Happy Happy Birthday.....

To my Max! J He woke up this morning as a twenty-seven year old! My wish for him is to have a wonderful and relaxing day… Although I highly doubt the relaxing part will come true because he took the day off and is home with the kids! What a man to want to spend his birthday taking care of a four year old monster, and a 2 ½ month old monster-in- training…. But, that’s just who Max is. Each year I spend with him I find myself wondering what the hell I could have ever done to deserve this man… The other day I was in the car and heard the song, “I thought I loved you then” by Brad Paisley. I’m not a huge fan of Brad, (mainly because most of his songs revolve around fishing and other manish-hick stuff) but I will admit that song is sweet. It made me start to think how very true that feeling is in relationships! I first met Max when I was 17 and he had just turned 20 (big age difference back then, I know, I know). We met through mutual friends and something just kind of clicked. We started slowly spending time together and I guess you could say eventually became a ‘thing’… I had an ‘on again/off again’ relationship ship throughout most of high school and getting to know Max was just so refreshing as I could tell right away that he was just a genuinely NICE guy. In addition to nice, Max was also extremely SHY back then….Although most of our relationship was pretty low-key, we always had so much random fun together whether we were at a party at the ‘ghetto’ or the ‘pig farms’ or just hanging out in the shed (seriously, you know you are from a small town when these are the names of parties you went to). Our relationship was never very serious, but I have such great memories of random things we would do, like camping out in a sleeping bag on a hill outside of his parents house one night, or getting a flat tire on his truck at a party just as we were leaving, and many many poker nights spent in the learning center with friends… After our relationship eventually ended, we still kept in touch, even as we both eventually found ourselves in new relationships with other people.

A LOT changed over those next few years, but at one point or another, Max and I both ended our relationships that we’d been in and we started spending time together again- now, with little Ryder in the picture too. It felt like whatever piece had been missing when we were younger was suddenly there and it just felt right. I can honestly say that right away when we were together again, I was pretty confident that I would marry Max, and somehow, I knew he felt the same. Our first real “date” out of the house was a football game on Halloween. My brother was a senior that year and we wanted to go watch him play, so we dressed up ryder (as a monkey) and headed to the game. I was pretty convinced that I could not possibly love max more than at that moment after spending the night with a crying one year old in the car and watching a high school football game with me and my family, while all of his other friends were out celebrating Halloween in the bars. I was wrong.

In June of that year, Max got down on one knee as we were watching the sunset on our front porch and asked me to marry him… I must have said yes, because on a beautiful September day that fall, I met him down the isle and became his Mrs.  After getting to know Max as my husband and father figure to my son that year, I was pretty sure I couldn’t love him more. Wrong again.

In October, Max became daddy to one beautiful little girl, Piper Grace. I am absolutely certain that there is something magical that goes on between daddies and little girls. I can’t describe the way Max looks at Piper and the way she looks back up at him. Don’t get me wrong, I know she loves her mommy too, but she really does light up around her daddy. And why wouldn’t she? He is the most patient man I have ever known, and he knows how to take care of his family in every way possible. From day one (even when I was nursing) Max would get up with Piper in the middle of the night without a single complaint. He comes home from work and is bombarded with requests from Ryder to play with him, and he drops everything to spend some time with him before getting supper started. After supper, he even helps me clean up  All in all, I just love him—like crazy. So there.

Bet ya didn’t think you were in for a love story today, did ya?! Me either!! It just sort of happened, my apologies…. Just thought Max has earned a well deserved shout out on his birthday… And for those of you who are ready to puke or punch me for all this emotional talk, don’t worry. Max is not perfect, and neither is our relationship—I’m sure I will have something negative to bitch about soon -- Until then—deal with it!! 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

...a special day,

for a special girl!

Piper Grace was baptized this morning at our church- She wore the prettiest little white dress (courtesy of the gap:)) and looked sweet as can be.... She slept for most of the service, and awoke to Pastor Joe giving her head a little bath. Thankfully, little P was a trooper and just gave out a little squeal of surprise, but then just kind of stared up at her daddy and the church ceiling fan for the rest of the baptism like a good little girl! It was so fun to have both of our families able to be up there with us, it's a day we will always remember... When you have such wonderful families like Max and I do, it was extremely difficult to choose Godparents for this little girl. In the end, we decided on Josh and Jen, Piper's uncle and aunt, and Brynn (Piper's cousin) and my brother, Steven.
*Josh and Jen live right up the road from us and Auntie Jen will be Piper's first ever babysitter so there is no doubt in my mind that they will probably always share a special bond... Afterall, someday Piper will join us for numerous shopping trips, caribou coffee runs, and zumba classes! Since I officially go back to work tomorrow, Jen will be taking care of Piper and Ryder during the day along with her own two boys, Calvin and Graham.  *Brynn is Piper's only female cousin and we felt those johnson girlies needed to stick together! Brynn will be turning 9 in January and she is becoming quite the young lady! It seemed fitting for Brynn to be one of Piper's Godmothers because we know Brynn will always be a good role model for Piper :) *Steven is my younger brother and sadly, he was unable to attend the baptism today because he is on his college basketball team and they had a game today. The older he gets, the closer we've gotten and I love the young man he has become! He has a great sense of humor, he loves the outdoors, and he works hard-- what a guy, right!? :)
Overall, it was a great day and we were happy to be able to have everyone come back and celebrate the afternoon with us as well. Thanks to all who helped make Piper's day so very special!

first snowfall*

Mickey loves the snow....but he hates getting snow stuck in his paws!!

Even little P got to enjoy a little bit of the winter wonderland :)

Ryder was SO excited because Max taught him how to run and jump  on the sled...

Seriously, these boys are ALWAYS up to something!

...but they are so damn cute :)

Although I'm sure she had a blast, this is where Piper ended up when it got a bit chilly for her.

As you can see, our family DID enjoy the first snowfall of the year, although I will admit, I'm thankful that the snow is dissapearing and that we are going to have beautiful weather for Thanksgiving....We have been blessed with such a nice fall this year, but as of the day after Thanksgiving, then I will be ready to see some light snow on the ground again--just to get me in the Christmas spirit!! :) More busy days ahead!!

one chunky monkey :)

Today was Piper's 6 week checkup -- doc says she is doing marvelous--weighing in at a whopping 10lbs!! She is my little chunky monkey :) It is so crazy to think that at 6 weeks old, P is half the weight that her big brother Ryder was at 1 YEAR! He was/is still such a little peanut!
I feel so blessed that both of my kids have been healthy so far and I pray that it continues....
Looking forward to the busy weekend/week ahead!

My week....

On my agenda for this week includes:
Tuesday- going into work for a half day (okay, not really that fun, but at least I will get caught up bit by bit)
Wednesday- heading up to St.Cloud (MINUS THE KIDS!!!) with Jen for some Christmas shopping and then hour long massages---going to be simply fabulous :)
Thursday- 6week doctor appointment for me and little miss piper-- I'm excited to see how much she weighs!
Friday- My brother's college basketball team that he plays for is playing at St.Cloud State :) Maybe some apps and a beer afterwards?? I think so!
Saturday- My sister and I will be seeing the highly anticipated BREAKING DAWN-part 1 in theaters!!!!! :) Yes, I am a Twilight fan...Huge fan, actually! I would have NEVER thought I would get into those books but ooohhhhh my gosh they were so good that the minute I started reading them, I couldn't put them down... I've NEVER been a fan of sci-fi or vampires or any of that weird stuff, but seriously, Stephanie Meyer is AMAZING at writing!! So yes, I am ecstatic for the movie!!

So this week is pretty much going to be amazing. Next week is sure to be fabulous as well since it will be Thanksgiving (yum!) and then black friday-- which is pretty much my favorite holiday!!

...we love fall :)

princess p...this was a couple weeks ago

Ryder climbing up to master the monkey bars--he's determined!

halloween 2011 with my 'meema janet and papa steve'
Ryder- optimus prime (transformer)
Piper- little pumpkin

journey back to the jeans

It's Veterans Day today, and because of all  the amazing men and women who've served this country, I'm safe and spending the day with my family, free to do as I please :) So thanks to all the vets for all you do-- especially my dad! :)

It's been a great morning so far. The hubby went hunting this morning and I, feeling quite motivated, surprised him by making homemade chocolate chip scones for when he got home....mmmmmm....I am enjoying one (okay, two) as we speak, in my pjs, with my cup of caribou blend coffee with peppermint cream :) Life is good..

