johnSONs

It's A Girl

2012-01-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

Due the beggining of July, which means the middle of June, to Jen.

Detroit Auto Show

2012-01-18T11:34:00.006-05:00

We took the kids downtown to the Detroit Auto Show. We got to take a ride in a fully electric Nissan Leaf, see lots of cool new cars (we spent most of our time looking at the mini-vans), and were bummed when they told us that the kids were too short to ride up in the Ford Cloud Experience. Jacy's favorite part was the Kia interactive dancing with the Soul Hamsters. The boys didn't get as into it. I just loved that she really dances like nobody is watching, even though there were hundreds of people all over the place.

Skiing

2012-01-16T16:08:00.005-05:00

Dax and I ran out to Utah for a couple of days, and Dax hit the slopes for his first time. He did pretty well the second half of our half day after I figured out that his left boot wasn't on quite right and was probably putting a lot of pressure on his shin, oops.

Hawaii

2011-12-23T17:04:00.002-05:00

We had a great trip to Hawaii last week. Thanks to the Clarks for letting us crash their trip. And thanks to Celeste for tending our kids. We have amazing families.

Family Flight

2011-09-25T09:01:00.003-05:00

My family got to travel to Knoxville on the plane that I was flying. After spending the night with me in my hotel, they got to spend the weekend with Jen's sister Emily and her family.

Camping

2011-07-18T13:30:00.003-05:00

Playing at the Park

2011-07-18T13:29:00.001-05:00

Videos of the Kids

2011-04-11T13:31:00.002-05:00

The Miracle Worker

2011-01-23T13:03:00.004-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udF_dWYQwZI

Okay, so Nana has been hard at work helping us to beautify our home. Here are the before and after vidoes of the place. It has been an amazing transformation! Words that I would have used to describe our living room before Nana's help: Cold, old, uninviting, awkward, nauseating. Now the words that come to mind: Warm, friendly, cheerful, bright, happy, cozy. Nana, we love your guts! You really have a gift!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqDEU-b5bQU

Photo Shoot

2010-12-30T08:59:00.012-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-05T06:49:00.012-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Time for a little update on our blog.......I know you've all been so anxious! The last three months have been just like the rest of our lives........CRAZY! We decided that we had outgrown our townhouse after Eli was born, and we started looking for new housing options quite awhile ago. We found a nice little house much closer to many of our friends in Michigan that we moved into a few weeks ago. That makes move #7 for us. If we have to move again in less than 3 years, I will literally set fire to everything we own in protest - mark my words! I can't express adequately how difficult it was for me to mentally wrap my head around this move. The very thoughts of packing up a box made me want to hurl. It took Ben actually taping together the first box, putting it in front of me, and practically holding my hand while I put in an object to get me through it. Fortunately for us all, we did it, and not without a lot of help. God bless the Elders Quorum and the willing members of it to spend hours helping to do the painful grunt work of assiting people move! Another nice aspect of this move was our ability to fly for free. I was able to drop off the kids in Utah while I flew back to be with Ben on his days off to pack up and move our things. I believe it was a much less traumatic experience for them than it otherwise would have been had they been with us during the whole process. Now that the move is behind us, I am happy to say that the house has turned out to be just what we needed. I had my doubts. I am not above admitting that I am extremely vain and have been spoiled to live in places throughout my life that are nice, clean, and new. This is my first experience living in a place that is maybe not AS clean, not AS nice, and not AS new. The townhouse we came from was only a few years old, and we were the first ones to live in it....nice, new, clean appliances, carpet, paint, hardwood, 2 1/2 baths......ahhhhhh, that's my kind of place. Our new house is older, kind of smells funny (like a cabin), and only has ONE BATHROOM!!! The trade off is that the new house has a fenced in yard that you can see from the kitchen, a playscape for the kids, an extra bedroom, and.......(drumroll)............A BASEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has a partially-finished, fairly large basement that has become a fantastic playroom for the kids, and I can't tell you the euphoria that I feel when the kids are running around in my face while I am making dinner or working, and I can look at them and say, "Go downstairs!" It makes me giddy just thinking about it. I HATED not being able to send the kids anywhere to play in the townhouse. Sooo, even though I had to sacrifice some of my vanity, I am going to admit that this house is much healthier for all of us. Ben knew this all along, and he tried to convince me of it. He maintains that he is "always right," which we all know is not true, but he is usually right in making big decisions, and he was definitely right about this one. Sorry I doubted you honey. :)

That is our biggest news by far. Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season this year! Here are some pictures from the past three months. Daxton had his fifth birthday (we had the party in our garage in the townhouse). Elijah is almost crawling. Jacy turns 3 in just a few days. We took the kids to see Santa, and they really enjoyed it. Jacy was a little hesitant and didn't want to get too close. Elijah just goes along with anything. Daxton is much more aware this year of Christmas and what it is all about. He composed a letter to Santa and asked for a "red kar," an "unbrelu," and a "choo choo chran." I enjoy the fact that he has simple requests, not brand specific or lavish. He's a sweet boy with a good heart, and very practical. Just like his dad.

We hope that all of our friends and family have a wonderful Christmas this year! We have some exciting trips/celebrations in our near future, which may necessitate a blog posting before another six months go by.....time permitting. We love you all!

Love,

The Johnsons

Going Biannual

2010-09-03T12:47:00.003-05:00

I have a confession to make.......I hate blogging. Not because I don't enjoy keeping in touch with friends/family, and not because I don't feel that it's a good way to accomplish that, but because I feel guilt for not keeping it updated and for not posting the latest pictures of my kids and funny stories to share. Our lives have been changing too often for me to keep up with the blogging business; so, I've come to a conclusion. Our blog is now going to be updated biannually. Twice a year. Summer and Christmas. That's my plan. Take it or leave it. Sorry to disappoint!

Hence, the summer update for 2010: Since my last post, Ben was recalled by the airline that he had been furloughed from, and after an intense, frustration-filled decision-making process we determined that we would give the industry one more go. Let me assure you it was not an easy decision. If you know of anyone who is contemplating becoming a pilot who doesn't plan on staying single and sterile, refer them to us, and we will do our best to persuade them to do anything else. That being said, it doesn't take long for anyone who knows Ben to see that he is infinitely happier in the sky than on the ground. The major drawback to Ben's return to the sky was that we had to nix our house. Poof.......there goes my dream. Maybe someday, right? For now I guess we will stay in our crowded, occasionally smokey, yardless townhouse. Am I painting a less-than-enthusiastic picture? Well, let's just say it hasn't been easy for me to make the mental switch from preparing to move into more comfortable circumstances to just staying put for awhile, especially with the ever-present, ominous threat of being furlouged again and left to our own resources to figure out what to do in an economically-depressed region of the country (not that I'm bitter). :) On a more optimistic note, it is fun to see my Ben dressed up in his pilot uniform (what woman is not attracted to a man in uniform, seriously?) with a smile on his face and a spring in his step that was just not there when he was headed off to change tires every day for the past several months. I guess that makes it worth it.
The kids and I are gearing up for some major changes in our routine starting this fall - perhaps the greatest of which will be Daxton starting full-day Kindergarten. This has been giving me severe anxiety. I honestly feel like I am sending my little lamb off to the slaughter. Fortunately for us all, he is genuinely excited about school and is anticipating starting next Tuesday. I just pray he keeps that attitude up. I have so many hesitations about this whole process. My memories of elementary school are less than positive (you're not surprised, are you?). I am seriously considering having one of our medical student friends out here prescribe me some valium so that I can make it through the day on Tuesday. I've never seriously considered home schooling for a variety of reasons, and I still don't feel like it is a good option for us, but I may change my tune depending on the outcome of this year for Daxton. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised? Maybe.
Other changes on our horizon involve me going back to school part-time from home to finish up that degree that I never received from BYU. I did some investigating this summer and found out that I am 7 classes away from graduating from BYU with my MFHD degree, and that I can do at least 4 of those classes online. I am thrilled about this and am working out a schedule so that I can start getting these classes finished asap. With my schedule already as crazy as it is working essentially 3/4 time, taking care of the kids full-time, and taking school classes now as well, there is really going to be little time for anything else.
Well, that's the update for the summer of 2010. Stay tuned for our Christmas update with new pictures of the kids and the exciting developments of our lives. At the rate we like to switch things up, we'll probably be living in another country by then. :) Happy Fall to all!

Love, The Johnsons

LIFE

2010-06-30T19:07:00.007-05:00

Life continues to move forward for the Johnson family. I think I'll have to give quarterly updates on our blog, because that's how often I am actually finding time to sit down and make posts. Today we have an exciting announcement....we are officially homeowners, sort of, again!!! We have decided that Michigan is going to be our permanent homebase for the next several years, and we have purchased a home that has yet to be built, but should be finished and ready for us to move in sometime at the end of October/beginning of November!!! We are very excited about this. We have moved 6 times now, and four of those moves have been cross-country. Sooo, I can't begin to express how nice it is going to feel to settle for a few years, and with the added luxury of settling in our own, custom-built home. :) Excited! So, here are a few pictures of what we have been doing. We've had a lot of visitors lately, and we have even more coming out soon - which the kids are LOVING! Happy Independence Day to all!

Day out with Thomas and Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T16:34:00.009-05:00

So on Saturday Ben got the day off to take the kids to Greenfield Village to see Thomas the Train. Unfortunately, it was terrible weather - freezing cold with that bitter, cutting midwest wind and intermittnet spells of rain and hail. Ben tells me that the kids still had a great time, and the pictures would attest to that. It was WONDERFUL to have the kids away for a few hours while I got to do whatever I wanted around the house with only Eli to worry about. When they returned back home, Jacy ran up the stairs and blurted out, "We haf a present for you!" I wasn't really sure what she was talking about, so I played along and said, "Really? What did you get me?" To which she responded, "Cookie fowers!" Daxton let out a big sigh and reprimanded Jacy because she had just revealed the Mother's Day surprise that Ben had picked up on the way home from seeing Thomas that he had been instructing them not to tell me about the whole way home. Really, it was so cute to see how excited Jacy was about it, even if it was just because she wanted some of my cookies. I LOVE cookie bouquets in all their high-calorie, high-fat, sugar-overloaded, frosting glory. Anyway, thanks honey! It has been a wonderful Mother's Day weekend/day! Happy Mother's Day to all!!!!

Which one is which?

2010-04-11T12:58:00.005-05:00

The Story.....

