Five Years and Counting.

I can't believe its been FIVE years since the day that this wonderful man asked me to share forever with him.  We've had a lot of ups and downs, we've had a lot of trials that could have easily torn us apart, but we've stuck through it.

Our current major goals are to pay off our property and build our home.


I know I'm a little behind on the blog but to say we've been busy might be an understatement.  Nonetheless, we've had fun and here is what we've been up to this summer.

Lets back up a little.  End of March I got an email from my boss saying that I was finally getting my job back.  I can not tell you how excited I was.  My old boss had said "maybe everything happened for a reason".  I truly believe it did.  Our faith in Heavenly Father grew so much as we went back to a single income, now with two kids.  I got to spend the first three and a half months of my daughters life building a bond with her. 

Back in April, not only did I go back to work for a short time, we also started back at it with my craft business.  Its been three years since we did much so we pretty much felt like we were starting from scratch.  Along with a new start came a new name...Driftwood Beach Crafts.  One thing we'd wanted to do for a long time was candles but at the first market we went to four years ago, the vendor next to us was selling candles and we didn't feel right being competition to her. Now that we were in a different area, we felt like it was something we needed to do.

We spent the months of April and May running test after test on candle after candle.  We wanted to have a high quality candle that burned well.  In the month of June we started producing products.

 

At first we attempted to set up our tent in our parking lot on the busy weekends but it didn't work.  People were more concerned with driving down to the main event down on the strip.  We decided we needed to build up our stock and start taking our business to markets again.  It was exciting, and yet I was a little nervous again.  

Our first event was the Ol' Fashioned 4th down at the museum.  Originally I was supposed to be headed down to Oregon for my cousin's wedding but things started falling through left and right up here and they needed people to step up and help so that's what I did. In turn, they gave me a booth space for free.  I coordinated the vendors and their spaces.  We went from having five vendors, to 12, to 15...FIFTEEN, the day of.  Overall, things went well even though we had a few hiccups. 

Here are some pictures from that day. 

Luke and our GIANT flag.

Our little booth.  Our sign is sideways because we were set up differently to start with. 

 Our awesome (and oh so patient booth neighbor) giving Luke a glitter tattoo.

 Ever since pirate days, Luke has been obsessed.

He was so curious because it was shiny in the sun.

It was a great day and our candle sales went well.  It was a great event and we will be doing it again next year.  Once the day was over, we backed up our booth and dropped everything at the office.  It was late enough and we were tired so we decided to drive down early the next morning.  

The next morning my alarm went off bright and early.  I got out of bed and rotated a load of laundry.  All of a sudden I heard this horrid noise out front.  I poked my head out the door to see a car sitting across the street with the hazards on.  I knew we had to get moving but I also felt like I needed to help whom ever it was.  After talking to Alex for a second, we determined it was a lady out there that hit something.  I threw on a sweat shirt and ran out to help.  When I got out to the road she was sitting in her car on her phone.  I waited till she was done and then I went over to talk to her.  She said she hit something and couldn't move in either direction.  I got down on hands, knees, and eventually my stomach to find an old rusted out muffler lodged under her car. I went and got an eight foot long 2x2 and tried to move it but it wouldn't budge.  She found her jack and we managed to wiggle it out a little at a time, just as her husband arrived.  She whispered to me as I was crawling around on the ground "please don't let him help, he's not well, but don't tell him that.  I just didn't know who else to call".  I quietly said "I won't" as I push it out.  At this point I could have easily said that I'm too busy or on too much of a time crunch to help but I just had the feeling that everything would be okay. 

We did push it making it to the wedding but we got there JUST in time.  It was beautiful and I'm so happy for my cousin and his new Bride.  They were both beautiful and the song he sang for her was wonderful.  Here are some of the shots that I got...

 Tuvya was so cute.  Mitchel was going to help carry the sign but he wasn't feeling well.  Tuv did such a great job.  "BRO-BRO, Here Comes Your GIRL".

Here comes the bride.  Michelle's dress was so beautiful and her smile was radiant.

 Father waiting to give away his daughter. 

 Alex had written a song a while back not knowing just how well it would fit.  Michelle requested that he sing it for their wedding. 

You may now kiss the bride...
Mr. & Mrs. Alex Jordan

After the ceremony we all went up to the lodge for refreshments. 

