My 101...

I've read two posts in the past week that have these lists...and it's something that I've always thought of doing...so we'll see how far I get. If you get bored I won't judge you if you skip to the end. (these are in no particular order...just facts as I think of them!)

1. I was born in Raymond, AB
2. I lived in Raymond until the fall of '99 (summer I graduated)
3. Attended college in Med Hat for 2 semesters and loved it!
4. Attended U of L for 2 years
5. After 1 year of college and 2 years of university all I have to show is student loans and half a degree in psych
6. Met the love of my life (Cliff) fall of 2000
7. His cousin told me to date him- glad I took his advice!
8. I was not nervous on my wedding day
9. Being in the temple is one of my favorite things to do
10. I've only been in the Cardston temple...even though I live 1.5 hours from the Edmonton one
11. I am a mom to 2 boys
12. Constantly wowed by how different they are in personality
13. I didn't know how to drive a standard until we had been married for a year
14. Had to get a girlfriend to teach me because it was not pretty when Cliff tried to teach me
15. Have moved 7 times since being married and am preparing for number 8
16. Worked at KFC for a couple of months when I was 19....still don't really care for their food
17. I love music
18. I miss having my own piano
19. Might be getting my own piano in the next few days!
20. This is harder than I thought
21. I have always been blessed with the best of friends...they helped make me who I am today
22. My mom is the greatest woman I know. Hands down - no competition.
23. I am a self-confessed daddy's girl.
24. Most devastating thing to date was our miscarriage fall of 2004.
25. I am not a hockey fan
26. I do enjoy going to a live hockey game...mostly for the night out
27. I have had a calling in the church since I was 16
28. Only two of those haven't involved music
29. One of the scariest moments in my life was rolling my car summer of 2000
30. Another scariest moment was going into pre term labor at 34 weeks (thanks for hanging on till 36 Rhett!)
31. I was gestational diabetic with my second son, Rhett
32. This involved testing my blood 5 times a day and eventually insulin shots in my belly
33. After 3 pregnancies I am in the process of losing 70 lbs
34. I have lost 32 so far
35. I actually enjoy listening to my kids music - I'm sure that will change in another 10 years
36. I hate gardening
37. I enjoy crocheting
38. I am a house-flipping show junkie
39. I am excited to flip our own house...if we ever hear from the mortgage people!
40. I really loved highschool
41. I wasn't terribly popular but I think I fit in pretty well
42. I never wore girl jeans until after I had Zane (my oldest) - not enough hips
43. I am not a girly girl in most things
44. I am a girly girl when it comes to dirt, bugs, and anything slimy, slithery...well you get the picture
45. I am a really good cook/baker
46. I love beef!
47. I'm hoping to get my eyes lasered....Cliff got his done and I'm jealous
48. Without my glasses or contacts I am so blind
49. I have read and own all of the Harry Potter books
50. I have seen every BackYardigans episode there is
51. Going from one to two kids was mind-numbing for the first 6 weeks.
52. I love having 3 years between my boys
53. Most days I think I want to have more kids
54. I live in Red Deer AB
55. I hope to live in Lethbridge before me kids are too big (I'm campaigning for Raymond but Cliff says there's not a chance until they get a highschool guy volleyball team)
56. I am a much better spectator than participant in sports
57. I discovered that I actually like to play softball - even though I'm not very good!
58. I am the oldest of 3 girls
59. We grew up with one bathroom...and yes, we all survived with minimal blood spillage
60. I hope I can teach my boys to love the Lord the way we as their parents do
61. I want my boys to respect women and be one of the guys that parents are happy to have their daughters go out with
62. We plan on having a basement worthy of all teenage hangouts when our kids are older
63. And yes, that is so we will know where and who they are with
64. I one day hope to own a baby grand piano
65. I think that I would like to finish off my RCM degree (music)
66. I lost 3 times in a row to my 4 year old on the xbox 360 cars game...sad, I know
67. I am a control freak
68. My inner control freak is not always well behaved
69. I can't wait to have a fenced back yard
70. I wouldn't trade my life for anything
71. I like to fly...as long as I have anti-nausea pills in my system
72. I learned that the hard way on the way to California for our second honeymoon
73. I could live in California if our families came with us
74. I lived across the backyard from my in-laws for almost two years and loved it
75. My mother in law is the best mother in law ever!
76. Miss Vicky's Salt and Vinegar chips are my favorite chips....they make my mouth peel!
77. I didn't think I would like an ipod...I don't know how I lived without it before
78. My ipod is the only thing that gets me up the hill I run up every morning
79. I am loving the fact that I can feel my body getting stronger every week as I persist in exercising
80. I can eat the same thing for breakfast every day and not get tired of it...mmm toast
81. I don't like green peas and beans. They taste like dirt to me
82. I am reaping the rewards of being a picky eater as a child - I now have 2 of my own
83. I swore I would never drive a mini-van
84. I love my mini-van and wouldn't trade it at the moment
85. When the kids get older I want to drive an extended Denali
86. The last traffic ticket I got was for not wearing my seat belt....just had a baby and was totally engorged. So not fair
87. I hate the traffic sheriffs - they're nasty when it comes to car seats
88. I love my double jogging stroller
89. I hate it when Zane mixes his play dough colors or his paint colors together. Inner control freak coming out
90. I dye my hair blond...
91. I am such a klutz!
92. I am horrible at remembering names
93. I love to sing
94. One of the best parts of high school was Show Choir
95. I love having a cranial sacral massage
96. I love diet pop
97. Steak, lasagna, stroodles, pizza and scones are my top 5 favorite foods
98. I have a testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ
99. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
100. I am so thankful that Cliff and I were sealed in the Cardston Temple for Time and Eternity
101. I can't believe I thought of all these things!

