Finally!!

Yesterday was a big day at our house. Mike graduated from Nursing school!! It has been a looong 2 years and we are so glad he is done! He has worked so hard. Working full time as a helicopter medic, part time in the ER at a local hospital, going to school, and still being a great husband and dad. And I couldn't be prouder because not only did he graduate, but he did so with a 4.0 GPA! It was an emotional night and I'm glad I remembered to pack tissues! It will be great to have him home more. I know the boys have missed him just as much as I have. Now we can relax a little and focus on our upcoming vacation. We are getting to go visit Mike's family in Wisconsin for 3 weeks. We have never been able to go for that long and it's great because it makes the 16 hour drive worth it! Plus, we get to make a pit stop to take the kids to the Creation Museum AND we get to see friends that we haven't seen in 3 years! I am SO excited! We both had baby boys last year only 2 1/2 months apart and I can't wait to meet him in person and let her meet Keaton. Definitely going to be a lot of picture taking that day! And speaking of babies, I get to meet my new nephew, Sam who was born in April. We are also looking forward to being there for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. We miss so much being so far so it's awesome that we get to be there for that! They are wonderful people and we are all looking forward to spending time with them. I feel for women who don't care for or don't get along with their in-laws. I love mine and I know they love me. It's truly a pleasure to have them visit (not to mention a huge help!). Anyway, all I can say is , bring on the summer! We are ready to relax!!

Birthday Cakes

With all our recent birthdays around here, there's been a lot of talk about birthday cakes. All the boys have been discussing what kind of cakes they want for their birthdays. Connor just wanted chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Landon wanted a chocolate dinosaur cake. Noah wanted a chocolate monkey cake. Today, Liam came up and told me he knew what kind of cake he wanted (never mind that his birthday is not until November!). He said he wanted a Keaton cake. When I asked him what that was he explained. He said he wanted a cake that said "Happy Birthday Liam" with the number 6 under that and then "Keaton" at the bottom. When I asked why, he said "because I love him". It brought tears to my eyes! One of my biggest prayers is that my boys will stay close and love each other. I want them to be best friends throughout their lives. Liam is such a good big brother. He adores Keaton. Every morning, he waits for Keaton to nurse and then carries him out to the living room. He loves to play with him and make him laugh. It makes my heart smile to see the bond between them!

Photo Contest

I got an email this week telling me that a photo I submitted of Noah is one of 4 finalists in a messy kids photo contest! The photo I submitted was taken one morning when we found Noah in the kitchen with the pancake mix and a bottle of syrup. He said he was "making pancakes". We won a leather diaper bag with some Johnson's baby products. I was excited with that but then read that the photos were open for public voting and the grand prize winner would receive $1,000!!! I about fell out of my chair! Needless to say, that would be a HUGE blessing for us right now. We have reached out to everyone we can think of for votes and we have jumped from 30% of the vote to 41% in 24 hours! We were within 3% of the 1st place spot but it looks like they have started rallying and have gone ahead 4% more :( I'm not giving up though and will continue to beg and plead for votes until the end! The contest ends Monday night so there's still hope! Here's the link:

http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/johnsons-messy-photo-contest

Insanity

Mike and I both have been wanting to get into shape. A friend of mine had done the Insanity workout program and said it was tough but worth it. I finally talked Mike into it. We started it last Friday and let me tell you, it's intense! It is the hardest workout I've ever done. We were both drenched in sweat and laying on the floor when it was done. And even though my body ached, I felt good! I felt like I accomplished something. With the program, you work out 6 days a week. I did day 4 today. One thing I like is that there are many different workouts and you rotate through them so you never do the same thing back to back. We took our starting weight and measurements and will recheck weight on Friday. I'm going o be brave and say my starting weight was 161. Can't remember my measurements but I'll report any losses in the future. My main goal is to tone up. I really want to be able to wear tank tops this summer! I also want to have more energy. Anyway, I'm hoping Insanity helps Mike and I both!

Wonderful Weekend!!