 

The gift I made for them as they start their life and home together!

 

The next day we went out to 'GGma's' after church for a yummy lunch.  After lunch we went outside to set off fire works.  His favorite this year...the sparkler.

Daddy covering Kaylee's ears.  Gotta love the chubby cheeks.

 

 I love my camera and I'm still learning.  The farm is one of my favorite places to take pictures.  It is where I spent a lot of my childhood and I love nature.  The sky was blue and the moon was out. 

Since we got home in early July, we started making a lot of candles and getting ready for a few different markets. First we started out with the flea/farmers market hosted by our local robotics club.  Its been great getting to know the parents and the kids.  

In the process of us loading one day, not only did Kaylee figure out how to crawl, she also figured out how to pull herself up on brother's wagon...ohhhh boy!

After two weeks there we went to the Saturday Market in Ilwaco.  We did okay down there too but we've come to the conclusion that doing smaller markets is a better option for us.  

We ended up going back to the market hosted by the robotics club's market again this last Saturday.

While summer is coming to an end, we still have a couple more markets/events we're planning on doing before I start teaching again in October.  

I'm Back...

Its been a couple months since I've written so this will be a bit long.

December & Kaylee's Birth

Lets start with December.  On Wednesday, December 11th we went in for my doctors appointment and were told by my doctor that he highly doubted I would make it through to the next week, in fact he figured I wouldn't even make it to the weekend .  We scheduled an appointment anyways because, well, we played this same game with Luke.  We came back to the office and went about our uneventful day.  When we got home that night I had a feeling I needed to finish packing our bags.

Thursday also came and went with out anything...even with me bouncing on the exercise ball.  Friday was a different story.  I woke up having contractions that were around 20 minutes apart.  We debated even going to the office but they weren't getting any closer so we decided to go and if we had to close up shop early we could.   Around 3pm they got a little closer and we packed up anything that we didn't need out.  In the end we still closed at 5pm.  We went home, had dinner and I started pacing because I was in so much pain from the nerves being pinched in my rib cage.  Around 7:30 my contractions dropped below 5 minute apart and yet, I had a feeling it wasn't time.  After 45 minutes the feeling hit, WE NEED TO GO.   We loaded everyone and everything into the truck and headed to Aberdeen.

When we got to the hospital the main entrance was close since it was after 8pm so we had to go through the ER.  We loaded some of our bags on the wheelchair with me and Alex went to get the rest and move the Jeep into a parking spot.  Luke was such a big boy as he walked beside the wheelchair holding my hand as the nurse pushed me upstairs.  It took a little convincing to get him on the elevator but he did it and I was so proud of him.

They got me all set up in the room and started monitoring me to make sure I was having consistent contractions.  We paced the halls as a family for a while before they checked on me again...NO PROGRESS.  They even talked about sending me home but after talking to my doctor on the phone, he told them to give me the choice to stay and I'm grateful they did.  We walked the halls again and then they were so wonderful to bring a bed in for Luke and Alex.  Luke climbed up on the bed and passed out and that is when I relaxed and everything progressed quickly.

I told Alex that I thought my water broke so he grabbed my nurse, she tested me and ran out to call my doctor again.  He got there as soon as possible and with in 15 minutes, Kaylee arrived into this world.

Kaylee Elizabeth Johnson

December 14th, 1:47am

7lbs, 6oz & 18.5"

 Because of the fast delivery she was pretty bruised in the face.  You can still sometimes see it around her mouth if she gets mad.  She was so beautiful and I couldn't get enough of her.  On the other hand, they ended up having to put her on the warming table because she wasn't holding her temperature very well.  I slept a little but not much.  We were so blessed because they let us stay in the L&D room for a few hours so Alex could get some sleep since the recovery rooms don't have enough room for the big bed.

At 5am they got us up and got me a shower.  It felt so good to get cleaned up and then they moved us into a recovery room.  There was a little bed that was as long as a regular bed, but only as wide as a toddler bed...and Luke and Alex cuddled up together and went back to sleep.

We stayed at the hospital till Sunday morning just to make sure everything was alright and then we checked out.  My doctor said that each night he had been waiting for the call to come in and was shocked when it didn't Wednesday or Thursday.  He said that I was recovering well for as fast as things went.

