Cousins are fun!

The boys and I were able to spend some time with Bjorn and Norah on Saturday while Ryan and Michelle took in some Winter game activities. It was quite fun and busy. They all play really well together but they are all so busy! Caleb is about 5 weeks older than Bjorn and they are just about the same size. Ironically Isaac and Bjorn were dressed in the same shirt on Saturday so I had to get some pictures. Getting a picture of 4 kids under the age of 4 is quite a task.

Isaac- 27 months, Caleb- 18 months, Bjorn- 17 months, Norah- 3 1/2




Good buddies


Too funny!


Buddies~Cousins

Just had to share

Saturday I took a bunch of Valentine pictures of the boys. While taking a break from pictures Sammy was trying to get a lick of Caleb's sucker. I soon found them nose to nose and snapped a picture. I think it is the cutest thing ever. The boys love their dog, the feeling is pretty mutual except when Isaac thinks Sam is a horse and sits on his back and says "go horsee go".

18 month update

Caleb is 18 months...what, how did that happen? He is such a little ham. He tries to do EVERYTHING Isaac does and I do mean everything. If Isaac sits at the table without a booster then Caleb must do the same. If Isaac sits at their little Toy Story table, Caleb does the same. It's so cute. Lately Isaac has been treating Caleb pretty well. It's so cute when he comes over to Caleb and kisses him on the cheek. If Caleb is naughty and in time out, Isaac tries to come to his rescue. Caleb is talking up a storm, he copies everything we say. He's already putting 2 word sentences together. He loves doing puzzles, especially farm puzzles. He loves trucks, tractors, combines, trains. He's not into movies or tv shows like Isaac is, but he does know who Barney and Elmo are.

Caleb now weighs a whopping 26 lbs 3 oz. and is 32 3/4 inches. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. I miss the newborn days, but then I remember how much I love my sleep and I'm thankful we're past that point.

Christmas celebrations

Finally!!!!!! We finally had the chance to celebrate a few Christmas gatherings. January 1st we celebrated with Ross' parents and siblings and January 9th was with my family. This year we went to Brandon and celebrated Ross' side at Brad and Gina's house. Grandma W fell and broke her hip and has been in the hospital. We figured it was a good location being so close to Sioux Falls so we could go visit her afterwards. We had a nice meal, a good variety of soups, bread and crackers. The boys weren't the best eaters but they were also missing their nap so I didn't worry too much about it. They did surprisingly well as tired as they were. Cousin Caden kept them quite entertained. The boys got a lot of neat presents. They both got a Hawkeye stocking cap from Grandma and Grandpa K. They had already gotten their kitchen so that was their big gift from the Grandparents. They both got a White tractor from Aunt Erin and Uncle Nolan. That was a BIG hit and they love them. They also got some books, puzzles, nesting cups, and a hand me down toy guitar. After spending Christmas with the family we went and visited Grandma W in the hospital. Then we made a quick stop at McDonald's for a couple hungry boys and headed home.

Saturday, January 9th we had 2 family gatherings. My Aunt Marline and Uncle Bruce rented a big room and we celebrated there. Just about everyone was able to make it except for Aunt DeAnna, Uncle Mark, Lydia and Leah. We had a great time. The room was quite large so I brought the boys playland tent to play with and I think that was a hit. The boys behaved quite well and enjoyed running around with Bjorn, Norah and Addison. By 4:00 they were really tired and both ready for naps. Ross and I joined in on the Grab Bag again this year. I ended up with a label maker which is really nice because I intend on organizing the boys toys as soon as I can get my 9 cube shelf. Ross ended up with a mini flashlight which is great too. It seems we are in need of smaller flashlights now and then.

At 5:00 we headed to my parents. I don't think we were out of the parking lot and Caleb was asleep. Isaac was asleep before we were out of Arnolds Park. We ended up driving around for a while so that they could get a quick nap in. Then we went to my parents and celebrated there. We had a great time. The boys ended up with some nice toys and clothes. The biggest hit was their big dump trucks. Bjorn got one too, but he was quite content to play with his basketball, football and soccerball. The little kids exchanged names this year and I held the master list. We had a little bit of a mix up and poor Emily came out short handed. I felt pretty bad for her, but it was a pure mistake. We'll just have to be careful next year.

Here are some pictures from the Christmas celebrations!!!!

