Johnson Family

Oh man.

2012-01-31T09:20:00.006-06:00

Golly Gosh. Seems like since Oliver has turned One my whole world has been about three months behind. My blogging world is no different. It's hard to time find to sit down at the computer and document life with three very active boys. I mean I can hardly get the laundry/dishes/ house work/ kids homework/errands/life up. Unfortunately my blog gets swept under the rug till a later day. But alas here we are on this fine January (last day in January) morning and I am bound and determined to at least get Thanksgiving up!

Here we go: Thanksgiving. What a busy time of year. I really do love it though. All the family time and activities together. Seems to kick of the Holiday season and that is very exciting. I love the Holidays. So Thanksgiving day we were at my parents house, had a nice little meal, then sat around and looked at the adds and planned our shopping extravaganza. (Hold on a sec got to get Oliver out of the dog food bowls, ok I am back. Where was I) Oh yes, we headed out shopping a little before 10:00. Justin and I did all our shopping online so I was mainly along for the ride. Which made it a ton more fun to people watch. It was a site to see indeed. Walmart 10:00p.m crazy packed, with crazy people. Grabbing everywhere, carts running into each other, and just pure madness. I should have known when I had to park across the street cause the parking lot was full not to approach. It was very entertaining indeed. After Walmart I had seen enough though so I headed home a little after midnight. The next morning I was up again bright and early to grab some clothes on sale. Got to love the day after Thanksgiving shopping. Luckily since I didn't go at the crack of dawn things at the store were incredibly calm. Later that day we went down to the Johnson festivities. Oh boy were they festive too. We took family pictures, then we had Thanksgiving dinner in the barn. You might be thinking "a barn?" but we truly got spoiled. Mary had it all set up to the nines. She had brought in tables and we sat on hay bales with blankets, it was decorated just beautiful. They had portable heaters so it stayed nice and warm. It was nice to have the whole family home. Karlee and her hubby were there from Japan, Jade and Meghan were home from Mississippi, grandma Joann and Marys siblings had all flown in and drove in. It was one big happy celebration. We truly do have a lot to be thankful for.

Some pics of Thanksgiving day at my parents house.

Looking at adds and computer shopping.

Ma and Pa Colgrove-So cute.

Thanksgiving with the Johnsons.

Haloween.

2011-11-07T10:19:00.004-06:00

Boy did we have a spooktacular Halloween ...

Carving pumpkins...

Going to Boo at the zoo...

Went to our ward trunk or treat~it was freezing cold, the kids ran from car to car as fast as they could. We also enjoyed dinner, carnival games and a spook alley. Afterwards we went trick or treating to family.

WE SURE LOVE OUT LITTLE GOBLINS!!!

Crusin!

2011-11-01T13:45:00.015-05:00

Back in August Justin surprised me for our ninth anniversary with a cruise. I was super excited! This was our first cruise experience and let me tell you there is nothing like one. The best part, complete relaxation! And for all you hard working moms out there you know there is nothing better then that. We left October 15th and flew out to New Orleans. We met up with Jade and Meghan at the hotel. Our cruise buddies. Before loading the cruise boat the next day we had time to do some sight seeing. We took a horse drawn carriage ride through the heart of the city and ate some yummy beignets (a fried pastry with lots of powdered sugar on top) at the famous Cafe Du Monde. After walking around we headed to our home away from home for the next week,the Norwegian Spirit cruise ship. Or as they put it our hotel on the water. That night we slowly moved down the Mississippi channel. It takes eight hours to get out of it. That night as we tried to sleep the cruise ship was bouncing us all over the place. The next morning we woke up to find that there was huge tropical storm that we were hitting. Not too great when A.) You get bad motion sickness and B.) your on a boat in the middle of the ocean! We were all pretty sick that day and so things were pretty low key. I pretty much stayed in bed all day due to an overdose of Dramamine and feeling sick. Luckily that was the worst of it and the rest of the cruise was much smoother sailing.

Day #3 Costa Maya- Our first port. Got off cruise ship and saw beautiful water, beautiful, beach, nice shops and buildings. This is what we saw.

Well as soon as we hopped on our run down bus (the air conditioner was dripping mildew water on Justin the entire drive) and got a little away from the port where all the cruise ships come in, it was a whole other world. Totally rundown, trees were all dying, houses were warn down and torn apart, and for one quick moment I was a bit worried where they were REALLY taking us. A slaughter house maybe? I mean who really knows? Your in another country, these friendly Mexicans at the port smile and hold up a sign that says snorkeling excursion. And you smile dumbly right back at them and follow, not knowing your own fate. Okay I was only a little paronoid for a little while. Turns out luckily we are alive to tell the tell and luckily the only thing we were in for was a snorkeling adventure. After getting off the bus we got on our catamaran the Mayan Wind and sailed through the turquoise green water to our destination. We were given snorkel gear, a guide and walked straight into the warm water. We snorkeled for about an hour and it was AMAZING. The reefs, the fish, saw a sting ray, a living conk shell, and tons of coral. Since we were out in the open ocean we got to see a ton of stuff and even got to some pretty deep spots. I wish I would have bought a under water camera because it would have totally been worth it. We sailed back into town, the weather was absolutely beautiful. After our bus ride back to our starting point we shopped for a little while then went back then headed back to the ship.

Day #4- Roatan, Honduras- It was a super rainy day and our excursion, which was going to be a private beach party and BBQ was canceled. I was super excited about this excursion and bummed it got cancelled. We still wanted to get off the ship and check things out. We had to load onto smaller boats and get tendered to land. Since it was stormy the water was super rough, and the tendering process took quite awhile. We weren't able to get off the boat till later that morning. Since we didn't have any excursion planned we decided to go and check out the town, which was just a short walk from the gated port. Did you catch that yes I said GATED port area. It was quite the site to see. Children walking bare foot, wild dogs running around every where, run down houses, trash every where. It was a super busy little town and several people were out and about walking around. The roads were rough and also worn down. Young teenage girls were tending to smaller siblings and it was apparent that these people of Honduras didn't have a lot. It was hard to see,but also very humbling. Right then and their I realized just how much I have to be grateful for. I also realized that I wanted to take all these children home with me. Justin wouldn't let me thought! :) Someday maybe I will. Legally of course. I should have taken more pictures, but I only got these two in Roatan.

Day #5- Belize, Our excursion that we had planned (another snorkel trip) got cancelled due to the previous bad weather which had made the snorkeling conditions bad. So last minute we had to pick another excursions. We decided that we would go to an Eco park. We loaded a bus and a super knowledgeable guide gave us information about Belize. It was awesome to hear all about the culture and land. We arrived at the Eco park and learned all about their butterfly pavilion, were served and authentic Belize lunch, went on a nature walk, and then enjoyed the pool. It was a very nice relaxing day. Once again we were thankful for beautiful weather.

Adorable pregnant Meghan.

Jade and Meghan

Day#5- Cozumel- This was probably my favorite day. We were in a nice place, great weather and got to do our planned excursion which was AWESOME! What exactly did we do. I will tell you but I am warning you, you will be completely jealous!!! Drum roll please. We got to go on the submarine tour called the Atlantis which goes 100 feet deep in the ocean. That's right folks. The four of us have now been 100 feet below the ocean. Super fun experience. I tried taking lots of pictures but sadly my camera on auto mode wasn't working so well in the sub. I need to figure out how to manually work that thing. Inside the sub there was tons of little port holes that we sat at and looked out of. We got to see tons of fish and coral without even getting wet! After our submarine ride we had lunch at Senor Frogs. If you have been to senor frogs you know what a fun environment it is. We just had to pose with our balloon head gear. Its always fun to see what they will make. We spent the afternoon walking around shopping for souvenirs. It was a wonderful end to our ports.

Day#6- At sea. We played board games and cards almost all day long. Thank heavens it was not near as rough going back. Maybe we were all just a little more adjusted to the motion.

So now that I have documented about our ports lets get down to business about what we did on board every day. EAT, DRINK, and be Merry. That pretty much sums it up! We ate way too much. Every night we went to a different restaurant on board and man was that food good. We laid by the pool, played games, took naps, went to shows every night, and just had a blast. It was so nice being served all the time. I didn't have to make my bed, clean, make meals, do the dishes. Every one on board lived to serve me. Ahhhhh it was so so so relaxing. I wanted to pack Nestor our maid in my bag to come home with us but Justin didn't let me. Totally rude hu. We had so much fun hanging out with Jade and Meghan. It truly was a lovely vacation.

One of the many fun animal towels Nestor left for us.

Day #7- October 24th-We packed up and headed off the ship. Since the ship had recommended not taking a same day flight in case of missing it we hadn't booked our tickets home till the next day. We had all afternoon to spend in New Orleans hanging out. We went to a movie, The three Musketeers, then went to lunch. Jade and Meghan took us to our hotel to check in and we parted ways and said our goodbyes. That night we just hung out in the hotel room, ate at the hotel and watched Water For Elephants on Justins lap top. We were missing our boys super bad and it was hard to wait their in New Orleans an extra day but I had a great time just hanging out with Justin. We always have so much fun together and I am so lucky to have such an amazing partner. The next morning we boarded the plane nice and early 7:00am and flew back home. It was great to see the boys again and they had been having such a great time with Nana and Grandma who took care of them while we were gone. I am so so so thankful for such wonderful mothers and their generosity. Without them none of this would have been possible. Thanks so so much moms. Although we had a simply amazing trip, their is nothing like home. We were so happy to be back!

Missing something?

2011-11-01T13:30:00.006-05:00

The tooth fairy has been a frequent visitor at our house lately. Kamden has lost four of his baby teeth. He just lost another one the other day and now is missing his two front teeth. Can anyone say "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth".

I will have to get some more pictures, these were before he lost his other front tooth. Non the less he is still a little cutie pie.

Weird story though- Out of all four teeth only one has actually made it under the pillow. First one he was showing Karson and dropped it on the carpet.
After looking for hours for it we finally wrote a note to the tooth fairy and put that under his pillow. Well lets just say she is getting used to those notes by now. 2nd tooth he pulled out on his own downstairs and came upstairs later and told me "I lost my tooth, and now I can't find it anywhere." Yah literally LOST his tooth. Third one I pulled out with floss and we hang on to that baby and put it in this cute little tooth pillow my sister made. I watched that one like a hawk and thankfully it paid off Kamden received 2$ and the tooth fairy finally saw a tooth. The 4th tooth came loose at school and his teacher wrapped it in tin foil to make sure it made the journey home. We carefully placed the tinfoil on the table and slowly carefully unwrapped the foil. I was not about to let another tooth go missing! Low and behold NO TOOTH! No idea where it went but Kamden swears he didn't open it to show anyone. hmmm. So another note for the tooth fairy it is. I always ask Kamden what he wants me to write to her. This time he wrote:

Dear tooth fairy,
I am sorry I lost another tooth. I love you tooth fairy. I would like 1 dollar 2 quarters and five pennies. (the tooth fairy was happy about this. Nothing like a little tooth depreciation.) Love Kamden

What a cutie pie! So now my little two front toothless boy is 1 dollar 2 quarters and five pennies richer!