 

Kaylee two weeks, Luke three years

Late December both of our families came up to visit and meet Kaylee.  It was hard to believe that she was already two weeks old at that point.  Alex got to give Kaylee her baby blessing in her cute little dress I made.

January

January wasn't real eventful.  I was elected as the secretary for the Westport South Beach Historical Society.  At first it was a feeling of nervousness and excitement but as the time has gone on, things have happened and I'm less and less excited about it.  

February

On Valentines day, I helped out down at the Valentines dinner for the museum.  It turned out great and we had nearly a full house of people.  We used it to bring in new members and it did okay.  

Towards the end of February, our new top for the jeep came in.  We've had a soft top that was currently seven years old.  It had done its job but with the variable (sometimes extreme) weather, it was starting to show its age.  This time around we got a hard top.  We had to go down to Portland to pick it up.  

We drove down to my parent's house and dropped off our stuff before heading into Portland.  We went down to Wilsonville and dropped some stuff off before coming back up to the church bookstore to pick some things up.  We took the kids on a drive around the temple.  Originally we'd planned to get out and walk around but we were running behind and there was a wedding party out taking pictures and I didn't want Luke ending up in the middle of them.  

Once we were done in Lake Oswego, we drove up to Portland where we picked the top up.  We knew it was going to be tall, we just didn't realize how tall it would be in the back of our little trailer.  

 The box itself stood 7.5' tall on top of the 12 to 18" from the trailer.  This made it MUCH taller than the Jeep (the red strap is taller than the top of the jeep).  Driving around was kind of scary since it was like a sail any time there was a gust of wind.  We were really worried about it catching a gust of wind and flipping the trailer.

After we picked it up, we went over to Cascade station where we met up with a dear friend at Ihop for dinner.  It was wonderful to see her again and she got to meet Kaylee for the first time.  Of course, her and Luke are best buddies.

Saturday we went out to my Grandma Hoffman's for lunch.  My great grandma Sanford was supposed to be there too but she came down with a cold so she's going to come visit us when she gets better.  I did get to see my Aunt Christine and her family.  Luke loves having my cousin Wyatt around to play with. 

Kaylee loved cuddling with her GGma. 

After all the guys helped to live the new hard top onto the jeep, my dad and Alex worked to adjust the frame so that it would fit and seal.  It looks great.

Uncle Josh bought Luke a really special REAL cowboy hat.  

He was excited to have a hat like Uncle Josh. 

The most exciting part of the trip for me was getting my new DSLR camera.  It has a learning curve coming from a little snap shot camera but its totally worth it.  I took the pictures below as I was playing with exposure and shutter speed.  

Its taken me a little bit to get the hang of what I'm doing but I've figured it out more with the help of my hubby. 

The Tuesday after we got home, Luke came down with a fever while we were at the office. I have never seen that kid want to take a nap as much as he did, in fact, he took two long naps.  He went to bed that night with a fever and woke up Wednesday morning as if he'd never been sick.  We spent Wednesday at the office but by Thursday he had a horrible head cold so Luke, Kaylee, and I stayed home for the next six days.  Taking care of a sick kid has its benefits and its downfalls.  The benefit was that my kid who doesn't hold still and doesn't cuddle much wanted nothing more than to cuddle.  I miss those days.  With two kids laying on me for two days straight, I ended up catching Luke's cold and didn't start feeling better till Tuesday evening.  Luke has also cleared up but now Kaylee is taking her turn, hopefully it won't last long for her.  Alex has some how managed to avoid it this time, at least I hope.  

Beyond that we're all doing well.  The business is still growing and we are doing better than we ever did down in Battle Ground.  I'm grateful that my husband had a dream and I feel blessed to have been a part of it and to have been able to support him along the way. 

I got news that I should be getting my job back, we're just waiting for the funding to come in and hopefully we will start teaching again after spring break. 

Before the end

So I was going to wait till Kaylee was born before I did this but I realized how busy things are going to get before we even get to that point and it may not get done after.  Here is my progressive pictures of my pregnancy.  We started out trying to take pictures once a week but as I'm sure you can see we missed and I was not feeling too great so less enthusiasm along with pregnancy brain means that I forgot a LOT.

Week 5          Week 6          Week 9

Then we decided to start taking pictures the weeks that I had a doctors appointment.  This made it a little easier to keep track of for us.

