Land of the J's

Farwell Mr George and Mr Kitten

2011-10-05T13:34:00.003-04:00

After almost two years of trying to correct the cats bad behavior of marking and pooping in inappropriate places, we had to surrender them to the humane society. Basically the vet said they dont like our kids. Well since we arent going to surrender our kids, we had no choice. Mr George came into my life in college and has been a great lover and fighter. He was known by all my roommates as Mr George (pronouced in spanish). For no reason he would hunch down and decide to run at full speed and wrap his legs around yours and bite for dear life. All while purring.

Shortly after getting married, we got Mr Kitten to play and fight with George so he would stop biting me. lol. It worked! Kitten is such a fun cat. He plays fetch, runs after the dogs, and likes to sleep under the covers. He has so much personality.

We are not sure which cat or if both were misbehaving but we decided we could chose so we had to give them both up. They will be missed!

Mr George

Best of friends and worst of enemies

He thought this was his chair for months

10xs Faster!!!!

2011-09-07T13:45:00.005-04:00

Yay for new internet providers! Sorry for the long delay in posts but our previous provider wasnt up to par with making blog posts. Hoping this one can keep up! Im going to try to sum up our summer and latest events. We have had such a fun and busy summer! Best investment ever, was purchasing a pool pass! We spent many many days basking in the hot sun with all of our friends. Sad to know its over. We also took a couple vacations. In May we went to Virginia Beach with some of our favorite friends, the Richardsons. We also spent a week in Boston with family in July. In the in between time we spent hours and hours playing outside. Jett learned to ride a bike with NO training wheels! Josie mastered walking, running, and now riding her mini 4-wheeler. We built a super fun sand box and spent many hours playing and building in it. And found a new love for riding our mini dirt bike around the neighborhood on Daddys lap. Ive included what little pictures I took and plenty of pictures from our professional shoots. Always fun to have those done! Hopefully I will have lots of updates with our new internet!

2011 Adventures

2011-02-24T18:01:00.010-05:00

Jett and Josie have come to truly love each other. Its so precious to watch! I cant wait until they can run around and play together. Jett keeps telling her she needs to learn to run. Not walk! RUN!

Our Dare Devil has found a new hobby to scare Mommy with.

Josie loves her friends at Romp and Roll. Arent they such girls already?! Jett wouldnt sit still at this age for a second. She is ALL girl!

This is the view from Joels parents back yard. Doesnt get much prettier than that! Other than all getting the flu, it was a super fun and relaxing vacation to Boston this winter.

Josie had her first spaghetti dinner and LOVED it!

So far this year has been a really eventful year, as well as a year full of illness. Sorry for the delay on posts but its been a sick and busy couple of months. Hoping things start looking up with spring around the corner! In just a couple short weeks we will be celebrating Josies big first birthday! Cant wait to post about that!

Donkey? Cow? No its a Donkey Cow!

2011-01-03T12:49:00.003-05:00

Jett was ADORABLE in his first debut as a Donkey/Cow in his preschool Christmas program. I dont know if my favorite part was him yelling out in the middle of the play "Hey Bob!" or him smiling for every flash like they were all for him, or him constantly saying "more candy please" to the teacher. Oh how I love this kid!

Our First Snow

2010-12-31T19:35:00.002-05:00

Christmas with no camera

2010-12-31T19:18:00.002-05:00

Thats right. NO camera. Its on the fritz again! Ugh. I think its time for a new one. But on another note my next door neighbors/second parents came by to celebrate Christmas morning with us and took a few pictures. It was such a fun Christmas. The magic of Santa was here and the story of Jesus was heard. Jett was very excited to celebrate it all! My Dad, Brother, Sister and niece all joined us this year in VA. It was a wonderful holiday weekend. I wish I had more pictures to show what a great time we had. Hopefully I can post some new ones with a new camera very soon! Enjoy the little I have....

Christmas Photo Shoot in the Rain!

2010-11-17T14:57:00.007-05:00

My friend Leigh came into town again! Yay! That means more amazing pictures! Isnt she so talented!?! Unfortunately it was pouring rain all day! We made the best of it and I think they came out perfect! Thanks Leigh! We love you!

There isnt much that still fits!

2010-11-07T20:12:00.003-05:00

Today was one of the first really cold days this fall. I was looking through Josies drawers to find the perfect hat to keep her little ears warm. I ran across the precious hat that she got in the hospital. There is a group of ladies that knits hats for all the newborns to take home. They arent the typical cheesy or ugly hats the hospital gives you for free. Its actually cute! Heres a picture of her wearing it home from the hospital.

Then heres one of her wearing it today! I couldnt believe it still fit! Especially since shes in the 90% for head! Its crazy to me that just 8 months ago she was only 5lbs! How quickly she has grown!

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-01T17:22:00.003-04:00

This year we went Trick or Treating with Jetts favorite girlfriend Addie and her brother Myles! What fun! I dont know if Jett liked the candy or kissing Addie better?! He wasnt a fan of the holiday considering his biggest fear is anything in a costume! Poor Kid! He even peed his pants when he saw a kid with a scary mask on. I have a feeling Santa will be really scary this year. This too shall pass. At least we hope! Josie of course loved every minute of it and was a true hit as a clown. Some people walked by belly laughing at her. So cute!

Visit to the Kalls and Fall Fun

2010-10-07T12:30:00.003-04:00

Yet another fun weekend in DC with the Kall family. We were able to go to one of the fall farm festivals this year. Jett was scared to death of the people dressed up as animals and the big slides but he LOVED the petting zoo! Josie ,of course, was as pleasant as always. Its so fun to see our kids growing up together. Lets just hope they become great friends as the years go on!

6 Months ALREADY!

2010-09-15T15:00:00.002-04:00

Its so hard for me to believe that Josie is already six months old! How did that happen!?! I would have to say she has changed so much in the last month. Shes so happy and bubbly all the time now. The first few months were tiring and hard but worth every smile I get now! Shes starting sitting up on her own with an occasional tip over. She adores Jett and Baxter. We had her well visit today and shes meeting all her milestones. Yay for Josie! She was 17lbs 26 inches long and 17inch head. That puts her in the 75th for weight, 50th for height and 90th for head! My new favorite thing she does it cuddle! She just loves to rest her head on you and look up. I never thought I would get a snuggler! Shes just so precious!

Again Mama Again!

2010-09-09T09:28:00.002-04:00

Again Mama Again! Thats all I have heard the last few days. Jett has found a new favorite activity. Preschool! I was thrilled to see how much he loves it. I signed him up with full intentions of pulling him out if he didnt like it. Hes only 2 and I wanted to do it more for him than for me. He LOVES it! Yesterday was his first day. His report card said, "Jett was wonderful today. He shared and was a GREAT helper and went to the potty three times." He didnt want to leave when I picked him up. He blew a kiss to the teacher and she said Oh thats another thing. He kept giving me kisses all day. AWE! I hope he continues to love it as much as he did yesterday.

