He loves me!

It may be TMI but its my blog, so get over it!
Oh and its going to be a long, rambling post. I deserve that every once in a while, right?

First of all, my husband totally loves me.

Second of all, today was a crappy day!

but I am going to blog in the reverse order. save the best for last

Last night at 1:30 (or I guess that was this morning) I decided to go out in the family room because Jack was screaming with some gas and Shawn and I figured if he got some sleep, he could wake up with the kids and let me sleep in. Between Jack and thinking about Susan (read here if you don't know what I am talking about) I didn't sleep at all! Well around 4:30am, I was still on the couch with a fussy baby and Shawn gets a call and has to go to work. Ahhh, that's definitely not a good start to the day. Not the working thing, the no-sleep thing.

Then I had a melt-down getting ready. I know its only been 3 weeks and I shouldn't be fretting but none of my clothes fit! Everything is too tight, nothing looks or feels good or right. And I have tons of grey hair!! (random... I know) Plus we have no no money to buy any clothes.

around 10am I do get a couple hours of bliss when Mom came over to visit. We haven't seen her in a couple weeks so it was a pleasant surprise. She stayed and held Jack and had lunch with us.

Then we put Hugo down for a nap and my headache and I are very excited at the thought of a nap. Well Jack basically screams until Hugo wakes up. Arrrrgh.

Shawn is an angel and fixes the broken disposal, thanks babe.

We get bored

The kids get to go to Mimi's for a little bit while I get to go to mutual. Unfortunately I just sat around for a couple hours in the mad heat until I decide I'm just going to bail.

I come home, kids fuss, Lacy wont go to bed... yada yada yada now its 12:43 and I am once again up with a gassy fussy baby.

So there it is, my complaining for the day.

Now for the bragging and possibly TMI.
A couple hours ago I handed the fussy baby over, not feeling guilty at all and stomp to the bedroom to shower and get ready for bed.
About 2 seconds later I return, probably to complain about something else when Shawn says he needs me. He then pulls me onto his lap and kisses me all passionately and tells me how beautiful and sexy I am.
Now when I looked in the mirror today I did not feel so. When he pulled me onto his lap all I could think about was the way I was positioned accentuated my horrid muffin tops. But Shawn makes me feel so good and so loved. I know he means it when he says it. He has never made me feel like his attraction is conditional.
Like, you'll be sexy when...
you aren't pregnant anymore
you loose the baby weight
your hair grows longer
you put on make-up
you dress up
you aren't wearing your grungies
He makes me honestly believe that he thinks I am beautiful no matter what. I can only hope that all the wives/women I know and love has felt that kind of love from a man. It is the most wonderful feeling to know that no matter how crappy you feel someone will always think you are beautiful and mean it.

Even though I'm terribly tired and my head is pounding, I guess today was a good day after all.

what we did on Monday afternoon

The kids love to play outside in the hose- well actually I think they just love getting wet no matter what it is. But today Hugo got himself naked and ran to the back door and started banging on it and yelling something like "out, out!" well what the heck, why not? We let Lacy get down to her skivvies opened the door and let the two of them run wild in the hose... or in Hugo's case ride naked. They are just too cute to say no and they were too excited to waste the time getting their suits on. Plus it was six-o'clock so after they were done I grabbed the Johnsons head to toe baby soap and may have given them a little shower on the back porch. Am I white trash or what? They loved it though and I got to kill 2 birds with one stone. Play time and bath time!

Lacy is such a girl! Look at her posing. Every time the camera is around she has a huge smile and a tilted head. She is such a ham!

This boy is just too too cute for words. Look at that tooshie on the bike and that sweet puppy dog face in the towel. Could you say no to naked bike riding with those big brown eyes looking up at you?

Jack is just content being in his Daddys arms!

Another happening of the day, I finally got Jack rolling over on camera. Yes I said rolling over. The kid has been doing it for a week now. At only 2 weeks he started rolling from his tummy to his back. Sometimes he loves tummy time then there are other times the second we lay him on his tummy he fusses until he has turned to his back. Whats with that? I guess its true, they do grow up too fast!

Food for thought

I was sitting in the pediatricians office last week waiting forever with nothing to read but a parenting magazine and I actually read a pretty interesting article. I was surprised because I actually don't like those kinds of magazines.

But anyhow I found this one that I thought was genius. It was an article about toddlers who are picky or stubborn eaters. There was one suggestion the article gave that I loved. It was that if you have such a kid (like I do!) don't fret, first of all. But it was saying that most kids like breakfast food. Most kids like lunch food because Daddy (or Mommy in some cases) is at work and you eat things like chicken nuggets or mac n cheese for lunch then the big fight comes at dinner. When you make roast and veggies or some other dinner food. But that is when the threatening comes "eat your broccoli or no desert"

Well anyways it was saying that the grumpiest time of the day for toddlers is usually around dinner time. I thought this was just my kids but I guess its pretty normal. Too early for bed, but worn out from the day. It said to save the foods like mac n' cheese and french fries for dinner because they aren't the best during that time of the day and feed them their veggies or other foods they won't usually eat during lunch. They are usually happier and more willing to try new things during this time of the day. Plus you don't want to fight with your kids every night about food because then they have this negative association with whatever it is you are trying to get them to eat. I have been trying this with Hugo since then and it is actually working quite nicely. He can have ramen or an eggo for dinner, but during lunch I will try and sneak in different things like veggies, some lunch meat or even a glass of water (yes he is that picky that he wont usually eat that stuff). But tonight he actually ate what we were eating for dinner. Its not that weird it was spaghetti but usually he wont eat that stuff.

