Family Christmas Pictures

Our Big Sisters with Baby Sister

We had about 30 minutes of this:

It really does just get to the point where all you can do is laugh about it! We took soooo many pictures and none of them really turned out that great (partly because we were doing it ourselves....and partly because we have a 4-year-old and an amost-3-year-old)

p.s. Ellie cut her bangs last week

p.p.s. Our internet is kind of weird right now, so I don't know if it's just on our computer, but I'm not due in 32 days like the baby ticker says - it totally freaked me out one day when I saw it! ha ha!! I'm really due in 8 weeks.

Catching up

I put Ellie's hair in braids the night before - she has such beautiful hair!

Sad, but true...this is one of the only Thanksgiving pictures that I took over the whole break. Uncle Josh let the kids ride in the back of their Hummer! We were in Rexburg this year for Thanksgiving and had a lot of fun...and fighting (lots of little cousins who think they're in charge).

Franci and Holly (Aaron's sisters) and I went to the movie Fireproof. We had no idea what the movie would be about, but we really enjoyed it.

These are the gingerbread houses that Carly and Ellie made (they were originally decorated with candy - but Carly and Ellie thought the candy would be better to eat)

A Bow Holder
I got this idea from my friend Brandy - (she does all sorts of fun homemade projects)! I made this one for my sis-in-law and I still need to make one for myself. (The picture to the right is what I have been using as a bow holder for the last year or so - I like Brandy's idea much better!)

So, one of the reasons I haven't been blogging lately is because I've been sick for the last week and a half - not fun (head cold and the stomach flu). I think I'm pretty much better now though! So, this is a picture of Aaron and the girls hanging out (watching Robin Hood) while Mommy rests.



Aaron also took the girls to a work Christmas Party for kids while I was sick. They got to sit on Santa's lap. One nice thing about not having TV commercials...

Santa: What would you girls like for Christmas this year?
Carly: A rubber ducky...a pink one!
Ellie: A pink rubber ducky!
(That should make Christmas shopping pretty easy on Santa's wallet!)

Aside from taking care of the girls and me while I've been sick, Aaron has been studying for his licensing exams - pretty intense. He's such a hard worker, I sure hope he does well. One of these days I'm going to post some pictures of what Aaron has been doing at work - he's kind of their in-house landscape artist. I just need his help downloading and stuff.

What Mom's can't live without

(This post was inspired by you, Courtney)

I need some suggestions on carseats. I hated the carseat I had with Carly and Ellie, so I dumped it as soon as Ellie went to a forward-facing carseat. Are Gracos pretty good? They seem to have good reviews and are decently priced too.

Also, what would you suggest as far as baby slings and carriers?

A couple things that I think are a must:

-Lansinoh lanolin cream - I even used it for a couple weeks before I had Ellie which saved me a lot of pain afterwards.

-A nursing cover (Bebe au lait, Hooter Hiders, etc). I didn't have one of these with Carly and Ellie, but I'm definitely going to have one (or a few) for this time.

You would think I already know about everything that I would need or want after doing this twice already, but I seem to find out about a lot of things after they would have done me some good. So, is there anything else that you just can't live without or have heard that a Mommy shouldn't live without?

Five Years!

(...a little early, but I don't know if I'll get a chance to post this next week)

2008

In the past five years...

We have had 2 sweet girls with another one on the way.
Lots of diaper changing -- we figure it's somewhere around 7,500...at LEAST!!!
(Out of our five years of marriage, almost two of those have been spent pregnant!)

14 church callings - (currently Aaron is our ward's "Piano Man" - ward organist, primary pianist, choir pianist - obviously they have a hard time finding people to do this in our ward. And I just got the calling to be the R.S. Enrichment Leader.)

lived in 4 different apartments (in Idaho and Utah)

3 bachelors and a masters degree (Aaron has two bachelors degrees)

I've only had 1 job (for the first nine months - until Carly came) Aaron has had about 9 different jobs.

(warning: this next one could be it's own separate post) In five years we have purchased only 1 item of furniture - our bed - and this we didn't purchase until we moved to Moscow. The first couple weeks we had a blow-up mattress and after that Aaron's parents let us borrow two twin beds that we pushed together (one was even a little shorter than the other - ha ha!) All of the other furniture we own has been given to us - some new, but mostly rejects/hand-me-downs. Our kitchen table, couches, rocker/glider, bookshelf, TV and TV stand, crib, pack-n-play, girls' twin beds, all four of our dressers, and most of our home decor... Yeah, you're probably thinking we're way cheap - but we like to call it frugal :)! We are planning on buying our second item of furniture soon - another dresser so we can fit all of the girls clothes when the new little one comes. But wait a second... I just remembered that my parents have a couple dressers that they haven't been using for a few years now... :)

In the past five years we have owned only 1 car (which we did buy). Luckily, this car hasn't given up on us, and luckily, Aaron's work pays for him to use public transportation. We obviously love the saying:
Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without
A great saying to live by,

In the past five years we have driven back and forth between Rexburg (Aaron's parents) and Idaho Falls (my parents) way too many times!

