The Sweetest Thing

 Lila walked into the bathroom, where I was getting ready for church this morning, handed me a box of chocolates and said in her cute, little voice; Happy Mother's Day!

I felt so loved by my daughter in that moment. It was the sweetest thing.

My amazing husband also made the day special with wonderful gifts, a delicious meal, and gave me a break from my regular mom duties. My day/weekend was very enjoyable. While I've been pampered and celebrated today, I've also had mixed feelings all day. I don't know if the mixed emotions are because the next two weeks are going to be crazy, busy, or the major changes occurring after these crazy, busy two weeks are getting to me(more on that another time), or if it's just the hormones from pregnancy, I don't know. I've just felt a little unsettled all day until I sat down to blog about today. So here are my thoughts. Motherhood has been very trying at times, but unbelievably rewarding. So often all the positive aspects of my life are clouded by the small disheartening or difficult parts. I'm still working on enjoying rather than enduring on a daily basis. I'm sure that will always be a work in progress, because I tend to be a complainer, especially when I haven't had good sleep. I'm going on 2+ years without good sleep and I'm not sure how I'm surviving. Anyway, when I feel stressed, discouraged, or unsure about how I'm doing as a mom, a thought always comes to my mind of my life before marriage and kids. The thought of how I longed for a wonderful husband and a house full of children. My spirits are lifted immediately, for I'm reminded in those moments, motherhood is my dream job. How many people can say they have not only their dream job, but their dream life? There is nothing I would rather be doing than spending my days with my two angels and looking forward to the man of my dreams coming home every night. I'm living that life and am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for listening and answering my prayers. I'm so grateful for the help He provides and for uplifting me when I'm doing all I can and that's all I can do. I know my Heavenly Father and Savior love me and that when I turn to them for support, I always get it. They are always with me and help my days end better than how they start.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

  

The Year of 3

That's right, we are having baby #3!

All of our babies will have been born in 3 different states.

We are waiting to find out the sex of our baby at the birth.

Chris' idea, but I agreed. He thinks it will make everything more exciting. 

You know what I think would make everything more exciting? Is if he carried this baby:)

My guess is we are having a girl and Chris' guess is a boy.

Due date is 9/24/12.

Both baby and I are healthy and we are halfway there.

I'm just starting to look pregnant but have felt very pregnant since the beginning. 

My morning sickness was not limited to the morning.

I was exhausted and sick during the entire first trimester.

Both have improved, thank goodness.

We are excited but a little nervous to figure out how to handle 3 kids.

I'm sure it will work out though. I mean, we aren't the first to have this many kids.

Lila and Calvin are excited to have another sibling, well, we'll just pretend they know what's going on.

Here's to being pregnant and raising babies:)

Cheers!

Strawberry Picking

 We had a lot of fun picking strawberries and they are delicious! Can't wait 'til next year. Lila was a little migrant worker, not stopping for a minute until the bucket was full. Then she started to eat them and run around. She really enjoyed it. Next year we will pick more and try out canning, or making jam, or making strawberry pie, or whatever our heart desires. Here's pics from the day:) 

Happy Easter

Chris and I both loved the tradition from our childhood of having an Easter basket full of goodies. I also loved when I got a new dress for Easter Sunday. We decided to have the same traditions. I forgot to take a pic of Lila in her dress but here are pics of the kids and their baskets.

After church we went over to a friend's house for an Easter feast and it was delicious.

Then we headed outside for an egg hunt.

Calvin enjoyed just sitting on the grass playing with his basket and a few eggs.

While Lila loved running around finding eggs then opening them and getting even more excited when she found the candy.

I've been called a practical parent recently. I think of myself as keeping things simple. However, sometimes I wonder if it's something else all together. While our kids are young and not interested in all the hoopla holidays have to offer, I prefer not to get involved with the craziness that sometime occurs. I love Easter for the reason of celebrating our Savior and getting together with family and friends. Since we didn't travel to be with family, we were in good company with friends. It was a nice, relaxing holiday:)

Happy Easter from the Johnson family:)

Calvin's 1st Birthday

Our baby boy is 1! I can't believe it. I know I said in the last post that he no longer seems like a baby anymore but I was wrong. Watching him today, I kept thinking to myself, he's still just a baby. He's our little, well, big baby boy. He's so sweet and innocent. He has so much to learn and we are excited to see him grow and develop into an even bigger boy.

Here are pics from the day:

Calvin loves food and his birthday cupcake was no exception! He went at it and enjoyed every bite.

Lila enjoyed her cupcake and celebrating Calvin's big day.

Calvin loved his gifts. Thanks Nana and Papa Johnson!

Calvin was very popular today. He also received tons of phone calls and text messages from extended family members. It made him feel extra special!

Last but not least, here is a video of Calvin walking today.

We love our Calvin very much.

Happy Birthday little guy:)

Feelin' Brand New

Lila had her cast taken off last week and her arm is completely healed. She only had a splint and a cast on for a total of 3 weeks. She did great with the cast on but was very excited to have it gone. We all were. Here are pics from the day she got her cast off.

Before:

After:

Calvin got his first haircut and he did great as well. He stayed calm the entire time. I didn't really want him to get the haircut, it was more Chris' idea. Calvin looks so handsome with his new 'do and even looks older.

Here are pics from the day.

Oh, and a friend told us about the hair cutting place we went to and they only charge a penny for your baby's first haircut. They gave us this certificate and even put all the hair they cut off in a baggy.

Calvin has also started walking! He is changing and growing into a big boy and no longer seems like a baby to me. Here's a video from a few weeks ago when he first started taking steps away from the couch.

I need to take a more recent video of him because now he walks all the time and all over the place.

Both Lila and Calvin have changed so much in this past month. Lila is talking more and more. She repeats everything we say and is asking questions about everything she sees. I love hearing her tell me stories. Even if its the same ones over and over again, they always make me smile. Calvin is no longer a baby. He eats like a big boy and will be running around here like a big boy in no time. They wear me out but in a good way:)

...Third Is The One With The Treasure Chest

Chris and I have been married 3 years and 5 days. Our anniversary was last Wednesday, March 7th. We were both horribly sick on the day but had already planned on going out to dinner the Friday after to celebrate. We went to The Peddler Steak House. It's a Greenville landmark where they cut your steak any size you want and cut it right in front of you. We found out the largest cut they've made was a 72 oz. steak AND all of it was eaten by one person. That is crazy and gross, anyhow we had a lot of fun and the food was delicious.

We took a pic before we headed out the door.

The past 3 years...well, I'm at a loss of words. Chris and I have asked each other if we thought this is how life would be. The answer is NOPE, NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED. Our life together has been full of so many miracles. We have been so blessed and there is no way we could have planned things to be this good. Sure, we have trials, but the good moments definitely outweigh the trying ones.

Our last 3 years have been amazing and I look forward to many more:)