Gratitude

This morning I am feeling very grateful for so many things in my life...I thought I'd take a moment to share. I have  a LOT to be grateful for so bear with me! :-)

First of all, I am so grateful for my beautiful family...I could not feel more blessed with the people who God has chosen for me to share my life with.

I am grateful for KYLIE - 

She is such a sweet, mature and loving young lady.  She recently started 7th Grade and is just growing up so fast! We went to meet the teacher last night and I'm not joking - ALL of her teachers were talking about how amazing she is. (Something we already knew of course!) They all told us separately that they have to tell her not to raise her hand to answer every question because she's always prepared to participate and answer the questions correctly but is making it too easy for the other kids in her class. Not to mention, she's an incredible big sister to Harper. So helpful and loving. We are so proud.  

 First day of 7th Grade - August 27th

Big Sis/Little Sis shirts!

I am grateful for JEFF - 

He is such a loving and devoted father and husband.  He wants to be so involved with everything in both of his daughters lives and loves to love on his girls (me included!)  He is such a hard worker and has been working a lot of extra hours lately spending time at home after work and on the weekends to complete his projects and make sure he is doing everything he can to make his company successful. I am grateful for his guidance, sense of humor, love and support...without which I would feel so empty! I love you honey!

The love of my life :-)

 This picture cracks me up...like father, like daughter!

So adorable. Both of them! :-)

I am grateful for HARPER - 
I am so very grateful for my incredible baby girl. I feel like I'm ALWAYS talking about how grateful for her that I am so I'll wait and elaborate when I post her 6 month letter in just a few days!!

Of course I am grateful for my other family as well but if I listed everyone, this would be the longest blog post EVER!! :) You know who you are!! XOXO

I am very grateful that for the most part, Miss Harper is sleeping through the night! She's also rolling over to her tummy to sleep...I guess she gets it from me. She's always sleeping on her side or tummy these days! Sweetest girl...

This is a nightly view for me...L.O.V.E. 

(What did the world ever do without video monitors?!)

Big girl!

With the 11th anniversary of 9/11 being yesterday, I am reminded how grateful I am for the men and women that serve our country every day to protect us.

I am grateful for visits from family!! This past weekend my cousin Kam came in town to visit and meet Harper! We had such a great time and were reminded how much we miss each other! It looks like we'll see each other a few more times in the next couple of months so that will be a treat! Love you Kam!

I am very grateful that Jeff and I have decided for me to have a reduced work schedule.  I know it puts a bigger burden on Jeff and I really appreciate his sacrifices so I can be more present to teach our daughter and help her learn and grow.  I am so blessed to have a little extra time with Harper every week and it allows me to pick Kylie up from school on most days and also get ahead on things to do before the weekend comes around.  Life is GOOD. Thank you Honey!

 Snuggle time

 Story time!

Marley loves the extra time I'm home too!

I am thankful for Baby Boot Camp...these ladies are helping me get my butt back in shape!!

I'm grateful for technology and how it allows us to stay connected with my inlaws who live far away.  I love our constant communication and pictures! It makes us feel not so far away. We love you Grandma & Grandpa Johnson!

Almost finished...I'm very grateful for my great co-workers. If I have to be away from my sweet family, I can't think of a group of women I'd rather be with.  Laughing, supporting each other and learning from each other on a daily basis! I love my DFF'ers! :-) (And I LOVE that they all love Harper - she has a lot of Aunts!)

Finally, I'm so grateful for my Mom.  Need her to host a jewelry party..."No problem!"  Can you babysit Harper 15 times in the next month..."Sure!"  Can you come help me straighten up the house?..."Of course, and I'll bring dinner!"  My Mom's energy and willingness to help is ENDLESS.  Jeff and I are so blessed to have her in our lives. She is the best Mom and Grandmother anyone could ask for!  Thank you! Love you!

Wow, reading back over the post I'm overwhelmed. It's good sometimes to write out all the things that are good in your life!  Of course, I'm leaving a lot out too but these are the things that are hitting home for me this very moment!

Have a great rest of the week - a few more posts to come soon!

Kasey

Pool Time & Puppy Love!

