Isaac's Most Recent Obsession

Where do we find Isaac these days??? In his cardboard box - of course!

This kid is obsessed with this box. He LOVES it. He wants to be in it ALL the time. He discovered this box a few days ago - and he and the box have been inseparable ever since. He plays in the box, eats in the box, poops (in his diaper) in the box, and relaxes in the box. They are pretty much the best of friends.

His favorite part of the box: He is intrigued with the flaps and enjoys hitting them down - and they pop back up - over and over and over again.

Anyway, the other day (day 2 after the box discovery) Isaac woke up from his nap in the strangest mood. He was stubborn and frustrated. I tried to feed him, and he closed his mouth tight. He wouldn't take his pacifier. He wouldn't play with toys. He didn't want to be held. He didn't want to be on the floor. NOTHING worked! He seemed to know exactly what he wanted (where in the world did he get that personality trait from???). Finally, after about an hour and a half of this - I got fed up and decided to just put him down in his box and he would have to deal with his own frustration. INSTANTLY this child was all grins and giggles. He played happily in the box for about half an hour and then was cheerful and cooperative. My goodness!
Later that same night he threw an absolute FIT at dinner time. He has NEVER done this before. I mean he gets grumpy sometimes, but this was a FIT. We were trying to feed him and getting no where. So (it didn't take us as long to figure out what he wanted this time) we took him out of the high chair and put him in his box. He grinned and giggled and happily ate ALL of his dinner. Wow. I guess he knows what he wants. :) That can be a good thing, right? The whole incident made me look forward to the toddler (oh - and TEENAGER) years to come. It's going to be FUN!!!!

So, here's our cute little guy... where else would he be??? In his cardboard box, of course. :) Doesn't he look comfortable? No wonder he loves his box.

I have arrived....

I used to day dream about being a mom someday...

I dreamt of the usual things.

You know...

Sticky, grimy fingers.

Crumbs all over the floor.

Runny, goopy, crusty noses.

A sticky spot on the kitchen floor.

An entirely sticky kitchen floor.

Something disgusting (and unidentifiable) left on the corner of the high chair tray.

Toys strewn all over the kitchen floor to trip on.

A child (preferably more than one) screaming, crying, and kicking their legs frantically.

Well....

I have arrived.

Or at least I'm getting closer. :)

What brings this up?

Well, yesterday I had a happy moment. I was feeding Isaac in the kitchen. We were running late for something. He was spitting and slobbering and making a BIG mess. I was grabbing a rag from the sink to try and begin cleaning him off - when my foot stuck on that sticky part of the kitchen floor - and my other foot narrowly missed a toy. I was tempted at that moment to be a little frustrated... but all of a sudden I remembered my dream.

I remembered all that time that I had spent longing and praying and hoping for this precise moment.

And I smiled.

And I thanked God for this moment.

And I kissed my goopy, slobbery, messy child right on his face.

And I held him close and loved him.

Because I am SO grateful to be a mother!!!!!

Inauguration 2009

Today was a historic day.

I don't mean to be cliche - but it really was.

Today was one of those days that my grandkids will ask to interview me about someday for their 4th grade social studies report. They'll ask me if I remember where I was way back in the "olden days" when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. And I will think back and remember today.

This is what I will remember...

It was a normal day for Isaac and I. We ate breakfast and then sat on my bed in our pajamas and watched NBC tell us all about the preparations for the Inauguration Ceremony. We watched all of the past presidents and other important people gathering for the event. Isaac and I chatted about all of the people we saw - who they were, why they were important, etc... It was past Isaac's nap time, but I let him stay up late because I wanted him to see the Inauguration (silly, I know... but oh well). So, I held Isaac on my lap as they announced President Barack Obama. Together, we watched him become the 44th President of the United States of America. The crowd gathered in Washington, D.C. errupted in cheers. I told Isaac all about how important this moment is to our Nation. He was in awe... By the way, that picture of Isaac was his real reaction - actually taken during the Inauguration. And this is what the Inauguration looked like from our vantage point.

Anyway, here are my thoughts...

Today I was proud to be an American. I was proud of our nation. I was grateful for the unifying bond and excitement that America felt as President Obama was sworn into office. I was touched by the Inaugural Address and it's call for a "new era of responsibility." I am inspired by the life of President Obama - the hard work that he has put forth to get to where he is today. It makes me want to work harder and dream bigger to realize my own potential. I hope and pray that President Obama will find much success during his coming years in office. I feel a lot of hope for the future and a lot of patriotism. I am grateful to live in a land of democracy and freedom. And I pray that I can do my part to help our dream for America's future become our reality.
I am truly proud to be an American.