2011-10-28T10:44:00.017-05:00

Yes I took a 3 month + hiatus from my blog. But the fans have been begging me/harassing me to update the dang blog. I can't complain though, its nice to have fans. Especially my biggest one, my mother in law Janice. Love you mom!

So here it is 3 months + update in mostly pictures. Forgive me for the lack of documentation. I don't have that much time you know. Of course all your really here for is pictures anyways right. Okay so a review in pictures then:

Summer- We had a wonderful summer. It went by way to fast! We kept ourselves very busy and enjoyed the warm weather...

Camping-

4th of July-

BBQ in Utah with Michigan Gang-

Trip to Twin Falls-

Harker reunion-

Celebrated our nine year anniversary.

Boating with friends.

Swimming lessons-

And some cute random ones from this summer,

Well all good things must come to an end so back to school it is. Kams first day of school! We started a tradition this year and decided on the first day of school we would go out for breakfast.

Karson started his second year of preschool a couple weeks later. He was super excited to go back to Cat and the Fiddle. He loves it there.

The month of August was so busy. With Justins Birthday, our anniversary, and back to school, also Justin climbed the tetons, and backpacked the grand canyon. I will have to let him blog about it. Now Fall is in full swing. I will have to blog about that later but for now this will have to do. :)

June.

2011-07-18T12:13:00.007-05:00

Fathers day weekend we enjoyed ourselves up at Island Park. Pa and Tu tu got a four seater Razor and man did we enjoy ourselves on it. The best part is that we could all go on a ride together. Sunday we enjoyed a fantastic Fathers Day dinner Ribs. Yummy. Then Justin took the boys fishing. They had a great time. We are so lucky to have someone so fantastic as a husband and a father.

June 13th we celebrated Kamdens Birthday. Pa and Tutu (Hawaiian slang meaning Grandmother) came and picked him up took him shopping and out to lunch. We told him we would take him anywhere he wanted to go for his birthday dinner and he told us the pig place. AKA Famous Daves (there logo is a pig and every now and then they have a pig dressed up walking around the restaurant. So off to the pig place we went. Then we came home and had cake and ice cream and opened presents. What a great day! I can't believe my little man is already six.

The next day Nana came and got Kamden took him to a movie, the her and pa took Kamden out to dinner at Garcias. Kamden loved how they put a sombrero on him and sang to him. That night he got to stay over night at their house. He had such a great time getting to hang out with Nana and Pa all by himself.

We also celebrated Grandpa Johnsons Birthday, Grandma Voyles Birthday and our good friends welcomed a new baby boy, Treyson Purser. It was great to get some baby snuggles in! We had a huge garage sale at our house with, my mom, my sister and brother in law, my brother in laws parents and his brother and wife. All went really well and although we didn't sale a lot of stuff I was just super happy to have it cleaned out of my house.

June 24th we decided to take Kams training wheels off and after a few falls he was riding without them. Now he loves riding his bike. We should have taken them off much sooner. We tried to take Karsons off too but he had a hard time steering the bike straight.

Since the boys Birthdays are two weeks apart instead of doing two separate friend b-day parties, we did one for both of them in the middle. They absolutely love playing with their cousins, one of the benefits of living close. So we had a birthday party for Kam and Kars with all the cousins. We had everyone bring their swimming suits and had fun a water party. Afterwards cupcakes, and root beer floats. The boys had such a fun night!

Check out this awesome blanket my sister Audra made for the boys. She is seriously so talented!

On June 30 we celebrated Karsons birthday. Pa and Tutu took him shopping. A tradition my kids really love! Then we packed up the trailer and headed to Montana. We celebrated Karsons birthday in the woods. He got to open his presents and we had cupcakes. Happy Fourth Birthday Karson.

And there you have it June 2011. Whew!

June 3rd Kams surgery.

2011-07-18T11:19:00.005-05:00

Seems like I am always a month behind. This summer is going by way to quickly. We are enjoying ever second we have of it. June was one of the busiest months yet.

It started off with Kamden surgery. About a month prior we found out that Kamden had a hernia that had droped down into his scrotum, the only fix surgery. I had no idea that such a thing was possible but the DR. informed us that it was pretty normal and would be a quick day surgery. The only thing that really made me nervous was that they had to put him under anesthesia and he would be completely out. There are always risks when your going under, but I had no idea how Kamdens body would handle it. So June 3rd we had to have him at the hospital at 5:30 am. He was a little nervous but we had talked to him about it a lot. He kinda enjoyed getting in his hospital gown and getting the bracelet with his name on it. The hospital and staff were great. Kamden started getting a little silly about 30 min before they took him in. I think he was a little nervous but he handled it like a champ. They put on his cap and rolled him away. Justin and I had to wait in the waiting room, but 45 min later the Dr. came out and told us that everything had gone great. We had to wait another 10 min and then they called us back into the room to be with Kamden as he started waking up. He was all out of sorts. Crying, confused, super dry mouth. I was so glad that we were there for him. Justin laid with him and that got him all calmed down. One hour later we were heading out the door. I couldn't believe how fast it went. Kam was quite on the couch for about an hour but then he was hungry up and at them and in very little pain. After that it was smooth sailing. He acted like it had never happened. I couldn't believe how quickly he recovered. The hardest part was keeping him down so he didn't tear his stitches open.

Jumbo May Post.

2011-06-27T09:56:00.023-05:00

The time I get to update my blog is few and far between. Although it is way past due I am finally making the time for an update! Long gone are the days with several mini post in a month. Now the new and improved Jumbo post. Included in one post, months of fun! So here we go, flip back the pages of time to May.
The month started of with a bang. Just before Midnight on May 1st there was a knock at the door. I was a little surprised seeing as though it was a little late for someone to be knocking on our door. Surprised indeed. It was my brother Austin who I thought was in Iraq. Turns out he got two weeks off for leave and came home. He didn't tell anyone and just surprised us all. We were so excited to have him home for a couple weeks and when the time came to say good-bye it was super hard. It was so great to see him and spend some time with him. Karson of course was the most excited of us all. Once he saw Austin he wouldn't let him out of his sight. He was hip to hip or hand to hand with him whenever they were together. Good thing that Austin is a good sport. Karson couldn't get enough of him!

May 8th- Mothers Day. Spent the day with family. They gave me a mug from the farmers market and some fudge. Yum. Justin made me breakfast in bed. The best part of Mothers day is being a mom. I love it. There is nothing in this world I would rather do. I am so blessed to have three amazing boys.

Justin and I with my mom. We sure love her.

May 9th- Kamden lost yet another tooth. Thats a total of two teeth now.

May 13th- Father and sons outing with the ward. The two older boys got to go camping with dad overnight. They had lots of fun and came home very dirty! I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of them but I did get a picture of a souvenir that Kamden brought home with him. Yup a wood tick. Luckily I found him before he started burrowing.
May 16th we headed to bend Oregon for our cousins wedding. We left all the boys behind with my sister Tessa. (She was kind enough to come up all the way from Provo Utah to watch them for the weekend. She is an AWESOME sister!) Justin and I had a great time. Bend was beautiful and we really enjoyed spending time with family. We shopped, ate good food, went and saw the new pirates movie, and enjoyed ourselves at Angela and Josh's beautiful wedding. It was a great time! The best part was getting to spend all that quality time with my best friend, my hubby. It was a 10 hr drive there and another 10 hour drive back. There was never a dull moment! Justin and I love road tripping together. Thanks so much Tessa for your help with the boys! As a matter of fact when I got home and Tessa had left back to Provo Kamden informed me that he wanted Tessa to be his mom. Ah yes kids say the darnedest things. I am just glad that they have so much fun with her.

Makeup time for Mamma Cathy.

Happy Couple.

Justin and G-ma Joann.

Mother of the Bride, Bride and Groom.

The view out our condo back door. Beautiful!

Captain Johnson!

Schools out for summer! The boys enjoyed the end of the year school parties.
May 23th Karsons last day of school. He had a great first year of preschool and can't wait to go back next year.
MAy 27th Kamdens last day of school.

Kamden and Ms. Hill. She was an awesome teacher and Kamden loved her. We are sad she can't follow Kamden to 1st grade next year.

And on Kamdens last day of school it also happened to be a grand opening for a Maverick here in town. We were sure surprised when we went to gas up by this:

Party at Maverick!

Also the end of May wrapped up the end of Soccer for Kamden. It was his first time playing. Watching a bunch of five year olds play soccer is defiantly entertaining. There was a handful of kids that knew what they were doing but the rest of them just chased the ball around. Kamden was pretty timid when it came to kicking the ball but he sure had a blast running in the pack down the field. Maybe next year he will understand the game a bit more.

And last but not least little Ollie turned 15 months old on the 21st. I can hardly keep up with this monkey. He is into everything! He wants to be one of the big boys, and is usually bringing up the rear running around with them. He climbs EVERYTHING! Hence why his new nickname is Monkey.

Oliver loves his binky and blanket, as long as he has those two things he is a great sleeper. He is like a little sponge and loves to learn new things. He catches on quick. He loves to dance and listen to music. He loves the dogs and LOVES playing outside. He is great at entertaining himself, but when he is not happy he is more then willing to let you know. He is growing up so fast!

Now that I finally have a May post time to start working on the June post before the month is over.

Good-bye winter already!

2011-05-06T11:40:00.012-05:00

It seems like winter gets longer every year. This year over any other I have been ready for spring! It just can't seem to come soon enough. A week ago it was still snowing here in Idaho. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder why I live in a place where winter is 1/2 the year. We for sure have been going a little stir crazy waiting for some good weather. So now a quick two month update:

In march I spent a week at home with sick kids. I didn't do anything but laundry and playing nurse. I did catch an incredibly cute moment on camera though. To sick brothers cuddling.

I love that my husband through example has taught my boys how to treat a woman. Now everytime they go to Sams club it is not Justin getting me the flowers it is the boys insisting that mom needs them.

I have been putting it off but finally I just couldn't take it anymore. Olivers baby hair was just getting too long. So April 13th he finally got his first haircut.
BEFORE:

The Cut:

Loosing Patience:
My baby turned into a boy:
Pretty cool that my mom has now given all three boys their first hair cut. Thanks mom!

