Aaron & Lyndsey Johnson

The "BIG DAY" Came and Went

2012-01-27T09:38:00.003-07:00

About a month ago, my doctor and I planned out the rest of my pregnancy, and decided that on January 26th she would strip my membranes, that I would most likely go into labor that day, and have baby girl #2 that night. Well, last week at my appointment, she said, "I don't know if you're going to make it to your next appointment. You are ready to go!" I got super excited, and sick at the same time. I didn't feel prepared at all. Plus, Aaron was supposed to go out of town Monday through Wednesday. When I told Dr. Macy that, she asked if Aaron wanted to be at the delivery. When I told her yes, she said, "He's not going to New Jersey." Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday came and went. No baby. Aaron and I spent the weekend getting everything ready, cleaning the house, packing bags, putting the nursery together as much as possible. And we got sick last Thursday so we were battling getting better too. By Monday, I sounded and felt awful. I called the doctor's office and of course they were out of the office that day, so I talked to the nurse on-call. She prescribed some cough medicine and left it at that. Yesterday, I was all excited. I could barely sleep Wednesday night. We were ready for our little darling to get here. I went to the doctor and the second she walked in I started coughing my awesome cough and she said, "We're not doing this today." My heart dropped. I was so excited to meet my new baby and now it wasn't going to happen. She said, "I promise you'll have a much better birthing experience if you wait a few days and take a new prescription." I wanted to get mad at the nurse on-call, since she could have prescribed that to me days earlier, but I knew that Dr. Macy knows best and I trust her. I can only imagine trying to push and having a horrible cough, or trying to hold still while they are putting in the epidural and needing to cough. No good. Dr. Macy told me I needed to take the weekend to rest, relax and get better. I am her first appointment Monday morning, and she will strip my membranes then. So I'm guessing that my baby's birthday will be January 30th. It may just be my mind playing tricks on me, but I think my cough is already getting better. I plan on spending most of the weekend resting and relaxing, just like Dr. Macy said, but I'm still me, and I need to make sure the house is totally clean when I leave for the hospital. Its just the way my mind works. I wouldn't want to bring my baby home to house that's dirty!

Lauren's 18 Month Check Up

2012-01-22T09:14:00.004-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 18 months old! Where did time go? She is such a sweet baby girl, even when she's been sick for the last week, she just wants to cuddle. On Monday, I could tell she didn't feel good. Tuesday, she woke up and had an awful cough and looked miserable. I called the doctor, and they had an opening that morning. She has her first ear infection! Poor thing. It just broke my heart. Thank goodness for modern medicine and antibiotics. We went back to the doctor on Thursday for her 18 month check up (because for some reason, they couldn't do it at the same time. What ever.). I couldn't believe how her stats changed this time. My active little Lauren is now little! Ha ha! She weighs 22 pounds 12 ounces (29%) and 31.25 inches tall (38%). I think she's going to take after me when it comes to how tall she's going to be. Granted, I am the shortest girl in my family. Even though she's sick, and just got a shot, she still "smiled" for me for a picture (I ask her to show me her teeth, and this is the face she pulls.). Lauren is right on with all of her developmental milestones. She knows her shapes. She can say the sounds for lots of animals (tiger is my favorite... cutest little growl you'll ever hear!). She's got rhythm! Any time there's a song with a beat, she'll start bobbing her head, and dancing around. She loves her cousins, or anyone that's around her age. She thinks its so much to play with other kids. I hope she loves her baby sister just as much! She will run to the door anytime someone knocks on the door or rings the doorbell. The bath is still her favorite pastime. She could spend hours in there if we let her (or had the time!). Her eating habits have changed a lot, but Dr. Doug said that is totally normal. Some days she likes some food, and the next day, she doesn't want any of it. So much for leftovers! Aaron and I are so in love with this little bug of ours. Lauren is so precious and sweet. She makes us laugh all the time! I can't wait to see how she reacts to having a baby around. I know that the first 18 months of her life have flown by, and I'm pretty sure the next 18 years will go in a blink of an eye.

January Happenings... So Far

2012-01-16T10:08:00.003-07:00

For Christmas, my mom always makes dresses for the girls. I love the way Lauren's dress turned out this year! The great thing is, my mom has loads of fabric and stuff, so this dress cost me $4, for the zipper. Looks like a heck of a deal to me!
She wasn't really cooperating (surprise!) so maybe one of these days, I'll get a really great picture of her wearing it.
Cole and Lauren. Out of all the cousins, Lauren will always walk up to Cole and hold her hands out for him to pick her up. She just loves him so much.
I can't believe Cade is 17! I know that Cort is married, and so I should be used to my nephews growing up, but its still so hard for me to see them getting big and mature. Cade doesn't say much, but when he does, it always surprises me because his voice is so deep. He's such a good kid too. I know I don't have to worry about him making the right choice and being a good example to his younger brother. Cade doesn't really like the attention on him, so we didn't sing him happy birthday, or make him blow out the candles on his cake, but I still made him smile for a picture!
Our dear friends Amy and Kory blessed their twin boys, Carter and Beck. These two little boys are such miracles and I couldn't be happier for them. I think that Kory and Amy provided most of the light in their house, because they were beaming so much. I love these 4 so much! They are such great friends and always such a joy to be with. Congratulations Amy and Kory!

Grandpa Orson's 90th Birthday Party

2012-01-16T09:46:00.004-07:00

Its no secret how much I love Aaron's family. They are SO wonderful! Just incredible! Well, its not by chance, I think a most of it has to do with two people... Grandpa Orson and Grandma Jessie. They are two of the most outstanding people I've ever met. They raised their children with the Gospel as their foundation. They are never afraid to tell you their testimonies or some good advice you need to hear. Its been about a year and a half since Grandma Jessie passed away, but we are lucky enough to still have Grandpa Orson living strong. The family got together and celebrated his 90th birthday! Holy cow! What a life he has lived! I love every single one of his stories. I love his smile, his laugh. Everything. We went out to Rush Valley and so much of the family showed up. It shows how much respect everyone has for Grandpa. There was a slide show of his life, many scrapbooks, a family tree showing his posterity, a tribute book, and a picture with a huge mat for all of us to sign. They also had lots of yummy treats. I loved being able to write a tribute to Grandpa. Even though I've only known him for 5+ years, he has definitely had such a positive impact on me. Grandpa stood up and spoke some very wise words. I love that when he talks, EVERYONE listens (even the little kids - except Lauren who kept yelling because she was having so much fun with the cousins - Grandpa would just laugh and say something funny about Lauren taking after her dad). After that, each child, their spouses, and every grandchild spoke very kind words and told some pretty funny stories about Grandpa. Its very easy to see what a great man he is. After that, we took lots of pictures! Here is Grandpa with his children: Uncle Darell, Uncle Lee, Aunt Cathy, Daddy Van, and Uncle Ray.
Here's Uncle Darell with his family.
Van with a very small portion of his family (Nicki and her family were at the party earlier, but had to leave before pictures. It just makes Aaron look like the golden child. ;) Ha ha!).
Uncle Lee with his family (I just found out Sean is getting married to Ashley. I think she's so cute, and I'm so excited for them!).
Aunt Carol with part of her family.
Uncle Ray with part of his family.
They of course had to have a cake, and Grandpa loves his great grandkids so much he had them help him blow out the candles. I think anyone would need help blowing out that many candles!
The kids loved helping Grandpa. I love spit cake! Ha ha!
We took a picture with just us and Grandpa. I want Aaron and I to be able to tell our kids and grandkids about this amazing man. We love you, Grandpa!

Christmas PJs

2012-01-16T09:37:00.004-07:00

I'm trying to keep up on my blog posts so that when baby comes, I don't have to catch up on other events, and I can write about nothing but the new arrival and our new life with her in it. I was looking through my camera the other day and realized I totally forgot a couple of posts for the blog! Goodness me! Every year, my mom makes pjs for us for Christmas. We usually get a picture of all of us before Christmas, but it just didn't happen this year, so we took a picture after, just to document. Its always quite the event, trying to get grandkids into pjs, moms changing too, and getting everyone together. Cole did a really great job entertaining Lauren while I was getting ready. Dad was keeping Lauren in the sunroom so we could take the picture.
We got one!! Ha ha! Lauren wasn't cooperating very well, and wouldn't look at the camera, but at least everyone else is smiling. We love our pjs, Grandma! Thanks for another great pair!
Taking pictures really wore out Sierra. I love those chunky cheeks and squishy arms!
I got a pretty cute video of Lauren and Cole playing together. She really thinks that her cousins are the funniest people ever. Anything they do is gold.

Pregnancy Thoughts & An Amazing Husband

2012-01-11T08:48:00.006-07:00

I haven't really posted much about this pregnancy, and I figure today might be a good time to do it, since I'm less than 3 weeks away from meeting this sweet little baby girl. This pregnancy has been similar to my first with Lauren. I had morning sickness for about a month longer this time, which was not very fun, but hey, I'll take it if I get a healthy baby. I definitely feel tired a lot easier this time around, but that might be because I'm chasing Lauren everywhere. These last couple of weeks have really taken their toll on me. My sciatic has been freaking out, which never happened with Lauren. I've been sick for about a week now, and that really doesn't help things, since sleep is hard anyway, and then I cough all night long too. On Friday, Aaron came home from work, and surprised me with flowers! He doesn't really get the point of flowers, because he thinks its funny to give someone something that will die. So its kind of a big deal for me when he does give me flowers. Then, on Monday, I had cleaned the house, vacuumed, and finished the laundry. When he came home, he said, "Let's go pick out paint for the nursery and get dinner." Music to my ears! I have been really excited to finally decide on a color and get the paint, and I love that we went out to dinner so I didn't dirty the kitchen I just cleaned. Yesterday, he called and asked if I had any plans today. I said that I was busy in the morning, but free the rest of the day. He told me that he has scheduled a prenatal massage for me and already arranged for my sister to watch Lauren. What? Could I be better taken care of? Then, when he got home from work last night (it was late, because he has clients in town this week), he brought me a fruit tart from Market Street Grill! It was so delicious. Aaron is so thoughtful and I really do appreciate all these things he's doing for me. Last night, after he got home from work, I asked why I'm getting all of this good treatment. He replied, "You're not complaining as much with this pregnancy as you were with Lauren, even though I know its harder on you this time around." I thought it was so sweet that he can tell that I've needed a little more help than what he already does for me. I'm so grateful for a caring, loving husband. I'm grateful that I get to have an eternal family with him. Even though I'm having a harder time with this pregnancy, I'm glad I get to have babies, and get to share this life with Aaron.

A Couple of Videos of Lauren

2012-01-05T10:19:00.006-07:00

Sometimes I forget about the videos I take of Lauren. They are so funny to me, and I just love watching my baby girl in action. Here is one from Christmas morning, when we gave Lauren her cozy coupe. She was in heaven in that car, and still loves to sit in it all the time. We need to teach her how to make it move with her in it, by herself.

I think all little kids like to put things in containers or bags. Lauren is no exception. One day, while I was trying to get ready, Lauren got into one of the bathroom drawers and found a Clinique bonus I had in there. Ever since, she plays with it all the time. I let her play with the make up as well, since she can't open any of it (for now!). The other day, she decided to make the bag her new hat. Yesterday, she walked around the kitchen with it covering her eyes. I couldn't believe that she made it into the kitchen, around the island, and back into the living room without bumping into anything. She wasn't so lucky today.

These videos are just too funny to me. Oh, the joys of motherhood and watching our little babies develop and figure everything out. Lauren's little personality is coming out more and more everyday. Everyone always said she was such a laid back baby, and she was. I can see her turning into a toddler (Watch out terrible two's! I know you're on your way!), and she is expressing her feelings (good and bad) so much more than ever before. She still thinks little kids and babies are the funniest people ever and adults are only okay. Ha ha!

BYU Bowl Game 2011

2012-01-01T11:16:00.005-07:00

On Friday, I was one lucky lady and Aaron took the day off! I couldn't believe my ears when he said he was taking the day off. It only seemed natural since he had some vacation time left, AND it just happened to be the BYU Bowl Game. Aaron's Uncle Ray and Aunt Kathy invited us up to their vacation home in Midway (they live in Houston, so we take every chance to see them when they are in Utah). Their daughter, Stacey, and her family were there also. Then, Nicki and her family came up as well. So much fun! The guys all headed downstairs to watch the game while the kids played games with each other. Here are Grace, Max, and Presli playing with Squinkies (I think that's what they were called - Lauren's not old enough to play with them, so I don't know about these things yet.)
The "older girls" played with their ipods and read their newest books from Christmas. Here's Bret:
And Emma:
And Kate:
Emma, Kathy, and Stacey - these ladies made two different types of chili - a traditional red and a white turkey. They were both SO good! It was nice to sit back while they did everything (even though I offered my help multiple times. Ha ha!).
Bret, Jaycee, and Nicki. Love these ladies!
We all ate lunch during half time, and then it was back to the basement for the men. I loved hearing the yelling from them, and you could totally tell if the Cougs were doing a good or bad thing.
Lauren woke up from her nap and was in heaven playing with her cousins. They gave her a balloon and she just ran around squealing. Too funny!
Then, the girls started playing sets and runs. Its a fun card game that my mom and her friends always play together so I'm glad that I've played it before and knew what I was doing.
Lauren wanted to sit up with her cousins. I love that her head barely comes over the table.
After the Cougs had their last second win (It was TOO close for my comfort, but it made it nice that all the men were so happy), we showed the family the dice game we played on Christmas Eve. They loved it. Grace won the first round and Emma won the second game. We laughed the whole time we were playing because Ray and Aaron are so competitive and were so funny every time they rolled the die.
We headed home around 5:30 and realized we were hungry. Since we were driving down I-80, and there's a new Chick-fil-A in Sugarhouse, we stopped by for some dinner on the run. Lauren is a smart little girl, and she loves the Chick-fil-A shakes. The second she sees one of the cups, she starts freaking out until she gets some. Well, I decided to just hand her the shake so I wouldn't have to keep turning around (because for some reason, my morning sickness has been coming back lately and I get sick pretty easy). I didn't think she could do too much damage with the shake. I was WRONG. Oh, my goodness! How does so much shake get outside the cup in 10 minutes? It was all over Lauren's face, neck, clothes, and of course, car seat.
She was in heaven, so we just laughed about it.
I really wish the pictures could do the mess justice. She was covered in chocolate chip peppermint shake!
Aaron took her inside, stripped her down, and just let her play in the kitchen sink. We decided to just bathe her there to minimize the mess. We fed her dinner, and then Aaron gave her an Oreo (we sound like we only feed her junk food, but she really didn't get much shake IN her mouth). Well, the Oreo ended up being a bigger mess than normal. I guess she was just in a messy mood and wanted food all over her face and hands. At least she's happy!

Old Young Women's Presidency GNO

2012-01-01T11:07:00.003-07:00

If I haven't said it on my blog before, I'll say it now. I love my calling. Yes, it can be frustrating, and sometimes the girls aren't doing what I would like them to be, but I love my calling. A few months ago, the presidency was switched up, and I miss the ladies I used to be in YW's with, but the new presidency is just as much fun (if only the girls knew how much fun!). Cute Cheryl emailed the old presidency and asked if we wanted to get together for dinner. Yes, please! Each one of these ladies are just awesome. I love them so much. They teach me so much and are such incredible examples to me. We went to Robintino's for dinner, and almost shut the restaurant down! We talked and talked and laughed and laughed. Goodness, it was so much fun!
Gotta love Jules' faces and Cheryl - who never looks bad in a picture.
Lynette, Jennie, and I.
Thanks for the wonderful evening, ladies! It was so much fun to get together and catch up. I can't wait for the next GNO!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-30T21:37:00.008-07:00

I can totally see why parents say that Christmas is more fun with kids. As nice as it is to sleep in, and unwrap presents one at a time with just my spouse, it was a lot of fun to have Lauren wake up and unwrap presents with her too! Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but after filling them, they were far to heavy to stay there.
Every picture I tried to take of our tree and presents came out blurry. I really need a new camera. This was the best one I got.
Lauren tried to carry this bag of blocks all by herself. It was pretty funny. I'm loving Aaron's sleepy face and Lauren's crazy hair.
Our girl takes after her daddy in that she loves to read. I am so grateful for that. We got her a few new books, and she couldn't wait to read them. We tried to show her other presents, but all she wanted was for her daddy to read them to her first.
Even though Lauren is so little, and really doesn't "get" Christmas and the whole present thing, she learned to unwrap them like a champ, and couldn't wait to play with what ever was inside.
When we unwrapped some new Blue-Rays, she pointed to the TV. Ha! Yep, that's my girl!
I am a Pinterest addict (If I haven't mentioned it before now), and I came up with a brilliant idea to add a new board to my account: My Wish List. I thought that Aaron could refer to it for Christmas, Valentine's, birthdays, etc. Well, Aaron decided to get me pretty much everything on my board. He is too good to me! He told me that I needed to update my board again. Ha ha! One of my favorite gifts he gave me is a sewing machine. I can't wait to learn how to use it and start making things that I see. I'm sure my mom will be happy that I have my own machine now and will quit asking her to do little jobs all the time. I just don't know if she will be happy about the lessons she'll be teaching me.
Aaron and I think that one of the biggest hits with Lauren was her new car! When Aaron pulled it out of the laundry room, she started squealing and gibber-gabbering fast. It was a classic reaction.
She couldn't take the smile on her face and spent most of her day (that we were home for) in the car. She now likes to watch movies while sitting in her car.
When ever I wear jewelry, Lauren usually ends up wearing it the rest of the day. I bought some jewelry of her own, and this is how she looked all morning. Now, she just wears 3 or 4 bracelets and a couple of necklaces every day.
Right after sacrament meeting, we headed over to my mom's house for brunch. All of the nieces wore their dresses my mom made for them. I think they all look so pretty. I love the way Lauren's dress turned out this year. I need to get a better picture of Lauren in her dress.
Sierra was so bright-eyed on Christmas and I just love those chubby cheeks!
Once again, Lauren was in heaven with new toys to play with!
I love that I can get a shot of Brad sleeping while everyone else is unwrapping presents.
Lesley and Travis are still like newlyweds!
Tawny and Nate were really happy with the new knife set they received.
The rest of the guys stayed on the side, talking football.
After my mom's house, and naps by Lauren, Aaron and I, we went to my sister Kymberly's house for dinner. Every year, she makes an amazing spread of food. I roasted a turkey to contribute to the meal.
Cort is my oldest nephew (22 years old!), and he still takes the time to play with the little kids.
This picture cracks me up! Sierra almost looks like a doll, but she is just paying such close attention to everything my dad is saying to her. Too cute!
One of the really fun things that Bee made for dinner was this Christmas mix. She dipped Bugles in red melting chocolate and then dipped the ends in white chocolate so they looked like Santa hats. She found the idea on Pinterest, and I think she did such a great job! Everyone was amazed that she made them.
Cort was showing Leila and Enzo a game on his phone. I think they were like this for over half an hour. He is such a great cousin to the little ones!
Tawny made a chocolate peppermint cheesecake (great minds think alike!) for a dessert and it was so tasty. Enzo enjoyed sharing a piece with his mommy.
Aaron was dancing with Lauren in the kitchen and making her laugh.
Before we left for the night, my dad handed out gifts. Lauren decided to take mine and Aaron's gift. She eventually traded our gift for some really neat stacking blocks.
Christmas is such a great time of year. As stressful as it is, and as packed as the schedules are, it brings family together. Everyone seems a little more cheery, more giving, more loving. I love that its a time to reflect a little bit more on the birth, life, and death of our Savior. I'm grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement, that the Gospel is true, that I have an eternal family, and that I have the opportunity to live with my Heavenly Father again. I hope that my family and friends understand how much I love them and think about them (even if I'm not the best person about keeping in touch with others). I have a long list of things that I would like to change in 2012, but these are a few that are on my mind lately. I hope that in the coming year, I can be better at expressing my love to others, that I can be more patient, and that I can be more willing to serve.
I'm grateful that Christmas went so smoothly this year. I had no idea how much more exhausting it would be to be so pregnant (35 weeks!) and do regular Christmas stuff. Even wrapping presents was an "experience" for me because I had this little girl pushing on my ribs (as she likes to do all the time, even as I'm typing this). Now that the holidays are over, my focus is on preparing for her arrival in just a few short weeks. I know they are going to fly by, and before I know it, I'll be posting about labor and delivery. Yikes!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-30T21:12:00.004-07:00