Uncle Nolan with his nephews...Isaac, Caleb & Caden


Isaac trying out Caden's old boots


Isaac kissing Aunt Erin for a drink of pop


Aunt Erin and her nephews...Isaac, Caleb & Caden


Caleb trying out the guitar


Caleb trying out Caden's boots



Boys trying out their new tractors


Isaac and cousin Norah


All the little kids at the Johnson Christmas~
Caleb (18 mo.), Isaac (2), Emily (8), Daryan (12), Bjorn (16 mo.)
Norah (3), Kim (13) (Colton 2 mo.) Addison (3)


Caleb (18 mo.) Bjorn (16 mo)


Johnson Family Christmas ~ (Front row) Michelle, Kim,
Colton, Emily, Daryan, Bjorn (2nd row) Ryan, Grandma J,
Grandpa J, Amber, Isaac (3rd row) Di, Dad, Mom, Norah,
Addison, Marline, Bruce, Caleb, Ross (back row) Chad,
Will, Travis & Juli


Isaac opening presents


Caleb with Grandma J

1 2 3 Magic

Ross and I have been trying to find the "perfect" way to parent/discipline Isaac. He's a very very strong willed little boy and he's 2 so it's the perfect combination for disaster. I have been quite stressed out with him, especially when it comes time to meals. I've tried a few different things, but nothing has seemed to work and I end up frustrated and upset and Isaac the same. Our good friend JoAnne told us about 1 2 3 Magic. I've been reading the book and we've been watching the video. I am completely amazed at how quickly Isaac has caught on and how much easier it has been. It's so much more enjoyable with him in the evenings.

1 2 3 Magic is a way of disciplining/parenting children ages 2-12. You allow the child time to shape up. If the child receives a 3 they are to go to "time out" or "rest". It's a way of counting them without emotion and most importantly without talking too much. I've been doing this with Isaac for about 2 weeks now and the changes have amazed me. By the time I get to 2 he usually shapes up and it's not THAT often that he has to serve time out.

I'm so thrilled with this and I intend to keep using it. I've been trying it with Caleb which is working somewhat, but he's still a little young for it yet. I don't have to put him in time out very often, but he's now 18 months old and catching onto all the tricks big brother has pulled.

This weekend we have 2 more Christmas celebrations. I'll be able to post some pictures after that. We're looking forward to spending time with family. Isaac is looking forward to seeing his cousins. I also turn 30 this weekend. I can't believe I'm ending my 20's in a few short days. I can't say I'm real excited about turning 30 but I hope that just means many more happy years to come!

That's all for now. I'll check back soon with Christmas pictures and a well-check update on Caleb.

No more dreaming of a White Christmas!

I can honestly say this is my 1st Christmas in 29 years that I was not able to leave the house. We got A LOT of snow. I don't know the exact amount but it's around 20 inches. The boys, Ross and I have been stuck at home since the 23rd. We spent Christmas together, but it sure didn't feel like it. Christmas Eve service was canceled, none of our family gatherings went as planned, so it was a very quiet Christmas. The plan is to have our family gatherings in the next couple weeks. Santa did make a stop at our house and brought some cool new toys.

The boys got a big mega playhut with a ball pit inside, a couple ball bouncers, a jack in the box for each of them, a car, toys for the bath tub and a small dinosaur set. Grandma and Grandpa B and Grandma and Grandpa K had gotten the boys a kitchen. It's a good thing it was left at our place. Ross was able to put it together Christmas Eve. It's another big hit at our house.

We took the boys out in the snow Christmas Eve. They loved it even though their little cheeks were bright red. Mommy needs to invest in some snow pants though!

Dear Santa...

For Christmas this year we would like you to give us warm temperatures, no wind, no ice, no snow, none of it!!!! It seems that the weather forecast is not looking very good for this holiday season. Our plans to travel to Milford to spend time with Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins may come to an abrupt stop. We hope the weather can hold off but at this point it's not looking like it.

I've been looking forward to the holiday celebrations this year as the boys are older. Last year Caleb was just a little squirt not evening sitting up yet and this year he's a independent, adorable almost 18 month old!!!!

If someone were to ask me what I really want for Christmas, the answer would be PATIENCE. I'm in dire need of it. The terrible two's have hit full force in our house.

Picture this...

Pulling into the garage at about 5:25 pm. I gather my purse, diaper bag, whatever else I need to take into the house. I open the door and grab Caleb. I then come around to the other side and open Isaac's door. I see that he's kicked his shoes off, is attempting to pull his socks off and his hat and mittens are somewhere in the van. SOOO I take Caleb in the house, set my stuff down, but I have to go shut the bathroom doors and turn lights on before I can attempt to go back into the garage to get Isaac. I get Isaac unbuckled and NOOOOO he doesn't want to be carried, but NOOOOOO he doesn't want his shoes on either. I carry him into the house kicking and yelling. He then WANTS BARNEY! I turn Barney on so I can heat up supper and low and behold it's not the right BARNEY! Do I have any clue which Barney he is referring to, nope!!!! So I let him throw his little tantrum and continue on with supper. Caleb is up and ready to eat trying to get in his booster. He waits patiently for his food to be served. I tell Mr. Isaac supper is ready. Nooooo he doesn't want supper. In most instances he has no clue what is even on his plate. He refuses to eat, literally, he screams, yells, kicks, if I do manage to get him to the table he ends up throwing it and then he wants a SNACK. Yep this is what I deal with over and over and over and over. Are the terrible two's over yet????