And just because things just weren't quite crazy enough around here already, we added a little more fun! Meet our little Zoe Bear. We got her on March 29th and she was only six weeks old. She is growing super fast and we all have been enjoying her.

And they called it puppy love...

Don't worry Ellie is still getting plenty of love.

We had a great Easter weekend and enjoyed many Easter festivities. Easter Egg hunting good food, enjoying family, and the Easter bunny visit of course.

This past weekend we celebrated my 29th Birthday! We spent a couple of days in Boise with our good friends Chad and Amy Purser . We had a wonderful dinner at Tucanos, ate lunch at the Cheese cake factory, played games, and just had a lot of fun together. It was a great way to celebrate my birthday!

Back in Action Again!

2011-05-06T09:55:00.003-05:00

I'm back. Finally. My poor blog has been neglected for so long. Now that Oliver is on the go I seem to find less and less time for blogging. I have a lot of fun and wonderful things to catch up. At the end of February (Yes I am that far behind) we took a family trip out to Mississippi. It happened to be the big week before Mardi Grass weekend. Oh boy did we have some fun. We even got to experience a Mardi Grass kids parade and boy was it crazy! They sure do love there parades down there. The boys and uncle Jade had a great time collecting beads. Jade was the master at it. Must be that incredibly charming face of his. We were there for over 5 hrs and we left with hundreds of beads.

Also while there we enjoyed the beach. The boys built sand castles. I'm not sure who had more fun the big boys (Jade, and Justin) or the little boys. Oliver loved the sand. He played in it, crawled in it and even rolled around in it for good measure. By the time we left the little boys had sand EVERYWHERE. Also while in Mississippi we went to Stennis Space Center. I got to go on the job site and see what Justin his dad and Jade have been working on for the last two years. It was pretty awesome to see how big the project really is. We then took the boys through the space museum. It was small but the boys enjoyed it. Also while there we went to a super nice dinner. I even tried, es-cargo, and oysters. Hurray for me. It actually was not near as bad as I was expecting. And of course what would Mississippi be without a little craw fish feast? The d

The day before we left we went into New Orleans and spent the day. We went to Bourbon street, took the kids to the New Orleans zoo, and enjoyed the scenery. I had a great time looking at all the different houses and learning about the different culture. It amazes me how different it is down there. Some of the houses are just beautiful! We enjoyed our time in Mississippi so much. It was great weather, even better company, and an all over fantastic trip! Thanks so much Jade and Meghan for the great time!My boys, especially Karson always asks me when we can go back to Mississippi.

2011-04-06T08:29:00.005-05:00

I really have no excuse for being M.I.A for the last month....no excuse but this...

and this...
and this...

and this...

Oh and this....

ONE!

2011-03-10T14:00:00.002-06:00

What a joy this last year has been having little Oliver in our family. I just can not believe how fast a year has gone by. Seems like just last week I was bringing him home from the hospital. Having three wonderful boys has been such a blessing in our lives and has brought us so much joy. We are so grateful for the opportunity we have to raise these boys. Everyday I pray for the guidance and strength to give these boys what they need to become great men some day.

So the day after Olivers first birthday he had his baby well visit. How does he measure up. Well he is a little thing. Here is the stats.

Height-30.5" Somewhere in the 70th% (not to bad)
Weight-19.5lbs Somewhere in the 10th% (yikes what a runt)

The Dr. wasn't worried to much about it because he was following a steady growth curve. Although he did tell me to give him pedisure at night (a very fatty high protein drink for kids.) and to continue waking up with him at night to feed him. There goes any hopes of a restful nights sleep. Luckily I can do anything for my kids. : ) At the appointment the Dr was impressed with Olivers walking capabilities and his friendliness. Unfortunately he found that Olivers ear was infected and got us a prescription for antibiotics. Maybe I should say Fortunately the Dr noticed Oliver had an ear infection and got us meds for him, because a plane ride three days later with no meds would have been miserable! So thank you DR. Unfortunately though Oliver had an ear infection indeed, along with two shots, and a finger prick. What a rough day for my little man. Good thing he is such a great little trooper.

Oliver at one year:

Walks all over the place. Nothing slows this guy down.
Is into everything! Has figured out how to open cupboards, draws, and toilets.
when the boys are on the ground wrestling he loves to get involved.
Is a terrible eater. Has been eating mostly all solids will not eat, meat, cheese, or peas. When he does eat, the quantity is small.
Still has a bottle although i am slowly taking him off formula and switching to whole milk. The Dr. did tell me though that I should be in no hurry to take his bottle away seeing as though that is where he gets a lot of his calories.
Waves good-bye, claps his hands, picks up toys and helps but them in bucket.
Can get off couch by himself.
Loves bath time and splashing.
Is a mommies boy and loves to cuddle with his blanket and mommy.
Loves people in general. doesn't take long for him to warm up to someone.
Loves following Ellie around the house saying "Hi dog". He can also say Ellie.
Loves waking up and seeing his brothers. He always says "hi boys" or tries anyways.
Hates waiting!
So determined. If he has got the dog bowl on his mind he WILL get the dog bowl. No matter how much you try distracting him away from it.

Look who is the big ONE!

2011-03-10T11:02:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday my little Ollie! February 21st we celebrated Olivers 1st Birthday.

V-day.

2011-03-08T16:21:00.003-06:00

What would a year be with out a day celebrating LOVE. We did our traditional heart shaped pizzas and shared the love. Besides all you need is love, right!

My valentine the Mountain man.

I tried getting a picture of the two eldest monkeys but they were too busy playing with Nanas awesome Valentine goodie bags she brought them.

Here comes the tooth fairy.

2011-03-08T15:39:00.005-06:00

Little mister Kamden came to me and showed me he had a loose tooth. I was a bit surprised since he is still kinda young to be loosing teeth. He was very excited and could not leave the tooth alone. I jokingly told him that I would tie some string to it and the other end to a door and then we could slam the door shut and it would pull his tooth out. He thought that was a great idea and kept asking me to do it. Ooops. I didn't think he would actually want to. Finally the next day when he had worked the tooth even more loose I got some floss tied it to the tooth and yanked it out. He was so happy. Unfortunately 10 min later the tooth was lost somewhere in the house (I still have not found it). Kamden had it in a little box and it somehow escaped. So we wrote a note to the tooth fairy and left it under Kam's pillow instead. The next morning he came to me super excited and showed me the money the 3 dollars she had left for him. Oh how fun it is to be young and believe. It's moments like these that make it all worth it!

2011-02-22T20:30:00.003-06:00

I have a lot of fun events to post about but for now this one is just going to be a quicky. I wanted to come and post these adorable pictures Karson had taken at school.

Caught up!

2011-02-10T11:29:00.003-06:00

Whew. That was a lot of blogging I just got caught up on. Now that I am all caught up I have some very exciting news to share. Oliver is WALKING!!! Just the other night (Feb 8th) he just up and started walking.

You can view video larger by clicking on full page in videos bottom right hand corner.

Baby O!

2011-02-10T11:13:00.005-06:00

Oliver at 10 months-

Learned to climb up the stairs.

Eats three full meals a day.

Has three teeth.

Loves bath time.

Favorite word "Uh oh"

Walks holding on to furniture.

Stands up without grabbing things for support

Has become quite the little helper.

Crawls super fast. Especially if he is going for the stairs or dog bowls.

Has curly hair if I put product in it.

Oliver- 11 months old.
Climbs up stairs fast!
Loves Ellie dog.
Has developed quite the little temper. At night finally stopped giving him a bottle. When I go in there to calm him down and give him his Binky he throws it and screams at me. Or if when he is awake during the day you don't get the bottle quick enough for him he lays on the floor screaming and crying. He stops as soon as the bottle reaches his mouth.
He is very persistent.
Started eating more solid foods. Loves mac and cheese, peaches, stawberries, oranges. Still wont really eat much cheese or meats.
Starting taking steps around the middle of January. Takes about three to five before falling.

Has four teeth.

2011-02-10T10:48:00.003-06:00

Lets get this blog updated!!! (see that motivation I have)

January- Uggg my least favorite month in the entire year. This year I found to hate it even more then normal. Everyone seems to get sick, everyone starts going a little stir crazy from being in doors twenty four seven, and most of us our lacking a little vitamin D due to the lack of the sun shinning. I have never cleaned up so much throw up in my life. The flu moved from Karson, to Kamden, to Oliver, to Justin, and then to me. The worst part was that after having a crazy and hectic week like that Justin and I had to talk in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I am really hoping that January was the end of this years sickness. Of course January wasn't all bad.

Oliver turned 11 months old on January 21st.

We celebrated my moms birthday with her.

Justin has been enjoying ice fishing with his good friend Chad.

Justin took the scouts cross country skiing. They had a blast.

Had a visit from my cousin Kara, her hubby and her two adorable kids.

Got to see Tessa and her husband Page.

Read a lot of books!

Got to play in the snow. Riding snowmobiles and sledding.

Karson graduated from nursery and is now a sunbeam at church. (He still asks to go to nursery every week though.)

Enjoyed watching the Steelers play every weekend. (Justins all time favorite team) Although Justin didn't enjoy watching them loose the super bowl. : (

Kam and Kars loving school.

Oliver learning to walk.

Got lots of snuggle time with boys.

Okay so even though I hate the cold, and hate cleaning up throw up, life is still pretty dang good! I just hope this winter ends soon!

Karsons teacher painted his face. She is amazing!

They were learning about the letter K.

Snuggle time!

Look at this adorable hat Tu tu gave Karson for Christmas.

I just love it.

A new year.

2011-02-10T10:38:00.002-06:00

So it's a new years and I always find myself setting goals the first of January. This year one of my goals was to get caught up on things. Life flies by fast but once you have kids life seems to speed up even more. The last five and a half years seem like a blur to me. I can't believe that this year I will have a six year old. Pretty crazy. It seems like a mothers life goes on hold for awhile while she tends to the needs of children. I'm okay with that. In fact most days I love being a mother. :) But the problem is how many things fall to the waste side while raising the kidos. Such as a blog perhaps. So this year I am trying to learn to keep up with everything while raising three crazy boys, and a husband. I have already got off to a crummy start. I find that this cold weather and dreary days give me absolutely no motivation! So yes it is the middle of February already and yes I am still needing some motivation but heres to a second start! Happy New Year, February style.

Christmas Card.

2011-02-10T10:36:00.002-06:00

Hibernating!