This year, for Christmas we decided to stay home instead of traveling to St. George. As much as we missed the family we don't see very often, we had so much fun with the family we were with.
In the morning, we hosted brunch at our home with my sisters and their families, and had my dad and grandma join us as well. It was a lot of fun, and the food was really yummy. I feel bad, since I didn't take a single picture!
David and Tyler invited us and the Wilkinson's over to their home for a Christmas Eve dinner. David and Tyler made delicious appetizers, egg nog, French Hot Cocoa and really yummy soup. Nicki brought drinks and rolls, and I made white chocolate peppermint cheesecake and Chubby Hubby bars (think cookie, pretzels, Reese's peanut butter cups, caramel and chocolate). Everything was so good. After dinner, we played Christmas bingo. We laughed pretty hard at the prizes.
The "Plushtache" was a big hit. Jaycee ended up winning it. Ha ha! I don't know what she's going to do with it, but she loves it. Here's David, showing it off:
I can't believe how mature the nieces and nephews are getting. I swear, every time I see them, they've grown that much more. Bret looks like she's 18 in this picture. She's only 15. Look out!
Jaycee is getting more mature every day as well. It blows my mind how time seems to fly by lately. Oh, and please don't mind the double chin, and giant belly.
After bingo, Aaron showed the family how to play a dice game. Cute little Presli ended up winning the whole game. She was pretty excited about her $10 cash prize! All quarters! I think that is any little kid's dream of winning... that or candy.
It was such a delightful night filled with good food, amazing company, and so much laughter!

Family Pictures

2011-12-28T08:55:00.012-07:00

Since the Christmas cards have been sent out, I wanted to do a post of some of the family pictures we had done by my amazing friend, Lynette. She was so sweet to fit us into her crazy busy schedule and take some really great photos of my family. Thank you, Lynette! I love that we got a belly shot that I actually like! You can definitely tell I'm pregnant, but I love that Aaron's eyes are open and Lauren is smiling.

Close up to see our cute faces.
This is Aaron's and my favorite picture. It definitely went on the Christmas card.
Lynette did a great job capturing my little sweetheart. Her eyes were electric!
Lauren wanted to pick up the leaves on the sidewalk.
Aaron started making Lauren laugh and I love the progression of shots Lynette took.
My giggling baby girl.
Her daddy is the funniest man ever!
After we let her be on her own, she was DONE with family photos and just wanted to walk around by herself.
Aaron was chasing after her and she thought that was so fun.
I'm SO SO SO glad that we were able to get these pictures taken. I knew it would be the last time that we would just be the three of us. The next photos we have done will include baby girl #2! It seems time is moving faster every day and I love that I get to see my little girl and family growing every day.

Johnson Family Christmas Party 2011 & Temple Square Lights

2011-12-22T21:40:00.007-07:00

I love Aaron's family. I can't say it enough. They are each such wonderful people and when you are around them, they make you feel so good. I am one lucky lady to be part of such a great family. Every year, we go out to Rush Valley (think south and west of Tooele) for the Annual Johnson Family Christmas Party. Once the brunch is warming in the oven, the men settle down for a good chat. Aaron's uncles are such outstanding men. They are wonderful examples to Aaron.
Lauren settled right in with her cousins. She loves Jaycee.
More extended cousins playing with Lauren. She was in heaven playing with all the kids!
After brunch was over, we hand out white elephants. Bret got a pretty neat hunting hat and vest and a gun cleaning kit. Ha ha! It's Rush Valley, what can you expect?
Grandpa Orson got some super cool sunglasses. Coolest Grandpa I've ever seen!
Carol got an old pair of Grandma Jessie's glasses. One day, those were in style.
I love that Aaron got this Halloween wreath. I can't wait to hang it on my door next year. Ha!
Susie got the family crest. Well, its somebody's crest, and the Johnson's just put some tape over their name. Classic.
Uncle Lee got one of the best presents ever. The thing is, it was actually his birthday, and Van gave him this spear! One of the guys Van works with makes them, and he remembered that Lee really liked it and got one for him. Lee was like a little kid on Christmas morning (fitting, I know). He loved it!
After the "presents" are all unwrapped, the grandkids (well, great grandkids) do the nativity and we sing songs. I love this tradition. Cousin Stacey always comes up with the best costumes for the kids. Socks make up ears for the donkey, a shirt stuffed in the back is a camel's hump, a belt from the 80's helps keep the wise men's towels on their heads. This year, Lauren was one of the "heavenly hosts" AKA: angels. Cutest angel I've ever seen. She sat on "Joseph's" (Yes, Jaycee played Joseph) lap.
Here are all of the kids that were in the nativity. Such a cute bunch!
Since Aaron's dad and step-mom were up from Cedar for the party, we decided to venture out to the cold and see the lights at Temple Square. We stayed warm for a bit in the JSMB and the cutest lady asked if our family wanted a picture by the tree. I'm so glad she took this picture since its the only one that was in focus for the night.
Lauren loved the lights (until she got cold, and then just wanted to be inside where it was warm). She would say, "Ooooohh" when she would see the trees.
Next year, I hope we go when its a little warmer, but this year was worth it just to see Lauren's reaction. It just isn't Christmas until I see the lights and this year I went twice (once with the Young Women and then with my family). Such a wonderful time of the year!

THE Tree, Gingerbread Houses, and a New Stocking

2011-12-22T18:39:00.005-07:00

Aaron and I have the tradition of going to Smith's Marketplace to pick out our tree each year. It holds a lot of sentimental value for us. I'm sure I've blogged about the story before, so I'll spare everyone the long read.
Smith's also has a really good selection of trees. I think ours look great each year. I love the pine smell the whole season as well. This year, we bought a Douglas Fir. It's by far the biggest and fattest tree we've ever had. I love how full it is! Aaron and I got a lot of the decorating done while Lauren was asleep, but she woke up just in time to help her daddy put the star on the top.
I love this picture of them, since they are standing on the stool and I'm on the floor.
I found a great idea for Aaron this year for something a little special. I got the idea from The Dating Divas Blog. They give good ideas on how to keep marriage fun and interesting and not so mundane. In November, I wrote out a bunch of compliments about Aaron, a few fun activities we can do together during the holiday season, and a few things I can do for Aaron (like a little service project, so to speak). He gets to open a new envelope each morning. Its been so much fun! I get really excited when its something we get to do together. For this night, we made a gingerbread house. I didn't know how Lauren would do, but she loved it! We just kept feeding her frosting and let her play with the gingerbread people that came in the kit. This picture doesn't do it justice how much frosting is all over her face. Ha ha!
I love that Aaron got in to decorating the house. I did some of the frosting and he did the rest of it and all of the decorating. Look at that focus!
I have to say, for our first attempt at gingerbread house making, we did a dang good job! I sprinkled some coconut on the roof for a "snowy" effect. We decided that it looked way better without the coconut and took it off.
Right as we finished decorating our gingerbread house, my mom stopped by with a very special surprise for Lauren... Her STOCKING! My Aunt Ilene made my stocking for me when I was born (mine is a snowman), and my mom made Aaron's stocking when we got married (his is Santa coming out of a chimney). Now, my baby girl has a stocking all her own. We decided we wanted a sugar plum fairy. My mom designed it and knitted this all her own. Holy cow! She really has such an incredible talent!
Lauren really liked the glittery jingle bells.
My mom even hand embroidered the face, hair, and tiara. I loved the way it turned out!
Its such a gorgeous stocking and I'm so happy I get to hang it on the mantle this year.
Now, we need to figure out what we are doing for Baby Girl #2! Ha ha!

Annual Clawson Christmas Cookie Day

2011-12-22T13:19:00.003-07:00

Each year, my mom, sisters, and nieces get together for our annual cookie day. I know that my love of baking/cooking came from spending so much time in the kitchen with my mom and sisters. We have a few favorite cookies that we HAVE to make every year, and we also like to try a couple new ones to see if they become favorites. I made sugar cookies this year. The granddaughters love to help frost them, and eat them. Bentley made sure that her cookie had plenty of frosting and sprinkles!Harley and Mara are getting better and better each year at frosting their own cookies.
Sierra just enjoyed watching everyone while her mommy held her.
Lauren was SO happy to be with her cousins. I saw a shirt like hers on Pinterest, and I showed my mom. We picked out some ribbon (that she already had in her stash) and made it up. I think it turned out SO adorable! My mom loved it so much, that she made one for each granddaughter.
I love that we dressed our girls in all the same shirt that day. Aren't they just the cutest? (The girls, but yes, the shirts too!)
We have so much fun together, without the boys. My mom asked if we can get together once a week and do it. Well, maybe not once a week, but we'll see what we can come up with! I love my family so much!

ZAGG Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-21T17:36:00.003-07:00

Two days after we got home from Hawaii, we dropped Lauren off at another sister's house (thank goodness for family!) and headed up to the annual ZAGG Christmas party at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City. Aaron and I have stayed there before, and its really nice, so we were looking forward to going. After we checked in and shown to our room, we met in the lobby for the shuttle to take us to the ballroom. While waiting in the lobby these two lovely gentlemen (Jordan and Jason Melville) did a nice pose by the fire for me.
They started the night with a delicious meal and then Robert Pedersen (The CEO), recognized the big accomplishments of the company. Its a proud moment (for me, at least) when he mentions the franchise program and all they did during the year, because I know a LOT (Can I just say ALL of it? I'll give some credit to the other guys, too.) of it has do with my husband and all of his hard work. After that, Robert asked if we wanted to play a game... Let's Make A Deal!
He had one employee represent the entire company and what ever he won, the rest of the employees won also. This could be scary. The employee traded his sweater for $100. Then, was asked if he would like to change in the $100 for what was behind Door #1, #2, or #3. He first picked door #3. It was a Kindle Fire! Nice! We were pretty happy about that (I thought Aaron would be happy to upgrade his current Kindle to the Fire). Then, Robert asked if he wanted to choose another door. He chose door #1. What was behind it? $100. Ha ha! Great. We lost the Kindle Fire to $100. So, the employee went for the last door... #2. Every ZAGG employee got a 40" flat screen TV! Merry Christmas from ZAGG! We are pretty darn excited about our new TV. We don't really have a place for it right now, but I'm sure we can find a good spot for it in our next home (whenever we find our next home).
After the BIG present was given away they announced that dancing would start after some tables and chairs were moved. Aaron and I look forward to dancing at the party every year. While most of the employees went back to their rooms, majority of the sales team, some of the company officers, and a couple board members all stuck around to bust a move on the dance floor. It was SO much fun!! Here's John and Brad shaking their stuff!
Pua and Brad, Travis and his wife (I love that he's on the side, checking her out). Ha ha!
Travis got into the circle and definitely worked the crowd!
My handsome husband was the best dancer of the night! He wasn't ashamed of me shaking my big baby belly at all.
Tracy and John showed everyone a line dance and kept the group moving. They are awesome!
I got a picture of us before the end of the night! We ended the night around 11:30. Boy, was I sore! My hips just hurt from all of the dancing I did, but it was worth it. We had SO MUCH FUN!
When we got back to our suite, the SE staff had turned down our bed for us. Our robes and slippers were laid out, with ice, water, and chocolates. Thank you! It was a very nice welcome to our room. It was exactly was my sore feet and body needed.
When Aaron went back to work on Monday, everyone asked if I had gone into labor because of how much dancing/jumping around I did. I'm glad so many people noticed the REALLY pregnant lady busting a move on the dance floor! Ha ha!
Of course I have to post this video! Its awesome. I love the company that Aaron works for!
CLAP! CLAP! GO ZAGG!

Mele Kalikimaka

2011-12-15T09:55:00.022-07:00

Considering its so yucky and cold outside, I thought it fitting to finally post where we went for a week during this joyous time of year. HAWAII!!! This was a first for Aaron and I, both. So we were pretty excited. We both had lots of family and friends tell us things we had to do, which was really nice. We also had lots of family help us with Lauren while we were gone. I was so sad (at first) that we left Lauren behind, but during the flight there was another family with a screaming child, and I realized Lauren would have struggled not only with the flight, but the time change, and we would have seen our hotel room a lot more. Lauren was in the best hands with my sisters, and Aaron's sister. We left Thursday, December 1st. The day of the BIG wind storm. When we first left our house, there was no wind at all. As we drove to my sister's house, and passed into Centerville the wind came. Holy cow! It was crazy. We pulled into my sister's driveway, and the car started rocking and Aaron struggled to open the car door. Tiffany's neighborhood looked like a war zone! We ran into the house, and found out that their power, phone service, and internet was all down. I felt so bad! Her yard looked like a tornado had gone through it, too, and here I am, dropping off my baby, and heading to Hawaii. My sister was still happy to watch Lauren. I told her to go to our house if their power didn't come on soon. Luckily, it was back on in a short amount of time. After a nice 6 hour flight, we made it to Oahu. It was perfect weather. 80 degrees. Perfect. We were able to stay at the JW Marriott (since Aaron had so many points). I tell ya, JW is the best place to stay.
When we were checking in, the concierge asked if Aaron was a BYU football coach (he had the biggest grin on his face). Yes, we stayed at the same hotel as the football team, and Aaron just happened to be wearing one of his BYU golf shirts. He told the guy that he wasn't. Since the team, coaches, and other important people were staying at the same hotel, we got upgraded. This made me very happy. The first thing Aaron did when we got to our room:
Not too shabby of a view from our balcony.
This is directly below our room. I thought it was such a neat pool.
This bathroom was awesome as well. It gave me a few ideas for the master bathroom in our next house.