Adventures in Solid Food

We recently started Isaac on baby food - and it has been an adventure every day since. Here I have chronicled some of our daily adventures with solid food.

First, here is the cute clean little face that makes it all worth it. :) We love this boy and it is so fun to watch him experience new flavors and textures.

On December 23rd we gave Isaac his first taste of baby food. We decided to start with sweet potatoes. We were so excited to see his reaction... and his did... NOTHING. He just kind of let the food sit in his mouth. He didn't try to eat it. He didn't dislike it. But he definitely was not interested in it AT ALL. He was much more interested in watching all of the people in my family who had gathered around to watch the show. Next, we tried green peas. This time we got a definite reaction. I can just hear him thinking, "Eww. Yuck. What the heck is this stuff?"

And then, "Mom... how could you? What did I ever do to you??"

He actually got all teary eyed and started crying as he tried to figure out how to get this yucky green guck out of his mouth. Until...

He spit it all out. We tried a few more bites (I know - I'm cruel) which he responded similarly to. Since these experiences Isaac has learned to like sweet potatoes, tolerate green peas,butternut squash, and rice cereal, and he LOVES pears. But he is still always more interested in what is going on around him than he is in his food. I have to put all toys out of sight and he can't use a bib while he is eating or else he gets too distracted by it. Oh, and he eats best for his daddy- so Jeremy feeds him dinner every night. Anyway...

** Warning: disgusting picture below **

Anyway, as the experienced parents in the world know - with the gift of solid food... comes it's sidekick - solid (and stinky!) poo. We have already been gifted with numerous "blow-outs." And we are continually impressed with the variety of colors, textures, and smells which are possible. As Jeremy frankly put it one day after Isaac had eaten sweet potatoes, "Is he even digesting any of the food that we give him? This looks just like sweet potatoes. We might as well scoop that back up and feed it to him again."

Anyway, Isaac's favorite thing to do is poo while he is eating. Here's the evidence to prove it.

And on to a cleaner and more pleasant thought....

I have been so excited about Isaac starting baby food because I was excited to make my own homemade baby food. I got the idea from my sister and a couple of my friends who made food for their babies. They kept telling me how easy it was, so I was eager to learn how to do something new. And they were right - it is SO easy, saves money, and is SO fun!! I love it already!!!! Here's the first homemade baby food that I made - baby pears. I just drained a can of "no sugar added" pears, put them in the blender and then poured the mashed pears into an ice cube tray to freeze it and store it. It honestly took 10 minutes (including clean-up).

Here's the cost analysis:

Price of this quantity of store bought baby food pears = $3.50

Price of 2 cans of pears = $1.50

$2 savings!

Next, I tried making baby food carrots. This time I peeled carrots and cut them into smaller pieces. Then I popped them in the microwave to steam them until they were soft enough to mash. Then, I put them in the blender and added some of the water that had been used to steam the carrots. Then I poured the mashed carrots into the ice cube trays. The hardest part was trying not to make a mess getting the carrots into each individual ice cube compartment. Overall, it took me about 30 minutes (but remember... this was my first time trying it).

Here's the cost analysis:

Price of this quantity of store bought baby food carrots = $5.75
Price of 2 lb. bag of carrots = $1.24
$ 4.50 Savings!!

Anyway, I love trying new things, learning how to do things on my own, and saving money - so I am loving making Isaac's baby food! This next week I am excited to try peaches, spinach, and green beans. It should be fun!

Stay tuned for more of this fabulous boy's adventures with solid food.

Water Aerobics

This semester I decided that it is time (since Isaac is now 6 months old!) to start exercising again. :) So... I decided to try something that I have always wanted to try - WATER AEROBICS. I enrolled in a BYU Aerobic Fitness Program class called "New Wave Aqua Cardio". Last night was my first class and I LOVED it! I'm excited to be trying something new, getting out of the house, and exercising all at the same time.

I was impressed with the workout. Having never tried or seen water aerobics in action before, I didn't know what to expect and I was surprised by the variety of movements and especially by the water "dumbbells" that we used. Those things were tough!