2011-02-09T15:51:00.009-06:00

Where have I been you ask? Hibernating. It's cold outside and it makes me feel blah. Me and my babies have just been here cozying up. I hate winter and I can't wait for spring. Until then I plan to keep hibernating. But alas I had to come out of hibernation to update the blog. For the sake of the little fellas who will someday want to read all about themselves, and of course for the mother who will some day want to remember these long winter days with her three babies after they have all grown up. So heres to memories before I forget them.
December- Ahhh December the one winter month that I love. Of course this month was filled with a lot of Christmas joy. The decorations, the parties, the music....and of course the star of December,Christmas. This year we spent Christmas Eve at my parents house. My parents did something really fun this year. They surprised us with envelopes of money and told us we had three hours to go and spend our Christmas money. All us siblings and spouses loaded up in my moms suburban and spent three hours shopping for eight people. It was a lot of fun and such a great idea. When we got back we had dinner then showed my parents what we had all bought with our money. We had a nice Christmas program that we acted out and then we had a visit from Santa for the little boys...and a few big ones. We opened gifts and enjoyed our time together. I just love Christmas eve.

Christmas morning-It appears as though we were all good little girls and boys this year because Santa visited the Johnson home. The boys got new bunk beds and mom and dad got many things off their Christmas wish list. Grandpa and Grandma Voyles came down to celebrate Christmas morning with us. I am always so thankful to have such great family around to spend time with. Later that day we went down had brunch at Justins parents house. We spent some time visiting and the little boys once again got spoiled. Later that evening we were planning on going up to Chad and Debbies for dinner and games with the whole Johnson clan but just as we pulled to a stop at their house Karson threw up everywhere. We ended up going home with sicky and our Christmas dinner ended up being Maverick hot-dogs. Wow what a treat! It was the only place that was open and had food. That night Jade and Meghan came to visit and then we all got some much needed sleep.

The day after Christmas we packed our bags and headed up to the cabin. Justin wasn't feeling all that great and Karson was still a little glum. We had Christmas with the Johnson family and once again we got super spoiled by Santa. By that evening Karson was burning up with a fever and pretty lethargic. By the next morning he still had a temper and there was blood coming out of his ear. We called the doctor made an appointment and ended up having to leave Island park. Turns out Karon had a ruptured ear drum and got put on strong antibiotics to heal it up. Apparently it's just like a really bad ear ache. Luckily Kamden got to play in the snow a little before coming back home. Later that week Kam also got an ear infection. So the rest of the week was spent relaxing and getting kids on the mend. We got to hang out with Jade and Megan a couple more times. It is always fun to see them.

So that was pretty much our Christmas Vacation.

A Soldier, a Brother.

2010-12-10T10:29:00.005-06:00

Back in August my little brother Austin got deployed with the National Guard. For the past three months he has been training on a base in Mississippi. The weekend before Thanksgiving he shipped off to Iraq. I gotta tell ya, it's a little hard having him gone and knowing that we won't be able to see him for over a year. I feel like a piece of my heart is now in Iraq. Austin has been a big part of our family for over three years. It all started when he came and lived with us in Michigan. Then after he graduated and we lived here he came back after boot camp and lived with us once again. He certainly became a part of our little family unit. Kamden and Karson are missing him dearly. Especially Karson. Him and Austin seem to be kindred spirits. Austin was with us before Karson was born and afterwards was such amazing help with him. Austin has the most tender heart and always is so gentle and kind with the boys. Karson still cries for Austin, especially when he feels like I have done him some kind of injustice. Austin was always Karsons shoulder to cry on, and no matter what Austin was always sympathetic towards him. (Karson loves this quality in a person.) Honestly sometimes I feel like crying for Austin too. Words can't express what he means to all of us. Him and Justin are best of friends. I am so so thankful for him, and the many wonderful opportunities we have had being able to have him around us. Here are some family pictures we took back in July before he left.

Austin we are so proud of the work that you are doing. We are proud of your strength and your courage. You are an amazing man and I am so lucky to call you my brother, my friend. Keep safe, and know that our love travels the many miles between us and is always with you.

Ollie Pop nine months old!

2010-12-08T19:04:00.004-06:00

Oliver at 9 months-

Started clapping his hands and waving goodbye.
Stands up to furniture and walks around it.
When I tell him "no no" he jabbers back "NNNNNNN"
Jabbers a lot. Usually says "dadada, mamamam, nanannan,nnnnnn,babababa.
Has got a Fro going on. Hair is getting lighter but longer. I think it will be curly.
Starting sleeping through the night. Yippy!
Has two teeth.
Eats three times, new foods, are bread, cheerios, rice,
Loves people!
Is a happy little guy.
Our little munchkin! At his Dr. Appointment his weight was 17lbs 12oz and he was 28and 1/2 ". About 50th percentile for Height and 30th for weight.

November

2010-12-01T17:52:00.007-06:00

Well it appears that the month of November went by in a flash. It also appears that I have a whole month of blogging to catch up on. Well here are the high lights of November.

The first week in November we had a surprise visit from my sister Tessa and her hubby Page.

That weekend we all went up to the cabin and had a very nice and relaxing getaway.

Nov 10th- The Johnson Clan all went to dinner together the night before Grandpa Johnson went in for heart surgery. It was so nice to all rally together for love and support for Grandpa. We all love him very much and it is a true testimony to me of what a family should be. I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of such a wonderful family. Grandpa had open heart surgery on the 11th and has made a great recovery since.

Nov, 11-14th Justin and I drove up to Moscow Idaho for the weekend to watch the Vandals play BSU. We had a great time hanging out with Jade, Megan, papa Jon, and Megans family. We were also able to catch up with some good friends from Moscow. It was freezing cold and unfortunatly the Vandals lost the football game but it was still a great visit. It was fun to be back in the place that we called home for four years. Moscow and U of I will always hold a special place in our hearts. Saturday we drove to Spokane and spent the night with Josh,Veronica, and baby Blake. It is always so much fun to spend time with great friends. Sunday we made the very long drive back home. A huge thanks to my mom and dad for watching all the boys for us while we were gone!

This month Karson finally got accepted for speech therapy through the school district. It has been a long process but we are excited to finally have something happen. He will attend a 30 min speech therapy session once a week.

Justin has been busy with Scouts every Tuesday night and teaching and ISU every Wednesday and Thursday. On the 19th he headed over to Boise with his BFF Chad and Brother in Law Aaron to go to a BSU game. The boys had a great guys getaway and enjoyed a night of eating hot wings, watching football, then of course staying up all hours of the night to play video games. I think they all had a great time and I was so glad that Justin was able to have some fun. He has been working so hard. While the boys were away us girls got babysitters and went out to dinner then went shopping.

Sunday Nov 21st Oliver turned 9 months old! (Of course this deserves its own post though!)

Also this weened my brother Austin shipped out to IRAQ (This too deserves its own post)

Monday we got all packed up to head to Mississippi for the week to spend Thanksgiving there. Tuesday we made it to the airport, checked our bags, went through security and was waiting to board the plane when they suddenly told us that all flight for the day were closing down for the day. This came as no surprise seeing as though we were having a extreme winter storm but we were still really bummed that we couldn't make it out. Justin went to book our tickets for the next day but they told him that the storm was moving toward Salt Lake and we would probably end up stuck there. So alas finally we just had to get a refund on our tickets and stay home. We were all pretty bummed out! The next day we got several calls telling us that Justin was on the front page of the newspaper. I will have to get a picture of it and post it.

Our Thanksgiving week was pretty mellow since we didn't have any plans and since the weather was horrific outside. It was kind of nice having the time to spend together with nothing to do but be lazy. Thank heavens my Mom had unthawed a turkey big enough for all of us. My parents, Eli, and Colby came to dinner. It turned out to be a very nice, impromptu Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be Thankful for.

We ended out the month with some Blake Friday Shopping, getting ready for Christmas, and Oliver had his nine month baby well visit. WHEW! What a month.

The first big snow of the year. Nov 9th

The three amigos all in the tub together for the first time.

My little mountain man Ollie pop staying warm!

Bear, Spiderman, and Shark OH MY!

2010-11-02T11:34:00.011-05:00

*Halloween 2010*

Painting Pumpkins.

Trick-or-Treating with Tu Tu at Melaluca.

Spooktacular lunch with Grandma Voyles.

Shark boy at his school party!

Beary adorable Oliver.

Super Strong Superman!

The Scary Trio!

Cute little Sadie!

The Trick-or-Treating cousin crew.

Kamdens excited face! Spooky I know!

All ready to go!

Karson had to have a buddies hand to hold. Good thing Stockton is such a good sport!

Avery cakes and her costume mishap. Too cute!

And he's off. Kamden really got into Trick or Treating this year.

He and Paisley were at the front of the pack!

Superman in action!

Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of our ward trunk or treat or trick or treating Nana.

What a fun filled Halloween we had at the Johnson house!

Oliver is 8 months old!

2010-10-28T20:13:00.005-05:00

Seems like this month Oliver has developed in leaps and bounds. At Eight months Ollie is now:

Crawling! Started the exact day he turned 8 months.
Sitting up all by himself. Can also crawl and put himself into sitting position.
Started holding his bottle by himself. ( I tried and tried to get him to do this for months. The little stinker just wouldn't. Finally just after he turned seven months old he started holding it himself.)
Started wrinkling up his nose when he smiles. So adorable!
Got his first tooth! Bottom Left. Cut through on 10/10/10!
Started shaking his head no.
When he hears music he starts bouncing.
Pulls himself up on knees when holding on to something.
Such a stubborn eater. Tries food and if he doesn't like it then he won't open his mouth no matter what you do. He doesn't like a lot of food. So we mostly stick to the bottle.
Is a terrible sleeper! I feel like we haven't progressed at all. Goes to bed at 7:00 wakes up around 11:00 then wakes up again around 4:00 then sleeps till 8:00.
Hello stranger anxiety! He is for sure a mommas boy.

Oliver has really become his own little person this last month. He is a very content baby, and loves to smile. When he doesn't like something he makes it very apparent, quickly! We have enjoyed him so much!

Quick October catch up!

2010-10-28T19:22:00.003-05:00

I figured that I had better get caught up on the month of October before I needed to post about my little goblins and Halloween. Seems like just when you think that things are slowing down they move even faster. Lets play catch up! Here we go.

Boys had first dentist visits! Boys got Flu shots. Celebrated lots of family Birthdays! Justin had a foot Dr. appointment and found out his aches and pains have to do with incredibly flat feet! I went to Dentist. Family Pictures. Visited friends and their new baby boy. Primary Program. My dear sweet mother had to have her gallbladder removed. Had many wonderful play dates with the Johnson gals. Halloween parties. Running boys to school everyday. Karson was special person at school. School parties. Picked Apples. Oliver started crawling. Oliver got his first tooth. Watched football with family. Enjoyed a couple of date nights. Justin went on a camping trip. My sister and her son came over and stayed the night since her husband was also gone. Had game night with the Johnson fam. Justin's little sister left to Japan. Kam got stomach bug.

