Easter Sunday Moments

Easter Sunday was a special day for many reasons...

First, the Easter Bunny paid a visit.

Jake was super excited to see all his goodies...

Brooklyn took a few moments to wake up...


But she got very excited when she saw that she got another girl-doll matching PJ set.

50% of my children were interested in taking a picture.


Brooklyn and Chad went to church that morning while Jake and I visited my grandmother.

We had a good visit as Jake is quite the entertainer.

And delegater.

We had a yummy lunch with my in-laws and then I squeezed in a Zumba class at 3.

We headed to church for Shout Easter service where, during practice, Chad received the call that our sister-in-law's water broke.

4 weeks early.

Sometime in the middle of the church service, we got word that she was admitted and they were going forward with the labor and delivery.

Then, the waiting game began....

Color Me Rad

On Saturday, March 30, Chad and I joined some friends from Heart in Sol (where Chad "Boot Camps" and I "Zumba") and did the Color Me Rad 5K race.

It was loads of fun and now that I know that the color DOES wash out, I'll be a little more "wild" next year. Ha!

Sarah was our organizer and team captain. I'm so glad she had us do this!

Chad lucked out on his face...whereas I look quite orange. Kinda like a big old self-tanning fail.

Definitely doing it again- so much fun with my hubby and our friends!

Jake's Easter Egg Hunt

Because my parents have been in Los Angeles visiting my brother and sister in law, we have postponed Easter a week. Jake did participate in an egg hunt at school and both kids went to an egg hunt at Jake's sweet friend, Chelsea's, house. I didn't get any pictures there because I was snuggling Haley's little 2 month old sister.

Here is Jake at his school egg hunt. Running around before they were let loose.

CHEESE.

Didn't even hesitate.

He had a BLAST.


Jake had me cracking up the whole time. He was running around screaming "EGGS!" I just love how much this kid enjoys life.

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Brooklyn's 8th Birthday Celebrations!

While I am intensely excited to post about the (early surprise) birth of my sweet niece, the Type A in me screams to keep this blog chronological.

So, with that, I am frantically finishing up past posts so I can get to the baby shots. :-)

But, first thing's first. MY baby. My firstborn. The one.who.made.me.a.mommy.

Turned EIGHT on February 24.

Seriously.

We celebrated with the grandparents on her actual birthday for a birthday lunch and presents.

The doll is American Girl.
The PJ's are not.
Kohls. $8.97.

The following week was Brooklyn's "friend party." This year, she asked begged for a sleepover.

We started at the "spa" for nail painting.

And then headed to Tex and Shirley's for breakfast for dinner.

And then finally ice cream cake at home.


The girls were all awesome and so well behaved. Because of schedules and such only 2 spent the night which was perfect. :-)

Happy 8th birthday, Brooklyn! We love you so much, are so proud of the girl you are, and can't wait to see how you grow and mature in the coming year. Here's to not driving mama crazy too much!

Speaking of Wonder Pets...

You're welcome as that will probably now be in your head the rest of the night.

The Parents: This Winter

Lest you think Chad and I are just sitting around changing poopy underpants and taking down cribs, we have been pretty busy, too.

We have both started a pretty solid workout regime. Chad attends Boot Camp Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 5:30am (I know, yikes), and then he sees a trainer Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:45am (seriously, yikes). He is really enjoying it. I have continued Zumba (really trying to go 2-3 times a week) and then recently started with a trainer one day a week. This one day leads itself to the other 6 days of the week in that I weigh in (big old yikes) and have to show my My Fitness Pal food journals once a week. Eeek. But accountability is what I needed and so accountability is what I got. And I love it.

When I started I had to set some fitness goals. I didn't know if my trainer would find it funny if I wrote my goals as follows:
1. Abs like Fergie
2. Arms like Heather Locklear
3. Legs like Beyonce

Though I did not write it down, I did tell him my goals outloud. He may have been slightly amused. And then told me to lose two pounds by next week. ha!

I don't normally support or utilize profanity but this was too hilarious. And with it being Girl Scout cookie season, very true to what I am working with right now.

The band is doing well. We are busy with family and "real work" lives but still continue to practice regularly and are currently working in the studio on a brand new album. A few weekends ago, we had a great opportunity to be the band at a Lutheran Youth Conference at a local hotel. We played 6 different times throughout the weekend to about 400 youth and their leaders. It was super fun and a great experience.


We also celebrated the upcoming arrival of my new sweet baby niece. I went a bit overboard and "showered" her with all new outfits for all her first holidays...including her first beach trip and her first Grace Reigns Down concert. We cannot wait to meet Baby Claire in about 7 weeks!


And finally, I have spent this weekend at a Futures Conference at my church. I loved seeing all the excitement and fellowship among members. I was the note taker and really heard and recorded some great things. I am super proud of my church and where we seem to be headed.


We're all busy. All 4 of us. We are living life to the fullest. But still taking time to sit around in our PJ's and slippers and watch some TV. Because sometimes you just need some Wonder Pets or The bachelor every now and again.

The Kids: This Winter

Here's a mish-mash of what the kids have been up to the last two(ish) months. If you follow me on Instagram or are on Facebook with me, you may have seen some of these...

Last May, Brooklyn was a "model" for some education products. This pulled her out of her comfort zone (which I LOVED) and she really did a great job for her shy self. A few weeks ago, we received the finished product. So cool.


I am encouraging Wii Dance as a physical activity- especially during these cold months. I usually get about 3-6 minutes of participation. I'll take what I can get, I guess.