We decided to take a walk through the property since it was close to dinnertime, and we decided to have dinner at the hotel. Aaron had to call his brother, Steve, to tell him about seeing some of the BYU football team players. So here he is, enjoying the splendor of the ocean, while talking on the phone. Ha!
I found the cutest little bird tracks. I loved it. The next morning, there were a ton more.
We found this crab hanging out on the rocks and were pretty impressed that he stayed so still as we got closer. Then, Aaron got REALLY close, and said he was dead. Ha ha! Too funny. Not that he was dead, but that we thought he would really just sit there as we got closer. We then noticed all the other crabs scurrying away from us.
As were were walking along the trail, we heard someone call our names. It turned out, some of Aaron's co-workers were staying at the Marriott Vacation Club just down the path. One of the wives saw us and flagged us down. It was so fun to see familiar faces when we were so far from home. We headed back to our hotel and went to one of the restaurants. Aaron had rack of lamb and I had red snapper. It was so delicious! There were a bunch of "pools" all around the property with sea life in them. We saw sting rays, hammerhead sharks and lots of huge starfish.
The way the sun was hitting the water makes it kind of hard to see the starfish but there are like 5 or 6 in this picture.
We were both so tired from the flight, we went back to our room and fell asleep within about 20 minutes. I did get a picture of the sun setting before I crashed for the night.
The next morning, we both woke up rather early (that time change really gets you). One of the restaurants at the hotel had a really nice breakfast buffet that we tried out. I loved it, and Aaron thought it was just okay. We decided to head up to Waikiki for the day, and on our way out of the lobby, these little guys were begging for food. Anytime a person would walk by, they would swim up to the edge and start coming out of the water.
We did a little shopping in Waikiki, and Aaron bought a really nice pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. I was so proud of him for getting a real pair, instead of some $10 that would break quickly. We had several people tell us to eat at Duke's restaurant in Waikiki. The view of the ocean was really nice.
Gotta love the personal snapshots.
This statue is of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku. He was a full blooded Hawaiian and Olympic medalist. People put leis on the statue as a symbol of their respect for him. (PS: Please don't mind all of the nice belly shots. :))
I loved this tree. I thought it was so cool and totally reminded me of Tarzan. I really wanted to swing from the vines.
We did a little bit more shopping, and headed into "the international shopping market" AKA: crappy stuff to buy people back home. I thought it would be fun to get some stuff for the nieces and also for Aaron's Sunday School class. Its cheap stuff and they would think it was cool. Right? Ya. Sure. We found a sweet lady and bought some really cute necklaces from her. Then, we headed to another "shack" and started negotiating prices for bracelets with another lady (by the way, all of them were of Asian descent). This lady was out to get us. I swear. She called me a "Mean Pregnant Lady" and kept asking Aaron for his best price but, "You be nice to me." Aaron pulled some money out, but she wasn't happy with his offer. I meant to pull a dollar out of my wallet, but instead pulled a $10 bill out. Ooops! She snagged that $10 bill up quicker than I could believe. Aaron tried to take it back and she started hitting his hands. Oh, my gosh, lady! We aren't holding any of your merchandise, and you have our money in your hands. Quit hitting my husband! After about 5 minutes, we finally got a few dollars back from her, and she stopped hitting Aaron. We purchased some really nice crap for the Sunday School class and got a couple of bracelets for Lauren. It was so ridiculous that by the time we walked back to our car, we just started laughing. I guess bad experiences can make for funny memories sometimes. As we were pulling out of the parking garage, we noticed the GIANT sign that says, "Cash Only." Its a good thing we got a few dollars back from the lady, because we had exact change to get out of the garage. After leaving Waikiki, we decided that its pretty much a hole. Its the Hawaiian version of Las Vegas. We headed up the East coast of the island to find some "look-out points" and blowholes. We came across the Halona Blowhole. Aaron helped me time taking the picture of it. It was fun to sit and watch.
Aaron and I decided that the next time we go on a tropical vacation we are going paragliding. It looks like so much fun! And what a gorgeous view!
I loved that everyday the clouds would form at the top of the mountains. The higher up the mountains, it would "mist"... It wouldn't rain, but just have a thick mist. Kind of crazy.
I love tunnels! It was so happy to see that we were going through tunnels.
The picture doesn't do this bay justice, but the water was so clear blue and so pretty.
As we were making our way up the coast, we were driving through a residential area (Side note: When Aaron and I go on vacations, we love to just drive, and see where it takes us, we've had some pretty funny experiences with our "drives"). We saw a bunch of trailers all lined up, a big tent, with tables and chairs. We said to each other, "I wonder what's going on over there. It looks like a movie set or something." A few blocks later, Aaron took a random right turn and said, "Let's go look at some of the houses over here." As we were driving down the street we saw a few more trailers. All of a sudden, there's a guy standing by our car with a "Hawaii 5-0 Staff" shirt on. We drove right by the house they were filming at. The staff kept us moving pretty quickly, so I didn't get any pictures but we thought it was so funny that we picked a random street to see houses and drove right by the set!
We knew that we were going to the BYU football game on Saturday, so we wanted to be in the area of the stadium. For breakfast, we found this place called Koa Pancake House. They had delicious blueberry pancakes. All the locals were there too, so you know its good when they eat there and it's not just a tourist attraction. We were really close to Pearl Harbor and had a few hours to kill before the game. Here's a picture of the USS Bowfin Submarine.
This is a picture of the Battleship Missouri and the USS Arizona.
We heard from a lot of people that the Missouri (The Mighty Mo) was really cool to go see, and we only had time to do one tour, so that's what we did. It was really neat. Aaron got his shootin' on with this 50 caliber machine gun.
I definitely wouldn't want those guns pointed towards my ship. Yikes! They were huge! FYI: The nine 16-inch guns are the Mighty Mo’s trademark feature. Each gun barrel is approximately 67 feet long, weighs an incredible 116 tons, and can fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in 50 seconds — with pinpoint accuracy. I also remember our guide telling us that it took nearly 100 men to operate the guns. WOW!
This placard was placed here, in the exact spot where the treaty was signed by Japan for the unconditional surrender and officially ended World War II. There were a lot of pictures showing each person signing the treaty and I think the guide said it took a total of 27 minutes for it all to take place.
Aaron and I went on an adventure inside the ship. I'm glad I had Aaron with me or else I probably would still be on the ship!
This is one of the sleeping quarters for the officers. That's not a lot of space and they were crammed into the rooms. Some had over 20 beds. I'm sure some of those guys would snore at night and didn't make for a good night's rest.
After a lot of learning and deep appreciation for the men and women that served (and still serve) our country to protect our freedoms, we headed to the game. We scalped some tickets and got some great seats. 3rd row! I had one happy husband with me. Plus, we got there in plenty of time to watch warm ups.
I loved this picture during the game of some of the "main players".
I got a picture of Ty Detmer and Chad Lewis - some BYU alum - that went onto the NFL after playing for the Cougars.
I knew I had to get a picture before kick off, or else Aaron wouldn't be looking at the camera.
Here's Aaron with some of the guys from work: John, Derek, and Brandon. I'm so grateful for ZAGG and the men Aaron works with. They are all really outstanding guys and such great examples to us.
After the game, we were so tired, so we grabbed some pizza on the way back to the hotel and had a pizza picnic on our bed. It was perfect way to end the night.
We started off Sunday morning with the swap meet at the stadium. Holy cow! This is something that I really enjoyed. It was crazy to see how many vendors were there. Yes, they were selling a lot of the same stuff, but it wrapped around the stadium 3 or 4 times. We bought more nice crap for our families and I bought a big wooden bowl. It seems to be a tradition for me when I'm on vacation. After spending a few hours there, we drove up to the Dole Plantation. As fun as the train ride was, it was comical as well. We heard from so many people how cool it was and I guess our expectations were higher than they should have been.
We saw lots of pineapple growing. FYI: Did you know it takes 2 years for a pineapple to fully mature? And, did you know that they chop off the top of the pineapple and replant it to grow a new pineapple? Crazy.
At least we took some really great "cut-out" pictures after the train ride.
I feel like this picture isn't far from what the "real me" looks like. I felt like a giant pineapple walking everywhere. Ha ha!
I thought it was really neat to see how pineapples grow.
The highlight of the Dole Plantation was definitely the Dole Whip! It was delish!
After that, we drove up to the North Shore where we had lunch at the Grass Skirt Grill in Halawei. We did a lot of walking and driving around looking at the surfers. Then, we made our way to the famous Matsumoto's Shaved Ice. We were standing in line, deciding what flavor to get when we noticed there were a lot of locals ordering it with beans. Beans? When in Rome, I guess.. We got ice cream and beans in the bottom, raspberry and mango shaved ice, and sweetened condensed milk on top. I know. I know. Yikes! The raspberry and mango shaved ice was awesome, especially with the sweetened condensed milk. Then, I hit a bean. YUCK! It was kidney beans. I usually like them, but not in my treat. I still can't figure out why anyone would want beans in their shaved ice.
The North Shore was really pretty (as is most of the island!).
Then, we happened upon Shark's Cove. This place was awesome. We decided to go snorkeling here. It was so much fun! At first, I was a little leery (okay, I basically threw a fit) about snorkeling when I was pregnant, but then I thought, "When am I going to have a chance to go snorkeling in Hawaii again?" So we went and I'm so glad we did!
It was gorgeous under the water. There were tons of schools of fish and I even ran into an eel. Eeek! I thought he was going to come after me when we ran into each other. He opened up his mouth huge and his eyes got all big. It totally scared me! Luckily, he swam away and I didn't see him again. This was the perfect place to go snorkeling since there were tons of rocks for the fish to swim in. I will say, its not easy to snorkel while pregnant. It was like swimming with a beach ball under by swimming suit. I bet I looked ridiculous.
Had to get a nice picture of us after the snorkeling adventure.
We headed back to our hotel room and did a little bit of "sea creature searching" on the rocks. Aaron found some pirate treasure! Okay, okay, it was a quarter from 1985. Ha ha!
Sunday morning we ventured over to the new Disney Resort (The Aulani) next to our hotel. (This is for you, Lynnette!) This place was so cool! If we had Lauren with us, we totally would have stayed here. This was part of the slides you could go tubing down.
Look at this play place for the kids!
We peeked inside some of the rooms and they had a play area for families that was showing Disney movies, they had board games to play, and one of the hotel workers was showing some kids how to make a craft. One of the nights they had a luau with the Disney Characters. We could watch the whole thing from our hotel room.
On Monday, we took it nice and easy, in the morning. We laid out on the beach. Aaron read his book while I crocheted some headbands. It was so nice to sit back and just take it all in. After that, we drove over to the temple since we were going to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the rest of the day. I'm sad that we didn't think of going to the temple a different day since every temple is closed on Mondays. I looked through the windows and it looks really pretty inside (Aren't all temples?) after they just remodeled it.
After eating at Hanuku Grill at Sugar Cane Mill (best meal of the entire trip!) we went to the PCC. After looking through all the different cultures, we took a canoe ride.
Aaron and our guide were working hard and I just sat there. He he! After we got off the canoe Aaron informed me that it wasn't an option for me to paddle. Apparently it was an option if I spent the ride not rowing. Ha ha!
We bought the buffet luau tickets and they had a really fun show while we ate dinner. Since you can't take any pictures during the big evening show, I decided to take a few shots while I could.
This little man was so adorable. He had the biggest grin on his face the whole time he performed.
For the last few songs, they sang and danced to Christmas songs. As good as it was, it still didn't feel right to be wearing shorts, outside, in 80* weather, while listening to Christmas music.
The PCC just renewed their evening show and now they perform a show called HA: Breath of Life. Aaron and I really enjoyed it. All of the performers did a really great job.
The next morning, we woke up to this....
It was the perfect way to start the last day of our vacation. Since Aaron is a Platinum Member with Marriott, we got a few treats sent to our room for breakfast we had freshly cut pineapple and Hawaiian fruit juice. The room attendant set it all up on the patio, and it was heavenly. We spent the morning lounging around, and then went shopping at a few different places (Ala Moana, Kahala, and the outlets). We both got a couple of things, but new we had a lot of treats to take home and not a lot of space. Then, we stopped at this trailer in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. Kind of crazy, I know, but several people we talked to told us we had to try them. It's called Leonard Jr.'s Masaladas. They were Portuguese donuts and we walked up to the trailer just as they were finishing up a fresh batch. They were REALLY good. We did a little bit more shopping and then for dinner went to a place called Pho-808. It has 100% ranking on Urban Spoon and we'd never seen a perfect rating for a restaurant and we had to try it. Pho is a beef broth-based soup with beef and noodles in it. They put the raw meat in the bowl and then pour the extremely hot broth over the beef. It cooks it almost instantly and makes the beef really tender. Then, it is served with bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapenos, and mint leaves that you put in to your liking. Aaron was a fan.
I loved watching him slurp up his pho.
We had just enough time to go to a movie and decided on Arthur Christmas. Then, we headed to the airport. The red eye didn't treat me near as well as the flight to Hawaii. About half way home my sciatic started freaking out. The last 3 hours of the flight were pretty uncomfortable, so I had to do a lot of walking up and down the isles. It was a lot easier for me to do it while everyone was sleeping. Regardless, this was such a wonderful trip! Aaron and I really enjoyed spending time alone together, knowing that Lauren was being taken great care of while we were away. I started REALLY missing Lauren on Sunday. I would hear her voice in the background of phone calls or see a picture of her on the ipad and I just wanted to snuggle with my baby girl. It was nice to come home, and have her run up to Aaron and I and want to hug us. I think that it is practically mandatory to go on a vacation without kids before we welcome each child into our family. Its the perfect way to get ready for being at home with a newborn. I'm sure Aaron and I will reminisce about this trip for a very long time.

Thankfulness 2011

2011-11-26T18:35:00.004-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We went out to Tooele to be with Aaron's family. Only a part of the entire family could make it, since half live up here and half live in Southern Utah. It was still so much fun. There are always great stories to be heard and lots of laughter. Of course, there was SO much delicious food. Aaron grew up with his mom making homemade everything. One of her specialties was her stuffing. She made it with her homemade wheat bread. The ladies in the family have figured out how to duplicate it, and they let me in on the recipe. Its something I will look forward to making every year. We thought we would take some quick family pictures (Why we took them AFTER gorging ourselves with too much food, I don't know? Ha ha!). Bob said something to Aaron right as Nicki was taking the picture. Too funny!The Wilkinson Family. Nicki, Bret, Presli, Bob, Jaycee, and Ashton (clockwise from left). Jaycee has grown up so much in just a few short months. She's in Young Women's! She just looks so much more mature and talks differently. It totally weirded me out!
Tyler and David. These two have such great stories and are some of the most genuine guys you will ever meet. Don't you just love David's bow tie? Me, too!
After A LOT of yummy food, we sat around and talked and laughed told funny stories. I love the Johnson family so much. I am really so lucky to become part of it. Everyone is so loving. You will always feel welcome around them. I look forward to every party or get-together that is planned. I know it will be a good time, surrounded by people I love, and I personally think they have some of the best stories ever.
After the Johnson Party, we headed straight to my mom's house for pie. I had to get a picture of Lauren in the shirt and bow my mom and I made (Okay, I picked out the stuff, my mom made the shirt, and I made the bow. Someday I will learn how to sew things like this. I loved the way it turned out! Thank you Pinterest. (By the way, I'm obsessed with Pinterest. Obsessed.) I also love that I got a picture of my baby girl smiling!
Bee and two of her girls. Harley is looking older every single day. Before I know it, she's going to be in Young Women's too! Sierra is growing so much. Just look at that chubby baby! Gosh, I have a cute family.
My mom always seems to find a way to make holidays extra special for the grandkids. For Thanksgiving, she finds out what their favorite kind of pie is, and then makes each one that kind in a miniature pie. Since my favorite is pumpkin, Lauren got pumpkin this year. The second I held up the pie for the picture, she tried to eat it. I think she might like pumpkin pie!
We couldn't get her to look up, but she definitely started putting her finger in the pie to try to taste more of it.
Here are all but one (Miss Bentley got sick!) of the grandchildren and the sisters. I love that my mom makes bigger pies for the older grandchildren. And they eat all of it, too! Enzo couldn't wait to eat his and just pulled it out of the pie tin. Ha ha!
Tawny couldn't deny that adorable face, and just let him have it. He was in heaven.

On the way out to Tooele, Aaron and I discussed the Top 5 things each of us were thankful for. His were: 1. His wife (oh, he's so sweet!) and all she does for him. 2. Lauren and 3. The new baby on the way, that they are happy and healthy. 4. Health 5. A good job. Mine were: 1. My husband and his love for me and the hard work he does for our family. 2. Aaron again (because he told me he should count for two). 3. (Really #2) Lauren and the baby - that we are able to have babies easily and are blessed with these spirits from Heavenly Father. 4. (Really #3) Our extended families. I love their examples and their support. If we ever need their help, they are there. 5. Really #4) Our home, the neighborhood we live in, and our neighbors. 6. (Really #5) Aaron's job. It has provided so much opportunity for us. He truly enjoys his work. It it lead by good men and is a good environment as well.
After we gave our Top 5, I said, "Isn't it kind of funny that neither of us said the gospel?" With that, Aaron said we know that the gospel, and our Heavenly Father provides us with everything that we are thankful for. If it weren't for it, we wouldn't have these "Top 5" things in our lives. It's true. The gospel and our Heavenly Father give us all that we have. I don't dare think of where I would be without it, without Him. I'm so grateful for my testimony. I'm grateful for the knowledge of the gospel. I'm grateful for every single blessing and trial Heavenly Father provides me and my family.

Light Up the Night at The Gateway

2011-11-20T11:12:00.002-07:00

I love tradition. I look forward to different traditions each season and it reminds of the things I did when I was younger. I'm glad that I can start new traditions with my little family. Saturday night, we went to Light Up the Night at The Gateway. I had never heard of it before I worked at The Gateway, and the first year I participated in it, I fell in love with it. They hand out hot chocolate and cookies, sing Christmas carols, have John Schmidt play, hand out little things for the kids, light the "holiday tree", and then have a special visitor at the very end. We usually have everyone in my family and their kids come, but this year, things just didn't work out for everyone at the last minute, so it was just Aaron, Lauren, Bentley, my dad, and me. I was great with our little group, because it wasn't hard to keep track of everyone, but I do think the more the merrier so maybe next year we can get everyone there. Bentley and Lauren loved it. We made sure that we bundled everyone up warm for the cold weather and the hot chocolate kept us warm. Lauren loved watching the other kids running and dancing around. Hence, her not look at the camera.
Then, we got Lauren out of the stroller and started dancing with her. She was laughing so much!
This year, they handed out jingle bell bracelets for the kids. Bentley thought it was so neat. Lauren would just shake her bracelet and start laughing. After they lit the tree, we had to get a picture next to it. Its a little fuzzy, but I'm fine with that. Lauren wouldn't stop looking at it.
We had to get a picture with Grandpa Paul and his granddaughters.
I had to get a picture of the entire tree. This isn't the biggest tree The Gateway has ever had, but it's 2' shy. This year, the tree is 52' tall. Holy cow! That's one big tree.
After the festivities, we headed to Crown Burger for dinner. It was a little later than planned, but everyone left with full tummies! I'm usually an advocate to wait until after Thanksgiving for any Christmas festivities, but I just love this one. Its fun, its free. You can't complain about that.