Sunday we had a great time hanging out in the pool.  The weather was beautiful and not nearly as hot as it has been for the last couple of months, and there was a light breeze. It was so relaxing to be outside and not be sweating to death!  Mimi came over for a few hours and was excited to see Harper in the pool!

We took some great pics and I had to share...ENJOY! 

 Sophie the Giraffe went swimming too!

 Poor Marley was missing out on the fun!

 HQ loves swimming with Daddy 

Harper & her beautiful Mimi 

Fun pool day!

Harper is really starting to notice Marley now and it's so cute. She's becoming a big fan of the "Smooch Pooch" and Marley thinks she's pretty cool too...

 Harper put her hand on Marley's paw...so sweet!

The look of love!

Marley is a good little guard dog too and loves laying close to her baby sister. :-)

Have a great week everyone!

~Kasey

Harper is 5 Months!

5 whole months have passed since Miss Harper Quinn Johnson graced us with her presence in this world on March 16th.  With each month that passes, I feel more and more honored to be her Mother.  See below for her 5 month pics:

This Month in pictures...

 Enjoying story time with Curious George!

Sweet outfit and such a big girl sitting up so well!

 Sporting her Jeggings from Mimi - what a cute Tushie!

 Sweet PJ's from Grandma & Grandpa!

 School fun - hanging out in the walker!

 Fun Sunday morning...

 "Mom, what is this stuff that you're feeding me?!?"

First time for rice cereal - BEAR DOWN by the way!! :-)

 On second thought - I think I like it! It's yummy! 

 Lovin' on Daddy. So precious.

I know this is my boob, but I just had to show y'all - 

she's so sweet with her little hand on me! This is a regular view for me and 
I can't get enough of it!

(And thankfully not too revealing to post!)

Fun family time with the Browns & Coco, Popo & Aunt Mikael! 

You love your Aunt Suz & Uncle Trey!

We went grocery shopping and you loved looking out in the Baby Bjorn for the first time! 

We surprised Daddy with this cute U of A outfit!  BEAR DOWN!

Lovin' on Daddy after his trip to San Diego!

Dear Harper,

Wow! Happy 5 Month Birthday big girl!  You are growing up right before our eyes.  This past month has been a really fun one.  You are really laughing and giggling up a storm right now and the littlest things can tickle your funny bone. We love that about you! You especially love being raised in the air above our heads doing "Super Baby" and even get a kick out of a little toss in the air!  It makes the whole family laugh to see you laugh and we love the happiness that just pours out of you on a daily basis!

Other than giggling, you've started something else that cracks us up -- and that is GROWLING!  It is so cute to hear your growl and grunt to get our attention.  I read that babies do it because they like how it feels in their throat but I think you do it now because you like to see us laugh and imitate you! Ha! It never gets old hearing a funny noise coming from you!  You're the cutest growler we've ever known!

This past week we started rice cereal.  You had really been staring at the foods we have been eating around you so I thought it was time to try some food to see how you like it.  You LOVE it! You're really getting the hang of the whole eating thing and I can't wait to introduce other foods after you turn 6 months!  It's a little messy when we feed you but I love how you look with rice cereal smeared across your face...you wear it well my dear!  :-)  (Can you tell how I think pretty much everything you do is AMAZING! I'm a proud Mom!)

Sister Kylie is having a hard time because she hasn't been able to hold, touch or kiss you for the last 4 weeks!  She had her chicken pox vaccine and it's a live virus so she has to keep her distance.  Poor sister!!

You got to meet some more of your relatives on your 5 month birthday! Uncle Trey, Aunt Suz, and Cousin Hayden came in from Austin and got to love on you.  They were so happy to finally meet and hold you and had so much fun with you at Coco & Popo's house! 

We've really started to be stricter about bed times and our routines.  It's hard because Daddy and I just LOVE being with you all the time, but we know in order for you to get good sleep, etc. it's important for you to go to bed and wake up at the same times every day.