Okay so that was just a glimpse into my strong willed little boy's life. In reality, he's a loving, caring and good boy for the most part. Because he's so strong willed he likes to be in control and we're working on that with him. I thank God everyday for the 2 blessings he's given us. There are times I think back to before we had children and how much we prayed for a baby, how many tests, procedures and pregnancy tests we went through. It seems so unreal that not only did God bless us, he doubly blessed us. I love my sons more than anything and I wouldn't want it any other way.

So even though I tend to complain about the terrible two's, it's all part of parenting and I keep telling myself "this too shall pass".

Checkup with the ENT

Well it's time for another update it appears. Both Caleb and Isaac had a checkup with Dr. DeSautel in Sioux Falls. Caleb had tubes placed in his ears in April and Isaac had his done in June. Caleb's right tube is almost out but the left tube is still in. Now we just have to watch him and see how he does through the winter. We're hoping and praying for no infections otherwise he may need a 2nd set of tubes. Isaac's tubes are still in place but his adenoids are on the large side. We have to keep an eye on his adenoids and they may need to be removed at some point.

Both boys seem to be feeling a little under the weather this week. Caleb has been rubbing his ear so I am really hoping it's just sinus irritation and not an infection. Isaac's voice is quite hoarse and he's not eating well so I am thinking his tonsils/adenoids may be bothering him.

It's amazing to think that Christmas is just around the corner. Next week will be a busy week for sure. We have many Christmas gatherings to attend but it will be fun too. I can't wait for the boys to get their new gifts. They are going to have a blast with all their new toys. Both the boys know who Santa is but they don't get the concept yet so we're not pushing the Santa gifts this year.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. We'll update again after the holidays with pictures!

Making this blog private!

Hello all,

I'm not sure who reads our blog anymore, but those of you that are still interested in keeping up with our family, please leave a comment or feel free to contact me via email or facebook. I've had quite a few spamming comments lately so I feel it's time to make this blog private. I intend to set it up with a password so that you are still able to access it.

I'll probably make the switch the beginning of January to allow people enough time to send me a message letting me know they want to keep up with the blog!!!

Thanks for understanding!!!! Can't wait to hear from all of you.

~Amber

Can Daddy's be trusted?

I thought I'd share a little story with you from a couple weeks ago. As most of you know Ross has been in the field trying to get the combining done. Well because I've been the sole caregiver of the boys he decided to let me sleep in on a Saturday morning. It sure didn't go as planned. First Ross got up with Caleb around 6:00. Then around 7:00 Isaac was awake. It took Ross 10-15 minutes for Ross to finally come get Isaac after I'm wide awake from listening to him fuss on the monitor (remember I'm supposed to be sleeping). It wasn't 10 minutes later and I hear what sounds like a herd of elephants coming up the stairs and running going on. The boys were running in and out of bedrooms doing who knows what. Pretty soon I hear Ross coming up the stairs and he rounds them up and takes them back down as I hear him say "Mommy is sleeping", really, who could sleep through that. Okay so it's nearing 7:30 and I'm just about ready to drift off to sleep when I hear laughter, yelling, every noise imaginable coming from downstairs. That's it, sleep time is over, might as well get up.

Soooo, I head downstairs and Ross is doing what he does best, surfing the Internet looking at tractors and talking about farming. I asking Ross where the boys were. His response... "I don't know, aren't they in the other room playing". Nope nothing to be seen. So I look down the hall and see my bathroom door is closed and the light is on and it is very quiet. I never like those 3 statements together; door closed, light on, quiet. I was right. So I open the door and here the boys are slipping and sliding all over the bathroom floor. It appears that one of them got a hold of my 36 oz. bottle of liquid soap I had used the night before and left sitting on the tub. They dumped it all over the floor in the tub, on the counters, everywhere. They were still in their footed pj's so lets just say it was a sight to be seen. Oh but Ross' response when I am oh so happy about cleaning the bathroom at 8:00 am, "it's just soap". Yeah uh huh just soap!

So me being angry at Ross didn't last long because the look on the boys face was priceless!!! Just another story to prove that Mommy's are never off duty!

Trick or Treat

The boys enjoyed their Halloween for the most part. I didn't take the pictures on Halloween. Isaac's were taken on his birthday and it was a nice day for pictures. Caleb's was taken when he was just coming down with H1N1 so he wasn't feeling 100% but at least they turned out cute. We went to Milford to see my parents and took the boys to about 7 houses. Many of my parents friends haven't seen the boys in quite a long time so I thought it was the perfect opportunity. It wasn't too cold out either which was nice. Isaac caught on real fast that if he held his bucket out he got a prize. We tried to get him to say "trick or treat" but it always ended up with him just saying "treat" at the door. Go figure.