Week 16          Week 20          Week 24

 Week 28          Week 32          Week 34

 Notice how high she was sitting at week 34?  Not so much any more. 

Week 35

I really am close and we head in for our 35 week doctors appointment tomorrow.  We we be having an 'informal' ultrasound just to check and make sure that, unlike her brother, she is head down.  Since its too high of a risk, they will not deliver a breech baby naturally which means I would have to go in for a c-section and that is something we're going to avoid if at all possible because, well, I'm an all natural mama...and I really dislike needles.  

Luke has become quite the pill lately and I know its because he knows things are changing.  Rarely does he hold still long enough to feel her move but when he does, he gets sooooo excited.  He tells everyone that "I have a big boy, mommy have a baby".  Its cute, well it would be if he would start acting like a big boy and not use it when he's in trouble.  :)  I know he's going to be a great big brother, I think he's just impatient like me.

Saturdays are our day to do chores at home and this last Saturday was no different.  I had been going all day long doing laundry, dishes, etc. and all of a sudden they hit...consistent contractions.  Barely able to stand up, I tried to push through them but it became too much.  They were coming less than a minute apart and I decided I probably should lay down.  They slowed down and eventually stopped, that was, until I got up a short while later to start doing more laundry.  The rest of the evening I laid in bed and did nothing. 

Sunday I decided to take it easy and stayed in bed and drank water all day(thanks to the suggestion from a friend)... I started having this same problem with Luke at 34 weeks so I knew I just needed to take it easy to prevent an early labor.  Since then I've been doing a little at a time and taking it easy.  I still occasionally get a strong contraction but nothing steady. 

Yesterday we took the baby swing over to the office.  We figured it would be a good place to have it since thats where we are most of the day.  Luke decided he needed to take baby girl (my old doll) over with him so that he could try out the swing. 

 We're working with him on being gentle and loving to babies...some days he does better than others.  He put her in the swing and gently pushed her back and forth.  I don't think he quite believed me when I told him he used to swing in there when he was a baby until I showed him pictures, like this one...

I'm hoping that he will do well when sissy is born.  He really does love his sister and he's really excited to get to see her "on da compuuuuter' tomorrow".

31 Weeks and more...

Yesterday we went in for my doctors appointment.  I'm currently 31 weeks along.  My appointments will be on the odd weeks until I start going in once a week. They got thrown off a few weeks ago when my doctor had to head up to the hospital to deliver another baby the morning of my appointment.

I had to snicker a bit when he put the gel on my stomach, put the doppler right in the middle of the gel and there it was, Kaylee's heartbeat.  Each time we've went in, she's been laying just perfectly for him to easily catch her heartbeat.  He even commented about how she lays just perfectly each time.

Since we're getting down to the 'final weeks', we started discussing when he wanted me to come in,  At my 35 week appointment, we will do an 'informal ultrasound' to check and see if she is head down. There is still a chance of her flipping after that point (Luke did), but we're going to attempt preventative maintenance and prevent another breech since he won't deliver that way and I don't want a c-section.  I'm so excited to get to see my baby girl again and I can't wait to actually get to hold her in my arms for the first time.   

After my doctors appointment we headed over to the stores to grab milk and a few other things we needed.  Since the train was running through town we pulled into Burger King and got some lunch.  It gave the overly long train time to pass.  Once we were done with Lunch we headed over to the store, grabbed the few things we needed and headed home.


This morning I woke up to a pat on my leg.  Since its been later in the morning before the sun comes up, I figured it was still between 7:30 and 8:00, then all of a sudden, Luke gagged.  Being well rounded right now, it normally takes me a little work to get out of bed...not this morning.  I sat up, snatched Luke and ran for the bathroom.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  I made him go potty while Alex checked his bed to see if he'd thrown up.  No sign of any mess so I sent him back to bed and I laid down since it was only 6:15.  I couldn't go back to sleep though, I just listened...and listened...and 30 minutes later, here he was, standing by the side of our bed and then it happened, he 'frew up'.  So glad we caught it.  We started talking about it and Alex's stomach was upset too.

Rewind to yesterdays and start reviewing what food they both ate but I hadn't...because I was feeling fine.  Burgerking...chicken nuggets.  Alex had mentioned they were sub-par and I'd noticed that they weren't real hot when I grabbed the boxes off the tray.  Really?  This isn't the first time we've had problems with getting sick after eating there, normally Luke isn't throwing up though.  It made me start asking myself, were they really hot enough?  How long have they been sitting there?  Obviously it was too long because they were barely warm well below the safety temperature of 140 degrees.