Well...I hope you enjoyed it....

Also, some recent pics of the kids!

Some Weeks Feel Like Months

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you look back on everything that has happened in it and you think "has it really only been seven days?" We have had one of those weeks. Some things in our week have been wonderful, some scary, and others very faith promoting and confirming of the love our Heavenly Father has for us. But let me start at the beginning. I apologize to those of you who know the whole story and now are reading it in print....however this is my journal, and these things need to be recorded.
I week ago tomorrow we left for Barnwell. We were planning on spending the weekend with Cliff's family and then he would drop me and the boys off for the week and continue home to Red Deer. Our friends who managed for the same company as us called us Friday morning to let us know that they had been fired and that we were next in line. We knew that they had a meeting set up with the head office people and Cliff was supposed to be meeting with them on Monday morning.....we didn't think that they were going to fire both of us. We had very mixed emotions over the whole thing - much relief as we really were very tired of the building responsibilities, but also much panic as we realized that we had 6 weeks to find a new home for our family. We couldn't do much over the weekend except look at some real estate websites and hope... Monday came and went much as we expected. Their reason they gave for firing us was that we weren't keeping the building to their standard. There is plenty more I could say on that subject but I am trying to let go of it. Cliff found out some of the properties that we had been looking at on the Internet had offers on them and was feeling discouraged but I encouraged him to go and look at one on Tuesday in Sylvan Lake with our realtor. He liked it and I liked it from the pictures so we put an offer in Tuesday night and by early this afternoon we had a counter offer. I had a wonderful experience in the Temple (did a session with my mom and her ward's RS) and passed on the things that the Spirit told me to Cliff. We decided to accept the counter offer and Cliff has been working with our mortgage broker tonight to get all the paper work done to see if we are approved.
There have been a lot of changes in the last few days and not a lot of things are terribly concrete yet. But there are some things that I know for sure: I know that our Heavenly Father loves us and has a plan for us. I know that His Spirit is able to whisper to our hearts and minds and help us to make decisions that will benefit our family. I also know that we will be prepared to move as of Sept 30 even if the house we are working on now falls through. I know that we are supposed to move and that it will happen as the Lord has planned.
Thank you all for your love and support and prayers. We will keep you updated as the next 6 weeks unfold.

