Johnson-and-Johnsons

KInley's 2nd birthday---extravaganza

2012-01-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

My sweet, funny, curious, baby turned two on Friday. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE birthdays. I may have terrified Kinley a bit when she woke up on Friday with my birthday cheers, but by the end of the weekend, she loved telling anyone who would listen that it was her birthday.

Friday night we started out with family at Chuck E. Cheese. Grandma and Papa, Uncle Cory and Auntie Holly, Auntie Kristi and cousins Haley and Lexi joined us in the fun. Before I knew it we had spent almost THREE hours there! We had so much fun. So many giggles, smiles, and just altogether good fun.

Although it looks like she is giving her baby CPR, she was just giving lots of kisses to her new baby over and over. She loves the handmade blanket my mom made her babies too.

On Saturday morning we met up at the park with our friends Mark, Jaime, Elliot, Addilyn, Laura, Tommy and Sara. The kids played and we all baked in the sun! Kinley rode her first tire swing and seemed to really enjoy it. She spent a lot of time in the sand too.

After naps we headed to dinner and Dairy queen for a little birthday treat.

Sunday we headed to church and then straight to Disneyland for some fun with Joe, Alisha, Oliver and Henry. Henry and Kinley are just two days apart in their birth and it was such a fun day celebrating both of their lives. Alisha and I have such a kindred connection for sharing pregnancy, child rearing etc...together with each child.

Trying to pull out the sword...

Emily and Oliver have had such a special connection since birth. I don't know what it is about those two, but it's pretty fun to watch her with him when I know just how shy she is. Oliver cares so much about her too and it just warms my heart. (Yeah, I know that they are only four.....)

I just love this picture of Henry and Kinley. There is cake sitting in front of them, but they look like they are just getting carried away in conversation. It's precious.

My little tired bug. I asked her if she wanted to ride a ride or if she wanted to lay down. She told me lay down and she was asleep in less than two minutes. Poor girl. We just had too much fun all weekend.

Happy Birthday baby girl. Mama loves you so much!

Thanksgiving Cruise

2011-12-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

It is two days away from Christmas....figured I should get something up about Thanksgiving! My parents generously took our family on a Disney cruise for Thanksgiving and it was truly magical. I have never experienced so much emotion watching my kids experience something so special. Now granted, my kids hide their happiness (I have no idea why, truly drives me bonkers), but I know the certain looks in their eyes when they are captivated. Emily can have the grumpiest look on her face, but if I see the look in her eye and the way she holds her mouth, I can tell when it's fake, so I spent a lot of time saying, "Don't you dare smile, don't you dare have any fun" and she would bust up laughing. It was a great family vacation, one that I really hope I get to do again. It was amazing.

These pictures loaded out of order and I just don't have the time to fix it---so here it goes...

My mom and dad joined me and Brian for a kid-free dinner. I have no idea if the food was as good as I think it was or if it was just that I didn't have to give my attention to the kids. The two hour dinners proved to be quite difficult for my little ones. Anyway, this dinner was scrumptious!

Thanksgiving night. We came "home" and had a turkey on our bed. Tinkerbell held tightly to her Mickey with the turkey close by.

Just got to Cabo San Lucas and Kinley loved being on the top deck looking out at the "land"

Oh man, looking at this picture makes me tear up. My mom is such an in the moment kind of lady. This picture was taken right after a very "magical" dinner at Animators Palate. The restaurant is all black and white and by the end of the dinner everything is in color. They surprised the guests with Mickey coming out and it just hit my mom. Everything she had been planning for---to provide a family vacation full of surprise----well, surprised her. She was truly captivated and teared up. This picture is so precious to me.

My little princesses....

Character Breakfast.

My Mickey/Minnie wearing girls.

Hilarious face on Kinley....They put all of these napkin hats on the girls during the character breakfast.

AARGH----Emily as a pirate

Kinley modeling for Disney Wonder. Puerta Vallarta behind her

The kids had VERY LATE curfews each night. I'm pretty sure this was 11:30 pm and we had just received our room service. Emily was always hungry when getting out of kids club. Thankfully she just wanted crackers and cheese.

Jerry and Sally (my in-laws) took us on an incredible Christmas cruise when Emily was one year old. The boat in the background is the Carnival Spirit. We ran (not literally) into it a couple of times while cruising and Emily knew that was the ship she was on "as a baby" so I had to get a picture of her with it.

First day----Emily and Kinley couldn't get enough of the porthole. Every time we were in the room, this is pretty much what they looked like. They just loved looking out.

THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!!!!

Emily is FOUR!

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

"They grow up so fast" is a phrase I have heard consistently since I was pregnant with Emily. Strangers would stop me and talk to me about how far along I was etc...and would almost always end with, "they grow up so fast." I mean, sure, I was aware of that, I went through the growing up process, right? So then why am I always shocked with each birthday just how fast it really is going?

This is the first birthday that Emily totally got the birthday bug. Her preschool makes birthdays so special so I think as she watched her friends enjoy their birthdays, she looked forward to her own. Birthdays are a BIG deal around here too...We had a countdown to her special day. When she woke up and came out to meet me in the kitchen I said, "Hello birthday girl" and she responded with, "I KNEW IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!!!!" She was so excited.

I'm a sap, but I had no idea how special her birthday production at school was going to be for me. When I showed up, she would not let me go....she is not a touchy feely girl, so her snuggles were overwhelming (in a good way) to me.

She had a great day. Lots of fun at school and a yummy dinner.....of which I totally forgot to take any pictures of! Oops! Guess we were just having too much fun to stop and capture the moments. So, Emily, just know you had a TON of mac n cheese and an ice cream cone!

Not the best picture of us, but had to capture the lovebug...

Getting her very special birthday crown

Birthday girl got to hold the American flag for the Pledge of Allegiance

Sitting with her class for song time

They have this board out in the main walkway so anyone walking in got to see her name on the board.

Opening gifts! Thank you Auntie Tabatha, Uncle Tyler and cousin Zachary!

Thank you Auntie Alyse and Uncle Robert....and our sweet peas in a pod! (Pay no attention to the picker)

My little School Girl

2011-10-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Emily has been in school for one month. I cannot get over all of the change I have seen come over her in this past month. She's always been my cautious girl, but I'm starting to see her become a little more curious, more adventurous when we are out and about. She's always been bashful in meeting people---or in saying goodbye to people that she knows well, but each day, I'm seeing small changes in those areas too. It's funny because she's been in daycare since she was ten weeks old, but it's the school environment that has her breaking out of her shell.

She comes home singing new songs every day. She has a cubby full of artwork and worksheets each day. I had a reality check when I realized she's at school now and I'm not going to get a full report of how she was during the day. Emily tells us funny little stories each day and it has become a puzzle for us to try and piece her stories together to figure out what she did during the day.

She has been writing the letter "E" for several months now. She can identify her name written out anywhere, but I have never seen her write out her name. In one month of school this is what her name looks like....

She comes home every day and spends about twenty minutes at the table working on whatever number or letter she did for the day. She wants to show me over and over again her "I, i, O, o, A, a, 2, 3, 4" etc... She's just too cute! I love that her little brain is getting some good stimulation. She's absolutely thriving.

I'm so proud of my little girl.

Just a phase?

2011-09-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl I used to love journaling. I had some great entries about boys, what I wanted to be in when I grew up, family stuff, etc...As I got older, the desire to journal out my thoughts because even more intense. I found that it was a way for me to get my deepest thoughts out on paper--although scary and incredibly vulnerable--I found that it was a lifeline for me.

In blogging, I'm not very consistent anymore. Working full-time and being a mom to two little tykes will do that to you, but I do this for them....for me....so that when they ask about this or that, I will hopefully have a great read for them on it.

I really don't like to share anything that would embarrass them later, so I try to steer from those things, but in the earlier confession, sometimes I feel like journaling is part of my journey and well, here it goes...

When Kinley was born, I could tell from the very beginning that she was different from Emily. She joined our family three weeks early, she was kicked out of the hospital nursery in our first night because she wouldn't stop screaming and the screaming continued for several weeks with colic. She wasn't a great napper and we found it difficult to make her happy. As she grew up and the colic began to fade, we found that there was actually a fun-loving girl in there. She loved to laugh and smile. She's our social bug. She'll wave hello and goodbye to people she doesn't even know. She typically adjusts to new environments easily.

Emily's temperament is pretty much completely different than what I just wrote about Kinley. For the most part they get along, but there is definitely sibling rivalry present each and every day and I'm constantly pulling them away from one another. Sending them to time outs more than I want to, but know I need to in order to stay consistent with them.

Kinley's verbal communication is increasing every day and it is fascinating to hear her talk, but for the times she doesn't have the words--OH MY GOODNESS--I don't even know how to describe how terrible her screams and body thrashing onto the floor are. Her screams typically encourage Emily to disobey because she can't possibly have the attention off of her. I'm having such a hard time with them right now. I'm exhausted. Work is more than consuming me throughout the day and I have visions of coming home to a peaceful afternoon spending time snuggling my girls, but that is far from our routine right now. They fight, they scream and they each call out for mommy to prove their innocence in whatever the latest disagreement was over. People keep telling me this is just a phase, but I work at a high school and I'm starting to wonder if these phases actually ever end. I'm embarrassed in front of friends frequently because in doing anything with anyone, MY KIDS are the ones to fall apart EVERY time. I swear I'm doing everything I can that I think is right, but why do I feel like I am such a failure?

The frustrating part is they are perfect angels when we aren't around. I get nothing but praise reports from daycare, grandparents, sitters etc...I guess Brian and I are the lucky ones.

In my prior journaling experience, I loved when I would re-read older entries and found that I was no longer struggling with xyz, so here's to looking back at this entry one day and smiling that we have moved past it.

Farm Day!

2011-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took the girls to a local farm for a cookout tour. We all got an opportunity to visit their garden and pick our own vegetables for lunch. It was such a great experience for the girls because I'm not sure that they really understood that vegetables grow before they show up at the grocery store. Although Emily was VERY excited to pick all of the vegetables, she still stuck to her favorite--carrots. In fact, when she woke up from her nap that day she even asked for more carrots! YES!

We had a great day. Grandma, Papa and Lexi joined us in the fun. Definitely a day we won't forget!

Picking bell peppers

Picking Japanese turnips

Picked kale

Kinley being a ham

The girls running around with their yellow watermelon. They had great distractions for the kids including bubbles and my girls loved that!!

Emily, Kinley and Lexi as watermelon seeds...

Movie Night

2011-07-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

We went to Palm Desert with The Parlas this summer. It was fun for the adults and for the kids because we all had someone our age to hang out with. We did our best to beat the heat and so for one of the nights we decided on a movie night. We took the kids to the store to pick out a special food item and then brought them back to the hotel to watch a movie. They loved it.

Fourth of July

2011-07-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

I love the community that we live in. For just about every major holiday, they throw some kind of festival, but the 4th of July is my absolute favorite. It's an all day event. They have 1k, 5k and 10k races in the morning, pancake breakfast, parade, games, booths, food, live music and FIREWORKS. They do not mess around with the fireworks. It's a good 20 minute show with "bombs bursting in air" right over your head. It is truly amazing to watch. This year was the first year that Emily loved any kind of fireworks. She had so much fun. In fact, yesterday as I was taking a morning walk with them she asked to see them again as we passed the giant lawn that they were displayed from.

Here are just a few photos from the day:

Oh, say can you see? This girl is adorable.

Emily's first gum experience---the parade participants threw candy and gum out to the kiddos.

Emily and Ella enjoying the candy...

My parents came out in the evening for the experience. I'm pretty sure they did not leave disappointed! My kids loved having them there too.

Waiting for the fireworks with their glow in the dark necklaces.