Here's the cutest little Elmo and puppy dog I've ever seen.

Professional Photos

We had professional photos done a few weeks ago. They turned out so great. We had to do outdoor because Isaac will not sit in a studio as it freaks him out. It's hard to get good shots of Isaac as he is on the go all the time. The hardest thing is getting the boys together but I am so happy she got some of them as well.

Melia Winter Photography

Isaac's birthday party

We had Isaac's birthday party on October 18th. We had 3 sets of Grandparents, 1 uncle and 2 cousins over. It was a good time. We had tacos and nachos and Elmo cake and icecream for dessert. I'm not a cake decorator so Ross Mom made the cake and my Mom decorated it. I think it turned out great. Isaac did not like it when we put candles in the cake though.

Here's some photos from the day!

Birthday, sickness, MRI, oh my!

First of all I wanted to make a special post to my little man Isaac. Things have been crazy in our house and I haven't been able to make a special post to my newly "2 year old". Isaac's birthday was on October 20th and we had his party on October 18th. He is such a big boy. He's now in the 2 year room at daycare, he's talking more, learning more and making us laugh each and every day. He's a strong willed little boy but he's also one of the most loving little boys I know. We have not had any contact from Isaac's birthmom but we continue to receive emails from his birthdad. It still feels like yesterday we got the call to go pick up our son.

Sickness has hit our house pretty good this past month. Both Ross and I have experienced the stomach flu on 2 different occassions. Isaac had a little bug on his birthday, poor boy. He was only running a low fever but it was obvious he didn't feel well. At least he was back to himself in about 3 or 4 days. However, Caleb was hit hard. He came down with a fever last Thursday and it only progressed from there. Caleb did have H1N1 and experienced very high fevers. He reached 103.7 and I almost called the hospital but we waited it out a little longer. We alternated Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours, pushed fluids and tried to keep him as comfortable as possible. His fever finally broke on Monday but his cough and congestion got much worse. We took him to the doctor and he has sinus infection/bronchitis. He's on antibiotics and we hope it will knock everything out.

Isaac had an MRI done on October 23rd. We've been monitoring his head size since birth and at 9 months it seemed to have stopped growing. We honestly didn't believe anything was wrong because he is developmentally on track with the exception of a MINOR speech delay. No one is real worried with the speech because some kids just talk later than others and he's a boy. A busy boy in fact. Well we decided to have an MRI just to put our mind at ease and rule anything else out. We have an appointment with the neurologist on Friday, but our primary doctor received the results and gave those to us. He did not see anything out of the ordinary and said everything looked fine. We're just lead to believe Isaac is going to be a little guy just like his birthmom.

I have some pictures from Isaac's party but I will upload those later and create a new post for that. Cousin Caden and Aunt Gina and Uncle Brad couldn't make it to the party so hopefully we'll have them over soon and can get some pictures.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

This weather has been crazy the last week or so. Today it was down right chilly. It's a good thing I took the boys outside earlier last week on a decent day to get pictures in their Halloween shirts. Now to find a nice day to take their pictures in their costumes. Maybe I'll do indoor this year, who knows.

The boys are growing as usual. Isaac is now 34 1/4 inches long and Caleb is 31 1/2. They are wearing basically the same size clothing so in a way that's a good thing. We are gearing up for Isaac's birthday party on Sunday. My baby is going to be TWO just ask him!!!

We've been struggling to find out what is going on with Caleb. For the past 2 1/2 weeks he's been waking up every morning around 3:00 am and itching like crazy. We had switched to cheaper detergent and that's when I noticed some red blotches on his leg. It soon transferred to both legs, both arms, on his belly and over his rib cage. We were pretty certain it was a case of eczema as he had it as baby but nothing was curing it. We've been doing liquid benadryl 3 times a day, benadryl cream, eucerin cream 2 times a day and Tylenol at night. I finally took him in and now we think he's just having an allergic reaction to something but not sure what. I've rewashed EVERYTHING and have even gone and bought more dreft (I thought we were done with that months ago). The doctor also said he has a sinus infection so he's on zithromax and prednisone. He actually slept until 6:40 this morning so I hope we're on the mend now. Poor thing itches something fierce!

Here's a bunch of pictures over the past month. Enjoy!

Mommy & Caleb- self portrait


Cool shades!


Bye-bye Mommy!


Enjoying a fall day


Watching the airplane!


Playing in the leaves


Cool dude Caleb!


Check out my ride!


Anyone want to catch a ride with me?


Playing in Grandma's pumpkin patch


Brrrr...cold already!


Nice fall day


Boys and their pumpkins