A Fun-Filled Weekend

2011-11-18T22:43:00.004-07:00

Although we proudly waive our BYU flag several weeks out of the year, Aaron and I are actually True Aggies, in that, we cheer for the Aggies for everything but football (We will still cheer for them during football season, but not when they play BYU). Confused? Good. It means I explained it right. Aaron tells everyone that our kids will be raised very confused. We would love for them to go to Utah State, but they still have to cheer for BYU for football.
Moving on (but the explanation was needed)... Our dear friend Tagg works for Utah State. He and Aaron were part of the crowd (back in the day) that were on the front row, at every game, intimidating the other team and cheering on our Aggies to victory. Tagg was able to get us tickets to the basketball season opener against BYU! We decided to head up to Logan a little early on Friday and visit a favorite restaurant spot, Cafe Sabor. If you have the chance to go there, I highly recommend the pollo durango. Delish! One of these days, I'm going to get the recipe out of Justin Hamilton (the owner). He's a friend of Aaron's and also owns Hamilton's Steak house in Logan (another delicious choice to visit).
It was hard for me (at first) to cheer for USU, and not BYU, but by halftime, we were singing proudly, "Show me a Scottsman who doesn't love the thistle. Show me an Englishman who doesn't love the rose. Show me a true-blooded Aggie from Utah who doesn't love the spot where the sagebrush grows!" Ha ha! It kills me. Seriously. Before the game, I got a picture of Aaron and Tagg with their cute babies. Atticus has the cutest little smile (just like his daddy's!). One of these days, Lauren will smile too.
Family picture in the Spectrum. Lauren loved watching the game. I think Aaron is one pretty proud daddy for already raising our daughter to be a sports fan. The crowd scared me because they were so loud. I thought it could damage Lauren's hearing, so I covered her ears when it got loud.
After the game, the line for the bus back to the parking lot was so long, so we decided to trek it. It was the first time we used Lauren's coat, and I think she just looks so darn cute (especially on here daddy's shoulders).
We had so much fun in Logan, and I hope we go back again soon. It's always a good time. I still find it so funny that Aaron and I knew SO many of the same people when were students there, but never met. I think Heavenly Father knew he had to keep us apart until we were a little more mature. I'm pretty sure we would have just "made out" a bunch of times and then gone our separate ways. Okay, maybe we would have ended up together, but we'll never know.
Saturday night, we decided to not go to the 7 PM BYU football game (it was snowing and cold and we've both been getting over being sick). Instead, we watched my adorable niece Bentley, while her parents went to the Utah football game and froze their bones. I thought it would be fun to make our own pizzas and donuts. I rolled out the dough, and then Bentley made her very own pizza. That's a pretty decent size pizza and she ate all but 2 pieces!
Aaron made Lauren's pizza, and she was in heaven. Our baby girl loves her pizza. Do you see that sauce covered face? Adorable. And we got a good smile out of her!
We then made homemade pumpkin spice donuts and they were so awesome! I ate 3! They were even good the next day. I just hate that my house smelled like a county fair for two days. If there was a way to fry food without the greasy smell afterward I would fry a lot more often! Okay.... maybe its a good thing the smell gets to me. :)
I loved out fun little weekend of seeing old friends, making yummy food, and just having a really good time as a family. I know that these weekends are something to cherish. Its just a few short weeks (okay, like 7 weeks, but during the holidays I'm sure they will fly by!) until Baby Girl Johnson #2 comes. I'm so excited to see how Lauren interacts with her sister. I can't wait to see what she looks like. It will be a whole new adventure all over again.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T20:50:00.004-06:00

Every year, Aaron's work is nice enough to host a Halloween party. They really do treat their employees so well. Over the past year, the company has grown so much that they couldn't have the party at the office. It is absolutely wonderful that the company is getting bigger and more successful, but I really did enjoy the parties at the office. This year, they had the party at Jordan Commons and showed a movie. Before the movie the CEO, Robert Pedersen, talked to us about the fun things we've done so far, and announced that we are going to Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley overnight for the Christmas party! Like I said, they really do treat us so well!
They give great prizes to the best costumes. Aaron didn't really want to dress up, so he went as a baseball player. Most handsome baseball player I've ever seen. For the first prize winner, she got a 42" flat screen LCD TV. She was a spider lady. She made her entire costume out of balloons. It was awesome! I really wish I would have taken a picture. Second and third place tied, so instead of them fighting over the prizes, they each get $100 gift certificate to Fleming's Steakhouse AND a Wii console with two extra remotes and two steering wheels. Pretty crazy! One guy was a zombie but he went all out. He had the synthetic facial parts and really played the part. The other guy, was actually two. It was the knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the guy that ran behind him with coconut shells to make the "galloping" noise. It was pretty funny.
They usually do a "cutest kid" contest (and I'm sure Lauren would have won) but since the company is getting so big, they just had all the parents show off their kids, and then gave them all a treat bag. The lighting in the theater was awful, so this is the picture I got of Aaron with Lauren and some of the other employees and kids.
We waited and carved pumpkins on Halloween (we've been busy!), and Lauren loved the pumpkin scoop. She wouldn't let it go. At least she is smiling.
Aaron and I thought it was so funny when she would do SO BIG because it would make all of the legs of the spider costume stand up.
I opened the bag of candy to get ready for trick-or-treaters, and it went all over the floor. Lauren immediately came over to the pile of candy and was playing with it. Isn't it every kid's dream to play in a big pile of candy? I knew it was mine when I was little, or it still is my dream, if I didn't gain any weight when I ate the candy. Oh, one can dream! Ha ha!
Here are our pumpkins! I think they turned out so cute this year. I love Aaron's "scared" pumpkin. Its looking at my "scary" pumpkin.
When the trick-or-treating died down and the older kids started coming (we seriously had a grown woman, no kids, dressed up, wanting candy. REALLY?) we decided to head over to my sister's house to see my dad and grandma. After visiting them, we went to see some pumpkins my sister told us about. Holy cow! This guy had some incredible pumpkins, and by some, I mean like over 150!
I loved this zombie pumpkin. It looked so cool.
This is just one section of pumpkins. That's a lot of dedication.
It was such a fun Halloween this year. I love that Lauren is understanding more of what's going on. It makes the holidays so much fun. I can't believe we are into November and Christmas (OH!, or is it HO!) is just around the corner.

All Hallow's Eve

2011-11-04T20:05:00.006-06:00

On Halloween Eve, we went to my mom's house. She always has it decorated so cute and does special little things for each grandchild. I love the tombstones she has out front.
Isn't this picture spooky? I guess I need to upgrade my camera, but the picture is fitting for Halloween.
After a delicious dinner of soup, bread bowls and yummy appetizers, we decorated sugar cookies. The kids all love doing it, and its so fun to see what they come up with, and we let them do what ever they want. Leila wouldn't even look up from decorating for me to take a picture.
Aunt Bee loves her Mara Moo.
Coleson tried to fit as many M&M's on his cookie as he could.
My sister brought some games for the kids, and Lauren loved playing with the mummy game.
Porter was very intent on decorating the cookies with as much frosting as possible.
Even though Cort is grown up and married, he still plays with his cousins. Leila thinks he's pretty funny.
Harley decorated some awesome cookies.
Enzo was in heaven with the cookie his mom gave him. I love that it turned his mouth gray.
Mara's mummy turned out so cute!
My mom made so many costumes this year: a spider, a witch, Medusa, and a monster. I think Enzo's costumes is one of the cutest monsters I've ever seen.
It has been a while since my mom and I have had a picture together. I love my mom and all the fun things she does for her family. Thanks for another fun All Hallow's Eve.

Happy 5 Year Anniversary!

2011-11-02T14:53:00.004-06:00

Friday, October 28th, Aaron and I celebrated out 5 year anniversary. Its crazy that we've been married 5 years. They've been 5 wonderful years. We went to lunch at Little Dave's Deli, which is one of our favorite lunch places. That night, we went to dinner at Spencer's Steakhouse. Since Aaron does so much business booking clients in the Hilton, we actually got our meal for free! I'll take $125 dinner for free any day! We will be going to Hawaii in 4 short weeks and we can't wait. Lauren will not be going with us this time so that will be an extension to our anniversary celebration.

Thriller!

2011-11-02T14:44:00.005-06:00

I love going to Thriller each year. This is just a fact. My sisters, mom, and dad usually go, but this year, it just wasn't working out. If there's a will, there's a way, and I had the will to get there. So, the cutest bunch of ladies from the ward came to Thriller. It was so much fun. Especially since another one of the ward girls dances for ODT. Elizabeth Martineau is incredible! Here we are, after the show... Jennie Keddington, Carly Crosland, me, Zombie, Missy Ackerson, Julie Donaldson, and Jessi Dowdy.
It was so much fun! We all laughed and giggled and got to know each other more. I loved every second of it. On our way back to our car, Missy was afraid that we were going to get mugged or something, and Julie ended up sneaking up behind her and scaring her! We laughed so hard, and I think Missy might have peed her pants. Ha ha! Just kidding, Missy! I hope we go out again for another girls night out, soon!

Boo at the Zoo!

2011-11-02T14:34:00.006-06:00

The Saturday before Halloween, we met up with my sister, Lesley, and her family for Boo at the Zoo. It was beyond crowded, but we still had the best time. It was a little chilly, so Lauren didn't mind wearing her costume at all. She was nice and cozy warm. I started having deja-vu of Disneyland last year, walking around the zoo. Everyone was stopping and commenting on the cute spider costume. Thanks, Mom! You did another incredible job on her costume.
Bentley loves her daddy so much. She wanted to see the owl in his home. Isn't she the most precious witch? My mom made her costume too!
Lauren was laughing at Bentley, even though it looks like she's yelling. Ha ha!
We had to get a picture of these girls on the tigers.
This was just too cute NOT to post.
Even though Lauren is so little, we still got a bag FULL of treats from Boo at the Zoo. I think this might be a tradition for us to go back every year.
That night was a Utah football game, so we got to watch Bentley while her mom and dad went to the game. It was time for Lauren to take a nap, and Bentley wanted to read books too. Aaron had the chance to get in some practice with two girls. I love this picture.

Baby Girl Johnson #2

2011-11-02T13:51:00.005-06:00

First of all, its so crazy to me that I'm pregnant. Its also crazy to me that I haven't really posted about it. Way back in May (yes, MAY!) over Memorial Day weekend, Lauren and I both got the stomach flu. It was awful. It was the first time that Lauren had gotten sick. At one point, I was standing in the kitchen, and I thought I was going to faint. I called Aaron and told him I needed him to come home because something was wrong. It was the first time I've ever done that. I'm glad he rushed home, because I was throwing up and barely able to move by the time he got home. I knew Lauren would need her daddy to cuddle her to feel better. Within two days, Lauren was back to her normal happy self. I, on the other hand, was not. I still felt nauseous, tired, and just not myself. A few weeks later, I was talking to my lovely sister, Bee, and was telling her all of this. She listened, like good sisters do, and then said, "It sounds like you're pregnant." HA! Ya right! That's not possible... oh, wait... is it? Hmm... Its not like I could track missing a menstrual cycle, since I was still breastfeeding Lauren (but I had noticed that my milk was drying up) and hadn't had to deal with my cycle. I called Aaron after getting off the phone with Bee, and he said I should take a pregnancy test. I found one in the back of the cupboard and took the test. Within seconds of that little stick's flashing window, it popped up... PREGNANT. I just sat there, in disbelief. I waited for Aaron to get home, and told him. I was too in shock for thinking of some cute way to tell him. I just wrote "Happy Early Father's Day" on a napkin, with the pregnancy test on top of it. When I told him the good news, he just started laughing. I had been crying, and here my cute husband is, laughing. He didn't believe me until he saw the pregnancy test. He was so excited. I called the doctor's office for an appointment and she asked me what the first day of my last period was. I just laughed. I said, "Would that be when I came home from the hospital with my baby?" So she scheduled an ultrasound to determine how far along I was. We went to the ultrasound all together, and sure enough, they found the heartbeat right away, and this little bundle of joy...
I was 8 weeks along. No wonder I was so sick! My doctor gave me a lovely prescription of Pyridox (I swear by the stuff!) and within a few days, I was feeling back to my normal self, but still a little tired.
We got anxious to find out the sex of this baby, so we went to Fetal Fotos when I was 17 weeks. Its still amazing to me that technology allows us to see these little babies, growing inside of us. Here is a picture of her spine.
Here is a picture of her face. Her hands are kind of in the picture as well.
This is a picture of her cute little profile.
We tried for about 15 minutes to find a good shot of her "girlhood" or "boyhood". She wasn't having it. The worker asked me to sit up and walk around a little bit so the baby could move around too. After a few minutes of getting her to move, this is the best shot we got. Its a girl! She said that she was 95% sure it was a girl.
A few weeks later we went to my OBGYN for the 20 week ultrasound, and they confirmed what we had found out. Its a girl and she's perfect. I love the pictures of their feet!
There's that cute little profile again. It looks exactly like Lauren's profile, but I'm pretty sure that all babies look pretty similar at this stage.
Here's the clear shot... It's a GIRL!
We are so excited that we get to have two girls so close together. They will be about 18 months apart. I just hope and pray that these girls will be best friends. Lauren loves babies, so I hope that trend continues when this little one comes. I am now 27 weeks and feeling pretty good. I get super sore by the end of the day, heartburn is a good friend of mine lately, and I get pretty tired too, but that just comes with the territory. I feel totally unprepared for this baby. I have one package of diapers, a few clothes, and that's about it. We've been looking at cribs and dressers but haven't made any purchases. I know how I want to decorate the nursery, but haven't done anything to get it done. I need to get on it. I want everything for the room done before Christmas, so I can spend the last month doing other things to prepare for her grand arrival. We shall see how that happens. As for names, we have a few in mind, but haven't decided on anything for sure. I still would like to wait until we see her to be positive what her name is. Here's to 13 more weeks!

Lauren's 15-Month Wellness Check

2011-11-02T10:28:00.007-06:00

On October 18th, we went to Lauren's 15-Month Wellness Check. I can't say enough how much we love Dr. Doug. He is the best pediatrician. What ever he says, I do. Lauren was only sick once her first year (it was the stomach flu that I got too), and I attribute that to the advice that Dr. Doug gives me at every appointment.
Lauren now weighs 22 pounds 9 ounces (46%). She is 31 inches tall (69%), and has a head circumference of 45.8 centimeters (48%). Sounds like a pretty healthy baby to me!
Lauren usually does really well at her appointments. I don't think anyone would know that these pictures were taken about 3 minutes after her shots. Thank goodness for candy corn! Ha ha!
I was kind of worried when Lauren wasn't walking at one year. She could walk behind her toy stroller and loved it. But she was so stubborn about walking by herself. One day, the stroller was just out of reach. She took 5 steps all by herself to get to it! Aaron didn't believe me until I showed him. We just laughed after she did it again. Of course she isn't going to take one or two steps for her first steps, she wanted to show us that she could take 5! Well, we officially have a walker on our hands. We are loving it. She is so funny and is really good at getting back up after falling. Lauren loves to sing songs, well, have songs sung to her. She requests Itsy Bitsy Spider multiple times a day, loves Pat-A-Cake, I Am A Child of God, Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, and will dance to anything with a beat. She says "What's that?" "Yes" "No" "Dog" "Mama" "Dada" She still loves watching Tangled and would watch it constantly if she could. She is really good at climbing up and down the stairs. Lauren sleeps for about 11 hours at night, has a morning nap for 2 hours and an afternoon nap of an hour and a half. She loves reading books. If we even mention the word "book" she will get to us as fast as she can and wait to be read to. She is getting better and better at feeding herself with a spoon or fork. I still like to feed her, because its so much faster, but she is getting more independent when it comes to feeding. Lauren loves to have her face and arms tickled. I love doing it, because she will cuddle up to me, which is getting more and more rare. She is a pro at playing on the ipad. If we are in public, and get it out for her to play with, people always comment on how amazing it is to watch her. It is pretty entertaining to watch her press the home button, slide to unlock it, and press with app she wants to play with. I'm sure this is not necessarily what was talked about in General Conference when it was mentioned that our youth are "wired" for using electronics and that knowledge will be used for genealogy work, but I'm not surprised by it. Heavenly Father has definitely saved these special spirits for this time on Earth.
Here's one of my favorite videos of Lauren walking. She thinks its funny to fall down, because she knows we will come after her.

Ever since our trip to Texas, Lauren has loved a blanket my mom made her. She LOVES it. When she sees it, she will nuzzle her face into it and try to hold as much of it in her arms as she can. If Aaron and I have it, she will come after it as fast as she can. One day, I was pulling it, and she got on it. Ever since then, she loves to take rides on her blanket.

Welcome Sierra Rose Burgess

2011-11-02T10:16:00.003-06:00

On September 24th, 2011 at 1:40 PM, weighing in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and 19 1/2" long, my beautiful sister and her family welcomed another member into their family. Sierra Rose Burgess! We are so happy for this adorable new addition to our family. She is such a sweet baby, and looks so much like her older sister, Leila. She already has incredibly long, dark eyelashes, just like her siblings.
On October 23rd, Sierra's daddy gave her a wonderful blessing. Its always so incredible to me to hear the blessings that are given. Our Heavenly Father loves each one of his children so much.
After the blessing, we went back to the Burgess home and had a delicious lunch. The weather was perfect! The kids ran around playing, the adults chatted and laughed. It was wonderful! I caught Harley and Mara playing, and I thought it was so funny that Harley was a mommy, holding "baby" Mara.
I was a complete slacker and didn't get a picture of Sierra in her blessing dress. It was gorgeous! My mom made it and she never disappoints. I at least asked Aaron to take a picture of the sisters with Sierra!
Congratulations, Burgess Family! We are so happy for you! Sierra is beautiful. I'm sure that she will be best cousins with our baby #2.

BYU Game with Lauren

2011-11-02T10:01:00.003-06:00

Lauren went to the Utah State v. BYU game with us last year, when she was 3 months old. We stayed for almost the entire game and she was a perfect baby the whole time. This year, I wanted to take her to at least 1 game. Saturday, October 22nd was the perfect day to take her. BYU played Idaho State, so it was supposed to be a blow out game, and wouldn't be too big of a deal if we had to leave early. Luckily, it was a blow out game, but we didn't even leave. Lauren will watch the games with her dad at home, so I don't know why I expected it to be any different in real life.
I'm not kidding when I say that she would watch the football game. She wanted to see all the action. I have a feeling that her dad is really proud that his 15-month old daughter likes to watch football. We picked a really good game to bring her to because Aaron's cousin Stacy and her cute family came to the game as well. I love that Aaron's family all have season tickets by each other. Its makes the games that much more fun to go to. Stacy's girls love babies, so we were in luck. They entertained Lauren during the slower parts of the game. Lauren was in heaven being doted on by other kids.
Stacy's kids are so cute! They loved playing with Lauren and I loved it too. It meant that I got to watch the game and didn't have to worry about Lauren.
Lauren started to get a little fussy, but no worries, Stacy was more than willing to take care of that. Lauren cuddled with Stacy for probably half an hour. Can you see Aaron in the background? Ya, he's a little jealous of Stacy because Lauren never cuddles with us.
After a good cuddle session, Lauren ended up falling asleep... at a BYU game... for like 20 minutes. What? I couldn't believe it. She was out. Thanks for taking such great care of my baby, Stacy!
We had so much fun, as always, at the game, but it was even better that we got to bring Lauren with us. I love that we are raising a little Cougar fan. Go Cougs!