Kinley--17 Months

2011-07-07T06:52:00.001-07:00

Kinley is interested in just about everything that she is around. As the younger sister, she tries hard to keep up with the "big" kid activities. She's certainly more of a thrill seeker than Emily was and she keeps us on our toes.

She's my snuggle bug. She will often stop what she's playing with, come over and give me a hug and go back to what she's playing.

She seems to loves music. She often grabs the harmonica and plays it (better than I do), drums and guitar. She picks up the rhythm of songs quickly and tries to sing along. Her current favorites are the ABC song, the Handy Manny toolbox toy song and the Strawberry shortcake toy song.

Kinley will run across the room, throw her body onto the couch and then say, "owie."

She calls Emily "Ah-me"

She frequently pats our head and says "duh, duh, goo" and runs away....yes, she's playing duck duck goose. A game she must have picked up while at daycare because we have never played it at home....until now, now it's a daily occurrence.

She loves windows. She wants the window down in the car as often as possible. She loves to look out the window and motions for me to open the blinds. She loves our neighbor James and since he is often playing outside, she'll look for him and start calling out his name, which sounds more like "jehms" When she finally sees him she smiles and claps.

She also says Mama (mommy), Dada (daddy), Grandma and Papa (she said Papa for the first time today when he came to take care of them while I got away to the doctor).

In the food category, Kinley says banana, yogurt, yogurt drink, bar, cheese, strawberries, blueberries, cracker, bread, agua, leche, tofu, chips

Misc: she says cloud, chair, car, ball, book, balloon, mickey, minnie, goofy, donald duck, manny, bye bye, help, trash, sissy, helmet, please, diaper, poo-poo, pee-pee (maybe time to potty train), hello, dog

As I write this I feel like I'm forgetting some more commonly used words. There are new words coming up every day. She's definitely a parrot and will try to say anything we say. It's certainly a lot of fun. I look forward to more direct communication because we're definitely still going through a lot of scream fests. I know it's gotta be just as frustrating for her as it is for us.

I am Mom

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I wake up to either the sound of Kinley whimpering because she wants out of her bed or the sound of Emily trying to be quiet as she exits their bedroom in the morning (either will happen between 5:30-6:30 am)

I am able to decipher what Kinley's pointing finger means when aimed at the refrigerator or pantry

I frequently sit on the floor playing with Strawberry Shortcake, puzzles or reading books

If I sit on the floor, chances are Kinley's little rear end will start backing up toward my lap

I know the different sounds of cries---the fake ones for consoling to the loud ones needing immediate attention

I have tiny little holes in the mid-section of just about every shirt I own from holding one or both of my girls

I will either have chalk, food, snot or dirt on me at some point of the day

I tear up when Emily breaks out of her shell and does something she fears

They crack me up when I hear things like, "Oh Kinley, you look so pretty today" (My best guess is because I dressed Kinley in a skirt rather than jeans, although, I admit, she did look quite pretty.)

My heart has two sets of legs and currently rest on a 3 yr old and 17 month old...they are getting so big.

I am content. I am Mom.

It's going to be a good summer

2011-05-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm still surprised every day how much I fall in love with my girls. They each fill a place in my heart that I didn't know was empty. We have a lot of laughs and of course some tears too, but I feel so complete with them.

Being a mother is the most exhausting yet rewarding responsibility. I hope that they know just how much I love them and cherish our relationship. I didn't get a picture of the three of us together on Mother's day. We had a lot of fun running around an outdoor shopping area, eating at Cheesecake Factory, shopping, taking naps, getting a pedicure and having dinner with my parents.

My mom and I took Emily to get our nails done (sorry Kinley....you weren't old enough yet) and we had a nice relaxing time. I look forward to doing that with both girls in the future!

Easter

2011-04-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am a sucker for making memories with the girls. When Emily was a little over a year old, we learned about a fantastic spring event complete with egg hunts, bounce houses, food etc...We've made it become our family tradition. This year, Brian had the day off of work and I had to take it as furlough, but it was so worth it. Emily had a GREAT time on the big slide and in the bounce houses. To our excitement she even LOVED the egg hunt. She has had major cry fests out there before and I was expecting that this year too, but I guess as she grows the crowds may be a little less scary....I don't know, but whatever the case she was so much fun to watch out there.

I've been struggling with the whole Easter Bunny thing....I couldn't decide if I wanted to make the Easter Bunny this mysterious character who drops off baskets of goodies on Easter morning or what. Looking back on my childhood, some of my favorite memories are when my sister and I would run down the stairs to see what was in our baskets. So, I decided to stick with the same traditions in our home. We had a talk about Jesus' death and resurrection....although the description of death was more like sleep and the resurrection was more like waking up. Emily learns a new scripture each week in Sunday school and this past week was "Jesus is King." She will say it whenever asked about her memory verse. I can't wait to see her relationship with this King she's learning about blossom.

and Kinley....well, we can't exactly go theological with her right now, but we certainly pray and share lots of love and giggles with her too. She had a great time with all of the Easter fun. I just love her sense of adventure. She takes it all in. She's so fun.

The Comforter

2011-03-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Kinley has NEVER been good with sleep. As the second child, I had a lot of assumptions as to what she would be like. I was ignorant to think she would be a lot like her sister. Emily was great with naps (aside from the first six weeks). She was in her own room at approximately 8 weeks. Well, Kinley, wanted her own identity. She would sleep for about 15 minutes at a time. People always told me to sleep when the baby slept---GOOD LUCK. The first six months were AWFUL when it came to sleep not only for Kinley but for us too.

She finally started sleeping through the night and it was amazing. I didn't think I would ever know what more than two-three hours at a time would feel like. I felt refreshed and kept telling myself that I wouldn't be exhausted. However, my little sweetheart does not like to sleep in. This morning for instance....she was up at 4:00. 4:00....oh my word.

Okay, Jennifer, where does the title of "The Comforter" come into play? When we put Kinley to bed, she often has pacifiers and "lovies" thrown about in her crib. Well, this morning she had her giant frog from build a bear in her crib. Neither Brian or myself placed it in the crib, so we asked Emily how it got in there. "I put it in Kinley's bed when she was crying, I think she wanted a lovey." So stinkin' cute.

Funny Moments

2011-03-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Kinley desperately wants to keep up with Emily. Sometimes it's adorable and sometimes it's scary. Emily climbs everywhere and Kinley is quick to follow. Tonight she watched how Emily climbs into a chair and does a fancy landing onto the couch, guess who wanted to try? Yes, Brian. Just kidding. Kinley copied exactly what she did and I can't fight it anymore. I have to let her play into her adventurous side, so I just sit close in case I need to do some catching.

The girls take their baths together. Kinley was ready to get out so Brian started getting her ready for bed. He got her dressed in a diaper and she walked straight back to the bathroom and I hear lots of giggling and next thing I heard was a splash followed with Emily screaming MOMMY!!! I was right there (thankfully) because Kinley leeped into the tub because she wanted to be with her sister.

They are going to be the best of friends...

Lovin' my girls

2011-03-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have the words to describe the incredible amount of love that I have for my children. They crack me up. We recycle just about anything we can around here and Emily has apparently witnessed this. Sometimes we put the items in the recycling container in our house and for the bigger items we place them by the stairs to take on our next run down. Tonight, I was in the other room and when I came out and put Emily to bed, I noticed that she had taken the milk carton off of the counter and carried it to the stair drop. The only problem was that although, yes, that was the goal I had in mind, I needed to empty out the tiny bit of milk left over.

Kinley gives high fives and will mimic washing her hands on command. When I arrive at daycare to pick the girls up, Kinley kinda "flaps" her arms to her side in excitement. She walks REALLY fast toward me and surrounds her small, sweet arms around me and gives me a hug. Melts my heart every time.

Before and After

2011-03-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Kinley 13 months

2011-03-03T21:02:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe it has been a month since I last posted! We have certainly been very busy this past month and my sweet Kinley is growing and changing so much. She's practically running these days she's so fast! She LOVES music. She loves to dance and will clap along with the beat. She has become very good at copying what anyone is doing. I had my head resting in my hand the other day and when I looked over at her she was copying me. Brian, Emily and I were all washing our hands and Kinley started rubbing her hands together as though she was washing hers. She's extremely observant. It's so fun to see what she's taking in.

Kinley is very curious. She gets into everything, looks at everything, touches everything. She is so busy--our house really does look like a tornado after she's gone through it. She loves two drawers in our kitchen that houses all of the girls cups and bowls and these things are found ALL OVER THE HOUSE!!! She's so funny.

Although there is still a lot of whining and pointing when she wants something, she's working on words too. "Uhhh" while holding her arms up is up. "MMMYYY" when screamed at her sister is Mine. She's still using Mama and Dada fluently.

Kinley is not a huge fan of milk. I mean, turn her nose up and turn her head at it when we offer a bottle or sippy cup with it inside. I nursed for 1 year and apparently that is her preference. She took a bottle at daycare everyday and we still offer frozen breastmilk to her and even that gets a stiff no. I guess the big bonus is she is pretty much weaned herself from bottles. She doesn't want anything before going to bed and is placed in her crib awake and falls asleep peacefully. The bummer is she wakes up early, but one of these days we'll get through it.

She is cutting all four molars right now and believe it or not, I think I may have seen swollen gums around the I teeth....oi vey.

I'm adding a video---not as great as I had hoped. She was totally singing into the microphone before I snapped this, but at least it is close to her 13th month!

Kinley is 1!

2011-02-01T21:05:00.000-08:00

Sweet Kinley,

You have no idea how much you have rocked my world in the past year. You joined our family three weeks earlier than we expected. I didn't know what it was going to be like to have another child, to love another child but as soon as I held your precious tiny body in my hands, I didn't have to "know" how it just was. The first three months were a bit rocky since you had some colic issues. You screamed a lot and slept so little I didn't know how I was possibly going to survive another hour, but we did....together.

Watching you grow up into your own personality has been an absolute joy. Once you learned to smile it practically became a permanent "fixture." You love life. You love people. You especially love your sister. Sometimes you'll wake up before her in the mornings and cry until she wakes up so that you can play with her. Apparently mommy and daddy don't cut the mustard. Your smile, your giggle brighten up my day. You currently love to hug and kiss and you melt me with each one.

You are such a good eater. You will try everything we put in front of you. Sometimes you don't like it, but the things you love (which is the majority) you eat faster than we can cut. You have learned and use sign language for "more" "please" and "all done." I've been working on milk, but you don't seem to want to pick up that one. You wave and clap. You say mama, dada, ba (bath and ball) and every time I tell you I love you you say, "Iiiiii" I know you are trying to say it back and I think it is adorable.

I am totally and utterly smitten. I love you so much. You are my favorite Kinley in the whole world.

: easily moved to love, pity, or sorrow

2011-01-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

When I was in the 7th grade, one of my good friends lost his father. I didn't know his dad at all, but I knew the impact that loss was to my friend. I remember sitting at the edge of my bed bawling. My mom came in my room and put her arm around me and muttered the words, "Jennifer, you have always been so tenderhearted, Michael is lucky to have you as a friend."

This week has been super emotional for me. The woman who takes care of my girls learned that her husband has a treatable disease, but with his age comes great concern. My grandparents are both fighting various ailments. About twenty minutes ago I learned of a great disappointment from one of my friends. My heart is so heavy because I am tenderhearted : easily moved to love, pity or sorrow.

It's funny because I was getting my hair done the other day and the lady told me that I give off a very confident vibe. That I come across as I have everything together. HA! Those of you who know the real me know that I struggle with such petty things. I want to be perfect under all of the hats that I wear, but I am far from it. I may come across strong, but let me be the first to tell you I am so very weak.

I wear my heart on my sleeve. Those of you who are close to me, who have been willing to look past the strong exterior know that I melt in your kind words and hugs. My heart is extended in so many directions right now. I love and I need to be loved.

