Cabin Fun

This past weekend, we had a family reunion in St. George. Some friends of ours let us stay at their cabin for the weekend. My brother Damon brought up some 4-wheelers and we had a blast. We spent so much time on those 4-wheelers. There was a water tower that we would ride up to and it had an amazing view once you got there and conquerred the hills leading to it. My mom and dad provided all the food and we had a ton of it. It was so yummy. Hailey had a blast chasing and watching all the bugs and insects. She even caught a grasshopper all by herself. It was amazing. Addysen just loved hanging out in her carseat outside with everyone and getting some fresh air. My mom and dad kept Addysen in their room with them so that Nate and I could get some good sleep. It was SO nice. Hailey didn't sleep as well as she usually does at home, but it wasn't too bad. Hailey also had to get use to her cousin, Lincoln. He's pretty intense for her. He is such a happy and excited boy. Damon, Summer, Nate and I all got in a crazy water fight. That was so much fun. We were all soaked. We also realized how out-of-shape we were. The boys found a gravel pit nearby where they went riding and got their jumps on! So much fun. My grandparents came out for a visit while we were there as well. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Friday Flashback!

For our one year anniversary, we went to Cancun, Mexico. What a trip this was.



We stayed in a hotel called El Pueblito Hotel. It was quite adventurous. We woke up to Gecko Lizzardson the wall. It was crazy. They had Iguanas that could eat us! They were huge... and all over the place.



We went to Outback! Who wouldn't??? It was the best steak EVER!

Lots of great memories. One night, while riding the bus back to our hotel, we were serenaded by someone with a guitar which was quite entertaining. We were almost in MANY bus accidents.. they drive CRAZY down there, and we saw two accidents.


We went jet skiingand snorkling, swimming with sting raysand body boarding. It was a blast! We loved it.

We went to the Mayan Ruinswhich was AMAZING! Very sureal. Every time I look at these pictures, it makes me want to go back.

While on our excursion to the Mayan Ruins, we stopped at a Sink Hole.

It was FULL of catfish... and yes, we jumped in and swam with them. EWE!!!!



We did take a picture on a donkey! Yep.. it's true! My favorite is Nate's mustache!

Nate took this amazing picture from the airplane when we left.

10 Things You May Not Know About Me...

1. As a child, I: was obsessed with 'The Little Mermaid' and can still recite the whole movie.

2. If I had a million dollars I: would put most of it away in some investment, get caught up on some serious food storage, buy us all new wardrobes, go on a major shopping spree (i've always wanted to do that), get a SWEET minivan :-), and pay off all debt. Oh, and I might go on a really cool vacation. Oh yeah, and finish printing off all my scrapbook pages that have just been sitting on my hard drive!
3. My secret poison is: mint and chip ice cream with a little milk added. YUM!

4. If I had spare time I would: get caught up on scrapbooking, take a nap, read my book that's taking forever to read, finish decorating Hailey's room, get organized!
5. If I could live anywhere it would be: probably St. George. It's right in the middle of both of our parents AND we do have some family down there. Either that, or San Diego... go back to my roots! It's beautiful there, plus, I love the beach.

6. My morning usually goes like this: wake up at 5 or 6 with Addy, then go back to sleep for a half hour. Wake up with Hailey at 7. Make her breakfast, usually scrambelled eggs, then get Addy a bottle. Get them dressed and ready for the day and diapers changed so we can head out the door by a quarter to nine to get Nate to work. Then run errands before nap time!

7. I am so excited about: the fact that Prison Break and One Tree Hill are now back on!












8. A project i'm currently working on is: ORGANIZING MY HOUSE! We just turned a storage closet in Hailey's room into her little fort/play room! It's so cute!
9. If I could vacation anywhere, it would be: this one is tricky, cuz i'm not a fan of flying, but I would love to go to Italy, Greece and Fiji. Cabo sounds good too!

10. My secret crush is: I still have a crush on Nate. :-) and definitely my girls.


And now I tag: Jessie, Megan, Kristi, Jessica, Claire

No Sugar Added

Recently, I had a crazy experience. As most of you know, we have a VERY busy monkey in our home. We know her as Hailey. She is one of a kind and we love her so much. She is amazing and is incredibly smart. I have known from day one that she would be one to intimidate me every day of the rest of my life. She started everything early... walking at 9 months... crawling at 7 months... talking at 10 months... etc. She has always been one to transition well and move on to the next thing without a whims notice. She has become more and more so over the last 6 months or so. Her energy is unexplainable (you just have to see it to believe it). So, one night, as I was saying my prayers, I felt the need to pray about it. I needed, as a mother, to find a way to help her channel her energy so she didn't get frustrated in life. I had the most clear answer I have ever receieved. 'Take away the sugar'.