2010-04-09T13:36:00.003-05:00

So, now that I've posted some pictures, I'll share the rest of the story. First, I want to offer my apologies to anyone who has had to be around me for the past 37 weeks and 4 days. Let me just say, first and foremost, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity that I have had three times now to conceive and give birth to my children. I consider this one of the greatest blessings of my life; however, for me pregnancy is a means to an end, and a means that is extremely hard for me to endure without complaint. When it is over and I start looking back at the way that I cope with my pregnancies, I just want to apologize profusely to everyone for my miserable demeanor and all-too-often vocalized anxieties. Anyway, the good news is that I have never struggled with post-partum depression. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I have post-partum euphoria. Since we arrived home from the hospital last night, I haven't been able to quit expressing my elation at being able to bend over, breathe, shave my legs, share my lap with Daxton and Jacy, sleep on my stomach, etc. The list goes on and on.
So, for the play-by-play, if you're interested, I've been diagnosed three times now as having babies that are LGA (large for gestational age), and as such, my doctor had offered me a scheduled induction at 37 weeks to avoid needing a C-section for a ten-pound baby. Of course, I jumped at the chance to take him up on this offer (the sooner the better in my opinion). So, I had been scheuled to be induced on the 7th of April as soon as the results from an amniocentesis indcated that the baby was mature. Nana flew out to be with us in the evening on the 6th, and my body decided to go into labor that night, which was very convenient because we could leave the kids and head to the hospital without majorly inconveniencing any neighbors in the middle of the night. So, Ben and I headed to the hospital at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. I was really hoping that my being in labor naturally would allow me to bypass the amniocentesis, but due to the failure of my contractions to progress my dilation, I had to go through with the amniocentesis early Wednesday morning. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, but at that point, I was about ready to find the nearest sharp object to take matters into my own hands, so I was willing to let them do whatever they wanted to do to me so long as it resulted in the expulsion of my baby from my body. The amnio went well, and my doctor gave the okay to start the induction at about 1:00 p.m. So, the pitocin was started, and soon after the epidural was administered (heaven!), and by 7:40 p.m. we were ready to push....., well, I guess I was ready to push. I pride myself on being a good pusher, and this is because I have no trouble whatsoever on focusing every fiber of my being into getting rid of the object of my discontent, not to mention the joy and anticipation of meeting the new little addition to our family and receiving that inital wave of relief when you see that they have all the right parts in all the right places and are healthy and alive. SO, it was literally two intense pushes, and Eli was out. Happy day! It's all downhill after that. I've been on "cloud 9" ever since. Eli is a beautiful baby, and I am in love with him for sure. So far, he's extremely mellow, and although it's only been half a day around the other two kids, I think he'll fit in just fine. I feel extremely blessed and extremely grateful, and now that I'm rid of the pregnancy doldrums, maybe there will be more to read on our blog!

Elijah Seth Johnson 4/7/2010

2010-04-09T13:18:00.009-05:00

Making it through March....

2010-03-06T15:21:00.006-05:00

So, I've taken a little hiatus from the blogging world over the past couple of months. For a few different reasons really - one being the pregnancy doldrums get the better of me and I just don't have the time, patience, or energy; and, the other being that Ben started his new job working at Discount Tire

and that has been wonderful, but also limits my "free time" because I have to keep a much more stringent work schedule. I can't really recap everything that we have done in the months of January and February, because I don't have the time, patience, or energy. So, I'm just going to attach whatever pictures I can find and let them speak for themselves.

Photos of the kids...

2010-01-07T13:25:00.013-05:00

So, we went out on Monday and got the kids' pictures taken. Overall, we were pleased with what we got. Daxton is at that lovely stage where when you tell him to, "smile," he thinks about it too hard and it comes out looking very strange and forced.

Merry Christmas and Happy it's a New Year!

2010-01-03T15:13:00.011-05:00

My apologies for the premature Valentine motif. The truth is, when I'm pregnant, I like to pretend that time is moving faster than it really is, cause it keeps me sane, so right now I'm pretending like it's practically February already, and that April is right around the corner!

Well, we're back. We spent three weeks away from home enjoying time with family over the holidays. Ben and I were able to leave the kids with Nana while we flew with my family to Hawaii for a week, and I'd tell you all about it, but then I'd start to cry because it would remind me that it's below zero outside, and I still have a few months of freezing ahead. Sooo, I'll tell you all about how wonderful Hawaii was when it's warm, say in June, and then it won't be so hard to think about. After we returned from Hawaii, we spent a fun-filled week with Ben's family at the cabin in Midway. Fortunately, Santa found us there, and the kids came away with quite a spread, definitely more so than if we would have stayed in Michigan for Christmas! Our heartfelt thanks to both families for a wonderful Christmas this year!

Now that we're home, we're all too happy to see 2009 leave and 2010 begin. We are hoping for a better year this year with the promise of more stability on the horizon. So, here's to 2010!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACY NOEL JOHNSON!!!!!

2009-12-07T20:35:00.005-05:00

I can't believe my little girl is 2! We had a little party (VERY little!) yesterday to celebrate Jacy turning 2 years old. She had a great time blowing out her candles, singing to herself, and opening up her presents. We're so glad to have Jacy in our family!

News......

2009-11-24T07:08:00.002-05:00

So, I'm not even sure which kid this ultrasound picture is of. In any event, the news is that we are expecting another baby, due on April 24th, and the most exciting part is that yesterday, we found out that it is a BOY!!!!! We are very excited and looking forward to the birth of our third baby Johnson!

Happy Halloween and other October events...

2009-11-03T07:14:00.009-05:00

It has been a quite a month! Pictures include: Dax and Ben camping, Ben's last flight as a pilot for Mesaba Airlines, and possibly the last flight of his career as a commercial airline pilot, kids in Halloween costumes (pilot and flight attendant).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAXTON MORRIS JOHNSON!

2009-10-11T17:18:00.008-05:00

I can't believe my baby boy is four years old! We had a little party with two of Daxton's best friends, Sarah and Ben. We were going to have a Diego party, but Mom was in a time crunch, and the only pinata's they had at Wal-Mart were transformers, which was Daxton's second party theme choice, so we went with that. It was a great party, and Daxton was so cute. Honestly.....when he said the prayer on the food and thanked Heavenly Father that "his Mom could make him a transformer's cake," I teared up. What a sweet boy we have been blessed with. We love him all to bits and pieces! Happy Birthday Dax!

Old Navy Weekly Score!

2009-10-07T07:25:00.005-05:00

If you're not familiar with the website www.oldnavyweekly.com, then you probably wouldn't appreciate this post. Ben and I were introduced to this website about a month and a half ago, and we've been trying since then to score some coupons off of it. Last week marked our sixth attempt at this, and we were finally able to secure two 50$ off of 100$ purchase coupons!! Hence, we went on an Old Navy shopping spree, and I had to take a picture to show off some of the adorable things we got! And, of course, we had to have a "try on" session when we got home, which the kids hated, and I enjoyed much more than I should have. We decided to try on all of the winter clothes (boo!) at the same time to make sure we are prepared for our first midwestern winter (boo!). The kids got excited at least.

PreSchool

2009-09-16T14:10:00.004-05:00

Daxton on his first day of preschool. He's going to a little Lutheran school down the road and he loves it.

The Grand Teton

2009-09-02T14:51:00.006-05:00

I called up my friend Cody a couple of weeks ago and told him that I wanted to climb a mountain. So, less than two weeks later we were starting the 7000 ft. accent to the top of the Grand Teton. We left on Saturday afternoon and hiked up to a place called "The Caves" to spend the night. We tried to fall asleep as soon as the sun went down because we were getting up at 3:30 am to start our summit hike. We wanted to be sure we were on our way down before noon in case weather started to role in. So we hiked by head-lamp the first few hours of the morning. The sun came up right about the time we started getting to some more technical parts. We only had to wear our harnesses and rope up for a couple of sections. And then not because it was that technical but because it was a 2,500 ft. fall straight down if you made any small mistake. Unfortunately it had snowed on Aug 9th, so the route we picked had some ice on one of the "chimneys" that we had to climb that wasn't supposed to be that difficult, so we hadn't roped up. Needless to say, all three of us are grateful to still be alive. From there the summit was easy, a long rappel by-passed the climbing sections, and then it was a LONG hike out to the car. We would have been on the road by about 7 pm if I hadn't been a little delirious from hypoxia (altitude sickness) and thought I was lost. That little gem set us back another couple hours. It was a cool experience. But next year I will try to be a little bit more prepared physically and give myself a little more than 24 hours to adjust to the altitude.

What we did in June/July

2009-08-13T13:48:00.011-05:00

A visit from Nana, some trips to Greenfield Village, Johnson Family Reunion, Benny's birthday, my first experience giving Ben a haircut, camping with the fireflies in the rain..........that's what we've been up to, among other things. Sorry for the blogging void. I'll be candid, life's been stressful. Ben's getting furloughed. He has officially been named as one of the pilots being furloughed, only with a date that is "to be determined," which almost makes it worse because there is no way to make a new plan for survival because there are too many unknowns. With our luck, we'll be making another cross country move within the next six months. Why ruin the trend, eh? Anyway, I'll humor the optimisitc people of the world and just say that we're going to enjoy the time that we have left here in Michigan and make the most of it. Really though, it's hard sometimes not to just ask God, "what's the point of this again?" Not that our life is so bad, because really it's not. It's just feeling the frustration of taking a few steps forward only to get pushed ten steps back, if that makes any sense. In the end, I am confident that it will all work out. It's just a stressful blip in the world of Ben and Jennifer Johnson. Enjoy the pics!

What we did in May...

2009-06-03T14:58:00.012-05:00

Well, it has been extremely difficult to find time to do blogging lately. I've been taking on a lot more work since we moved out to Michigan, so time is scarce, and the time that I do have has been spent making new friends, exploring Michigan, and developing a routine to keep us sane while Ben is gone on his trips. So, I've put on a collection of pictures from some of our May adventues. We've been really blessed moving out here to have met some wonderful new friends, and we've also had a lot of fun with some visitors lately. Enjoy the pics!