Whew! That is a lot. Not to mention that Justin is gone three nights a week. Sometimes I feel like I am treading water and just barely keeping my head out.

Fall is in the air.

2010-10-04T10:53:00.007-05:00

To be completely honest I have been dreading fall. Not because I don't absolutely love fall, but because I absolutely hate winter. Admitting that its Fall means that winter is only that much closer to come. Well folks it is officially Fall, and I'm loving it. This weather we have been having is absolutely beautiful! High 70s then chilly at night. This past weekend our little family headed up to the cabin in Island Park and throughly enjoyed Fall.

It was a beautiful weekend, we went HIKING, then to see the fish at BIG SPRINGS, had a PICNIC, then got some delicious ICE CREAM. We enjoyed nap time then FISHING (with not luck) and then Justin took the boys CANOEING, then SWIMMING, of course then they had to warm up in the HOT TUB. We then enjoyed some TIN FOIL DINNERS and afterwards sat around the campfire and had SMORES. After we got Oliver to bed we laid outside underneath the STARS for quite awhile. As a matter of fact Kamden fell asleep STAR GAZING. After the boys were asleep Justin and I watched a movie together.

It felt so nice to enjoy the beauty of Fall with my beautiful FAMILY. It's weekends like this that help me remember what life is all about!

7 Months Old

2010-09-26T09:12:00.003-05:00

Oliver is now 7 Months old. Here is some new things he has been doing lately:

Does a 360 turn on belly using only belly and hands.
Enjoys eating carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches and apple sauce. Still will not eat rice cereal unless it is mixed with apple juice. Cant seem to feed him fast enough.
Loves putting everything in his mouth.
He has discovered his tongue and he sticks it out all the time.
Scoots himself backwards.
Every since we stopped swaddling him about a month ago he has become a terrible sleeper.
Gets easily distracted when eating a bottle by his two very adoring brothers.
Starting to get very hesitant of strangers.
Is pretty patient but when he gets upset it is 0-100 in seconds.
Loves taking a bath in the big tub and splashing everywhere.

KINDERGARTEN!!!

2010-09-22T11:40:00.004-05:00

My little Kam man started his first day of Kindergarten on Monday! He is attending Monticello Montessori Charter school. It is a brand new school in the school district and we are so happy to be able to get Kamden into it. I have heard such great things about the Montessori program and am really hoping that it will help Kamden excel. They started late in the season because they were waiting for the school to be built. On Saturday we were able to go to the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremonies. Kamden has been so excited about starting school again. He has patiently been waiting while he watches Karson go. We drove past his school several times this summer watching the progress. That was pretty fun for Kamden. He was pretty excited Monday morning to finally be able to go. Justin came with me to drop him off. He took Kamden into the classroom and got him all ready. As soon as he went to leave Kamden broke out in tears. Ahhh my sweet little Kamden. The next days drop off went much better. He was still a bit timid but as soon as his teacher acknowledged him he went and grabbed her hand and was ok. There is one thing I know for sure...by the end of the year Kamden will not want to leave the place.

10 year class reunion.

2010-09-22T11:30:00.004-05:00

Justin and I attended our 10 year High School reunion. Thats right folks 10 big years have flown by! Although there isn't much to say about the actual reunion it was super fun catching up with good friends. I wish I would have taken more pictures but this is all I got.

Spud day!

2010-09-21T11:18:00.005-05:00

One of the fondest memories I have of growing up is going to parades. My dad loved taking us and there was always lots of joy and excitement. One of my absolute favorite parades is the Spud Day parade held in my hometown. I love being able to go back and take my kids there and see the excitement and joy they get from going. They LOVED the parade.

Of course after the parade we had to go and enjoy a free spud. The park was packed so we didn't stick around to long.

Carrots.

2010-09-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

When I started Oliver on rice cereal a couple months ago it was a huge flop. He wanted nothing to do with the stuff and every day I kept trying and he would just spit it out and make a huge mess. When he had his six month well visit with the Dr. I told him about it and he told me to stop, and try again in a couple weeks. Oliver was just not quite ready for it. So I tried again a couple weeks ago but instead of mixing formula with the rice cereal I used apple juice. Oliver was a mad man, and devoured it. The other day I decided to start on the real stuff. First real food, CARROTS! Although at first Oliver was a little hesitant he ended up eating the entire jar. I just love his little carrot face.

School Time!

2010-09-07T13:55:00.006-05:00

Back to school for my two boys. You might think I am talking about Kam and Kars ... Nope not this time. It's back to school for these two handsome devils.

Yes I might have you a bit confused but it is true not only did Karson start his first day of preschool today but also two weeks ago Justin returned to school. Just call him Professor Johnson. That's right this time instead of being the student he will now be the teacher. He couldn't be more excited about it. He is teaching- Introduction to Business class at Idaho State University. He teaches two classes, both are night classes. This is perfect for Justin he has always wanted to teach and it is so awesome to see his dreams come true. I am sure he will be an amazing teacher and I can't wait to go and sit in on one of his classes.

As for Karson today was his FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. All last year he sat and watched while Kamden got to go and now it's his turn. He was pretty darn excited. Yesterday we told him that he got to start school tomorrow, he responded by saying "NO TODAY!" He will be going to the same place we had Kamden last year and we are so excited for our little man. When Justin dropped him off he was not timid at all and just went in and sat down. He was happy as a clam when I picked him up. I know he is a still so young but I think it will be great for him!

Look who is six months old!

2010-08-30T09:51:00.006-05:00

Ollie at six weeks.

Ollie at six months.

What a difference six months makes!

I can't believe our little Oliver is already six months old. The last six months went by so fast! Here is some stats about our little O at six months.

He weights 16lbs 2oz. (32nd percentile)
He is 27 1/4" long. (75th percentile)
He is such a happy baby. Laughs and smiles all the time.
He loves to be around people one on one.
Very mellow, he can entertain himself for hours.
Goes to bed @ 7:30 wakes up at 3:30 has a bottle, then sleeps till 7:00.
Takes two naps. One at 9am and one at 2pm, both are two hours long.
At Olivers doctor visit the Dr. told me to stop swaddling him. Oliver LOVES to be swaddled so this has been kinda ruff.
He has no interest in eating food. I tried and at first thought that he would love it, but he just spits it out. I gave up and will try again in a couple weeks.
Loves the bath and playing in the water.
Loves cuddling with a blanket or a soft toy.
Now that he isn't swaddled he loves to be rocked to sleep. (I'm tying not to make a habit out of it.)

He is such a joy in our life. He loves to see his brother and especially his Dad. He always has a huge smile on his face when we go to pick him up. We are so thankful he is a part of our family.

Fun at Splash Park.

2010-08-30T09:29:00.004-05:00

Johnson Family Trip 2010

2010-08-26T18:18:00.005-05:00

We were able to go on a week long vacation to Lake Tahoe with the extended Johnson family. We loaded up and headed out the morning of Aug 7th. It was hard to say good bye to my kidos for a week but it was nice to have the relaxing time.

Day one- It ended up taking us 14hrs to drive to Tahoe due to pulling a boat. All 12 of us were caravaning and Uncle Todd was pulling the boat. At first the cover wouldn't stay on and we stopped every 15 min to put it back on. Finally an hour into our trip we stopped at Lowes in hope of finding stuff to help keep the cover tied on. Nope 15 min later we stopped once more luckily this time to pull the cover off. Thinking we had all our boat troubles behind us we continued on. Not even an hour later we saw sparks coming from the rear right tire. Turns out not only had we blown the tire on the boat trailer but also the U-bolts holding the trailer off the ground were gone. We had to drive 40 min into the closest town to try finding some dang U-bolts. You think this would be easy but sadly our luck was down on this particular day. Finally we called a mechanic shop and begged the man to sell us some. Lucky for us he did. After our four hour delay we started back on the road. Although it ended up being a very long drive I can't complain to much because we had great company to entertain us and entertained we were thanks to Dave who is absolutely hilarious. All of us in our rig decided we were hungry and pulled of an hour before we made it to the cabin. We ate a delicious dinner at PF Chang's. We made it to our cabin and that night I slept nice and sound!

Day 2- We hung around the cabin for most of the day. Most of us went grocery shopping to buy groceries for the week. It was pretty interesting having eight of us all shopping, and four carts full of food. We got some pretty funny looks!

Day 3- August 9Th- Happy Eight year anniversary to Us. We took a beautiful drive on our way to drop Justin, Chad and Debbie off for a 7 mile hike. I kissed my honey good-bye as he headed down the trail thinking he wouldn't be gone to long. We had tickets to a dinner cruise that night. I went shopping downtown Tahoe with Jackie, Sadie and Jamie. While Jarome and Dave went to try their luck at the casinos. A couple hours later we went back to the cabin only to find that the others had not got back from their hike yet. Well to make a long story short it took them longer then they had thought, and they hiked a mile in the wrong direction trying to find the car. Turns out they almost missed the dinner cruise. Thanks heavens they finally made it and we were able to celebrate some of our anniversary together. The dinner cruise was fun and a great way to see the Lake. We also share our anniversary with Grandpa and Grandpa Johnson so that was pretty fun all celebrating together.

Day 4- We did some sight seeing around the Lake. First off Lake Tahoe is defiantly not what I was expecting. It is huge!!! Also there is a ton of commercial stuff around and tons of people too. That day we drove all the way around the lake. We stopped at Donner's pass. Then went to lunch at a place that had been featured on Food Networks Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives called Burger me. It was fun to see what the area had to offer. The water in Lake Tahoe is beautiful. Very blue and clear

Day 5- We woke up early and took the three and a half hour drive to San Fransisco. It was Justins and I's first time there. It was a freezing cold day. We went down to the piers and walked around, took a boat tour around Alcatraz and under the golden gate bridge. Then took a bus tour around different parts of the city. It was a quick day and fun to see San Fransisco.

Day 6- In the afternoon we (Chad, Debbie, Justin and I) went and rode our bikes down around the water. We took our time enjoying the sites and nature. I had forgotten how much I loved to ride bikes. We found a sand trail and followed it down to the water. It was a pretty secluded beach with only a few other people on it. (A lot of the other beaches in the area are packed full of people so this was a nice surprise.) We stopped and played in the water and sat on the beach for hours. The water was pretty cool because it was only knee deep for quite a ways out. So we walked pretty far out into the water. We rode our bikes back to some Tennis courts. Jarome and Jackie met us there. They all played tennis while I read my book and Jarome chased Sadie around. It was so nice and relaxing.