Here's a very rough shot of Jake's new big boy bed and bedding. Nothing else changed but I have plans to paint and do a bit more decorating. Maybe I should say, I have plans to procrastinate until summer and then make Chad do it over summer vacation.


Working from home in the evenings sometimes leads to me having to 'share' my computer. But Jake loves typing on it and working on his letters and sounds and spelling family members' names.


Brooklyn has been hesitant to jump back into her weekly Zumbatomic class (Zumba for kids). Not sure whether its because the class is small and she's just not done it since summer but she's had a hard time jumping back in and dancing. However, her teacher, Ms. Lori, was a guest at one of Brooklyn's Brownie meetings, and they all had a blast. Just another way I am trying to get Brooklyn to open up and try new things. Zumba is great because its dance class without the end of year recital and costumes. :-) Maybe I'll try and find a friend to go with her so she's less scared. Or maybe I'll just be the mean mom and tell her to suck it up and get over it.


On the flip side, Jake tore it up at his school's Valentine's Day dance.


And we had a great Mommy and Jake dinner date at Wendy's one night.
It's the little things.


And most recently, Brooklyn and Zoe had a sleepover with Zoe's mom, Emily, and I at Embassy Suites to celebrate Brooklyn's 8th birthday. We were there anyway for a big gig with Grace Reigns Down (more about that gig later), and they gave us a room so we capitalized. Much fun, not much sleep, and a great "first" for Brooklyn.



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Pookie is 3....well, almost 3 and 1/2.

Jake turned three in October and I never did a 'what he likes now' post. So, here it is.....but first a "feeling sorry for myself moment" brought to you by #feelingsorryforyourself.com.

I'm a blogger failure. I had a great run. I am getting that overwhelming feeling that too much time has gone by and now its just too late to catch up. But that's my Type A talking. And my Type B (the little that I have in me) says "Who the heck cares? Just write something d**mit."

So, I will do my best. Because I truly do use this blog as a way to journal the kids lives. And sometimes preach about health and fitness (got some new fun things going on there) and maybe occasionally rant about a business or policy.

But for now, here is my Jake.

Jake at 3.

Jake loves his mama. But he loves his daddy, too. And he loves his Gramma and his Nanny. And he loves his sister. Loves to annoy her, boss her around, and get in her stuff. But he loves her.

He's very snuggly. And always quick to give hugs or say "You know what, mama, I love you."

He usually times that one right after/before he poops his pants.


Jake loves TV. And the iPad. And Netflix.
He goes to school for 9 hours everyday and I think they work him pretty hard. So, like any good Johnson, he likes to come home, put on his jammies, and chill.

Favorite shows are: Team Umi Zoomi, Diego, Dora, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Blues Clues, Wonder Pets (especially the Yak, the Pig, and the Dancing Bear), Leap Frog Tad on the Farm, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar


Jake is a great "player." He will go to the playroom, his sister's room, or his room, and just play by himself. He loves cars, blocks, wipe boards, and even dolls. :-)

Back to pooping.

See this right here? This is a sure sign that something is up. I won't bore you with the details but potty training Jake has been MUCH more challenging than with Brooklyn. We were very lucky with B and I just know that I am paying my dues. But it's tough. He's doing great with peeing but pooping is about 50% (and that's just recently...before this week i would have said 10%).

But we are trucking along. And rewarding an awful lot when it does happen. :-)


Jake is not a big reader but he does retain things very easily and will "read" to me books that he knows. I'll take what I can get.


This was Jake's last voyage in the crib. In January, one random night, he decided he did not want to sleep in his crib anymore. He went straight to the twin bed that we had just "taking space" in his room and didn't look back. I was so shocked and totally unprepared. But we did it and we all survived. He's actually been doing great and stays in it most of the time. No major issues here.


Here's that bed. :-) Brooklyn must have warmed it up for him real good.


Jake is becoming a big helper in the kitchen. He loves to make his waffle for breakfast or pour his apple juice. He loves food and is a great eater. Favorites right now are: yogurt (drinkable, squeezable, any kind), apple sauce, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, baked beans, jelly sandwiches, green beans, corn, crackers/chips, pizza, and any desserts. I am really capitalizing on the "use the potty and get a chocolate" train right now.


Other notable things:

• About two weeks ago, Jake spent the night at my parents' house and my mom just didn't think he had a paci so she didn't offer one. He didn't ask and then he came home and didn't ask. So, I quietly put them away, and seriously, he has NOT EVEN MENTIONED THEM ONCE. I mean, really? That easy? I have always been of the mindset that he would give it up when he was ready. It was only at night and not hurting anyone or any teeth so I wasn't concerned. Well, guess he was ready. Paci out.
• Jake has been doing great at school. Well behaved. Rarely has bad reports (thank goodness). Only complaint from teachers: Pooping in pants. 'Nuff said.
• He does great in church every Sunday night. Very quiet (the ONLY time he is quiet in a week) and loves the music. Just a joy to watch in worship.

He's a joy. Just an absolute joy. Love this boy so much, and we are so blessed to have him in our family!

Happiness is...

...FaceTime with our West Coast family!

And then later seeing a pic on Instagram!

Technology is so wonderful!



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Way Back When-esday: Happy V Day!

I know. I disappear for a month and I come back with a WBW post.

 

But they sure were cute on their first Valentine's Days.

 

brooklyn 2006

jake 2010