In the past five years I have felt so lucky to have met Aaron and married him - and as my Dad has said: "There aren't any better than this, Camile." I agree.

All about Carly and Ellie

Ellie with a "real" smile! She has just learned how to zip up her coat all by herself (Carly just learned too). Ellie will be three in just two months.



Carly found this snail a while back (I am so amazed at how unafraid she is of bugs and slimy things!) Carly turned 4 in August.

Although it was hard, at times, to have Carly and Ellie so close together (17 months), I am so grateful now because they are such good friends and entertain each other so well!



We are doing a preschool/joyschool for Carly right now and the past few weeks have been at my home (Ellie joins the other three kids when it's at my house) - Let me just say, I hope I am never in a position where I feel like I need to homeschool my children!
Today for preschool we talked about children all around the world. Here they are with their homemade, paper bag, pinatas.




One thing that Carly and Ellie love to do together is make-believe. Some of their favorites:
-One of them is the Mommy and the other is the baby or puppy. Today Carly was Mary and Ellie was Baby Jesus.
-Sharks or aligators are on the family room floor and they have to get away from them.
-Imaginary puppies and kittens need to be rescued and taken care of.
-One of them is the librarian (they will sit and read books for a really long time).
I love listening to them make up different situations and playing so well with each other.

They still fight a lot though. Some of the biggest issues:
-Carly won't let Ellie brush her hair
-Who gets the favorite color cup, spoon, fork, or whatever (I've tried to explain that the water/food tastes the same either way - they don't care!)
-Who gets to ride on Daddy's shoulders
-"She hit (or kicked or pinched or touched) me!"
-They both want to be in charge at the same time (This is usually what it always boils down to)


If I would have known 20 years ago how irritating it was to listen to your kids fight, I would have been much kinder to Stephanie. It does give me great hope to think of what great friends Steph and I are now though!



This is Carly with a couple of her friends - the one on the left is a year older than her and the one on the right is only 4 months older than her! (Carly is so tiny!!!)

6 months down...3 more to go!

6 months!!!

Carly and Ellie have been very helpful in coming up with names for their baby sister.

Some of Carly's most creative ideas:
Luckiah
Rispoona
Niclair
Cackleen (her version of Kathleen)



Some of Ellie's:
Laleela
Camile
Olivia
Ike (my favorite)

Aaron and Camile's:
still not sure!

Everything is going well as far as the pregnancy is concerned. I've been experiencing Braxton-Hicks for about a month and a half now and have already been feeling some pressure and a little uncomfortable. I'm not worried about the baby coming too early, I'm just nervous about how uncomfortable the last month might be!

Even thought this is the third time around, I am still just amazed when I feel the baby move and kick... and to think that this is one of my own babies, just like Carly and Ellie. It is so amazing and I'm so grateful to be pregnant! I am so excited to meet this little girl and see how her personality will fit into our family. I wonder who she will look like. And I wonder if we'll have another little "boss" or get to experience a laid back child. For those of you have had three (or more) children - especially those with 3 girls in a row (and I know quite a few) - what is the third child's personality like in your family?

This baby is going to get so much love - Carly and Ellie already love to hug and kiss my belly and sing and talk to their sister. The second time around (when I was pregnant with Ellie) I always wondered how I would be able to love another little baby like I loved Carly. I just thought I loved Carly more than I would be able to love anything else! But, it's amazing how you can just find more and more love inside of you - did any of you feel this way with your second pregnancy? So, with this pregnancy I haven't really had to think about that - I already love this little one, and I'm sure that this love will continue to grow.

Fridge Quotes V

September 7, 2008

Ellie fell and hurt her elbow. Daddy asked, “where’s your ouchie?”
Ellie answered: “On my kneebow”


September 2008
Carly and Ellie met a new friend here at Peachtree Apartments – Kooper. They had a hard time understanding what her name was:
“Grumple”… “Koople” … “Scooper” … “Kooper!”


September 15, 2008
Carly loves to hear stories about the cute things she said when she was a “little girl”. We were telling her about her poem she made up – “Please don’t sneeze, dance from your knees” (June 28, 2008). Then Ellie came up with this:
“Please don’t sneeze,
cough on your arm!”


October 1, 2008
Carly wanted me to remember something… (a movie, a song … I’m still not sure). I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about, so finally she said, “Just look in my imagination on my head.”