Updates

2011-01-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

We have had an incredibly busy, fun, emotional, cold and lovely Christmas break. We had Christmas in California on the 17th with my side of the family and had a lot of fun. On the 20th we loaded up the car and drove to Oregon to have Christmas with Brian's family. I'm bummed that I haven't updated more recently, but with how busy we were with the drive and such I just haven't had the time. Here are some updates--

Kinley is WALKING! She started about a month ago (1o months). We got excited by 1-4 steps, then it was 5-8 steps and then it was all of the time. She's definitely walking more than crawling and it has made it for a very interesting time around the house.

Kinley loves to play "where's kinley" during EVERY meal. She loves to eat and wants to eat whatever is on our plates. So, if we try to give her something different it's all over.

Kinley whines just about every morning until EMily gets up and then she starts to giggle when she sees her. They are the best of friends. Emily loves to get her to laugh.

Emily is so smart she takes my breath away. She remembers so many things, re-tells stories that happened six months ago. She knows her numbers, colors, shapes.

Emily LOVES to sing and dance. It's quite fascinating. It's like she bottled it up and now bursts every time a song comes on.

If Emily gets caught doing something she isn't supposed to be doing she just looks up at us and says, "I love you."

Christmas was a bit confusing this year because we had FOUR different celebrations. So, we didn't really play up the whole Santa bit, don't get me wrong, we did talk about Santa, but I figured talking with her about Jesus' birth was much more worthy to talk about. We've been talking a lot about the story of Jesus and today she put the BIGGEST smile on my face when she told me she knew where Jesus lived. I asked her where and she said, "Jesus lives in my heart." Melted me...

Christmas Magic

2010-12-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

This has been an exceptionally busy fall for the Johnson crew! I don't know why it has been so busy, but we've had something going on just about every weekend since September. We love going to Disneyland at Christmas and we were "nervous" that we wouldn't get to go this year, so we decided on going mid-week. We don't typically do that since fireworks/snow etc... aren't until late and we have to be out the door SO early in the mornings, but this particular evening the park closed at 8:00 which meant fireworks were at 7:30 and snow directly followed. I could handle that.

What I was not prepared for was how emotional I would be. I'm a big fan of Disney parks. They really do know how to bring "magic" to little children. We pretty much just camped out on Main street when we got there and by doing so it snowed on us three times throughout the night. Main street's lights dim and the castle is all lit up with a gorgeous song about snow falling playing throughout the park. Next thing we know it starts snowing and Emily is SHOUTING in excitement about the snow. Tears #1. Emily was so excited about the snow, she was trying to make a snowman out of the soap sudded snow. That's what is happening at the end of this short little video...

They have a holiday Firework display and it includes some beautiful songs; however when the fireworks end and the snow starts to fall, the most beautiful arrangement of "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" begins to play. Kinley had fallen asleep in my arms and I was overcome with great emotion. I just started thinking about her future and all of the things she might be dreaming of. Perhaps it was a white Christmas--after all that is on her sister's wish list. (see the writing santa entry if you don't know what I am referring to) I asked Brian to get a video of this. I realize it's just a sleeping baby, but listen to the song in the background (if you can hear it over Emily and Oliver screaming in sheer excitement of the snow!)

Emily is THREE!

2010-11-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

It's December tomorrow and I just now have the time to write about my THREE year old's birthday party. We celebrated at Chuck E Cheese and she absolutely LOVED it. Poor thing cried so hard when her party was over and she had to go home. She loved almost everything about the day. She was very cautious around Chuck E, but other than that she was taking it all in. Dancing, smiling, playing, running, eating, catching tickets and more. It was such a great day! I love my girl.

This picture captures how she was at the party. So excited! I LOVE this.

Dancin' dancin' dancin'

I love her hands in this picture. I can't decide if she was having to hold them to keep her from digging in or thanking God for the sugar she was about to have. :)

Poor girl had to wait FOREVER to blow the candle out. They did all kinds of Chuck E introduction and dancing before they even put the candle on the cake. She did so great!

Safety goggles and special birthday hat to help catch tickets in the wind "tunnel"

Strugglin'

2010-11-23T08:39:00.001-08:00

I have always been hard on myself and I have no idea where that comes from. I've compared myself to everyone and everything and I know it isn't healthy, but I do it anyway. I feel like I find myself striving for perfection and beat myself up when I don't achieve it. I want to be the best wife, the best mom, the best friend and I fall short.....a lot.

Living in South Orange County sure doesn't help matters. Now, I find I want the best house, the best car, the best clothes. It goes without saying that I fall short there too. I'm almost embarrassed to bring people to my house because it's just a bit smaller than most of my friends places. It doesn't have a front yard or back yard. Heck, it doesn't even have a porch! I get concerned about how other people will react if I ask them for dinner. Are they thinking in the back of their minds that my house is too small for them to entertain the thought of coming over? I can't host thanksgiving or Christmas unless we all eat in the garage. I feel like I'm somewhat lacking as a family member if I can't do that kind of thing for my family.

Don't even get me started on the scale. I don't know what is up with my body since having a second baby. I go way down on the scales and then it comes way up. So, then it starts the insecure cycle and I feel unattractive etc...

The other night we were at church and it came time for the communion meditation. The pastor asked if any of us were feeling lonely, broken, hurt, betrayed etc... he looked at the piece of bread that he had in his hand and reminded us that the bread was a symbol of the body of Christ. It was a reminder that He had been lonely, broken, hurt and betrayed. I've literally known that symbolization since I was a little kid, but for some reason that night it felt good to know that I am not alone.

So, I'm thankful for the grace and the peace that having a relationship with Jesus Christ offers. It doesn't mean there won't be days that I struggle. It just means that I have someone who understands me and loves me just the way I am. I don't have to be the perfect wife, mom, friend, employer etc...I just need to be me.

Writing Santa

2010-11-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

We went to the mall this weekend and Emily saw the big mailbox to Santa and immediately sat down and started "writing" to him. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas she said, "snow." Alright, Santa, you better not let her down.

9 months!

2010-10-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is 9 months old already! How did this happen???

We took her in for her check up and she's happy and healthy. She's petite just like her sister. She weighs 17 pounds, although when asleep, I swear she's at least 30 pounds.

She is busy, busy, busy. She's all over the house all the time! I think tonight I realized that she's trying to say "bath" whenever she hears the water filling in the tub. She's busily crawling toward it saying, "Ba!" She LOVES her bathtime. It's a little stressful for us since Emily is in there with her and doesn't understand the dangers of water like we do. They love it, so it's great.

She got the green light to try new table foods so we're looking forward to trying out some banana, rice and pasta in her near future. She's already a big fan of cheerios and tofu. Lots of messes coming our way.

Enjoy the pictures of my nine monther....

Flower Girl

2010-10-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Auntie Holly and Uncle Cory got married this past weekend. It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since they got engaged. We were SO THRILLED when Holly asked Emily to be a flower girl in their wedding.

At the Rehearsal Dinner, Holly gave Emily a pearl necklace to wear for the wedding day. SHE LOVED THEM. Grandma JoJo made the adorable dress. Please enjoy the pictures of the big day!

Emily-ism

2010-10-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

(Not the best quality of a picture, but I just like it)

I am LOVING all the new words and phrases that are becoming part of Emily's vocabulary. She makes us laugh so hard.

When doing something she shouldn't be doing and we catch her...."look around mommy"

When she wants me to scratch her back..."fingers mommy"

When calling her sister closer to her...(in the most southern accent possible) Ken lay, come here Ken Lay

When pronouncing "w" in the alphabet song...duck-u

When hungry..."my mouth hurts" or "my tummy hurts"

If you were having a conversation with her right now you would hear that she is going to be Belle for Halloween, that she will be a flower girl throwing petals, that she is almost three and if she goes potty she'll go to school. We hear about each one of those subjects at least once a day, but if I'm being honest, most of those subjects are touched at least three times a day.

Apple Pickin'

2010-10-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a "cold" day and decided it was the perfect day to go to the mountains for apple picking. We got the girls dressed in their long sleeved shirts and jeans, hats, socks....the works. When we got to the farm and got out of the car we were slapped with heat. Thankfully, I had sunscreen in the car! Emily refused to take her hat off. So, I guess she had the spirit of fall within her!

Oh Kinley

2010-09-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

You sure give me a run for my money. You are quite the social bug. If anyone is in the room with you, you'll give them a smile. If they leave the room you are quick to cry to get them to return.

You took your first crawl "step" on August 21st and now you are a crawling pro. You get into absolutely everything. Your favorite is shoes. I feel like you have a completely different gear when you see a shoe in your path.

You pulled yourself up on the couch for the first time yesterday. You were quite proud of yourself. You had a HUGE grin and even chuckled to yourself.

You still don't love to sleep. You like to eat okay and we were hoping that the food and crawling would help you sleep, but it hasn't helped yet.

You've been working on your upper teeth for a couple of weeks now and you finally cut them this morning. They are huge and look quite painful. I'm so sorry boo...

Gone Campin'

2010-09-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

We went camping for the weekend with our dear friends the Parlas. It was SO hot, but the kids didn't seem to notice the heat. They kept busy jumping in the bounce house, playing in the pool, riding bikes, dancing at all of the campground festivities and cruising on the scooter.

Joe, Brian, Kinley and Henry (babies were born just two days apart)

Check out those rosy cheeks!

My morning view coming from our "bedroom"

Breakfast time! Emily got her helmet on so she could play as soon as we finished eating.

Sisters loving each other...

Emily and Oliver after dancing their hearts out.

GOOD MORNING, MOM!!

Kinley 7 Months

2010-08-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone....Emily needed her picture taken too....

Hard to believe my baby girl is already seven months old! She's been working on a crawl for a couple weeks now. She gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. She has crawled a couple of "knee steps" for a few days so I know we are super close to crawling. She rolls to anything and everything. She loves to explore. I'm assuming that I will lose 15 pounds. ha! She's all smiles and giggles though, she loves everything!

She has two bottom teeth and she's currently working on her upper teeth---which I think means that there is a long night ahead of us. I wish I could say that she is sleeping perfectly through the night, but that is not even close to the truth. She is up 2-3 times a night and every once in a while every two hours. Brian usually tries to rock her back to sleep, but she wants me and won't stop crying until she has me. Ugh. I joke because I prayed that Kinley would be a little more snuggly than Emily, but I forgot to pray that she would sleep! I keep telling myself that this is only for a matter of time.

Tonight was my night to rock her to sleep. I had some lullabies playing and I found myself choked up as I listened to the tune:

Goodnight, my angel

Now it's time to dream

And dream how wonderful your life will be

Someday your child may cry

And if you sing this lullaby

Then in your heart

There will always be a part of me

Bloglogged--a mostly picture post

2010-08-11T19:39:00.001-07:00

Carrots---First veggie---not a big fan

Eating Tofu with chopsticks on daddy's birthday

Birthday Boy!

Joe, Alisha and Brian all turn 30 within a few months of each other and we took an impromptu cruise together.

Ensenada Mexico

Probably not the most flattering picture, but I had so much fun on this slide.

Love her!

I'm sure they'll hate me for posting this picture, but they look like a cruise ad

My groom and me.

Palm Desert

Grandma and Grandpa with all of the girlies

Kinley loved the pool and Grandma/Grandpa loved Kinley!

Papa Johnson's visit with Kinley for the first time. She loved the snuggles!

Kinley 6 Months

2010-08-07T14:45:00.001-07:00

This post is a bit late, but my baby girl is indeed 6 months old! I took her to the doctor for her check up and she was 15.5 pounds. He's very pleased with her overall growth pattern. She was cooing, smiling and giggling at him....well, until the shots :(

She still is not a huge fan of sleep. I'm talking about 30-45 minute naps and still waking 2-3 times at night. I'm exhausted (which probably helps explain the lack of blogposts, she just doesn't give me any time to update).