It started a little early when we celebrated Landon's 8th birthday Thursday night. We took him to Perkins (his favorite because he can get breakfast for dinner!). Afterwards, mom and dad came over for cake. We had a really nice time. Friday, I went to the outlets in Pigeon Forge with a friend. We got some GREAT deals! Six pairs of shoes for $35 at Stride Rite and then 14 items of clothing at Children's Place for $37. Saturday, we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL weather and took the boys to the park. We had a picnic and then went for a short hike. We ended at the playground which thrilled the boys :)
The absolute highlight of the weekened was today though. I was honored and extremely proud to watch Mike baptize Landon at church :) It was one of the best days of my life. He did so good! I cried like a baby! The children's pastor prayed with him and told him the angels in heaven were doing summersaults because they were so happy. Landon liked that. Mike was a little nervous about doing the baptism himself but he did great! When we got home, we gave Landon a new Bible. He loved it. I really could not have asked for a better weekend!

My Baby is 10!

It's so hard to believe Connor is 10! I can still vividly remember the day I found out I was pregnant with him. I was SO excited but a little shocked because it happened so quick. I thought it was supposed to take months so when it happened on the first try, I was surprised. I remember how much I loved being pregnant and how emotional it was to feel him move for the first time. I remember crying when I saw his tiny heart beating on my 1st ultrasound and then again 12 weeks later when I saw his sweet face on ultrasound again. I remember being scared to death when they picked up an irregularity in his heartbeat at 36 weeks and I thank God everything turned out to be okay. I remember feeling scared, nervous, and incredibly excited the day I went in to be induced. The moment he was delivered and they announced "It's a boy!" was one of the most amazing moments of my life. Having the pediatrician come in the morning we were to leave the hospital and tell us there was something wrong and my sweet newborn baby had a unexplainable fever was one of the scariest moments of my life. I remember begging them to let me stay and not discharge me. I told them I'd sleep on the floor. Of course that wasn't possible and I left the hospital at 10:30 that night without my baby. I refused to go home without him so we went to my parents' house and that is where we spent every night until Connor came home. I remember being angry that I was waking up to a breast pump instead of a hungry baby but was determined to pump enough so that they wouldn't have to give him formula once my milk came in. Every day from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, we spent in the "family room" which was just an 8x7 room with a loveseat and tv, with our baby. Ten long days later, we finally got to bring our boy home. They never did find out what caused the fever, despite numerous tests, including 2 failed spinal taps.

Connor was such a good baby. So sweet and content. He never really cried and only fussed when he was hungry (which was often in the beginning!). He had big blue eyes, a head full of dark hair and the prettiest skin ever! I could just sit and stare at him all day! Becoming a mother was the most amazing thing I have ever done. I read "Let Me Hold You Longer" by Karen Kingsbury recently and cried through the whole thing. So many of the "lasts" she mentioned have already happened for Connor. He has matured into a smart, handsome, helpful, and kind young man. I am so proud of him! I realized after Keaton was born that Connor will start high school the same year Keaton starts kindergarten. Talk about an emotional day! I feel so blessed to be mom to my boys. The years to come will be challenging but I can't wait to see what God has in store for my first born baby boy!

Big Winner!

Landon came home the other day and after putting his backpack away, he came and sat on the floor by me. He grinned and said, "Mommy, I won a bike today.". I thought he was joking but apparently, twice a year, the school puts the names of all the kids with perfect attendance in a bucket and draws one boy and one girl. They each get a new bike, the color of their choice! Landon picked blue :) He was so proud! He did tell me though that he cried when they called him to the office to pick the color. They asked him why he was crying and he said, "because I miss my mommy and daddy". :( I think he just gets nervous when he's in the spotlight, whether it be good or bad. I can't fault him at all. He definitely gets his emotional side from me! I cry at the drop of a hat. Anyway, his bike should be in next week and he can't wait to pick it up! The funny thing is, the day he won, he had cried and had not wanted to go to school. They had been out the previous week for snow and he was having a rough time getting back into the swing of things. He said he sure was glad he went!