A visit from Grandma and a quick trip to Niagra

2009-05-12T14:48:00.005-05:00

We had a nice visit with Grandma Clark a few weekends ago, and we were able to drive into Canada to see Niagra falls while she was here. It's only about a 4 1/2 hour drive from where we live, so we just did it on a whim and only stayed one night. It was a lot of fun to be with Grandma and see such an amazing feat of nature! I have to admit, I was so nervous to let Jacy get anywhere near the water! Daxton, I wasn't really concerned about. He's has such a nervous personality, I knew he wouldn't have wanted to get near it, and I was right. Jacy would have gone head first over the edge if we had taken our eyes off of her for two seconds. She is CRAZY! There was an indoor water park across the street from the hotel we stayed at, and we took the kids there on the night we arrived. It was really fun, and I wish that I had taken pictures, but alas, I'm not gifted in this area, and I took not a single one. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was a dream come true for any kid, and Ben too! Thanks for the visit Grandma!

Anniversary Camping

2009-04-26T14:30:00.007-05:00

Time is of the essence, and I sure haven't been spending a lot of it lately updating this blog. Anyhow, Ben and I celebrated our five year anniversary this weekend. It's hard to believe that it has been that long, and at the same time, I can't believe I ever had a life outside of him and our children. It all seems like a dream. So, for our romantic getaway this year to celebrate the occasion, we went camping. We've been ready to scout out Michigan and see what it's all about, just waiting for a break in the weather, and this weekend proved to be a good one. We drove about an hour from where we live to a state campsite that was pretty cool. The kids LOVED every minute, can ya tell? The highlight of the trip was when we drove into the campsite and realized that the transmission on our van was shot. We thought that we were going to have to call a tow to take us back to our house, and we were pretty sure that it was going to end up being a 3,000$ camping trip. Thankfully, we were blessed with yet another "tender mercy" from above, and when we woke up in the morning, our van worked well enough to get us home again until we can find a shop that is reasonably priced to take it in to. Phew... You know, camping really isn't "my thing;" I think I mislead Ben when we got married five years ago. He thought that I was going to be much more of an outdoors kind of gal than I really am. I have to admit though, when I sat down and watched how much fun the kids were having, and how excited they were to be outside, getting dirty, eaten by bugs, trying to touch the fire, sleeping in a cool new tent, eating dirt, not having to brush teeth, learning to pee in the trees, etc., I realized that I am willing to sacrifice my selfish priorities and comforts of home in order to enjoy these priceless experiences with my family. Sooo, I am looking forward to many more wonderful outdoorsish experiences with Ben and the kids for many more years to come.

Settled at Last

2009-04-07T13:37:00.005-05:00

We're here and settled at last!!!!! How can I even begin to describe moving AGAIN?! The best part about it was that we had the support of family, friends, and a great ward to help us survive it, and survive it we did! Now we're here and adjusting to life in Michigan. So far, it has been a little cold and snowy, but we're hopeful that will change soon. Here are some random shots of the little place we found to rent out here. It's beautiful, and right across the street from a fantastic park with a petting zoo, a walking path, a fishing pond, a community center with a pool, and a playground. So, we're all set. Dax and Jacy are loving the new house. I don't even think they had to adjust. I think they never really understood what was going on when we were living in my parent's house, so they have actually been more calm and better behaved since we got out here. Celeste was able to fly with the kids and I out here, and then she stayed to help us set up and decorate. Anyone who knows her, knows that she can accomplish in one day what it might take one person a week to accomplish at the least. So, we got most of the house put together and set up in just a couple of days. My dad and grandpa performed a monumental act of service/love in driving our van out to us last weekend, and then they flew back home after they had a visit with us. So, now we're here and we've got all our stuff with us, and we're ready to settle in for a little while and break our streak of moving yearly. So, pray for the airline industry, and Mesaba in particular, and cross your fingers for us!
Anyway, my favorite part about Michigan so far is that they pay you in the grocery store out here to recycle! Anybody who knows me knows that I've always had a hard time recycling. When I was in junior high, I participated in a debate tournament where I opposed spending money to build recycling facilities in Utah, and with all of the research that I did on it, I became very disillusioned with it. There are a couple of members in my immediate family who are very avid recyclers, and they have scolded me at times for my attitude. Anyway, I was in the big grocery store out here, and I kept seeing all these shoppers taking big carts full of pop cans and plastic bottles into this back section of the store and walking out with these little slips of paper. So, the idea is that you take your cans and bottles back to their conveyer belt thingy, and it calculates a certain amount per item and then prints out a receipt that you take to the check out with you, and then it deducts the total from your shopping bill. The end result: I AM NOW AN AVID RECYCLER. All I needed was the right motivation! A lecture about conserving the earth's resources and pollution and waste just wasn't enough. Offer me a few cents off my grocery bill, and I'm sold. I can be bought.
My least favorite part about Michigan so far........they have not banned smoking in public places here!? Can you believe that? We went to a restaraunt the other night, and right when I walked in I was so confused because the place smelled like smoke. I turned to Ben and asked him what was up with that, and then he told me that the places out here still do "smoking" and "non-smoking" sections, and he wasn't going to tell me about it because he didn't want me to refuse to move here with him. I seriously thought that every state in the US had banned smoking by now, but apparently I was wrong. We "googled" it later on and found out that there are quite a few states left (13 or so) who still allow public smoking......yuck! So, we will probably end up saving a bit of money by not going out to eat, because it is a SERIOUS deterrent for me.
So, more later, but for now this will have to do. My sincerest thanks to everyone who helped us move out here, and who offered to help but didn't end up needing to! Thanks, thanks, and thanks again!

March Madness

2009-03-13T08:57:00.002-05:00

It happened. My parent's have officially sold their house, and we have to leave by April 1rst. I've been waiting to do this post until things were really final, so we've already found a place in Michigan that we're moving to at the end of the month. Ben has worked things out so that he has a week off to help us get out there. This will be move #6 in 5 years.......sigh. We're excited about the place that we found to move to though, and it will be nice to double the time that we're able to spend with Ben by cutting out his commute. For moving as much as we do, we really shouldn't have all of the crap we have. It gets old packing it up and then unpacking it, and then packing it up again. Oh well. It's short-term stress anyway. We'll have more updates as things unfold. Happy March Madness!

Adjustments, Life, and Hogle Lovin'

2009-02-27T00:59:00.003-05:00

February has been an interesting month for us. I have been preoccupied with life, as evidenced by yet another blogging hiatus. It has been an adjustment getting used to Ben being away so often. It is wonderful to see him loving his career so much, and I have no doubt that if the economy holds up, it will be a very fulfilling way for him to provide for us. The great debate for us at this point in time is whether or not the kids and I should find a way out to Detroit to live there with Ben so as to cut down on the commuting time, or if we should stay near to family where we gain the benefit of more relationships and interactions to help out and serve as a welcome distraction while Ben is gone. The verdict is up in the air at this point (ha ha, no pun intended, but that worked out quite well, didn't it?). Much of it, we suppose, will depend on whether or not the house we are living in right now sells. There have been a few offers on the house, but they have been so low it's almost an insult. Sometimes I wonder about people, and how they think they can get away with such blatant stupidity.
At the beginning of the month, I had a miscarriage at 7 weeks. I am mentioning this not to get sympathy, but only to offer my sincerest sympathies to any and every woman who has ever been burdened with the process of trying to conceive, as well as conceiving and then losing a pregnancy, or even just conceiving and then experiencing the relentless worry that accompanies a pregnancy from the moment after the initial "rush of joy" fades after reading a positive sign on the pee stick. It's such a mixed bag. God grant that every woman may experience the joy of childbirth, and God bless every woman that she may survive it. So, I think I've recovered now, and we're ready to move on.
On a lighter note, Ben was home for a few days, and with the "warmer" weather, we decided to visit Hogle Zoo. I was surprised to see all of the changes they have made there to improve the place. Four stars for sure! I only wish it was a little bit closer to us, because my kids fall asleep in the car to and from, and then they won't nap, and well, we live and die by our naps around here.
Anyway, here's to a good March with much anticipated warmer weather and daylight savings time, and green pancakes and pinches!

Family Fun at the Jim

2009-02-11T00:13:00.008-05:00

Well, we were trying to figure out what to do tonight, and we decided to give Jungle Jim's a go. It was an experience, that's for sure. We were there for about an hour, maybe a little longer. Daxton mostly enjoyed the arcade games, and Jacy enjoyed running around licking things. Ben, being the good husband that he is, rode most of the rides with the kids, which consisted of a lot of spinning in circles, and he came home with a headache and an upset stomach. As for the pictures, this morning when I was dressing Jacy, I came up with this outfit, and after she was dressed, I realized that she looked just like some kind of a dental assistant in scrubs. It's been bugging me all day, but I couldn't muster up the energy to change her into something else. My favorite picture of the kids from this outing is the one where Jacy looks like she's imitating "Kiss." So, the verdict as to Jungle Jim's: one and a half stars out of five.

Bombardier CRJ900

2009-02-04T09:35:00.004-05:00

I've been asked for some photos of my plane, so here are a few. It's no 747, but it's a pretty sweet ride. A BIG step up from my little four seat piston twin. It can seat up to 90 people, but because of our contract with Northwest, we have them configured to 76 (64 coach and 12 first class). It can fly up to 41,000 feet, 0.83 Mach (547 mph), and 2,104 miles. I like it.

A Monumental Johnson Occasion

2009-01-23T14:22:00.005-05:00

Well, I don't know what happened. I took a little blogging hiatus. Ben was gone finishing up his training through Mesaba for two weeks. It was a LONG two weeks for us all. He finally came home last Friday night, and we were worried that he would have to turn right around and leave again on Monday morning, but as it turned out, he was able to stay home with us until today, which was wonderful! Today, or really tomorrow, marks a monumental event in our lives.....Ben's first flight as a first officer for Mesaba Airlines flying a CRJ900. Wow. It only took him five and one-half years. He'll be on more of a schedule now, which we are ecstatic about. It will be a four-days-on and three-days-off type schedule. So, hopefully we'll never have to go for two weeks without him ever again. Anyway, he sure is good lookin in his uniform!

Snow versus Sun

2009-01-04T16:24:00.003-05:00

I'm Cold. I miss the Sun.

Preschool help

2009-01-02T16:59:00.002-05:00

Hey all you blogging mom buddies,

I have a quick question. Can any of you give me recommendations on a relatively inexpensive preschool of some sort to start Daxton in? He really needs something extra, just one or two days a week for just an hour or two. I would prefer a home business-type preschool, and I've tried to get into one (thanks for the recommendations Em!), but they are all full. Your suggestions would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

Grandma

2008-12-29T15:08:00.002-05:00

While we were in Disney World, we received word that my grandma Clark had passed away. The event was extremely bittersweet as she had suffered for a long time, and she was truly ready to leave this life. She didn't want a funeral, so on Saturday we held a memorial service at her home with close family members only. It was a wonderful gathering where we all got to remember what a remarkable woman she was in this life, and how great a legacy she left behind. I will miss her. Some adjectives that I would use to describe my grandma are: Strong, loving, protective, glamorous, intelligent, long-suffering, and level-headed. She was amazing. She will be missed. I love you Grandma.