She's cut two teeth and they are growing more every day. I'm thinking she's already working on some more because she's drooling like crazy.

How can you not love this little girl? She's so sweet. She smiles SO often, too bad neither one of these shots show her sweet grin.

A couple of Emily things....

2010-07-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Emily LOVES her baby sister. She loves her too much sometimes. She likes to get right in her face and say, HI KINLEY!!!! Everything she does is RIGHT IN HER FACE. I say, Emily you need to give her space almost as often as I breathe.

The other night it went down like this:

Me: Emily, honey, you really need to give her some space

E: I can't I LOVE HER!

She's also becoming a bit more of a snuggle bug. She is not one to offer hugs to anyone. She often holds her hands straight to her side even when asked to hug a grandparent. She's just not very affectionate. Never has been. Even as a baby she would cry if we held her, she wanted to be on her own. Anyway, before going to bed, her new thing is to ask if she can snuggle us. Let me think, uh, YES! I just thought it was so incredibly sweet the other night when she "snuggled me." She was in bed and pulled my head, neck, shoulders down next to her. She started to scratch my back and hummed a tune. She played with my hair a bit and then told me it was time for bed. Love her.

FOURTH OF JULY!!!

2010-07-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

We spent the entire Fourth of July in our community this year. For the past two 4th of July's we have been out of town and we have missed the events our community puts on, but we made up for it this year!

We headed out early in the morning for the Pancake breakfast and to cheer on our neighbor's son in the 1K. It was SO precious to watch the kids run and the families/friends cheer them on. After the race we sat down and waited for the parade. It didn't entail too much, but it had a firetruck, police cars, kids on bikes etc...Emily loved the parade because they kept throwing candy out to the kids. Oh dear...

We came home for lunch and naps and then headed back out for the evening games and fireworks. The fireworks were amazing for just community fireworks. They lasted at least 15 minutes and they really didn't hold back. Very entertaining. We were sitting in a perfect spot to watch them all too. So fun!

It was SUCH A GREAT DAY!

P.S. There aren't any pictures of Brian because I pretty much had Kinley strapped to me throughout the day and didn't have access to the camera, so I had to keep asking him to take pictures of different moments...

My girls

2010-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Seriously, my girls are so precious to me. They can get me to smile at the end of a very long day. They can make my heart feel more love than I have ever known. They complete me in ways that I never knew I needed. I say this at the end of the LONGEST week.

Emily has had croup this week and we are certainly paying the price. Two nights out of the week she was up every 30 minutes either coughing or crying/whining for us to come into her room. Kinley, who is 5 months old, is not sleeping through the night yet and her amount of "wakes" have been more frequent this week. I'm thinking it might have something to do with the amount of times Emily is waking. Kinley is also outgrowing the swaddling stage though. The blankets we have used no longer contain her and we figure it's a good time to break her of that habit then to switch to a new kind of blanket and prolong the inevitable.

Brian and I are functioning on fumes. We are exhausted. Kinley is still in a bassinet in our room. She's not on a good sleep pattern yet to move her into Emily's room. We're desperate for change. We are holding out every bit of hope that Kinley starts to sleep better for several reasons.

Precious girls....PLEASE SLEEP!

Jump Up Weekend

2010-06-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Kinley, Brian and I made the difficult decision to leave the church that I had attended for twenty years. It's the church that I grew up in. It's the church that I married my husband in, dedicated my daughter in. I had the opportunity of leading worship and singing in vocal teams. I had the joy of serving with my mom, dad, sister, brother n law and husband. Brian and I both felt a tugging to cultivate more relationships in our community. We love to serve, but it was getting taxing to drive 45 minutes each way (leaving at 6:45 am) every Sunday. We knew our kids would attend church regularly, which inevitably friendships would develop and we didn't want to have to tell them no to many of the activities just because of distance.

We have been attending a church much closer to our home now since November. From the very first weekend there, Emily was bringing home little lesson crafts. I think her first craft was something that said, "We thank God for our eyes" and she was able to put stickers on it. Since then, she has done all kinds of crafts all with some sort of biblical message. This past weekend was "jump up weekend." That means that she moved into the next class. I was nervous because she doesn't do well in new environments, but she did just fine. In fact, when we picked her up I noticed she was wearing a sticker that said, "I said my bible verse today." They gave us the picture she drew on. On the picture was a black and white photo of the coat of many colors and she had pasted on some color blocks. The scripture underneath it was from Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and brave because God is with you."

I didn't think anything about the sticker claiming she said the scripture. I just figured she was coached all the way through it. Fast forward to tonight (Tuesday) when I was cleaning up after dinner and I heard Emily saying, "Be strong and bruv" It took me a second to realize what she was saying. I watched her and saw that she was doing hand movements. Sure enough, I said the scripture to her and she got the biggest smile on her face so I knew I was saying what she was saying. She showed me the hand gestures and has said the verse now several times.

For a little over an hour each week, my daughter is getting to play with kids that are learning about Jesus together and that absolutely warms my heart!

Swimmin'

2010-06-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

Emily has actually been in the pool several times, but she has NEVER been a fan of it. In fact, she HATED taking baths until she was six months old. Lexi had a pool party for her birthday and it took Emily a good five minutes or so to stop screaming about putting her feet in the water. After ten minutes in the pool she was comfortable. We decided she desperately needed swim lessons, especially since we'll be vacationing in some very warm climates this summer. She's in a 4-week course and we'll see how she does, but if it's anything like her first session, it might be the perfect fit. Here's Emily in one of her exercises with the instructor.

P.S. Sorry for Kinley's slight cry in the background. She was in my arms fighting a nap. She fell asleep about one minute after I put the camera away. Go figure...

Rollin'

2010-06-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Kinley rolled over for the first time on Friday, June 4th. We got a video of her rolling on Saturday and you can see the struggle, but now, she's a rolling maniac. I love hearing Emily talk to her sister in this video...

quick update

2010-05-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have not been good about taking pictures lately. I feel like life is in turbo speed. I have no idea how the day gets away from me as fast as it does. I guess it's just what is to be expected with working full-time and raising two kids.

It's a bummer that I don't have pictures to recall all the moments that happen throughout the day, but I also love actually being a part of the moment instead of looking through a lens. We had a great day today at Disneyland. We got there when the park opened and stayed for nine hours! Emily said hello to Mickey, rode some rides and played in the water play area. I think the highlight of my day was watching her play in the water area. She started out so timid and shy, but then all of a sudden she was jumping through the shooting water. She was squealing in delight. I realize reading about it doesn't sound like much, but to me it shows progression and it reminds just how much she changes every day.

I'm pretty sure Kinley is either going through a growth spurt or teething. She was doing really well with her sleep and her attitude, but all of a sudden she started the irritability streak again. She's waking a couple times a night again and is always chomping on her fingers in her mouth. However, when she's in a good mood....she's in a GOOD mood. She'll smile at you until you can't help but feel like everything in life is perfect.

Ol' Faithful

2010-05-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

These white shoes are Emily's FAVORITE shoes. She's worn them for a year. Imagine her dismay this morning when they didn't fit. I wish I could say she finally grew out of them, but I'm pretty sure I shrunk them in the washer/dryer. They are noticeably smaller. Oops, my bad.

Back to Work

2010-05-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Oi Vey.

It's been quite the adventure returning to work.

Kinley is still not sleeping great (waking 1-2 times a night) so that's SUPER hard when having to work early mornings. Thankfully, Brian and I both have early morning start times so we're both busy helping the kiddos in the morning. Kinley is adjusting to daycare. Apparently, she had a rough first day, but she's starting to get more comfortable with her new surroundings. My heart still aches to be with them.

Pumping. Three times a day. Need I say more?

The good news? I got a new car so it makes the commute to daycare and work a little more enjoyable. Hopefully, I'll get to trade the commute with carpooling with my kids friends someday...

Wild Animal Park

2010-05-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life should not be taken for granted.

2010-04-28T15:11:00.001-07:00

I've started this blog post more times than I can count. I feel like I have so many thoughts...too many thoughts to even make anything sound anywhere near coherent.

Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life should not be taken for granted.

I have two healthy, sweet, crazy, crying, beautiful, tantrum throwing girls. I've felt many emotions in the past three months. I've experienced exhaustion, joy, frustration, worry, fear, peace, love--unconditional love in ways I didn't know I could feel.

Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life should not be taken for granted.

April 18, 2010 a sweet little boy entered this world. His entrance, about three months early, came with compromising health. He was born to a family that loved him and an extended "family" that began praying for him, petitioning for his life from the moment he took his first breath. On April 27, 2010 (the same day my daughter turned three months) he took his last breath. This sweet little life brought at least 1,000 people in unity. I'm devastated by the loss of his life. I feel a bit guilty every time I get to hold my daughter. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to soothe her cries. (The same cries that last week I thought were going to send me over the edge.)

During the time I spent praying for him, I came across "Healing is in your Hands" and I have to say these words of promise are exactly what I needed to hear.

No mountain, no valley, no gain or loss we know could keep us from Your love

No sickness, no secret, no chain is strong enough to keep us from Your love

How high, how wide No matter where I am, healing is in Your hands

How deep, How strong, And now by Your grace I stand, healing is in Your hands

Our present, our future, our past is in Your hands We're covered by Your blood

We're covered by Your blood

In all things, we know that we are more than conquerors you keep us by your love

sAlthough God didn’t answer our prayers in the ways we hoped, I’m confident his life, although way too short, made an impact. His untimely death helped me realize the fragility of life. I don't want to take it for granted. I want to hold my girls. I want to kiss my husband. I want to feel the wind in my face. I want to share love, joy and tears with my friends and family.

Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life should not be taken for granted.

Hug the ones you love.

Precious Moments

2010-04-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

My maternity leave is coming to a close faster than I can appreciate. In just two short weeks I'll be back at work. These pictures were taken from my phone camera so the quality isn't great, but this is what I will miss when I go back to work.

Emily gets into just about everything while I'm nursing. She's learned that there isn't much I can do when I'm sitting in "my spot" nursing Kinley. This particular moment made me laugh because she put a pair of my socks on and they were up past her calves, but by the time I got the picture they had fallen down quite a bit. She was dancing around singing, "I'm wearing mommy's socks, I'm wearing mommy's socks." It got a good chuckle out of me.
My view most mornings..... I try to load up the kiddos in the double stroller and go for a walk for at least an hour so Kinley gets an hour nap in during the morning. I look forward to when she can sit up in the stroller because I feel kinda funny pushing the princess around.
Do I need to add much to this picture caption? I live for these precious smiles. They make up for the hours of cries she gives me each day.

Emily-isms

2010-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Brian uses listerine religiously. I don't use it as often. Emily has apparently noticed this because when I used it the other morning she yells, "HEY! That's Daddy's drink!"

I walked into the living room this morning after changing Kinley's diaper. Emily was sitting in the spot I sit on the couch to nurse Kinley. Her shirt is up, her doll is on her belly and she says "time for the other side."

Whenever Emily sees a plane she'll either say, "Daddy, San Fa-crisco" (From Brian going on a business trip the weekend before Kinley was born) or "PAPA! nenaplolis (from my dad's recent trip to Indianapolis)

When Kinley is crying, "It's okay Kinley bear, it's okay."

When we go to a store and she sees clothes she'll pick them up and say, "Mommy this is pretty cute."

Her poor toys are very tired they're always being put to bed because they are tired. When she puts them down, she's often repeating what we say to her at night, "Sleep well honey, I love you." A lot of the time she'll even sing them "Jesus Loves Me" to calm them down.

If her toys aren't in bed they are in time out...they certainly misbehave a lot throughout the day.

Tantrum City

2010-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

We have moved to Tantrum City. I will accept any housewarming gifts.

I am so tired. Kinley is not an easy baby (in my opinion). She grunts a lot, cries a lot and doesn't sleep enough (especially at night) so when tantrums from Emily come from nowhere it exhausts me.