And here's the pool at the Richards Building on BYU campus where we work out. We do shallow and deep water workouts.
Anyway, it was fun and motivating to start exercising again. I look forward to the rest of the class. Wow - it feels so good to actually get out and exercise - instead of just thinking about it all the time. :)

Back to Reality

We have finally returned from our blissful THREE week vacation in Arizona. We were pampered. We saw our family, spent loads of time together, and were fed three meals a day. We talked and relaxed and day dreamed. It was beautiful. But, alas, we must return to the rigors of school, work, and RESPONSIBILITY. So, we flew home to begin a new semester and a new year in Provo. Here's a picture of our PERFECT little traveler. We've flown with him 6 times now, so I think that we are finally getting the hang of it. It was actually (dare I say it) EASY.

Here's Jeremy (aka PACK MULE) with all of our luggage. He got to carry all of that luggage while I took care of Isaac and pushed the stroller. Hmmm.... I wonder who got the better end of that deal. Good thing we decided to pack light. :)
And this, my friends, is what we returned home to. We traveled from 65 degree Arizona to FREEZING SNOWING WET COLD Utah. And if you know Jeremy and I, there is one thing that we both surely love (please sense the dripping sarcasm) and that is.... SNOW. Oh well, it is pretty and white. And hopefully we only have a few more winters of this!

Funny side note. I got to be the lucky one to scrape all of the snow off the car and shovel the snow away from the tires so that we could actually pull out into the parking lot (Jeremy had already taken the bus to school by that time). Anyway, I'm not the smartest kid on the block. I opened up the car and looked all over for the snow scraper. It was no where to be found. I assumed that it was in the trunk (which was covered with snow). So, I thought to myself... "What can I use to clean off the car?" I ended up cleaning off the entire car with a SPATULA. It worked out great (at least for the car). In the process I broke the spatula (did I mention that this was Jeremy's absolute favorite kitchen utensil?) There were tears shed at our home tonight for the poor innocent wounded spatula. ANYWAY, as I finally was able to load up Isaac and drive out of the parking lot I looked down..... only to see the snow scraper right beside me! Turns out that poor spatula gave its life for nothing. Oh well. :)
Well, it's actually been kind of a hard transition back to reality. Jeremy has been forced to plunge right back into school and work and church responsibility - he already has a 30 page brief due by Friday at 5 pm so he will likely be up all night for the next two days. It is still nice to come back home, though. I have enjoyed returning to our precious little apartment and having more one on one play time with Isaac. He is growing so fast! Well, Jeremy and I are both excited for this semester and all that it will bring. It should be fun!

My Favorite Part of Vacation

Hands down the best part of Christmas vacation was seeing so much of this...

...and this.
I loved watching the joy and smiles on Jeremy and Isaac's faces as they played together.
I loved walking down the hall towards our bedroom and hearing giggles and laughter and squeals of delight.
I love seeing Isaac's face light up when he sees his dad.
I love hearing Jeremy say (about 10 times each day) "Boy, I love that kid." or "Isaac is so cute" or "I really love Isaac."
Jeremy is so happy to be a dad and I love seeing him enjoy it.
He is such a hand-on dad... always bathing Isaac, changing his diaper, feeding him, watching him, playing with him, holding him, and helping put him to sleep. It is such a huge help whenever his is around.

Anyway, I feel so blessed to have these two in my life! They are the BEST. I loved that the three of us were able to spend so much time together - that was the ultimate vacation highlight.

Johnston Family Highlights

During our Christmas vacation we were able to spend some time hanging out with the Johnston clan in the "Mud House" in Snowflake, AZ. As usual, we had a BLAST! It was so comfortable to sit around in our pajamas all day long, play games, visit, watch movies, eat food, and just take a moment to really relax. There were many adventures (I can't do them all justice). But the absolute hands-down highlight was spending time with the people we love most - our family!

Isaac and I - loving life. He and I are best buds. This picture was taken the day that he turned 6 months old. He is growing SO fast!