Merry Christmas to us!

2008-12-21T15:06:00.011-05:00

A week and a half ago Ben and I were talking, wondering to ourselves why it was that we hadn't planned a vacation during the time that he has off, seeing as how he will not get ANY vacation time for this first year working at Mesaba. It suddenly occurred to us that we were going to miss our one chance to take a family vacation this year if we didn't act quick. We started planning something small, like a quick drive to Lava Hot Springs or something like that, but then when I mentioned our plan to my mom, she informed me that she had a week with the Marriot time share that they own that was going to expire, and that we could use it if we wanted to. In about an hour, we had thrown together a vacation back to my favorite place........Florida! It was so perfect. I felt like our leaving Florida was so rushed and that I never really got to "say goodbye" like I had wanted to. We left last Saturday and got back yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, the crowds were small, and I was in heaven. We spent three days at the Disney Parks and one at Sea World. It was tough to come back to the snow, but it was sure a great Christmas present!

Happy Birthday Jacy Bug!

2008-12-08T15:12:00.010-05:00

Happy Birthday Jacy Bug! Today is Jacy's official birthday, and yesterday we had a really fun party for her. We had a ton of family from both sides there with some great food and a lot of cake! We've had so much going on in our little family lately, it has been hard to keep the blog as updated as I would like to. Right now, Ben is waiting to train in the simulator, which is backed up, so he is home until the 27th of December. We are LOVING LOVING LOVING having him around all to ourselves after going for almost a month without him. Plus, it couldn't be a more perfect time of year to have him around for all of the holiday stuff that's going on. So, we've been pretty happy lately. I can't believe that Jacy is a year. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm not a big fan of the first year of life, and getting to the one year mark is a major milestone in my book, so it's as much a celebration for me of surviving the first year as it is a celebration of her birth. Anyway, I'm so greatful for the opportunity to share a mother/daughter relationship with Jacy in this life! I'm so glad that she was born! Happy Birthday Jacy!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-24T15:17:00.004-05:00

A quick note of Thanksgiving. Today, I am thankful that we do not have to move out of my parent's home like we thought we were going to have to last week. The buyers rescinded their offer, and it looks like we will be able to stay here until at least next spring. I am very thankful that we don't have to box things up and try to find somewhere to live that we can't afford. I am very thankful for wonderful, caring friends and family. I'm thankful for life, and for experience, and for relationships. Lastly, I'm thankful for each moment that I am able to feel love coming from a source divine both for myself and for others. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Sincere Thank You

2008-11-20T16:43:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you for the outpouring of friendship, offers to help, and sympathies. It has moved me to tears today (not that that is hard to do right now :) ). I keep telling myself that this is really not that big of a deal, because it's just a move, and no one's dead, and we'll be okay eventually when we're settled in somewhere for at least a year or so, but it's nice to have validation from sympathetic blogging friends/moms who understand the stress load from relocating in such a short time with small kids and a husband who is necessarily consumed with his career right now. Anyway, thank you, thank you, and thank you again. As soon as we find a place to go on Saturday, we will eventually need help moving some of our heavy furniture around, and Ben and I feel that we expended our Elder's Qourum quota when they helped us move in three weeks ago. So, if there are able and willing volunteers who would be around on a Saturday morning at some point in the near future, we could sure use your help, and would appreciate it very, very, very, very much! Thanks again!
-The Johnsons

A Johnson Update

2008-11-20T02:19:00.004-05:00

As I was driving to Logan this morning to finally see my parent's new house, I heard a noise from the back seat and turned just in time to see Daxton spew cocoa pebble vomit all over our car. He then proceeded to spew three more times. I continued driving in silence, breathing in the chocolaty vomit fumes and I thought to myself, "Well, your life has reached an all-time low. What are you going to do now?" I'm pleased to say that although the past few weeks have been some intensly difficult, emotionally and physically draining ones, I'm still here, and I still believe that everything will eventually work out for the better. So, here's our latest update.....We successfully made the move from Florida to my parent's house in Sandy, and Ben started his training in Minneapolis. He has been commuting home on Friday nights to help us move things in on Saturdays, and then flying back to Minneapolis on Sundays to start training again on Mondays. We have had a lot of help from family, which has been nice because the kids and I got extremely sick right after we moved in. After three weeks of getting things settled into the house, yesterday the house sold, and sadly, we have to be out of it by December 15th. We had hoped that things would work out so that we could stay in the Sandy house until Ben got promoted at Mesaba, but it just plain didn't, for a number of different reasons that are too many to go into. Anyway, Saturday Ben flies home again long enough to go looking with me for a new place to live, and then we're packing up again and moving again...........big sigh. So, aside from a great deal of stress, we're really doing fine. Nobody's dead. That's a plus. It's just another pain-in-the-rear move to somewhere not free.

Ode To Florida

2008-10-27T22:08:00.029-05:00

Okay, so this has to be one of the world's longest posts....sorry. We have finally come up with a "game plan" of sorts, and Wednesday will be our last day here in Florida. My parents have moved from Sandy to Logan, and have left a vacant house, which they have consented to let us live in until it sells. Last Thursday, I hopped on a plane at 5:30 a.m. with the kids and flew out to Utah to leave them with Nana and Grandpa Kent. Then, I hopped onto another plane that left SLC at 11:30 p.m. and flew into Atlanta at 5:30 a.m. I caught another flight to Orlando at 7:30 a.m. and was home on Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. It was a LONG day. With the kids taken care of, Ben and I have been packing up the house, and we have just about finished it up. The moving truck was dropped off this morning, and we're loading everything into it tomorrow. On Wednesday morning, Ben and I going to start the drive back to Utah, and we hope to be there by Friday. Then, the kids and I are going to move into the Sandy house, and Ben is off to Minneapolis on Monday to start his six-week training. We don't know where he will be based after that, and for the time being with the free rent and all (thanks mom & dad!), Ben will just continue commuting back and forth between Minneapolis and Sandy whenever he can. It's a new chapter in our lives, and although in some respects it is going to be very difficult to adjust to, I feel confident that we are ready. That being said, I am very nostalgic tonight thinking about all of the WONDERFUL memories that we have created here in Florida. I started putting together some of my favorite pictures, and I just couldn't stop. There are too many. We will always treasure the time that we were able to spend here.

Getting good at the tagging game..

2008-10-22T06:06:00.004-05:00

Here comes another tag compliments of Shelley....
What was I doing 10 years ago?
My freshman year at BYU with Mindy as my roommate, living in Heritage Halls, and enjoying college life!
What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
1. Go for a walk (wards off depression)
2. Take Jacy for her nine-month checkup (a month or so late)
3. Work
4. Take Daxton for a bike ride
5. Figure out what to have for dinner.......sigh
Five snacks that I enjoy?
1. Roasted red pepper and tomato soup (organic) with pretzel sourdough nibblers in it.
2. Low-carb sandwich wraps.
3. Lifesavers wintergreen mints and sugar-free jolly ranchers.
4. Sour patch kids and sweedish fish
5. Chocolaty-chip teddy grahams
Places I've lived
Utah (Sandy and Logan), Nebraska, Florida, London
5 things I would do if I were a billionaire
1. Pay off debts
2. Buy a house
3. Buy Ben a plane
4. Further my education
5. Try to live my life like I WASN'T a billionaire
(oh yeah, and give to charity and all that good stuff...)
Now I'm going to vary from the tag format and create one of my own:
5 of my Quirks/pet peeves
1. Milk carton expiration dates. I love to buy milk cartons with meaningful expiration dates on them, i.e., my birthday, anyone in my family's birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc.
2. Dirty microwaves. Gross. Admitedly, my microwave is currently not up to par, but seriously, how gross is it to open one up and see gunk all over from past microexplosions?
3. Syrup-smelling children. It completely grosses me out when little kids eat syrup for breakfast and then smell like maple for the rest of the day. Granted, eggo waffles are a favorite of my kids, and Jacy is the queen of getting syrup all over her hands and then rubbing it into her hair. I do my best to wipe her down and get it all off, but the end result is usually that she smells like maple, and it grosses me out.
4. Children with dirty fingernails. Gross. Having a calling in the nursery, I see a lot of these. I know it's not easy to get your kids to sit still enough to clip their fingernails, and I know there comes a point where something like this gets put low on the priority list, but I guess, for me currently, that's just one of those battles that I choose to fight. Well, in all honesty, it's a designated responsibility of Ben's currently, so I guess I should say it's a battle that I choose to have him fight. Regardless, I just want to vomit when I look at a kids' fingers and see a thick layer of dirt in each nailbed. Yikes!
5. Smelling gasoline. I really like the smell of gas. I like filling up the car and standing outside at the pump breathing in the air full of gasoline fumes. Weird? Yeah, I guess so.

The End of an Era

2008-10-21T10:50:00.006-05:00

So, Ben got the "magic" phone call this morning. He was offered a job (WITH A CLASS DATE!!!!!!)at Mesaba Airlines! We are very excited about moving on from Delta Connection Academy and beginning the process of paying off the debt that we incurred coming out here. The airline is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and that is where Ben will do his six-week training course. After that, they should give him a line somewhere, possibly in Memphis, Tennessee? It's scary to think of leaving here. In our almost-five-years of marriage, we have moved multiple times, and our sojourn here in Florida has been the longest. It has been WONDERFUL! I am crying buckets just thinking about moving away. I have a new-found appreciation for warm weather that I never had before. I wanted to attach a picture taken of me when I was little that expresses exactly how I feel about the cold. Unfortunately, wherever we go from here is bound to be colder, maybe much, much colder. :(
So, stay tuned for more details as they unfold. We know very little ourselves. What we do know is that, in keeping with our tradition thus far, you will probably be looking at our blog next week and find that we have moved across the country, bought a new home, and had another kid (okay, probably not the kid part). We just like to make huge, life-changing decisions all at once, so that we can have the most stress possible in the least amount of time. I guess that's just how we roll! Cheers!

Jacy's first steps

2008-10-07T20:41:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite stages in my children's development is when they start taking their first steps. I think it's so adorable! Jacy started taking her very first steps on my birthday. What a wonderful birthday present! Here's a video documenting the occasion. Yes, my hair is back to brown (the economy made me do it!). I left a few blonde streaks in just to remind me that someday I can go back to blonde :(

Happy Birthday Daxton!!!