Yesterday we went to the park with my family and friends and we had a great time. When we headed back to the car, Emily was walking with me just fine and then all of a sudden stops in her tracks and screams at the top of her lungs. I had Kinley wrapped around me so I can't carry Emily so my sister volunteers. She screamed all the way to the car. She screamed the entire time I was putting her in the car and half way home. It's in those moments that I feel like I don't know what I could have done to make any of it better. She doesn't use her words she just screams.

We have moved to Tantrum City.

Right now we are on time-out number three in 20 minutes. I am being tested to the nth degree and I am not a fan. This whole having a newborn and two year old is tough...

Easter in Pictures

2010-04-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ready, Hike

First Easter Basket

Kinley's didn't fit in a basket...

So sweet---after naptime---wasn't quite awake

Oops, picked the wrong picture, but I don't have minutes to spare to fix it! ha! Here's my two girls on Easter (again, after naptime so Emily's clip is out)

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Papa's house

Kinley got in on the action....(the purple egg next to her hand)

Reunited and it feels so good

2010-04-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Kinley's first visit to Disneyland---let the magic begin! (I think the magic started immediately because Kinley actually slept through the entire visit.)

Love them (Brian and Emily, not Chip and Dale)

Easter Egg Dippin' Treats

2010-04-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Family visits

2010-03-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Emily and Kinley had lots of family visits this past week. She got a visit from Grandma JoJo, Auntie Alyse and Grandma Wolf. Emily loved having someone else besides me in the house. I think the names "auntie lease" and "mommy" might be tied for the number of times used while Auntie was here.

Grandma JoJo, Emily and Kinley

Gma JoJo bought this book for Emily and they read it immediately

Grandma Wolf holding Kinley for the first time

Auntie Alyse brought a book with her too and of course, they read it right away as well

PB and J moustache...

Grandma Wolf and Emily making lizard faces

Book time before naptime...Grandma Wolf bought a book for every week that I was pregnant with Emily. This book was from that collection...

Perfectly imperfect, but Emily doesn't care...

2010-03-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have a desire to be the perfect, creative mother, but I tend to fall short a lot on that. The good news is, Emily doesn't know any different. I knew St. Patrick's Day was coming up and I thought about it quite a bit before hand; however, when March 17th arrived I had completely forgotten about it. So, what's a mom to do? Make some sugar cookies and pull out the green icing (meant for Christmas with tree sprinkles and all) and go to town. Yes, she is in her pjs...

The other day I was getting ready and I heard a clicking sound. I looked behind me and Emily had a pair of my heels on. Sometimes when I show excitement toward her, I cover my mouth....looks like she picked up on that behavior.

Hopeful

2010-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

God is faithful. I know this.

On Saturday my family decided to head to church in Huntington Beach so we could be "lazy" on Sunday if we wanted to be. Emily went to "sunday school" while Brian, Kinley and I sat in church with my mom/dad/sister. You have to understand that growing up in my family meant many hours spent at the church. In fact when my dad first started working at FCCHB Kristi and I would take sleeping bags to take naps at the church in his office....that's how long our day would be there. I can count on one maybe two hands how many times my nuclear family have sat in church together. It was special for me.

Two of the songs we sang that night in worship were two of the songs I kept singing to myself when I thought I wasn't pregnant. I prayed a lot for this little being that didn't yet exist....per a false negative pregnancy test. When I found out I was pregnant a couple days later these songs were sung out of praise. Anyway, I of course teared up a lot.

I love my little family. I want more than anything to stay home with my girls. I'm DESPERATE to find work from home or even part-time work outside the home. I'm grateful for my job in the midst of the recession, so I'm trying to be content, but I am also praying for an opportunity to be here for my kids....

God is faithful. I know this.

Spills

2010-03-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Emily is so interested in Kinley. If Kinley is crying Emily tells us she's crying. If she cries when we are in Emily's room tucking her in, she kindly asks us to go check on her. Literally uses the word "check." She's funny. I think the phrase that makes me smile the most is when Kinley spits up after eating, Emily will yell, "Mommy! She spilled again!"

Love my stripes, but not as much as I love my girls

2010-03-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have always liked striped shirts, I have no idea why. In fact, I had quite a few horizontal striped sweaters and shirts in maternity clothes and people would make remarks about how the horizontal stripes certainly didn't help my pregnant stomach situation. wow. thanks. Anywho....On Sunday, I got Kinley dressed and then I got dressed and realized it was going to be a picture day because without thinking about it I dressed us both in stripes.

Emily got jealous of Kinley and me in our photo shoot so I wanted to get her in the pictures as well, but as you can see by the look on her face, she wasn't as interested as she was acting. (Please note the stripes on her sleeves!)

Sister time

2010-03-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted to start pumping to give Brian a chance to feed Kinley, but when Emily figured out what was going on she begged to be in on the action. It's not like I could say no to that. It was just too cute. So here are some pictures of the big event.

Breastfeeding Sucks

2010-03-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

Literally...

Okay, so I am a huge fan of nursing. In fact, I nursed for the first year of my first child's life. I think the benefits to nursing far outweigh all of the things I don't enjoy about it, but for therapeutic purposes, I felt I needed to write out my thoughts on the subject.

I have a couple of friends that formula feed their child full-time and I gotta tell you, it looks pretty amazing. I mean, the moms can get out of the house easily to get their hair done or plan dates for themselves to get some adult time. The dads can help out in the middle of the night or help when you are sick. When you are nursing, there is no rest for the weary. (I'm sick and weary as I write this, so I apologize now for that kind of tone.)

Here are some common questions that I have spinning in my head:

1.) If breastfeeding is "best" for the baby---providing the essential nutrients etc.. why is it so hard for mom/baby to get established?

2.) Why does breast milk not stay in the baby's system as long as formula does? (I know the answer to this, I just wish it stayed in their system better.)

3.) Why is it different at every feeding? One breast, both breasts etc.

4.) Pumping is not fun. I'm pumping in the evenings so Brian can feed her once. Last night I got 4 oz, tonight I got 2 oz. I'm assuming the big difference is because I am sick, but seriously, why does there have to be that added stress on the mom?

5.) Latching---sometimes it's perfect and sometimes she takes a good 5 minutes to latch (doesn't have that problem with the bottle)

6.) With Emily it took about 3 months before I felt like we had a great rhythm going, why so long?

I'm sure I have more, but right now I'm just thinking about not getting enough milk and having to supplement with formula. ugh.

Pictures of Kinley

2010-03-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Doesn't use this kind of pacifier anymore, but I loved how she would try to hold it.

Do you think Haley likes her?

Lexi wanted to hold her, but once she did, she wasn't too sure of it all

Emily loves her little sister so much

A little Valentine's Day photo shoot

First family of four photo

2010-03-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm quite embarrassed to admit that we didn't take a family of four photo until ONE MONTH after Kinley was born. Truth be told, I wasn't thinking of taking a photo on this day either....and I didn't! We were at a birthday party for our friend who turned one and his mom was taking pictures---I asked her to forward the picture because along with diapers, I forgot my camera at home! So, it isn't the best picture of any of us (especially since you can't see Kinley at all---and don't even get me started on how I feel like I look in it), but it's our first picture as the four of us and because of that, I love it.

P.S. Emily's shirt says "smile" so I guess she figured she would let the shirt do the hard work. She obviously didn't think she needed to do it.

One Month

2010-03-04T07:05:00.001-08:00

My little girl is already five weeks old. I feel like she's been here a lot longer than that....probably because I am getting such little sleep. We're up a lot so it gives us more time to enjoy the 24 hours in a day--haha. There isn't too much to report since she pretty much just eats, stares, sleeps, cries, grunts and poops.

At her one month appointment she weighed 9 pounds 2 oz. She gained 50% of her birth weight. I was really glad to hear that since it's all momma's milk! Her length and head circumference have gained proportional to her weight so it was a good report. She has an umbilical hernia. We hope to see that clear before her first birthday, but we don't know for sure if it will happen that "quickly."

Emily is really handling this all in stride. She seems to be disappointed when I say, "not right now" if she wants to do something while I am nursing Kinley. That makes me sad too. She's a great big sister and loves to kiss her on her forehead. She seems to constantly be doing some sort of roll call because she asks where Kinley is even if she's sitting right next to her. It's funny.

I love my girls...

Zoo time

2010-02-20T20:26:00.001-08:00

Last year we had annual passes to Sea World and Disneyland and we realize that with a newborn we don't necessarily need to have passes to an amusement park since so much of it is spent with me away from the family nursing. (not to mention the hefty price tag that goes along with it.) However, we really enjoy taking Emily out to explore new things. Emily has only visited one mediocre zoo, so we decided it was time to take her to one that actually has animals like elephants, lions, monkeys etc...

Have I mentioned how much I love the Parla family? They are always willing to join us in our adventures. It is so much fun for all of us because Emily and Oliver play so well together. Joe and Brian are such great friends and Alisha and I get to bond over motherhood and all the things that go along with it. Thankfully our three week olds were on the same nursing schedule so we just sat at a picnic table and fed the kiddos while Joe and Brian took the older kids to the playground.

We used the video camera more on this trip than the regular digital camera so believe it or not, these are the only photos I got---NONE of them include an animal! We were all amazed at how close we were to a lion. I mean, seriously close. Emily enjoyed it since she just recently watched Madagascar...

More than a bassinet

2010-02-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with Emily, our friends loaned us their bassinet. We didn't realize how much we would love the idea of a bassinet until we used it. Emily slept in our room for the first couple of months until she was sleeping longer stretches then we moved her to her crib in her room.

Our friends that loaned us the bassinet with Emily were/are pregnant at the same time I was pregnant with Kinley so we knew we couldn't borrow the bassinet. When Brian's dad heard we needed a bassinet he called to let us know that he had held onto Brian's bassinet. We had no idea. Brian's dad and grandfather built this bassinet in anticipation for Brian's arrival. It's very sentimental for me to know that my youngest daughter sleeps where her dad once slept. There are no words.

Brian's dad kept the bassinet in good condition, but decided to spruce it up a bit and paint it for us and even hand delivered it to us all the way from Oregon.

This bassinet sat empty in our room for a couple of months. It's right next to my side of the bed. I can't tell you how many times I stared at this empty bassinet wondering what it was like for Brian's parents to watch him sleeping. I wondered what their prayers were for him. I wondered if they sat and watched his facial expressions while he slept. I wondered if they dreamed for him while he rested. I wondered so many things.

I knew that someday soon I would be looking into the bassinet at my daughter. I knew that all I would want to do is stare. I knew I would be overcome with emotion. I just didn't realize that I wasn't the only one....

You see, it's more than a bassinet. It's love.

First couple of weeks

2010-02-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

For journaling purposes, I want to document what the past 2 weeks have been like for this new fam of four. Brian and I are EXHAUSTED. The hospital stay was not the same as it was when we delivered Emily. The hospital was packed---we were told that every time the nurses shifts changed. I never moved from the labor and delivery room which had some perks---larger room and the bed for Brian was more comfortable, but the bed for me was horrible. Since it was purely a labor and delivery bed---it wasn't cozy in the slightest and to sit there all day certainly didn't help the healing process. I came home in more pain this time around and even a bit more tired. I think the shock of having a baby early took it's toll on me as well.

We came home from the hospital and Emily came down with a horrible cold. It started out as just a cough, but then she had a fever for three days and the cough seemed to sound much more deep and rough to me. We set up a doctor's appointment for her because she wasn't eating or sleeping well. (thankfully she was still requesting liquids.) The sleep took another toll on me. Kinley was up every 2-3 hours and then Emily would wake right after Kinley went down. I think Brian and I both felt like zombies.