So that's my ramble for the day. What are your tricks for picky eaters, I could use all the help I can get. This seems to be working for now but who knows how long it will last and I don't want to be making eggos for dinner forever :)

The kids on fathers day.

Just some random cute pictures of the kids I took yesterday

Their dad DEFINITELY rocks!

Happy Fathers Day!

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful father, awesome father in law and study husband who is also an amazing father.

My own father has taught me so much in life. He is such a perfect example of a christ-like giving parent. I always know that I am taken care of because of my father. He is so giving and loving and does so much for me even know that I am all grown up. He is also such a wonderful G-pa. All the kids adore him and his sweet personality.

My father in law is the glue. He is so fun with all the kids and has a way of making everyone around him feel loved and welcome. He is always checking up on us making sure weare doing what we are supposed to. He is an amazing man and I know that a lot of Shawn's wonderful qualities are from his father. I am lucky to have married into such a wonderful family.

I am by far the luckiest lady alive to have married such a wonderful father. I obviously didn't know it at the time when I married him but he truly is. He wakes up early with the kids to let me sleep. He reads to them every night, by his own decicion and choice. He changes diapers anytime they need it (with-out being asked to do so) He helps me with the dishes, laundry, etc. He is always doing everything he can to make sure the kids and I are happy. He is such a wonderful man, I love him so much. It may sound cheesy but he makes me happier than I ever thought I could be and loves me much more than I ever deserve.

Happy Father's Day to you 3 fathers that so richly bless my life... and happy fathers day to all your wonderful fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, etc. I could only hope that you too have such amazing men to grace your lives.

How much more random could a post be?

Skort
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A skort is a pair of women's shorts with a flap of fabric in front to make it look like a skirt. The term "skort" (a portmanteau of skirt and shorts) is used idiomatically in some regions. To be a skort they need to look like skirts. They are distinguised from trousers or shorts by a fuller cut at the bottom (hem) than at the waist. Skorts were developed in order to provide more freedom to do activities such as gardening, cleaning, or bike riding, and give the appearance of a skirt. Skorts are popular in sports such as tennis or golf, and are often part of girls' athletic uniforms. Some skorts are essentially skirts with a pair of shorts hidden underneath, while others resemble a pair of shorts with a panel of fabric over the front. [1]

My mom and I had a good laugh tonight talking about skorts. I decided they are the "mullet" of the skirt world. Business in the front and party in back!

Who else wore skorts? I know I thought I was the coolest girl at PMS (yes, that was my middle schools initials) 7th grade when I showed up with my new skort, gellies and blue nail polish.

The picture that started the whole "skort" conversation. Clarissa and I are both sporting the skorts. I also have my brownish clear jellies on, but my feet are cut out of the picture.

She's amazing

My fancy sister Charmaine is always doing fun things and posting beautiful pictures on her blog. She is having another fun giveaway. I'm not sure if she wants me posting or whatever, but I am! Go to her blog and check it out- follow her- she is amazing! These are just a couple random pictures I snagged off her blog. I can't wait to go visit her and see this beautiful yard... and my top reason, of corse, my handsome nephews are missing their favorite aunt.

Uncle Budge

Uncle Budge is Shawn's sweet old great-uncle. 94 (i think) years young. He lost his wife just a couple of weeks ago and just moved down to the valley about a month ago from Lakeside. He came over to mom and dads for Sunday dinner and it was our first time meeting him (mine and the kids first time, that is) Lacy was very interested in him. She didn't quite understand why everyone had to yell at him and why he talks funny, but she was very sweet with him. She also thought it was funny when they said they were going to take Hugo and Uncle Budge for a walk. I think in her little mind she was thinking that means they both go into a stroller. Well once she realized they were just going across the street the the grass, she paitenly waited for him to get out of his chair and get his cane, and she grabbed his hand, helped him up and told him she would help him and show him where to go. It was so cute and so sweet I quickly grabbed mom's camera and chased them out the to get this sweet picture of these two, 90 years apart, walking hand in hand with no care in the world.

This picture is definitely worth a thousand words... or more!

What are your kids doing right now?

Here is what mine are doing:

Lacy and Hugo played out in the hose just a few minutes ago and Lacy came in with these beautiful wet curls around her face. This is what inspired me to grab the camera in the first place. You can also see her lovely little shiner on her right eye. She got that falling off the bunk bed.

Hugo is right next to her enjoying some cookies from our new neighbors and old friend, the Schvaneveldt's. Thanks for the cookies, they were all gone very fast. Hugo came in with this cookie tonight and we all wondered where it came from until Lacy says "Hey that's my cookie!! I was hiding it to save for later!"