However, I'm on a mission. Little miss P turned five weeks old yesterday and I decided that enough time had passed and it was time for me to get moving. Literally. I went to my first post-baby Zumba class last night and it felt so good! It is going to be soooo hard to go faithfully because as the temperature continues to drop and winter comes, all I want to do is just snuggle up and not go anywhere! BUT-- I am not going to let that happen. As far as numbers go, I really don't have much weight to lose to get back to my prebaby weight, but I am adding a few pounds on top of that anyway, because I really wasn't happy with my prebaby weight so I figure I might as well aim high and set my goal for the weight I actually want to be at. I'm not in a hurry, I realize that just 5 weeks ago I had a 7lb child in my belly, but as well all know the holidays are upon us and God knows that if I don't at least make an effort to drop some pounds, holiday cookie exchanges will do me in and then I will really have a lot of work to do! The sucky thing about post-baby bodies are that it really doesn't matter what the scale says, your body is completely different anyway so even though your prebaby clothes may fit, they don't fit right, or at least, they probably don't look very good. (***Sidenote, if you are confused by this and have had a child, it probably means you are one of "those" women who have a baby and look fabulous by the time you walk your little self out of the hospital. In that case, good for you, but I'm not interested in being friends with you right now... Thanks for understanding.***)  :)
So anyway... My journey back to my jeans has begun! I won't be following any type of diet because after watching EVERYTHING I ate while I was pregnant with gestational diabetes, I just want to be able to eat normally again and since I'm generally a healthy eater (minus the two scones I just had....in my defense, they were small) I'm not too concerned about that. What I will be doing though, is drinking LOTS of water during the day, going to Zumba (90 min class) at least twice a week, and doing the occasional yoga for toning, and walking/jogging on the treadmill when I feel like it. I also won't be buying ANY transitional clothes, because most of my clothes fit at this point anyways, they just look like hell and seeing that will only motivate me! So wish me luck....
It's another beautiful (but somewhat chilly) fall day and this house has a lot of work to be done!

A sleeping baby...

is the sweetest thing in the world.

One curious little boy...

In the past 3 days... my insightful little four year old has asked me the following questions:

*  "Mommy.... What is heaven like? Can you see in heaven? Can you talk in heaven? What do you do in heaven?"

*  "Mommy..... How will I know how to drive to college? Will I still get to see you in college? Can Max come with me to college? But will I still get to see you when I go to college? "

* "Mommy.... Where did Piper come from? How did you make Piper? How does God put babies in mommies' tummies? How did the doctor take Piper out?" Did it hurt? Did you cry?

Yep, it's been quite interesting around here the past few days... Seriously, that boy keeps me on my toes... :) We love our little man....

...the good, the bad, and the ugly!

So this is my little rendition of a product review blog.... Piper turned one month old yesterday and in that month I have come to find the items that I absolutely can't live without, and also some that are a bit overrated as well...
We'll start with the good--

The moby wrap: Simply put, I am in love with this thing... For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's basically a LONG peice of fabric that you fold around you and it becomes a sort of baby sling. Yeah, I know--doesn't exactly sound life changing, but I use mine all the time and Piper loves to be in it! It looks a little intimidating to put on, but it comes with an easy to read instruction booklet that shows you how to put it on and I picked it up in no time. I had and still have, an infant carrier/backpack thing with Ryder but to be honest, hardly ever used it... However, I found that the second time around when you have a house to take care of, meals to cook, and another kid to entertain, these slings/backpacks/carriers are a necessity!! I'm sure I will use and enjoy my baby carrier with Piper once she gets a little bigger, but for now, the moby wrap is perfect because it allows piper to snuggle right up to me and usually it puts her right to sleep... Love it!

The Boppy Lounger: I know pretty much everyone uses the boppy "pillow" for nursing, and for helping babies learn to sit up on their own, but the boppy lounger is my personal favorite. I got it as a gift when I was pregnant with Ryder and used it all the time. It's basically a huge circular pillow that dips in the middle and is the perfect place to plop a newborn baby into. I love it because it's like a little baby couch, and unlike some of the other big and bulky baby items (papasan chairs, swings, etc) it's super light so it can easily be moved from room to room. Mine often ends up in the kitchen while I'm doing dishes, to the bathroom when I'm in the shower or getting ready, etc.

(newborn boppy lounger)

Diaper Genie 2-Elite: I know, kind of a weird thing to love, but this thing is a lifesaver. I had a diaper genie with Ryder, but it was one that I had to shove my hand down these clamp things to get rid of the diaper and it just disgusted me... The difference with this one is that it's hands free, and I love that. You just step on the bottom pedal and the top opens up, you throw the diaper in, and when you release the foot pedal, the diaper clamps open up and dispose of the diaper... Since babies are so stinky and Piper especially loves to fill her pants, this thing is worth a good review!



(tiny love mobile)

 Tiny Love Baby Mobile and Soothing Sounds Sleep Sheep: Both of these things help Piper get to sleep at night... The mobile is one that was passed down to me from my sister in law, Amy. It's super cute, and has lots of fun patterns that babies like to look at, plays beautiful classical music, and has a little nightlight included. It keeps Piper entertained, which keeps momma happy :) -- I received the sleep sheep from my good friend Elicia. It's this adorable little soft sheep with a soundbox in it which plays different options like the sound of rain, ocean waves, etc. Rain is my favorite and I honestly want one of my own to keep in my room to put me to sleep at night! It's definitely soothing....

Other things I can't live without include good coffee each morning, nuks, ibuprofen, and lots of sweatpants! :)

The Bad--
Evenflo Purely Comfi Bottles: I admit that I bought these bottles based off of looks alone, they had bright fun colors and the slim design seemed like it would work really well. However, Max and I quickly discovered our dislike for them once we started using them. No matter what we did, the nipples leaked and were always very loose when screwed into the top of the bottle. It was super annoying and pretty much all of them did it. Maybe we just got a bad pack or something, but we very quickly went out and bought new bottles altogether and got rid of all the evenflo bottles. (As a side note, we ended  up going with Playtex Ventaire Advanced bottles and they work just great!)

The Ugly--
Okay, I don't really have a review for the ugly-- it just went with the saying :)