Unfortunately, when Kinley was born, my dad, sister, niece were all sick so we didn't have too much help, but my mom has been an absolute champ. She took three days off work to help and has offered to keep Emily overnight a couple nights this weekend. It's truly a blessing. We wake up so tired, but Emily wakes up needing our attention to the fullest. She's been acting out to get our attention and that's new for us. She's whining and crying a lot, but when Grandma is around, she's happy as a lark. **I should certainly include that since my dad has been feeling better he came down to give us a few hours of a break and helps with the overnight stays too.** The cousins get to meet Kinley tonight for the first time too so that should be fun.

Kinley is up just about every 2-3 hours during the night and because of her jaundice state we've been told to wake her every 3 hours during the day. So, I don't completely feel like myself, but more like a cow---She likes to be held and comforted throughout the day and sometimes at night too.

Today we got out for the first time as a family of four and walked around the neighborhood. Emily got some park time and Kinley got her snuggle time since I was "wearing" her. I hope to come out of this fog of tiredness soon!

Kinley in pictures

2010-02-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Holding Kinley for the first time...

The newest addition...

Emily meeting Kinley for the first time.

She immediately asked to hold her...

Checking out her sister

Dressed and ready to head home

Leaving the hospital.

We really didn't know that I was in labor as early as I was. We had the car seat, just not the right head piece. We had to take the pillowcase off of Brian's pillow to support her head on the way home....oops!

Kinley was jaundice at birth and it was suggested that we supplement with formula after a nursing session. Emily asked if she could feed her and we were happy to let her help...

Kinley's Story----pictures to come later

2010-01-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning, January 26th, I woke up feeling 37 weeks pregnant. I was rested, but still very aware I was in the last part of the third trimester. I got Emily up and ready for daycare and when I finished changing her diaper and lifted her from the changing table back down to the floor, I felt my back get really sore. After I dropped her off and headed to work the tension in my back didn't feel any better. I turned on the seat heater in my car because it often reaches to my lower back. I got to work and was really uncomfortable throughout the day. It finally hit me that maybe what I was feeling was actually contractions and not braxton hicks.

I had sporadic contractions throughout the day---nothing consistent---nothing really even noteworthy except for that I was uncomfortable. I met with students, I wrote letters of recommendation, I dealt with parents--a normal day. I took a short lunch because I just wanted to get home to rest. I was able to lay down without Brian or Emily around for about 40 minutes. Brian got home with Emily and he left to get his hair cut while Emily and I played games. I didn't have any contractions during that time. In fact, I didn't really have anything for several hours. The pain from the day helped me realize that I didn't have anything packed for myself or Emily for the stay in the hospital so I got busy doing that. I even washed Kinley's "going home from the hospital" outfit. Around 9:00 I started to feel the contractions come on a bit and started researching braxton hicks----from what I could remember they didn't start in the back and I was right, but was I really having contractions 19 days early?

I decided to turn in at 10:00, but contractions started coming every 10-12 minutes and hurt more while lying down, so I got up and walked around a bit. I started praying. I didn't know what all of this meant. With Emily, my water broke before I felt an ounce of pain from a contraction, so I really didn't know what to expect. They started coming a little more regular under 10 minutes so I decided I should wake Brian up. We timed the contractions for 45 minutes and they were now falling every 5-6 minutes and lasted 45-60 seconds. We called the doctor on call and they suggested I head to the hospital. We had to wake up our friends Shannon and Jeremy to come and watch Emily. Once they got there we headed to the hospital.

I was so nervous it was going to be a false alarm and that we woke our friends up prematurely. I just kept hoping it was legit. We arrived around 1:00 am and they had a billion questions to ask me before they did any type of check. Around 1:45 am, they checked me and I was dilated to 4 cm. I was admitted shortly after that. We headed to the delivery room and again, I had to answer several questions all the while breathing through contractions that were now coming every 1.5-2 minutes. Contractions are not my friend. You know who is? Mr. Epidural. Once the epidural was active, I was able to rest. My mom, dad and sister got there right after they medicated me and we had some nice conversation before I decided I really needed to close my eyes and rest while I could.

The nurse came in around 5:00 and let me know that the doctor was next door finishing up a delivery and that she would be in to check me shortly. I was at a 10. It was go time. At 5:30, I pushed 2 times and they had me wait because she was already ready to come out, but the room wasn't ready. So, we waited. I was watching the clock because Emily was born at 5:51 and I thought it would be cool if I had them at the same time. Unfortunately, they finished setting up 2 minutes too late! 2 quick pushes and Kinley entered the world and changed my life forever on January 27, 2010 at 5:53 am. (18 days early!!!) She was already "talking" with the doctor. It was so cute, she wasn't crying, she was cooing with her. (Don't worry, the cries came.) She weighed 6 pounds 6 oz and measured 19 inches long.

For those of you who know me well know I am a little silly about numbers. You'll be glad to know that her birthdate---01.27.10 can be added up 1+2+7=10.

36 weeks and other happenings

2010-01-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

That's right, I have actually less than four weeks until my due date and we're pretty excited about that around here. I took a picture of my belly, but I am a bit too lazy to get it uploaded for this post.

My mind is exploding with all kinds of thoughts right now. The devastation in Haiti is beyond words for me. My brother in law's father just lost his battle to a brain tumor and when I don't really know what to do in these situations to help, I pray. I pray a lot.

So, I get choked up in the little things around home. I appreciate the laughter Emily brings. I love it when she looks at my belly to see how Kinley is and then turns around and lifts Brian's shirt up to see how Kinley is....hehehe. I think she's finally starting to understand that Kinley will be coming home with us. She's helped us get some of her clothes put away. She knows where her bed is. I made the mistake of telling Emily that Kinley will come out of my belly and she'll probably cry, but she'll also sleep and eat and poop....so now Emily often asks if Kinley pooped yet. Great.

I cherish our "night-night" routine and love hearing Emily sing songs of worship and offer up names of people she wants to pray for before she goes to bed. She prays for family, she prays for the kids in Haiti, she prays for Kinley. She sings "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world" and that one gets me the most when I think about all the children in Haiti....She's such a little nurturer because if she sees a tear she wants to know, "what's wrong mommy?"

She's going to be such a good big sister. We're talking about Kinley all the time around here. Can't wait to meet her!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-01T19:15:00.001-08:00

If the year 2010 will be anything like the last few hours of 2009 it will be a GREAT year. I haven't laughed so much in a long time and it was just what I needed! My parents were SO sweet to offer to watch Emily overnight for New Year's Eve so we thought it would be so fun to ring in the new year with Joe and Alisha sans kids! We had a lovely dinner and spent 3 hours in a restaurant actually focused on each other and the conversation instead of instructing one of our kids to stay close or leaving the restaurant to "reset" our little one's attitude.

We planned to go to a movie, but since our dinner took so long we just decided to head home. Now, I get made fun of a lot because I'm always wanting to get a picture or "THE" perfect picture for my blog. Well, we didn't quite get the perfect photo last night and I decided I needed to post the series of events...

First of all, the reason I wanted a picture in the first place was because they bought us these flannel pajamas and they were giving us a really hard time because we didn't wear them yet. Brian and I both get pretty hot in our sleep so the idea of flannel didn't sound cozy. Fine to hang out in, but not sleep in. Anyway, after much abuse we finally put them on. So, I "demanded" a photo.

Joe looking super comfortable, cozy and cute, Queen Alisha on her throne, me holding on to Brian hoping to somewhat cover the major baby bump...After this picture I realized I probably shouldn't have already taken my make-up off...oh well.
Okay, so the next picture, I decided that holding to brian didn't help, I liked Joe's idea of cozy from the first picture...Brian looks like he might like me a little bit more in this photo....oh, and Alisha is still on her throne.
Our camera was on a timer. Joe and Alisha were posing like they were at prom and then they said it wasn't much like prom....I told them it was because Brian wasn't holding on to me. So I grabbed his hand and put it on my belly---it was at that exact moment that the camera took the picture which is why Joe and Alisha are laughing so hard.
So, then we do the prom picture and they don't---Alisha's eyes are even closed. It was at that point that they all gave up on me.

For the remainder of the evening we pretty much just played games. I HAD to get a video of Brian playing this game because it was just too good not to share. I'm sure if you don't know Brian that well it's not very funny, but trust me this is SO OUT of his comfort zone. This game is called "Just Dance" and he actually BEAT all of us! It was a great night!

Christmas Mental Memories

2009-12-28T08:00:00.001-08:00

Okay, I can honestly say that I was not very good about getting the camera out at Christmas this year. I was caught up in family time and my gut reaction wasn't to grab the camera every time....hopefully I don't regret that someday, but here are some of my mental memories....

Skyping with Auntie Alyse, Uncle Robert and Grandma/Grandpa Johnson so that they could see Emily open their gifts. Technology is truly amazing. She was excited to see them and I'm pretty sure it was special for them to be able to see her too. She had so much fun running around the living room for them.

iChatting with Grandma and Grandpa Sewell because Emily wanted to see them. So, she showed them what Santa brought her---a new baby crib. She dropped the baby when "waking her up" and came running to me with the doll and asked for "tylenol in the mouth." She was obviously concerned that the baby was hurt.

Watching this girl open gifts was so fun. I really didn't think she would be as into it as she was. We had to let her open our gifts too to satisfy her need of opening more gifts!

Emily LOVED playing with her cousins Haley and Lexi. She followed them wherever they went. They played gator golf together, colored together, ate together, watched a Christmas show together, hugged each other, laughed with each other and even cried with each other....(you know, when one of them would "steal" something from the other or color on top of the other's picture or just plain old tired) It was fun to see how much they have all changed from our last Christmas gathering. Hard to believe we'll have another addition next year!

Last Disney Day

2009-12-21T16:54:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was our last visit to Disneyland until Kinley is born. We don't plan to renew right away, but we do look forward to visiting Disneyland again. The hardest part about not renewing right now is how much Emily loves Disneyland. We had lots of rain last weekend, but we decided that if it cleared up enough we would run out there. Sure enough it stopped and although we were there for only a couple of hours, it was one of the BEST visits we have ever had. As soon as we walked into the park, Minnie was there to greet friends. Emily LOVES Minnie, but we didn't know how she would react because she was really bashful in line, but as soon as it was her turn....well, you can see for yourself...

Move on over Santa....

2009-12-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

Make way for the Pacifier Fairy! I think I can count on two hands the amount of times that I have actually slept through the night in the past two years (longer if you count pregnancy). I will definitely say that Brian and I are at fault to a certain degree to how much we have babied Emily. We were so proud of ourselves for getting her off the pacifier except for naptime and bedtime WELL OVER a year ago.; however, we never really let her cry it out if it fell out in the middle of the night. As two full-time workers, we never really felt the desire to let her cry it out because we figured that meant more dramatic sleepless nights and we just never felt like it was that big of a deal. Well, I AM OVER IT. Since she is in the toddler bed we are getting even less sleep because if she loses the pacifier, she'll just walk into our room and turn the lights on. This is not working for this 32 week pregnant woman. I'm exhausted.

Last night we tried to get her to go to bed without the pacifier and she actually did really well, but she came into our room four times asking for it. We didn't let her have it, but she is resourceful and did find it on her own. So, this afternoon before naptime we took some time and made a box to send to the Pacifier Fairy. The fairy's desire is to collect pacifiers from all the big boys and girls and give them to the babies that cry. So, sure enough, the Pacifier Fairy came during Emily's nap. Here are pictures and videos of the big event...

My little nurturer

2009-12-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

Emily has been very nurturing to her baby and other toys lately. We'll often hear her say "it's okay" while both arms are wrapped tightly around one of her toys. Last night, I walked into the room and I could see that she was rocking and as I listened closely, I heard her singing "Jesus, Kinley the Bible tells me so." You see, not only do we sing Jesus Loves Me to her before she goes to bed, but we sing it to her whenever she is crying or in distress. Apparently, Felipe (one of handy manny's toys) was crying and she needed to comfort him....

