr old would think a dresser drawer would be a fun place to sit.

18 Years!

Yep, we've made it to 18 years.  Valentine's Day was our 18th anniversary.  Very few people realize that Wade and I have been married that long, but it took 8 years to have our first child.  Another 2 years and I've been married longer than I was single.  Weird. 

Wade's parents offered to take the girls overnight.  So Wade took me to dinner at Famous Dave's.  It was YUMMY!  And a ton of food.  Afterward we wandered the mall and Target for a bit.  Then we headed home.  We had rented a movie, and just hung out together without kids.  It was nothing fancy at all, but we enjoyed just being together, and just talking.  And we didn't have to worry about kids at all.  It was a very enjoyable evening.  Since Valentine's day is usually busy, we rarely go out on our anniversary.  We started a new tradition a few years ago, and the kids love it.  We go out, before or after the 14th, but on Valentine's day we have dinner in the dark.  We usually make a nicer dinner and eat it by candlelight with the girls.  They look forward to "Dinner in the Dark" every year.  We still get our night out, so we don't mind sharing Valentine's day with the girls.

Wade is a wonderful man, even more so than I ever thought.  He is a great husband, father, provider, priesthood holder, he is just a  great all round guy.  I am so blessed to have him as my husband for eternity.    Wade, I love you!

Kaylee is 5!!

Wow!  It is hard to believe that Kaylee is 5.  She is so excited to go to Kindergarten, and be able to walk with Lindsay.  (Lindsay isn't so excited to have little sister walk with her)  Kaylee's birthday was really last Thursday, but we had the Blue & Gold so we didn't celebrate it until Saturday night.  We had her cousins and G'ma & G'pa J come eat dinner (Spaghetti) and have cake and icecream.  Daddy did ALL the cooking.  I did her hair that day, and then made her cake.  I am one lucky woman.  She loved her cake.  She told me that she wanted a castle, then later specified she wanted a Sleeping Beauty Castle, because she wore pink.  It fits her extremely well.  She is an all frills & princesses kind of girl right now.  It is hard to believe that 5 years ago we had just found out that we were finally getting another little girl.

 

A friend of mine asks her kids a bunch of questions every year.  I thought it was a good idea and I was really surprised with some of her answers.

• If you could have one super-power, what would it be? Being able to be really, really, super duper good

• What was the last chore you did? Clean the bathroom (not really, she had to clean the living room)

• What is your favorite song? I Love You So Much (one that I made up years ago)

• What do you like to eat for lunch? Hamburgers

• What's the nicest thing you've done for someone in your family lately? Gave Lindsay lots of hugs & kisses

• What makes you mad? Someone hitting me

• Where would you like to go on vacation next year? The Beach (maybe Bear Lake if we are lucky)

• Who's the smartest person in your family? Daddy

• How are you like Mommy? Like to play the piano

• How old is Mom? How old are you mommy? I don’t know? 12 (not…more like 37 almost 38)

• How old is Daddy? 54 or 101 (he would love that answer, he just turned 41)

• What's one thing that Mommy always says to you? I Love You

• What's one thing that you and Daddy do together that you'll always remember? Have lots of fun with each other playing the Wii.

• If you had a million dollars, what's the first thing you'd buy? A movie. A mommy & daddy one, and a kid one.

• How do you know that Mommy and Daddy love you? They thought I was a cute, cute, baby (She was)

• What's your favorite cereal? Princess Flakes (been years since we had them)

• What's your favorite TV show? Word World (rarely watches it)

• What's your favorite vegetable? Corn

• What toy would you never give away? Build a Bear Workshop Unicorn, because we would have to go a long ways to get another one. (She got from Disneyland)

• What's your favorite game? Princesses (playing princesses dress up)

• What's your favorite book? Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs

• What food would you eat every day if you could? A whole bunch of fruits & vegetables (they talked about healthy foods a couple weeks ago in preschool, but she loves most of them, and she does get them every day)

• If you could choose a different name, what would it be? Katie

• What's the first thing you want to show your friends when they come to your house? New stuff

• What's the scariest thing you've ever done? Petted a real crocodile

• Is your room messy or clean? Both (I guess it depends on what part of floor you look at)

• If you could eat at any restaurant for the rest of your life, where would it be? Outback Steak House (that’s my meat eater)

• What's your favorite candy bar? Cream Egg

• What's the last thing of yours that Mommy put on the kitchen fridge? Usually my pictures that I give you

• What's your nickname? KayKay

• What's the best age to be? As tiny as a baby, because it’s fun

• What do you and your sisters fight about? Just a little tiny piece of paper (So true, they can fight about anything)

• What's under your bed? My Bucket (a Rubbermaid bucket she keeps her smaller, silly toys & such in)

• What's your favorite holiday? Valentines day, because I love loving people.

IT'S A......

We had our ultrasound today.  Everything looks great.  The girls were all there with us, and boy they were excited when they got to see the baby.  They were even more excited when they found out that they were getting a .....

BROTHER!!!!

That's right we are having a boy.  We are so excited. 

I'm busy wrapping presents for Blue & Gold decorations, baking cupcakes for Kaylee's birthday treat at preschool and also baking a cake for her family party we are having.  Kaylee wants a princess castle cake this year.  We will see what I can come up with.  I've got to get the presents wrapped and cakes baked tonight.  Decorating can happen Fri.  So I better go.