Jetts a Big Boy Now!

2010-08-23T14:20:00.002-04:00

To MUCH surprise Jett is officially a big boy now by using the potty! It all started with him waking up with dry diapers and taking him to the potty right away. Two weeks ago I decided to make it official that he was potty training. We stocked up on stickers and sugar free rewards. He was so excited to get his new underpants and pull ups. I thought it would take weeks before he was telling me he had to go. Boy was I wrong. Hes so proud of his accomplishments that he has to call someone as soon as he finishes. Typically hes saying Call Dada Jett Poop Poo! Im so proud of him! Its so hard to believe hes not my little baby anymore. Way to go Jett!

4 Month Check Up

2010-07-21T13:28:00.002-04:00

Josie Emma Johnson

4 Months Old

15lbs 11oz (90%)

23.75 inches (50%)

17in Head (75%)

And healthy as she can be! Shes been sleeping through the night since four weeks old and now goes 10-12 hours every night! What a blessing and bundle of joy she is! We love our "fluffy" (as her GG calls her) little girl.

Finally the pictures have arrived!

2010-07-17T12:05:00.006-04:00

4th of July Reunion in Boston

2010-07-13T10:08:00.007-04:00

We were so excited to get to spend another 4th in Boston at the Johnson Dowd house. The kids did awesome on the flights there and back. We got to stay a whole week and totally could have stayed another. Jett had a BLAST! There was so much exploring for him to do. He learned to fish, make sand castles, throw rocks in the lake, make roasted marshmallows and swim! What a trip! Not only all that he started talking SO much more! Josie of course was great as ever and adjusted perfectly to the new surroundings. Here are a few pics from our Johnson family Reunion.......Cant wait till next year!

Nana Burtt and all the Great Grandkids

Jett and Malachi had such a great time in the Jeep

Jetts favorite thing to do was throw rocks

Look at her face! ha! She has so much expression!

Love her pretty face here!

All the boys in the Frog Pond in Boston Common

Jett loved the aquarium. He was jumping and laughing and talking up a storm

After two days he wasnt afraid of the water anymore. Go Jett!

Still waiting but heres a few more.....

2010-06-24T12:52:00.002-04:00

I still havent gotten the family photos back yet *sigh* but heres a few that my friend Trish took of Josie. Shes trying to learn photography and asked if she could use Josie as her baby model. OF COURSE! These are a few of the best ones.

A few pics to tease you....

2010-06-08T14:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we FINALLY got our professional pictures done. The photographer posted a few of them today! Heres a few to just give you a taste. More to come next week!

Surely I didnt teach him that!

2010-05-27T12:39:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago Jett started giving me this evil dirty look. I cant help myself and just start cracking up at him. Then in turn he laughs and does it more. Its crazy how long he will hold this stare before he breaks a smile. Now I tell him to give Mommy a dirty look and he does it on command. I couldnt figure out where in the world he learned it from. Then it dawned on me that i give it to him all the time with a stern NO! Its my dont you dare look. haha. Who knew he would start giving it right back. I have to say its pretty darn cute when he does it!

Finally a few new pictures....

2010-05-21T20:27:00.002-04:00

So my camera has been MIA for the last month or so. Yeah FINALLY I found it and charged it up today! Here are a few pics I took this afternoon. Its crazy how much Josie has changed already! She is smiling and talking ALL the time. I think she will be talking in sentences by her first birthday. Thanks my girl! :-) Jett still totally adores her. Every morning he gets so excited when he sees her. Its precious! I hope to take many more pictures. Sorry to all of you and especially to Josie for the lack of pictures this month!

Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-09T10:35:00.002-04:00

I wanted to take the time to say Happy Mothers Day and Thank you to the special birth mothers in my life. Without Elizabeth and Tracy I would not be celebrating this holiday. Words cannot express my thankfulness to them. My life is forever changed and forever filled with love and joy because of their love for Jett and Josie. Thank you and Happy Mothers Day! Love you guys!

Disbelief Shock Sadnes and Joy

2010-04-27T08:58:00.004-04:00

Just last week I was writing a post about my best friend Missy. Little did I know I would be seeing her again. Little did I know I would be here in DC for the most dreaded reason ever. Friday afternoon her dad was playing in a softball game when a line drive hit him straight in the head. Immediately he was knocked out and never regained conciousness. He was declared dead around 2am the next day. I cant even tell all of you what an amazing person he was. Its so rare now a days to find a man of his word, a man who will serve anyone anywhere and have a smile while doing it, a man that loves his family more than anything, a man who has never met a stranger, a man who makes every person feel like they are truly special, a man who loves his God, a man who doesnt tell you of his faith but lives it. He was truly a man after Gods heart! I loved this man! It breaks my heart to think this world has to go on without George Crisp. We have all lost and heaven has truly gained! We love you George! We WILL see you again and rejoice together with our heavenly Father!

To read the news article go to www.nbcwashington.com its on the main page. There are two videos from the on air footage that was shown here. It goes to show what an amazing man he was to have his story on the DC news. Praying many will be brought to Christ through his testimony!

Kalls meet Josie

2010-04-18T14:25:00.003-04:00

Missy and I have been great friends for almost ten years now. We have been lucky enough to go through the same stages of life at almost the same times. We tried to get pregnant at the same time in 2007 but you know the rest of that story. God blessed us with Jett just 9 months after Braden was born. Then came baby number two. We tried at the same time and you know that story too. Then again God blessed us with Josie just 5 months after Avery was born. We have always been determined to have our kids be best friends. Its funny to see Jett and Braden now in similar stages even though they are almost a year apart. They are SO different. We know that they will be best friends one day. Now its so fun to have GIRLS together! We forced matching on the boys and said they will hate us later for it. Now we can do it with the girls and they will love it! We had a great weekend of playing and catching up. We cant wait for many more fun vacations and memories together! Thanks for the visit Kalls!

Posing with our girls. Cant wait to take them to the real beach soon!

Kall family

Typical Braden Jett pose. Jett wanting to play and Braden scared of him. LOL.

BFFS!

Jetts Birthday Bash

2010-04-11T20:38:00.004-04:00

I have to say that this birthday was a hit! As you will see we did a construction theme and I was rather proud of my attention to detail. From the hard hats for the kids to the tool sugar cookies and dump truck dirt cake, I did it all. :-) I think I get to brag because I am NOT creative at all! I have to say though once the big birthday gift arrived all the little things didnt matter to Jett anymore. He is in love with his new Suzuki LTD 50! Yes! Thats right! My son has a REAL four wheeler at the age of TWO! I couldnt say no since Joel spent countless hours working on it for the last year. Happy Birthday little man! You deserve it! Thanks to everyone that made this day so special for him!

Shes a chunker!

2010-04-05T20:06:00.003-04:00

Our little peanut is not so little anymore, well compared to. ha. Thought you might enjoy some new pictures!