Figured Out

I have been thinking that I should add a picture to my post for quite awhile now...and finally sat down to do it today. I had a hard time choosing one because I really have changed quite a bit in the past 10 weeks but settled on this one because it makes me smile every time I see it. I loved the pictures that Rhonda took of me and Cliff because I could see the love that we have for eachother in a tangible, printable image. It's nice to think that maybe others see that between us and maybe want to know more. I am so blessed to have the husband that I do. He is so kind, thoughtful, supportive, helping, loving, enduring and so much more. I am so lucky that he is my eternal companion. Every morning when I am out walking/jogging, I thank my Heavenly Father for the wonderful man I have at home who is giving up some of his sleep to take care of the kids so that I can be healthy. I am sure that many of you would argue, and probably would have fabulous evidence to back you up, that your husbands are the best. I am afraid that on this point we will have to agree to disagree. I often wonder what I did to be so blessed.... Thank you Cliff for being the man, father, friend and companion that I want to spend the eternities with. Love Kell

Where We Have Been...

I know it has been a few weeks since I have posted....and I really don't have a good excuse. Mostly our days have been consumed with normal every day mundane stuff. The things that make me happy to be a stay at home mom with my two kids, wonderful hubby and fabulous friends.

We have contacted a mortgage broker and know where we stand....it's not quite what we were hoping for but it let us know where we are and now we have a more definite goal in mind to work towards.

The kids have been busy busy busy. Rhett now knows how to open my fridge, get his milk out and generally pursue whatever else is in there. He also knows how to open our apartment door as well - these two things are driving me crazy!!! But at the same time he is really starting to do things to make us laugh so hard that we almost fall over. He loves to run around the house and show up and 'boo' us! Zane is enthralled with BackYardigans lately and even named his hobby horse after one of them. He's been running around the house lately with "Pablo" and enjoys galloping back and forth with Rhett in hot pursuit. For the most part they still play good together but that can change in a split second.

I've been getting up every morning to go for my hour walk and have even started jogging a bit. It seems to be working well...I'm almost to my halfway point for those of you who are keeping track...I'll post some pictures after our trip home next week. I want mom to be surprised!

Sorry this is short....will post more next week with some pictures.

Some of this and That

We have been back from Barnwell for a couple of days and I finally feel like I'm getting caught up on some things...including my pictures. I took some fun ones of cousins and family as we were all together over the weekend...and we took a big family one after the funeral. So, here are those first!

I realize that the pictures of the younger cousins but they were the ones that were around when I had my camera out. Zane had so much fun playing with his cousins! The weekend had some tears but it also had a lot of laughs to. It made me very grateful to be part of such a wonderful family.

For those who have been following this for awhile you'll know that I joined weight watchers...and it is going very well. I didn't want to update every week and bore you with the details but today was my 6 week weigh in and I have reached my 10% weight loss goal! I've lost 22 lbs in 6 weeks! It feels great and has really helped to motivate me to keep going. It is worth it. Cliff is buying me an ipod today - his idea for a prize for reaching this first milestone. We both thought it was going to be a couple of more weeks before I got to this point so it was a great surprise today. Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive!

Grandpa Johnson

Grandpa Johnson (Bruce Johnson) had an accident Monday evening - he fell down a flight of stairs and was hurt very badly. His brain bled on both sides and after a trip to Calgary it was determined that the damage was inoperable. This has left Grandpa in a coma with no brain activity. Consequently we are preparing to say goodbye to Grandpa as he will be returning to our Father in Heaven very soon.

The picture above is Grandpa and Rhett at Christmas time....they had a great time just chilling with each other and the July long weekend when we visited with them Rhett had a blast pulling things out of boxes and bringing them to Grandpa for inspection.

As someone who has married into this family I still feel that I can say that Grandpa is my grandpa to. From the very beginning he and Grandma welcomed me into the family and made me feel like one of theirs. This past visit when I told him how much we missed them and being home in southern Alberta he gave me a big hug and told me that they had three extra beds that we were welcomed to! Even though I know he was teasing it means so much to me now....that last visit will always be something that I cherish and remember.

To me Grandpa was the best example of what a Grandpa should be. Kind, loving, forgiving, watchful, prayerful, and steady. Plus he gave some of the best hugs I've ever had.

As the time approaches that we have to say goodbye to Grandpa - at least for this life - I am so grateful for the gospel and for our Father's plan and eternal families. I know that we will see Grandpa again and that I will once again be the recipient of those fantastic hugs.