Gardner Village Witch Hunt

2011-11-02T09:46:00.004-06:00

My sisters and I love to go to Gardner Village during Halloween. Its always decorated so cute, we find some really neat stuff, and we have so much fun together! This year, we waited a little too long and went on the Friday during UEA. Bad idea. This place was SO crowded it was ridiculous. Luckily, with the help of each other, we had a really fun time, and the kids just loved it. After eating lunch, we took a few pictures of our girls, which was really funny that we all dressed them in the skirts my mom made them, without even planning it. I guess great minds think alike!
Lauren loves Bentley so much. Anything that Bentley does is hilarious, and Lauren will follow her anywhere and everywhere. I'm lucky that Lauren looks up to her so much, because she really is such a well-behaved little girl and always so sweet.
I think all of the witches around the village are so great. The kids love them, and my sisters and I usually comment on their make up, hair, or hip width. Ha ha!
Bentley loves to sit on the bridge going over the pond and look at the fish and ducks. She started making these funny noises and Lauren was laughing so hard! Had I been smart, I would have switched my camera to video, but did I? No. Instead, I just tried to get pictures of her laughing. Oh, how I love my baby girl!
A picture of Lauren and I!
Harley thought the hula hoop witch was pretty funny. She thought it was even funnier that she had candy in her hand and was hiding it for the picture. Gosh, she's so cute!
Next year, I think we are going to take the picture of everyone at the beginning of the day, instead of the end. All the kids were ready to go home, especially Lauren.
I always love getting together with my sisters, mom, dad, and the kiddos. My sisters and I have so much fun together and laugh and laugh. Thanks for another fun memory!

Pack's Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-18T12:20:00.004-06:00

After the BYU game on Saturday, Aaron asked if I wanted to go to pick out pumpkins. It was music to my ears to hear him say that. I know he doesn't like to do some things I love to do, but I love when he's willing to go. We headed down to Pack's Pumpkin Patch to pick out this years gourds. I love Pack's. I know they charge more than grocery stores, the pumpkins are dirty, and if you go at the wrong time of day/night you are eaten by mosquitoes, but I love it. Its the memory of it. This year, we got some great pumpkins. Of course, we also took some pictures of our little pumpkin! Lauren loved watching all the kids running around.
Her daddy was making her smile for the camera.
She was giving kissy faces to me. Oh, how I love my baby girl!
Luckily, my sister just happened to be checking out as we arrived, so she took a family picture for us. After we picked our pumpkins, we had to get another family picture, with the gorgeous mountains in the background.
This makes me giggle. Lauren was watching the other kids put their heads through the cut-outs. She thought it was pretty funny.
I have to say, we timed our pumpkin picking perfectly. The weather was nice, there weren't any bugs out yet, Lauren was in a good mood, and we bought some great pumpkins. Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. There are so many fun things to do. I can't wait for our next fall adventure.

BYU vs. Utah

2011-09-27T12:55:00.006-06:00

So even though this was two weeks ago, and I didn't like the outcome of the game, I still had to post a few of these pictures, because they are just TOO funny. My cute friend and next door neighbor, Jennie, brought over her daughter Leila and we took a few pictures of our girls in their opposing outfits...They may root for different teams, but they are still friends!
Then the smack talk has to start...
Leila didn't handle it too well.
Mamas and their little love bugs!
Because of all the construction on I-15, we knew traffic would be horrible. Luckily, we beat most of the bad spots, and ended up having some extra time on our hands. We decided to make a visit to J Dawgs! I love this place, and when I'm preggers, I crave one of their hot dogs! I know, a hot dog... Right? Its so good. When we got there, this was the line. Yes, it goes around the corner.
There isn't much seating inside J Dawgs, so most everyone sits outside on the patio chairs or on the grass. For a hot dog, you ask? Yes, for a hot dog. The best hot dog you'll ever eat. J Dawgs only sells hot dogs, polish sausages, chips and drinks. That's it. And they make a killing at it!
I did notice they FINALLY started selling their "special sauce" in bottles. I immediately asked for a bottle. We found a nice spot on the grass and had a delicious dinner.
Then, we headed to the stadium. Look at the sea of blue!
I love when they bring out the big flag! Its so awesome, every single time.
I didn't want to post any pictures from this point in time for the rest of the game. We all know it would just be a bunch of fumbles, pass interceptions, and other not-so-good plays. BYU had a horrible game, embarrassing practically. Utah fans were pretty nice to us, especially the next day at church. I know Aaron appreciated the "real fans" that actually know what they are talking about, and understand it was pitiful. They discussed it with dignity on both parts. It made it much easier on me, to witness my husband interacting with mature Utah fans. :) We still love our Cougars! I just hope the teams can get their act together for the rest of the season! GO COUGS!!

Utah State Fair

2011-09-27T10:39:00.005-06:00

I love the Utah State Fair. I look forward to go every year. I think I've only missed a couple of years my whole life. Aaron isn't as excited to go, but he's a good sport and comes with me. I think it will be easier for him to go from now on, since Lauren had so much fun. Right after we met up with my dad, we went to the Utah Cattleman's Association Food Tent. Aaron's uncle is the president or something like that, and tells us to come to his tent every year. Well, when we've gone in the past, they've been sold out of their food. This year, we made sure to go early enough to get some food. This did not disappoint. They only serve one thing.. Steak sandwiches. They were so good. Aaron wanted two of them! Then, we met up with my sister, and her cute family. We saw this guy walking around with his geese. They would follow him all over, and he would let them drink Mountain Dew. It was too funny.
I told Aaron to take my picture, and he said it needed to stand up straight. Little did he know, I was on my tippy toes, on a wooden ledge. I think he forgets how short I am sometimes.
Lauren and Bentley LOVED the animals. Lauren wouldn't ever look at the camera because she was too busy looking at the animals. If we started to walk away from a pen, she'd start yelling, until she saw there were more animals in the next pen.
This is Lauren getting excited and laughing at the goats. I promise, she's happy. The owner of the goat was laughing at Lauren talking/laughing to goats, and asked if he could take a picture too. Lauren just about lost it when the goat stuck his head through the pen. She was in heaven.
I could not believe this cow when I saw it! She was HUGE! I love that the cow is even kind of looking at the camera when I took the picture.
Right as my sister was taking this picture, the cow turned her head and almost speared Lauren. My sister started freaking out. It's a good thing Aaron was holding her and being the protective father he is.
I love that the fair picks a baby cow to come visit every year. I love it even more that they let you take pictures with a cow. I know its funny, and like I've never seen a cow before, but they are just too darn cute! Of course, Lauren was in heaven being so close to an animal.
Bentley was super proud to stand next to the cow. I'm sad its all fuzzy.
Lauren had the best seat at the fair. When she would see something she liked, she would start to pat her daddy's head.
The baby piglets are my favorite animal to see, even if they are the smelliest.
I'm so glad we convinced Travis to get in this picture! What a cute little family!
Maybe next year, Lauren will actually smile for pictures. I still love it though!
During the whole fair, Bentley was asking if she could go on the ferris wheel. At the end of the night, she finally got to go! She was so excited to look down and see Aaron, Lauren and I on the ground. This was the best picture I got. I love that little face peeking over the edge. Too cute!
Right as we were leaving, Aaron was playing around with Lauren and she was just giggling so hard. This was my attempt to get her to smile at the camera.
Even if we got rained on a little bit, it couldn't keep us away from the fair. To me, its always the kick off to fall. I love this time of year so much! There's always something fun to do, and the weather is just about perfect!

Tour of Texas

2011-09-19T12:13:00.017-06:00

Considering the fact that football season is in full swing, I thought I should post about our wonderful trip to The Lone Star State for some BYU football, family, and lots of fun. We were gone for 10 days! That is a long trip for me. A little too long, maybe. Maybe. It felt so good to come home, and I know that Lauren REALLY enjoyed sleeping in her crib that day. If anyone has asked me a year ago if I would have ever seen so much of Texas, I would have laughed and said no way. We saw A LOT of Texas. As scenic as it is, it made me miss the mountains. You never know how much you love something until its not around.
Onto the good stuff! We left for Dallas on Thursday night. The trip there was at the same time as Lauren's bed time. We didn't know how she would do. It wasn't very pretty. She did okay for the first half hour. Then, she got really sleepy and grumpy. For the next twenty minutes, she was kicking, screaming, crying, pushing us away. All my baby wanted was a bed, and it was the one thing I couldn't give her at the time. Its usually really nice that Lauren can put herself to sleep so well, but this is the time you want a baby that can sleep anywhere. At one point during her screaming, a very sweet lady from first class came back to us as asked if we would like her to hold Lauren for a bit so we could have a break. It was so sweet of her to offer, and was very genuine, but I was so embarrassed. I had never seen Lauren act like that. Aaron gave her a blessing to help calm her down. Then, I swaddled her as tight as I could, Aaron held her legs, and we swayed back and forth (yes, while sitting in our seats) while I sang nursery songs to her. She was out in about 2 minutes. THANK GOODNESS! I hate seeing my baby that way, and I felt awful for everyone on that plane. She slept the rest of the time. Once we landed, I got off the plane as quickly as possible, and wanted to (but never did) say sorry to every passenger getting off the plane.
The next morning, Aaron and his brother, Steve, left for Mississippi. They were meeting up with their two uncles, one cousin, and Grandpa Orson. They had an incredible time at the Ole Miss game. They said that the Grove is unlike any other "tailgating party" they've ever seen. Everyone was extremely kind. Aaron said he now understands where the term "Southern Hospitality" comes from. There were a lot of people that would walk up to Grandpa Orson, and speak to him directly, with a lot of respect and tell him to "enjoy his time at Ole Miss." I'm so glad that they had a good experience. That, and BYU won the game 14-13. Here is the one picture that was taken of them in Mississippi... Uncle Lee, Sean, Uncle Ray, Grandpa Orson, Aaron, and Steve.
While the men were enjoying their time in Mississippi, the girls had their share of fun too. Tana had some things to do with Luke and Landri, so I got to play with the big girls (and Lauren). We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. I had told them about the peach shakes and they wanted to share one, and Lauren and I shared one.
The girls thought they were delicious! Especially Lauren. She would get mad if you took the shake away from her. Ha ha! I love it!
I love these girls so much! They are just too adorable!
The day after Aaron and Steve got back, we decided to head to the zoo! We had such a great time at the zoo on our last visit to Dallas, we thought it would be fun to go back. It was a little bit warmer this time (or I'm just a lot more pregnant), but it was still so much fun. We fed the goats, and Lauren was squealing at them she was so happy. She kept holding her hands out to "hold" the goats. It was too funny.
Luke thought this butterfly chair was so cool. He loved being the only kid that got their picture in this chair.
When we were at the zoo just a few months ago, we took Lauren's picture next to the African penguin. She was the exact same height. I felt bad that she was sleeping, because I would have loved to see how much more she's grown in such a short amount of time.
Once she was asleep, she was OUT! She didn't wake up for over an hour, which is big for us, especially since we were at the zoo, with lots of people, making lots of noise.
As soon as the kids saw the elephants, they were so excited to get their pictures... Well, at least the younger kids were excited. Madi, not so much. At least she's a good sport and still stands in the picture.
I thought Aaron and I should get a picture, even if Lauren was asleep.
Uncle Aaron can always put a smile on his nieces faces. This picture just makes me laugh!
Landri is just so sweet. Look at that face! I love that she's sitting on the trunk of the elephant.
Miss Taeler has so much energy, and a love for life. She is always willing to help out, with anything.
The next day, while the kids were in school, Aaron and I decided to take Lauren to one of the pools in the community. These pools are so nice... even if they are a little on the chilly side. Lauren didn't seem to mind at all. This kid pool was the perfect depth for Lauren to be in her floatie, and walk around. She did it for almost 45 minutes.
Still walking..
We took her over to the "big" pool and there is a ledge that is only 6 inches deep with little water fountains.
Aaron showed her how to cover the water fountain. She thought it was so neat!
Lauren loves to try to "catch" the water in her hands.
That night, we went to our favorite BBQ place in Dallas, Rudy's. Yep! The gas station/restaurant. We were so excited to go, and it did not disappoint this visit. Mmmm... BBQ.
When I sat Lauren down in the high chair, she started laughing and clapping. I don't know if she remembers the BBQ, but she was excited to be there. She loves Rudy's creamed corn.
The next day, we left for Houston to Uncle Ray's house. Its about a four hour drive. Tana mentioned this gas station we had to go to. I didn't know what the big deal was, but since I love Rudy's gas station, I thought, "why not check it out?" This gas station is called Buc-ee's. (BTW, I never thought in a million years I would blog about gas stations in Texas. Just wanted to make that clear.) About half way down to Houston, we stopped at Buc-ee's. First of all, this place should not be called a gas station. It is much better than any gas station that I've ever been in. Second, it has a fresh-baked bakery, fresh jerky, homemade fudge, fresh food, oh, and the restrooms are actually clean. I mean clean. Not the "smells clean, but looks dirty" clean, but CLEAN! Each stall has floor to ceiling walls, full doors, cleaning wipes for the toilet seats. There wasn't a single piece of anything on the floor. There is an attendant always in the restroom to make sure it stays clean. It was the best public restroom I've ever been in. I wish that other public restroom attendees would take note and make that their goal . Everything in Buc-ee's is always fully stocked, workers are asking if you need help, and if you can't tell, I just think it's awesome. Its the Celestial Kingdom of gas stations. We ended up spending $40 in Buc-ee's, and that's NOT including gas. My turkey panini was delicious, Aaron loved his club sandwich. The homemade chips were pretty darn tasty, and I wish they sold their root beer in containers. Its only on tap, and is the best tasting root beer I've ever had. Aaron and I REALLY want to use it for root beer floats. OH! It makes my mouth water thinking about it now. Piece of advice... If you are ever traveling in Texas, look for a Buc-ee's. You will not be disappointed. AT ALL.
We always change Lauren on her changing table, and that's what she's used to. I'll just say it was a "challenge" for us to change her on this trip. The next picture was a common scene on our vacation. She loved to be naked on the bed. Funny little girl!
Ray has a beautiful pool in his backyard, and we took advantage. Lauren was in heaven. I swear, this girl could grow fins with how much she loves the water. Grandpa Orson came outside to watch Lauren and she was being a total ham with him.
Lounging in the pool.
When we were getting out, Aaron started to dunk her, and she would giggle and kick her legs, so he kept doing it for her. I think she loves what ever her dad does with her.
After playing in the pool, we ventured out to The Galleria. Its the largest mall in Texas, and the 7th-largest mall in the country. This place was pretty impressive. Aaron has a couple of locations there, so we went to check on them. The owners of these locations are Muslim. They are so kind and generous. They have sent Aaron gifts multiple times. While Aaron did business, I walked around and did a little bit of window shopping. Since I was feeling extra pregnant that day, I didn't end up buying anything, which I was fine with. As I met back up with Aaron at one of the ZAGG locations, the owners insisted on buying me lunch, even though we had just eaten. They asked what they could buy for me. It was so kind of them to offer, but I said that I was fine. Then, they pulled out this bag, and handed it to me. The wife said that part of it was for me, and part of it was for Aaron. I looked in the bag, and they had given me TWO perfume sets and Aaron cologne. Oh, my gosh! That was so sweet of them. After we left Aaron explained that its part of the Muslim culture. They are very big into gift-giving, and want to do it. As much as these owners can afford it (their two locations in the same mall do PRETTY darn good), I never expected them to buy ME stuff. So nice.
That night, Ray's daughter and her family came over. Her husband, Brad is from Mississippi and he knows how to cook. I still think about his gumbo. This night, he made jambalaya, corn bread, and corn on the cob. Oh my goodness! It was so tasty. We spent the rest of the night, sitting around the table, talking with Grandpa, Ray, Lee, Sean, Jennifer, and Brad. This is one of my most favorite things to do in Aaron's family. They all have the best stories, whether they be funny, serious, or spiritual. Many of their stories end up being a spiritual lesson. I love it. There are such amazing priesthood holders in this family. There is always a lesson to be learned. They are each such great examples to me, and my family.
Steve, Tana, and the kids met up with us the next day in Galveston. The water was so warm, it was like bath water. This was Lauren's first experience with the beach, and she thought it was great! She played in the sand, threw the sand, ate the sand, you name it, she did it.
That's not food on her face, its sand. I'm not kidding when I say she ate the sand, and KEPT eating it. I would catch her eating it, and say, "Yucky! Spit it out!" and she would. Then, a few minutes later, sure enough, she'd be eating the sand again. I guess she likes the salty taste.
She would get so excited when the waves hit her.
Splashing in the water!
This baby makes me so happy. She's so content all the time... even eating sand.
When we were leaving, we decided to go wash off at the showers (in the building in the distance).
By the time we got to the showers, she was worn out! I had to wake her up to wash her down, and she was not happy, until we got in the car. She fell sound asleep again.
Saturday was game day. We were excited. Uncle Ray and Cousin Sean drove down with us to Austin. Just outside of Austin is a great BBQ joint called The Salt Lick. Again, love Texas BBQ! When we first walked in, I was quite shocked... with all of the BLUE! Probably 2/3's of the restaurant was packed with Cougar fans. Ray leaned over to me and said, "If a fight broke out, I think we'd have a good chance of winning." It was true. Luckily, we didn't have a fight break out, but I still like the odds. Lauren was ready to grub.
We were all ready to eat!
And we were ready for the game, too!
We met up with Steve, Tana, and the kids, again at a hotel just down the street from the stadium. We figured the kids could play in the adjoining rooms while we went to the game. I was a little hesitant to leave them alone (even though I trust Madi and Taeler completely), just the thought of the "what if's". Lauren and Tae almost immediately got on the bed, and started playing with the ipad. It was so precious! Do you think these guys love each other?
Then, all the kids got on the same bed. I just laughed! I can't even begin to say how much I love each one of these kiddos. They are so sweet and loving. They have adorable personalities and love their family so much. Lauren is so lucky to have these guys for cousins. The whole trip they tried so hard to get her to walk. She may not have walked by herself, but she got plenty of exercise.
We left the kids to themselves (with VERY specific instructions to NOT leave the room, open the for ANYONE, etc. - which they followed perfectly.)
We had such a great time going to University of Texas. The fans were very nice, the weather was pretty decent (even though it got a little hot for this pregnant mama), the snow cones were excellent, and the stadium was awesome.
We were on the very top row of the end zone (if you were on the side lines, you could be up even higher). I couldn't believe we were on the top row, although, I ended up really liking it since we had the rail to lean against, and there was a nice breeze that cooled me off. I have to say, Grandpa Orson is 89 years old. He went to both Ole Miss and U of Texas and walked up to his seats both times. He is such an inspiration. I hope that I can be like that at 89.
Aaron and Steve were like little kids of Christmas morning. They wait for football season to start, and are so happy when its here.
The game was awesome, at least for the first half. BYU didn't do so well after that. They lost the game... 17-16. Too bad. Lets hope the rest of the season goes better for our Cougars.
Aaron and I decided to drive back to Dallas Saturday night, since our flight left Dallas at 12 on Sunday. We didn't want to have Lauren in the car for 4 hours, and then on the plane for 3 hours. We all slept really good that night. For the flight home, we put Lauren to sleep before we boarded the flight. She slept for the first hour and a half (thankfully!) and woke up such a happy baby. She was waving to everyone on the plane. She watched Tangled in between Aaron and I while we took a 20 minute nap (We both woke up at the same time and laughed that she just sat there, watching her movie). Once we landed, the lady sitting in front of us said, "She was such a good baby! I'd be happy to have her on any flight!" We responded, "You didn't see her on the way to Dallas." Ha ha! I guess it's all about timing. We had such a great time in Texas! It had a lot of a few of my favorite things... family, football, and food! Its always so much fun to be with family. I look forward to going back!