...life with piper grace

has been a whirlwind! I forgot how time flies with a newborn... My little girl will be ONE MONTH old next week already--seriously?? I also forgot how exhausting life with a baby is... I'm thankful to say that so far, Piper is a real champ when it comes to sleeping. Although not always perfect, she usually sleeps really well and at most, is up twice during the night, which really isn't too bad for us, but still takes its toll over time. She is really starting to get a personality now, since she is awake so much more during the day. We tend to call her our little drama queen as when she is upset, she really tends to dramatize the whole ordeal -- but hey, she is a 'hendrickson woman', so what can I say?? :) (She gets that from her aunt, not her mother!!) Piper also has some stomach sensitivity stuff going on, so that also tends to make her a little more cranky than usual sometimes, but we have gotten a decent handle on that so far, so life is good lately :)
Ryder continues to adjust, but for the most part, he is just full of love for his little sister. He is such a blessing around here and is so helpful! I can't believe how "grown" he is sometimes and it blows my mind that he will be in kindergarden by this time next fall.... Where to send him to school continues to be a decision we struggle with. Litchfield and Dassel-Cokato are both great schools, and more than likely, it will come down to where transportation will be easiest... Currently, he continues to attend Mighty Dragons Preschool and he absolutely loves his class and his teachers. Everyday he comes home, and although he doesn't expand too much on what he does when you ask him, throughout the day, bits and peices of things he is learning seeps out: songs, poems, etc... He is at such a fun age right now, I just want to bottle up everything he says that makes me smile. Last night he was fortunate enough to have a sleepover with his grandma, and today his dad is taking him to Nelson Farm. Our family has been SO wonderful at helping us out, especially by taking Ryder for some 'alone time' now and then, because it is so important for him to have that time... He/We are so blessed to have the huge and supportive family that we have... Other things he loves at the moment are superheroes, action figures, stickers and drawing, his fourwheeler and dirtbike, and hunting. Ahhh the life of a boy!!
As for Max and I.... Well, we are tired, but in a good way. Looking forward to the day when little Piper decides to start sleeping through the night! Max spends his days at the bank, and his evenings either at home with us, or in his deer stand waiting for that big buck ;) Ryder LOVES to go hunting with him and sit in the deer stand.. The fact that Max can share this love for being outdoors with Ryder makes me so happy. Only a man with the patience that my husband has would be willing to invite his 4 year old out hunting night after night during what is sometimes his only 'alone time' during the day... I love that man.
My day is spent with the kids! Our mornings usually consist of getting Ryder up and ready for preschool (who am I kidding, he usually wakes ME up!), cleaning our 'impossible to keep clean now that we have two kids' house, catching up on laundry, meeting up with friends and family for playdates, and also napping ;) These days are limited though, as come December I will be heading back to work... I don't love the idea of being away all day from Piper and Ryder, but I have come to realize that I genuinely enjoy working outside of the home, and for now, working the school schedule (and only 4 days a week) is the perfect balance for me... Although as soon as I start back, I'm sure I will be looking forward to summer break!!
Speaking of looking forward to... this girl is ready for the holidays!! I actually got a good start on my Christmas shopping yesterday and I am waiting for my 'baking itch' to kick in... After dealing with gestational diabetes for the past few months, I kind of lost my love for baking because I couldn't eat much of what I baked since my blood sugar didn't tolerate it, and the idea of baking and having lots of tempting sweets in the house still doesn't seem like a good idea as I still have a bit of baby weight to lose before I am back down to prebaby weight... Being able to exercise again in a couple weeks should help with that and I am just praying that I can get rid of all the sickness that I've been dealing with for the past few months by the time that time comes. If I can complain for a minute, I will say that I am MISERABLE dealing with a horrible cough/cold/sinus infection/headaches/sore throat, and I've had it since August! I haven't had a voice the past few days which is also very frustrating... Okay, I'm done with the pity party, but you probably haven't heard the end of it, so beware-- there may be more in the future!
And for now, motherhood is calling once again, as Piper is stirring and is going to need a bottle soon-- maybe I will find some motivation this weekend to post some pictures, although don't hold your breath-- my to-do list is long and doesn't seem to be dissappearing anytime soon! Hope you are all enjoying these beautfiul fall days! :)

Around this time one week ago....

I was sitting at ACMC clinic waiting to be checked over by the doctor and looked at Max and said, "We are NOT supposed to be here-- we need to be across the street at the hospital!!!" .... Approximately 4 hours later, our new sweet little addition to our family was brought into the world (in a rather interesting fashion, but we can talk about that later :))
At 1:45 pm on 10.5.2011- Piper Grace Johnson was born and we have since found ourselves completely head over heels in love with her! She has the prettiest full head of dark hair, tiniest little features, dark deep blue eyes, and is a peanut, weighing in at 7lbs 3oz... She is absolutely perfect, I think we'll keep her ;)
I'm not the only fan of her.... Her big brother Ryder is sliding into his roll quite nicely. He loves to show off his baby 'sissy' and currently as I type, he is entertaining Piper by playing "this little piggy"... Of course, he has some adjustments to make, but we're working through those and it will just take some time...
We delivered Piper at Meeker Memorial Hospital and this is my shoutout to my small town hospital: we enjoyed our stay completely and had some of the best nurses/doctors I could have ever asked for... From the time we checked in to the time we checked out with our new little babe, we were treated fabulously. Our room was beautiful, big, and spacious - the nurse's were constantly checking to make sure we were doing okay - and overall we were just really pleased with our experience...
Since being home we have somewhat settled into a routine.. With the exception of the first couple nights, Piper has done so well sleeping, only waking up to eat every 2-3 hours and then falling right back to sleep... She loves to snuggle up with her mommy in the wee hours of the morning, and sleeps on and off all day, which means she has a lot of growing to do! She is pretty mild tempered, but will definitely let you know when she's not happy (example: diaper changes). She eats like a champ and although I started out exclusively nursing, I have since switched to pumping only and also supplementing with formula... I will save my thoughts on this for another blog though- because I could go on forever! The point is, Piper Grace is doing great, we are happy to be home and settled, and can't wait to get to know this little girl who has turned our lives upside down-- in a good way, of course!!

Yep... Still Preggo

I will be 38 weeks on Friday and I. Am. Still. Pregnant. I wouldn’t be so surprised, after all, I do still have a little over 2 weeks until my due date, but this weekend was rough. There were more than a couple occasions where we felt like any moment we would be heading to the hospital, and yet here I sit, still pregnant, still huge, and still wondering when the heck this little girl is going to decide to grace me with her presence.


Let’s back up a little bit… Last Tuesday I saw my doctor for my routine checkup and she decided to check me to see how things were going ‘down there’. I wasn’t too surprised to find out that I was dilated to 2cm and was about 50% effaced… I had been SO uncomfortable that I just knew something had to have been going on and so wasn’t very surprised, but it made me wonder how much longer this baby was going to hold out for, and how far I would get dilated on my own before ‘real labor’ kicked in… After my appointment, I headed over to the hospital to begin a “non-stress test” and biophysical profile for the babe… It was actually kind of fun as I didn’t know what to expect (they only do these for high-risk pregnancies or pregnancies with diabetes so I’ve never had one before) but it was so fun to see little one once again on the ultrasound screen where they tested her on a bunch of different things and to see how she responds in her environment. Then I had to go up to one of the labor and delivery rooms and get comfy in the bed and get hooked up to a monitor to record the baby’s heartbeat. Everytime the baby moved inside of me, I had to push a button, which made a mark on the monitor sheet and they checked to make sure that the baby’s heartbeat increases when she moves around. It was nice to be able to check out the rooms since the hospital has been completely redone since I had Ryder but I did get butterflies in my stomach laying in the L&D room hooked up to the monitor because it made me realize that I will be back there soon for the real deal! Which, like I was saying earlier, we really thought was going to be this weekend. Friday night was AWFUL and I *may* have overdone it just a touch with some cleaning projects that I wanted to get done around the house (can you say, nesting??) and I was exhausted when it was time for bed…. However, I was up all night with horrible back pain and lots of cramping/contractions. I knew I wasn’t in labor as the contractions were very sporadic and the pain never intensified, it just remained constant, and annoying. I couldn’t sleep through it at all, so I was up for the most part, all night. I finally got a few hours of sleep in the early morning before Ryder woke up and for the most part (other than many annoying Braxton hicks contractions) Saturday was like every other day. We had a great time at my nephew Gus’s 7th birthday party and although Max and I were exhausted, we were so glad we went! It was a beautiful day and the kids had so much fun playing and running around like always… The rest of the weekend I felt pretty good so yesterday Ryder and I spent the day with his great-grandma, grandma Janet, Auntie Lissa, and great-aunt Karen and cousin, Sarah. We checked out a couple of local orchards around the cold spring area and just enjoyed another beautiful day together…

Today, Monday, although I am slightly bummed out that I am not home recovering with a newborn, I must say that I feel the best that I have felt in a LONG time. My chiropractor visits have finally paid off because I am not so sore/uncomfortable anymore and I got a good night of sleep last night, which helps tremendously! This week looks like another mild week full of sunny days and high temps! Other than 3 doctor/diabetes/nst appointments this week, I am SO looking forward to Wednesday as some of my closest girl friends and I are getting together for probably the last time before I am tied down to a newborn! Can’t wait—love you girls!!

2 blogs in one week-- woah.

Things I currently look forward to: (In no particular order)

…getting to know this little girl who has been causing me discomfort for the last almost 9 months! J

…one day being able to enjoy a piping hot white chocolate mocha (NOT DECAF) anytime I please without feeling guilty or having to count the carbs!

…walking without waddling- it just doesn’t look good on anyone

…brisk winter workouts! (Gotta get that pre-baby body back!)

