Camping and Other Pics

We took the boys camping a couple weeks ago to our favorite spot in the mountains. Our first camping trip as a family of four. I was a little worried about how we would all sleep being in a tent together and Isaac sleeping on the ground (vs. the crib) for the first time. But luckily the river provided the perfect white noise, and we all slept well. Isaac didn't get out of his sleeping bag once, we were all warm enough, and aside from a brief raccoon squabble right outside our tent, it was a peaceful night with a beautiful full moon. After breakfast and packing up the next morning we took a stroll along the boardwalks and hiking paths at Cascade Springs. We can't wait to go again!










Chocolate covered frozen bananas.


The aftermath.



Celebrating Pioneer Day at the Park. Petting zoo and old time fire truck. Cool!





I love this picture of my grandpa holding Thomas

Five Years

Walt and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary last week by going on the same date we went on the night we got engaged. After dropping the boys off at Grandma and Grandpa's house (thank you!) we drove to the Bountiful Temple and did sealings. Then we ate dinner at The Roof restaurant overlooking Temple Square. We figure we can afford to eat there every five years. We had SUCH a fun night together just really reveling in each other's company,smiling and laughing a lot, and feeling so grateful for the experiences and love we've shared together.

Isaac is absolutely so much fun lately. He has really caught on to songs and sings the same ones over and over. He gets better all the time and can sing most of the words to a number of songs now. You know, as much as I would prefer a little more variety, there are much worse things to have in your head all day than sweet, fun children's songs.

Here are a few recent pictures of the boys:

Cousin Piano Trio.



Isaac's favorite way to sit on the couch. :)



Thomas: 4 months old this week! He is such a FUN baby! And LONG! His past two check-ups he has measured in at the 99th percentile for length.

Asking Jane

Walt's cousin recently blogged about a Motherhood Blog she follows called Asking Jane. I followed the link and found myself sitting for an hour reading the posts and feeling so peaceful and happy. I told Walt about it, and he asked, "Did it make you want to have more children?" Yes, it did, actually. I loved it and wanted to pass it on.

Not a House Party (.com)

For LDS singles ages 26-35, here's a great opportunity to provide service while getting to know new people. It sounds like a really fun, unique way for singles to connect, and the setting is beautiful!

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Lately

At the cemetery visiting my mom's grave on Mothers Day


Isaac helping our neighbor mow the lawn. He was on cloud 9!


Isaac loves it when I put Tommy in the crib with him :)


Bowling with the Johnsons


Thomas with Grandpa Johnson


Easter Sunday - visiting the cemetery where Walt's mom is buried


Thomas's Baby Blessing - Easter Sunday, April 24th

Thomas

Last week was Thomas's two month checkup. He weighed in at 12 lb. 8 oz. and measured 24 1/2 inches long. That puts him in the 95th percentile for length. He has a little eczema (which should be easily cured with the right kind of lotion) and goopy eyes like Isaac did, but otherwise is very healthy and is on target for other milestones. Thomas sleeps well and eats well. He takes a great morning nap and then catnaps all afternoon, which is a little tricky for me because when he's awake he wants to be held and played with. It means I often get very little done in the afternoon. But I also get a lot of one-on-one time with him while Isaac takes his afternoon nap, so that is a bonus. We've started bathing the boys together in the big tub. We just place the baby bath inside the bathtub, and Isaac LOVES it. He loves to help wash Thomas with the sponge. As a side note, Isaac has also caught on to how we burp Thomas after he eats, so he has taken to coming up behind us, patting our backs, and saying "burp!". We often humor him with a fake burp, which we may regret at some point, but it makes us all laugh.

Thomas likes tummy time. He also likes to sit on my lap while I play the piano or type on the computer, and he loves watching Isaac play. His hair has lightened a little bit but is still brown, and his eyes, which we all thought were going to be brown, have decided to be blue. We are having Thomas blessed on Easter Sunday, April 24th, and are looking forward to several members of Walt's family traveling here for the occasion as well as my extended family coming for an open house before church.

We sure love this little guy. It's hard to imagine our life before him. So glad you're ours, Thomas!

Isaac

I love being the mom of two little boys!!! Lots of people told me how hard it would be at first, but I've been relieved to find that it's also a LOT of fun! Thomas has had three nights in a row of 7-10 hours of sleep, then eating briefly and going back down for 2-3 hours. It's a beautiful thing.

Isaac is a great big brother. He shares toys and sippy cups with Thomas (places them in Thomas's swing or on his stomach) and will often squat down by him and say "Hi Baby!" When Thomas cries for any reason Isaac is very concerned that "baby is sad" and wants me to take care of it. If I put Isaac in the car before Thomas, he gets worried that I've forgotten the baby and sometimes starts to cry.

I have to remind myself that Isaac is only 21 months. He's a little big for his age and so verbal that I sometimes expect too much of him and feel like I'm disciplining more than I should. The biggest challenge of motherhood for me so far is trying to figure out appropriate expectations for behavior, be consistent, and recognize when I've done too much or not enough. I assume I'm not alone in this. Overall we have a great time together. Isaac and I have a ritual that goes as follows:

Mommy: "Hey, are you my favorite Isaac?"
Isaac: "Uh huh!"
Mommy: "Am I your favorite mommy?"
Isaac: "Uh huh!"
Mommy: "We're each other's favorite!"

Several times throughout the day Isaac will say "Momma?" just to hear me say, "Yes?". He'll smile and go on doing whatever he was doing. Just checking in, I guess. Some of Isaac's favorite foods are hot dogs, yogurt, raisins, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs. He'll go get the frying pan out of the drawer and bring it to me saying, "Eggs? Please? Okay!" Sometimes he asks me to sit down and play the piano. On a couple of the more intense pieces he'll say, "Wow!" at the loud parts. He is obsessed with trucks! Especially Daddy's truck. If they are having male bonding time, Walt will take Isaac out to the truck in the garage and they'll be there for 15-20 minutes while Isaac turns on the lights, honks the horn, pulls down the visor, opens the glove box. And then there is the inevitable tantrum when it's time to come in. He could sit out there all day and be happy. Songs are a favorite thing, too. We'll sing "We Are A Happy Family" and I'll pause to let him fill in the name of someone. Daddy, Nanna, and Grandpa are favorite choices, but he also thinks it's hilarious to say Jocelyn (his cousin) over and over and over. Yesterday he said, "Blanket", and I informed him that unfortunately the blanket couldn't love him back. Good thing he didn't understand what I was saying - his little heart would have been broken! I'll keep those thoughts to myself from now on. :) He's also picking up on some of the expressions I use. He'll say, "Wow! Dump Truck! Cool." Or "Awesome!" This is such a fun age, and I'm loving it!


Daddy was in charge of dishing up dessert. Mommy is not so generous. But look at that smile! :)


Post-dessert blackmail picture. Pirate? Cowboy? Joker? You decide.



Taking a spin in Nanna Julz's antique baby buggy.