I've lost 2 grandparents in my lifetime - both when I was relatively young....and I have an idea of the loss and the grief process that we will go through. This time I have the added the dimension of being a mother and it absolutely breaks my heart thinking of explaining to my children the concept of death. How do you make a 4 year old understand that this wonderful person in their life that they are just beginning to remember between visits is no longer in this world with us? How do you make them understand that we bury bodies because there is no longer a spirit living in the body....I know....you just tell them. But how do you do it without traumatizing them?

I've been trying to prepare Zane a little by reviewing the basics of the plan of salvation with and when I explained that our bodies have a spirit inside and that when we get old our spirit will go and live in Heaven with Heavenly Father and Jesus again his little eyes welled up with tears and he said "but mommy I will miss my body!" I assured him that he wouldn't be leaving his body for a long long long time and that seemed to help but I am worried about what he is going to take from this. Have we taught him well enough? Will his spirit understand at the adult level and somehow communicate to his brain that all is well? I wish I had the answers and pray that Heavenly Father will give us His spirit to be with us as we go through these next weeks and months.

When I started this blog we were waiting....we are waiting no more. Grandpa has passed away and I am sure that he has been welcomed by open loving arms of family and friends who have gone before him. He will be greatly missed. We love you Grandpa.

As you can see from above we had a very fun and busy time in Raymond. Both kids saw a Dr Smith...Rhett for an ear infection and Zane a trip to emerg for a mosquito bite that ballooned to cover his entire shoulder...sigh. A shot of steroids for Zane and a perscription for Rhett and we were back in business. Apparently I can't visit at home without one of my kids needing a doctor. We got to see lots of great friends, have lots of laughs, eat tons of great food!!! and Rhonda did a fabulous photo shoot for us. (Check out some of the pics at http://www.rsteedphotography.blogspot.com/) We had a great time at the parade as well...Zane got lots of candy and Rhett watched calmly from daddy's lap as he ate a sucker. Then went home to Grammies and promptly crashed! What a great way to spend a week with Grammie and a weekend with the rest of the family!

No such thing as Relaxation

So the boys and I are here in Raymond having lots of fun with Grammie and Grandpa. Both of them have decided to throw out their old morning schedule and we have been getting up at 6:30 in the morning....sigh. I'm really not a morning person and this has been a little rough on me. I'm afraid that the first couple of mornings I was less than gracious for the first 10 or 15 minutes of sunlight meeting my eyes. However, seeing as we're all up anyways and Grammie and myself are both working on losing some unwanted pounds, we've been throwing the boys into the stroller and going for a fabulous 1 hour walk every morning this week. It's been a lot of fun - for us girls - the boys have been a little bored and a couple of mornings it was pretty chilly but they're troopers! Who would have ever guessed that I would have to put a toque on my kids in June! Oh yeah - anyone who's ever lived in southern Alberta and experienced wind!

Of course we don't just sit around for the rest of the day either. Every day we've had quite the extensive list of things to get done and so far we've accomplished all of them. We've played at the park with cousins (Colton, Daxon, Tyson and Bryson), gone to the library, gone to Taber, surprised Grandma Johnson, gone to Lethbridge twice, hit a park every day, had a picnic, read books, watered flowers, played soccer....and believe me the list goes on. It's been so much fun. I think I will always remember the night that Grammie and Grandpa turned their living room into a soccer field for Zane and Grandpa to have a soccer match (the wind was very cold)! Grammie, Rhett and I sat on one of the couches and cheered and laughed and had a good time.

So basically we're having a lot of fun and have lots more planned...hopefully we'll be able to get it all in! Sorry I have no new pics on this one - I can't upload them here! You'll have to wait for the next couple of posts!

Date Night!

It's official: Cliff and I have been out on a date two weekends in a row! Yep, I know. This kind of thing just doesn't happen in our world very often. It's not that we don't spend time together...it's just that we generally do all of our "going out" stuff with the kids and our "dates" consist of watching a movie or our favorite TV shows together with the kids tucked in bed. (And I kinda like it that way!) So what may you ask prompted two dates on two consecutive Fridays? Movies of course! Last week we went to Pirates 3 with Dave and Leslie and had soooo much fun. The movie theater itself was a little scary, ok a lot scary, but the company and movie and laughs we had made it all worth it. And tonight we saw Ocean's 13. If you're an Ocean's fan you'll like it. If you're not, you probably won't watch it anyways so it doesn't matter. And of course we have to give a huge thank you to Auntie Kizzy for coming to babysit our boys (and Auntie Jenna for being willing if we could ever get our schedules to collide!) We love and appreciate both of you so much!