2008-10-07T20:19:00.009-05:00

Happy birthday Daxton! We were going to celebrate Dax's birthday this weekend with a neighborhood party, but we had a pleasant, unexpected, drop-in visit from Nana and Grandpa Kent, so we decided to have Dax's party last night instead. We had a great time! I think Dax's favorite present this year was his Nana. Those two are in love with eachother! We had a nice little party, and I have to admit, I'm a very proud of myself for the cake this year. Check it out.....Lightning McQueen in all his glory on a white cake with raspberry filling. It turned out better than I had expected it to, and I'm not gonna lie....I'm patting myself on the back over this one. I love decorating cakes! It is one of those things that I can do where I can get totally and completely lost and forget about time, myself, and the 700 billion dollar bailout plan........pure bliss! Anyway, thanks Nana and Grandpa Kent for the fun visit! We're still thinking we'll do a neighborhood party this weekend, just on a smaller scale and without presents or another stellar cake (due to time constraints). We love our Daxton, and we can't believe he is already 3 years old! Oh, and thanks Tiffany and Amy for the suggestion on the letter factory video. We gave it to him at his party, and he's already watched it twice and seems to really enjoy it.

Trick-or-Treating in Sea World!

2008-10-04T20:20:00.011-05:00

We had a fabulous time trick-or-treating in Sea World today!! Originally, we were going to try to do the Disney trick-or-treat thing this year, but they start their celebration from 7pm to 12am, and we decided that the kids wouldn't hold up too well that late, so it wasn't going to be worth the extra money. Sea World, on the other hand, didn't charge any additional fee, and started their party from 11am to 7pm, which is the perfect time of day for our kids to play. Needless to say, Daxton was THRILLED at the whole event (so was I, as a matter of fact)! It was a candy-lover's dream. I was afraid that maybe they would be giving out cheap, crappy candy, but no.....sour patch kids, air heads, M&Ms, twizzlers, sweedish fish, and the coolest thing.......mini bananas! They were giving out entire bunches of mini bananas to people, which I thought was about the coolest thing ever (see picture below!). It was perfect for Jacy, and she muched through a bunch all on her own. Who ever knew that there was such a thing as a mini banana?
So, enjoy the pictures! The party goes on for the next several weekends, so if anyone wants to come on out here and join the party, you're always welcome! We love any reason to go out and celebrate the joy of sugar!

ON THE CAROUSEL

PLAYING WITH THE PUMPKINS

CUTEST GIRL

STUFFING FACES

EVERYTHING IS SO MUCH CUTER WHEN ITS MINI

TRICK-OR-TREAT!

ON A MISSION.......A MISSION FOR SUGAR!

DAXTON WITH THE WITCHES (A NERVOUS SMILE)

Happy Birthday to Us!

2008-10-03T08:14:00.002-05:00

It's coming up on "birthday season" around here with a plethora of birthdays in October in both families, starting off with my cutest sister-in-law Laura today, then me on the 5th, then Rich on the 9th, then Daxton on the 11th, then Darren on the 12th, and last (but certainly not least!), Dootie on the 13th! Phew! That's a lot of birthdays! So, happy birthday to everyone! We played around with the idea of coming out to Utah to celebrate, but when we heard that you guys were going to get SNOW!?!#@! this weekend, we decided to "stick it out" here in our 80 degree, sunny, paradise! So, as I sat today musing on what we might want to get for Daxton this year on his third birthday, I dediced to "poll the audience" a little bit and ask around to see if anyone has any really good suggestions for toys for kids these days? Right now, Daxton LOVES to do puzzles, and I LOVE it when he does them because he can absorb himself in one for a good 15 minutes, and I think it's a good neuron-building activity. Honestly, these little floor puzzels that I got for him have been worth their weight in gold. You know, one of those toys that he asks for nearly everyday, takes up a good deal of time, and he never gets tired of them. Does anyone else have any experiences with toys/activities like that that their kids absolutely love that are somewhat brain-stimulating and relatively inexpensive? If anyone has stumbled onto any kind of "gem" I would LOVE the tips!

Our Little Vampire

2008-09-26T16:53:00.003-05:00

So, Jacy has two new teeth....just in time for Halloween! That's right, she's growing fangs. It looks so funny when she gives one of her great, big smiles! I tried to get the best picture I could, but it certainly doesn't do it justice! I've never known another baby to get their teeth in like this, but then another couple in our ward told me that their baby grew fangs too.

The Photo Shoot Experience

2008-09-19T06:45:00.023-05:00

Well, we finally got some family pictures taken. I've been talking about it for a LONG time, and yesterday I think Ben got sick of hearing me bring it up, because we just called a place and went in on the spur of the moment. I think they turned out okay. I'm happy with a few of them, and fine with the rest of them. Cheesy, studio portrait pictures have their place I suppose. Man, it takes a lot out of you! We were there for just a little over two hours, and afterwards, Ben and I were ready to collapse on the couch! It takes a lot to get the kids to cooperate, and you really can't get mad at them or demand too much from them, or else they have a meltdown, and then you're not getting ANY good pictures! So, essentially, Ben and I were jumping up and down, singing stupid songs, making crazy faces....you get the idea. Jacy is one tough cookie! She doesn't smile unless she thinks something is REALLY funny, and apparently, Mom and Dad just aren't quite that funny, ya know? She FINALLY started showing some cute smiles towards the end of the shoot when I started singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" as fast and as loud as I possibly could (hand actions and all). I bet that portrait studio was SO GLAD when we finally left. Well, I'm sure they are used to crazy parents acting like idiots to get their kids to smile. I would love to know what's going on in the kids' heads as they watch their parents. I can only imagine that diologue!

Family Photos!

2008-09-19T06:45:00.020-05:00

An Evening at the Beach

2008-09-14T07:10:00.012-05:00

We ventured out to New Smyrna Beach last night for a few hours of fun. It was Jacy's first experience at the beach, and let me assure you, she consumed AT LEAST a fourth-cup of sand. She really enjoyed the whole experience, which is yet another difference between her and her older brother. On Daxton's first trip to the beach, he liked the water until it hit him in the face and got in his eyes and mouth, and he liked the sand until it got into his mouth and he realized he couldn't shake it off his hands, and then it was over. He was done. Jacy, on the other hand, loved the water and took a hit or two in the face....didn't phase her. She LOVED the sand and got it EVERYWHERE and didn't seem to mind in the least. It blows me away how different two kids from the same parents can be. Anyway, we had a great time at the beach!

It's too hot!

2008-09-12T13:00:00.005-05:00

I was looking at the forecast for Sandy, UT today, and it made me totally jealous. Sunny, 74 degrees......perfect! It's too hot here. I sent the kids outside in the backyard to play with water for awhile. I stayed out for a few minutes, but it's so hot and humid, I didn't last long. This is the worst time of year in Florida (similar to the months of February, March, and April in Utah) where the hot weather just drags on and on, and I'd give anything for a cooler day. Makes me feel sorry for Ben flying the little planes around with no air conditioning in the heat. Yuck! Sorry honey. Daxton has said to me three different times today, "I want to go get on the big airplane and go out to Utah." I told him that we might be able to go sometime soon and then he said, "We just have to get the big school bus to come and take us to the airport, okay Mom?" Kids are so clever! I guess he's sick of the heat too!

Okay, I'll play the tagged game...

2008-09-10T13:00:00.005-05:00

In the past, I've complained about never being "tagged" by anyone before, and I was reprimanded by several friends who really had tagged me, and I just didn't know it. Anyway, now I figure that I better play the game if I'm going to be complaining about never being tagged.....so here are six random facts about me and one ugly picture of me when I was pregnant!

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT JENNIFER JOHNSON:
1. I am an avid cartoon collector. I have very few happy childhood memories, for a number of different reasons, but the best memories that I do have all are centered around my favorite cartoons. So, I have spent way too much money and time trying to find the ones that I loved best. Many of them are the Disney classics, and some strawberry shortcake, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Charlie Brown, Garfield, Dr. Seuss, Don Bluth, etc. Our library continues to grow, much to Ben's chagrin.

2. I love to decorate cakes. Big surprise. I'm sure everyone already knows that about me. I have decided that before I die, I will learn how to make wedding cakes on a professional level. I hope to be instructed by the woman who has make my sisters-in-law's cakes, which were the best cakes I have had in my life to this point.

3. I have a horrific fear of the ocean. It's really serious. I start shaking uncontrollably the minute I step into the water. Really, I watched "Jaws" when I was too young, and I used to be deathly terrified of the deep end at the swimming pool because everytime I closed my eyes and went underwater, I was just sure that a big shark would be there to chomp one of my legs off. Right now we have Sea World annual passes, and I have to admit, I'm almost scared to go there. The shark exhibit makes me want to cry. Ben doesn't want me to pass this fear onto our kids, so I have to be brave when I'm around them. When we go to the beach, I stay on the sand.

4. I'm a sugar addict. I love hard candy, soft candy, and any other kind of candy that has ever been made (with the exception of black licorice). I have a cupboard dedicated to candy in my house. I personally blame this addiction on my mother (sorry mom) because we had a serious lack of sugar in our home when I was growing up. I'm hoping that reverse psychology will work in the case of my children, and that they will grow up wanting to avoid sugar/candy because of the abundance in our home. Because of my passion for candy, you could probably conclude, and you would be right in doing so, that Halloween is by far my favorite holiday of the year! The minute I start seeing black and orange in the supermarket, I get as giddy as a schoolgirl! I have already decorated my house for Halloween this year, again, much to Ben's chagrin.

5. I have a pretty obsessive compulsive personality, and I live and die by routine and organization. Unfortunately, I don't do too well when the routine gets thrown off, and this is especially magnified with the addition of children to my life. I'm trying to be more flexible, because let's be honest.....trying to have control over life is futile. "Go with the flow" has never been my motto.

6. I've always wanted to be a mother, and I have never felt so fulfilled in anything I've ever done than I have in being a mother. In fact, I distinctly remember praying to Heavenly Father that I could have a baby when I was seven years old (I thought, at that time, that praying was how you GOT a baby). It's the hardest, most exhausting, relentless thing I've ever done, and yet it is the most rewarding.

Now for the picture......

Quick Trip to Utah...