Right now we typically give you rice cereal at about 7:00pm. Then we start our routine with a bath at about 7:30.  You still love bath time so much and are getting kinda big for your tub!  You love playing with your rubber duckies and I can't wait until you are sitting up the whole time and splashing away with me!  After bath, we dry off and I give you a little massage. They say this helps you to calm down and I think that's true but I just love the bonding we share during this time.  We look into each other's eyes and I give you a good little rub down.  It's so relaxing for me too!

After that we're into PJ's and I try to read you a book. Sometimes you're too sleepy at that point so I don't get to but it's always the goal! Our favorite books right now are "On the Night You Were Born", "Guess How Much I Love You" and "Curious George".  We have lots of other books that we read too but these seem to be our faves.

After reading, I swaddle you all snug with your arms out and then feed you one last time.  You've started putting your hands on me as if to say "This is MY milk" and it's so cute.  You're staking your claim to Mama! I love watching you drift off to sleep. You're usually asleep by 8:30 or 8:45. As far as nighttime goes, you are still waking up a couple of times a night and I'm trying my hardest to get that down to one time only.  I am beginning to think that you just love being with me or Dad and you don't really NEED to get up, but you WANT to!  Some people might say you're a little spoiled, but you know what, I am cherishing this time because I know it will be over before we know it!

One more thing that I love that we're doing now is our morning songs. You wake up between 7:00 and 7:30 am. When I come get you out of your crib and see your bright and smiley face, we sing "Good Morning to You, Good Morning to You, Good Morning Dear Harper, Good Morning to You!"  :-) and then we follow it with "You are my Sunshine."  It's such a fun way to start the day, and even though Mom can't carry a tune, you love it!

It brings tears to my eyes when I think of my love for you. It's ENDLESS and it grows stronger by the second.  I am so incredibly happy and lucky to have you in my life.  Daddy, Kylie and I love you to the moon and back.

Yay for 5 months, you're almost half a year old! I can't believe it!!

I love you so much my Angel,
Mom

Summer Fun!

To start the weekend off, we threw a surprise shower on Friday for Miss Shannon who takes care of Harper! Of course, I didn't end up getting a picture of the guest of honor, but these two girls were the cutest in their dresses and hair bows! 

Harper & Lyla are best buddies at school!

On Saturday, we had a fun visit with Uncle Tay at Mimi's house! He was in town from Austin/Nashville and came for a visit! Harper wore her "My Uncle Rocks" onesie and they were like two peas in a pod. Tay loves that sweet girl and she thinks he's pretty cool too :-)

I'm seeing a trend around the Johnson household. It's a laid back approach to life. My hubby and daughter both have the bug...hopefully they'll rub off a little more on me! :-) CUTENESS!!

We've had so much fun with Harper this summer. Despite the 108 degree temps, we've been able to get in the pool later in the day when the sun is going down and we can put our sun shade over the pool.   Harper LOVES the water.  She loves to take in all the sights and sounds, look at the sun reflecting off the water and kick her chunky little legs in the water.  It's just the most precious thing you've ever seen!! 

 Tummy time on the float!

 This face just  melts my heart.

Look at that cute tushie! 

I am sure this might be a blackmail photo one day when she's older! hehe

This face makes a Monday not so bad! She's having a blast at Miss Shannon's today! :-) We love our updates on our sweet girl and appreciate Shannon more than we can even describe! Can't you just imagine what she's thinking? I just can't wait to hear her sweet voice and for her to be able to tell us what she's thinking.

She's 20 weeks old and so close to being 5 months! We can't believe how fast the time goes.  More to come soon!

-Kasey

SHOTS and Rock & Roll!

Friday was not fun for our two girls...they BOTH had to get shots, although Harper had the worse end of the deal. She had to get 3 shots in her thighs and take one oral vaccine.  Kylie had to get her chicken pox vaccine so she had it easy with one quick easy shot.  


One HORRIBLE factor about Kylie's shot though is that she has to have "limited contact" with Harper for 6 weeks since the vaccine has a live virus! Talk about torture! No kissing or holding for quite a while.

So the girls got in some last minute snuggle time...

Waiting for their names to be called at Dr. Thai's! 

"Mom, I'm not so sure about these shots coming up!"

Harper had a great appointment.  The doctor was very pleased with her progress and we  decided not to start rice cereal until 6 months because she's so healthy and seems to be getting all she needs from me! Thank you God!