Our morning went on, Luke throwing up, and Alex not feeling great.  We had also realized that Alex phone was flooded with emails because our servers at the office were losing internet every few minutes.  He called comcast and scheduled an appointment for noon and him and Luke took a little snooze.  Once they woke up, Alex got ready to go and Luke was begging for something to drink.  After about half an hour of holding things down I gave him a tiny sip of water and some soda crackers to nibble on.  He held it down so I gave him a little more.  You could finally see the color coming back into his face and his energy slowly resumed.  After nearly two hours of holding everything down I warmed up some chicken noodle soup and he held that down.

Alex had gone over to the office and two hours later, Comcast still hadn't shown up...and then he got a call from my mom.  They were at their house where our backup server is.  Uggg really?  So he called back in and they said they'd be here between 'now and 4pm'.  At this point, he's hungry, Luke is acting totally normal, and mommy, is totally exhausted and tired of trying to get him to stay in one place in case it all came back up again.

Alex headed home real quick to get lunch and pick us up.  I gated Luke in his room with a color book and some crayons to keep him busy and prayed that he wouldn't lose it...it had been three hours at that point.  We all came over to the office and you'd never known Luke had been sick, he's been sitting here drawing for hours now. He's getting quite good at drawing stick people and faces.

He drew this face all on his own.

Its almost time to head home and we're all exhausted...well everyone but Luke, but I say its going to be an early bedtime tonight, lets see if we can actually make it happen. 

Baby Wish List

So after fighting with one of our registries, I've given up and I'm going to do something a little different...I'm going to just make a list of our needs and wants for Kaylee. 

.::NEEDS::.

CLOTHING - We have been given some clothing for her, mainly tops/jumpers.  Our major needs are 3 to 6 months and up, we know they grow quickly.   

• Onesies (long and short sleeve) 'Edit' We have around 10 onesies that are NB or 0-3 months. 
• Tops
• Bottoms
• PJ's 
• Socks
• Mittens
• Hats

BLANKETS

• Receiving blankets (I have some but most were hand me downs and are starting to get holes)

BOTTLES - (while I plan to breastfeed, I will hopefully be back to work part time by January and Alex is going to need something to feed her with.)

• Avent Natural Bottles

DIAPERS - (We're open to both new and used cloth diapers.  We were able to get 6 pre-owned (but look new) Bum Genius diapers for $6 each and one new 'seconds' diaper at a store called Cotton Babies while we were down in Vancouver back in September during one of their sales events).  We tried to switch to cloth when Luke was little but the ones I made kept shrinking which means LEAKS galore. We know this makes a difference on not only our budget, but also on the environment. 

• Bum Genius (3.0 or 4.0) Pocket Diapers
• Bum Genius Pocket Diaper Liners

.::WANTS::.

BATH TIME - We do have some of this stuff but with two kids, we may need a few more.

• Baby Towels
• Baby Washcloths
• Head to Toe Baby Wash

FEEDING

• Baby Bullet
• Dishwasher Basket (for bottle rings and nipples).
• Bottle drying rack

DIAPERING - While we do plan to use cloth, there are times (like traveling or emergencies) where we may not have the ability to wash cloth.

• Disposable Diapers. NB to size 3.  
• Wipes (not picky about brand)

Misc. 

• Swaddle Me Wraps 

Around here we are limited to what stores we have.  Our main, non grocery store is Walmart and we also do a lot of shopping online (Amazon) for those who would rather do something like a gift card. If we think of anything else we need, I will add it then.

Thanks for all the help and support that we get.  

A Special Month

Each year as October 20th rolls around, I am so happy.  You see October 20 was the day that I got to marry my best friend.  Each year that blessing grows greater and greater...so lets start from the top. 

.::2009::.
I deal with anxiety so the night before we got married, I got very overwhelmed by everything that was going on. Alex took me on a late night walk where we shared some french fries and the worst chocolate milkshake we had ever had.  Seriously, it tasted like mud. 

After walking me back home, he drove the hour back to his house where he got a few hours of sleep before needing to get up the next morning.  I too ended up not getting to bed till around two the next morning.  There is a story behind why I was up so late but that's for another time. 