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day was spent very different for me this year than in any year past. My parents and my sister and her family were basically all sick (not knowing exactly what it might be, but fevers were involved) and since I'm 7 months pregnant and I have a 2 year old, I didn't figure it was in my family's best interest to spend the day with my family.

(VERY hard decision to make...tears were shed)

So, what do you do if you can't spend the day with your family? You go over to your friends' home who are just like family! Emily LOVES her little boyfriend Oliver. We enjoy speculating what it would be like if they fell in love when they get older...

Here are a few pictures and a video of the day. Brian took Emily to the park and when she came home I was busy stirring the sweet potatoes for the casserole. Sure enough, she started shouting "Stir, stir!" Oliver assisted her by pulling a chair to the island and they both took turns stirring. Toward the end of dinner, someone put a napkin on Oliver's back and he became Superman, not to be outdone, Emily wanted one too and became Superwoman. In the video, the very first thing she says is "superwoman."

**I realize one of the pictures is super blurry, but you have to understand how much these kids love each other. They kept hugging one another---so quickly that all I got was a fuzzy picture!

My baby

2009-11-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

I realized today just how thankful I am for my sweet family. Emily had a tough time going down for a nap today, so I was rocking her and it was like Kinley was trying to calm her down too. I just felt all of these arm extensions along my belly and was overcome with emotion. There I was as a mommy of two (sorta).

Then I realized how little I have blogged about Kinley and since the purpose of this blog is for me to have a journal keepsake, I figured I should update a blog about my baby.

I'm frequently asked, "how are you doing/feeling?" I don't know if it's just the obvious question to ask since I am "huge" or if people really do want to know, so here ya go....Overall, I feel pretty good. With Emily I worked out like a champ EVERY day unless I was too sick to, but I would either go to the gym or take a nature walk. With Kinley, my exercise is taking care of Emily or parking far away to walk to the store. ha-ha. Since the last weekend of October I have been in pretty steady discomfort in my thighs and back. I didn't have this with Emily at all. I talked with my doctor and he said it is very common in your 2nd pregnancy for your body to prepare early for labor. He also gave me the news that unfortunately it won't get better. I'm supposed to not lift Emily as often (you tell that to a tantrum throwing 2 year old) and take it easy (how exactly do you do that working full-time, 7 months pregnant while taking care of a two year old?) My neck and shoulders are really feeling the weight as well and can cause some pretty good tension...Thankfully, that's it---that's all I really have to complain about.

I still love being pregnant even though I think I could win a waddling competition in the pregnancy olympics. It's amazing to feel this sweet little girl inside kicking and stretching and rolling. I daydream about what it will be like to see her and see who she looks like. I wonder if she'll look just like Emily or if she'll surprise us all and be completely different. Emily had lots of hair and it was dark, will Kinley? Will my little girls have a bond from the beginning? etc...

Emily has been giving hugs and kisses to Kinley before going to bed and it's just so sweet.

Kinley, you are such a little miracle to us. I can't wait to snuggle with you.

Precious moments..

2009-11-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

I know I have blogged before about how special "night-night" time can be with Emily. She's been really good about going night-night ever since she was a baby. The process leading up to the "tuck in" has changed throughout the two years and I have to say that although I miss the snuggle time, singing and praying together has become more and more special.

Please don't judge me for seeing a pacifier in her mouth---I know she's getting older. She only "needs" it at bedtime and we're working on eliminating that too. Anyway, this is a very precious moment between the "three" of us since she demanded that we sing, "Yes, Jesus loves Kinley." Almost made me cry...

Happy Birthday Emily!!

2009-11-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

My birthday was a week before Emily's. When a dessert was served to me with a candle in it, she was very concerned. She wasn't a big fan. Then, for her real birthday, a sundae was delivered to her and she was somewhat interested, but still didn't really want to blow it out. So, when she reacted this way at her party, I was elated. So cute!

Two years...

2009-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

A little over two years ago I remember seeing this quote:

"A baby fills a place in your heart you never knew was empty."

I cannot begin to put into words just how true that statement is for me. As most of you know, I never really dreamed about having a family. In fact, the thought of it made me cringe. I didn't have the natural feeling of wanting to be a mom....it wasn't a desire for me. Obviously, God changed my heart in a major way and I am so grateful that I was open to the change and that God saw me "fit" to be a mother.

The past two years have been the most challenging and rewarding two years of my life. I have experienced joy in ways I can't even put into words. From watching her sleep, eating solid foods, crawling, standing up, walking, talking, singing, praying to experiencing life through her eyes (fireworks, aquariums, rides, bejeweled etc...) it's been amazing. However, the discipline part is the challenging part. The more she grows and matures, the more she becomes even more independent. We're having to learn a lot about each other. Sometimes we have great moments, sometimes we don't have such great moments, but it's a work in progress.

My heart is so full of love for this little girl. Emily...I love you so very much.

Doctor Johnson---Halloween

2009-11-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Halloween day. Brian and I met up with my parents in the morning and visited the local mall for some trick or treating. Emily was a little nervous at first, but once she got the hang of it, she was all over it.

Emily would get her treats and after just about every stop, she would set her pumpkin down on the ground and check out what she just got. (She doesn't eat candy---she has NO idea what all of these packages are, but she was still very interested in holding them.)

We met up with all of the family on Halloween Night for some neighborhood trick or treating. Here is Emily with Grandma and Grandpa (or me-maw and pa-pa---she just changed their names). She was not a big fan of their costumes at the beginning, but this was taken closer to the end of the evening and she was okay with the costumes.

Getting more goodies...

These pumpkins are on the lawn I used to call my own. It was very strange walking up the stairs that lead to the door to knock and trick or treat with my almost 2 year old. It brought up more emotions than I would have expected...

Haley showing Emily the trick or treating ropes...

24 weeks and a toddler bed

2009-10-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Emily was teething a couple weeks ago and she was not sleeping at all, so we decided instead of waiting until her birthday to give her the bed we would give it to her that weekend. Kinley and Emily will share their room so we left the crib in the room. When it came time for "night-night" time she was VERY disturbed that we were not putting her in the crib. Although we had a very rough night the first night (mostly teething related if you ask me) she has done really well. She has yet to realize she can actually get out on her own and open the door which is a major blessing to me and my need of sleep.

We always put her down with her blanket, but she tends to take it off almost immediately in the night.

Such a big girl!!!

I love you, Kinley

2009-10-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Emily was super snuggly with me and Brian last night. She has said "I love you" for quite awhile now, but it's typically said at night after we have put her in bed and are about to close the door. We always say "I love you Emily" and she responds with "I love you." Well, yesterday afternoon and evening Emily was telling us she loved us constantly and would even follow it up with a hug. She'll say "hold you" when she wants us to hold her or she'll say, "hugs" when she wants a hug. She did plenty of that last night too.

Brian and I share the responsibility of putting Emily to bed....we split it up every other night so that she doesn't expect us both to be there every night. We each have our own routines with her. My routine lately has been centered around singing songs and talking to the "baby in mommy's belly." She still doesn't quite understand the idea that there is an actual baby in my belly, but she's definitely noticing that my stomach is getting bigger. This past week I've had to put Emily down more often because of Brian's schedule so we've had a lot of tummy time together. She pats it every night and even says, "hi baby!"

Last night after our song and prayer time Emily gave me a big hug and told me she loved me. I told her that I loved her back. I asked her if she loved "baby" and she said yes. I asked her if she would tell the baby that she loved her. (It was at that moment that I just about lost it.) Emily put her tiny, sweet hands on my belly, leaned in and said, "I love you, Kinley."

My little singer

2009-10-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

It has been SO much fun hearing Emily's sweet little voice in conversation. I am blown away with what she understands in conversation. She is such a little sponge and retains so many words it's truly fascinating. She's recognizing letters (although she is most comfortable with the letter O and she finds it everywhere). She's trying hard to count (her favorite number is 2). My personal new personal favorite is her SINGING voice! We have been listening to the same CD's for so long now, but she's finally singing along with them! Her two favorites right now are Old MacDonald and John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. JJJS cracks me up because not only does she try saying the words she also focuses on the whispering and shouting parts. I LOVE IT!

At night before I lay her down she requests that I sing her a song. Lately her request has been "Jeeshus" which means Jesus Loves Me. Oh man, it warms my heart.

Okay, gotta go, she just said, "bath" and took off to the bathroom and turned the lights on---oh dear, now I hear all kinds of thuds.....

Photos in review...

2009-10-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

So, Emily got her fourth stomach virus in the middle of September. We had NO idea the flu was coming....if we did, I can assure you she wouldn't have had the chocolate chip cookie earlier that day! That's part of the lack of blogging. She was sick for three days and then the following weekend I got the same thing with a bronchitis bonus. Boo.
Auntie Alyse was just in town and was SO generous with her belongings with Emily. In the picture above, Emily is holding Alyse's camera and taking a picture of her baby. She says "Cheese" when she has the camera in her hand.
The camera also has an easy playback viewing of any pictures and video. Here is Emily viewing various videos that Auntie took throughout the weekend.
We all went to the pumpkin patch Saturday night. It was past Emily's bedtime when we got there so it wasn't the best experience, but I was very pleased we did get a family photo. Check out that huge stomach of mine! (The night before this photo was taken a man asked me when I was due, when I told him I had 4 months left, he was shocked he said I look like I would be due next month---as if I didn't feel huge already!)
Our little blue girl....the florescent lights were directly over the pile of pumpkins that Emily was checking out. I just love her sweet smile here...

20 week baby bump

2009-09-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Emily.......are you having a brother or sister?

2009-09-25T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Merry-Go-Round

2009-09-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

She used to hate this...but all of a sudden she can't get enough. We were at Fashion Island the other day and was very upset that she couldn't ride it.....why would we pay $2 when we can get it for free at D-land :)

Finding Thankfulness in the Stomach Flu

2009-09-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

My sweet Emily is sick. She was filled with personality yesterday with a few tantrums (really nothing different than most days---she loves her tantrums). We went to church and on the way home she cried the entire way. Not completely unusual there either....since it was past her bedtime. We got home and put her to bed still acting very normal. She began to whimper a lot---not usual. I went in there and she pointed at her rocking chair and said, "chair." I asked her if she wanted me to rock her and she said yes. She fell asleep, I put her back in her bed and she began whimpering almost as soon as I put her down. I felt good in that moment because I thought that she just needed her mommy. Turns out she needed me, but not in the way I thought. We had a very rough night.

Let's just say I did seven loads of laundry---I'm sure you can put two and two together. Brian and I didn't sleep. After every incident she wanted to watch a little show. We would let her watch some and fastforward through it as well. She also cried out for "Agua" frequently. Since this is her 4th time with the stomach flu we have learned that she really needs it in small increments---so when we told her no to her request for more we had a whole other saga going on.

So, where does the thankfulness come in? My child is relatively healthy on a regular basis. It really hurts me to see her so broken, so sick, but I know there is an end in sight. I just can't imagine what it must be like for some of these other moms that spend so much time in the hospital because of their children being so ill. I appreciate their strength. I admire their courage and I hope their children know just how wonderfully loved they are.

The art of losing myself

2009-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

So, I was having a discussion about my love for the song "From the Inside Out" from Hillsong the other day. Ever since then I haven't been able to get the song out of my head. When I attended FCCHB I had the opportunity to help lead the congregation in this song and so I know the words, I know the melody. I've been hearing it in my head since our conversation, but today, I had the song playing and it totally hit me like a ton of bricks. You know how they say when you read the Bible you get something different out of it every time, well this song has also been that for me.