Easter at the Zoo

2010-04-05T08:09:00.002-04:00

A Family Trip to the Mall

2010-04-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

Those of you that live here know that there isnt much to do here in Lynchburg. I think it had been two years since Joel had been to the mall. He was shocked at how many expensive rides there were for Jett to ride. LOL. I think we spent $20 on him that day. He loved every minute of it! If it were up to him he would be on the trampoline for hours. Its so cute to see him get a crowd gathered watching him. I dont think any other two year old has ever attempted to go so high. Hes my little dare devil!

It took me two weeks!

2010-03-26T10:57:00.002-04:00

So yesterday I was sitting on the couch feeding Josie and cuddling with Jett. In that moment it it hit me! Two weeks of being in robot mode I realized I have TWO children! It was like I blinked and Im a mother of TWO! Since we found out about Josie I have been in this get it all done mode. Ive been running around like a crazy person. I havent been sleeping, I can NOT say I havent been eating lol darn that stress eating!, and not thinking about what truly is about to happen. Wow! How blessed I feel to have blinked and had a baby! ha! Praise God for my precious children! I wouldnt have it any other way. Who would have thought that I would be praising God for our infertility? Not me! Now I look at these amazing children that God has made for us and cant imagine it any other way. Lets hope I dont blink again any time soon!

Its official!

2010-03-23T13:46:00.002-04:00

Court went better than I expected today. Tracy was so sweet and thorough with her decision. July 14th will be our court date to rule out the potential father. We are SOO grateful to Tracy! Praise God for our angel baby Josie!

Pictures......

2010-03-18T12:57:00.002-04:00

Week One

2010-03-17T20:55:00.003-04:00

Okay so let me preface this with an "Im Sorry!". I know many of you have been waiting for an update and pictures for days now. Give the new mother of two some slack okay?! Okay so the real reason for not having a blog up is that my stupid computer has been giving me trouble loading pictures onto blogger for some reason. Im going to try again tomorrow during naps. But for now I will give you an update.....

This week has been a week of new beginnings, struggles, and joy. I feel like I have been in robot mode really. I forgot how much eating, sleeping, and dirtying diapers newborns do! Fortunately my amazing Mother In Law has been here since we got home from the hospital. I have been a mother of one until today. Jett and Nootna have been having a ball together! They went to the park, Romp N Roll, and to a 150 acre cow farm! During their time together I was able to spend lots of time bonding with Josie. What a blessing!

The first two nights home were ROUGH! I thought Oh Dear! I cant do this for two-three months! Then we went to the doctor on Monday and he made all my dreams come true! Or should I say made me have dreams again! The problem was that because Tracy smoked during her pregnancy, Josie was starving. Literally! She wants so badly to be 7-8lbs and she just wasnt getting what she needed in the womb. Needless to say she wanted to eat every hour on the hour at night. UGH! So we just started feeding her more often and more during the day. Oh how I love my doctor! The last two nights we have had to wake her up to feed her! She is like a different baby. Shes still only weighing a mere 5lbs 6oz but it wont be long before she is out of the preemie clothes and into New Born!

You may be wondering how Jett is doing with Josie?. Well really hes pretty indifferent. BUT i will say this, first thing in the morning and first thing after naps all he wants to do is find Baby Josie or "Baba Josie" as he would say. Its rather cute! Ive tried to make it a point to have him be my big helper. Hes gotten bottles for her, binkeys, and given lots of kisses while shes getting her diaper changed. I think he will be an awesome big brother!

Tomorrow I will do my best to post some pictures and maybe even a video, blogspot permitted. Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement! We definitely feel it!

Josie Emma Johnson Day One :-)

2010-03-11T20:32:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the world my precious little GIRL! At only 5lbs 7oz you are so sweet and tiny! We are in love already! God has been so good to us. We cant wait to see you grow. Thank you Lord for this unbelievable gift!

Shes HERE!!!

2010-03-11T15:25:00.002-05:00

Josie Emma Johnson born at 2:02pm March 11th! 5lbs 7oz and 19.5 in! She barely pushed once and she was out! Crazy experience! I will post pictures as soon as I can get some!

We're getting there

2010-03-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

Epidural is in and contractions are moving quickly. Shouldnt be long.....

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, She'll be here Tomorrow.....

2010-03-10T20:14:00.003-05:00

"Thank you God for your overwhelming peace and understanding"

That has been my constant thought today. Tomorrow my life is going to change forever! I cant even explain to you the sense of peace that I have. I was praying and thinking in the shower today. (aka my only time I can think for myself). I thought, what if......what if she changes her mind.....what if the unknown father somehow is found and chooses to parent....what if something goes wrong.....as soon as the thoughts were there I was filled with the feeling of ITS ALL WORTH IT! God has been SO good to us! How can I think about what if! I am trusting and believing that He has a plan not matter what. Im praying for my little girl that she be protected as she is brought into this world. I am praying that God will prepare Tracys heart for the greatest and most selfless gift she will ever give.

"Thank you Lord for all that you have provided us with. How could there be more?! Thank you!"

Shes almost here!!!!

2010-03-08T18:38:00.002-05:00

I know many of you have been waiting with almost as much anticipation as we have. Today was the big day to find out when Josie would be making her appearance. The doctor has ordered us to the hospital Thursday morning at 7am! Im thinking it will be a long day of waiting and wondering. We are hoping she will be here before the days end. I will make sure to post any news if anything changes. Thanks for all the prayers and support!

Not Yet!

2010-03-01T16:56:00.001-05:00

Todays visit went well. The doctor said since Traci isnt dilated at all yet they want to wait one more week to set the induction date. Im TOTALLY okay with that! Its highly possible she could go into labor naturally before that. Im loving that Josie has another week in the warm safe womb. Until next week!!!!!

We are ready!!!!

2010-02-26T13:06:00.002-05:00

Its only a matter of days now until we bring Josie home. We have put the finishing touches on the nursery and cant wait to have her in it. My Mother in Law is an amazing seamstress and she was so kind to make the bedding for her. I ran into the same problem with Jett in that everything that I like is $500-$600! Seriously who pays that for bedding! Needless to say Debi made Jetts bedding as well. I know that there is so much love and prayers put into every stitch. It means the world to us to have it all hand made by "Nootna". Thank you Debi! Here are a few pictures of the nursery. Hope you all like it!

Some New Pics....

2010-02-22T20:27:00.003-05:00

Photos by my Dear friend Leigh by Leigh Germy Photography

37 Weeks

2010-02-22T13:23:00.002-05:00

Today we went to Tracis 37 week appointment. Josie is doing great and has a perfect heart beat. Traci lost her mucus plug last night. The doctor has set up her 38 week appointment for next Monday. He said if she wants he will go ahead and induce her then!!!! Traci was on board and said she definitely wants that. So looks Josie will be here next week or maybe sooner! We had a great visit with Traci today. She told us she wants us in the delivery room. Wow! How exciting and unexpected! She kept saying how happy she was for us. What a blessing she will be! Please continue to pray for her and for safe delivery. We will keep you posted!