A few posts ago I mentioned that we were counting sleeps until we went to Raymond....we still are but they have gotten considerably shorter. The new plan is for me and the boys to go home this Sunday (yep, 2 sleeps) and Cliff will follow on Friday. My dad is going to meet us in Calgary and we'll swap vehicles so Cliff isn't walking to work every day. (In case you're wondering it's a 15 minute drive up and down hills so walking would take a lot longer.) We're looking forward to being in Raymond and enjoying the sunshine - at least that's what the weather network is forecasting today.



Rhett has slept through the night almost every day this week....I say this as I'm knocking on wood. I know that there are lots of you moms who are blessed with children who start sleeping through the night as mere babes...my kids are not of that batch. You know when you look at parenting books or those info sheets that you get at the health unit and they give you the kids age and then say that at this age they should be sleeping blank amount of hours? And it's always a range, say from 12 to 16 hours a day. My kids have always been on the low end of that scale, if not under. Apparently they are afraid that they will miss something. However, Rhett seems to have mastered the one nap a day thing and is sleeping much better at night. Please, for my sanity, pray that it will continue! He has also finally cut one of his molars! My poor child has the roughest time with cutting teeth. Zane was hardly ever bothered by them so it's been kind of a sucker punch with Rhett and teething. We have also given up the soother. I say we because we both liked it. I should probably say it was hard and that we had a big strategy in place and all of that....but really I think he just out grew it. I'd noticed for a couple of weeks that he really didn't look for it but would suck on it if I offered it. Then he just started chucking it wherever he wanted and really didn't want it. So, I gathered them all up - yes there were multiples - and I threw them away. And that was that. I got a break on something!



Zane continues to love everything pirate. We went to the farmer's market in Innisfail with Leslie, the kids, and her mom, and I bought him some Usborne books about pirates. He loves them. One of them is kinda a "Where's Waldo" type thing where you have to find a pirate on every page and then there's all these different things for you to find as well. Supposedly there's 1001 things to find in all...and I think we're just over half way there. He's also decided that he likes being artistic again. For awhile he's shown no interest in all of his art stuff (and we have a lot!) but this week we made flowers out of egg cartons, a caterpillar out of egg cartons and he painted some great masterpieces. We've also been preparing for his first talk in primary. I asked the primary president what they wanted out of the Sunbeams and she said if all he wanted to do was get up there and say " I love Jesus" that was good with them. Basically it's just for the experience. So, I came up with the plan to read a story with him. It's this great board book that we got at the Cardston Book Store called "No Dinosaurs at Church" and is a story about a little boy with an active imagination and wrestling with being reverent in church. It's really quite cute and Zane's really familiar with it so it's been going great - so far. I'm hoping that having me involved in the story will take some of the pressure off of him when we get up there and he won't be as nervous. We'll see. And if I end up reading the whole story while he stands there with me....well that's ok to. I remember crying through my first talk sitting on my teacher's knee while mom read it at the pulpit.



I've been a real slacker at taking pictures lately - I keep meaning to bring my camera to the park with us...and then I forget. Rhett loves the swing and hates to get out and half the time I only know where Zane is because I can find his red hat!



Did I forget to mention that Grandpa Dooley got to visit us this week? We had lots of fun playing with Grandpa....and I've got the pics to prove it. Enjoy!

Father's Day

Today is a special day because it is the day that we get to say Thanks to all the father's in our lives. I'm very lucky to have several in mine....

First of all my hubby, Cliff:

He is an awesome daddy! He loves his boys so much and does everything he can to make our lives great. I love to watch him play with Zane and Rhett and see how their relationships are developing. What more can a girl ask for than a wonderful husband who loves her and their kids and puts them first?

Of course we both think the world of our dad as well....we had good teachers! We appreciate everything that they did, and of course continue to do.

My brain is churning with lots to say....but nothing that is coming to a good point when I type it. So, I guess what I'll say is HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the dad's out there and thank them for the awesome job that they do!