… sleeping on my back, or stomach, or in any position for that matter (although, yes, I realize my sleep will be limited due to having a newborn!)

…being able to ENJOY fall/winter baking because I know I will actually be able to EAT what I bake!

… actually going shopping and looking for stuff for ME and not just the kids!

…having time off with my new little one and Ryder!

…ho ho mint mochas from Starbucks, it won’t be long before they are back and OOHHHH am I excited!

…the holidays! (Halloween, Thanksgiving, baking, Christmas shopping, Christmas—the whole nine yards!)

…continuing our house projects and saving up for some bigger purchases we’d love to make! (a new fridge, new table, decorations, etc)

…pampering myself these last few weeks before baby comes! (Can you say hair appointment, pedicures, soaking in the bath—um, yes please!!)

Things I don’t so much look forward to:

…sleep deprivation

…poopy diapers and dirty bottles to be cleaned 24/7

…looking pregnant, but not actually being pregnant!

…bad winter weather, including bad driving conditions (not a fan)

…my husband spending the next 4 months or so with his life revolving around fantasy football (also, not a fan)

…trying to catch up at work after maternity leave

Life must be pretty good when my 'looking forward to' list exceeds the 'not looking forward to' list!! :)

My Poor Neglected Blog...

Yeah, so it’s been like 6 weeks or so since I’ve blogged….Surprised?? I didn’t think so. Me either.. Anyways, there has been SO MUCH going on that I’ve thought about blogging all of our updates like a million times but to actually sit down and take the time to do it just has not happened. So that leads me to blogging now, at work, on my lunch break for lack of better things to do. I’ll warn you, this will probably get pretty long…Like I said, lots of updates.


From a pregnancy standpoint, I am 36 weeks along now and am SO READY TO BE DONE!! This pregnancy has not been easy… In my last blog I talked about being able to control my gestational diabetes with just diet alone but that only ended up working out for a couple weeks. After that, these crazy hormones of mine took over and all of my blood sugar levels started going too high and I was put on an oral med to help lower them. Well, that too was short lived and finally I was put on insulin. For someone who hates needles, this was a big deal but honestly by the time they put me on insulin I was just so ready to find something that works that I just went with it. It has worked out okay so far. I have to inject myself with insulin before each meal and am still checking my blood sugar one hour after every meal, so my life is surrounded by blood, needles, and carb counting. Ohhhh the joys! I know I shouldn’t complain because for some people, they will do this everyday for the rest of their lives and mine should *hopefully* go away after my pregnancy is over, but it is still not fun to do or to have to think about 24/7. On a happier note, we had another ultrasound at 33 weeks to make sure that my placenta had moved up away from the cervix and it had- which is good news! It was so fun to see how much bigger our little one had gotten from our 20 week ultrasound…. With the diabetes one of the big concerns is that babies get too big, but our little girl was measuring right on target in the 50th percentile for weight/growth so that was kind of a relief for us… She is still a very active baby although I can definitely tell that there is not much room left in my belly for her as her movement is much more restricted… I also had been getting a lot of Braxton hicks contractions so at my last appointment my doctor checked me and decided that I should be taken off exercise for 2 weeks and was told to “take it easy” because I had started thinning quite a bit and she didn’t want me to start dialating… No big deal really, but it did really bum me out as exercise does so much for me, both physically and mentally. I had grown to love my prenatal yoga classes and dvds, zumba classes, and walks, but for now they have all been put on hold. Hopefully I can resume some of them in the next week or so (at least the yoga and walking) because they make me feel so much better, but if not I just need to keep telling myself that I just need to make it four more weeks (or 3 weeks, depending on if they decide to do an induction at 39 weeks!)---hopefully time goes by fast!

September has been a busy month for us! Recently, Max and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! We didn’t do anything too special, just had ourselves a nice little date night which included shopping and eating, of course. I really can’t believe it’s already been 2 full years since our wedding… 2 years later and I’m still glad I said “I do” :) -- Also recently was the start of school! Ryder was so excited to go back to preschool with “Miss Julie” and he is always talking about his new little friends in class. I think he is happy to have that routine back in his life, and I must say that his mommy is too, in a way… I started back to work for the school year and so far have been very happy about it! My job is not always one where you get to see instant gratification, but when you do, it’s very worth it… Plus, it has been a good distraction for me for these last few weeks before the baby comes! :)

Okay, enough updates for now…Time to get back to work and then head home for the day!

...a small bump in the road for my 'not so small' bump

It's been a little while, I know. My apologies, but life has honestly been crazy. And by crazy I mean insanely busy... What, pray tell, keeps a pregnant (temporary) stay at home mom of a four year old who is not currently working so busy you ask?? Well, good question. The answer lies within the four year old. --->HE IS BUSY. Literally, there are times when I feel like Ryder's personal secretary or agent rather than just his mom. Today for example, his cousin Emily was staying nearby at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house so we headed to pick her up for the day and spend some time with her swimming in Auntie Lissa's apartment complex pool. All was splended and well and then on the way home I found out Ryder's daddy wanted to take him out to dinner and a movie tonight (they saw the Smurfs--Ryder apparently loved it)... These busy days are not unusual or unique to my little man, they are simply his way of life and I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way, so for now, we roll with it although I have a feeling that this mommy is in serious need of a SLOW DOWN very shortly as this 31 week preggo body of mine simply can't keep up like it used to....

Anyway--for a short catch up of this pregnancy, as I mentioned, I am on my 31st week which means NINE weeks to go (hopefully more like 7?? Okay, okay, whenever the baby is fully ready to come out, but a girl can dream). Although I still feel incredibly blessed to be as healthy as I have been so far with this pregnancy, we have had a minor setback or so along the way including finding out that I failed my glucose screening test at my 28 week prenatal appointment. I then had the 'pleasure' of sitting at my local clinic the following week for a glorious three and half hours and doing the full glucose test and having my blood drawn every hour. Two days later I received the phone call from my doctor informing me that again I failed (with a capital F this time) the test and that I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes..... Umm....excuse me?? I honestly was very upset to find that out because of many reasons: first of all, I was scared because I didn't know what that really meant for me or for this baby, second of all, I felt guilty - as if I had done something wrong along the way and was being a 'bad mom' or something, and third of all, my doctor mentioned the word D-I-E-T to follow and to a pregnant chic, that's enough to make you want to cry! ---Which I did plenty of for that entire day. I basically had a pity party and burst into tears everytime I started thinking about everything. (Side note, when I was crying at lunch to Max, Ryder announced that he was going to "say a little prayer to God" and proceeded to ask God to "please take mommy's sad away and make her happy again so we can have a happy day"----I had to add this in here because I NEVER want to forget the little things that come out of his mouth and astound me sometimes :) ) Anyway, the next day Max and I headed to Willmar and met with a nurse practioner and a dietician and started learning about what G.D. is, what it means, what it could mean down the line, how it affects our little girl, and what we need to do to keep me and her healthy. By this time my pity party was over and I was just ready to make some changes... Yes, following a diet has been the main thing but really, I haven't had to change too much of what I eat, I just have to pay a lot more attention to when I eat and how many carbs I eat at every meal and snack. I have to write EVERYTHING down and also have to do some finger prickin' to test my glucose levels 4 times a day. This is completely doable, although again, for a pregnant girl with cravings, it is by no means fun all the time (or anytime for that matter). If you would have told me two months ago that I would be giving up chocolate, pasta, sugar, cookies, ice cream, chips, deserts, and mass amounts of fruit during this pregnancy I would have probably laughed in your face and then flicked you off as I went on my way to grab a cookie :) Just saying... No really, I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater in general and the things I listed above are NOT things that I eat on a daily basis of course, but it's summer and there are plenty of get togethers and potlucks or just meals on the run when we are out and about that make it very easy to want to indulge sometimes but unfortunately, most of that has all been cut out of my life, for now. Currently, my days consist around lots of meats, cheeses, salads, fruit in small quantities, diet hot chocolate when I'm craving chocolate, and sugar free popsicles when I'm craving a treat! I meet with the dietician again on Friday and she'll review all of my numbers and see how I've been doing and I pray it goes well... I have been doing everything I can to avoid going on meds/insulin for the diabetes because I'm pregnant and to be honest, just don't want anything other than food going into my body at this point, but I guess we will just have to wait and see... As for now, it's late and I am going to climb into bed and hopefully have sweet dreams about all those delicious snacks that I've had to seperate myself from...  :)

Family Vaca = SUCCESS!