Meeting our Attorney

2010-02-14T10:08:00.002-05:00

Today is the day we meet with our attorney for the first time. Valentines of all days! Well we are excited to get the ball rolling. We made mistakes with Jetts adoption with hiring attorneys that were way too expensive. We are thrilled to know that this one is going to be a great fit. Please be praying for us and for her as we embark on this long journey of endless paperwork in a short amount of time. We know that there is usually hiccups along the way but we dont have a lot of time for that with this adoption. Thanks for all the prayers and support! And

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

We Won!!!!

2010-02-12T08:03:00.002-05:00

Ok so seriously this week has been a week of blessings! Not only are we so excited for the upcoming new baby girl, but we also got a big check in the mail from our mortgage company and we won a contest we didnt even know we entered! We won a Family Photo Shoot, a night stay at the nicest hotel here and a dozen chocolate covered strawberries!!! Thanks Sam Stroud Photography!!!! We cant wait to get the new family pictures up once Josie is here! This is the best birthday yet!

Traci...

2010-02-11T18:31:00.001-05:00

The doctors appointment was great. Baby Josie is healthy and heart is beating nice and fast. Traci was pleasant. She was so generous to bring me four photo books of her and her kids and family for Josie. So sweet of her! Here are a couple of the pictures I scanned. The child is her third Aiden. Hes the only child with red hair. The others are blonde. We'll have to see what Josie looks like! Cant wait!

Jetts Big Boy Bed!!!!!

2010-02-11T18:29:00.002-05:00

Jett is SOOO proud of his big boy bed! And hes sleeping even longer in it! Yay! Thank you Joel for making the amazing railing! He cant get out! :-)

Where do I begin......

2010-02-09T08:25:00.004-05:00

Wow the last two weeks have been a huge whirlwind filled with so many emotions. I suppose I could just start from the beginning. Here we go....

Right before Christmas Joel and I started praying about adopting another child. We made some major financial changes in order to be prepared for another costly adoption. After much research we decided to go with an Adoption Consultant Firm. We felt confident this was the way we were to take.

Christmas flew by and next thing we new it was the end of January. I contacted the agency and filled out their questionare. The next day I got a call. I was THRILLED. The lady told me the next step would be a deposit and interview process. Not to mention updated our homestudy. The more I talked with her, the more I felt God speaking to me. It WASNT what I wanted Him to tell me either! I felt Him saying WAIT!!! He couldnt have been any louder. At first I was selfish and thought "Whatever Lord, Im moving forward with this." Then it got louder. LOL. Thats when I knew I should probably obey. I told the lady I wanted to wait a little longer and asked if I could call her back in the middle of next month. She said no problem and that was that.

I went about my day thinking well maybe I will be pregnant. Hum why else would God tell me to wait. This is what we want! Just two hours after my phone call I got an email from our Social Worker here. It said something like this..... "Joy, I may have a baby girl for you. A birth mother just called who is due 3-15. Im giving her some homestudies to review and choose. I will be in touch."

My heart dropped and I got the chills. I thought well Lord if this isnt you then its really ironic! The next morning I prayed for a long time. I prayed for Gods will for us and for this birthmother and baby. I prayed that God would give us a peace not matter what. I prayed that if it was His will for us to have a child ANY child we would take it not matter the circumstances. I had so much peace that day.

About noon that day I got a call from our Social Worker that we had been picked! In the few short minutes I talked with her I had no questions. NONE! All of my friends and family were asking me what her background was, what the babies was, what the adoption plan is. I said I didnt think to ask and I dont care. God had given me such a peace about it that it didnt matter one bit to us.

Just a few days later Traci, the birthmother, came to our house for lunch. God really had His hand on it. Honestly it could not have been any better! She was sweet, realitic, honest, funny, down to earth, and can I say pretty too! We were elated!

Tomorrow my mother and I are going to her doctors appointment with her. Seeing that this is her fifth child, she doesnt expect to make it any where near her due date. We are hoping the doctors will have some answers tomorrow.

Needless to say we have been scrambling around trying to get Jett in a big boy bed, the nursery ready, last minute projects around the house done and our homestudy completed.

Please be praying for us as we embark on this journey once again. God has been so good and faithful to us and we trust that He will see us through. We just have or should I say I just have to remember to breathe!

Joy

He is faithful.....

2010-02-02T08:52:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 43:18-19
"But forget all that -
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."

Philippians 4:6

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Psalm 37:5-7a, NIV

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight

yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…"

The gift of an Ordinary Day

2010-01-25T09:11:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0

Growing up so fast!

2010-01-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Its really hit me in the last few days how fast Jett is growing up. Its hard to believe in just a few short months he will be two! Everyday is a new learning experience for him. I am constantly saying Wow Buddy! Thats awesome! About two weeks ago he started saying "WOW!" So cute! Just yesterday he started jumping and spinning at the same time. My neighbor has been trying to get him to do it for months. I never thought he would even be close to doing it just yet. Then this morning said two new words! Its so exciting yet so sad to feel like my baby is now a little boy. Time has really flown by. Im trying to remember to not take any moments for granted. Followed by this is another blog about remembering every ordinary day. I hope it encourages you as well to take pride in the ordinary days just as the special ones are.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T14:25:00.005-05:00

Our New Years Eve was spent going into Boston and visiting the Childrens Museum. Wow what a beautiful snowy day it was! We rode in on the train, which Jett was a HUGE fan of. Then walked through the common to see the ice sculptures and ice skaters. Once we got home we had a huge party at the house. What a fun day and night it was. We are so excited to see what 2010 will bring us! We hope you all had a blessed New Year!

All the Grandsons and Nana

Nootna and Jett

Papa Hal and Nootna with all the Grandsons

Jett making Swedish Pancakes with Nootna

Ice Chair Skating with Dada

Playing trucks at the museum

Love my inlaws

The boys loved the frog ice sculptures

Better to change his diaper on the train then in the snow LOL

On the train

Ice Sledding on the lake

Christmas in Boston

2009-12-30T09:02:00.004-05:00

We flew into Boston on Christmas Eve night. What a fun time we have had so far! Jett has just loved all the play time with his cousins. We have going sledding, made a snowman, played on the frozen lake, gone bowling, sat in the hot tub, played hours of cars and trucks, and gone out for Jap Steakhouse dinner. To think we have another four days here! Enjoy the pictures so far. More to come......

Here comes the snow....

2009-12-21T11:59:00.003-05:00

For those of you that missed last years video.....heres a clip of what happened last year.

Better Late than Never......

2009-12-09T12:39:00.002-05:00

The picture says it all........

2009-12-03T19:17:00.001-05:00

Vacation and Jetts time with his Nootna

2009-11-17T12:40:00.004-05:00

Another GREAT vacation for the Johnsons. Joel and I were able to go to Aruba with 8 of our favorite friends this month. It was such a fun and relaxing time. All of us live in different states and hardly get to see each other. This couldnt have been a better place to get together. It was beautiful weather every day, amazing food, and of course fun activities. We are all planning on going back next November.

Now where was Jett while we were away? Of course his Nootna (Joels Mom) came to care for him and the animals. They had a blast together! We were so lucky to skype with him every morning and get lots of pictures of their daily activities. Thank goodness for modern technology!

I hope you enjoy some of our pictures!

The Clan on our last night out

Joel feeding our new "friends" french fries

The Snorkeling Cruise

Kooko Kunuko (aka Aruba Party Bus) So fun!

The AMAZING beach

Such a fun group of girls

The boys except Tod

Joel excited to get there

Debi figured out a way to get the floors cleaned and give Jett something fun to do. The picture is not blury. Thats Jett shaking from the excitment!

Jett and his Nootna

She really wore him out!

Smiles for the park

Loving his first fish stick

Oh how we love the fall!

2009-10-29T16:13:00.004-04:00

Fall weather in Virginia is AMAZING! We have just loved playing outside and going to lots of parks and exploring the yard. Its so fun to see the world from a toddlers eyes. I am enjoying this age with Jett more than ever. He is just a joy. The best way to describe him is passionate. He is either really really happy or really really angry or really really sad. He truly is passionate. I hope you enjoy some of the new pictures.

He loves the slide. This kid has NO fear!

The pumpkin patch

These are ALL of Jetts costumes for this year. Hey they kid has three parties to attend. :-)

Tubing at SnowFlex with Daddy. Its so cool to be able to ski year round!

As much as he is obsessed with "diggers" he was quite afraid of being inside the claw!

So fun playing in the leaves!

Jetts a Talking Machine :-)

2009-10-23T16:42:00.002-04:00

I NEVER win and I WON!!!!

2009-10-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

Okay so it wasnt a trillion dollars in the lottery or a new car or a free vacation. All I won was the pride in knowing I make the best soup at our cook off! :-) Feels like a million bucks since I never win anything! :-) I have to give a little credit to my sister in law Laurie whos recipe it belongs to. If you are interested in making a super yummy soup this winter that is even better after freezing, here you go.....

Chicken Corn Salsa Soup

44 oz Chicken Broth

Large Can of Pace Medium Salsa

3 cans of Black Beans

1 Large can of Yams (mash them)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1TBS Oregano

1tsp Cumin

1 Large bag frozen corn

1 can mexicorn

1 rotisserie chicken shredded

Add all ingredients together and simmer for at least an hour. Top with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips and hot peppers if you like.

Best Friends In Town

2009-10-03T09:09:00.002-04:00

Its Monkey Time!

2009-09-22T08:23:00.003-04:00

I couldnt resist! Its about that time to start looking for the perfect costume for Halloween. I just had to see if last years costume still fit! Considering last winter he was in 18 month clothing and he is STILL in 18 month clothing, I figured there was a good chance it might fit. Here was his first reaction...

"Wheres the monkey?"

"I love my monkey!"

"Say Cheese!"

October 2008

Wow has he changed!!!! Look at how big he was!!! Those cheeks!!!

My little Monkey is all grown up!

Ulery Family Reunion 2009

2009-09-20T11:57:00.003-04:00

Summer Fun is almost over....a few pics to share

2009-09-10T12:14:00.003-04:00

We have loved playing outside this summer. Im not looking forward to the winter days of being trapped inside. Here are a few recent pics of some of the fun in the sun. We leave for the beach tomorrow so I will have plenty of pics to share from our trip.

Jett is ready for OSU football. This is his sign for TOUCHDOWN!

Loving his summer hair cuts

His FAVORITE thing to do in the mornings is mow the lawn.

Such a cool dude!

Go Bucks!

Its Boogie Time!!!!

2009-08-27T13:00:00.004-04:00

I recently decided that we were in need of a jogging stroller. I started to wear down on the wheels on on Peg Perego and Light weight stroller! Those that know me well, know my knees are horrible and I cant run. I do A TON of walking and walking huge hills. It was time to upgrade! I was SOOOO lucky to find this like new Zopper Boogie Stroller on craigslist for less than half the price of a new one! WOW! I have NO NO NO excuses now for not walking every morning. Lets Boogie Jett!

I cant say its not stylish enough.

I cant say there isnt enough storage.

I cant say no because hes getting fussy and wants my attention.

The rain is no excuse now!

Bugs arent an excuse now!

Cold weather isnt one either!

And Nap time cant be an excuse either! Yikes!

I have NO excuses! Its Boogie Time!

Take me out to the ball game.......

2009-08-17T07:26:00.003-04:00

Its still hard for me to believe how fast time has gone by. Every year Joel get season tickets to the local minor league baseball team the Hillcats. I remember taking Jett last year just like it was yesterday. He was such a chunker and sweating in his little onesie. Look at how much he has grown!

He was ready to leave by this point. Poor kid made it the whole game.

Cant complain about an air conditioned sky box!

He wasnt much of a fan of South Paw the Hillcat. Maybe next year.

Say CHHEEEEEZZZZZZZZ

2009-08-06T16:21:00.001-04:00

About two weeks ago Jett started making the "cheese" face. LOL! I have NO idea where he learned it. I died laughing when he did it the first time. Now every time I tell him to say cheese he does this. How cute is he!!!!!!!

I need dog therapy!

2009-08-05T20:29:00.002-04:00

The last couple of days my dogs have really been more trouble than my toddler. Poor Aslan hurt his knee running from the back yard to the front. We are still waiting to find out if it is just a sprain or if its more serious. The vet put him on bed rest, haha, a dog on bed rest. Right! She gave him a 24 hours pain pills, talk about good stuff! Well yesterday I got home from a great play date to find the pain pill bottle chewed and empty! I knew exactly who did it. Aslan? Nope. Mr. Kitten? Nope. Mr George? Nope. Yep that leaves Baxter! Hes is such a stinker! I immediately looked for at least one pill left. No way. He gobbled down all 12! Thats 12 24 hours pain killers! I called the vet to find out I had to force him to vomit. That entailed me pouring peroxide down his throat and trying to dig through foamy vomit to look for pills. Needless to say I only found one. So he is no on meds so that he doesnt get liver damage! UGH!!!! Well my life is never boring thats for sure! At this time I am thoroughly enjoying my innocent little man! :-)

Jett loving his doggies

Jett praying over Aslan and his hurt knee :-)

Summer Fun

2009-07-20T10:03:00.005-04:00

I've had some complaints that I havent posted a blog in a few weeks. (you know who you are) So here you go. :-) The last few weeks have been filled with lots of traveling time for me and lots of Daddy time for Jett. Joel was on Daddy Duty for four whole days while I was in MN for a wedding. One of my favorites phone calls from Joel was him asking me how many baths a kid can have in one day. I said what do you mean? He said well its only 4pm and hes already had two baths and he is dirty again. LOL. I said why not wait until the end of the day for one bath? He said well he was super dirty before his naps so I had to bathe him. Needless to say they had LOTS of fun doing yard work and cleaning out the garage. Unfortunately there are no pictures from this weekend. I do have some pictures from our trip to DC for the 4th of July as well as some others from Jennies wedding in MN. Enjoy!

Congrats Jennie!

Two of my Favorite Friends

I laugh every time I see this picture. Jett does love Braden. I think hes making up for all the times Braden would hit him when he was just an infant. Believe it or not but Braden is 9 months OLDER than Jett! Best Buds in the making!

We cant get away with dressing them alike for too long. :-)

He LOVES his Daddy!

Gotcha Day 2009

2009-06-29T09:52:00.003-04:00

My sweet baby on loan from above
no better treasure could I more love
I stand here beside your bed as I pray
I lay my hand on your head and I say

May you grow up to serve Him
all of your days
May He lead you and guide you
in all of your ways
May He bless your future with
friendships that last
May you cherish your youth
and not grow up too fast

I stare in wonder at your tiny frame
Just to think God knows you by name
He knows every hair on your head
He knows your thoughts before they are said

May God grant you peace
in the midst of a storm
May God give you strength even
when you’re forlorn
May you answer the door when
Jesus comes knocking
May wisdom guide when
your mouth is talkin’
May discretion protect you
and keep you pure
May you never stumble
or fall for a lure
May your heart remain humble
to the very end
May uprightness and truth
be what you defend
May the world not ensnare
or change who you are
May the light that's within you
shine like the stars
May angels surround you
body, spirit, mind
May favor and peace be yours to find
May rejection and pain
never reach you
May your spirit grow bold
for what you’re called to

As you rest in God’s care I will rest too
Knowing that Jesus is watching over you
Amen

We are so blessed to call you our son. We love you Jett!

I think the lady who wrote on the cake didnt quite understand what I was asking for LOL.

Happy Gotcha Day

J. J. J.

He LOVES his Daddy

Doing yard work

Hes obsessed with pretending to drive Joels Jeep

Helping wash Daddys Jeep

What a great day filled with family fun and creating lots of memories. We cant wait to have many more Gotcha Days to celebrate!

It is FINALLY here!

2009-06-27T07:43:00.002-04:00

What is it that we have been waiting for for 15 months your ask? To be able to call Jett by his full adopted name! He is now officially Jett James Johnson! Due to some minor clerical errors on our attorneys part this process was prolonged by 7 extra months! Nothing has changed in that he was still "ours". Its just that he now has a new birth certificate with our names and his new last name. I have been waiting to be able to call him Jett Johnson since the day he was born. You may not notice when you would have to use his birth name but you would be surprised. Every time we flew, which was a TON his first year, and every time we went to the doctor. Its not that I was ashamed of his birth name and or that I am ashamed he is adopted. Its just one more thing in the way of feeling like he is totally ours. SO PRAISE GOD! As of this past week he is now JETT JAMES JOHNSON! Has a ring to it doesnt it?! :-)

Happy Fathers Day in Ohio

2009-06-26T08:14:00.005-04:00

We spent Fathers Day weekend in Ohio with my family. The day was spent at the Columbus zoo. Joel and Jett had so much fun bonding there. We also got to reunite with Jetts buddy Max. Max is also adopted and shares a very similar story as Jett. Arent they the cutest little boys you have ever seen?!

Zoo Boy

2009-06-08T19:11:00.003-04:00

For those of you that have never been to the Natural Bridge Zoo, you really should go. I am from Columbus Ohio which has the #2 zoo in the country. In my opinion this one is a close third. The best part about this zoo is you get to feed the animals and half of them run free around you! Donkeys, Llamas and Camels run free throughout the zoo. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. They are friendly but as you can see in one of the shots, if they see you have feed they chase you until its gone. I was a little intimated by them but Joel and Jett loved it. The only picture I didnt post here is where we held the baby white tiger!!!! They took a 8 X 10 of us holding him but I have yet to scan it. What a fun Sunday this was! We will definitely be back!

Dont you just love this one! Nothing like Daddy and Son!

This Llama freaked me out. He wouldnt leave us alone. We had to run for him to finally stop following us. LOL. Apparently he was hungry!

Okay the Giraffes tongue is really sticky and slimy. It was VERY strange!

This is a 25 year old Female that weighs 8,000lbs!!!!!

This guy followed us around too. I was scared he would bite Jetts finger off.

The Monkey saw Jett in the window and ran over and handed him a carrot. It was SO cute!

Prince of the Ball

2009-06-08T19:06:00.004-04:00

Memorial weekend Jett was the little prince of his Auntie Jessicas wedding. He loved the huge mansion and farm. Here Leigh caught him in action as he was getting ready to shake his booty on the dance floor. He was the first one out there. Gotta love my little man!

Four Years and Going Strong

2009-05-26T08:24:00.004-04:00

Happy Anniversary Joel!

May 29, 2005 is when my new life began. Wow what a day that was! Things didnt really go as planned and it has been that way ever since. I had this idea of what was perfect and I am constantly reminded of how Gods plan is always better. I wouldnt change a thing! I love you Joel Enos Johnson!

Jetts One Year Photo Shoot

2009-05-21T22:10:00.012-04:00

These are just a few of my favorites. We have over 150 pictures! Kristin did such a great job! Cant wait to do them again! I think Jett is a model in the making! :-)

Poop

2009-05-15T09:02:00.003-04:00

Last night I could do nothing but laugh and cry all at the same time. Just a couple weeks ago Jett had his first time pooping in the bath. That time I just moved him to the clean end of the tub then cleaned the dirty end and refilled the tub and so on. Well after sharing this story I was told to take him out and empty clean then refill and put him back in. So I took the advice this time. Here we are enjoying our bathtime when the "poop face" shows itself. I decided to take him out of the bath and set him next to me on the edge of the tub. As I am cleaning the tub out I smell poop! Yes! He pooped on the floor while standing there! Then proceeded to step in it with both feet and drag it onto the bath rug. The tub had HOT water running since I was cleaning so I picked up him and ran his poopy feet under the sink water while trying not to get poop on me. He didnt like this too much but that was the last of my concern. After getting him all clean again and the tub ready to go, he started to pee all over the floor! Yes PEE! I couldnt help but laugh. I then put him back in the tub to only have him poop again!!!!!! At this point I decided to take him out and wrap him in a towel and get him in a diaper. After diapering him I was able to get all the mess cleaned up. What mess he made!!!! Of course this all happens when Joel is at work. Oh the laughter and tears! Ive decided if he hasnt pooped in the afternoon yet hes not getting a bath until he does! ha! Oh Jett! How you have made your Mommy deal with things she never thought she would. People dont tell you about things like this!