Day 7- The next day we went golfing. I had such a blast and absolutely love to golf. Afterward we went and watched the movie Inception. Such a great movie! Of course by this time Justin and I were missing our kids a lot but it was so nice to be able to do all these things.

Day 8- Homeward bound. The drive home only took ten hours much better then our drive there. We were all pretty tired. It is always fun to be in a car with good company though. Chad, Debbie, Jamie, and Dave rode with us home. We had a lot of laughs and good conversation. We arrived home around 6:00 and went down to my parents house to get the kids. We were so excited to see them and Kamden and Karson came running to us as soon as they saw us. Oliver was almost mad at me and would not come to me. It took a while for him to warm up but then all the sudden he was kissing me and hugging me and so excited. It was really interesting how it was like suddenly he remembered who I was. We had such a great time on our trip. It was nice to strengthen family bonds and get some good sleep. I had a great time with Justin and it was so nice being able to do things as a couple. Our trip was a huge success and I am already looking forward to the next one we go on.

Back in action!

2010-08-25T13:36:00.008-05:00

August has been a jammed packed month. I always talk about how busy we are but really the summer days just seem to fly by. No complaints from me though because we have been having such a great time. I just wish the summer would last forever....sigh!

*SWIMMING*

The boys took swimming lessons from July 26-August 5th. It was both their first time. I can't believe that I didn't start them on it years ago. It was especially fun to see my little tots taking lessons in the exact same pool as I did as a little girl. Kamden loved every second of every lesson and it really helped with his fears. Karson was so timid to get in the pool without me the first day but as soon as he got to know his teachers he loved it. It was fun having them in the same class although some days that would lead to much distraction. On the last day, they got to go down the slide and jump off the diving board. Now we have two certified little fish!

Yummy.

2010-08-05T14:28:00.007-05:00

Do you see this hungry face. Formula is just not cutting it for this little man. We gave him apple juice for the first time the other day and although at first he was like "what the heck is this" he now loves the stuff.

I was eating pizza while holding him and he just stared at me while I ate. He watched the pizza move to my mouth then watched it go back to the plate, then back to my mouth. He wouldn't take his eyes off the pizza and was grabbing at it. Okie Dokie baby O, I guess your ready for some good ole Rice cereal!

What is this stuff?

Gagging! Gagging here.

This is the "what the heck are you trying to feed me" look.

After a few more bites he was a little more content. He actually did pretty good for his first time, and he actually ate quite a bit of that yucky stuff. Turns out he was pretty ready for food.

Smile...cause a full belly feels so good.

A little behind.

2010-08-04T17:07:00.005-05:00

Running a little behind... Okay who am I kidding a lot behind. I have three boys, Four counting the husband (who on most days counts as a kid), A dog, and two rabbits to take care of! Not to mention the house and yard that houses them all. So forgive me if my blogs are a little slow in coming....I am trying to keep up!

Oliver turned five months old on July 21st. He is growing fast and it is nice to have him a little bit older. Kamden has really been so helpful lately and is such a sweetheart when it comes to helping Oliver. He loves to be around him and is always cuddling him. Oliver absolutely adores his big brother! Here are some pictures at Oliver at five months!

As you can see we dearly love our little Ollie pop...and as you can see I also love taking pictures of this little stinker. What can I say he holds still for me!

Hark-O Familia!

2010-08-04T17:06:00.002-05:00

This post is under construciton~~~

Goodbye July!

2010-08-04T16:15:00.008-05:00

Is July really already over. July went by so fast... One of the best things about the summer is that we get to spend so much time as a family.

Justin headed to Missippi for five days for work. We kept busy by playing out in the back yard and having several water parties. As a matter a fact I even got a little light headed after blowing up all the toys. Next year an investment in an air compressor is a must!

Harker Family reunioun! This event really does deserve its own post. Especially after I gather more pictures from my sister and mom from it.

Celebrating Randys Birthday, and getting to see Miss Karlee Bug!

We also have been able to go boating a couple of times. I love being out on the water with the sun shinning down. It is so relaxing. Last week we took Oliver out on the boat for the first time. He did so good and just hung out. It was such a relaxing night.

SPLASH!

2010-07-16T08:51:00.003-05:00

AHHHH Summertime.... we have been awaiting you for what seems like forever now. You have been timid and you took an extreamly long time to come this year. Finally you are here and we are very much enjoying you!

More summer time fun!

2010-07-14T13:34:00.008-05:00

One reason I love summer is because the fun never seems to stop! We had another nice relaxing weekend at the cabin. Thank heavens this time around the weather was a lot nicer. Although we did get to enjoy a few wonderful thunder and lightning storms.

How do you measure up?

2010-07-12T08:26:00.003-05:00

I took all three boys to the Doctor for their well visits. It was nice that I was able to do it all at one time but holy cow was it hectic. Kamden and Karson were all over the place grabbing stickers turning on and off the light, grabbing those ear things. I even tried calming them down and reading a book to them but they wanted nothing to do with it. I was so embarrassed that my kids were acting totally out of control. I think the Dr. must think I run a zoo. He finally told the boys to leave the light alone and he took the stickers away. After that they calmed down a bit. Why is it that they will listen to a perfect stranger better then they listen to me? The whole time I am trying to hold Oliver and calm him down. When we arrived he was nicely asleep in his car seat but of course they made me wake him up and strip him down as soon as we got their so he wasn't to happy either. It was pure MADNESS. I was so happy to get out of there!

This is how the boys measure up!

Kamden-
Weight- 52lbs (97th percentile)
Height-47.5" (way above 99percentile, actually is around the average height of a 7 year old.)

Karson
Weight-34lbs (75th percentile)
Height-39" ( 80th percentile)

Oliver-
Weight-14lbs & 5oz (30th percentile)
Height-26" (75th percentile)

Forth of July Fun.

2010-07-07T22:12:00.006-05:00

We enjoyed a great weekend in Island Park celebrating the fourth. It was a cold weekend but we still managed to have a lot of fun.

Happy Third Birthday to Karson!

2010-07-07T21:33:00.006-05:00

Man I love this kid. He is spunky, and full of life. He has a mind of his own and marches to the own beat of his drum. He is stubborn and strong. He loves attention and his mama. He thrives on sympathy from anyone and everyone. He loves cartoons especially Caiou, Diego, and Dora. He loves to cuddle and hug. Most nights he tries to sneak into our bed at night. He loves to do things himself and his own way. He is brave and has no fears. He loves balls, hats, and especially helmets. He points to himself and says "I a lion, Rawr!" then points to me and says you a kitty". He skips and jumps around the yard. He loves to sit and watch sports with his dad. He loves chocolate milk and any kind of pasta. He loves to be held. He loves people. He is very sympathetic to others ouchys. He loves dirt and being dirty. He is incredibly charming. He is my little man Karson, boo bear, or Karsy. No doubt about it this one knows exactly how to grab your heart and wrap himself around it. Happy third Birthday Karson!

For his birthday we just had a nice little family party at our house. I had planned on only serving ice cream at the party because Karson loves ice cream! I realized this was a bad idea when on the day of his birthday I asked him what he wanted for his birthday breakfast and he replied "cake". Then again when I asked him what he wanted for lunch "cake". I decided to hurry and whip up a homemade cake. I ended up making a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I quickly decorated it and set it out. When the time came to eat it he went straight for the ice cream and forgot all about his cake. Hey at least the rest of us enjoyed it. He had a great time and especially loves his new helmet and gear from pa and tu tu. As a matter of fact the next day he even took a nap with it. So sweet! So happy to celebrate our little man Karson!

June Madness continued.

2010-07-01T09:45:00.006-05:00

Okie Dokie, now that I have some spare time...okay well not really because Karson is kicking a soccer ball in the house and Kamden is shooting a nerf gun at me... spare time for me anyways, lets continue with June madness shall we.

June 17th-All aboard. Nana and Pa took Kamden and Karson on a train ride.

Little did we know by that next morning our little Kam man would be locally famous! Thats right folks FRONT PAGE of the POST REGISTER a huge picture of ours truly Kam man.

I am getting a digital copy of this front page printed and laminated from the post register. Until then these pictures will have to do. We got so many phone calls from family and friends and Kamden was defiantly very proud of his picture. How excited for us all!

Also on the 21st of June little baby O turned four months old. He is growing in leaps and bounds and so much fun. Some highlights about Ollie at four months:

Drinking about 6oz in one sitting.
Going to bed around 8:00, wakes up around 2:00 then sleeps till morning. Hallelujah!
Reaches for toys, can grab them and brings them to his mouth.
Rolled over for the first time on June 23rd. Now he wiggles his way all over the floor.
He is such a happy baby. Always laughing and smiling.
So content to just sit around and entertain himself.
Has so many nicknames. Baby O, Ollie pop, Ollie, Herkamer (my mom), and Hark (Justin).
Not a big fan of big groups of people, gets overwhelmed quickly by to much going on.
Has discovered a new favorite toy-his feet.
Oh and last but not least FINALLY doesn't cry when I get him out of the bath.

I feel so lucky to have three boys. They truly are a ton of fun.

So moving right along now onto one of the most important days in June. Fathers day. I seriously love a day that I can just spoil my husband rotten and make everything all about him. My absolute favorite gift we gave him this year was from the boys. It was a key chain of a bat, the batman symbol to be exact and it read - Our dad is a super hero. So cute and of course pretty much explains exactly how we feel about Justin!
We had such a fun day with the extended Johnson clan, visiting eating and celebrating all the wonderful dads. Justin you truly are amazing! Thanks for being the best Father in the world to our three boys.

Speaking how wonderful Justin is on June 22 he took the boys to their first baseball game. Justin went out before the game and bought them both their own mitts. They were so happy and got to play a little catch with dad before the big Chuckers game. Pa, Tu Tu and Randy met them at the game and they all had a great time.

Okay and last but defiantly not least our little Karson- boo bear turned the big 3. I do think this deserves a special post of its own though. So there you have it, (sigh) our crazy month of fun and madness.

A few friendly visits.

2010-06-25T14:56:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things in life is having friends visit! I just love having a full house. This month we have been lucky to be able to have several different visits. Our really good friends the Richards family came to visit last week. It was so great to see them and catch up. Last time they were here their little girl Samantha was six months old. Now she is two. She is such a cutie and it was super fun having a little girl in the house. Of course Kam and Kars just adored her! No matter what we do with the Richards family we always have a great time. I especially enjoyed staying up late visiting with Janet. She is a wonderful friend and I am so glad that we have reconnected. I first met Janet almost nine years ago up at Moscow. We both worked at pizza hut and we clicked right away. Of course now unfortunately there are many miles in between us but she is still a great friend!