Last weekend us crazy Hendricksons gathered at the Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake--there was 16 of us total in ONE "cottage" (and by cottage, I mean a three story gorgeous house on the lake!) and can you believe it.... we all made it out of there alive, without killing one another??? :)

Kidding, of course. It was such a relaxing weekend, and the same cottage is already booked for next summer because we just can't wait to get back!! Friday we piled up all our goodies and headed up around noon. Since we couldn't quite check in yet by the time we got there we went to the resort pool and lake and we were more than entertained. They really have something for everyone, including waitresses walking around taking drink orders (next time I go back I will NOT be preggo--I could have killed for an icy margarita!!) a pool and water slide for Ryder that he LOVED (duh), and a big sandy beach for us girls to relax at :) Finally we were able to check in at our cottage and get settled. Erin (my brother's girlfriend) and I discovered our love for kayaking! Who knew??) Ryder also discovered that he LOVES going on the jet ski and also is quite the fisherman thanks to the help of his cousin, Emily! Ryder is so used to being the only little kid around at my family gatherings but he just loves to tag along with his older cousins Sarah and Emily. Saturday my sister and I treated ourselves to a lakeside spa massage which was FABULOUS and much needed! Then we all went out for dinner on Saturday night to celebrate my grandparent's 50th anniversary and my husband got an eye opening experience -- he had never had the chance to witness my dad at a buffet, especially a buffet that included crab legs (his favorite!) It was....interesting to say the least!! It's amazing how much my dad can eat and I'm pretty sure we may have lost track of his trips up to the buffet. Sunday was lake, lake, lake as it was so beautiful outside and we just didn't want to leave... Unfortunately reality called and said it was time to check out for the day, so we ended our perfect vacation with a trip to the Chocolate Ox-- mmmmmm ice cream!! :)

28 Down, 12 (or less!) To Go!

Slowly but surely, this pregnancy is trucking away. I'm 28 weeks preggo this week and I visit my doctor on Friday for a routine checkup and that fabulous glucose test (ish). I am also supposed to have another ultrasound to check up on things sometime between weeks 28 and 32, so looking forward to that! I will try not to complain too much, especially since I LOVE summer -- but I have to say it: Mother Nature could really climb off her high horse right about now and make these hundred degree days take a hike back to Florida or wherever those crazy people live who are used to this kind of weather year round! I will take beautiful sunny days any day, but if we could keep it in the 80's--this big swollen belly bump of mine would really appreciate it :) Other than trying to survive the heat, not too much is new with babyj. She has become quite the little squirmer and especially gets going when her daddy and big brother start chatting it up with her. She definitely has made her presence known within her mommy as finding clothes that fit is no longer an easy task. :( Anyway, the important thing is that I am feeling good, am still able to get my zumba/yoga/walking on, and so far, this pregnancy has been going rather smoothly, and for that-- we are blessed :)

Ryder and I continue to stay busy during our summer weeks together... This week we made it up to the splash park in Waite Park (he absolutely loved it, if you are looking for a FREE activity on a hot day!) and visited Auntie Lissa where we swam in  her apartment complex pool. We also took a trip to Collinwood Park outside of Cokato with the other Johnson ladies and children where the kiddos were able to swim in the lake and play at the big park! Last week Ryder was able to check out the Bounce Depot in St.Cloud and storytime at Barnes and Noble, all of which was fun (but for a heads up, Litchfield Library still has a way better storytime for preschoolers on Fridays at 10am!) so yes, you could say we have been busy, and are only getting busier!

On Friday we are heading up to Grand View Lodge in Brainerd to celebrate my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary with the Hendrickson Crew... Max and I are so looking forward to the weekend getaway, as is Ryder... We have lots of lake time planned, relaxing at the spa perhaps, and of course, golfing and shopping on the agenda! --If my marriage ends up to be half the marriage of my grandparents, I will consider myself lucky. Roger and MaryAnn Hendrickson are one of the sweetest couples I know. They do everything together, still tease eachother now and then, and honestly, just adore eachother. My grandma is one of the strongest women I know, I've always considered her my 'farm grandma' because there is not a chore I haven't seen her do--when it's time to bail hay, you can bet she is right out there with the boys doing her share, she loves animals (and they LOVE her), she usually doesn't bother with shoes and just rocks the barefeet everywhere when she can, she has beautiful flowers surrounding her house, and she walks probably close to 365 days out of the year, despite the weather. She taught me to respect our earth and I have tons of memories of taking walks with her with a garbage bag to collect garbage and pop cans alongside the road. I love it because on our walks, Ryder now does the same...Ryder adores her and calls her "GG".... My grandpa is one of the kindest men I have ever met. His kids, (including my dad) like to tell us grandkids that he did indeed once have a temper back in the day when they were growing up, but I'm not sure if I believe them because I can honestly say I am not sure if I have ever heard him raise his voice...However, maybe that is just what happens when grandkids come along, because come to think of it, I'm not sure my dad has ever yelled at me since bringing him his grandson into the world, and that for sure, has not always been the case-- so thanks, Ryder!! :) (haha) - My grandpa is not only kind, but he is funny--hilarious actually, and he must know it because he's usually the first person to laugh at his own jokes! He loves to tell stories, and is also crafty, always making little knick-knacks and lawn ornaments in his shed for my Grandma, and recently for me too! All in all, my grandparents are wonderful people and I am so grateful to be able to celebrate their 50 years of marriage which affirms all of my beliefs in what a marriage should be :)

Should be a fabulous weekend! As a quick side note, we have a couple chickens that have started laying eggs and Ryder is ECSTATIC about this! He thinks it is so fun to go in the chicken coop and find eggs... He talked about how me and him had to check them first thing this morning all last night... Max went in there this morning before he left for work while Ryder and I were still sleeping and discovered that unfortunately, there we no new eggs...My sweet thoughtful husband ran in the house to find one of the eggs from the previous days to put in the nesting box so that Ryder would be able to have another egg to find today.... Ryder did indeed find the egg and was thrilled about it, he even wanted to put his name on the egg before we put it in the fridge...--It's those little things that make me completely positive that I have the best husband and father in the entire world... (Although, I may be a little biased!!) :)

Summer So Far...



May 2011 - the proud preschool grad :)



MN Zoo with Kelsie and Carson

Ryder loves to get wet--whether it's at the lake, in his pool, or on the slip and slide!

....And while Ryder is busy being a little boy, I sneak in time to play in our landscaping

Our 4th of July Weekend was spent at the Cabin on Lake Stella...

Aren't they adorable?? Ryder with cousins Calvin and Reed playing in the lake!

wondering out loud...

Today was such a great day...Actually, all week was pretty perfect if you ask me. Not only was the weather nice but Ryder and I just had tons of fun hanging out with family and friends. On Tuesday we visited The Amaze N Farmyard with my sister-in-laws (there must be a shorter name for these people??) and all the kiddos. Ryder had an absolute blast and is already asking when we can go back... If you haven't been, I recommend you go and check out all they have to offer, it's relatively inexpensive, has lots of things to entertain the kids with, and best of all, it's local and close -- which is fabulous for your gas tank! Then Ryder had fun in the evenings with T-Ball which he really seems to love, and he even got to go to a Saints game with Max for some quality bonding time... Yeah, he's a pretty lucky kid. :)

On top of all that, today was HOT outside and we spent the entire afternoon in the lake at the Johnson Cabin once again with my in laws and the kiddos... I love that cabin because it's like time slows down (or just doesn't even matter), the kids are always entertained, there are millions of golden retrievers running around, there is always good food --(a big bonus for preggo, here), and it always reminds me of my wedding! After that we had some rest time back at home and then I got to head off to therapy  zumba and had a kickass workout that left me feeling good and motivated! After all that, I was able to come home and put my sleepy child to bed, which led to the reason for this blog anyway--although I seem to have gotten a little sidetracked...