When we started trying to get pregnant with this pregnancy, I was consumed with the fact that it was totally out of my control. It was out of my control with Emily, it was out of my control this time. I kept hearing over and over, "My heart and my soul, I give you control, consume me from the inside out. Let justice and praise become my embrace to love you from the inside out." Getting pregnant is supposed to be joyful, but for me it becomes a time of worry and fear and my least favorite....waiting. It's so hard to wait. God really held a mirror up to my face and said---give ME the control. Through tears....I did just that. Now, I'm pregnant and I know how huge of a blessing and gift it is from Him.

I've got a lot on my mind again and WHAM....this hit me "Your will above all else, my purpose remains. The art of losing myself in bringing you praise. Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades. Never Ending, your glory goes beyond all fame."

I have a decent prayer life. I like to think that I have a lot of conversations with God throughout the day. I pray for my family, my friends, my kid(s) and myself. I think I need to be more intentional about praying for God's will in every aspect of life. So, I guess I'm going to have to start losing more of myself. I don't want it to just be an art, but a masterpiece.

Updating the ol' blog with pictures

2009-09-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

These are all very random photos from several different days over the past month. I haven't had the energy or the time to update the blog as often as I would like, but decided I should do it sooner than later or I will be very backed up!

We took Emily to the Aquarium and they have a place you can feed nectar to birds. Emily was very interested in watching them drink the nectar. Brian wasn't a huge fan.

Bad picture from this "photographer" but that is Sting Ray that Emily is watching swim around.

Auntie Tabatha was here for 5 days and we had SUCH A GREAT TIME! Emily and Tabatha were looking for seals. Tabatha is laughing here because as the Seal swam by, Emily was yelling, "HI!!!"

Said Seal...

Tabatha is very particular about pillows. We brought all that we could find in our house for her to decide between. I just had to take a picture.

Grandma and Grandpa met us for an impromptu lunch the other day and Grandpa took Emily on the carousel. Emily loved it and loved riding with Granpapa (we call him Grandpa, but she has added an extra pa at the end.)

Joe/Alisha/Oliver joined us for a day of Disney yesterday. These kids LOVE each other. They have so much fun together. Here they are meeting with Minnie.

I was trying to get a decent picture of Emily up in the ferris wheel, but this is all I got because she made me laugh. She was eating, although her hand is in her mouth she was saying, "CHEESE."

Told you these kids love each other. We were riding It's a Small World and she had to turn around and see him. They are so cute saying each other's name to get their attention. Just adorable!

Emily got in the LEGO box and Brian had to make a game out of it. So, of course, I wanted a picture.

After Emily's bath, she came to her drawer of books, picked one up, took it to her chair and started to read.

I can't believe we didn't take many pictures of our Sea World adventure. I guess I was just way too hot and uncomfortable to think about pictures, but this one made me laugh. This is her new facial expression. Thought it was cute.

Perhaps I should

2009-09-10T19:18:00.001-07:00

be worried that is....(previous post)

We got our first "Emily was a naughty girl" at daycare report. Apparently, she was pulling kid's shirts when she wasn't getting her way and trying to steal their toys. Super.

Should I be worried??

2009-08-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from June and I just found them on my camera! I chuckled when I saw them I had to share. Emily and Oliver are such good friends. We went to Sea World together and they enjoyed seeing all of the exhibits together, but when we got to the Bay of Play it was a whole other story. They were wrestling! Hilarious to watch so I had to capture some pictures. Apparently, my little girl is a tough chick. ha-ha!

Emotions

2009-08-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

I realize that emotions aren't exactly "normal" for me these days. I can experience them all at such different extremes.....not in the bi-polar kind of ways...I just mean I know what happiness/giddiness and sadness feel like.

I can't always wrap my head around the idea of emotions. I mean, I get the happy times. It's easy to feel happy from eating your favorite snack (can you tell I'm pregnant) to hearing the sound of your child laughing or better yet the "Amen" after a prayer or the "I love you" right before you leave each other for the evening. Those emotions need no explanation.

I'm sure it's going to sound a bit strange....I mean, I have "everything" but sometimes I feel abandoned and alone. Last week I dealt with abandonment....not being good enough for people to love me or appreciate me. I get the whole "Jesus" answer. I completely get that in the midst of that kind of loneliness He is right alongside me, but I just don't know why I have to go there....why do I even enter that valley?

I think sometimes....our culture stinks. If we're not funny enough, pretty enough, free enough etc...we aren't worthy of love and acceptance. I'm really trying to focus on the truth that God loves us the way we are and letting that be enough.

Growing up!

2009-08-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

My little girl is growing up in so many ways. Some of them aren't so fun for mom and dad because it means testing boundaries. From birth, Emily has been a very strong willed child, so as she gets closer to two we're going through a lot of challenges, but together we're building communication and finding discipline strategies that work......

Now, there are some growth changes that make us smile. We have a picture of Emily with Santa for Christmas 2008 with her mouth wide open in a screaming fit and a picture with the Easter Bunny 2009 with a slightly less open mouth, but still a screaming fit. So, you can imagine our giddiness when Emily practically jumped out of Brian's arms at California Adventure to meet two of her favorite Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stars. She didn't want to leave them.

The last two pictures are from Brian's birthday and she LOVED watching the parade. The last parade she saw was when she was an infant, so this was much more fun. We got to hear her sweet little giggle, hear her recognize characters and of course point, point, point!

You know you are pregnant when...

2009-07-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

...you are out of breath going up and down stairs or just from simply having a conversation.

...your clothes don't fit and you try every trick in the book to be able to wear them just one more time before moving into maternity clothes.

...you cry at Disneyland fireworks, SYTYCD practice video, a little girl playing piano on Ellen Degeneres etc...

...you literally think you will die if you do not eat when you are hungry in the exact moment you realize you are hungry----oh and it better be the right food or that might also bring on tears.

...you take anti-nausea pills just so you can sit upright.

...your daughter pulls your shirt up and says baby.

...you gain 6 pounds in 4 weeks because your anti-nausea pills worked just enough to make you hungry, but you're nervous to keep your stomach too empty because the nausea gets worse.

...you see this at your 12 week appointment.....

Beach Day!!

2009-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Emily and Isabelle (Belle as Emily calls her) under the umbrella at the beach.

She's playing with a shovel and a bucket....I just couldn't resist getting a picture of her sweet face. So intentional. If you look closely you can see all of the sand all over her face.

Emily decided she wanted to venture out to the water. Here she is staring at the waves crashing....obviously.

This is her "excited" stance. She puts her hands on her quads and bends forward.

The water got us! She was no longer excited and wanted to go back to the towel immediately! What can I expect....it was her first beach experience.

More Potty Talk

2009-07-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, Holly and Cory watched the kiddo while Brian and I got away for a couple of hours. Thankfully, she had read my previous potty talk entry because Emily asked to go potty while she was here....twice. One time was at the park, but they got to the potty too late. The second time she was taking a bath and asked to go potty. Holly took her out of the bath and onto the potty and she went "pee-pee!" I couldn't believe it. I was so bummed I wasn't here for it, but so excited for her. I freaked her out a bit when I celebrated her when I got home. We went into the bathroom to see what she did and I was so excited that she kinda hid in the corner. I explained to her why I was so excited etc... and she seemed to turn around (literally and figuratively).

The next day, I went to Disneyland with my sister. We went to see a show and before it began I snuck away to use the restroom. Emily didn't see me leave but apparently this conversation happened while I was away.

E: "where'd mommy go?"

K: "She went to the potty"

E: put hands together and started clapping, "YAY!!!"

She definitely gets the excitement factor that we have for her! haha! We're being really casual about it. Sometimes she really wants to go and sometimes she doesn't and I just feel like for a 20 month old....that's okay.

uh-oh

2009-07-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

HUGE Milestone

2009-07-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

So, this is probably just for me to look back at since I use the blog partially as a journal, BUT she POOPED IN THE POTTY, kind of.

Emily and I have been talking a lot about the potty. A couple of times today, she wanted to sit on the potty. (We've had a potty in her bathroom for a couple of months now. She sits on it sometimes fully clothed, other times naked.) So, today, we were talking about the potty and she went into her bathroom. I asked her if she wanted to sit on it. She said "no" while shaking her head "yes." Pulled her pants down and took the diaper off. This afternoon she wanted to go again, so she started pulling her pants down. Nothing either time. Not a drip. Not a smudge.

We went to the fair tonight and had a great time. We came home and I saw her pushing. While she was pushing I asked her if she wanted to go to the potty. She completely stopped pushing. I asked Brian to come assist her in getting to the potty. As soon as she sat down, plop. So, that's why it is a "kind of." She probably did most of the work in the diaper, BUT she understood by our praise how cool it was. She was looking in the potty so proud of herself. Quite a cool moment for this mommy!

Drenched rat

2009-07-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Had a nice day with our friends Sarah, Tanner and Peyton. We started out the morning heading to a kid's gym for the kiddos to play. Emily had a love/hate relationship with it. She really enjoyed some of the activities, but didn't understand the required structure when the parents had to bring kids to the center of the room for an activity. So, when I pulled her away from her activities she didn't adjust quickly.

Sarah wanted to take Tanner to the little water fountain area. I assured her that Emily wasn't interested. I didn't pack a swim diaper/swimsuit/sunscreen/towel etc...So, guess who decided she was VERY interested? Sheesh! Learned my lesson. Thankfully, Sarah had sunscreen and a towel for Emily.

The first picture shows her lack of interest in the water at first. She stood and watched the kids for a good ten minutes before showing any interest. Once she saw Tanner sitting near the wall fountain....it was all over.

There's a video below the three pictures. (I'm sure only family is interested, but it's pretty cute.....this is HUGE for the Johnson family)

Vacation in pictures...

2009-07-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Emily hasn't really spent much time in a pool. Besides last week, the last time she was in a pool was LAST JULY!!! (not that we haven't tried, she screams in fear.) We were so excited that she walked right into this pool. The ring was her friend, but only if it was to her side, NOT on her.

Poor girl...these shoes worked great, UNTIL we noticed she had some serious blisters happening, so they only lasted the first couple days.

LOVE this picture....Emily and Grandpa

We went to a Teppan restaurant and I asked for some tofu, this is the bowl they gave us and she pretty much ate the entire contents of the bowl!

Haley helped Emily get acquainted with chopsticks for the first time too...

Pretty girl...

Lexi styled Emily's hair....isn't it lovely?

Sweet cousins

On the way home we decided to stop for lunch. Brian and I got a frosty at Wendy's....guess who wanted to "try" (her newest word....she says "try" every time she sees us eating. Sometimes it works in our favor, sometimes it doesn't. She LOVED the frosty.

I didn't get ONE single picture of Emily and me or Emily and Kristi/Curtis all week. I got one picture of my mom and Emily but it's of their backside! Oh dear. I really didn't think about having my camera with me during all occasions. I'm really bummed about that now. Anyway, we had a great week!

Communicating...

2009-07-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

I gotta tell you having this time off of work is AMAZING for me and my little girl. We are having a G-R-E-A-T time and I can't even begin to tell you all that we have talked about. It's fascinating to hear different words become even more clear than before and hear new words for the first time. Her sentence structure is really coming together too.

Brian's favorite is "where'd it go?" with her hands up in the air while asking the question. "it" can be substituted for a person too, so if daddy was in the room and then leaves..."where'd daddy go?"

My favorite this week was a teeny conversation we were having which went like this....

E: HI!!!

J: Hi Emily!

E: Helllllllloooooooo MOMMY!

My dad came over this morning and I got to witness such a sweet time of visiting. Emily LOVES her grandpa right now. I don't know what got her so giddy, but all of a sudden she is all about grandpa. They were playing with picture cards. You ask her to find a picture and when she finds it she puts it in your lap. All of a sudden I hear, "grampa" she starts taking the pictures out of his lap so that she can sit in it. She's really learning the art of communication and I LOVE IT! (I know the repetition might drive me nuts later, but right now....it's amazing)