Lots of Little Thoughts

So this past week was hard but good. I worked really hard on changing my eating habits and incorporating more activity into my day...and it paid off! I lost 6.2 lbs in a week! When the lady told me this morning I just about started to cry from happiness. There were a few times during the week that I thought it couldn't possibly be worth it and it would be better just to stay where I am...but now that I know the changes are actually making a difference it will make those moments eaiser to get through. Plus I have felt a lot better physically. I haven't had a headache in over a week - and that's really good for me, my energy level is a lot better, and my clothes fit a bit better!

Apparently here in Red Deer we have entered Monsoon season! It seems like it is raining every other day, if not every day. I'm itching to get out with the kids and my stroller today but I have to wait for the rain to stop. It's been thundering and lightning for over an hour now! Crazy weather. I might have to settle for dancing crazily to some fun music with the kids. Rhett is so funny - as soon as I head for the CD player his whole face just lights up and he poses there ready and waiting for the music to start. If it has a good beat he just starts bopping and popping his little body along. It's so cute. Really I need to plan it so that I have my video camera close on hand so I can get it on tape.

Last night I actually got to sleep through the night - something that hasn't happened in awhile. I couldn't believe that the clock said 6:53 when Zane came in and not some insane time like 2:34. It seems like the boys have been taking turns waking up in the night and of course that means I'm up too. Hopefully this will be the start of a long stretch of sleeping through the night. Is it too much to ask for?

We are currently counting sleeps until we go to Grammie and Grandpa Dooley's house for the July 1 weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing all our family and friends and Rhonda Steed is going to take pictures of our little family and our big family. I'm really excited. It's long past due as we don't have a picture on our wall with all four of us in it. Sad really, I know. I LOVE Rhonda's work so I know that they will look fabulous!

We are also enjoying Cliff's Father's day gift - Zane begs me every day to play Cars with him. We're actually both starting to get a lot better. It's fun to just spend time with him doing something that he likes to do. I couldn't ask for better kids then I have. Here's some pictures of the boys and Cliff hanging out together!

Timely Answers and Bling

One of my worst nightmares came true today - no I didn't lose a child - a little less drastic, but nonetheless it still really shook me. A random glance at my hand earlier today revealed to me a big hole in my wedding ring where my diamond usually resides. Yep - no diamond. It was an awful feeling! I immediately prayed and asked for help finding it, then got up and went back to where I had been a few minutes earlier - the garbage, throwing little crumbs and rocks away. After a quick glance I knew I'd never find anything in there and sat down on my entry way carpet to have a good cry. (Rhett was sitting in his chair having a snack and found this hilarious) I finally pulled myself together and put my hand on the floor to brace my ascent, and noticed that right next to my hand was my diamond! I profusely thanked my Heavenly Father for His help and quickly put both the ring and the diamond into a ziploc bag. We'll be sending it to our jewler in Lethbridge in the next couple of days to get fixed, and in the meantime we bought me a $10 replacement at Walmart. I'm going to put a picture up here because it's a lot of bling for me! I keep staring at my finger even though I know it's not real!

The rest of the day passed just fine. I got a softball glove that's pink and black (mostly black) and is apparently for a child but I like how it fits and handles and it's not like i"m going pro anyways. Cliff got his Father's day gift early - a new XBOX 360 and a couple of games. And we took the kids out for supper at AppleBees. Not bad - Rhett was a crank and didn't want much but his bottle. I can't figure out if he has a cold and is cutting molars or if it's just the molars - but he sure doesn't want much but a cold bottle in his mouth! Zane bought his first toy gun today with some of his money - a new stage that we've entered? It came with a sheriff's badge and a black mask for the bad guy and he's just dying to try it out. Cliff promised to play with him tomorrow after work but i"m sure my day is going to be filled with cops and robbers. Sigh - the things our second children get exposed to when they have older siblings. Zane wasn't even allowed to have a sword until this past halloween, let alone a gun.

Oh, and I have done really well today with my program - we went to a park that's about 30 mins away and I jogged almost half of it - couple mins walking and then 1 minute jogging. I'm quite surprised by how much I like jogging with the stroller. And eating went well - need to sit down and do some planning so prep doesn't take so long, but all in all a good day!

Nothing Tastes Better than Thin Feels!