The next morning, I got up at five and headed over to a friends.  She did a wonderful job on my hair and I thank her so much.  When I got back home, my soon to be husband was in the kitchen with the rest of my family, making/eating breakfast and waiting for me.  I was so giddy the moment I saw him...what bride to be wouldn't have been?

When it was time to go my parents loaded up in the van and we got in the jeep.  All was going well until we reached St. Johns area.  We were stopped at a light when a huge semi truck came screeching up behind us.  My dad, who was in front of us scooted up as far as he possibly could with out hitting the person in front of him.  Alex followed till he was right on our bumper and the semi, well he was inches off our bumper by the time that he stopped.  I was grateful he stopped where he did because we had no where to go.  There was oncoming traffic on one side and a concrete wall on the other. 

We made it to the temple a short time later.  My grandmother, mother and I went into the lady's dressing room where I put on my beautiful white temple dress that I'd picked out.  I loved how giddy all the older ladies were, it just made me happy.  One told me that EVERYONE knew who we were because we were the only sealing happening that day (it was a Tuesday, early in the morning).  Some people asked me why I didn't wear my 'wedding dress' when I went through the temple.  You see, each time we go through the temple we wear the same dress as we do work for ourselves or other.  Each time I go now, I put that dress on, the one that I've made those sacred, everlasting covenants in.  To me, that is a reminder of what I did that day. Once I was dressed we went into a little room where I was given some instructions.  Occasionally a tear rolled down my cheek, they were tears of joy. 

When they finally were ready to go (or what they thought was ready), they took Alex and I up to the Celestial room where we sat and waited.  The Celestial room represents the highest kingdom or glory (1 Corinthians 15:40-41) and is a beautiful place where we can sit, ponder, pray, and receive personal revelation. A couple of the ladies came in a few times to tell us we were still waiting on our Bishop who had a flat tire on the middle of the bridge on his way down...Satan REALLY, REALLY didn't want us getting married. Looking back now, it makes us smile because my parents also faced multiple trails when we were sealed as a family. 

Once our Bishop made it there, the two ladies came and got us.  Before taking us into the sealing room, our sealer pulled us a side and told us something that has forever stuck with me.  At the time, this piece of revelation was something that we did not understand but it became relevant a short time later in our marriage.  Our sealer took us into the sealing room where Alex walked me to the alter.  I knelt down on one side and he walked around to the other...I don't think our hands ever separated. In the temple, we don't say 'vows', we make covenants and kneeling across from each other, that is just what we did.  We covenanted to stay together for all time and eternity and it was the best day of our life. 

Once we were done, we each went and got changed, me into my dress and Alex, into his suit.  Since we were done a little early, we went out into the foyer and waited for family to arrive.  Once family started arriving we went into the atrium and took some pictures. 

 

After more family arrived we headed outside to take more pictures...brrrr, it was cold that day but beautiful none the less. The colors outside were definitely the color of fall and everything fit together perfectly.  We didn't pay anyone to take pictures, we just had family take them and we had many that turned out great.  

 We spent the rest of the day surrounded by so many who loved us and I am truly grateful. 

.::2010::.
Jump forward a year and there just must be something not so great about October 19th.  You see, just before I laid down that night, I thought my water broke and yet, I didn't have a strong feeling to call my midwife so I put it off till the next morning.  Catherine was out of the office but Regina told me to come in.  After further examination we found that it indeed had not but she said she wasn't shocked.  She also told us to go out and enjoy ourselves on our first anniversary but I wasn't feeling great so we headed towards home.  We stopped at Fred Meyers and grabbed a few things that we needed but we weren't there for long because my back was hurting. 

When we got home we both went in and took a nap hoping that by relaxing, my back would stop hurting.  When we got up my back was feeling a little better so Alex made us dinner.  We sat down and ate and then just as we finished, the pain became almost more than I could handle.  He called my midwife and she said she would send a nurse up and we'd go from there.  My nurse arrived a short time later followed by Regina...she said she had 'a feeling' they all needed to come.  Behind her by a few minutes was a nursing student.  The nurse had told Alex to start filling the birthing pool and then things took a turn for the worse...they realized our little monster had flipped and was breech.