Richards Family

Justin giving all three a horsey ride.

Also this month we were able to go to Twin Falls and visit my cousin Kara and her family, who is also our great friends. Then last weekend they came here and hung out. The Dads played with Justins remote control plane, the kids played on the swings, we ordered pizza, chatted and had a great time relaxing in the beautiful weather we have been having.

Celebrate the Birthdays.

2010-06-25T12:39:00.007-05:00

So after we got home from Boise Justin packed up and headed to Moab for High Adventure Scout Camp. I am going to have him write a post all about his trip because some of the stuff they did was pretty amazing. Also that same day My mom, the little boys and I headed down to Utah to surprise my little sister for her Birthday. We had a fun few days spending time with her and Page (her hubby) the boys especially loved swimming in the hotel pool with Tessa. Kamden was much more adventures then usual and would work his way around the pool holding onto the sides. He was pretty nervous when Tessa pulled him out into the middle of the pool and let go of him, and he was surprised to find that he could touch the bottom. He went right back to the side and kept working his way around. Karson on the other hand has no fear of the pool he would jump right in. Because he had cracked his head open just the weekend before we decided to put a shower cap on his head while he swam. We got some pretty funny looks! Oh well, the boys had a great time. Our trip ended way to soon. I think that Tessa had a pretty good Birthday!

We then celebrated Kamdens Birtday with the family June 13th and had a friend party on June 18th. (Although the only people that were able to come were his cousins.) This year he was super excited for his Birthday and understood a lot more what it was about. It was very cute seeing his enormous grin on his face as we celebrated him!

Party #1

Party #2

Summer time madness.

2010-06-23T17:11:00.009-05:00

This summer has already been crazy busy! At times things seem a bit hectic and nothing that needs to be getting done is, but man have we been having fun.

This summer we have already taken two trips to Boise. We love it there and it always seems to make for a nice weekend getaway. We love visiting friends and of course eating at good ole Buffalo wild wings. I always love the shopping and the boys always love to hit up build a bear. We had two fabulous weekends there all except for Karson falling and cracking his head open! Yikes. Luckily Dr. DAD came to the rescue and bandaged it right up, although it is questionable weather or not it needed stitches. But as of now it is healing up nicely. We love road trips!!

BUILD A BEAR

Kam made a Panda bear dressed as Batman and Karson made a tiger dressed as a football player. This cracks me up because it is so them.

Our great friends the Oakes family! Josh Veronica, and baby Blake.

The weather was beautiful there. One of the things I love about Boise. We spent a lot of our time outside. This little park is right down the street. The boys had a lot of fun burning off some energy playing tag. Even the big boys!

King of the slide. My little Bro Eli was able to come with us on one time. We had a lot of fun having him around.

BUFFALO WILD WINGS

Our two trips to Boise was a great way to kick off the summer.

Birthday Boy.

2010-06-14T15:32:00.006-05:00

Our little Kam man turned the big 5 years old yesterday. I can hardly believe that five years has gone by so fast! What a big boy we have. No longer is Kam a toddler but now a little boy. I am so thankful that this little sweetheart was sent to our family!

Kam at five years old:
-Weight 53lbs
-Height 4ft tall
-Very sweet
-Wears his emotions on his sleeve. (Will cry at sad parts in Movies, loves to kiss and hug, and is a cuddle bug. )
-He is sensitive, but I love this about him. (When my friend Taylia passed away not to long ago I was crying and Kamden came up to me and asked me what the matter was, I told him that I missed my friend, and I wouldn't be able to see her for awhile because she went to live with Jesus. He then told me that he and dad would build me a spaceship and fly me up to Jesus so I could see her.)
-Very creative- loves to draw, paint, color and do anything artistic. Also loves to play in the land of make believe.
-Timid about new experiences, but once he finds something or someone he loves he latches right on.
-Loves to take things apart. If the boy finds a screwdriver half my house is taken apart.
-Likes to sing and dance.
-Very silly, and such a tease.
- Can count to ten and knowes most of his colors.
-Loves to play outside.
-Quite the little negotiator.

When I asked him what his favorite things were this is what he replied:
Favorite color- blue
Favorite food-hot dogs.
Favorite treat- fruit snacks
Favorite toy- water toys.
Favorite thing to do- do my work (color, paint, ect.) and go to dads work.
Favorite T.V show- Star Wars
Favorite animal- Giraff
Favorite sport-running

We are so lucky to have Kamden as a part of our family. We sure love you little buddy! >

A boy after his Fathers own heart.

2010-06-04T10:06:00.007-05:00

Kamden had his last day of Preschool yesterday. When he got home we danced around singing "Schools out for summer". Then he asked me what that meant. As I was trying to explain to him that this school year was over and that he wouldn't have school again till after summer was over he got even more confused. He has no idea how long a week is let alone a summer. So instead I told him that he didn't have school for a long time and next year we would go to his new school. He got all sad and bothered by this and told me "mom I want to go to school". Ahhh yes a boy after his own Fathers heart! Don't worry Kam school will come again soon enough.

Oliver at three months old.

2010-06-03T20:01:00.005-05:00

Shortly after taking Oliver to his two month baby well visit he started getting super grouchy. I was thinking that it was possibly the shots that made him so grouchy, but as the days went on and the grouchiness continued I started realizing exactly what was making baby number three so groucy. ACID REFLUX. Nothing new to us seeing as though both Kam and Karson had it as babies. Luckily we got to the Dr. and got a prescription for our little man and after awhile he was back to all smiles! Now if we could just get him back to sleeping good.

Stats on Ollie pop at three months old:

Weight-Will let you know as soon as we weight him.
Eye color-They are still a steel grayish blue color but have brown spots in them, every day the brown spot become more and more. He will for sure be my one and only brown eyed boy.
Smiles a lot, coos a lot, and laughs a lot. I love to listen to him laugh.
Starting to bat at toys and tries to grab them. When he does happen to get a toy that is hung in front of him into his mouth he loves to chew it to death!
Starting to become more aware of his surroundings. Does not like to be left in a room alone.
Loves his bath and is starting to splash. Although he still cries every single time I take him out!
Sleeps actually worse then he did at two months old. Wakes up around 1:00, 4:00 then again around 5:30.
Loves the baby swing!
Still only eats four oz at a time.
Hates to be on his tummy!
Every time I walk toward him and he see's me coming he gives me a huge smile! Even if it is 5:30 in the morning.

We sure love our little man!

May in a nutshell...or a MAYbe not!

2010-06-01T10:53:00.010-05:00

Okay, I know, I know.... I have been quite the blog slacker lately. I realize this post is long overdue but in my defense- A) My memory card reader broke so I had to find a cord to transfer all my pictures from my camera to the computer and B) It's been a very busy month.

We celebrated my 28th Birthday April 30th by going out to eat with other couples. I must admit that I have some pretty great friends who also happen to be great family. It was so nice to sit around a table and chat over good food. One of my favorite things to do! I must have some Italian in me somewhere. Then we came back to the house and played some games. Thanks Andrew and Stephanie for hanging out with us till the wee hours of the morning! It was a wonderful birthday. I got my birthday gift from Justin weeks earlier because he was so excited to give it to me. This is what he got for me!

And yes I feel like a very lucky girl and am absolutely loving the heck out of my Apple I-pad!

That next night Justin stayed home with the boys and I went with the family to Karlees dance recital. I am sad that it will be the last one, I have really enjoyed going to them over the years.

The next weekend the Birthday fun continued as we celebrated another birthday with our great friends Chad and Amy. Chad too turned 28 and we went out to dinner at Jakers then back to our house for games. (If you couldn't tell we love games!) It was a very fun night with some wonderful friends! That very next night we were able to try out another great restaurant with some more great friends, the Calls. A very fun Double Date night with us and our two infants in tow. The fun of the weekend didn't stop there for the next day we celebrated one of my favorite days of the year: Mothers Day! I love this day not only because it is a day to get spoiled but, for me it is also a day to celebrate being able to be a mother! I feel so blessed to have three beautiful boys! We celebrated with the Johnson family by making dutch oven dinners. So delicious! It was the perfect mothers day! I wish I would have go some fun pictures from this weekend but sadly I didn't get any!Justin and the boys got me a B.O.B jogging stroller. It is so nice and I can't wait for the weather to get better so I can use it more!

Thursday, the night of May 13th, we went up into the mountains and had a hot dog roast with my sister and brother in law. We were having a great time roasting hot dogs and marsh mellows and then decided to shoot guns. Well Ellie, our dog, gets pretty scared when we shoot guns but usually just hides under the car. When we were done shooting we couldn't find her anywhere. We called and called but she never came. Justin hiked up to the top of the mountain calling for her and still couldn't find her (it was quite the hike). We drove up and down the road and still could not find her. At this point Kamden was crying, Karson was tired, Ollie was loosing his patience and daylight was fading fast. We finally after hours of looking for her had to leave without her. At the crack of dawn Justin went back up to the spot where we had been the previous night. He found dog tracks but there was no Ellie. He left notes in all the mailboxes around about our lost dog and info then headed back down. Later that day a man called him and told him that he had found Ellie earlier that morning while he was hunting. He didn't know who's dog it was. (Ellies tags came off earlier and I had yet to get them back on her.) He let her tag along with him until later that afternoon he stopped at one of the houses on his way out and asked if they knew whose dog she was. Well thanks to Justins letter that he had left in their mail box they knew we were looking for her and our phone number.The man who found her was amazed at how good of dog she was. Luckily we were reunited with our little Ellie Bellie. I think we were all very grateful to have her back. Next time we go shooting she will have to stay in the car.

The next night Justin and the two older boys headed out to Fielding park for the Father and sons campout. ( A ward activity where Fathers and their sons go for a night to campout.) Because we had been having such crappy weather I made them a nice cozy bed in the back of the Expedition. Although I don't think that Justin stayed very comfortable I think they stayed at least warm. The boys had a great time with their dad as they always do. They came home stinken dirty. I guess that is the fun of it all.

Sunday night we went up to Chad and Debbies for a survivor finale party. I hadn't been that big of fan of Survivor the whole season but when I heard we were having a finale party I didn't want to be lost while watching it. So the entire previous week I had caught up on all this seasons episodes online. Man I really got into it and remembered how much I loved the show.