Let me explain myself... I got home tonight and Max told me they had a "quiet evening" because Ryder just wasn't quite feeling up to par I guess (probably just overly exhausted from being out in the sun all day is my guess) and he shared with me that after I left Ryder burst into tears because he wanted mommy to tuck him into bed tonight... (Melts my heart!!) Needless to say, I was very happy that I got home before Ryder was tucked into bed and ohhhhh the snuggles were SO worth it!! I let Ryder say his own prayers tonight and the way he was talking to God was just so sweet, and the things he thinks of to pray for are so cute and thoughtful (and also funny-- for example, Ryder prayed that he didn't have bad dreams, then he gave an example to God---> "And bwess me God to not have any scary dreams about monsters, and no monsters in my room, in my closet, under my bed, under my desk, in the hallway, in the bathroom" --etc, etc. I literally think he named every location in the house he could think of!!) And then he prayed for his baby sister and had to bend down to my belly and give her a big goodnight kiss and told her he can't wait to meet her... When prayers were finally over, I layed with him for a couple mins and these are some of my FAVORITE minutes of the entire day... Sometimes I get busy and want to rush through bedtime but when I get to the end when I take the time to lay with Ryder I always wonder why I rush through it... When we lay, Ryder gets real still and snuggles up to me and puts his hand on my cheek, or somewhere on my face, almost to ensure that I'm still there or something. It is the sweetest thing and it melts my heart just thinking about it. Then when I whisper goodnight he always tells me to have sweet dreams :)

After I left his room tonight I couldn't help but think, how in the world will I love a second child as much as I love Ryder?? Does that sound bad? It probably does, and don't get me wrong-- I already love this baby girl so much, but I can't help but wonder how it works when your life has revolved around one little boy for the last 4 years and suddenly you have to divide your time, love, and attention with a whole other baby... I'm not going to lie, it baffles me. Growing up, I always remember my mom saying "I love my children equally, I love you all the same" --but it seems crazy to me now to think that my love for Ryder will be doubled once this new little one joins our family as well...Either way, I'm excited to find out!! 15 weeks and counting....

Ish!

I try not to complain about the weather, I really do - but this week has just been awful! Monday I was able to get some ALONE TIME (what???) as I dropped Ryder off with my sister and headed up to St.Cloud to see Paula at Petite Spa for some much needed hilights and a trim. I forgot how peaceful getting your hair done can be! After that I was able to run some errands in the mall quickly and then headed back home - all in all, a great (but rather gloomy) day... Tuesday I felt horrible, must have had a stomach bug or something so we had a very low key day to go with the shitty weather, we couched it as much as we could... Today I am feeling MUCH better, I was still a little sore/achy this morning so Ryder and I did some prenatal yoga (It is SO cute to watch preschoolers try to imitate yoga poses!) and then have just been finding things to keep busy with for the rest of the day: playing games, puzzles, coloring, and we even managed to get outside for a short while as well...  Now it's "rest time" and Toy Story 2 is on so the house is quiet and peaceful once again for the next 90 minutes or so... :)

On a positive note, I think the rest of our week is going to be a little more exciting! Tomorrow I go to the chiropractor and then am hoping to sneak in a chai tea from Cricket if I get lucky and since The Little Red Hen is open I plan on swinging through Dassel to check that out as well... Friday is supposed to be SUNNY (I HOPE!!!) so hopefully can do something fun with Ryder and Saturday Jen and I are going on a much anticipated shopping trip to Arbor Lakes--nothing like a girls day after a week of crappy weather and shut-in kiddos!

AAAANNNNNDDDDDDD in T-Minus 8 days the Miss Kristin Kammemeierer will be home!!! :) Love, love, love, this!!

just loving our summer!

I was with my aunt tonight at dinner and she reminded me that my posts have not been updated in quite a while. Well, my friends- I am here to update you on our wonderful summer so far!
It really has been wonderful... I am already having anxiety/panicking about going back to work in the fall because I LOVE being at home with Ryder --but I will save that dilemma for a different blog :)

Our days are spent quite leisurely! Each day Max heads to work and Ryder and I usually start off with a nice stroller walk to get our exercise in and then head back for breakfast/baths/showers, etc. Then it's time to head outside for a while until lunchtime, when Max comes home to eat with us! After lunch we usually run any errands we have to run (if any) sometimes visiting a park or the library, and then heading home for 'rest time' where Ryder gets to watch a movie to unwind for awhile... After that we usually practice some "homework" (coloring, writing, etc) and usually end up outside again as we wait for Max to get home... I also get my cleaning and laundry mixed in there at some point in time...Our nights are insane with volleyball league on Mondays, TBall on Tuesdays, Max golfing on Wednesdays, Zumba for mom and TBall for Ryder on Thursdays and NOTHING on Fridays -- thank goodness!

As for baby, she continues to grow and wiggle lots, as does my belly! I am 23 weeks this week and feel great! My only major complaints are that I get so much more tired out and can really tell when I've 'overdone' it. By about 7pm on some nights, I get into "pointing mode" as my husband calls it... It's when there is still stuff around the house that I want to finish, but I just can't move anymore and I "point" to what I need. (I.E.--I will point to the laundry in the dryer and ask Max to bring it to me on the couch so I can fold it without having to bend down to pick it all up and carry it over to the living room--haha) I am also not sleeping well lately (partially because of all the potty breaks, I'm sure!) All in all though, life is pretty good... This week I purchased our new stroller and carseat and I LOVE it! Our crib is also all set up and the baby's room is being painted as we speak :) --Compliments of Max, gotta love him!

Around the farm not much else is new, Starr is getting saddled up tomorrow for her first ride of the season (which I am sure she is just ecstatic about, lol) and the chickens are still clucking around somewhere as well....OOH! And I had my first peony bloom this morning and it's absolutely beautiful!! It has never bloomed for us so to see if finally bloom this year made me so happy! Those are our updates -- more to come soon!

*OFFICIALLY THINKING PINK!*

A week ago today was our 20 week ultrasound and we are ECSTATIC to announce that our little 'it' is officially a 'she!' :) It's about time for a little pink in my life!

Friday was an exciting day for everyone -- Ryder had his preschool graduation and I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time! Those little kids are so damn cute and Ryder was definitely the class clown - just up on stage shaking what his mama gave him and making anyone/everyone laugh at his goofiness... He's such a ham! After that we grabbed a super nutritious lunch at Mickey D's (haha) and dropped Ryder off at Gramma Cindy's. After downing lots of water, Max and I headed to the hospital to check in for our ultrasound. Me and my "full bladder" that they request were not in the best mood as we were sitting waiting forever to be seen by the ultrasound tech, but finally they brought us back and we got to take a long look at this beautiful little baby growing inside of me! Of course they do all the tedious medical stuff first like measuring all the organs and stuff that didn't make any sense to me.... Then the time came when the tech asked us if we wanted to know the sex and I did hesitate just a bit, but we said YES!! She then did a close up of the 'goods' and said, "Well, that looks like little girls parts to me!!" It took a second to sink in, but once it did, I don't think I stopped smiling the entire appointment, or probably for the rest of the day actually. Of course at that point in time we would have been happy with a boy or girl after knowing that everything so far looks healthy, but getting a little girl out of the deal was sure a real treat! After that, we scooted over to the clinic to meet with our doctor for my normal checkup and then got to head back home to tell everyone our exciting news! It was a fabulous way to begin our memorial day weekend!
The next day on Saturday Ryder and I left Max to do his manly stuff here at home (aka-yardwork) and we met up with my friend Kelsie and her son Carson at the Minnesota Zoo! The boys had a blast, Kelsie and I had a great time catching up, and the weather was perfect... Of course on the way home, I realized I was only a few short minutes away from the Mall of America and I just couldn't justify not stopping being so close and all.... My daughter's closet may already be filling up quickly, don't judge ;)
The rest of our Memorial Day weekend was just spent hanging out at home, catching up on stuff, and grilling out with my parents. My dad served our country for 27 years of his life and if spending the day with him grilling out at his house is how he wants to be honored on Memorial Day then that is exactly what we do!
Looking forward to another fun filled weekend this weekend... My sister is finally moved back from Warren (like 4 hours away) and both her and her husband recently got hired at Holdingford High School so they will be moving to the St.Cloud Area soon (CONGRATS NATE AND MELLISSA!!) and will be around this weekend, and tomorrow is the highly prestigious Johnson Bros Lake Stella Triatholon! Good friends, good food = good day!

a lengthy update....