2008-09-08T14:58:00.007-05:00

Before I tell about our weekend in Utah, I want to first offer a sincere thank you to everyone who commented with sympathies and suggestions on my last post. Seriously, thank you! It was a bit traumatic for a little while there, but fortunately, I think things are more or less back to normal. Ben ended up giving Daxton a blessing, which helped I think, and then I took him to the grocery store and we bought one of those glow worm toys where his head lights up and he plays a little lullabye. Pretty cheesy toy, but we told Dax that it would keep him safe, and so far, he believes us. So, thanks again for the ideas, and maybe next time we'll try the monster spray, because I think that one sounds awesome!
This past weekend, Ben headed off to Boston for an interview with a small regional airline called Cape Air. The kids and I weren't too keen on staying here by ourselves, so we decided to fly to Utah just for the weekend. Thus far, I haven't attempted to fly alone with the two kids, but I figured it was time to try with the threat of losing our benefits hanging over our heads (Delta Connection is in the process of being sold off sometime in the next few months). So, we left on Thursday evening and got back late last night. We had a great time in Utah visiting everyone! It has long been a Clark tradition to go up to Oktoberfest at Snowbird every year for the brats and saurkraut, and I was SO looking forward to it. We went up the canyon on Friday, and much to my dismay, it was not open until SATURDAY! So sad :( It was fun to be up in the mountains though, and the kids loved it all the same. My parents had a time share condo in Park City that we stayed at, and we swam in the pool and ate at cool places in Park City. We got in a visit to Nana and Grandpa Kent, and Nana gave Jacy the awesome shirt (thanks Nana!)! We did so much I feel like we were out there for three weeks! Anyway, thanks to everyone for the fun time!

Calling all Mothering Experts...

2008-09-02T14:23:00.002-05:00

Ok Moms, I really need some advice.....here's the scoop....
Three nights ago, Daxton must have had some sort of terrifying nightmare, because he woke up and came into bed with Ben and I really early. We didn't think too much of it until we realized the next night that he was terrified to go to sleep in his own bed. He keeps saying something about alligators trying to eat him.....sad, I know. He doesn't even want to take naps anymore, and for those of you who are well acquainted with Daxton, he LOVES his naps! So far, nothing will console him, not binkies, blankies, or anything. Last night, when we told him it was time to get ready for bed, he got so upset he threw up. Even when we tried to tell him that he could sleep in bed with Ben and I, he told us, "I just have to stay awake." It's maybe the saddest thing I've ever seen. Well, one of them anyway. So, what do we do now? Last night, he finally went to sleep on a foam pad next to my side of the bed, but he woke up a few times during the night really upset. Do any of you have experience with these kinds of things? Advice would be much appreciated as we are kind of at a loss. We tried letting him take a flashlight with him to bed, but that didn't seem to help. Okay, well, thanks in advance for the tips.

Fun with Dootie

2008-09-02T14:08:00.003-05:00

Well, we had a wonderfully unexpected, spontaneous visit from my sister Becca last week! On a whim, since we will probably be losing our flight benefits soon, she decided to fly out on a buddy pass because the routes going to and from Salt Lake to Orlando were WIDE open last week. Anyway, she came out on Tuesday and stayed until Sunday, and she got FIRST CLASS seats both ways!!!! It's amazing when buddy passes work out like that, and believe me, it doesn't happen often! So we had a great time visiting, and on Saturday, inspiried by the many Jensen posts of the girls all having fun together, Ben offered to tend the kids while my sister and I spent the day shopping, eating, and talking. It was so much fun! Thanks Jensens for the inspiration! Becca, aka "Dootie," we miss you around here!

Kennedy Space Center

2008-08-31T10:42:00.005-05:00

The flight school got us half price tickets at the Kennedy Space Center, so we finally ventured out there to check it out. It was pretty amazing to see some of that stuff first hand, and probably would have been even more so if we'd had time to read about what we were looking at. Unfortunately, the space center isn't all that kid friendly, definitely no Disney World. The kids got bored pretty quick so we moved through the whole facility in about 2 hours, which was about the amount of time we spent in the car for the round trip, since I took the wrong bridge out there and ended up at the government only security gate.

The Aftermath

2008-08-22T19:32:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like Fay is finally starting to pack up and leave. It was a long, rainy, unsettling day yesterday, and today I think we might have seen the sun for maybe, 20 seconds. Anyway, we are okay, and although one side of our house did get a little flooded, we feel very blessed to be renting at the moment, and are grateful for a responsive property management company who is taking good care of us and getting things dried out fast. Over the past year-and-a-half, I was starting to think that Florida was the perfect place to live.....year-round sun and a FABULOUS winter with no snow, perfect temps, and no bugs. What's not to love? Good thing Fay cured me of that nonsense! I guess every place has its downside.

Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-21T07:47:00.002-05:00

We've been in the midst of tropical storm Fay for the past few days now. Fortunately, this is about as bad as we've seen so far. I took this video this morning out our front door. It's not very impressive, but you get the point...lots of wind and rain. Ben hasn't been flying for the past few days. Today is the third day in a row that they have shut down the school. So, we've been spending a lot of "quality" family time together (i.e. wathching a LOT of movies!). So far, we've really been lucky that the storm hasn't hit us hard. Poor Brevard county southeast of us has been getting the brunt of Fay. Lots of flooded homes, and a few tornadoes.

Trip to Utah

2008-08-12T16:06:00.005-05:00

Here are just a few of the pictures from our trip out to Utah. I am such a lousy photographer! We had a big family reunion with all of the Taylor family, and I didn't snap one picture. Granted, it was a short reunion, and we were a day late, so there wasn't much opportunity; however, it was an occasion that may not happen again, and it should have been documented. Sorry. Don't expect too much of me. I'm a scatterbrained mother of two young children who works too much and doesn't sleep enough. :) Honestly, the best part about this trip was that our kids DIDN'T GET SICK!!!!! That is a first in Johnson history! Hooray for healthy kids! It was nice to be at home and really be able to enjoy it this time around, as opposed to my last visit. Both my family and Ben's family had some big news........they are both MOVING! This may have been the last of our visits to Utah in the houses that we grew up in. Crazy! Ben's parents are moving to Midway to run a cafe there, and my parents are going to Logan where my dad has accepted a position at Utah State University. So, big changes for the Clark/Johnson family are ahead!

Freaky...

2008-08-12T13:15:00.006-05:00

So, if you wondered who Jacy looks like, wonder no longer.......we found out this past weekend, when looking through Celeste's baby book, that Jacy looks like a carbon copy of Celeste. There you have it. It's a good thing that Celeste is so beautiful, cause let me tell you...it's a little bit freaky to give birth to something that looks exactly like your mother-in-law! We had a great visit out in Utah, and I'll post about that later.

Nap Time

2008-07-27T11:00:00.002-05:00

Oh how we love the Johnny-Jump-Up chair. Here is Daxton two years ago, and here is Jacy 2 days ago. You wouldn't think it's very comfortable, but they both could sleep in it for about as long as they sleep in their beds. The funniest part is if you disturb them, they jump a few times, still with their eyes closed, till they nestle back down.

Snot-nosed kid...

2008-07-24T11:49:00.002-05:00

"A picture is worth a thousand words...," well, maybe just one word in this picture's case......GROSS! Honestly, where does all the snot come from? It has been a few weeks since Dax's nose first started running, and it just doesn't quit. It just makes me wonder how much snot one little nose can contain. Throughout our day, I frequently hear Dax say in one of his quieter, more pathetic tones, "Mommy.." and then I turn to see what is pictured above. I can't beleive that one little body could produce so much snot. Gross.

Recipe Blog

2008-07-17T11:33:00.001-05:00

Well, I've done it. I started a recipe blog, and now there is a link
so that you can check it out. It's still under construction, so if you go there, sorry for the disorganization. It's a work in progress......ENJOY!

Happy Birthday and visit from friends

2008-07-14T15:46:00.006-05:00

Well, we had a great weekend celebrating Ben's birthday with our friends Lars and Nicki, who came to see us for a short, fun visit. They brought along their youngest of two daughters, Brooke, who is 6 days younger than Jacy. Daxton thought it was cool to have 2 babies around the house. He made the comment while we were in the car, "Wow! Look at all the babies!" We were glad that Lars and Nicki were here to help us celebrate and to help us eat all of the food! Ben's favorite thing in the world (next to me of course) is food! Soooo, on his birthday, we go all out! On Friday night when Lars and Nicki were here, we had hambugers with all his favorite fixin's (guacamole, bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce, etc.), and sweet corn. Afterwards we had the cake (made by me, of course). This year's cake was a repeat of last year's cake because it was so darn good! It has two layers of chocolate cake, and two layers of mint chip ice cream, frosted with cool whip, and garnished with vanilla and chocolate frosting. YUM! SOOO GOOD, if I do say so myself! Oh, and we serve it with fudge covered mint oreos too.....that makes it complete! On Saturday morning, we had Fresno French toast, which is a mission recipe, and it's really tasty, and I'm considering adding a link with all my recipes on it at some point in the near future, so that will be on it for sure if you're wondering what it entails. Anyway, for lunch it was BLTs, and for dinner, pizza! On Sunday, which was Ben's actual birthday, we had Ben's FAVORITE dinner........breakfast. Complete with waffles, hash browns, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sausage patties, orange juice. Wow. Honestly, I feel a little fat just remembering all of this food. Well, anyway, sorry for the rambling. It was a great weekend! What could be better than a combination of good friends and good food?

Growing up..

2008-06-30T16:04:00.003-05:00

We've reached a couple of milestones this past week......Jacy is now officially "crawling," in her army-style fashion, and Daxton is now officially potty trained! Yippee! Daxton was so funny about potty training. I was ready to give it up forever, and then one morning, he just decided that it was a good idea, and he's been doing great ever since. Several people had advised me that potty training doesn't really work until the child is ready, and I think they were right. Anyway, cutting back to only one child in diapers has been really nice! Jacy figured out how to hold her own bottle a week or so ago, and that has been nice too! I love my babies, but honestly, I am not a big fan of the first year of life. The more advances those little infants make, the happier I am! The more that they can do for themselves, the more we love eachother! Sad, but true. Anyway, here's the latest for your enjoyment...

Summertime fun...

2008-06-30T15:40:00.005-05:00

We've been looking for ways to keep busy while its a little too hot to play outside. We gave painting with pudding a try the other day, and as you can see, Daxton was a big fan. It killed a little bit of time, but it probably didn't justify the cleanup. Our saving grace has been the pool. We go there almost everday. It's nice to be so close (within walking distance).