On Thursday the night of the 20th we headed to Boise for a little weekend getaway. One of Justin's scouts made it to state for Tennis so we went over to support and watch him play. The weather was super crapy so I ended up staying indoors with the boys most of the time but it was still super fun. We went shopping and went to a pizza place with some delicious pizza. (Thanks Jade for the suggestion!) Also while we were over there are little baby O turned 3 months old! I will post more on this later. Breydan ended up doing pretty well and it was lots of fun. Sunday night we enjoyed a BBQ at Justins parents house in honor of Karlee, his little sister, for graduation. It was great to visit and see family that had come into town for the occasion. Monday night we went to Karlees graduation from Shelley High School. It had reminded me of my own graduation 10 years ago. Congrats to Karlee! We love you bunches and will miss you lots! I first met Karlee when she was four years old! It has been so much fun watching her grow up through all these years. It's hard for me to believe that she is now all graduated from High School and moving on in life.

So this past weekend, Memorial weekend we decided to stay home and have a nice relaxing three day weekend. We went to the movies, Justin to the new Robin Hood movie and me to Letters to Juliet, and ate out at the new Famous Daves in town. Totally Delicious by the way. Went for a walk around the river, and fed the ducks. Had some wonderful dinners with my family, Justins family, and Chad and Amy. Played games. Went to another BBQ and went to put flowers for our loved ones on their grave sites. It was a wonderful weekend! Nice and Relaxing.

So that is May in a nutshell...okay more like a novel!

Busy Bees!

2010-04-27T14:25:00.006-05:00

What have we been busy doing this past week. Well let me fill you in.

Ollie pop turned two months old and had his baby well visit and got his first set of shots. SAD, and let me tell you he has been very grouchy since! At two months old Ollie-

Weight 10lbs 13oz
Height 22.5"
Both somewhere in the 30th percentile. What a little tyke.
He has now found his hands and constantly has them in his mouth.
He loves when people talk to him and he talks right back with his coos. Mr. Jabber Box.
Smiles a lot!
Now that he is getting a little bit bigger Kam and Karson are becoming much more interested in him. They love feeding him. (Of course with lots of help!) They love singing to him and talking to him. They always want to hold him. It is so fun watching these boys grow up together. I just love having boys!!!

Also this week we have been trying to potty train Karson. This kid is sooooo stubborn. He is totally and completely capable of going potty in his potty but he will only do it when he wants to. The other times he just does it wherever he pleases. In the yard, downstairs, on the floor, in his undies. He just really doesn't care! Then other times he will just walk himself into the potty sit down and go all by himself. GEEEZ! So we went to the store and got a bubble gum dispenser and put M&Ms in it. Now every time he goes potty in his potty chair he gets to turn the thing and out pops a M&M. This has been working much better and I am so proud to say (knock on wood) no accidents yet today! The kids loves his chocolate! Last week I was back in my room indulging in some chocolate and I heard Karson coming and didn't want to share so I hurry and put it in the drawer. Luckily he didn't see me but that didn't much matter because as soon as he walks up to me he sits on my lap takes a sniff and says "Ma I want some chocolate". The kid is like a trained hound dog looking for chocolate.

So one fine day I am sitting back in my bedroom feeding Oliver relaxing a little to much when suddenly it occurs to me that it is a little to quite for comfort. I had just previously put a movie on for Kam and Kars to entertain them while I fed the baby so I thought to myself hmm maybe they are just really into the movie. So I finish feeding the baby and then come out to find ...GASP!!! baby butt cream (aka Desitin) all over the place. The leather chair, the carpet, the walls, the table, the blinds. I mean really how can two little ones possibly accomplish all this in a few minutes.

Lets just say Desitin is by far the hardest thing I had to clean up!

Olivers baby blessing.

2010-04-16T15:07:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday we blessed Oliver at church. Justin did a wonderful job. I am so greatful for him and the great man that he is. We are also very greatful for Oliver and the sweet blessing he is in our home. Thank you for our great families that came and supported us.

California

2010-04-16T14:19:00.005-05:00

Last Monday Justin, Oliver and myself loaded up in the car to head to California for Taylias funeral. That first night we drove through a terrible snow storm. We could hardly see the road and had to drive super slow. Finally at about 11:30 we made it to St. George and stayed for the night. We were up bright and early and made a quick run to Walmart and then we were back in the car. We then drove from St. George to southern California. Oliver was a champ and hardly made a peep the entire drive. That night we went to Taylia parents house to meet up with everyone and see Jeff and the kids. It was super hard to see Jeff and the kids and not completely loose it. We drove to Manhattan beach to stay with some friends of Sara and her mom Dawn. It was so good to see Sara and her mom and we had lots of fun catching up. That next morning we were up early to head to the funeral. The funeral was beautiful. Jeff spoke and did such an amazing job. He is the strongest man I have ever met. It is amazing that all these people come to comfort him and he ends up being the one to comfort us. It was so good to catch up with all our old Michigan friends. Even though only two of them still live there. I feel as though we have made friendships that will last a lifetime. Taylia was burried in a beautiful cemetary overlooking the ocean. It was so her! It was hard to say goodbye to Taylia. She meant so much to me and it was hard to loose such a good friend. We shared some really special things and for that I am so greatful. The next morning we were able to go to the Newport Temple and that was really an amazing experience. I thought a lot about gratitude for all we have, especially the wonderful friendships we share. The rest of the time we were able to chat and hang out with Jeff the kids, friends and family. We were sad to have to head home but so ready to see Kamden and Karson. We left that evening and drove to Primm Nevada. The next morning we headed back to Idaho, only stopping for a quick bite to eat with my little sis Tess in Provo. It was such a wonderful trip and I am so glad we were able to go.

Seeing as though this was Olivers first trip I had to stop and get a picture of him and a palm tree. To bad we never made it to the beach.

A group of us at the Newport Temple. Jeff, and his parents, Kia (Tays sister) Sara and Us.

Good Ole Michigan Friends. Jenn Cobia, Krisi Holbrook, me, Jenny Squire, Brook Neal, Ami Jorgensen, Liz Jaggi, Sara Prescott, and Christina Jackman.

It's hard to say good bye.

2010-04-12T14:55:00.005-05:00

My really good friend Taylia Olsen passed away March 27th. She was blow drying her daughters hair when her heart suddenly stopped. She left behind a wonderful husband and four small children. At the time the were living in China.

I first met Taylia at church in Michigan. She was all smiles as she introduced herself and invited us over for dinner. I was amazed how friendly she was to a complete stranger and we accepted the invitation. When we showed up at the Olsen house they were so hospitable. We instantly felt comfortable, and felt as though we were old friends. That is where it all began. The first of many memories to come...

Taylia loved children. When we first moved to Michigan we only had Kamden and he was a small baby. One night we were over at the Olsens for dinner and I couldn't get Kamden to stop crying. Taylia took him for me and sang to him and kissed him and he immediantly stopped crying. She was so patient and it didn't matter to her that it wasn't her own. As the years went by and our kids grew up she continued to be a great example of a mother and my kids loved her. She was always around to help me out with them and I always felt comfortable leaving my kids with her.

She was a great teacher. We would spend hours talking in person and on the phone and I learned so much from her. She was like an older sister to me. I will always cherish those deep conversations we had!

She didn't judge me. She loved me for who I was. She was true to herself and what you saw is what you got. She was strong and she was proud of who she was.

We loved havimg dinner together and playing games.

Tay was super funny and always made me laugh.

Almost every single Holiday we were in Michigan we spent together. They became our family away from home.

Taylia was very generous with her time, love and friendship. She had several friends and was loved by many. She will surly be missed.

I think Justin said it best on his own blog when he wrote:

Did you notice that the world got a little bit dimmer Saturday afternoon?
On Saturday a friend left to go back to where we all strive for. Sadly she left behind a family that is confused, friends that don't quite understand, and a world that needs more people like her.
Today my faith says that she is in a better place, that I understand that this is part of the plan and that a divine force is at work. Unfortunately my heart doesn't quite agree with my faith. Today three little girls can't say good morning to their mommy, a little boy has no one to kiss his ouchy and a man I love and respect has no sweet heart to tell "I Love You"
I guess the plan now is to push forward and seek to remember. Remember the good times and the impact that she had on our lives and the lives of others. To remember to tell people that you love them because in the blink of an eye they can leave this life. When we are brought face to face with our mortality we can either respond in fear of the unknown or in hope of a brighter future.
Thank you Heavenly Father for letting Taylia cross my path, letting me know who she was. I look forward to the morning that I can see her again.

Oliver six weeks old.

2010-04-12T14:41:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that my little baby is already six weeks old. It has gone by so fast! We have really been enjoying him!

At six weeks old he:

Now smiles! I got my first smile the day he turned five weeks old. 3/28/10

Sleeps much better! Instead of getting up every two hours to eat he usually wakes up once around 1:30 then again around 4:30.

Eats 4oz at a time.

Coos a lot when you talk to him.

Really enjoys when Kamden and Karson talk to him.

Uncle Jade flew in the last weekend in March and was able to meet Oliver for the first time. He bought him his first stuffed animal. I wish I would have got a picture of Jade and Ollie but instead here is a picture of him and his new stuffed pal.

Easter fun.

2010-04-12T13:31:00.003-05:00

Sunday Easter morning we were getting ready to head out and pick up my parents at the airport. I told Kamden that we had to get his Easter basket set out in case the Easter bunny came while he was gone. He then ased me if he was going to get to have another Easter Egg hunt. I told him that the Easter bunny might set some eggs out for him to find. He then turned to the cage where we are keeping our new rabbits and pointed at them and asked them "will you set some eggs out for me while we go and get Nana and Pa?" Obviously he thinks the Easter bunny lives in a cage, at his house, and is named Stella.

Well Stella did him good because while we were gone she left some Easter goodies for the boys!

Hoppy Easter

2010-04-12T11:24:00.008-05:00

Saturday the boys went down to Pa and Tu Tus and had an Easter egg hunt.

The Hunt!

But Easter Eggs arn't the only things they found.....

SURPRISE!

Pa and Tu Tu had gotten both boys bunnies. They are so excited!! Kamdens is the lighter one and he named her Stella. Karsons is the black one and her name is Betty.

Hoppy Easter!

My Brother.

2010-04-02T09:02:00.003-05:00

There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother.

Astrid Alauda

Congrats!

2010-03-30T13:36:00.003-05:00

This last weekend my little sis got married. Friday night she had a reception at my parents house and Saturday we all traveled down to Logan for the wedding. It was so nice to be able to support Tessa and Page and be there with them. Congratulations Tessa and Page we wish you a eternity of love, happiness, and laughter.