While Mom and Dad are away...Jett will Play!!!!!

2009-05-04T00:33:00.006-04:00

If you didnt read my last post then you dont know that Joel and I have been out of town for a wedding in the Grand Cayman. Joels Mom "Nootna" came to take care of Jett and the animals for us. What a week they have had! She is one fun "Nootna"! Debi is detemined to take the dogs everywhere she takes Jett. They do love the car rides but my life does not revolve around them anymore. Poor dogs! She has spoiled the dogs, the cats, and of course Jett. Here are a few pics that she has sent to us while we have been away. Oh my! I guess Grandmas are good for giving kids what Mommy never does.

Baxter wishing he could go into McDonalds with them

He loves the front seat

Um yeah what is that in the cup...yeah juice! oh well Noots can spoil him. Its back to water when Mommy gets home!

WHAT IS THAT! Yeah FRENCH FRIES!!! Not only that but MCDONALDS!!! YIKES! No wonder hes having a great time!

Is that a french fry again!!!????!!! Yep! Oh my Jett! Back to organic when Mommy gets home.

Noots got creative and put a swing in the garage! Silly Noots! I bet you love it! Great Idea!

WHAT IS THAT!!!!! PIZZA!!!!!! Wow I bet you dont even want Mommy to come home now! French Fries and Pizza all week! Sorry peanut! Mommys coming home and its back to the veggies and fruit for you! Mommy loves you! Vacation is over! :=)

Apparently all the processed food has caused him to eat all toys at Romp N Roll too! ha! No honestly he has always loved to eat the lady bugs there! Yum!

Time Away.....Grand Cayman 2009

2009-05-03T19:42:00.003-04:00

Wow what a vacation we have had. We feel so blessed to have this time together. Yesenia and Tods wedding was just perfect. The best part is that Jett is having just as much fun as we are. We have skyped with him twice and he is just loving his time with his Nootna, Joels Mom. We cant wait until next summer when he can enjoy the beach with us. We miss our little man! Enjoy our pictures.

Baby Carrier Give Away!

2009-04-22T18:02:00.000-04:00

Summer Give away Baby Carrier! http://www.meeupcarriers.blogspot.com/

Grateful for Today

2009-04-21T08:13:00.004-04:00

A year ago today Elizabeth gave us the greatest gift she will ever give. She has spent 12 whole days with HER son. She has bonded, loved, cuddled, fed and cared for HER child. On April 21 2008 she signed over all her rights to us. My eyes fill with tears just thinking about that day. She was so brave. The judge was telling her over and over and over that she would no longer have any say in her childs life once she signed the papers. I felt he was being so cruel to her but he was just wanting to make sure she knew what she was doing. As she cried she answered yes sir this is the best thing for me and my child. What a courageous girl she was. I just cant imagine the emotions that filled her in those moments. Once the hearing was over she handed Jett to me. I said you can hold him he is still your son too. She said no your his mommy now. he stinks! :-) We went back to the Refuge house and had a BBQ in honor of her gift to us. God has truly blessed us in the last year with the most amazing child. He truly is a God send! Thank you Elizabeth! We love you!

Our Trip to Florida

2009-04-13T18:13:00.003-04:00

He loved his first Elmo Easter Basket. Thanks Auntie Tonya!

Jett had so much fun at the beach. That was until he got wet. It was too cold!

We had so much fun playing in the back yard. Everytime we went in he cried.

Eli has a special love for Jett. He wouldnt stop kissing him.

Malachi Jett and Eli, he loved his cousins.

At the airport on his actual birthday.

My Prayer on Jetts Birthday.....

2009-04-09T08:24:00.003-04:00

www.youtube.com/watch?v=re5EIUIXbhc

I couldnt figure out how to get his video to show up in the blog. Sorry.....enjoy.....

Happy First Birthday Jett!

Happy Birthday Party Jett!!!!

2009-04-05T18:54:00.006-04:00

Wow what a crazy time Jetts party was! 14 TODDLERS and 25 adults all in one place! Yikes! It was ALL worth it! I was a bad mommy consumed with trying to get things ready and clean and talk to everyone and didnt take ANY pictures! Thank you to Missy and Mom for taking these. Thanks to everyone who helped and celebrated with us!

This is Jett and his future wife Elliana Danger Howarth

Jett and Auntie Missy

Wow the inflatable playhouse was a hit!

The kids worked up an appetite in the playland. I couldnt believe how much the ate!

Braden hogging the cupcakes.

Nana brought him his new horsey. She spoils him rotten!

Coupon Addict!

2009-03-30T08:33:00.004-04:00

The last couple of weeks I have been getting back into couponing. Whats the big attraction? FREE WIPES AND DIAPERS FOR 50% off! I got over $50 worth of wipes for FREE! Im learning all these new tricks of trade from experienced friends. I havent set foot in our ghetto KMart in years but they had double coupons all last week. I was there twice in two days! We go through diapers and wipes like crazy so if I can get them for free or half off I will clip clip clip away! Next time I will take a picture to show you how much I got! I was too excited this time and put it all away before I could take a picture.

Mr Fussy Pants

2009-03-25T08:27:00.004-04:00

Lately we have been dealing with a whole new child. We call him "Mr Fussy Pants". Im not sure if he is getting more teeth, going through a growth spurt, or just wants to be held all the time again. Either way hes fussing more than he ever has. Here are some pictures of Jett right before bedtime. You can see hes dreading being left alone in his crib.

Happy St Pattys Day!

2009-03-17T14:19:00.001-04:00

Happy 11 months Birthday Jett!!!!!

2009-03-09T09:57:00.003-04:00

Wow! Only one more month until he is a year old!!!! It is crazy how fast the year has gone by. Last year at this time we were in Nevada awaiting his arrival. God has blessed us SO much in the last year. What a blessing Jett is! Happy Birthday Baby Jett!

Sippie Cup Delema

2009-03-08T08:10:00.002-04:00

So Jett is 11 months this week and STILL wont drink from a sippie cup. He bites it, licks it, and throws it on the floor. What is a Mom to do? Any advice for sippie cup training? Do I let him thirst until he figures it out? I have every brand and kind of cup so I can do it any possible way. PLEASE HELP!

I have Teeth!

2009-03-07T08:19:00.000-05:00

Jetts First Snow Day

2009-03-04T08:42:00.008-05:00

What a fun day we had on Monday. Joel even had the day off due to the snow. Jett had his first sled ride, built his first snow man, and made angels in the snow with his best buddies. Here are some pictures of the day. Unfortunately we only get one snow a year. This was Monday and it will be 72 by Friday! Crazy Virginia weather!

