Whoa, Baby...#5!!!

It always starts in the middle of the night for me. Early, like 3am early, I started having contractions. Which is an awkward time because then I have to wake someone up to come watch my kids. Fortunately Chris' parents said we could call them anytime. So we did and they came. Chris and I went to the hospital and of course the contractions slowed down. It was a familiar situation. So, after being lectured by a jerk, I mean the nurse, for not being registered with a doctor even though we had just moved to town 2 weeks ago, we left. All day, contractions would come and go. Nothing regular but definitely painful. My mind plays tricks on me because I think I know what to expect but what if this time is different? Anyways, Chris and I were able to spend the day together since the kids were with Chris' parents. We were able to relax, do a little shopping and that night we had plans to go to dinner and a movie. Well, after dinner I had enough and we headed back to the hospital. This time a much nicer nurse was there:) I hadn't changed much but they let me stay anyway. We had enough time to get settled and to choose a name. Chris and I can't seem to agree in advance about names. Anyhow, labor progressed quickly. I did get an epidural which offered a brief moment of relief. Then all of a sudden it didn't. The rest of delivery was PAINFUL but quick, relatively. 

Ross Aaron Johnson was born at 11:30pm on March 26th, 2016.

 I'm so grateful for a healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery. It's amazing how much pain I have had to go through to bring my children into this world. Pain like no other! Five different times! That is how much I want them and love them. 

I don't know exactly how life with five kiddos is gonna be but I know I love them all and am so lucky to have them. I'm also blessed to have such an amazing husband and father to my kids. I can't imagine doing all this without Chris by my side. 

We were all so excited to meet Ross and he's just so cute and cuddly. I feel overjoyed but look exhausted in this picture. I'm sure that's how it will be for awhile.

Love you Ross, and I'm so glad you're here!

Trick or Treat Scooby Doo!

 My kids are big fans of Scooby Doo, so that's who we were for Halloween. I like opportunities to improve my sewing so I altered a shirt to make Daphne's, I mean Lila's costume. I am pretty impressed with myself and it was fun to see the kids get excited for their costumes. Chris is always a good sport and he even decided to paint his hair. The color is barely noticeable but the effort was much appreciated:)

Happy Halloween from Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby Doo, and Scrappy!!

Moving is a lot of Work

I don't know if we will ever stay in one place for very long. At least that's what it feels like some times. We had to say goodbye to South Carolina because Chris' office was shut down. Fortunately, he was offered a job by a co-worker who left D3 and is now the hiring manager at a company in Indiana. That's right, Indiana. Never did I ever think I would be moving to Indiana. 

I remember when we first moved to SC and people would ask us if we were here to stay, we kind of hesitated saying yes. Mainly because it was our 3rd move in 2 years. Even though there wasn't anything in the foreseeable future that would make us move, I never felt we would stay in SC for very long. It took moving away to completely realize how great Simpsonville/Greenville, SC really was. Downtown was charming. It wasn't a huge city and therefore lacked the horrific traffic. Plenty to do and not far from major cities that offered bigger venues for sports, concerts, and such. Absolutely beautiful! Chris would disagree because he was allergic to SC, but I think it had the perfect weather. I'm used to the humidity, so while it was cumbersome at times, not a huge negative for me. Fall colors were amazing to witness each year. Snow was possible but not expected, at least more than one snowfall a year and it was there and gone before it became annoying. The city shut down completely at the idea of snow, ice, or really cold temperatures. Which is funny but also refreshing. Loved it!! 

I miss it. I miss the friends we made while living there. I miss our house. I miss our gym. But I know we will be settled again some day. Here's to another adventure in the books!

Lila Goes to Kindergarten

I cried, I cried a lot when my baby girl started school. Not just the first day, either. It kind of took me by surprise because I was also happy for her to start this next adventure in her life. Lila has been  ecstatic to start school and 'learn stuff', as she puts it, for the past year.  As we worked at home to prepare for kindergarten, she constantly asked to learn more so she would be ready for school. She even got excited when she would see a school bus and talk about how she would ride one of those some day. All her enthusiasm has helped me cope with the idea of her being gone 6+ hours a day. I know she will excel in school because that's what she does. I love her love for learning. She amazes me everyday and I'm excited to see all that she will do. 

Halloween 2014

Happy Halloween from Spiderman, Firestar, Iceman, Buzz, Cinderella and Prince Charming:)

Rochester, Palmyra, and Niagara Falls NY

I've learned to jump at opportunities when they come. So, when Chris was asked to interview for a job in Rochester, NY, I was quick to ask if we could all go. Fortunately for us the company he interviewed with allowed us to drive and reimbursed us the expenses rather than Chris flying. Amazing right?!!! I was so excited that the 12+ hour drive didn't sway me. Rochester is one of those places I haven't ever really thought about but I love NY and it was close to Palmyra and Niagara Falls. Two Places which I was dying to visit. With little time to prepare or stress about the long drive, we were off. The drive was long but beautiful. Our country is full of awe inspiring views. The kids did as well as expected and it was a great time to spend together as a family.

We stopped a few times for phone interviews Chris had scheduled with other companies, so we didn't make it to Rochester the first day. We did get there in time for Chris to prepare for his interview while me and the kids had fun at the Rochester Zoo, ate lunch and played at a park. I didn't get pictures from our stay in Rochester but I remember thinking it had it's charm and it seemed very clean and manicured. Even downtown. That night we went to a recommended "family" restaurant, called 'Dinosaur BBQ'. It was a local favorite that seemed more like a bar. I'm not sure why it is deemed as a family restaurant and I'm not sure what dinosaurs had to do with it but it was delicious.

The next day we were ready early, ate breakfast and hit the road to Palmyra. The weather was perfect. Sunny and slightly chilly and crisp. I love the fall! We took the tour of the Smith family log cabin and then the house they built after. It was amazing to be in the place where so many important and sacred events occurred. I don't know if or what my kiddos will remember from this trip but they were interested in seeing everything. We then walked to the Sacred Grove and that was a tough one. I mean it was glorious and just as I imagined it would look like. There's something about having to yell, but not trying to yell to your kids to stop running, stop yelling, etc. that kind of takes away from those contemplative moments. Typically I would try to get through whatever quickly but I did not want to rush through this experience. It was incredible and even though I was a little distracted with my hooligans, it was still a wonderful, happy moment with them. 

Poopy diapers, lunch time, and much needed naps made us leave and make our way to Niagara Falls. While Palmyra was more than I expected, I must say both Chris and I were a little underwhelmed with this 'gigantic' water fall. It was great to see and maybe we would have felt differently if we had taken the boat ride that is at the bottom. Instead we were at the top looking down and I just thought it would be bigger. Still enjoyed seeing the site I've always heard about and the area was also breath taking. It was a long drive home and we were tired from doing a lot in a short amount of time. It was a great experience.

Here's pics from the trip:

 

Apple Picking with Leigh, Ben and fam

Fun times at Sky Top orchard, especially since Leigh, Aidan, Arynn, Ben, Lizz, Mizu, and Kai joined us this time. I've talked about it so much they had to come and see it for themselves. I don't think they were disappointed. They might however, have been surprised with how cold it was. Good thing Leigh had a stash of beanies and gloves in her car:) Even though it was cold, we still enjoyed the beautiful scenery while picking apples, ate the delicious apple cider doughnuts, and had fun on the tractor ride around the orchard. We were having so much fun I only took a few pics.