Tagged!

2008-06-21T20:43:00.002-05:00

I've been tagged! Well, I have a confession to make......after that last post where I was complaining about never being tagged, well, a couple of people reprimanded me and let me know that I had, in fact, been tagged. I just didn't know it, because I didn't know how it worked. Sooo, now that I'm "in the know," I've been tagged, and here it is:

3 Joys:
1. Mothering
2. Relationships
3. Cleanliness

3 Fears:
1. The Ocean
2. Pain
3. Watching my children suffer.

3 Goals:
1. Advance my career in medical transcription
2. Teach my children good manners and social skills
3. Learn how to make wedding cakes

3 Current Obsessions:
1. Candy (that's pretty much goes without saying)
2. Tae Bo (so that I don't feel guilty for #1)
3. Collecting classic old cartoons from when I was little (e.g. The Chipmunk's Adventure, Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City, and classic Disney cartoons)

Random fact about me:
I HATE horror movies, or most any movie with content that is disturbing. It keeps me up at night and makes me crazy for days afterwards. Ben has to watch most of his movies when I'm gone. I usually only watch comedies or romances. Boring, huh?

What I won't do for an extra five minutes.....

2008-06-18T13:45:00.003-05:00

If it buys me five minutes to get stuff done......I'm game. Sure, send Dax outside in his underpants with a couple of bowls of water, anything as long as it entertains! Jacy loves the biter buscuits lately, which is a sure-fire five minute guarantee. The only downside is that it's a 10 minute clean up! Ohhh well!

Fun in Utah

2008-06-16T15:45:00.007-05:00

Well, we're back from a two-week visit to Utah. Some of it was fun, and some of it really wasn't very fun at all. Just want to say thanks to everyone who helped to make it fun (especially you Dad!). Travelling with an infant is the worst idea I can think of, and travelling to Utah where my kids inevitably contract some illness or another also really stresses me out. Anyway, it was fun to meet up with friends, to meet our newest in-law/uncle, to scrounge up our winter attire that we haven't used in over a year since moving to Florida because it was FREEZING in Utah (IN JUNE) (not that I'm bitter) (okay, I really am bitter), and to play with cousins that we haven't seen in a long time. I should have taken more pictures, but I didn't. I'm not really good at that yet. As a followup to the last post, I guess you can see that Dax's lip is quite a bit better now. He still has some stitches that haven't dissolved yet that are hanging on his lip, and one of his two front teeth is turning a little grayish in color, and that concerns me, but I think eventually he'll be ready to take that picture that I was planning on taking right before he crashed into the window.
Well, so much for a trip to Utah! We're always sorry that we don't have time to meet up with everyone there who we would like to see, but then, I guess that's why blogging is so great! You can keep in touch with everyone at anytime! Here's to blogging........hip hip hooray!

How quickly things can happen.....

2008-05-26T07:47:00.004-05:00

Our poor little Daxton! Last night Dax was playing the "get you" game with Ben, and he jumped onto Aunt T's makeshift bed that was in our living room. Unfortunately, he missed the pillows and slammed his mouth right into the windowsill. The end result was a gut-wrenching scream, a lot of blood, and a 1 1/2 hour trip to the emergency room. Four stiches later, this is what we have.........I'm beginning to wonder if this kid is going to be "accident prone" his whole life. I have a hunch that it won't be the last of our trips to the emergency room. He's happy enough this morning, especially since Ben bought him a new Buzz Lightyear toy. We have to take him into the dentist in a couple of days to make sure that he didn't damage some tissue around one of his front teeth. The tooth got pushed out of place and it looks a little funny, but the doc said we wouldn't have to pull it out or anything. Phew......I know I'm vain......the thing I was most worried about was the fact that I've been procrastinating taking the kid's portraits, and I was going to be really ticked if I had to take them with Dax missing a front tooth. Isn't that awful of me? Fortunately, he should heal up just fine, and only have a slightly displaced front tooth to show for it. He's on an all liquid diet for the next seven days, and that could be a trick. And, oh yeah.......the worst part......NO BINKY! I haven't told him that yet. Maybe we'll celebrate memorial day by going outside and burrying all the binkys. Well, Tiffany asked me last night at dinner what I thought the hardest thing about parenting was...........I think it's watching your kids suffer.

Feeding time at the zoo

2008-05-22T10:16:00.003-05:00

Jacy Jump-Up!

2008-05-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

Every parent looks forward to finding that one thing that occupies your kid long enough for you to get something done in a day.....well, we finally found something for Jacy! Just the other day she figured out how to really jump in her jump-up seat! She can keep herself entertained in that thing for up to an hour at a time just jumping away! I am so thrilled! It's working off her thunder thighs and allowing me to get some stuff done.....yay! So, here she is showing off her mad jumping skills!

Family Fun Part II

2008-05-11T08:05:00.007-05:00

Right after my brother and his wife left our place, we got another visit from my Mom, Dad, and two little sisters! We had a great time together all week long! And, lest you should start feeling too badly for us due to the expiration of our Disney passes, you will be glad to know that we are now Sea World annual passholders. So, we enjoyed a day at Sea World with the family! It was a lot of fun! Admittedly, the ocean happens to be on my top 3 greatest fear list, so really, Sea World is not even close to being as fun for me as Disney World is; however, Daxton really enjoyed it (especially the sharks), and Jacy even seemed to get into the shows a little bit. Becca really wanted to sit in the splash zone for the Shamu show, and we couldn't talk her out of it, so we ended up getting soaked by Shamu. The sad part was that little Jacy was fast asleep on Ben's chest when the first wave splashed over us, and it was a very rude awakening for her. Fortunately, she's such a party girl that as soon as she woke up enough to realize that she was in a fun place, she calmed right down and started checking everything out. That's the difference between her and her brother. Daxton was really angry after the splash, especially since his feet got wet, and he REALLY hates wet shoes/feet. He doesn't like parties at all, and he kept saying to us after he got wet, "I want to go home now." Funny how they come pre-programmed like that. Anyway, yay for Sea World!

Family Fun

2008-05-11T07:46:00.010-05:00

We had a great visit with my little brother Steve and his beautiful wife Laura! They stayed here with us for several days, and then they stayed together for a while at the Disney resorts. We met up with them on the 4th for our FINAL day in Disney possibly for forever. :( How sad. We have had a FABULOUS year enjoying our Disney annual passes, and feel confident that we have got our money's worth out of them to say the least. Our final day was spent enjoying Epcot and MGM. Unfortunately, it rained on us pretty hard at the end of the day, but I guess that just made it a little easier to leave it all behind. Daxton and Jacy thoroughly enjoyed the visit from their aunt and uncle!

Wekiwa Springs

2008-04-25T13:27:00.008-05:00

So, we're trying to find ways to branch out now that our Disney passes are coming to an end. On Ben's day off (Wednesday), we tried out a state park about a half hour away from where we lived. It's called Wekiwa Springs, and it was really neat! It's just a natural spring that they have more or less turned into a big swimming pool. It was just a tad too cool for Jacy and my liking, so we watched Dax and Ben from the shore. They had a great time swimming in it. Dax drank about half of the water, and we're praying he doesn't get giardia. We'll go back when it's unbearably hot, and then I'll have to get into the water. Fortunately, there aren't any gators at this place, at least that's what Ben is trying to get me to believe.

Tagging........Myself?

2008-04-22T13:25:00.002-05:00

Well, I have to admit something. I don't understand all this "tagging" business. I read about people all the time on their blogs saying that they were "tagged," and then they get to tell the world all about themselves. Well, I'm beginning to feel like I did in gradeschool when I was the last one chosen to be on someone's team (okay, let's be honest....I was never chosen.....I just ended up on whatever team needed an extra body to be "even" with the other). I don't know what a "tag" is, and I have yet to be "tagged" by anybody, so I guess I'm just going to have to take matter into my own hands and "tag" myself! So, here it goes........................
What do you want to know about me?
1. I'm an early riser. I often wake up at 5am or before to work and work out.
2. I usually know exactly what I want. I wrote in my journal in 8th grade that I would marry Ben Johnson. :)
3. I am a clean freak. I vacuum just about everyday, and I NEVER leave dishes in the sink. (I admit this is harder to adhere to with another kid, and I am assuming that it will only get worse as they get older and I get more of them)
4. I love cake. I love cupcakes. I love gross, disgusting, dyed shortening frosting on the bakery cakes at the grocery store.
5. I love cute pajamas. I spend way too much money on keeping my kids cute when they go to sleep. It comes, I suppose, from not having them and always wanting them when I was growing up.
6. I love warm weather. I used to think that Utah was the place for me. Not anymore. Now that I have experienced a full year of warm weather, I am officially "breaking up" with Utah for forever. Don't worry, we'll still be friends.
7. I love watching my kids figure things out on their own, and I am amazed at what they comprehend without my assistance.
8. I love my hair blonde. I've been dark brown, and I've been highlighted, and I know it's the current trend to go dark, but I gotta tell ya, I love being blonde. It's a terrible thing cause it's so darn expensive for us wannabes, but in my case, I really do have more "fun" as a blonde. It's official.
9. I love silence. I hate background noise. I'm learning, with the help of my new manual for life "A New Earth," how to shut off the noise in my head, so that I can experience REAL silence.
10. I love feeling alive. I love feeling aliveness in other people. It really levels the playing field. I've compared myself to other people my whole life, and I'm finally letting go of that, and it feels great!

Okay, well, now you have my "top 10" tag. You know more about me then you ever wanted to know. Now I can sleep at night knowing that I've been "tagged," even if it was by myself! :) hee hee!

Vomit, Allergies, and Fire Trucks

2008-04-22T13:02:00.004-05:00

Well, life has been a little crazy around here. Daxton has always been a "vomit king" since the day he was born. He is famous for his projectile spews, which occur spontaneously while eating meals at restaurants, after he gets any kind of an injury, or my favorite, everytime I try to leave him in nursery by himself. So, we've been dealing with this for a while, but lately it has increased in frequency to the point where he is throwing up after everything he eats. Soooo, the doctor and I felt that it was time to be a little more aggressive in finding out what exactly is going on with him. Our first step was a visit to the allergist. Ben was gracious enough to take Daxton to his appointment last Thursday so that I could stay home with Jacy and not have to deal with Dax's reaction when they poked his back 30 times with fluid-soaked needles to find out what he is allergic to. In the end, it didn't turn out to tell us much more than we already knew, but at least we know what it's NOT. He turned out to be pretty severely allergic to cashews, pistachios, cats, and dogs. Phew.....no pets for us! So, that rules out an allergy to milk, wheat, or eggs that we were guessing may have been the problem. After the testing was finished, Ben stopped by the fire station near our house to see if there was any chance of letting Daxton look at the trucks. They were extremely friendly and gave Dax and Ben a tour, and Dax got to sit in the truck, so I think his trauma at the allergist's office was soon forgotten. Anyway, on May 8th, we're going to the hospital for a "barium swallow" test, whatver that entails. I know Dax isn't going to like it, and neither am I. Hopefully though, it will tell us something that can help us to treat him, cause I sure hate vomit.