We all got a good laugh about that. She knew they would go fast so she hid one for safe keeping.

And I just can't leave out little Jack. He is sleeping in the swing (Thanks Kelly and Heather). I wish I had a nice papason style swing that would rock and sing me to sleep. That would be the life!

Another funny story of the day. Lacy came up and asked me how to spell fabulous. She then drew me a picture and wrote fabulous in nice big letters and said "I made this for you because you aren't very funny but you are really fabulous."

Where do kids get this stuff?

You know what this is?

Proof that I have the BEST husband in the entire universe!

Having a newborn can be really hard. One of the hardest things is getting used to the sleep patterns. Having the energy and will to wake up every time they need you to feed them, change them, etc. Especially when they are as new as Jack and don't quite know the difference between day and night.

PLUS when you already have kids, you don't get to sleep in or take naps when the baby does. Well this morning Lacy and Hugo woke up at who knows what time. I don't know because Shawn jumped right out of bed and shut the bedroom door behind him and let me sleep, undisturbed while he did the morning routine with the 2 older kids. He didn't even wake me to let me know he was leaving. He sent me a text message because he knew I always check my phone for time when I get up.

He left the house to go to his parents then to his brothers to take the kids swimming. Lacy is proof because I would never let her leave the house looking like this. I'm sure mom thought we were crazy. Looking at the picture now, I am seriously teary eyed thinking of my sweet husband loving me so much as to not disturb me to ask me for anything! (Plus, in a kind of rag a muffin way, she looks stinkin adorable!) He just let me sleep as long as Jack and I needed and took the kids all on his own. I feel like a new person, I'm embarrassed to tell you how late I slept.

Mom, you raised Prince Charming, I hope you know that!

Jack's first bath

Lacy was very excited to be my big helper and give Jack his first bath. Just a sponge bath, but still she was very excited. She helped keep him warm and happy while I got everything ready.

We got the actual bath site ready

The towel, lotion, diaper, pijamas and everything ready for after the bath.

Then during, she was very concerned because he didn't really like it. He screamed like mad, so Lacy ran away. I thought she was scared or something but she returned quickly with his pacifier and continued to talk sweet to him telling him everything was going to be okay and its good to take baths and be clean.
He is much happier now that he is wrapped up in a towel. She still wants to give him the paci, just in case. He doesn't seem too interested.
She is so proud to have been such a big helper. She really has been great helping me. She will get diapers, wipes, the pacifier, anything at all and she always comes running to mine or his aide when he is unhappy. She is also constatly telling everyone "baby Jack is soooooo cute!"
I'm so lucky!

Baby Jack is here!!

Jack Roy Brown is finally here!!!

This is the only picture I have of me being huge and pregnant. This was on Memorial Day at my parents house. I was huge, miserable and ready to have this baby!!

This is my before shot.

After 2 failed attempts at the hospital I was so ready. Plus Shawn had school and work starting Monday that takes up his whole days. He wakes up at 4 in the morning to go to work then doesn't get home from school until almost 10 at night. I really wanted to have this baby before the weekend so Shawn could be there and not miss his first day of class or more work. Early last week the dr. said I was ready with lots of contractions and if I didn't have the baby by Friday I could come in early Friday morning to be induced. THANK GOODNESS!
I was strep positive so they had me on penicillin for hours before kicking my pit up enough to put me into nice hard labor. Once they did they had to put me on oxygen. My mom and Shawn think its funny that I cover my eyes during labor so they bought me this cute pink silky eye mask to I could do it in style!
This labor was the quickest and easiest yet. Once the contractions started coming on really strong and I had the urge to push, we tried a couple and the nurse told me to stop because the baby was coming too fast and the dr. wasn't there yet. Once the dr. arrived we had 2 sets of pushes (maybe 8 or so all together) and Jack was here! He was a bit bigger and longer than any of us expected. Especially since he came so easily! First baby with no complications during birth, yea!!
He was a whopping 9lbs 1oz and 22 inches long.
We had the best nurse ever, Erin. She was so helpful and sweet and stayed with us most of the day. I have been to the hospital with 3 different babies now, 7 different stays, which totals a lot of different nurses, and she was by far the best! If only you could request your nurses every time.

This is one of baby Jack's first pictures. Shawn is just beaming, I love this picture! Such a proud daddy and cute little man.

We had a lot of visitors come, not all of them got pictures. We are so grateful for the love and support of our family and friends. We are so lucky!
And of course we can't forget the other kiddos. They both just love the new baby. Lacy loves to be Mommy's little helper and wants to hold and kiss him all the time. Hugo is really jealous at times but at other times he gets really excited and giggly when we let him get close. He is my favorite first thing in the morning when he climbs into my bed to see that Jack is still here in his bassinet. He gets so giddy, its adorable!

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support you have shown us. It is a big adjustment getting used to having 3 kids at home. They now out-number us, scary!! The transition has been a lot easier with all the help we have been given.

Wish us luck, we still need it :)