Thankful for the Priesthood

2011-08-21T22:42:00.003-06:00

I usually post about fun things that we've been up to, but I was reminded today of how thankful I am for the priesthood in my life. So, if you'll just let me write about my feelings this time, great. If you don't want to read it, just move onto the next blog you want to read. :) Ha ha! Anyway, moving on. Today, Aaron and I were actually on time to church (we're usually running in as the opening hymn is being sung). As we found our seat, one of the deacons in the ward came up to Aaron (they love him being their Sunday School teacher) and asked if he would help pass the sacrament. Without hesitation, he said sure. I didn't think anything of it at first. Then, after the sacrament prayer, I watched Aaron help pass the sacrament. I think it might be the pregnancy hormones, but I started tearing up, and I felt this overwhelming appreciation for the priesthood and all the many blessings I have because of it. I'm grateful for my incredible husband - who puts up with my mood swings, demands, and everything else. He is so wonderful. I'm grateful that he can utilize his priesthood authority at a moment's notice. I'm grateful for the men in his life that helped him understand the importance of honoring that priesthood power. I'm happy for these little reminders from my Heavenly Father. I love the knowledge of my eternal family. That our dear, sweet Lauren will be part of our family forever. That this new baby is already a part of that eternal family. No one can take that from me, ever. The plan that Heavenly Father has for me is incomparable. I love that.

Splash Pad and Weekend Fun

2011-08-20T09:44:00.007-06:00

My ward does this awesome "park playdate" thing every Tuesday of the summer. A different park is picked each week, and everyone shows up between 10-11ish, plays and then goes home. I was so excited to go this year until I realized that Lauren takes her morning nap right during that time. My dear friend, Kristy, invited me to go to the last playdate of the summer. We both had the "nap situation" with our babies, but we made it work. We went to the splash pad down the street and it was so much fun. I should have worn my swim suit, but hey, live and learn. Lauren loved it. She was splashing all over.
Her cute friend Austin came to hang out too!
She was laughing in this picture, but it looks like she is upset! Ha ha!
Little Eliza found Laurens snack container and really liked it. I think all of the kids were sharing each other's treats. It was so much fun to go with the ladies of my ward, chat, and let the kids play. It makes me look forward to next summer that much more!
Lauren decided she was done with treat time, and wanted to go play in the water. I love that bum!
Aaron and I decided to go to a few of the Parade of Homes homes on Saturday. We were driving down the road and noticed all of the balloons out of one house. It was the Up! house!! It was fun to drive by, but there was a line just to get it, so we decided to keep moving to the next house. The house is sold to a cute young couple. It makes me laugh that someone is actually going to live here. I wonder what the resale will be like for them.
Lauren spent most of the time in the houses on her daddy's shoulders. She still does "So big!" and I love it! We found a lot of neat things in some houses that we liked, and some stuff we didn't care for, but for it being our first Parade of Homes, it was pretty fun (and we got in free! - we went to buy tickets and the guy just handed them to us). Ha ha!
That night was a date night for a bunch of our friends in our neighborhood. We really wanted to go, but the babysitters we like to use were already taken, and my family already had plans... so we decided we'll go another time, and do what the rest of my family was doing. My sister's neighbor throws this huge block party every year instead of taking his family on a vacation. There were 4 blow up toys for the kids, and one of them was a water course. All of the kids were soaked! They had a dutch oven dinner, drinks, shaved ice, and cotton candy (one of my favorites!).
Can you see Waldo? If you went up to him and told him that you found him, he'd give you a full size candy bar.
Captain Jack Sparrow was there too with his ship! This guy was so funny. He was in character the entire time. Even when he was clapping for the performers, it was like he really was Jack!
These two guys were amazing dancers. They also had a princess. She was really pretty and the girls all really liked her.
Lauren enjoyed getting loved on by Grandma.
This guy was a master at everything martial arts. He has a giant sword and would chop everything up. Ha ha! It sounds funny to type it out, so I guess you'd have to see it.
We ended the night driving home to a gorgeous sunset. I love where we live!

BYU VIP First Football Practice of the Season

2011-08-17T17:11:00.007-06:00

While I was at girls getaway, my phone started ringing, text messages started coming in, voicemails were left. I almost thought someone had died. To my delight, no one died. I actually won a contest that I had entered! For anyone that knows my husband, knows that we (as a family) are huge BYU football fans. Facebook has a BYU Football Fan Page. Occasionally, they have contests for different things. When I saw that their next event was VIP passes to the first football practice of the season, I thought, "That would be fun to win." So I entered. Well, I was at girls camp (getaway) when they announced the winner! I only had until 6:30 to reply, or else it would be given to another person. By the time I started receiving messages (thank goodness for good friends and cell service in Bear Lake), I only had 10 minutes to respond. I immediately called Aaron (after jumping up and down and screaming for a few minutes!) and told him he needed to get on Facebook ASAP. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but once he figured it out, he responded with 3 minutes to spare. So Saturday afternoon, we headed down to Provo for our VIP experience. We had a guided tour of Legacy Hall.
We had 4 tickets to the event, so we started calling people bright and early Saturday morning. On such short notice, it was not the easiest task, but we found two takers that were more than happy to accompany us. Here's the crew for the day: Me, Aaron, Uncle Ray (Aaron's uncle), and Nick Parcell (Aaron's mission companion and one of the BIGGEST BYU fans you will ever meet - it was also his 12th wedding anniversary, but his loving wife was more than willing to let him go), and of course, we brought Lauren along.
Aaron loved the hall that had all of the NFL helmets with what BYU played where. Of course, he had to stand next to the Denver Broncos helmet.
This wall showed the "record-holders" of BYU. This was the tallest and shortest athletes to play at BYU. I like that the shortest barely comes up to Aaron's armpit.
This was the hand print of one of the athletes. Ray is a pretty big guy, but his hand looks small in comparison.
Lauren liked watching the players, but she also liked all of the snacks she was getting.
Her daddy was making her laugh! That face of hers just kills me.
I have to say, BYU looks really good this year. Here are some shots I got of the practice and scrimmage.
Nice play!
Blue 42, Blue 42, Set, Hut!!
You could feel the energy of the players in the air! It was so much fun to see them practice and get ready for the upcoming season.
We really enjoyed the tour, and VIP access. I know that our household is pretty darn excited (UNDERSTATEMENT) for football season to start. This year, we are headed to some really good away games. We are going to the Ole Miss game in Oxford, Mississippi, the Texas game in Austin, Texas, the TCU game in Arlington, Texas, and the Hawaii game in Honolulu, Hawaii. It should make for quite the exciting season! Rise and shout! GO COUGARS!!

FB 2nd Ward Girls Camp

2011-08-17T16:43:00.005-06:00

As much as this was called "Girls Camp" I started calling it "Girls Getaway". The only camping that happened was with the priesthood, down the road, since they couldn't stay in the condo with us. I couldn't go up to Camp (AKA: Bear Lake) until Thursday morning, and the Assistant Camp Director, the adorable, Angie Williams, her hubby, Ronnie, and I left bright and early at 6 AM to be to camp in time. Soon after we got to the condo we left for Minnetonka Cave. If you've ever been there, you know how awesome it is. If you haven't gone, you need to go. Its a relatively easy hike, but inside is incredible and the pictures don't to is justice at all. Here are all of the girls, ready to go inside!
And, of course, the stupendous, incredible, and totally awesome leaders, advisers, and camp directors... Jules, Sherrie, Lynette, Angie, me, and Jennie. We were totally in torture the entire camp. You can see it on our faces.
The lighting inside the cave isn't that great (of course), but I tried to take some decent pictures.
The girls were dancing all around, and the other part of our group were Boy Scouts, that liked to sneak in the back of the pictures. The girls didn't mind the eye candy.
Goofing off, and more Boy Scouts in the background.
After hiking the cave (and the next day), we went swimming at the condo pool. Rough life, I know.
While some of the girls went boating, swimming, etc, others played with what we called "The Flinger". Its hilarious to watch people inside of it. Quite entertaining for all.
We also got in a round of miniature golf (also part of the condo development).
The last night, the girls did a skit (what's a girls camp without a skit?) for the Bishop. They all did an incredible job and we laughed a lot.
After the skit, the Bishop shared an incredible message to the girls (and the rest of us!). I love feeling the spirit so strong and watching the testimonies grow in our Young Women. We followed that with a wonderful testimony meeting where almost all of the girls shared their testimonies, and their love for their leaders (The YW President is moving, so in turn, we are being released, and the girls are quite upset about it). It feels good to be loved. The YW in my ward are amazing. I love each of them dearly and I'm grateful for their example to me.

Pioneer Day!

2011-08-17T16:24:00.005-06:00

I realize that Pioneer Day was almost a month ago, and all of this is old news to everyone, but I'm getting around to it finally, and wanted to catch up since this is like a journal for me (only the kind of journal that I talk about only the good things in life). Anyway, since Baby Johnson #2 is still making me sick, we decided to take most of the day pretty easy. For the fun part, we went to the Bountiful Handcart Days Parade.We sit by Brook's Fabrics every year, since the owners are like family. After dinner, Aaron and I decided to get Lauren ready for bed, and head up to my Aunt Verlene's house for fireworks. By the time we got up there, she was OUT! I love my sleeping baby. We decided to leave her sleeping until just before the fireworks started.
She was happy as a clam when we woke her up. She thought it was so fun to play outside in the dark, with all the kids.
Its pretty easy to say that my cousin Jason is the favorite cousin. He's always been so much fun and I love him so much. His nieces and nephews would probably agree that he is their favorite uncle. All night long, they would try to sit in Jason's chair and he would tackle them and get them out. It was too funny.
Mara was loving on Lauren all night long. She would hand her glow-in-the-dark bracelets, and Lauren would play with them and throw them, and Mara would get them again.
Since it was so dark, I just started taking pictures randomly. I thought I did pretty good getting pictures of the family.
I seriously could only see outlines of people until the camera would flash.
Lauren loved playing with her Daddy.
And loving on Grandma, of course.
But the second the fireworks started, Lauren was all business. She loved them. Or at least I think she did, since she just stared at them the whole time.

Lauren's 1st Birthday Bash!

2011-07-17T22:01:00.016-06:00

My sweet baby girl is one! I can't believe it's been a year already. Aaron asked me yesterday if I remember life before Lauren. I vaguely do, but life is so much sweeter with her in it! The amazing Tracy Layne did Lauren's 1 year photos for us. We all know that Lauren doesn't smile much when it comes to taking pictures, but we got some great shots. Here are a few highlights. I love this picture! She was so funny sitting on this chair, pulling the funniest faces.
She just wanted to play with the sucker. She didn't even try to lick it!
This is Lauren laughing. Too funny!
She kept lifting her leg off the floor. Silly girl!
Near the end of the photo shoot, she was done with the cake, and decided to crawl away.
On Saturday, we threw Lauren her birthday party. I feel like it was easier than trying to do it on her actual birthday. It was an ice cream parlor theme. I love how everything turned out! Here is the dessert table. (Thanks to my mom for taking pictures before everyone dug into the food!)
We had pulled pork sandwiches, macaroni salad, strawberries, watermelon, fries, and marshmallow salad. Everything tasted so good! Thanks to my family for helping me with dinner! my grandma loved the flower pom-poms I made to hang above the food.
YUMMY!
I had the presents up high so some of the smaller kids wouldn't be temped to start unwrapping before it was time. I also printed out a bunch of photos from Lauren's shoot and hung them up. I told everyone that they could choose their favorite picture to take home with them. I also put cards (homemade) on all the tables with pens and asked everyone to write a wish to Lauren or just say something to her. I'm going to do this every year, and put them in a book for her to read when she's older. I decided to do this last minute, and I'm so glad I did. I LOVED reading everyone's cards at the end of the night; some of them were silly, some were serious, and the little kids drew pictures for Lauren. It was all so sweet!
Great Grandma Kathleen, Aunt Bee, and Porter enjoying dinner.
Aunt Lesley and Uncle Travis.
Aunt Nicki and Grandma Susie.
Lauren loved dinner too!
She also loves her Grandpa Van. I love this picture. It's one of my favorites of the night.
As we were getting ready to unwrap presents, Lauren got upset that I wouldn't let her play with her toys. Just wait, Lauren, I promise there are more toys on their way!
Bentley was so excited to give Lauren her present. She even drew her a picture.
Lauren got lots of clothes.
My mom made her the cutest ladybug bracelet. Lauren loved it!
Grandpa gave her such a fun toy that she hasn't stopped playing with it.
She also got a fun electronic book.
I caught a tender moment between Mara and Great Grandma Kathleen.
After presents, we let everyone dive into the ice cream bar.
I told Enzo to smile, and he held his hands up like this. It made me laugh so hard. Funny kid!
Ashton loved all the ice cream options.
Presli thought it was pretty neat too.
We sang happy birthday to Lauren. She didn't really know what was going on.
But she loved eating the cake after!
So dainty. Instead of diving in, she would just take little finger-fulls of frosting (say that three times fast! Ha ha!). To help entertain the other kids, we put Tangled on, and Lauren was done. She didn't want to eat any more cake. All she wanted was to watch the movie.
Dad got her all cleaned up and ready for bed in her ice cream jammies.
Since Lauren wanted to watch the movie, Tawny got the best seat in the house. Lauren snuggled with her for probably 30 minutes.
She got really excited when they started singing songs.
Mara wanted a chance to snuggle with Lauren. Lauren didn't mind, as long as she could watch the movie.
My mom surprised us with Lauren's finished quilt for her room. Lauren loves it! She hasn't stopped cuddling with it. It is so soft, I can't blame her! It turned out so cute! We used some of the "leftover" flowers that I put on her walls in her room and put them on the quilt.
Lauren gets so excited when she sees the quilt.
Goodness, I love this girl!
Lauren would sit and "pet" her blanket. It was too cute!
On her actual birthday, Monday, July 18th, we spent the day playing with all of her new toys, watching her favorite movie, and eating her favorite foods for dinner. We had a few left over cupcakes from the party, so we decided to sing happy birthday and let her dig in again. This time, she actually ate it and made a mess. Ha! Ha! Of course!
Today, we went to Dr. Doug's for her 1 Year Wellness Check-up. Dr. Doug was VERY happy that we got through her first year with only being sick once. He said it was a miracle, and extremely lucky of her. Let's hope that this is the trend for the rest of her life! I can't believe my baby girl is getting so big. Here are her stats: weight: 21 pounds even (50%), height: 29 inches (48%), and head circumference: 45.3 centimeters (58%). She is pretty much right down the middle for everything. Lauren had to get 4 shots, but Dr. Doug's assistant, Michelle, gave Lauren her first sucker to ease the pain. She only cried for a couple of minutes and then was totally fine. That's my girl! We are so grateful that she is such a happy and healthy baby.
Speaking of a happy baby...

Oh, one more thing.... we had a little surprise to share with everyone. We asked Lauren if it was okay to tell the family our little secret at her party, and she said yes. Lauren is going to be a BIG SISTER! I am due January 31st. It is definitely a surprise, and Lauren will be about 18 months older, but we are really excited. I am currently 12 weeks along. YAY! We gave Lauren a shirt that says, "Big Sister in Charge" and a Mercer Meyer book called, "The New Baby." It was so fun to share our news with all of the family at once. I wish I could have taken a picture of everyone when we unwrapped the present. It was too funny!
I can't imagine my life without Lauren in it. We are so lucky to have such an adorable, loving, and smart little girl in our lives. We feel so blessed that this first year with her has come and gone with very few bumps. Lauren is such a good baby. She hasn't developed stranger anxiety (yet, hopefully not ever), she is very easy-going, she just goes along with what ever we are doing (even though we keep her on a pretty good schedule, for the most part). Some of this things that Lauren is doing/liking these days are: (this is what Aaron is telling me to write) loves Oreo's, or any treat, she can unlock iphones/ipads and select the app that she wants to play (it's too funny to watch!), she likes to turn off the lights when we leave a room, she will eat anything we put on her plate (which I'm so grateful for), she hasn't started walking yet, but she pulls herself up on everything, and will walk along the couch, crib, etc. She really enjoys watching Baby Einstein and is learning new signs. She currently does: food, more, please, thank you, mommy, and daddy. I love that she picks up on the signs and knows how to use them. She loves the water. She loves going to Seven Peaks, playing in the tub, or sink. She is our little fish! Life would not be the same without my little love bug in it. I am so grateful for her sweet, loving spirit in our home. I'm grateful that she's been such a good baby. Let's hope that Johnson Baby #2 picks up on that trait! We are very excited to welcome a new member into our family. Everyone that has kids that are 18 months apart has told me that it is really hard at first having two kids in diapers, needing so much attention, but once they get a little older, it is so much easier and so much fun. I'm looking forward to that! I hope that Lauren continues to love babies as much as she does right now. I hope that these two are the best of friends. I just hope that this pregnancy goes as smoothly as it was with Lauren. Here's to an exciting time ahead of us!