A Full Day at D.W.

2008-04-11T08:24:00.005-05:00

It was Ben's day off yesterday, and we're trying to make the most of our annual Disney World passes before they expire on May the 4th, so we headed off to the big D.W. yesterday morning. It was ridiculously crowded, but the weather was nice, and we wern't really in that big of a hurry to do a lot of things. We got a couple of fast passes to our favorite rides, and then we did a bunch of the less popluar "boring" rides that we've never done before. We had a great time! Jacy cracks me up! She would take intermittent "power" naps when she absolutely HAD to, but other than that, she was as wide-eyed as ever, just trying to take it all in. At four months of age, Daxton would have been an absolute nightmare to take to a place like Disney World. He HATES overstimulation even to this day, and he always freaked out when we took him to places that were loud and "in-your-face" (still does in fact). Sooo, I have a feeling that Jacy is going to be quite a "party lover!" She's going to get along GREAT with Nana!

Time to join the ranks!

2008-04-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

Well, I am officially joining the ranks of the thousands of parents who have entered the "potty-training" phase of parenthood. Daxton is now sporting his Thomas the Train "big-boy" underpants and trying to get the hang of this whole "toilet" thing. The first hurdle I realized I would need to get through was to try and convince him that there was some incentive or reason why he should want to go to the bathroom in the toilet and wear "big-boy" underpants. Hence, the Elmo demonstration. Daxton has had these two Elmo dolls on his bed since we moved here, and the other day he was commenting on the fact that the baby doll wore a diaper. I jumped at this opportunity to make some headway with him, and I quickly started to point out that the baby Elmo wore a diaper, and the big-boy Elmo did not. To make the example complete, we outfitted the big-boy Elmo with a pair of Daxton's big-boy underpants. I guess it really clicked, because now every time that Dax uses the potty or tells me that he needs to use the potty (which is rare), he loves to point out that he's a "big-boy" now. I don't mean to boast, but I was quite satisfied with myself for getting through to his 2-year-old mind that it was cool to be a "big boy." Today, when he saw me go to the bathroom, he declared that "Mom's a big boy too!" and afterwards he let me know that I "did a good job," and that I could "choose a treat." What a fun time of life! Anyone with any good suggestions on how to potty train is more than welcome to comment!

Sun & Fun

2008-04-07T15:41:00.003-05:00

The kids in their swimsuits! I apologize to everyone in Utah who is still miserable and cold and suffering the effects of a long, snowy winter :( You should move to Florida!

Kiddy Cuteness

2008-04-01T14:52:00.004-05:00

Just a few random pics of the kids. Regrettably, I falied to get a good shot of Nana and Grandpa Kent with the kids while they were here....oops!

Happy Anniversary to us!

2008-04-01T14:37:00.007-05:00

Well, it's not actually our anniversary yet....it's really on April 24th, BUT....since Ben's parents came into town last Friday, we decided to celebrate early 'cause we had free babysitters!! So, we took off on Saturday to spend the day together (this time without the kids) at Disney World, and then on Sunday, we drove up to St. Augustine and spent the day sightseeing and the night in a really nice hotel. It was REALLY fun, and great (although we do love them!) to get away from the kids! St. Augustine is famous for being the nation's oldest city. It happened to be a little overcast and chilly while we were there, hence the hooded Jenny. Fortunately for us, Ben keeps one of his hoodies in the trunk of our car; otherwise, I would have been a LOT colder, and I HATE being cold! :) Enjoy the pics!

Just Singing...

2008-03-22T13:12:00.003-05:00

Yes! Daxton is FINALLY starting to sing! I've been trying to coach him to sing for at least a year now, and he hasn't ever done it until just a week ago, all of a sudden, he just started to sing! He sure doesn't have any pitch or tone yet, but it's so cute I can't stand it! He sings, "Happy Birthday," "ABC's," and "Lady Bugs Picnic." This video has them all, if you listen really closely.

New Bike Seat

2008-03-22T12:57:00.003-05:00

Since we have two kids now instead of one, we've been trying to figure out what to do so that we can still go on bike rides together, since we only have the one-seater Chariot, and we don't want to spend a ton of money to get the two-seater version. So, we bought this relatively cheap rear bike seat from Wal-Mart the other day, and after much frustration trying to get the dumb thing attached properly to the bike, we are happy to report that it works great and Daxton loves it! Now Dax gets the rear seat and Jacy gets the Chariot, and the best part is that Ben pulls them both! :)

Craving Brazil...

2008-03-22T12:52:00.002-05:00

Ben has really been missing Brazilian food as of late, so he bought a pressure cooker the other day so that he could try to recreate the Brazilian beans and rice that he ate so often while he was on his mission. I'm very proud of the results! Here's a picture to document the occasion. I think it's the second time he's attempted to cook since we were married almost four years ago! They turned out pretty good, and the only thing that would have made our meal toatlly authentic would have been if there was a can of guarana instead of root beer on the table!

The New Earth

2008-03-17T21:35:00.003-05:00

I was introduced to this book by my mother, and I just want to say that it truly is a life-altering book, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Oprah Winfrey chose it as a book for her book club, and she has set up a series of online classes with the author (Ekhart Tolle) every Monday evening. It's very very interesting and inspiring. You can go to Oprah's website and download the last two classes (tonight was the third) if you want to catch up. There are 10 classes (one for each chapter of the book). I recommend buying the book, reading to catch up, and then watching the classes. For those that are interested, I believe it will be worth it!

Daxton's personal hot tub

2008-03-17T15:04:00.001-05:00

Daxton has this toy water slide thingy, and we got it out today. He likes to use it as his own personal hot tub complete with a waterfall! Don't worry, he's got a swim diaper on. I know he looks like he's naked in this picture, but he's really not.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2008-03-17T14:54:00.006-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Inhaler tretments again

2008-03-11T13:36:00.003-05:00

Daxton has chronic pneumonia, and he's got it again! It is really awful because even just a little tiny head cold or an allergic reaction to an animal or plant will trigger problems with his lungs. Anyway, the doc put him on inhaler treatments everday for the next month. Daxton hates them, but it's supposed to help keep him from getting asthma. Sooo, that sounds worth it to me. He is pretty resigned to the treatments once we've started giving him one, but afterwards he gets extremely hyper! His whole body will shake and he can't sit still or stop talking. Really, it's pretty funny.

Hyper-active on drugs...

2008-03-11T13:31:00.002-05:00

It probably shouldn't be as funny to me as it is, but after Daxton finishes his inhaler treatments, he gets SO SO HYPER! He can't stop moving around or talking really fast. So, I got this shot of him after his treatment this morning just outside running around his sand pail.

Morning Sunshine

2008-03-11T13:29:00.002-05:00

Jacy is such a delight in the mornings! She always wakes up with a huge smile on her face that just makes the whole day! I wish that I could wake up in such a good mood! You can hear Daxton in the background getting irritated with me because I'm not paying attention to him! Silly boy!

Makin' Red Cupcakes

2008-03-11T13:10:00.002-05:00

On Sunday Daxton started to take a turn for the worse, and his little nose started running, and he started in with a fever, so we opted to skip out on church (I wasn't sad about that), and we stayed home and made cupcakes together. Daxton LOVES to help me make cupcakes, and ever since a few months ago when Ben and I ate out at a place that served red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert, I've been craving them bad. Sooo, I found a mix in the store for red velvet cupcakes, and Daxton was really excited to help me make "red cupcakes." They were yummy! I'd say his favorite part is to help me crack the eggs. Unfortunately, his way of cracking eggs is to let me crack the shell, and then before I can get it away from him, he crushes the shell in his little hand, and then drops it into the batter. I'm trying to teach him how to crack an egg the right way, but his way is just so much more fun, I don't know that he'll ever get it.

I hate you Cover Girl!

2008-03-06T14:33:00.002-05:00

Up to this point, we've been using the blog bascially as our "brag board" to keep family and friends updated on our kids and their "cuteness." I'm going to branch out this time just to vent......for fun! I realize this could be a bad thing, because finding an outlet to vent my frustrations on could potentially be addicting to me, and annoying to everyone who subjects themselves to it by taking the time to read it. Besides, it feels like I've really "accomplished" something by throwing it out into cyberspace, as opposed to just making Ben listen to it. :)
That being said, can I just say how bothered I am that Cover Girl has now officially discontinued making the lip color and lip liner that I have been using since I was 18? Hello, that's almost 10 years of devotion to a product and then suddenly, "poof" and it's gone? What am I supposed to do now!? Try a new product? Ha! I realized how sad my dependency on these products was when I found myself doing a frantic google search to see if there was any of it left on the "black market" that I could by en mass to store up for the next 50 years of my life. No luck there. I also realize how sad it is that I haven't changed my makeup routine for the past ten years, but you know, it's something that intimidates me. It all went wrong when I went to a friend's birthday party when I was 8 and her mother gave us all Mary Kay makeovers. I came back home looking like a cheap hooker, and it took a few weeks of scrubbing to get it all off. So, since that occasion, I've never been comfortable with makeup in general. I try to avoid it as much as I can. Anyway, I guess I was just wondering if anyone has any kinds of lip color that they recommend, since it looks as though I won't be able to obtain any of the kind I was previously using. Here's the thing......it has to last all day (I don't want to put it on more than once!), it can't come off when I kiss my kids or Ben, it can't get on my teeth, and it can't have any kind of "flavor." Okay, thanks in advance for the tips! I promise not to get on my soapboxes too often. I'll stick to the kids and their cuteness for the most part!

Smiley Jacy

2008-03-04T14:32:00.003-05:00

Here's my BIG girl! I took her into nursery with me on Sunday, and another woman had her 10 month old little boy in there with her, and Jacy was the same size, if not bigger than this 10 month old! She is quite a chunk! I just want to nibble on her all day long!