Yeah!

Some of our favorite music to listen to around the holidays is Tchaikovsky's suites from the nutckracker. Last year Sean & I started a family tradition by going to Symphony hall the day after Christmas & seeing Ballet Arizona & the Phoenix Symphony perform the ballet. So today we were sitting here listening to the beautiful music while Sam was chilling in his boppy. Sean grabbed his little arms & was making him conduct the music & then .. HE SMILED! not the "oh maybe he's got gas" smile.. but he actually responded in a smile from the action. Wahoo!! yeah for firsts :)

sixth sense....

How is it that a baby knows that you are putting them down after rocking them to sleep.... when they are already asleep? Just something I'd like to understand!

and how is it that even when Sammy cries.. I still love him more than anything in the world? I'm sure that won't last forever, but even his cry is beautiful to me!!

Gobble Gobble

Another Thanksgiving come.. and gone! But how great it was!!!! It was our year to be with Sean's family, so we had dinner at our house. This is the second year that I've cooked a Thanksgiving dinner... but you'd be surprised at how much you can forget after 2 years. I've decided that today I'm starting my "Thanksgiving journal". I'm going to write down what I did when I made the dinner, when to start what... what I would change. I have to give a nice special thanks to the Ayala & Dillard family for being so tolerant of my endless phone calls asking baking & cooking advice- & Andy... thanks a billion for the turkey preparation ideas.. it turned out amazing!!!!
Wednesday morning I had to go get a few last minute things at the grocery store, so I went w/Jo & Andy & then ate lunch with them. When I was sitting at their table I looked over at their kitchen counter & saw their turkey sitting there.... & then it hit me... I HADN'T TAKEN THE TURKEY OUT OF THE FREEZER!!!!!!! I seriously started having a mini stroke. Andy assured me that I could thaw it out in the tub w/cold water. So I hurried my booty home & did just that. It's definitely not something I ever want to do again. Everything I read recommended changing the water every 30 minutes, so I moved it to the kitchen sink to make it a little easier. What a freaking pain in the butt. So I baked all the rest of the day. Sean took Red w/ his sister & her fiance on a day trip & didn't get back til that evening, so I had lots of time to cook. I finally went to bed at about 11pm. I have to tell you that baking half the meal the day before DEFINITELY works out much better!!! I wasn't running around as crazy the next day as I did 2 years ago...
& I even had time to take a shower on Thanksgiving.. & help give Sammy a bath-
My gosh that kid is cute!! & that man isn'tn half bad either! :)
So all of Sean's siblings, his dad, his friend Billy & his sisters fiance all ate with us! I know I freak out & run around all crazy.. but I really LOVE being the hostess. It's so much fun!
Here is Sammy chillin while we all ate dinner...next year I don't think it will be so easy to just sit him in a chair while I eat dinner.

We put our nice table cloth on & got out my beautiful china I got for Christmas last year, & the pretty silverware I got on black Friday last year & served up dinner. We had been planning on eating outside cause it's been nice lately.. but it was a bit wet & I thought it would be raining up until just awhile before we ate. Here are a few pics of everyone downing the turkey & ham...

I made a turkey, stuffing, gravy, ham, twice baked potatoes, butter rolls, sweet potato casserole, & a cherry pie! MMmmmmmmm! Lots of pies were brought by Sean's fam & some scrumptious Martinelli's from Billy. Our soon to be brother-in-law Caio made a passion fruit mouse that was a huge hit! It was so great to have everyone all together :)

Here is Tiffany & Caio -

After dinner ( we actually ate a little before 2) we all digested while watching movies. We started with National Lampoons Christmas Vacation... a Johnson family favorite.

That was followed by some yummy pie! & then we watched the Village. Sean really likes that movie & it sounds pretty good on the surround sound! It was just so great to lounge around, digest, watch movies, talk, listen to Christmas music, eat more, watch more movies!! What a great day!! One of my favorite parts of the day was how much all of Sean's siblings loved holding Sammy & paying him lots of attention! Here is Ben holding him-

.......and Justin- who everyone says looks like he's putting a choke hold on Sam

me & Sean in all our turkey day glory-

Justin & Ben hanging out-

Tiffany & Caio just got in from Brazil on Tuesday. We were so glad they made it to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. They are expecting a baby in April & so it was really fun to see them with Sammy. They both loved holding him all day & asking lots of questions about having the baby. They even brought Sammy a present from Brazil- a cute stuffed monkey that makes little monkey noises.