Brought to You Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

2011-07-07T19:23:00.010-06:00

I think that the 4th of July is probably one of my most favorite holidays. What's not to love? Patriotism, sunny weather, parades, fireworks, BBQs, no gifts required, I love it! For some odd reason, Centerville City decided to do their parade on Saturday. I still don't understand, but whatever. I started off Friday, by heading to Main Street to save my family's "spot" for the parade. I really need to scan in the picture I have of my dad and I when I was maybe 2 years old. We are in the same spot we sit every year. To help with the math of how old I am, that means we have proof we've been doing this for more than 27 years. Yeah, its a big deal. Centerville City also has a rule that you can't put anything down on the ground in front of the sidewalk before 4 pm the day before the parade. So, my family and I head to our "spot" which is conveniently located in Founders Park, right by a big tree. We just sit under the tree and wait. It was great sitting under the tree, chatting with family and friends, and waiting for 4 to roll around. Its funny to see people come and ask where we are saving. Once they see how big of a spot is that we take, they keep walking. They know we mean business. Ha ha!
The parade was great this year. There were wonderful floats, awesome bands, and lots of candy! I was so excited to see Lauren's reaction to the parade since she's usually so laid back and non-responsive. She loved it! There was a lady doing balloon animals for free (we still tipped her) and she made Lauren a bear holding a heart balloon. Lauren would not let go of it. Lauren also had her first taste of several types of candy, including Twizzlers. I think we may have a baby with a sweet tooth (what baby doesn't have a sweet tooth?).
The parade started off with some cool classic cars... Well, two of them broke down right in front of us. One was pushed off the road, and the second one, just pulled off to the side of the road and sat there the rest of the parade (I would have been pissed if I were the people behind the car).
See how great these floats are? I mean the people that put these together really did an incredible job. I love it when people put the effort into projects.
This float was playing the "Saturday is a special day" song. All the bears were doing things to get ready for Sunday.
This float was for a frozen yogurt shop in Centerville. Are you kidding me? In years past, they would have just put some streamers on a big truck and had people in the back throwing candy. I much prefer this!
This float was about the Saint's trek over seas, through the plains, and the ultimate goal of building a house of the Lord. Love it!
This next float was from my sister's ward. She's in the primary presidency, but considering she was getting her son ready for his wedding day, they let her off the hook and created this model of the Manti temple. The steeple would move up and down so it could go under the power lines.
I might be biased, but I think they did a spectacular job on this. Way to go above and beyond the calling!
The bands did not disappoint this year, either. The Polynesian band always has so much energy, and even if they are playing horns, I swear I can see their smiles.
The bag pipes are my mom's favorite. She just loves them, so I've grown to love them too.
My mom always has extra candy for the kids (like they don't get enough), so Bentley gave Lauren m&m's from Grandma. I think Bentley might like Lauren just a little bit. :)
Centerville City also does a chuck wagon breakfast before the parade. It's pretty affordable, and tasty, too, but that would mean I have to wake up even earlier, so I haven't gone for a few years. Some of my family still makes it to the breakfast, and little Leila loves her milk. I'm not kidding when I say she chugged this whole thing in less than a minute. She's 2!
Harley is so caring and loving to her cousins. She was helping Bentley get candy and I caught her holding her hand. I love my nieces!
Porter loves his Grandpa! They were two cool dudes wearing their shades. I think I surprised my dad, because he usually smiles for pictures. He he!
At some point during the parade, Lauren ended up in Todd's lap. Whatever he was doing, she was loving. She kept giggling and had the biggest smile on her face.
My dad let Lauren play with his hat and she kept peeking through the back of it.
After the parade, we always get a picture of everyone *almost* in the family. Its fun to see how our family grows through the years. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but it's not just my immediate family that goes to the parade, but people from my mom's side of the family, as well. We usually have about 50-60 people there. It's so much fun! Like a mini family reunion.
I also try to take pictures of my individual families. This year, the Sherwood's and Burgess' left too quickly so I didn't get their pictures, but here's my sister, Tawny, with her family.
Lesley, with her cute family...
I even got a picture of my cute family.
After the parade, and a nap for Lauren, we head over to Bee's house for lunch and water fun! This year, they put their pool at the bottom of their slide with the hose running down the slide. The kids were loving it! Lauren didn't try the slide, maybe next year. She was perfectly happy just sitting in the water, playing and splashing.
After she was thoroughly soggy, we got her out, and she just sat on Dad's lap, eating grapes. It sounds like a good time to me.
Leila was the only other kid I could get a picture of. The rest of the kids were moving so fast that the pictures were all blurry.
It seems that I have taken on a tradition of my family's. My mom always made this flag cake/cookie. For the last few years, I've been the one making it. I'm not complaining, because it usually means I get the leftovers. I love leftovers! Aaron thinks its funny we take a picture with food, but when it looks that good, you have to document it, right? Right!
Here's a close up! Ooh, its so yummy. I wish I had some now.
Aaron has an uncle, Burr (its his nickname, his real name is Aaron... guess who my Aaron was named after? Yep, Burr). Uncle Burr used to bury a bunch of stuff with sticks of dynamite and blow it up for the 4th of July. So fireworks for Aaron are lame. Since fireworks get started so late, we decided to stay home with our little bundle of love and let her have a regular bedtime. I'm going to try to convince Aaron to see fireworks for the 24th. I really want to see what Lauren thinks of big fireworks.

I Love Sunny Weather!

2011-07-07T19:11:00.002-06:00

Sunday Dinner at my mom's house is no new thing. We've been doing it my whole life. Some may think it would get boring going week after week. I enjoy it. It happens every week, almost, unless there's a birthday, or other event, and then it's Sunday Dinner at that person's house. Ha ha! Well, a few weeks back, Aaron and I were shopping at the ever lovely Wal-Mart, and we passed some bacci balls. Aaron loves bacci. I told him to get them. He said, "Na," and we kept walking. Then, I said, "It would give you something to do at Sunday Dinner." He immediately turned around and grabbed the set. Well, sure enough, its now something that is done every Sunday. I love watching the men play. I love that the balls are blue and red. Brad and Aaron are huge BYU fans, so they usually have the blue balls. Travis, Todd, Cort, and Cade are huge Utah fans, so they usually have the red balls. While the men play bacci, the kids play on the trampoline. My mom's backyard has great shade trees, so by pretty early in the evening, the entire yard is already shaded. It makes for perfect summer nights.
Can you tell that Porter loves his mama? Gosh, he's so cute.
Bentley loves playing with Baby Lauren. And she usually calls her Baby Lauren.
Kids jumping on the trampoline, men playing with their balls (ha ha! I crack myself up), the sisters chatting with each other. Its no wonder I love going to my mom's for Sunday Dinner.

Cort and Ashley Got Hitched!

2011-07-07T18:25:00.007-06:00

It's still hard for be to believe that my NEPHEW is married. We all knew this day was coming, but still. I can hardly believe that I'm married and have a kid! Cort has such a special spot in my heart. We are 7 years apart. When he was first born, I hated him. I was the baby in the family and then he came along and stole my spot and all the light that was in it. Then, as he got older, I realized that it was fun to have a nephew so close in my age. It was almost like having a little brother. I had someone to play with, someone to talk to , someone that wasn't an adult. It was awesome. This kid, that's now a man, is great. He's a hard worker, loving (not if you asked his brothers), motivated, and smart. About two weeks before these two tied the knot their work (they both worked at Firehouse Pizza) told them that they were shutting the doors. As if getting married isn't stressful enough, they both had to find new jobs! Well, everything worked out, and they are on their way to their happily ever after. A few days before the wedding, the aunts (mostly Bee) planned a BBQ dinner so both sides of the families could meet and chat. It was a perfect night! The weather couldn't have been better, the dutch oven dinner was scrumptious, and everyone had a great time. Here's the cute couple: Second cousins (maybe? I don't get how people are related) playing with each other. I love that when dessert came out, moms just stripped the boys down. Its easier that way, right?
Lauren was playing with Daddy's hat. For some reason, our little nugget doesn't like it when people have things on their heads. She doesn't mind if its on her own head, but it freaks her out to see someone else with it. Funny little baby.
Ashley's family talked about how great Cort treats Ashley, and how much they enjoy him being around.
Cort's family talked about how much we love Cort, and how grateful we are for Ashley in his life. They dated for over 6 years, so Bee said they won't have too many surprises once they are married. Let's hope that's true!
The men chatted, the kids played, and the women talked about all the fun wedding details. Oh, and Cort played, too.
At the end of the night, Lauren was exhausted from all the fun. She just nestled right into Daddy when he picked her up. He, of course, loved every second of it.
The happy couple was married on June 30th, 2011 at the Chantilly Mansion in Layton. Some day (hopefully many years from now) they are going to make some cute babies!
After the ceremony, the families had to go outside for pictures. While we were waiting for everyone to gather, we decided to take some cute pictures of our own. Miss Bentley always poses so perfectly.
We all started cheering to get Lauren to look at us, and she started clapping. Ha ha! She was probably thinking, "You fools! I have you all under my control!" Or maybe it was just, "YAY!"
My mom sewed the vests for all of the groomsmen. Cade was the best man. He is, in my opinion. He's so quiet, but when he does talk, you know he has it all figured out. He kept telling me that Cort and Ashley should have gotten their act together and got married in the temple. I love that its already a priority for him. He knows what's right. Hopefully, someday, Cort and Ashley will have the desire to be sealed in the temple for eternity, and take hold of all the many blessings the Lord has in store for us.
Lauren was loving all the lovin' she was getting from Aunt Tawny and Grandma Shauna.
Oh, and she also loved the ice cream. They had an ice cream stand outside.
Did I mention that Lauren loved the ice cream? Anytime someone was willing to share, she was willing to eat it! I love that little tongue!
Bentley loved the ice cream too.
So did Enzo... Are you getting the hint that everyone really liked the ice cream?
Okay, they liked the punch and the ice cream!
Cort played nice, at first, when it came time to feed each other cake. Then, he smashed it in Ashley's face...
But what Cort didn't realize what that Ashley's turn was next, and she could get him back. And that she did!
So cute and in love!
Their first dance as husband and wife.
This was a tender moment for me. I loved watching Cort dance with my sister, Tiffany. Her little boy is all grown up, and married.
Then, the dancing for everyone else started. Lauren loves dancing. We found this out while playing Just Dance on the Wii. She was giggling the whole time.
She wasn't quite sure of the twirling, but I'm sure she'll come around to it.
It was a beautiful day for the happy couple, and their family and friends. I'm so happy for Cort and Ashley. Its funny that Ashley is now officially part of our family. It seems like she's been part of it for so long. I can't believe my nephew is married!

Surfin' in the USA

2011-07-07T18:16:00.004-06:00

Okay, so we aren't surfing, but we're in the USA. My friend, Kallie, and I bought the pass of all passes (like everyone else) for the summer. We thought that it would be a fun thing to have and the girls could enjoy playing in the water with each other. We decided that every Wednesday that we would go to Seven Peaks and play. Its nice because our girls are 6 weeks apart, and right now, they are on the same sleep schedule. Lauren loves to play with Naomi. After lunch, we lathered up our babies, and hit the wave pool!
It was fun to just stay in the shallow end and let the girls play. Naomi wasn't quite sure of the waves, but goodness, she's so cute! And look at her mama... its no wonder where she got her gorgeous looks from!
Lauren was in heaven. There were kids everywhere, she's was in the water, she really could stay there all day. I love this hat to keep the sun off her, but with how much she splashes in the water, it was soaked in just a few short minutes, and I kept having to adjust the brim so she could see.
Kallie and I drenched our girls, multiple times, in sunblock. I don't think Lauren got a shade darker, even for being in the sun for 2.5 hours. I on the other hand, thought that I don't ever burn, so I don't need sunscreen. Ha! Let's just say, that its a month later, and I'm STILL peeling. I think I did some major damage to my shoulders, and I hope and pray it doesn't come back to bite me when I'm older with some melanoma. YAY for summer! It took long enough to get here, and I hope it stays around. I love warm weather SO much more than cold, icky, stay in the house all day, winter weather. Bring on more sun (this time with sunblock!)!

June Came and Went!

2011-07-07T18:06:00.003-06:00

I know its already July 7th, but I'm still in June. I know I already celebrated the 4th of July, but I'm still in June. is it really July? Is June really over? Am I the only one in shock here? Well, since June is gone, I thought I should post a few happenings of the month, and then I'll post about what's already happened in July. My OLDER (ha ha!) sister, Lesley, had a birthday! Every year, she chooses a canyon, and we go up there for dinner and s'mores. This year, it was in Millcreek Canyon this year. It was perfect weather this year. A little breezy, but sunny. I loved it. Lauren didn't really know what to think. She just loved all the attention from her cousins.
My mom always gets super cold up the canyons. I don't know why. Lauren had just finished dinner, and I knew that s'mores weren't far behind, so we left the bib on her.
It started to get kind of chilly, so Aaron snuggled with Lauren and started reading her a book. My brother-in-law, Travis', little niece came over and asked if she could read too. Aaron, of course, said yes. They probably spent a good 20 minutes like this. It was so cute.
Lauren loves her Aunt Lesley!
I don't think Lesley minds how much she loves her!

SICK!

2011-06-02T22:56:00.001-06:00

It's finally happened. It was one thing with Lauren that I was dreading. And it happened this week. She got sick. It was so sad and I never want to go through it again, even though it's kind of inevitable. On Monday, we decided to do a little bit of bargain shopping, and have dinner out. That night, I wasn't feeling so great. Aaron felt the same way. The next morning, Aaron was fine. He felt great, and went to work. I got up, got Lauren, made breakfast for both of us, and already felt drained. By 12, I was done. It was hard to stand up, let alone walk, carrying Lauren. By 1, I was throwing up. I needed help. So I called Aaron. He came home. I threw up some more. He took care of Lauren while I laid in bed - feeling like I was going to die. I couldn't even sleep. Later that night, I heard Aaron feeding Lauren downstairs, and then I heard chaos. I came down to see that Lauren had thrown up - A LOT. Poor little thing. She was so scared and had no idea what was going on. I grabbed towels and disinfectant and a new diaper while Aaron hosed Lauren down in the sink. I went back upstairs, ready to throw up more (gross, I know!). Aaron came upstairs a little bit later, holding Lauren. He said that he got her to eat more food. We were chatting for a bit, and then it happened all over again. Lauren was so good about all of it. After we put her in the tub, she was fine. We got her in her jammies, and thought that if I breastfed her, she'd go to sleep and we'd be fine. Well, about .5 seconds into feeding her, it all (and more) came up. Aaron and I decided that we should just go to instacare and make sure its not something really bad. After a nice little visit to instacare, we were diagnosed with the stomach flu. Man! I've had the stomach flu before and I don't remember it being this bad. It made it even worse to see my little love bug so sick. The doctor said that we both should be feeling a lot better by morning, and that pedialyte and saltine crackers will be very good for both of us. By morning, we felt a little better, but not 100%. Lauren was so lethargic. It was so sad to hear her whimper. Aaron canceled his business trip he was supposed to leave on that morning and helped me with Lauren. After a few hours, I started to feel better and he went to work. For the rest of the day, Lauren was very snuggly and just wanted to be held. She slept, a lot! I had to go check on her a few times to make sure she was still breathing. Two days later, the house saturated in bleach and soaked in disinfectant and we are almost back to normal. I'm sure there are plenty more things in this life that I will not like experiencing, but this one was awful. I hated seeing Lauren so sad and sick. I'm glad it passed quickly. Lets hope to not get sick again for a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very long time! PS: I'm grateful for all the lovely women in my life that the second they found out I was sick, they immediately asked if they could bring me anything or help me in any way. I love these amazing women in my life and their incredible example to me!

Bridget's Las Vegas Wedding!

2011-05-25T23:36:00.003-06:00

My dear sweet friend, Bridget, got married! Bridget and I haven't been friend for very long, just a few years, but this girl got me through hair school. If it weren't for her, I don't know if I would have made it. She is so caring and loving, faithful to the end. Her husband is one lucky guy. After Bridget told me she was tying the knot, she asked if I would come down to Las Vegas and do her hair and makeup for the wedding. How could I say no? Bridget is gorgeous beyond words. Its not hard to do hair and make up on someone that is already beautiful. It makes my job easy! Bridget's dad surprised her with the penthouse suite at the Aliente Hotel and Casino. This "room" was so cool. All the girls in the wedding party got ready there and it was a pre-wedding party! When I finally finished up Bridget's hair and makeup, it was minutes before they had to leave to go to the ceremony site, so this is the ONLY picture I got of her. I'm hoping I can snag a few from the photographer's website. Bridget had a beautiful garden ceremony, and a rockin' reception. We had to leave early because Lauren was done partying. I felt bad we had to go, but I am so happy that I was able to be a small part in one of Bridget's most important days of her life. I hope Ryan knows what a lucky man he is and that they live a wonderfully blissful life together! I love you, Bridg!

Stewart! Pants! Now!

2011-05-25T23:22:00.003-06:00

Okay, so this post doesn't involve pants at all, but when ever I hear "Stewart" I think of the younger brother on So I Married an Axe Murderer. Mike looks nothing like the younger brother, but they have the same name. Meet Mike Stewart. Mike is one of Aaron's oldest friends. I love hearing Aaron's stories that involve Mike. It usually involves girls, too. Which just makes me laugh. Mike, Holly, and their two ADORABLE girls came to stay with us last week, and it was so much fun to have a sleepover with these guys. Holly is incredible. She always looks darling, as well as her daughters. The girls are so well behaved. The first day they were here, we drove around looking at houses. Aaron and Mike were big into guessing how much it cost, what the square footage is, etc. After getting a little car sick, we decided to head home and grab some pizza on the way. The second day, we wanted to go to the zoo, but since this crazy Utah weather thinks its still March, we decided to head to the aquarium. Tessa loved it! I'm so glad that I got a picture of Mike on a frog. Too funny!Miss Tessa wasn't so sure about the sting rays.
But she really enjoyed petting the other sea creatures!
Jolie and Lauren about a month apart in age, and I hope they become great friends. Who doesn't love a friend that lives in St. George? Jolie always has the biggest blue eyes. I just love them!
We met up with Aaron for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. I can't believe this is the only picture of Holly and Tessa that I got! Aren't they so cute? YES!
After a lot of shopping, we did more house looking (we are not hunting, I promise). It was so much fun to have the Stewart's come to stay with us! I hope they come back in the summer so we can go to the zoo. We love you guys!