I guess you could say my lack of blogging lately has left us in need of some good old Johnson Family updates! I’m sure you are all just so curious as to what us exciting folks have been up to! Well, here you go…

Max….. has been pretty MIA lately! And by that, I mean I see him for a quick kiss in the evening when he gets home from work and then he’s outside pretty much til sun down! His major projects recently have included clearing out the trees in front of our sheds (which makes for a lot of chainsaw action and burn piles—two of Max’s favorite things to do in the world), taking down one of our sheds and using that gorgeous old rustic red barnwood to decorate the inside of our chicken coop, extending my beautiful horse Starr’s pasture and planting lots of greeny goodness for her to munch on in her new pasture, grilling, mowing the lawn and whippin’ those weeds, tilling up the garden, playing on the skid loader, and really just walking around looking for random stuff to do. The good news is, his little boy likes to tag along so makes for some nice free time for mommy!

Ryder Scott….is now four, of course, and he seems to think that is pretty cool. Now that we FINALLY have some beautiful weather, he has been reacquainted with his dirtbike, and it’s usually the first question out of his mouth when he gets home from daycare – “Can I ride my dirtbike now??” It is truly a passion of his, and as long as he STAYS SAFE – I’m okay with that. It’s also a nice way for him to really connect and spend time with his dad, and he really enjoys that as well, so everyone wins… In addition to riding his dirtbike, he has really shown an interest in baseball lately. My parents bought him a t-ball machine (best toy ever invented, seriously—if you are looking for a great toy for a toddler/preschooler, I highly recommend this!) last year for his birthday, and he has really gotten into it this year. We are planning on signing him up for t-ball this summer and he can’t wait! Ryder also loves to help me with my flowers… For Easter, one of the things he got was his own little watering can and he loves to fill it up and water each of my flowers in the landscaping and pick up sticks/twigs with his wheelbarrow around the yard.. He is a busy little man to say the least!

Speaking of Baby… JBaby is approximately 19 weeks old this week and I assume he/she is growing like a weed! Our ultrasound is a week from Friday on the 27^th and we can’t wait to sneak a peak of our little one! We are especially interested in finding out what kind of goods it’s carrying as we have decided we are PROBABLY (no promises) going to find out what we are having: boy or girl! Regardless of that, we are just hoping for everything to appear healthy and normal—but I will be secretly hoping (just a little bit) to be able to go out and buy some PINK when I leave—seriously, have you seen the cute baby girl clothes they make?? Adorable…

The Chicas…. Are ginormous! (I have no idea if that is indeed a word, it doesn’t come up on spell check so I must be WAY off on the spelling if it is, my bad!!) They went from cute little adorable baby chicks to these huge pecking monsters! They will hopefully begin laying eggs in August and when that happens, I will be supplying the majority of Meeker County with eggs, because what we will do with all those eggs, I just don’t have a clue!?

Starr…has a new pep in her step now that spring is finally here! She is itching to get out in the yard whenever possible and that’s when she’s most content. My doctor says NO NO to riding horse when preggo, so unfortunately I won’t be able to get on her this summer but Max promises to ride her (haha) and my sister said she’d come and ride from time to time this summer too, so she should be good with that!

Mickey… is Mickey. He is LOVING the weather and spends his day hanging out with Starr in her pasture and chasing Hootie (our farm cat) around. It’s an endless game, but they seem to enjoy it! He’s still huge, and thinks he’s not and will try to sit in your lap if you let him. He’s the biggest baby I know..

Hootie…is our farm cat, and doesn’t really like to be bothered, so there isn’t much to say about her except that she still only has half a tail (tragic incident) and must be finding her morals lately as she hasn’t quite been slutting around as usual because she hasn’t popped out any baby kitties in a while – a relief to us!

And as for me…. I spend my time barefoot and pregnant J I am counting down the days to be done with work for the year as it continues to be the biggest stressor in my life. The word burnout carries whole new meaning to me and I need a break. My plans for work as far as next year are still undecided which also causes a great deal of stress, but I’m learning to deal with it. On a more upbeat note, I have still been able to stay pretty active, which leaves me feeling good and energized! I still do Zumba twice a week in Cokato, usually walk around Lake Ripley whenever possible, and am still twisting like a pretzel in prenatal yoga on Tuesdays… I recently took Ryder’s 4 year pictures around our house and so have been spending my free time editing them when possible. Outside my time is spent with my landscaping, which I still love. I’ve already made multiple trips to the nursery -my money continues to disappear, and yet I still have a ton of empty pots to plant! I am looking forward to summer days spent relaxing and spending time at the cabin… In all reality, it will probably mean preparing for baby, and running around Ryder to all of his little sports and stuff. It’s a sad day when you realize your 4 year old has more of a life than you do! J    

Life is so much cooler when you are F-O-U-R!

Wow, it's been a while! Life has been a little hectic, let's just put it that way... Hoping for a slow down very shortly~! In the meantime of this crazy wonderful life, my little boy turned FOUR years old on April 28th. He is very excited about being four, and he had a wonderful birthday!

The day started off like most others, we wished him a happy birthday, made a special little breakfast, and went our seperate ways - Max and I headed to work, and off Ryder went to daycare. Around noon, Max and I met up at the bank (we only worked half days) and we drove over to Ryder's daycare to surprise him and pick him up early. He was a little confused why both of us picked him up and why it was only lunchtime until we explained to him that we were headed to the Mall of America for the day to go to Nickelodean Universe and go on the rides! And that we did, many many rides later, we found ourselves starving and grabbed a yummy supper at Rainforest Cafe, which Ryder thought was pretty cool! Within minutes of leaving the cities, we had a snoring little boy in the backseat which to this mama, means a successful birthday! When we got home, Ryder got to check out his new bike (which is a bright shade of orange, his favorite color of course!).... Overall, it was a great day and we were so happy to share it with our little man. The following Saturday was his birthday party and he had a blast running around with all of his cousins, opening his gifts, and chowing down on his 'dirtbike cake' :) Thanks to all of our family for making it a great birthday party!

At four years old Ryder:
* LOVES anything to do with Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story --he is obsessed!
* is also very very into "super heroes'" (ie: Spiderman, Batman, etc) and now loves action figure toys.
* still loves anything with a motor and although he hasn't had many opportunities to ride this year yet, still loves to hop on his dirtbike and cruise around the yard when possible...
* hates tomatoes. They are literally the one food that I just can't talk him into liking -- he refuses.
* loves to be silly and make anyone around him laugh just by being a complete goofball.
* has many friends from daycare and from preschool who he cherishes so much!
* is growing up way to fast, I have already witnessed some eye rolling and talking back, ummm...not okay.
* feels that "now since I am four I can wipe my own butt" --mom is not a fan of this as he's not quite thorough;)
* is SUPER excited for his new baby brother or sister on the way! Everyday at some point, he lifts up my shirt and talks to my belly and gives it kisses, he is so sweet....
* will be graduating preschool in a couple weeks.... I can't even believe this!
* now sleeps in his new 'big boy room' downstairs which is finally finished! We moved him down there and have not had a problem whatsoever!
*his favorite color is still orange...bright orange!
* LOVES being four :)

For the love of ZUMBA....

During long weeks (like this one felt like!) Thursday nights seem to take forever to get here... Thursday nights are Zumba nights - along with Saturday mornings and they are to be treasured! My sister-in-law Jen and I are faithful Dassel~Cokato Zumba participants and we like to think we work our asses off (literally!) for 90 minutes during each class session. Sadly, I am probably the only person in class whose belly is GROWING, not shrinking, but what can you do?? It still feels amazing to be able to get out of the house, get a great (and fun) workout in, and feel good about doing something good for myself! I will be truly bummed when the day comes that this preggo body of mine (or my doctor!) no longer allow me to participate in Zumba, so I enjoy it while I still can! If you have not ever given a real Zumba class a try-- I highly suggest you do so...