October 6, 2008
Aaron and the girls were waiting in the car while I was looking for a movie at Blockbuster.
Carly asked Daddy: “Are we going to die in here?”
Daddy: “No. Why?”
Carly: “Because it’s taking so long!”

October 10, 2008
I wanted Ellie to take a nap while we were visiting at Grandpa and Nanny Nette’s house. So, I asked Ellie if she would help Grandpa take a nap. She said yes, took his hand, and led him downstairs. But instead of laying down with him, she took him into the bedroom, left the room and shut the door behind her.


October 30, 2008
Daddy didn’t go to church with us this day (he stayed with Ellie because she was sick). When Aaron told Carly that he and Ellie weren’t coming with us Carly said, “Probably everyone will think Mom’s a widow.”

October 30, 2008
- Tithing Settlement -
Bishop: “Are you going to have a new baby sister?”
Carly: “Yeah, she’ll be naked.”
*silence*
Bishop (speaking to the girls): “Are you a full tithe payer?”
Carly and Ellie both: “No.”

Halloween and other stuff

Pre-Halloween

Aunt Angela is painting Ellie's face at Conner's b-day party.

The final product (she has a hard time doing a "real" smile for the camera - I wish she would more often though because she has a beautiful smile)

At the skating rink for Conner's b-day party


Ellie's favorite "silly face"

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Halloween Night

My parents came down and we had a Johnson Family Party at my sister, Angela's house - it's so fun to live close to family now! (Thanks Ang for being the Hostess - you're the best!)

Carly was a Pink Witch and Ellie was a Fairy Princess.

The witches hat I made for Carly


Nanny Nette with some of the grandkids


Me, my Mom, and sister, Angela



______________________________________
Post-Halloween

The day after Halloween we were able to go to the temple with my parents, brother and sister and their spouses and have my grandmother (she passed away last year) sealed to her parents - very neat! I'm so grateful for temples and eternal families!

Earlier this week Aaron's little sister, Franci, came to visit us with her family. Aaron's parents came the next day and we all went out to lunch.

Carly, Ellie and Kaylie


Franci and I


Aaron and Carly with Josh (Franci's husband) and Annabelle.


Josh and Franci are some of our very favorite people to hang out with, so of course we had a fun time!

Carly

Playing catch with her Care Bear - I love her genuine smile!

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After Aunt Angela painted her face to look like a princess - she was so excited!

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She loves to hug her new baby sister. This is after she just gave my tummy a zerbert.

(Another "real" smile that I just love)

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So, the other day I was cleaning the toilet and Carly came in and asked what I was doing. I told her I was cleaning the toilet and she looked at me and said, "You're brave Mom."



(I think so too.)

8's Tag

8 Favorite TV shows
(Ever since we have been married we have not had cable, dish network, or even local channels, and growing up we didn’t most of the time either. So, this list might go way back)
1- The Cosby Show
2- The Andy Griffith Show
3- Star Search (the contest/talent show from the 80’s)
4- So you think you can dance
5- Food Network (I haven’t watched it enough to have a specific favorite)
6- Saved by the Bell
7- The Smerfs
8- Oprah

8 Things I did yesterday
1- Woke up before the girls (something I wish I did every day, but I rarely do)
2- Folded laundry with Ellie (it was actually really fun with her helping)
3- Had some much needed one-on-one time with Ellie while Carly was at preschool
4- I had Carly and Ellie put their hands on my tummy and they were both able to feel the baby move – so sweet!
5- Dishes
6- Made Enchilada soup for dinner
7- FHE lesson on the 1st Article of Faith
8- grocery shopping

8 Favorite Places to eat
1- My Parent's (pictured on right)
2- Olive Garden
3- Any Thai Restaurant with good curry
4- Loco Grinz (Hawaiian restaurant in Moscow)
5- In the mountains while camping (breakfast food always tastes better when you’re camping – probably because it’s cooked in bacon grease and you’re living like a mountain man so anything would almost taste good.)
6- Wendy’s (not so much any more, but when I was a kid it was my favorite)
7- Texas Roadhouse
8- Almost any nice, sit-down restaurant – we hardly ever eat out, so it is always a treat for me to go to a restaurant (especially if it’s without little ones)

8 Things I’m looking forward to
1- New baby girl!!!!
2- Having a house someday
3- Making some close friends here
4- Going to the temple with Aaron on Friday while Steph comes to hang out with the girls
5- Enrichment tonight (I love having a really good excuse for a girl’s night)
6- My hair getting longer
7- Quiet/Nap time today
8- Going to St. George to visit the Wakefields for Halloween

8 Things I love about this fall
1- Eating soup again
2- Weather that is not too hot and not too cold (I just wish it would last longer)
3- Baking yummy things ( I just feel more in the mood this time of year)
4- Feeling the baby move a ton
5- Having a 4-year old and a 2-year old (they make me laugh every day with the funny things they say and do)
6- Not starting another semester of school (for Aaron)
7- My new black boots to go with my leggings
8- Starting my new calling as Activity Days assistant for the 8 to 11-year old girls

