Slow Cooker Sunday: A few of my "pin"teresting slow cooker meals

Here's what has been cooking in the Slow Cooker this month...

Paula Deen Mac and Cheese

Source: food.com via Jaclyn on Pinterest

Angel Chicken

Source: cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com via Jaclyn on Pinterest

Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Source: sweettreatsmore.com via Jaclyn on Pinterest

All good choices! Happy Slow Cooking!

Just some Saturday fun...

...on a fire truck.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jake is 2 1/2!

This kid is spunky.
This kid is friendly.

This kid is energetic.

This kid cracks me up.

This kid melts me.

This kid is 2 1/2.

It's unbelievable to me that Jake is now 1 day past 2.5 years old. Some days I feel like he was just born and others it feels like he has always been a part of the family. And I guess when you really think about it, God always knew he would be a part of my family, so that must be why he fits in so well. :-)

What to say about this boy who can go from hot to cold; the sweetest angel to the craziest demon child; from 0-60- in about 2 seconds....

He's 2 1/2.


He loves to play.
He loves to sing.
He loves ice cream.


His favorite color is whatever color shirt he is wearing that day.
He still loves his paci at bedtime.


He loves to laugh.
He loves to make people laugh.


He loves to take pictures.
He loves to make his own videos.
He loves being outside.


I can't really say what his favorite food is because he is really a great eater- yogurt, applesauce, pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, carrots, celery, hummus, rice, french fries, hamburgers, bananas, apples, grits, eggs, pancakes, bacon, jelly sandwiches, chips, goldfish (s'mores kind is his favorite), granola bars, nutri-grain bars, hershey kisses...

And Yum Yum's hot dogs.


Sometimes he leans over and says "Mommy, I am going to kiss your cheek now."
Sometimes he gets mad when I wear my hair in a ponytail.
Sometimes he wants his sister to hold him.
And sometimes he doesn't.


He brings happiness to all who meet him.
Especially Great Grandma.

And he looks cute no matter what he wears or pretends to wear.


He knows numbers almost to 20.
He knows his ABC's.
He knows his birthday (as of yesterday).
He knows shapes (including all the "hard" ones).
He knows how to spell his name (with an emphasis on "A" for some reason- ha!).

And he knows that he has us all wrapped around his finger and that he is the light of all our lives.

We are so blessed to have his sweet boy in our family.

Way Back Whenesday

April 2010



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The 2 Facebook Posts that didn't come to be...

My internal Facebook posts today:

"No matter how many times I do Pajama Day at school I kind of feel like my children were neglected when I drop then off at school in their pj's."

"Dear Woman in front of me at Zumba class: Please do not think that the smell of sweat in this room will mask the fact that you have been passing gas consistently in my direction for the last 45 minutes."


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry you have been ignored. My life is busier than ever and I have found myself abandoning time with you to spend time with my kids, doing P90x work outs, and maybe doing some Pinterest-ing and Scramble with Friends.

I've kidded myself into thinking that an occasional photo of the kids makes up for the absence. But who am I kidding? I know you miss the stories of weight loss, the views of a stay at home mom, working outside the home mom, and the funny kid videos.

I promise that I am doing worthwhile things and occasionally ranting and raving in real life....I just haven't had the chance to document.

So until I do, here you go.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

So what?

So what I'm sitting in my booster seat on the floor looking out the back door wearing my Christmas pj's in the middle of April..

Way Back When-esday: Easter egg hunt edition

Brooklyn and her God-sisters in 2009 & 2012.



What a difference a years makes! Jake 2011 & 2012


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Smarty Pants x2!

Don't let these little innocent, apple-eating faces fool you.


They really are quite the little stinkers.


If you didn't read on Facebook last week, here's the child logic I have been dealing with these days...

[March 31]
Overheard at the Johnson house this morning...
Me: (after seeing a cake knife sitting alone on the counter covered in cake) "Oh my Lord! Brooklyn, did you just eat a piece of CAKE for breakfast!!???"
Brooklyn: "Yes. I was going to get a bowl of cereal, but the milk was too high in the fridge, so I just decided it was easier to get a piece of cake."

[April 4]
Overheard at the Johnson house this evening...
Me: "Hey, Jake, don't you want to go pee pee on the potty? If you go pee pee in the potty I will give you some candy."
Jake: "No, Mommy, I no pee pee on the potty. And the Easter Bunny will bring me candy."

So, I knew I was dealing with two little smart-alecs, but we also found out this week that, thankfully, we are also dealing with two bright and intelligent kiddos.

Because it was report cards for both kids this week!

Brooklyn- 3rd Quarter of 1st Grade

Highlights/Mastered Skill Grades:
-Reading on a late 2nd grade level
-Great fluency and word attack skills
-4 out of 4 in Math and Social Studies (well above average)
-Gets along well with everyone; helpful; thankfully not mentioned by her peers in any of the classroom "girl drama"

Challenges/Satisfactory Skill Grades:
-Has a hard time with comprehension of stories (*We think this is due to the fact that Brooklyn likes to see how fast she can read and worries less about remembering the content of the story. We will be working with her on some chapter books without pictures, stopping her frequently to ask questions about what she is reading.)


Jake- 2 Year Old Development Assessment


Highlights/Mastered Skills:
-Great vocabulary
-Runs/walks/jumps with both feet
-Uses scissors/crayons/clay/building blocks
-Enjoys simple group play and solitary play; likes to perform for others (um, yeah, ya think?)
-Enjoys manipulatives, cooking in home living, dancing to music, playing in science, and doing art
-Able to wash his hands with little or no assistance, take on and off coat, and take off shoes
-Retains information at a rapid pace

Challenges/Emerging Traits:
-Potty training/staying dry (see April 4th conversation for confirmation on that one!)
-Taking turns
-Snapping and stringing beads
-Riding a tricycle
-Forward somersault

I'm truly blessed with two bright, sweet children. I pray they continue to do well in school and "play well with others." I am so very thankful they are such good kids.

Happy Easter!

I'll load pics from this weekend soon, but here are a few cute pics of Jake's school Easter party and egg hunt last Thursday.

Brooklyn was home with me that day, so she came and "helped" Jake at the egg hunt. He loved showing off his sister but really didn't need help with the eggs. :-)

So proud of all his loot!

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

Church egg hunt

The kids experienced their first of several egg hunts last Sunday at church. Jake jumped right in and knew exactly what to do!
I tried to get a pic of the God-siblings, but unfortunately the sun was bright and Silas was on the move!
The girls wanted to get into those eggs right away!

Thanks, First Lutheran, for a great morning!

Firsts on the First!

Last Sunday, April 1st, Brooklyn and her Daisy troop visited the horses at Girl Scout Camp for a riding lesson.

They were so excited and played close attention to all the rules.

They learned horse care and all jumped right in to help.

While half the group was riding the trail, the other half visited the horses, pony, and miniature donkey.

Soon, it was Brooklyn's turn to ride. She was very excited at first...

And so was Mommy!!

But, once she got on, Brooklyn got very nervous with how high she was sitting. She was brave for a few minutes but then asked to get off. I was very proud of her nonetheless because she had never sat on so much of a pony before. I told her I would take her back anytime to try again.

And since it was my birthday, I got to take part in the fun, too. :-)

It was a great afternoon at camp, and I was so proud of our Daisy scouts and how well they all did.

Fun with Instagram

Yet another app that I truly love...

Wordless Wednesday

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone