Sims turns 1!

We have been going through crazy times here at the Johnson household.

Sims and I went on a trip to visit Debbie and the new babies!! It was so much fun to meet them. They are so sweet. We had a great time, but were up to our armpits with babies. It really made me realize that Sims isn't a baby any more :( We went to the play yard, shopping and even went into San Fransico with all the rug rats. It was a blast. I will send more pics later of that vacation. Spencer did really well with all the kids. He is a great big brother and makes his little brothers laugh soooo hard. It was really fun to see how Debbie lives life now and I have to pay tribute to her, she is absolutely AMAZING. I know that it must be very difficult to do two babies at once, but she does it with ease. I loved being at her house and seeing her in action.

When we got home, we spent most of the week catching up from being gone. THEN poor Sims got the Roda virus (not sure on spelling, sorry Brian). It was HORRIBLE. He did everything from pukeing to diarreha for almost 7 days!!!!!! Poor little man lost weight and just wasn't happy. But we made it through and are now able to enjoy life again. He was a little trooper though and endured his mom force feeding him pedialyte to keep him healthy.

Moving on to better and funner things...Sims turned 1!!!!! Yeah. His birthday was on Friday. We decided to do his party this morning and had a birthday brunch for him. We had all our friends and family over and had a great time. Of course I didn't take into fact that it would be Sims nap time, but he did well any way. He was really happy when he got to eat the cake. He made a big mess. It was so cute. He got a lot of nice toys and just had a blast with his friends that came over. The pictures I am posting are of him playing with his toys from Matt and I, and the picture of him in his new car seat from Grandma and Grandpa Sims. I found it at a garage sale and got it for a steal. It is in perfect condition and will even change into a booster seat. He loves it! Thanks mom and dad. I can't believe he is already one! The year flew by and he has been just an angel.

Slacker

So I have been a real big blogging slacker. Sorry to everyone out in the Blog world. I have been busy. But that is not excuse. I am sorry. Things here on the Johnson front are going great! We are doing really well at work and keeping super busy with just keeping up with the house and Sims. He is growing like a weed, he took his first steps last night and I forcast that he will be walking by his birthday. Speaking of...He is going to be a year old in less than 3 weeks. That is so bizarre and crazy to me. I cannot believe how the time has flown. I am so happy that he is doing well and healthy. I have to admit that I did fear about every day of his life that something will happen. I am not saying that this fear is going to stop, but I consider getting over the year mark a really big accomplishment. He is thriving. He is having so much fun learning new things. His new and first word is Da Da. Of course, he says da da first....He also is trying to learn to say pup because in all reality, they are his favorite people in the family. He just starts laughing when he sees his pups. He loves his aunt Tiff and every time he sees her, he reaches for her. It is so fun for aunt Tiff.

I am doing steller. I have been working hard, but feeling good about it. Things are finally starting to feel normal to me there. It usually takes me about a month to settle into a new atmosphere, so here I am, all settled. I still don't cook dinner, but I am trying to work on that. I love our clients and I love that I get to meet new people almost every day. I love the fed ex and UPS men, they are super nice. It is so nice to be around adults and be able to have adult conversations. I loved being home with Sims, but it did get a little lonely at times. I love working with Matt. Some say that working with a spouse would ruin a relationship, but it actually has made ours stronger. Don't get me wrong, we still have our hard days, but most of the time we are having fun. Like today when I am trying to direct an employee meeting and Matt is busying himself trying to measure the distance from himself to the top of my head with a tape measure. You can only imagine. It is a barrell of fun. You can see some of the latest of Matt's art by checking out my very funny sister in laws blog: www.prpakakjo.blogspot.com He is doing this new product that I think is going to be super cool. That is all I have for you now, but I will be back. Please enjoy the latest pictures of my handsome man.

Who's that Cute Kid?

It has been a while since I have posted pics of Sims. That was because the battery in my camera had run out and apparently I am too busy to charge it. But now we are back and I am going to share my cute kid with you all.

New things about Sims:

He has 3 new teeth. He got is top two and he is getting another one on the bottom.

He is developing a personality that is even more adorable. He loves to laugh and play.

He is doing pretty good with playing by himself at the studio, but likes it much better when mom plays with him.

He loves to get into drawers now and pull everything out. He is so cute. He goes to the drawer in the kitchen with the pots and pans and drags them all out and then bangs on them. It is so boy and so cute.

New things he loves to eat:

Corn. Mac and Cheese. Stuffing. Hot Dogs. Girl scout Cookies. Pretty much anything except cheese. The funny thing about the hot dog is that he puts a bite in his mouth, chews it up, then promptly spits it out. I guess he likes the flavor only.

New sleeping patterns:

He used to be asleep by 6:30 pm, now he goes to bed about 7:30. Blast that daylight savings time. He has been getting up at about 1 in the morning for the past couple mornings. He was not very happy with me last night when I wouldn't give him a bottle of milk to go back to sleep with. But I thought I better not let that bad habit develop. Any suggestions? Should I just let him cry? It isn't a hey I am awake mom cry, it's a HEY, I AM AWAKE MOM SCREAM. So I feel that if I don't go check on him, there is that possiblity that he has gotten stuck in between the rails of the crib or something horrible. I would love any suggestions!

He is my angel and I love him. I will take the good with the bad because every minute of being a mom is worth it.

The Rescue

I have to do multiple posts b/c it has been so long since my last one. Sorry everyone. I am a slacker!

Last night my friend and I were going for a walk. We were having a great time, but were trying to book it home b/c it was getting dark. We were about 1/2 mile away from home and were going pretty good. All of a sudden we saw a dog coming out of the fence ahead and both got scared. But then realized that it was stuck and not going anywhere. The poor little guy had tried to push himself through a wrough iron fence and was really stuck. It was in this really nice neighborhood that was a gated community, so my friend had to hoist me over the fence so I could go get the owner of the poor dog.

I ran up to the house, rang the bell and the guy that answered seemed very unfazed when I told him that his pup was stuck. I guess he just didn't understand how stuck he really was. He came out and tried to pull the poor dog back through, which didn't work. He ended up having to go get his hack saw and cut the wrought iron fence.

The dog was so excited to get out and I was so glad to see him out. It was sad to see him there stuck. Then I had to have the owner hoist me back over the fence. It was a rescue mission that I will never forget!

Daylight Savings Miracle

Unlike others that I know, Jerilyn, I was aware that it was daylight savings time and was all prepared for church when the daylight savings time miracle occured. We were getting things all packed up ready for church when we received a phone call. It was our home teacher. I just overheard Matt making some funny jokes and talking to the guy, so I didn't think anything of it. I thought he was just calling to make a home teaching apointment. When Matt hung up the phone, he was all smiles. Church, he declared, is only going to be 1 hr long!!! A water main had broken at the church, so we only had to go to sacrament meeting! Thank goodness for the daylight savings miracle. It was a great day!

Disclosure: Just in case my parents read this: I love church. This is what I call humor. Everyone was excited about the hour long church, even the Bishop.

The Benefits of Being a Working Mom

1. Honey, I have to get ready for work...could you take the baby?
This works in my house because even though I work with Matt at his job, he has an uncanny way of never being there. It works well for both of us. He sometimes stays home with the baby in the morning and I can go to work and get a tonnnn done. It is a nice trade off. Also, if Matt ever needs to run errands for the business he takes Sims with him. They get maximum daddy/son time. So valuable.

2. I can't do any housework tonight because I am too tired from work (yea right)
This is a great excuse now not to do housework. Don't worry, I am still doing enough to keep it from looking like a bomb went off.

3. Free pictures of my adorable child.
I am going to post the most recent of the beautiful pics taken or not...I guess the files are too big. I will have to figure it out and post them later!

So all in all, I am enjoying being a working woman. It is starting to become a habit for me and I find that I almost enjoy being here...am I crazy or what. Unfortunately, my friends don't enjoy that I work so much b/c they don't get to see me as much, but it is the price I have to pay for the business!

It does help that Sims is being really good now. He is getting used to the routine also.

Working Mother's Blues

What an angel. I have to post all my recent pics, so that my mom and dad can see their boy.

I am getting the working mother's blues really bad. I just feel sooooo guilty that I can't devote my full attention to my son. But here is the ironic thing....I never did when I stayed home. I still did a lot of housework and projects at home. But it is different when you actually go to a "work" environment.

It doesn't help that Sims has been reallly cranky lately. Which is totally abnormal for my son. He is the most laid back kid I know. I even took him to the doctor in hopes that he had an ear infection. But nope, he just is cranky. I think the whole crawling thing has given him attitude. He is getting his two top teeth, that might be the cause. Whatever it is, I am going crazy. I have little to know patience for his whining and then when I get frustrated I feel guilty that I am working and not making him happy! AHHHH! So goes the life of a working mother. So all the way home from work yesterday I cried and cried and cried. I think that it also has something to do with the fact that I am PMSing also, but I still was way emotional. Poor Sims just sat in the backseat wondering what was wrong with his wacked out crazy mom.

Luckily today, I had a lot of help from Matt and a great sister in law. They both watched him all day long so that I could get a ton done at the studio. He was really happy to see me when I came and got him, so that must mean that he missed me and that I am not a terrible mother.

Crawling Maniac

Sims started crawling yesterday! He has been practicing for quite some time, but yesterday he did it and today he is crusing. It is fun to see him mobile. Although, now he isn't content any more, he just wants to crawl every where. He is growing up.

I am super busy trying to juggle my new life of office manager, home maker and mom. It has been pretty crazy and hectic. But I think that it will begin to mellow out here pretty soon. I talked to Matt about getting a maid, which he thought was a good idea, but lets face it, no one can clean as well as I do!

The business is doing great. I am getting into marketing and it is pretty crazy. I get a rush everytime I get on the phone to sell the business. But I have set an appointment with Hummer to do cross promotion, so I am totally stoked. It is really fun and exciting to get out there in the real world and sell our business. Wish me luck!

It's a Valentines Day Miracle

Hey all, I just wanted to post to let you all know that the new job is awesome! I am having so much fun helping Matt at his studio. Sims is being such a rock star and doing so well there. Today he helped me clean the front windows, I set him outside on the sidewalk. It was such a beautiful, sun shining day. He sat there and helped by unrolling the whole roll of paper towell. He loves to be at the studio and hang out with dad more often. It is a good set up.

I love that I get to be "smart Jen" again and have lots to do. It is nice to have a reason to wake up and take a shower and get ready for the day, aside from toting Sims around on errands. I know that you stay at home moms know how easy it is to let the whole day go by without a shower. It is nice. I am having a lot of fun getting into the marketing side of the photo biz. It is fun to get out there and promote your husband and his beautiful work. I thought you all would like to see where we are and what we do. You can visit us on the website at www.jonballphotography.com. If you want to see the studio, which is beautiful, just click on the about us tab and then studio tour in the upper right hand corner. Enjoy!

So Big

I took Sims 9 month old picture. He is getting so big and so cute. Enjoy!

My new life

Now that I am a working mom, my life has changed quite a bit and probably will continue to do so. My house has gone to trash. I am no longer concerned about keeping up a clean house, so if you happen to stop by, you might find clothes/dishes everywhere. I am not proud about this, but I just can't keep up with everything. When I am home I feel like I need to give my undivided attention to Sims and relaxing.

For example: This morning, my saturday, I slept in. Matt got up with the baby, such a good husband and I slept in. When I finally did get up, I put the baby down for his morning nap and proceeded to watch ER. 4 episodes. And I would have kept going except all the upcoming episodes were messed up on my DVR. Sims woke up and I played with him and fed him. Then I got in the shower. At this point, Matt had woken up from his nap (since he had to get up so early with the baby :), and he took over the Sims watch-a-thon. Sims was fussy and Matt asked me what was wrong and I said, I am not sure, he just woke up from a nap and just had a snack. I can't imagine what could be wrong. Then I looked at the clock and realized that it was 1 pm already. Yep, I just got out of the shower at 1 pm. Somehow I was sucked into a time warp. So correction, the baby hadn't just woke up and hadn't just had a snack. So we fed the poor guy and set him out for a nap. What has happened to me?

My perfectly structured life is upside down. The funny part is, that I am ok with it. I don't care that my house looks like crap, which is quite unusual for me. I guess this is all part of the adjustment.

On an update, I am working now at the studio full time. Sims comes with me and has been a gem. He is wooing the customers with his charm and good looks. I am getting really excited about working with Matt and have lost many hours of sleep to new ideas on how to expand the business. We are so happy and so excited . This will be a great year for us. I will keep you all updated on how it goes.

Learning it the Hard Way

I watch this little boy every Thrusday. The first Thrusday I watched him, I had to run an errand to Walmart, so he came with me and was pretty good. Except that he really wanted a transformer. At the time, I was tough and said, sorry Luke, you can't have one, b/c there is no way that I am going to buy you one. So today little Luke comes with a 5 dollar bill and immediately said to me, can we go to Walmart? There is this transformer I really want. The kid is 4. So like the good baby sitter that I am, I took him. Sims, Luke and I all went to Walmart, got a few groceries for me and then set out in search of the spider transformer.

We got to this kids isle and couldn't find that specific transformer. So I pointed to a row and said, ok Luke, these are the only ones that you can afford pick one out. At that point, I saw a friend of mine and we started chatting. Meanwhile, Luke picked a transformer and put it in the cart. After the chat was over and we went to the check out. I was dismayed to find that the transformer he had picked out was not 5 dollars, but in fact 20 dollars. But the checker had already scanned it, bagged it and gave it to Luke. I was soooo horrified b/c we are trying to pinch the old pennies and here I am in this situation. But I couldn't rip the transformer out of this poor boys hand, who didn't understand anything about money. So like the sap that I am, I just didn't do anything. I am such a dope. But I learned a very valuable lesson, never let a child put anything in your cart without knowing the price first! Unfortunately, I had to learn it the hard way!

Advice

Matt and I have been talking a lot lately about me coming down and working at the studio. I would bring Sims with me of course and we would work together to make it happen. I would take over the responsibilities of this office manager. We are excited about the idea, but nervous just b/c we aren't sure how it will work with Sims. I get the feeling that it will work out well b/c his studio is low volume, so not too busy. The idea is to give the clients that come the feeling that they are family and treated really well.

I am really excited about the possibility of doing this. I have always wanted to work with Matt and I am really excited that he wants to work with me too. But I would appreciate different points of view, so please let me now what you think!

Changes

The good news is...I lost another pound last week! Yea. I am so glad that I am still on my way down.

The good news that is still sad is that my parents are leaving on their mission on monday. I didn't think that I was going to be so sad, but I really am. It is harder this time b/c they are going to Norway and it seems so much farther away and less accesible. But I am totally happy for them. I know this is the right thing to do, but I am being selfish. I broke down crying yesterday when I talked to my mom. She was packing her bags and I just got so sad. I think about all the things that will happen while they are gone to both of us. I know that Sims won't remember this, but it is still hard to think that they will be gone when he goes through so many changes. Mom and dad, if you are reading this, I am very excited for you and know this is the right thing. I just have to adjust to it.

Sims is still sick, his ear doesn't seem to be bothering him, it is the horrible diaper rash he has from the antibiotic. I am trying everything that I can think of to help him with it, but he is sooooo miserable whenever I change his diaper. Yesterday, I tried to put him down for a naked nap, but he wasn't too keen on that. So we ended up having naked play time so that his tush could air out. I hate to see him hurting and wish that I could fix it all, but unfortunately I can't.

So all in all, things are well except a few bumps in the road. I am still going to work really hard on my weight loss just for the fact that I can't remember what it was like to be skinny. I would love to have that feeling again. So here's to changes.

Sims and Sickness

So it is incredibly hard for me to decipher when my son is truely sick. He has had a pretty nasty cold for the last week and a half, but he is so happy all the time and seemingly uneffected by it that I just let it run it's course. Well it all changed yesterday. The little guy woke up yesterday morning, Matt got him up b/c I was at the gym. So when I came home, Matt said that Sims wasn't too interested in eating. First clue that something was wrong b/c my son is always interested in eating. So I picked him up and cuddled with him and fed him a bottle. While we were cuddling, I noticed that he smelled like vomit. So like the good mother I am, I went on an immediate search for the vomit and found it in his bed. Poor little man had thrown up in the night. So I was getting a little worried, but second guessing myself b/c aside from being a little lethargic, he was the happy go lucky kid that I adore. So I did what all good mom's do, I called my sister in law, Tiff, for advice. She of course told me to call the doc and get their opinion on whether I should bring him in or not. So needless to say, I took Sims to the doc and he came out with an ear infection and a sore throat. Which is mystifying to me b/c during the whole visit with the doctor he was smiling and laughing like nothing was going on. Crazy, I know.

We went to the pharmacy to get the rx and same thing...smiles and giggling. The pharmacy people must have thought that I was a psycho mom just trying to drug up my kid. By the time we got the rx, he had them all wooed over. It was soooooo cute. He is such a good kid, I can't complain. But it is realllly hard to know when he is sick. I guess I will just have to go by how well he eats, which coming from this family is a good barometer.

Needless to say, he is doing well and taking his medicine like a champ.

This is for you Mom and Dad

Here is a cute pic of Sims taking a bath.

Music Fest Jan. 28th, 2007

Ok, here are the songs from today's music fest. Let's just say things got a little hairy. We decided to have the first ever music fest breakfast and it was fun, but didn't work out so well. We have church at 12:40 and had breakfast at 11am, so you think it would be fine, but Sims got down late for a nap and then we got to church late. So we have officially decided that music fest breakfast is no more. It was a good thought and it was really gooooood food. We are learning.

1. Yao Ming Song

2. Crazytown-"Starry Eyed Suprise" *

3. Death Cab for Cutie- "Summer Skin" *

4. Fiona Apple- "Not About Love"

5. Tag Team-"Whoomp There it is" (Sims and I got some good dancing in on this one)

6. Brian Wilkinson-"In my Imagination"

Not too many good ones this week, but that is ok. See you all next week with a new addition.

Success on the Home Front

I went to Weight Watchers today and weighed in....I lost 2.6 pounds!! Yea, I am finally starting to loose again. I just have to keep it up.

Sims stood by himself yesterday for about 30 seconds. He is getting so strong on standing.

Sims waves hello and goodbye now.

We are all making progress! What a week.

May the Grandma Sweater Rest in Peace

Linda, Matt's mom, gave me this nice grandma sweater, which much to fashions chagrin was comfortable to wear. Sometimes I wear things that aren't quite "fashionable" for the sake of comfort. So today when I was doing wash, I washed the old grandma sweater and of course dried it only to find out that it is made of 100% wool. Woops. So now my nice, comfy grandma sweater is only big enough to fit my neace. Oops!

Like a breath of fresh air

My son, Sims, is taking such a great nap today and it is sooooo nice. He is ok with napping, but never has been stellar. So this is such a treat. I am getting 2 hours all to myself to get so much done. I finished all my chores and even did a little extra on the old budget and now, I just have time to relax and enjoy myself. What a concept! I am so grateful for moments like this.

Music Fest Marrieds-Boise Chapter 2007

So once a week we get together with our friends for music fest. This is something that Matt and I have been doing since we went to college in Provo, but we have never done it here b/c we never had the right people to do it with. Now we do and we are having a blast. We call it music fest married b/c there has never before been a music fest where everyone in attendance is married. Crazy. I thought that it would be cool to post our weekly songs so that everyone could benefit from our awesomeness. At music fest, everyone brings one song that they think is cool to share with everyone else. It can be mainstream, but it is encouraged to do something new and diffent that no one has heard before. It is an awesome way to learn new music and to hang out as a group. So here is the music, enjoy.

Jan. 7th, 2007

John Prine-"In Spite of Ourselves"
Lokal Grown-"Love Song"
Lokal Grown-"Stink so Purdy"
AFI-"Prelude 12/21" *
Flaming Lips-"The Big Old Bug is the New Baby Now"
Eisley-"Marvelous Things" *

Jan. 21st, 2007

Cake-"Italian Leather Sofa"
White Stripes-"Hotel Yorba" *
Type O Negative-"On Holy Water"
They Might be Giants-"Birdhouse in your Soul"
Crash Test Dummies-"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"
Brandi Carlisle-"The Story" *

I put a star next to my favorites.

Back on the Wagon, or is it Off the Wagon?

So I have been doing Weight Watchers since October and I was doing great, at first. I was loosing weight so fast and it really was quite simple, then a little thing called Holidays happened. It's like I got my free meal ticket and went to town. So lets just say that I overindulged, quite a bit. But in my defense, I only gained back half of what I lost so it's not that bad right? Wrong. I feel horrible and starting again has been so hard. There is always some reason to eat more than I should, like for example, my birthday. I mean come on, it's my one special day out of the whole year, I should be able to celebrate. But fortunately, it's over and there is no more excuses. I am back on Weight Watchers and I am back to the Gym. Today is day 1. I will let you know how it goes from here :)

So last night I had a fat dream, for those who haven't had one, thank your lucky stars because it is sad. I dreamnt that I was back in my hometown of Loveland and I was fat, really fat. It was new years eve and I was trying to see what my friends Amy, Amber and Susie were going to do for New Years, but they casually ditched me because I was too fat to hang out with. Let me set it straight, they would never do this in real life, but they were brutal in my dream. So then, I tried to go on dates, but no one would date me because I was too fat. I woke up at 4 am and was like, I have got to go to the gym, right now! Needless to say, I did go to the gym this morning and I worked out hard. If you ever need motivation, just have yourself a little fat dream. It does the trick!

Growing like a Weed

I just thought you all would like to see how much Sims has grown. The first picture was taken on his 1 month and the second pic is of his 8 month. He is growing so fast!

The Best Birthday Present Ever

Ok, so I know that you are all expecting something romantic about this great gift Matt gave me for my Birthday, but that is not it. Don't get me wrong, Matt is very thoughtful and sweet when it comes to presents, but I am talking about Jack Bower. For those of you who don't know who he is you should start watching him in my favorite TV show 24. For my birthday, I got the 2 hour season premier of 24. This is the guy that most fantisize about, namely my sister in law Tiff.

It was awesome. I am so glad that 24 is back and now I have something to look forward to every week. If you're not into it yet, get into it. It will change your life. Happy Birthday to me!

Birthday Weekend

Matt, Sims and I went up to Pasco, WA for my birthday to visit Brad, Karen and the kids. We had a blast. It was so nice to get out of the house and have some time to celebrate number 27! I can't believe that I am 27 already.

We had a great time. Sims had his first babysitter and was great. We went out for a nice dinner and went shopping at Target (this is getting to be my favorite place to shop). I got a new church outfit for my birthday and lots of really cool scrapbooking supplies! Karen made some great food and we ate till our hearts content, which is not good on the old weight watchers, but you only turn 27 once right?

Karen encouraged me to start blogging again, so here it goes. She told me that there is no pressure to be funny like her and my other sister in law Tiff, but just to be me. I decided that this will be a good thing to keep up also because my parents are going on a mission and this will be a nice way to keep them updated! So Karen, thanks for the pep talk, Jen is back in action.