Are you kidding me??? But it's so good!! Well, Nate and I had decided to do it and we took Hailey off sugar. It has made a VERY dramatic change. She would never snuggle us.. she was too busy. Now, she will sit on my lap for at least half a Pixar cartoon. It's amazing. She is still VERY busy, mind you. However, the change in her moods and in her personality and her energy are wonderful. I write this for two reasons. The first, to warn those of you who are friends and family, that she now is off sweets and treats. She still has the occasional teddy grahams or graham cracker, but for treats and candy, no more. Please help us continue this diet with her if she is ever around. We would grately appreciate your help. And two, to warn any of you with toddlers that sugar can make a HUGE difference in their little body's and how they grow and react. If you are feeling the need to do something different with your childs diet, I would recommend, taking away the sugar. It has helped us a lot!!!

Addysen Update

Well, today was the big day at Primary Children's Hospital.

Addy had her appointment with a throat surgeon to see what was going on. She has had croup, trouble eating and breathing and makes a funny noise when she breathes sometimes.

So, with all that, we saw a surgeon today who did a scope. Basically, they stick a tiny camera down their nose and into their throat to see if there is anything abnormal with the throat. Fortunately, they found nothing wrong other than some swelling. They think the reason for the swelling might be acid reflux, so they are looking into that.

Basically, they didn't find anything wrong with her throat thus far. They want to keep an eye on her for the next 6 weeks until her follow up appointment. Till then... we will keep you posted. Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers.

Two's Company

These pictures crack me up. The other day, I was daring enough to try and get 'POSED' pictures of the girls. They turned out ok. Hailey was so funny. She thought it was pretty funny having Addy lay on her leg. But, she was SO done after a few shots.

100% Pure

So, i'm putting in a little 'plug' for my mom. Recently, she has been doing a lot of research on natural products. This includes anywhere from lotions to cosmetics. Now, when I say 'natural' I mean 'natural'. These are all products with no chemicals whatsoever. She has realized that she doesn't want chemicals all over her body, so she has teamed up with different companies, including those selling all natural baby products to bring them closer to home. She has also realized that most companies who sell things with a title of 'all natural' are not so. All they need is ONE natural product to be able to use that label. Having thrown that out there, if you are interested in natural lotions, body gels, etc., they can be found in her booth at The Quilted Bear in Provo, or you can contact her by email. Happy Shopping! OH, and let me just say that these products are to die for. I have used many of them and they smell and feel AMAZING!

This is what she has to offer:
Body Gel, Body Butter, Lotions, Bath Salts, Baby Wash, Diaper Cream, Belly butter, Baby Cream/lotion, Bug Spray, Cradle Cap Care, Body oils, etc.

Sweet Sick Addysen

First of all, this video breaks my heart. Poor little Addy was so sick. She lost her voice and was just miserable. Lately, life has been a whirlwind around the Johnson Home. Poor Hailey recently had a cold in which she passed on to little Addy.

Addy got worse and worse till I finally felt the need to call her doctor. Upon doing so, the doctor worried about the fact that she was so sick at such a young age and asked me to bring her in to be looked at. After a stressful day of having no car, having to borrow a friends AND her baby's carseat, I was off to the doctor.

We found out that Addy had Croup. Now, this was even more scary because she's so young. We had to keep a close eye on her throughout the duration of her illness to make sure her throat wasn't closing and swelling. Later that afternoon, she turned completely white. Off to the doctor we go. They checked her oxygen, monitored her for about an hour and a half, then told us to go home, and keep her sitting up while she slept and watch her real close. If anything changed, to take her in immediately.

Well, yesterday, Tuesday, I felt the need to take her back in to make sure she wasn't getting worse. While there, the doctor and I were talking about everything that's going on, and to make a long story short, she needs to be seen by a surgeon to make sure that there isn't something more serious going on with her throat. The possibility of a birth mark formed in the trachea or the trachea being too small has them worried. Again, the fact that she is so little makes them more worried than normal. We have scheduled an appointment for August 19th @ 1:15pm at Primary Childrens Hospital. Please keep little Addy in your prayers and we'll keep everyone posted on the progress!

Bliss...

This is the life...

My trio of Love. This picture melts my heart. It describes how much my life means to me. Hailey loves her baby sister. Every morning she wakes up and runs in our room yelling "Addy!" which startles all of us, yet is so dang cute. Every time Addy cries, she runs to her with a binkie (whether it's Addy's or not) and says, "sshhhh.. don't cry Addy" (holding her finger to her lips). It's her favorite phrase these days. She's very concerned about her all the time and is always making sure she's ok. What more can a mother want? I have two beautiful girls, an amazing husband and a life of bliss.

So, here's to you, life... thank you. Thank you for my tears of joy every time I see Addy smile, or Hailey laugh. Thank you for the kisses. The kisses of drool from a teething toddler.. the kisses I steel from a sleeping infant and the kisses I get from a hard days work from Nate. Thank you for my frustrations every time the terrible twos get the better of me, I know I will only miss these days in the years to come. Thank you for reminding me that I am living my dream every time I change my clothes in a day because of sticky fingers giving me hugs. This is a dream.. my dream.