For those of you who know me well you either know or can guess that I have not been successful in the battle of weight loss thus far. I LOVE food, and of course it's not the really good food for you that I usually reach for. That said, I took my first step forward today and renewed my battle - and yes, I do believe that it is a battle. I joined Weight Watchers today and I'm really glad that I did. I really feel that having the accountability and the knowledge they provide will help me to be successful this time.
Today included my first weigh in - scary but not as scary as I thought it was going to be, setting my first weight loss goal, and hearing my new favorite saying - Nothing tastes better than being thin! I chanted that to myself as I passed all my favorites with a hungry tummy at the grocery store and I did great!
I also have to pat myslef on the back tonight because I have exercised 4 times this week - very good for me!
Another first this week - I played softball last night - something that I haven't done since highschool! I really enjoyed it and now the team is short a girl so I'm going to play for the last couple of games and then continue on .
No pics today - I'll post some of me along the way as I lose my weight!

I'm a Mom!

This line was a little funny to me a couple of weeks ago when I was reading a blog from a parenting site. The woman's point was that with her first baby she always had the guilty thought of 'playing' the part of mommy but not actually fitting the concept and position. Now, almost a year after her second child she described a night that a lot of us have had - wrenched from a dead sleep by the sound of a child puking. What once would have thrown the whole night turned into what she describes as 'clean pajamas, sheets and pillows flowing from her arms and a kiss and reasurrance allowing her daughter to go right back to sleep. She started the laundry on the way back to bed and slept the rest of the night instead of staying awake listening for awful gagging noises.' She said it was at this time that she realized that she had actually acheived 'mom' status. And yes, I do have a point. Although I don't think I've ever felt like I was faking it, this story quickly came to mind in the middle of last night when we discovered that Rhett had a fairly high temperature. Instead of rushing to the hospital which would have been my first reaction a few years ago, I called Cliff, he gave Rhett a blessing, we gave him some tylenol, and after some cuddles I tucked him back in bed. I definitely felt like a seasoned mom as I crawled into bed and went back to sleep. His fever seems to have broken now and we're pretty sure he's just cutting molars.

I've had a lot of thoughts running through my head today - how quickly my kids are growing, how blessed we are to be where we are, and how much I miss being close to our families. Mostly though, I'm just happy to be with my family and to have my precious boys and husband. Some new pics of my boys - Zane was a little miffed that I didn't have any of just him so I made sure to take some today. What a kid!

Troublemaker!

Have you all met my troublmaker? He's just under 3 feet normally....but he somehow reaches things that are 4 feet high....and he has discovered how to open drawers without handles! Yes, I am talking about Rhett. He's latest delights are to open the drawer under the stove and pull out my pots and pans and lids. He was into throwing the lids until one landed on his toes yesterday - now it's much better to pull the pots out and line them up in front of the stove. Then, while mom is distracted putting those away he takes off to the living room and goes after the keyboard and mouse on the computer desk. Nevermind that mom has put them up on top of the desk - he has learned which cord to pull so they come tumbling down onto the floor.

He also fell asleep today eating his lunch...and of course I took pictures. You just gotta love them!

A little of this and That!

It's been a busy week for us Johnsons! We spent Wednesday, Thursday, and some of Friday in Edmonton for Cliff's Lasik eye surgery. All went well and he can now see much better and no longer needs his glasses! Yeah for him! We also got to do some fun things with the kids - we spent and afternoon in West Ed and Cliff and Zane did some mini-golf. We watched the sea lion show from inside the arena- lots of laughs! and of course did some swimming at the hotel. So lots of fun, and a few challenges (2 kids in one hotel room...you do the math)

We also moved Rhett into a big boy bed! We originally built a bunk on the bottom of Zane's loft bed, but after one night we discovered that it was much too short - he couldn't sit up without bonking his head. Not ideal. So, yesterday the boys and I went bed shopping and got a great deal at JYSK. We got it all set up last night and we're off and running with no more crib and hopefully better sleep to come!

I am also moving forward with my decorating plans for the kids room. I'm going with a beach theme (did I mention that I loved California!) I got new curtains made and love them. Im' going to take some of the surfing pics that we took and blow them up and frame them. I hope to get the dressers and book shelf painted too and then I'll be able to say that I actually decorated one room by planning it instead of with what I had in the house.

So, here's some pics of the old bed, new bed, and the curtains!