Regina, bless her heart, jumped on the phone and started calling all over to hospitals.  I was a disaster as tears streamed down my face.  Pleading with her not to make me have a c-section she found a doctor at OHSU who said he would possibly deliver breech but we didn't have time to get there.  She called Salmon Creek where Doctor Erich was on duty and he told them to bring me in. 

The whole way to the hospital I was trying NOT to push.  Between contractions I said a prayer and knew that everything would be okay no matter what I chose.  If I felt like my child's life had been endanger I wouldn't have fought so hard but at the very moment, I felt empowered, I felt strong, I felt...like I could do nearly anything. 

At 1:07am on October 21st, 2010 Lukas Gene Johnson arrived into this world a healthy, strong willed little boy.

I love this picture, not only because of the fact that it was my amazing husband giving his little monster his first bath, but also because it shows just how tiny Luke used to be.  I still have a hard time believing he was ever THAT small. 

.::2011::.
Our little monster turned ONE.  Ahh that year flew.  I couldn't believe the changes he went through.  In that year he went from a size newborn to 18 month clothing.  We never thought he was going to get into the 12 month clothing though because he didn't really start growing until he was nine months old. 

His first birthday was one to remember.  It was the first time he stood up with out holding onto something for support...at least for any length of time.  His GGma got him an old fashioned top that he was totally enthralled with.

At first he wasn't sure about this whole cake thing but he soon dove in and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I used to of our mini two cup pyrex baking dishes and stacked them to make his own cake which he loved.

He also loved his fish tank even though he could just see in.  He would just stand there and get so excited when the fish would swim up close to the front. (By the next year he could reach the top).

.::2012::.
October of the next year my brother came home from his two year mission in New York.  I was so proud of him for serving the Lord, but I was more happy that his nephew finally got to meet him.

Any time we talk about 'Uncle Josh', he get so excited.  He really loves his Uncle Josh. 


.::2013::.
This year we have a lot going on.  Today is our 4th anniversary, time really does fly. Its also the day that I hit 30 weeks along in my pregnancy with Kaylee.  I can't believe I only have 10 weeks till my estimated due date (even though I have a feeling she won't make it that far).  Tomorrow, our little monster will be turning 3...where has time gone?  I'm excited as this year has brought us a lot of new and exciting things and I'm grateful for each one.  I've learned to be grateful for the challenges and trials that we go through because they only bring us closer as a couple and as a family.  I'm excited that we get to welcome our baby girl into this world.  I keep telling her that she has to make it at least another 7 weeks.  We will celebrate Luke's birthday tomorrow here and down with family next month.

Meal Reviews...

So we've been trying to add new meals to our monthly menu and I have a couple that we've tried.  The first one was a week ago.  One of the things I've been trying to do

.::Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti::.
Spaghetti Squash, cut in half and gutted
Favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. 

I had a friend suggested that we could do this in the crockpot.  Since Saturdays are our short day at the office, I chose to do that.  Our crockpot gets rather hot, even on low so we turned it on as we were walking out the door.  Last time we made spaghetti, we made extra sauce and froze it so I just dumped in the sauce.  Once the sauce was in, I cut the squash in half, cleaned all the goo out and flipped them upside down in the sauce. 

How we liked it...
Well, I have to say, our spaghetti sauce left something to be desired flavor wise.  I meant to add some seasonings to it and I forgot.  Otherwise, it was okay.  We may try this one again with some different sauce.

_________________________________________


.::Zucchini Lasagna::.
Below is the recipe we used.  I'm sure you could use any sauce that you wanted but I decided to follow hers just because.  The sauce was super simple, it was the simmering that took the most time.  I didn't have a mandolin but I did have one of those hand cheese slicers and I just used that to slice the zucchini.  If you have to cut them by hand, make sure you cut them into decently thin slices.  I also wasn't about to fire up the grill just for a few pieces of zucchini so I used our square griddle/skillet thing and just grilled them on there after spraying a little olive oil cooking spray.  The goal is mainly just to cook them so you can do it however. 

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/zucchini-lasagna.html

How we liked it...
Honestly, I was kind of skeptical at first but it turned our really good.  I didn't have fresh basil but I did have some dried stuff and it worked just fine.  I don't think ours was in quite as long as she said because the cheese started to brown and I didn't want to burn it.  At one place she says 350 degrees, another she says 375...stick with the 350.  This is a meal we'll be having again. Even Luke liked it.  :)