Messes!

Honey- Kaylee got the honey out of the pantry, couldn't get the lid off, so she put in on the floor.  Why?  Because she is Kaylee.  Ashlie found the honey, had no problem getting the lid off.  Boy did she have fun taking a honey bath.  Don't they say honey is good for the skin?

Bathtime - Ashlie decided to take a bath, and mommy didn't know.  Kaylee was taking her bath and Ashlie decided to join  her.  Now usually she is wanting to take her clothes off, but not this time.  She climbed in clothes and all.  She seemed so proud of herself for being able to get in all by herself.

At least Ashlie tries to balance herself out with the dirty and clean messes.

Christmas and other updates

We had a great Christmas again this year. We spent it at our house this year again. Wade's sister Erica came and stayed with us, and also my mom & dad. It was a very relaxing day, just hanging out. G'ma & G'pa took the two older girls to the airport to see Uncle Dave's airplane that he was flying, they picked up baby Alyssa and brought her back to our house until Krista got off work. The kids thought it was a cool plane. It had TV's and pop. They both want to go up in an airplane someday. Lindsay has actually gone on a plane ride multiple times, she just doesn't remember. We didn't do as many activities that we usually do during the holidays, but we did take time to go see the Ogden city lights, and a trip to see Santa.

Quick updates on the kids

Lindsay

Now 9 years old, going on 16 except for when it comes to boys. Boys are great as friends, but nothing more. Perfectly fine with mom and dad. Wants to drive, glad we aren't to that point yet. She is in the 3rd and thinks school is okay, but would rather not have to go. Loves to create...anything. Art projects, cooking, parties, doesn't matter to her. Constantly cooking, has even cooked a few complete meals for the family. Still likes the color blue, but sometimes adds a little pink in there. Don't let her know I noticed that. Loves to help out, when she wants and it the capacity that she wants. Favorite ride at Disneyland...Matterhorn!

Kaylee

4 years old, already planning her birthday in February. Goes to preschool and loves it. Getting really excited to start Kindergarten in the Fall. She is growing up, which means outgrowning clothes that fit her yesterday. Constantly helping, but not always helping. :) Keeps us on our toes, either with her creative mind (how did she ever think of that) or with the quick little things she says. Very loving to her sisters. Loves horses, unicorns, princesses, and PINK! Favorite ride at Disneyland...Ghost Galaxy (Space Mountain)!

Ashlie

Growing up way too fast. 20 months old. Wants to do what the big girls do. Lately has been telling me "poopy" before going. Good sign, but not starting the potty training yet. Loves stories, books, dressing up, dollys/babies, and pretties (anything that goes in her hair). Actually had ponytails for the first time recently, and they stayed in her hair for 2 days. Mommy was the one that took them out. Says daddy is at work even when he is sitting right by her. Lindsay and Kaylee go to work also. Talks non-stop, most of the time you can even understand her. Loves nursery, didn't even cry the first time we took her. Moves to the 2yr old nursery on March 7. Yikes! Favorite ride at Disneyland...Any of them! Raised her hands and said "Weeee" all the time

We aren't the kids, but here is a quick update on us also.

Mindy

Out of nursery (yeah) and into scouting. My new calling is Cub committee chair, and I am learning a lot, and quickly. Still trying to get back into the routine of things. Most likely still trying to create a new routine, because it tends to change all the time. Love being a mom and wife. I stay busy chasing kids, volunteering in Lindsay's classroom every week, driving kids here and there, and just trying to stay on top of our lives.

Wade

Staying really busy at work. Can't complain though, he has a job, and enjoys what he does. 2nd Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. Knows a lot more people at church than I do. Loves having normal hours at work, for the most part. The other week he worked until 6:30/7 every night. The kids definately noticed the time difference. That is when he normally came home from work. They are glad that we moved.

That is a quick update for us, nothing fancy. Just staying busy like most families do. BTW, we did get internet going again. And hopefully will update on a more regular basis.

Another addition to our family

Our Escort died. We always said we would drive it to the ground, I guess we did. So we ended up having to get a new car. Not that we really wanted to. But Wade found a cheap 1990 Honda Accord, old, but cheap and it runs decent. Hopefully it helps us put off having a car payment for awhile.

But we also have another addition coming to our family the first part of July. I am once again pregnant. We are excited, but the first few months have been pretty stressful. After experiencing a miscarriage the end of July, and then having a subchorionic hemorrhage with this one, it was pretty stressful for us. But it has cleared itself up, and everything seems to be progressing normally. The doctor mentioned that we will be scheduling THE ultrasound next visit, so mid February is when we should be finding out what we are having. Lindsay wants a boy, Kaylee wants a girl, I'm sure daddy wants a boy, and I would love a boy, but really don't care.

She did it!!!!!!!!!

Many of you know that Lindsay was going a whole year without candy. Well she did it!! I am so proud of her. I know I couldn't do it. There were many times that I would buy her a special treat, unfortunately I would forget that she wasn't eating candy. Oops! She bought herself a 2 1/2 pound box of chocolates, and was sooo excited to eat a piece after the ball dropped. Usually we let them watch the ball drop (ET) and send them to bed. But this year, Lindsay knew what time it was, so they were up until late. She learned that she could do anything she puts her mind to. She also learned that $100 doesn't go near as far as she thought it would.