BFF's

2009-02-25T09:53:00.005-05:00

Missy and I have always talked about the day we would have kids. We would joke about how they would be forced best friends. When we found out we were both having boys we were so excited. We try to get the boys together every other month or so. They dont know it yet but they WILL be BFF's! Their personalities are SO different already. Braden is the cautious mamas boy and not interested in playing with Jett one bit. Jett is the crazy social butterfly that is not afraid of ANYTHING. We joke about the day that Jett will be wearing his ripped up jeans, hat on side ways and skull shirt, and Braden is in his Polo and Khakis while they try to pick up "chicks" together. I have a feeling Jett will be putting Braden up to no good or at least blaming him for things. LOL. We cant wait until they are old enough to play ball together. Braden and Jett you WILL be BFF's!!!

Jett 1 Month & Braden 9 Months

Braden 15 Months & Jett 6 Months

Jett 3 Months Braden 12 Months

Jett 5 Months Braden 14 Months

Jett 10 Months Braden 19 Months

My Son the Vampire Update

2009-02-19T16:47:00.003-05:00

I promised all of you I would post a picture of Jetts fangs as soon as I could get him to smile big enough. You can only see one of them here but you get the idea. Luckily the front ones are coming in now too! Phew! He wont look silly for too long! Isnt he so cute! :-)

HUGE Praise!

2009-02-19T09:58:00.002-05:00

As all of you know I have been not been able to conceive for three years now. We tried everything except for testing for Endometriosis as well as IVF. We were about to do both when we were told about the possibility of Jett. At that time I had no desire to pursue any further with fertility treatments. I felt a longing to pursue being a Mom to Jett. And so it is.

Over Christmas my Sister in Law had surgery to test for Endometriosis and it was found. After discussing her symptoms I realized that there had to be no way I didnt have it as well. I called the doctor immediate to set up surgery. The only way you can even diagnosis it is through surgery. I have been praying that the doctor would find it and be able to get rid of it all through laser treatment during the surgery.

Yesterday was the big day. I met with the doctor minutes before surgery and he went over his thoughts. He said he had mixed feelings about what he wanted to find. He said that if he found endometriosis that meant a stem of new problems BUT would give us answers to why we werent getting pregnant. Then again if everything was normal we had no answers for why were werent conceiving. When the doctor came out of surgery and met with Joel, he said he was very pleased with what he found. He said that he found the endometriosis BUT was able to get rid of ALL it!!!! Thats exactly what I was praying for!

There is a very high chance that this would be the perfect time for us to be able to get pregnant. Endometriosis does come back over time. It can take months or it can take years. We are hoping that this will all be in Gods timing. OBVIOUSLY God is in control and He is the one that creates the child. We know that there is a chance that it is not in His will for us to have our own biological child. We have a tremendous peace about adopting again. It would just be much easier and less expensive to conceive on our own. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.

Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood....

2009-02-07T17:22:00.006-05:00

What a beautiful day today was! My car was reading 70! The day started out meeting best friends at our favorite Magnolias for lunch then off to the park. Jett and Judah played and had their first swing rides. Jett couldnt contain himself! It was so fun! Then Joel came home from work so we took a walk with the dogs in our neighborhood. We decided it was so nice we had to walk to the lake. The dogs were just as excited as Jett to see the water. What a tease today and tomorrow will be with the nice weather. We cant wait till spring and summer!

My son the Vampire

2009-02-03T08:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had to take Jett to the doctor for a sick visit. While there the Dr said Oh hes getting some teeth. I didnt think much of it because I know his top gums have been bothering him. Later that day my friend Kelley asked if he had any upper teeth yet. I said no but their coming. She reached in and said Oh my word! He has his fangs! I didnt even notice! Both fang teeth are poking through. Poor kid will look like a little vampire baby! ha! I was wondering why he was waking up in pain. Poor kid! At least we got the painful ones over with first. If I can get him to sit still enough for a good picture of them I will post.

Salon Boy

2009-01-29T21:49:00.004-05:00

Today Jett has his first Salon haircut. I cant count how many times I have given him a haircut at home. Joel was frustrated with my lack of ability to get it straight and even so I made him an appointment with Dorothy. Dorothy has done our hair for years and we couldnt imagine taking him to anyone else. We bribed him with his first blue sucker. He was in love! You can see by the look on his face and his blue tongue. Thank you Dorothy! He looks adorable!

It always happens in threes

2009-01-19T08:36:00.003-05:00

This week has been a huge week for Jett! First he started crawling not only forward but on his knees and crawling EVERYWHERE. Next he took two steps forward towards Joel. Then he started feeding himself! Hes had puffs, cheerios, and pasta. I thought the day would never come! What a big week baby Jett!!!!! Im so proud of you!!!!

Romp and Roll

2009-01-16T13:56:00.003-05:00

Today was Jetts first day of "Romp and Roll." Its an activity gym for kids. He LOVED it. Above are some pictures that capture his awe.

Beautiful Baby Contest

2009-01-12T12:31:00.003-05:00

I am entering Jett into a baby contest and was wanting some input on which picture to submit. I can only chose one. Here are some pictures I took today hoping to get the perfect shot. What do you think???

9 Months!

2009-01-11T17:17:00.004-05:00

On Friday we had our 9 month check up and it was his 9 month birthday. I was really excited to see how he had grown. He is no longer in the 100th % for weight and height. He is now in 75th for both! I could tell he had slowed down. I just needed the proof. Hes managing to get all over the place now but still only crawling backwards. My friends here are getting a kick out of it. The Dr said that he is with Joel on our walking bet. He says by our 12 month check up Jett will be walking successfully! I told him NO WAY it will be later. He said Im sorry to let you know that I am with your husband on this one. I told him MY LIFE IS GOING TO DRASTICALLY CHANGED! He died laughing and said You have no idea! I am looking forward to having the little guy running around and learning new things.

"Look Mom No Hands!"

2009-01-06T16:08:00.008-05:00

Its amazing how fast Jett has been learning to balance and "cruise". He is pulling himself up on everything and standing and letting go and standing and letting go. Joel and I get a kick out of watching him balance. He will go sometimes 30 seconds or more just standing. Its so fun to see him learn how to be more independent. He is still only crawling backwards successfully. He will crawl forward with one or two steps then quit and just roll to his next destination. If he had it his way he would stand all day long. I have a feeling Joel might win our bet and Jett will be walking on or before his first birthday! My life is about to dramatically change!

Christmas in Boston 2008

2009-01-02T18:46:00.012-05:00

Christmas was a joy this year. Last year we spent Christmas with Jett but not in the same way. Elizabeth flew out to Boston last year. She was about 6 months pregnant with Jett at the time. Its crazy how fast the time has gone by. I feel like she was just up there with us. We had lots of fun sharing presents and wrapping with Jett. He of course loved the bows more than anything. We counted our blessing in multiple numbers this year. We are truly blessed to have such a happy and loving baby boy. I hope you enjoy the pictures !

We got 8 inches of snow! Jett didnt know what to think!

Here he is enjoying his bow.

He was exhausted by the end of the day.

"Look Mama I can stand!"

He was Santas biggest helper!

Jett with cousin Giselle and Noots and Poops. :-)

He loves Giselle!