Okay, so other than shaking it at Zumba, we have been BUSY. And it's only going to get busier... Our basement is still sucking up the majority of my husband's time -but I think he secretly loves it. I have never considered Max to be a 'handy man' by any means but in the last year and half that we've been married, he has truly amazed me by his abilities, or more so, his willingness to learn since many of his friends are handy... All of this week he has been staining, painting, and tiling the entryway, bathroom, and shower. Early next week, the carpet gets installed and then our plumber will come finish up the last minute installations in the bathroom. After that, the basement will be pretty much DONE. We are excited/nervous to move Ryder into his new 'big boy room' downstairs to see how he does so we can start working on creating a nursery :) This was an exciting week for us because we ordered both the baby's crib bedding as well as Ryder's new bedding and they both arrived in the mail. We are so happy with both sets, which is a relief... Other than the basement, we are looking forward to spending Easter with our families this weekend and celebrating Ryder's 4th birthday next week! The week after that is Mother's day so you could say we have a busy few weekends ahead of us!! Thank goodness some of my energy is back :)

This article should be added to the constitution/bible/any other great work of literature...

MEGYN KELLY: The Top 5 Things You Should Never Say to a Pregnant Woman

By Megyn Kelly
Published April 07, 2011
FoxNews.com

Here is my list of five things you should not say to a pregnant woman in ascending order:
Number 5: Don't tell us how fat or out of shape you feel. We're packing at least 25 extra pounds as we deal with nausea, back pain, swelling, and a host of other unmentionables … and frankly, we just don't want to hear it.

Number 4: Don't tell us "it looks like we're having a girl." We all know what that means -- they say "girls steal your beauty." Well, they don't steal your hearing!


Number 3: Don't "kid" us about our condition. "Wide load coming thru!" is not funny. "Waddle on out of here" does not amuse. Ellen DeGeneres has a good rule on kidding. If we're not both laughing, you're doing it wrong.
P.S. And please don't joke that the pregnant meteorologist is blocking the weather map. Turns out, that's insulting.


Number 2: And I cannot stress this enough. … don't guess the due date. “Is that a Christmas baby?” Ummm, no -- April. “You sure? It looks like New Year's at the latest.” Please stop talking.
You see, pregnant women -- especially the second time around -- get bigger faster and we don't want to play the guessing game.
If you ask me when I'm due and I'm vague, just be quiet. We both know you're wondering how I got so big so fast. You see, I would be smaller, but I have another human being developing inside of me.


And the number one rule in dealing with a pregnant woman…
Don't comment on our bodies. Ever. Really. But especially when we're pregnant. What is it about a baby bump that makes people feel it's okay to say things like "God! You are big!!!"???
And don't say we look small either. That just makes us worry that something's wrong with our baby.
Whatever our bodies look like, it's our business. As for your thoughts? Keep them to yourself.Consider this age-old chestnut instead: "you look great."


-----Seriously friends, read this article, memorize this article, and if you are preggo like me, LOVE this article.  :) Goodnight! 

Finally Friday!

On this beeeaauuuttiful Friday morning I find myself in the lovely Cricket Meadow, sipping on an iced chai, and drowning myself in pictures... It has been my number one goal lately to ORGANIZE and EDIT all of Ryder's pictures from the last, ohhhhh about 3 years. Ugh. The thing is, I love photography, and I love photoediting (especially with my new photoshop elements software!) but I SUCK at actually printing pictures/scrapbooking because I just don't make the time. So today, while the monster is at preschool I have locked myself away to just upload pictures to Shutterfly and create some photobooks to get all of Ryder's up to date before the new baby comes. So far, it is not going as planned. Shutterfly takes forever to upload my pictures (and I have a lot of them!) so I sit and I wait... Good thing I am SO patient ;) (not)
Which reminds me that I need to get started on Ryder's 4 year pictures. I have some cute ideas so far and I *hope* to have them done, edited, and printed by the time of his birthday party to hand out to family and friends... Um, we'll see about that but it's a nice thought :)
We have a busy weekend ahead of us and I'm so looking forward to it! It is supposed to be beautiful today and tomorrow. After preschool today I think Ryder and I are going to trek up to St.Cloud to get a few things, and a haircut for Ryder, as it is definitely needed! If you haven't been to Kids Hair in St.Cloud, I highly recommend it. Ryder loves it there and they do SUCH a good job everytime, I have never been dissapointed.... After that we will head home, hopefully find time to walk the lake with my long lost workout partner, Becky and find time to play outside... Tomorrow we have a wedding reception in the evening which I am looking forward to because we haven't been "out" in quite a while! And Sunday, I think I heard rain is forecasted which means house cleaning and finishing up projects! I am so excited to post pictures of the basement when I get some new ones, it is all painted and the trim will be all up by tomorrow!! I absolutely love the way it is coming together and can't wait to move Ryder into his "big boy room" (he wants motocross theme--who could have guessed?? haha) so I can start working on the baby's nursery!! Speaking of baby-- I am a much happier preggo lady lately. Alot of my symptoms/misery from before is slowly starting to fade away and I finally am feeling energetic and more 'normal' lately! No, my jeans are not buttoned as we speak (the ponytail trick works wonders;)) but we wont' go there! Now that I feel better, I am SO SO SO excited for baby, baby things, and our ultrasound which will hopefully creep up somewhat fast --about 7 weeks left! We go back and forth about whether or not we are going to find out the sex of the baby or wait and be surprised...There are definitely perks of both ways. In all honesty, it will probably just depend on the mood I am in the day of the ultrasound and how much self control I have that day! Either way we will be ecstatic, just as long as it is healthy... Okay, back to pictures-- hope you all have a fabulous weekend like we hope to have!

Hey crazy lady....STEP AWAY FROM THE ANIMAL CRACKERS!!

I have lots to catch up on (as per usual), but I will first start with something on my mind... A problem, really. More like an obsession, actually. Upon arriving home from Montana, we discovered we had NO food, I mean zero, zilch, nada, nothing. So, grocery shopping we went. On this particular occassion, my husband picked up the huge bag of animal crackers (for like, a dollar something, because he's cheap like that) and put them in the cart, thinking they would make good snacks for Ryder. I didn't pay much attention because in my mind, animal crackers do not have a) chocolate associated with them b) are a cracker, not a cookie, and c) they look to be quite bland to be honest... However, since they have taken up residence in my home - I CAN NOT STOP EATING THEM. It is rare to catch me in my house without a 'few' in my hand... They are so addicting and delicious. I justify this obsession since you can eat like 20 of them and there is very little fat AND sugar content, so that makes me one happy mama. Did I really just type an entire paragraph on animal crackers....Gosh, how lucky are you folks to be reading this?? :)

Okay, back track a little... On Wednesday Max and I took off (nevermind the disgusting snow storm outside) and headed out West! We went to visit Joe and Kate in Bozeman, Montana. The drive sucked (as always) but we made it and arrived safe and sound.... We spent our trip sleeping in (I think we made it to 8am one morning--woah!) shopping around downtown and hitting up some of my favorite little shops and coffee shops, enjoying the mountain views and fresh bozeman air, getting pedicures, dining out, hiking (in the snow covered mountains!), and just relaxing in general... Bozeman is so beautiful, there really is no other place like it, if you ask me... It was also a great time just hanging out with Joe and Kate, we miss those goofballs while they are gone and can't wait for them to move back home in a couple months!

While vacation is always great...It was nice to get home! What is even nicer about coming home from this particular vacation is that I still have this entire week off for Spring Break! We have been busy just catching up on laundry/cleaning/unpacking, getting outside and enjoying these (somewhat) nice days whenever possible (makes for a very muddy little boy and A LOT of laundry for his mommy), and also taking care of our new baby chicks! 16 of the little fellows made their way onto the farm yesterday and Ryder just loves going and checking in on them... Today I spoiled myself to a 90 minute prenatal massage in Hutch and it was fabulous! For now... back to cooking dinner (panko crusted chicken breasts over rice pilaf with mushrooms and alfredo sauce....yum!!)