The girls (Natalie, Mariah, Michayla, and Amber) organized and put on a family talent show. It was classic! There was singing, piano playing, guitar playing, violin playing, a magic show, and even interpretive dancing. It was great to cheer on each member of the family.
This trip the boys played a lot of RISK. A few of us girls even learned how to play and joined in on a few late night rounds of Mission Risk. Many other games were played as well - including (but not limited to) Boggle, Scum, Rook, Roosk (a family invented variation on Rook), Scrabble, Upwords, Hand and Foot, Ping Pong, Nerts, and another unnamed game invented by the family (Use duct tape to secure a plastic cup to each end of the kitchen table. Then throw a ping pong ball back and forth to see if you can make a "basket" by getting the ping pong ball to actually go into the plastic cup.) Anyway - we LOVED playing games as a family!
Unfortunately Jeremy got sick while we were in Snowflake. He had the same severe cold that I had before we left on vacation. Luckily he loaded up on medication and tried to get as much sleep as possible. But still - he was pretty miserable for 3-4 days of the trip. Anyway, he used this contraption (called a "Neti pot") to clean out his sinuses and nasal passages several times each day. He was pretty much addicted to it. One night we couldn't find the "neti pot" and had to resort to using a funnel. That was pretty funny - but it worked! Anyway, although it was sad to have Jeremy sick on vacation - I was so grateful to be somewhere where I had SO much help. All of the family loved seeing, holding, and playing with Isaac. It was a terrific break for me! Thank you everyone!!!
Isaac with his Uncle Brent (who he is named after). They had some good bonding moments. My favorite (and the most generous service moment EVER) was that Brent took Isaac for 2 and a half hours one day so that Jeremy and I could catch up on some MUCH needed sleep. It was awesome!! The best gift ever!! And when he brought Isaac back to us - our little baby was asleep. Oh - the relief. So we got to rest even more. The bliss of sleep. Ahhhh.... Thank you Brent!!!

Isaac with his cousin Amber. Isaac loved watching all of his cousins running around and playing - and each cousin took a few moments to play with him - which was a terrific help.

See how happy Isaac is to be hanging out with the guys! He loves being around kids! Here he is with Isaac Allen and his cousin Blake.

And of course he got some cuddle time with each of his aunts and uncles. Here he is enjoying some time with his Aunt Michelle. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all of the grandparents, aunts, and uncles. But he loved it all - and so did Jeremy and I. It was a terrific vacation. We love you!!

Frisbee Golf

One warm afternoon we headed to the park to play Frisbee Golf. We had a blast. Jeremy, Isaac, and I were all on a team. I think that Isaac was the MVP. Anyway, it was just great to get out and enjoy the sunshine - and work off a few of those Christmas goodie calories. :)

The Frisbee Golf players: Troy, Jeremy, Kendra, Isaac, Hunter, crazy excited Spencer, Jeff, Mom, and Cody (who dominated us! He was great!!)
Jeremy in action. Everyone else looks on in fear and amazement.
Jeremy and Spencer. Probably in some sort of deep discussion. These two are best friends - and I am SO glad because that means that I get to be friends with Spencer's wife Kelyn... who is pretty much the coolest person I know. Anyway...
Jeremy and Isaac

Isaac and I swinging. I LOVE to swing and I think that this was Isaac's first adventure on a real swing. He looks happy to me!

Our happy family at the park. I love vacation and all of the wonderful family time!

New Year's Eve

We celebrated New Year's in our favorite (and most traditional) fashion - at home with the family in our pajamas! It doesn't get better than that! We played games - Hand and Foot (or just "Hand" as Jeremy calls it), Spoons (complete with the loser dancing on the kitchen table - sweet moves Amber), PIG (pictured below), and some serious RISK. Here we are big kids and little kids alike - playing PIG (object of game=the blindfolded person in the middle of the circle tries to guess who is holding the other end of their spatula by listening to them make the sounds of a pig. It's a highly sophisticated and intellectual game.)

Jeremy and Julie "oinking"
The gang
Spencer and Julie - really getting into the spirit of the game
Playing RISK and drinking our "bubbly" (sparking cider)

Jeremy and I (looking fabulous) as we rang in the new year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We loved spending time with our family and hope that we get to do more of that in 2009. It should be a good year - we are looking forward to it!!!!

The Nativity

On Christmas Eve we put on a "rambunctious" version of the nativity. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately Isaac was asleep and missed out on all of the fun - luckily, Jeremy was able to fill in for him as "baby" Jesus. :)

Oh well, we'll work on reverence next year.

Our horse Allyson (what else would she be??)
Cody and Blake
Jeff and Troy
Julie and Hunter

The angelic choir - Mom, Michayla, and I

Brent, Michelle, and Amber

Jeremy and I