I was getting so into the holiday spirit the last two days & kept telling Sean how fun it is that we have our own little family to start traditions with & how great it is that we have our own little Sammy to bake Christmas treats with, and go look at lights, or go play in the snow.. & to open presents with. I think that they past two days I've been overwhelmed at how truly thankful I am for my family! For my awesome parents serving the Lord in Pennsylvania- for my amazing husband who helps me grow into a better person every day- for my unbelievable miracle Sammy who makes me so happy I can't describe-for my own siblings who I could never make it through this life without & it brings me to tears just thinking about them- & for Sean's family that reminds me how fun life was when my own family was so young. I love how much love people show around this time of year!!! but it did slightly surprise me that Sean asked his brother to help him get the Christmas decorations out of the attic last night- usually I have to beg him get everything down for me.

There was a little elf with a Christmas hat in the box & Ben & Tiffany thougth it would look great on Sam-

a slight smile? Joy to the World!!!... Here is Tiffany & Caio with Sam-

The only thing I'm not happy about this year- the fact that my budget is a little tight & I'm not doing any black friday shopping. I always love that... despite how crazy people tell me I am. Sean went & bought us a paper last night & when I saw all the ads I didn't feel too badly- it didnt' seem like there were too many great deals anyway!!!

What a fantastic day!! I hope everyone else had an amazing Turkey Day...

I'm so thankful for my life. I've been blessed this past year in ways I could never describe. I just hope that this next year I can show the amazing people around me how great they are by serving them better. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Our Best Friend Boppy

No pictures... please! j/k- ok, that was cheesy.... Why is it that we end up sleeping in such odd positions?
This morning Sean put Sam in the boppy, but I think he set him up a little high on the back. I looked over & Sam was sitting straight up! He had pulled himself all the way up. My immediate reaction was to freak out that he would fall over, but then I laughed. I wish I'd taken a picture... how nuts is that? I swear!! This kid thinks he's way older than he really is!

Music to my ears

Literally...! Tonight I took Sammy to his very first concert!! & it was actually at this church pictured above. One of my young women had a band concert tonight so we all went to cheer her on in her clarinet solo. She did very well!! It was an orchestra/band concert, so we got the best of both worlds. Its so funny, but I actually performed in this same church when I was in high school. My choir teacher was a member of the church, so we had a few concerts here. Anyways- Sam slept through the whole thing, not one little peep. He must have really been contemplating chord structures :) I do have to say that minus the festive Christmas pieces- there was a John Williams medly that I enjoyed :) who wouldn't love a mix of Jurrasic Park, Schindlers List & Indiana Jones ?!! All in all.. fine holiday fun!- followed by dollar menu treats at McyD's!

Jackadosis

Yes... I have been a brace face for 16 months now. Beautiful, huh? This picture was earlier this year.. when the rubber bands began. For those of you who don't know, I had braces when I was in high school as well. I truly believe that the orhtodontist that I saw didn't have a flipping clue what he was doing. Now, I will admit that I didn't wear retainers like I should have... but not enough to cause this! When I saw the orhtodontist for my consultation last summer he told me that in order to fully fix my bite he would have to break my jaw. I told him we should just see what we could accomplish without doing that!! He gave me an estimate of 15 months total. Well I saw him 2 weeks ago & he ordered another wire for me, put 3 other wires on & gave me 3 new places to wear rubber bands. I asked him to give it to me straight.. how much longer REALISTICALLY was I going to be in these things???? 6 months. I thought I was going to pass out.. I'm sorry- did you say 6 months?!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! Ok... lets do it right.. if I'm going through it, I might as well do it right! So I made my next appointment..the day before my birthday. So my teeth would be nice & sore for my bday. They called me today & said the wires came in early & would I like to come in tomorrow? I said of course- the sooner this gets over the better. but now I will be slightly sore for Thanksgiving dinner... I guess I just can't win.

p.s. I havent mentioned to Sean that the braces wearing is going to be extended for so long... he thinks its any day now :(

Squirmies

This kid has a serious case of the squirmies!!!! He is way too big for his britches. He always is trying to sit himself up & flings his little neck all over the place! The past few days he has had a pretty rough time. I think his little tumy was buggin him. I found out how much he really loves to be on his stomach. He was crying alot yesterday & the only way I could calm him down was to lay him on his stomach....
and asleep he went....

I took a little video of him.. once again- sitting in his boppy, cause he was such a little squirmy! but as soon as I started the video he just stared at the camera... stinker! oh well... sorry, this one is kinda long, so if you don't wanna watch a squirmy baby- don't press play!

wonderful :)

Sean loves to watch Sam while he's sleeping... one of Sam's favorite poses.. the thinker pose-
Sean decided he was going to buff out my car & detail it- so nice :) It turned out soo nice! Who would ever guess this car is almost 9 years old? & ALL payed off! We're gonna drive this car into the ground!

What a day!

Today was definitely full & packed!! Sam got his first bath in actual water. I always have to give him a bath by myself & its easier to just lay him down & use the washcloth. but Sean was here today to help me... so Sammy got a full blown bath! Man that kid is freaking cute :)



Tonight was evening in excellence for the young women.. & really the first time I've been back since Sam was born. Our theme was the worth of a "sole" & we decorated like a shoe parlor & had the girls bring a shoe that said something about them when we spotlighted them. Here is Becca, me & Meredith, my presidency.. & freaking awesome ladies!!!!! They have done a tremendous amount of work while I've been gone with the baby.. they've kept the program running!! They are truly amazing women!!!
Here are some of our decorations... these pics don't really do them justice! & I forgot to get a pic of the table in the middle! it had the girls shoes on display & then when they were spotlighted they said why they displayed the shoe they did & what it said about them.

It was a great night! It was just such a busy day! I was trying to clean my house & get ready for tonight all at the same time. I'm not used to fitting what I'm doing in between baby feedings. & the time got away from me in the end of the day... crazy! I've got to get used to planning my day right from the beginning!!!

Shout Hooray!!

You've had a birthday, shout hooray!!! It was Sean's birthday yesterday- the big 2-7! Sean says he is old now, which I guess makes me ancient!!! We had a pretty good day. Sammy told dad happy birthday by staying up fussy most the night... & then sleeping once day came- typical newborn. I do have to say that the Boppy pillow is my new favorite thing in the whole world!! Sam loves to feel like he's being cuddled & seems to know even when he's asleep that your trying to put him down. But the Boppy hugs him just right!!

So I made waffles w/blackberries & whip cream for breakfast- yum! & then we just relaxed most of the day.

We had steak & twice baked potatoes for dinner. Sean loves grilling so much that he didn't really consider himself making his own birthday dinner, which he actually did- oh well. I gave Sean a singing birthday card w/a George Straight song he likes & I redeemed my rewards points from a credit card to give him a gift card. Sean isnt' one who really cares for surprises... much UNLIKE me! So I had to ask him exactly what he wanted to do that day. Oh well.. not everyone is cut our for surprises.

Sean LOVES to snuggle up with Sammy & I thought it was so cute how he always looks like he is bear hugging Sean.

So in the evening I finished up making a nice german chocolate cake (I made the frosting from scratch thank you very much :) & we headed out to visit family. We went first over to my family & ate some cake & ice cream & visited for a short while (sorry it wasn't longer!) & then went over to Sean's dads house to visit & have more cake & ice cream. It was nice to sit with the fam... we are finally taking Sam out to a few places. It gets a little old being at home ALL the time.

Sean is so funny. He told me all he really wanted to do on his day was relax...so we did!! He had a scout outing on Friday & Saturday, & we missed him :( It's definitely not the same around the house when he's gone. It was our first night without dad.