8 Things on my Wish list
1- Have a maid
2- Carly and Ellie never fight again
3- Go to Europe
4- Go on a cruise
5- Make perfect parenting choices every time
6- When my children are grown they will have close and strong relationships
7- When my children are grown they will all be faithful and strong in the gospel
8- To live in SE Idaho again someday (sometimes I wish for this…sometimes I don’t)

8 People I Tag
Ashley
Shawna
Nissa-Lyn
Heidi
Jenny
Hayley
Katy
Jill

Ellie's Binky

is back...at least for nap time.

I know it is crazy to go back after she hasn't had it for a couple of weeks, but she desperately needs the sleep and I desperately need the sanity!

It has been a very frustrating couple of weeks without binky. But the worst was a few days ago when she absolutely would not take a nap and I didn't have the time to lay next to her to make her sleep. Well, that night she had three AWFUL night terrors. It was so scary! I have seen a lot of night terrors in the past couple of years (Carly used to have them a lot too), but these were by far the worst - I was seriously scared - she looked and acted like she was possesed or something! So, that was the beginning of me rethinking the whole binky thing.

And then I was talking with one of my friends about it yesterday and she said "Why don't you just give it back to her? There is so much in the world to worry and stress about, binky doesn't need to be one of them." Such a simple statement, but it took a load off my shoulders!

It's so funny/sad that such little things can be such a trial to a young mother, ya' know?!

So, Ellie is napping right now. Yay! I told her that she could have her binky for naps and she climbed into her bed and was asleep in 10 minutes, without even a peep!

General Conference Favorite

Sunday Morning Session - "Finding Joy in the Journey" - President Monson



“I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.



"[From The Music Man:] ‘You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.’


“If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.


“Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume…”

My Fortune Cookie

So Ellie has given up her bink as of a couple weeks ago, with Daddy's help/insistence. Because of this she has also given up naps (which used to be 2-3 hours), AND it takes her a couple of hours to fall asleep at night.

(Plus, after 4 months, she is still having accidents every day, which adds to the stress)
This has driven me to insanity on more than one occasion.

My parents advice: "it'll be okay, she'll get through this stage...This too will pass..." (Not the sympathy I was looking for)

Aaron's advice (after listening to me lament over the fact that there are no logical solutions and complain about it over and over and over again), "There's nothing we can do about it, so it doesn't help to get so stressed over it..." - obviously not what I wanted to hear either. (I have found much sympathy from other young mothers like myself - thank you Shawna for your validation)

Well, we had Panda Express tonight, and this was my fortune cookie

I recommend...

"The Education of Little Tree". Such a touching book - I would be laughing one moment and bawling the next. We read it for our ward's book club last month.

A few of my favorite parts:

Granma said you couldn't love something you didn't understand; nor could you love people, or God, if you didn't understand the people and God. Granpa and Granma had an understanding, and so they had a love. Granma said the understanding run deeper as the years went by, and she reckined it would get beyond anything mortal folks could think upon or explain.

[After their dog died...] Granpa said when I got old, I would remember ol'Ringer, and I would like it--to remember. He said it was a funny thing, but when you got old and remembered them you loved, you only remembered the good, never the bad, which proved the bad didn't count nohow.

...When you come on something that is good, first thing to do is share it with whoever you can find; that way, the good spreads out to where no telling it will go. Which is right.

So, now I'm sharing this good book with you...if you like this sort of thing.

p.s. What have you read lately that you really enjoyed? (If you want to know some of my other favorite books, look at my link in the side column)

p.p.s. I still haven't decided about the Twilight series... Since I already read the first book I think I will still watch the movie. (Are they making a movie for each book - or just doing one movie for all?)

Nursery Rhymes for your viewing pleasure...

The Twilight Series...

So, I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to have my home fall apart and have my husband and children neglected while I read these books. (I have a disorder where I can't focus or concentrate on ANYTHING else, no matter how important, when I'm reading a novel.) OR, should I just wait for the movie? (Although, movies are rarely ever as good as the books.)

A couple of years ago I read the first book...or most of it. I wasn't that impressed (I can't even remember exactly what it was that bugged me about it). So, when all the other books started coming out and everyone started going crazy over them I just thought it was...well, crazy. But, lately I have read on so many people's blogs (and heard in person) about how awesome these books are. Now I'm starting to think I'm the weird one.

So, for those of you who have read it, do you think it's worth it?

And for those of you who haven't read it, why haven't you?

*Update 4-20-2012, I chose not to read the books and don't regret it. I have watched some of the movies and am not that impressed with them either. But we can all be friends still :)