Here are her "stats" at 18 weeks so I don't forget:

Weight: 13 lbs 8 oz (in the 43%)

Height: 24.5 inches (in the 54%)

Head: 16.75 inches (in the 85%) 

(She has a big noggin like her Mama!)

After the doctor, we dropped Kylie off to her Mom and headed home to watch Uncle Taylor perform LIVE on YouTube from Burbank, California at the Warner Bros. Studios. We were so very proud! It was such an awesome moment and Harper loved the music!

I just can't wait for our little nugget to be able to dance to the music. I know she will be adorable and love dancing while her Uncle sings!

Saturday I had a Stella & Dot Trunk Show and got to catch up with my friend Courtney who I've known since Junior High. Her daughter Izzie is almost 16 months and she's about to have her 2nd baby in September! Busy girl!

Sunday was a lazy day filled with movies, snuggles and Bloody Mary's (well, for Jeff anyway!)  Marley literally tried to lean over and lick the straw...she thought this drink looked as good as I thought it did! Yum!

Jeff grilled steaks and made an awesome dinner complete with baked sweet potatoes! My fave! We watched the Bachelorette Finale and were so happy Emily chose Jef...I mean, how can you go wrong with a guy with such an amazing name?!? (Love you honey!)

Finally, our girl had her Austin vibe going with her onesie from 

Tay & Meliss...such a cutie pie. 

Hope everyone has a great week! 

~Kasey

One Year Ago Today

One Year ago today I came home from work on a Monday evening and wasn't feeling quite right. We were trying to get pregnant and I was aware that I was possibly a day or two late but didn't think I was pregnant.


Jeff was cleaning the pool and I decided to take a pregnancy test before taking my shower just to know for sure.  I took the test and as I sat and watched the little clock blink on the test, I was preparing my self to see "Not Pregnant".  I started doing things around the bathroom to help the time pass more quickly and kept glancing over and still seeing the blinking clock.  The whole time I kept thinking, "it's going to be negative, it's going to be negative..." because I SO badly wanted it to be positive but I didn't want to get my hopes up!


I finally thought enough time had passed and I went back to check the results. I bent down to look at the test and it said PREGNANT!! I was in shock.  I was so happy!! I went out to Jeff to see how much time he had left on the pool and he said 10 minutes or so.  I went back in and tried to think of a creative way to tell him.   But then...I couldn't stand it. If you know me well, you know I'm NOT good at surprises or waiting to give gifts, etc.  Once I have something for someone, I want them to have it.  This news was not going to stay in my mouth for one more minute.  So, I walked outside and came around the corner.  Jeff said when I came around the corner I looked like I'd seen an angel. He said my whole face was lit up and it was unmistakable.


I told him I needed to talk to him and he new immediately. I told him we were going to have a baby! We laughed, hugged, cried and couldn't wait to tell our family and friends.


Another fun, err interesting aspect of the timing...I was 6 days away from leaving on a 17 day program in California and I'd be out of town for 21 days total.  That made things a little challenging in terms of last minute doctor appointments.  I told a few work friends the news so they'd know why I couldn't help lift boxes, eat our normal deli lunch buffet or stay up late just to chat.  But, overall it was great and tiny "peanut Harper" and I enjoyed this view for the next 2.5 weeks!  

The trip was great and it helped the time pass during those first weeks when you're scared to move, trying to learn what you can and can't eat/do, etc.  Jeff and Kylie joined me after my program was over and we had a great time.  I felt pretty good although food was starting to taste funny and I had a little nausea, overall, I'd say I was pretty lucky with my early symptoms! 

We took this picture to commemorate Harper being so tiny in my belly so she'd know she was there with us... I think I was 7 weeks pregnant in this picture.

When we got back we had our first doctor appointment and got this fun first picture of our girl. (Although we had no idea she was a girl yet!)  

 This is really grainy but you can still see the general small little "peanut" in the picture and the words...

"See you in March!"

Our lives changed forever on July 18, 2011 and March 16, 2012 and we are so blessed to have our sweet baby girl! 

Much love,

Kasey