Sam isn't awake all that much (when other people see him anyway) so I took a little video of him wide awake, especially for Grandma & Grandpa Lindblom to see....

photo shoot

Today my awesome brother in law Andy took some pics of Sammy & our little family. I made a little slide show out of my favorite pics that were taken. The pics all turned out so great :) Thanx a ton Andy! & JoDee for helping us pose :) I can't say they didn't have an insanely handsome little subject to work with!

LOVE

I'm in love! This little boy is so perfect!! I love to look at him- I love to hold him- I love it even when he cries!!! I even love him so much that the past 2 nights I've slept on the couch with him cause he's been so fussy. I also am in love with this swing!!!! I got it at a yard sale for $5!!! We finally got batteries for it last night & now I"m in love- cause Sam loves it!

Isn't love grand ?! :)

Yay!

Lots has happened the last few days! We keep plugging along, trying to figure out how to get sleep amidst the baby feedings. Saturday night Sean and I tag teamed & he woke up at 1am & I woke up at 4am, so we each got 5 straight hours of blessed sleep. I never thought I'd say 5 straight hours was blessed sleep. I wish that Sean didnt' have to work so we could do that every night!
On Saturday we took another car trip to get out of the house. My niece Aniston & nephew Max came with us.

Me & Aniston rode together in the back with Sam for most of the trip. Sean says I have seperation anxiety if I can' t actually see Sam- but I actually just wanted to make sure he didn't freak out if he got hungry- Really!
We stopped & got some orange Fanta sodas- Sean's latest fav- & one dropped out & splattered everywhere so Sean gave it to Max..

This was near Fossil Springs near Strawberry

Great trip :)

Here is a great picture of Sam with the camo hoodie that Sean bought him- adorable :)

Wendi is home now! you can see pics of her foot here. I wont post them here for those who have a queesy stomach. I wanted to go visit her in the hospital- but when I called & talked to her, she actually spoke jibberish for a minute, so I knew she was a little too drugged to fully appreciate a visit from me. I waited til she got home.

Today we found out that Sean's sister Tiffany is coming home!!! This pic is Sean's younger brother Ben & sister-

She has been in Brazil for the past year & a half. She is engaged & they have been trying to get a visa for her fiance & they finally did!!! She will be home in a few weeks!! Maybe even time for Thanksgiving!!! We've been praying that she will make it back to us. Yay!!!!!!!

Today I also went to the park & sat with my sisters, members of their ward, and their friends with all their kids. It was great. I think it was my initiation into the mom club, except my kid just sat in a seat & then cried so I would feed him, instead of running around on playground equipment like everyone elses kids. Oh well, it was nice to get out & get some fresh air & sun! Sammy loves to sunbath :)

I'm sure my sisters are sick of how crazy I'm being about bringing Sam our & having people hold him.. just give me a little more time girls... sorry, I'm insane!!

Friday night blowout

Welcome to parenthood!!! Friday night agenda:
1. nap in the evening 2. feed the baby, change a diaper 3. go for a drive so mom dosn't go insane from being in the house. 4. drive through somewhere cause mom hasn't eaten hardly anything all day & is going to die soon if she dosn't eat!! 5. come home & change another diaper. 6. feed baby again. 7. RELAX in front of the tv- until..... 8. major first diaper blowout.
Sean said he thought Sam needed changed after holding him for awhile (mom apparently changes diapers way better than anyone). So I opened up his cute little outfit complete with footies to behold... the big blowout. all the way down his foot!!! I wiped as much as I could with wipies & then called to Sean. He held him up in the sink while I washed. the best part- as he was being held there all naked awaiting his bath... pee stream!!! Sean reacted pretty amazingly & aimed him straight into the sink... we both just sat & laughed. Sam didnt' even cry for his bath.. maybe thats cause he knew he'd be poop free afterwards. What a great Friday night :)

Is it obvious?

I'm sure it is very obvious that I'm a first time parent by the amount of pictures I take of my baby- but I don't care, cause he is just that cute :)
Sean is turning our baby into a couch potato early on-
It is also very obvious who the daddy of this baby is....