May Birthdays!

2011-05-25T23:10:00.003-06:00

There are three very important women in my life that have May birthdays; my mom, my oldest sister, and my niece Mara. We had a fun Sunday dinner at my mom's to celebrate Tiffany and Mara's birthday together. Tiffany is my hero. She decided last year, that she wanted to go back to school. I couldn't be more proud of her. She is learning all sorts of new things and is so dedicated to her schooling. Mind you, she's also helping plan her oldest son's wedding this summer. Happy Birthday, Tiffy!
Little Miss Mara Moo. This girl has so much spunk. She always has, and I think always will. Its hard to believe that she's already 7! I remember bringing her mom a Lollicup Snowbubble to the hospital when she was born. She is looking more and more like her mama as well. Happy Birthday, Mara!
My mom! This lady is so wonderful and has so much talent. She does so much for others and is always thinking of her daughters and grandbabies. She loves Lauren so much, and Lauren feels the same way. Since Aaron and I were heading to Las Vegas on her birthday for a friend's wedding, we decided to have lunch at Dylan's and then we'd celebrate again when I got home.
You gotta love Dylan's! Its a great place, where we didn't feel too bad for being loud :)

10 Months Old!

2011-05-24T23:24:00.010-06:00

I seriously cannot believe my baby is 10 months old already! I swear she was just 5 months. I think these next two months (20 years.. ahem..) are going to fly by. I did her 9 month pictures last month and now I'm barely posting them (I swear I've barely had enough time to breathe lately. Is this what life is always going to be like?). These pictures were done by the amazing Tracy Layne. She always does such an incredible job. This is my absolute favorite picture. I love that you can see Lauren's little toofins (teeth), and her electric blue eyes. This was her Easter dress my mom sewed for her (the fabric was all found in my mom's "stash" - I didn't spend a single penny for her dress. That's the best kind of dress!)
This picture cracks me up! Lauren is clicking her tongue, and Tracy caught it. Too funny!
Our sweet baby girl, looking at her daddy.
Lauren is so much fun! Her personality is really starting to come out and it cracks me up every single day. She is laughing at more things. She is getting ticklish (which I really like! - even if my Grandma always said if you tickle a baby, it will make them stutter. I'll put her in speech therapy if that's the case). Lauren has always been a really good eater, and continues to be. Now that we are feeding her more grown up foods, she is liking that more than baby food. I will feed her first, and then bring my plate to the table to eat. She will just stare at every bite I put in my mouth until I put some food on her tray. Lately, she has liked salsa, broccoli, mango, raspberries, blackberries, yogurt, cream cheese, Nielsen's frozen custard (dad spoils her!), and many more of the things she's eaten for months now - any kind of cheese (like father, like daughter), strawberries, pasta, rice, chicken, avocados, pickles, puffs, Cheerios, and the list goes on!
The other night, Aaron and I decided to let her try to feed herself. We stripped her down to her diaper, and gave her the spoon and bowl of food. She had already eaten a lot, so this was more for fun. Fun it was! She loved squishing the food in her fingers, and getting it all over her face. By the end of it I said we should just put her in the tub. Aaron wanted to rinse her off a bit first, so we ended up letting her play in the kitchen sink.
She thought it was the neatest thing ever!
She loved putting her hand under the faucet and feeling the water.
My mom surprised Lauren with new jammies, so I had to get a picture of her wearing them for Grandma. This girl is such a ham! Anytime she sees me get the camera out, she starts smiling, and jibber-jabbering. Look at that face! We are so in love with our baby girl.
I love the pictures that show her teeth! She now has 4 on top, 2 on the bottom, and her canine teeth are making their way down. She is constantly putting her hands in her mouth and drooling everywhere. Can you blame her?
This is the face she makes when she's trying to be sneaky.
Oh, mom caught me! You can barely see the top teeth in this picture. Ha ha! I love it!
Aaron had the idea to mow the lawn with Lauren. I didn't know how she'd do with the loud lawn mower (Is that even safe? I dunno.). But as soon as her daddy strapped her into the Bjorn, she loved it. She was kicking her feet the whole time. It's now become quite the weekly tradition. If Lauren see's Aaron walk in with the Bjorn, she starts clapping, and kicking her legs.
Let's see... there's something else I'm forgetting.... Hmmm... Oh, ya, our baby girl crawls! It's been a long time coming. She finally figured it out and now is an old pro. This week she started trying to pull her self up on the stairs and couch. I have a feeling I'm going to need a baby gate soon. When she was very first crawling, we used binkies to bribe her, but the funny thing is, she doesn't like binkies to suck on, just to play with.

I have a feeling that Lauren is going to be a talker. She jibber-jabbers so much, but she says dada, mama, no no, ya, and the other day she said "hi" as plain as day (ask Aimee Francis - she was with me). We say "hi" a lot to her or tell her to say "hi" so I wouldn't be surprised if that was her next word. Lauren is getting better at pat-a-cake. She's got the clapping down, and waves her arm when its the "mark it with a B" part, we just need to work on the "rolling" part a little. She has become quite the snuggler. I love it. She'll sit on my lap (or Aaron's), and bury her little head into our chest. Its so cute. She is also getting better at kisses! If I say, "Muah" she'll lean in and open her mouth (gotta love the open mouth baby kisses). We are trying to teach her to blow kisses too. She still loves kids, babies, and animals. She loves my sister's dog, Cash, and laughs anytime he runs by her. Lauren is still our little bundle of joy. We are so blessed to have her in our lives. She is so much fun. We are grateful that she hasn't been sick yet (knock on wood!), but has the occasional runny nose from teething. Every day is a new adventure with her. I still can't believe that I'm a mother - Lauren's mother. I am forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with one of his children. We love you, Lauren!

Bountiful Chalk Art Festival

2011-05-24T23:07:00.002-06:00

I love the Bountiful Chalk Art Festival! I never really went when I was little (Did they even have it back then?), but when Aaron and I lived in downtown Bountiful we went to all sorts of fun things (Fun for me, but maybe not for Aaron. He's a good sport though). We went with our awesome friends Jordan and Laura, and their two adorable kids Lucy and Alice. I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures of Lucy or Alice. They are just too cute. I can't wait for Alice and Lauren to be such great friends when they get older. I did, however, take some pictures of the incredible talent that people have. I seriously have so much respect for artists. When is comes to drawing, or singing, I'm seriously lacking. Give me a few food items, and I can come up with something beautiful. If there's a good beat on the radio, I'll shake my booty with the best of them (whether I look like them is a different subject). My sister Tawny is an incredible artist. She can use any medium, too. Moving on... Here are some of my favorites...
Northern Lights
Russian Landscape
Street Lights
Aquatic Theme... This one was huge! I love the intense colors, too.
A Kiss for You... I'm a sucker for nostalgia.
Giraffe...This one was an optical illusion. You had to stand at this point to see it properly. From another angle, his neck looked really weird.
The Guardian.. This reminds me of Tawny's abilities.
I loved chatting with Laura and Lucy while the guys chatted. The weather was perfect, too.
Afterward, we went to dinner at Arella. They have yummy Italian food. Thanks so much, Hill Family for coming with us! We always enjoy spending time with you.

Everthing's Bigger in Texas

2011-05-24T09:52:00.009-06:00

Aaron's brother is the new owner of a ZAGG location in Dallas, TX so Aaron had to go visit his new store. Lauren and I decided it would be fun to tag along and see the family. Steve and Tana were nice enough to let us stay with us. They have the cutest kids! Serious. I'm hoping my kids mind as well as these guys. When we first got there, Tana and I had fun together while the kids were in school and the men went to do some work. One everyone got home, we decided to go visit some malls in the area. Luke LOVES his Uncle Aaron and wanted to be with him all the time. He got in the car with us, and was talking about all sorts of things. Lauren was super happy to have a friend in the back with her. Luke got really quiet, and we thought he was just looking out the window. When we pulled up to the mall, this is what we found...
I guess we wore Lauren out too!
Lauren usually wakes up when we get her out of the car, but she kept sleeping, so Aaron took the opportunity to snuggle with his baby girl for a bit.
The next day, we headed to the Dallas Zoo. This zoo was awesome! I hope that with all the construction at Hogle Zoo, it will turn into something like this one.
We first visited the penguins. Lauren is as tall as an African penguin.
Then, we went to see the elephants. I love these photo opportunities. Lauren thought it was pretty neat to sit on an elephant.
Then, we got all the kids on one elephant. Luke was so excited to be up front!
The best thing about the Dallas Zoo, in my opinion, is that they let you feed the giraffes! How cool is that? They have a booth next to the giraffe platform that sells romaine lettuce (it was $5 for a whole head of lettuce - pretty good deal if you ask me). I bought some, and the kids had a hay day feeding this giraffe. We even gave Lauren a leaf, and the giraffe was sticking out its tongue to get it, but she wouldn't let go. It was too funny!
I guess this giraffe was full.
Luke thought it was pretty cool to shake the monkey's hand... even if it wasn't a real monkey.
Then, we went to see the camels... Landri was SO excited about riding a camel. You couldn't smack that smile off her face if you wanted to (and who would want to smack that face? She's just too cute!). Luke thought it would be better if the camel went faster. Ha ha!
By the way, this camel's name is Tiffany. I don't remember the zoo keeper's name, but she reminded me so much of one of my clients that I absolutely adore.
I was debating whether or not to have Lauren ride the camel with the kids, but she decided for me. She needed some zzz's!
We kind of have a running joke/but kind of a serious joke about how poor Aaron's family was growing up. I remember riding an elephant at Hogle Zoo when I was little. Aaron said his family was too poor, so they only got to ride the animal statues. Here is Steve and Aaron, in true Johnson form, riding the turtle statue.
Aaron wanted a picture of just him... Notice the thumbs up? Just wait...
Then, the kids wanted to get in on the action. Notice the thumbs up? Taeler is also a HUGE fan of her Uncle Aaron. She, undoubtedly, will always say that Aaron is her favorite uncle. I kid you not, their personalities are so similar, it's scary.
Even though the "ghost crocodile" was at Hogle Zoo last year, it's still cool to see. I think that the Dallas Zoo did the whole "bayou" look better than Hogle zoo. (Geez, I sound like a Hogle zoo-hater, but I'm really not. I just think they need to step up their game. Which they are doing, considering half the zoo is under construction right now).
The kids liked to watch the rhinos, or liked being in the shade. Either way, it was fun.
I love flamingos! I don't know why, but I've always really liked them. When I was younger, I once did a school report on them. They are quite the fascinating animals.
As we were leaving, these 4 superheros were just standing around. I don't know if the zoo hired them, but I thought they were hilarious. Luke was so excited to meet Batman (who looks like he's putting the moved on Wonder Woman).
Of course, before we left, we had to ride the carousel. I love that Luke picked the tiger. He's such a boy... with lots of energy. LOTS of energy. I love him!
Taeler picked the hummingbird. Which, is actually closer to her personality. She always talks really fast. Ha ha! She's so adorable!
Here's Madi and Landri. Madi is the best kid. I swear. I hope Lauren is half as well-behaved as she is. She is takes such great care of her siblings and has such a sweet disposition. I can't get enough of Landri's smile. Gosh! She's cute. Johnson's make cute babies!
The next day, we did more mall hopping (I can't complain about the industry my husband works in - it means I get to go to malls with him!). For dinner, we decided to head to Rudy's. I wasn't so sure about this place when we pulled up, considering it was a gas station. Yikes. This could be bad. Although, I love BBQ. I really love good BBQ.
The manager came up to the front, and helped us out so much, since we were first-timers. He even had his employees bring out samples of the meat to us so we could decide what we wanted to eat. Aaron ordered a pound of everything... Literally (He was ordering for all of us, though, so it's okay). They load up these trays with your food, and send you on your way. This is part of our order. There are two other trays I didn't get pictures of. Let me tell you. This place ROCKED. We loved everything. Dang! Good BBQ is so GOOD!
The kids thought it was pretty cool to have bottled sodas. They were patiently waiting for Aaron and Steve to come back with the rest of the food.
Lauren even liked the BBQ. Yes, I feed Lauren BBQ. She has to know what good food is, right? I start 'em young.
The next day, after the girls got home from school, we went swimming. Oh, and let me just say, Texas has an awesome school system. Or at least Lantana (the master-planned community where they live) does. The community has 2 elementaries, 1 middle school, 5 swimming pools - with splash pads, parks, tennis courts, a golf course, and community events. It puts Foxboro to shame. I digress... The kids loved swimming. They are all fish, since they lived in St. George, and their grandma has a pool.
Luke was in heaven!
Lauren, was also in heaven... She is quickly becoming a fish. It makes me think about putting her in swimming lessons (Do they have baby swimming lessons? I think I've heard of them). She loved watching the kids, and was kicking everywhere. It is just too cute!
See? Too cute.

For dinner, Tana and Madi made awesome shrimp tacos (Aaron even liked them!). They were so yummy. I've been craving them, and need to get that recipe from Tana. It was the perfect way to end our trip to the Lone Star State. We are so grateful for such wonderful family. Steve and Tana are always so hospitable. I feel like I'm staying at a hotel when we're with them! Only, its better than a hotel, because its family. We (and by we, I mean Aaron) have already planned to go back in the fall when football season is in full swing. BYU is playing TCU at Cowboy Stadium and Aaron is so excited. I'm excited too.

Welcome to Hotel Del Coronado!

2011-05-04T15:58:00.009-06:00

I know I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, but Aaron works for a great company. I am so grateful that he is such a hard worker as well. Sometimes I get frustrated when he takes a phone call late at night, or when I'm telling him something, but then, I have to remind myself that he is trying to provide for our family. He does a great job. Since Aaron worked so hard last quarter (like he does every quarter), ZAGG took us to Coronado for the weekend. It was heaven. My lovely sister, Lesley (and her cute family), watched Lauren for us. We dropped her off EARLY (like 5 am!) Friday morning, and went straight to the airport. A couple short hours later, we were in sunny California, driving over the Coronado bridge.
Then, we pulled up to our hotel... The Hotel Del Coronado! Isn't it gorgeous? YES!
After we checked in, and dropped off our bags in our room, we headed straight for Sea World. It was like we were kids again. It was so much fun to see all of the animals. It made me wonder what Lauren would think of them. These seals were hanging out right by the window because they wanted to be fed.
This bird was trying to get some of their food. Isn't he so cool? I was kind of scared of him. Birds and I have this thing... We don't really get along, and I have a fear that they are going to peck my eyes out. I don't know. Maybe I watched The Birds too much when I was young.
There were a few rides in Sea World (who knew?), and Pua came prepared with ponchos for everyone.
Julie was really nervous about getting her hair wet. Obviously, Dennis doesn't have the same concern.
Out of everyone, Brad and Aaron were the wettest, but the sun was shining, so they dried off pretty quickly.
The sting ray tank was so cool. I couldn't believe how many there were. They would come swim right past the window. Aaron noticed that all of them had their stingers cut off. I wonder how they do that.
These beluga whales were so incredible. They were like pets to these trainers. I couldn't believe how big they were. Yet, they were so graceful in the water.
Then, we saw the Orka Whale show. Since there was trainer was killed last year, in Florida, the trainers can't go in the water with them anymore, but it was still a really neat show. Look at how huge these guys are!
I love that I got this shot. How can such a big animal jump completely out of the water?
The sharks were so cool to see. I love that we were able to walk under the water and watch them. Random thought: Do you ever wonder what Heavenly Father was thinking when he was creating all of these animals on the Earth? Its so crazy how many different species there are.
That night, we went to dinner at Miguel's Mexican Restaurant. Okay. Seriously. SUCH GOOD FOOD! If you are ever in Southern California, please go to Miguel's. Everything was delicious, and they have this great stuff... Jalapeno white sauce. Yes, please. It is SO good! We found the recipe online (and made it when we got home). I will be more than happy to share. Its awesome. The guys REALLY liked it. They even drank it out of straws. Ha ha!
Okay, well, the guys drank some of it through a straw, but Dennis actually cleaned his bowl out. To each their own, I guess. :)
The next day, we decided to go to Old Town. When we pulled up, there was a Cinco de Mayo street fair going on! It was so fun to walk through and get fresh mango and other yummy treats. The last time Aaron came to California, he heard about the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center. We didn't know much about it, but it turned out to be a lot of fun (and free!)
The tour was really neat. We learned quite a bit about the Mormon Battalion and what they endured for the Church, and the country. The LDS church does not disappoint, and we know that they don't do anything second rate. I would totally recommend this be a stopping point for anyone on their next trip to SoCal. I love that Aaron is so smart when it comes to history. He knew a lot of what happened and told me some extra stuff. The cute sister missionary that was our tour guide dressed Dennis up in what the Mormon Battalion wore to trek to California. He looks purdy, don't he?
Aaron was checking out the scope on the rifle.
After the tour, the sister missionary took our picture.
Then, we headed outside to pan for gold!
We could eat take two pieces of "gold" home with us as a souvenir.
Aaron got really into panning for gold and found all of this in just a few minutes!
Then, we headed up to the watchtower to look over the town.
Could you ask for a more perfect day?
That afternoon, we headed back to the hotel. We had a courtyard view, which was still really pretty.
While Aaron took a nap, I headed to the spa. Oh, my heck. It was awesome. When I arrived, one of the workers, took me on a little tour. Then, I got into my robe, and went to the relaxation room. In this room, there were huge comfy couches, lots of fun magazines to read (which is a guilty pleasure of mine), and yummy treats and drinks. I waited in there for a little bit for my masseuse to come get me. After an incredible massage, I went into the aromatherapy room and spent some time relaxing even more. The spa looked out to the beach, and it was gorgeous. It was just what I needed to be rejuvenated!
That night, before dinner, Aaron and I headed out to the beach. The Hotel has a few miles of privately owned beaches. It was so nice to be alone, just the two of us, and talk about what ever, and have no worries. I loved it.
Oh, I have the cutest husband in the whole world. He is so good to me!
The sunset was so pretty, but I didn't even think of taking a picture of it until we were leaving to go to dinner. I'll still take it.
After breakfast, we had to go to the airport, but we got one last picture. I hope we can go back to Coronado soon. It's so much fun!