Well there goes any dreams of home-made haircuts!

Meeting many protests I was going to attempt to 'clean up' the boys' hair a bit today. I've done it before with varying results (cough, cough), there was this ONE time while trimming by Daniel's ears that he moved. Suddenly. The clipper may have left a small, teeny, tiny nick in his ear.

Now? Me and clippers = terrifying tear inducing trauma for Daniel, who in turn scares the begeepers out of Isaiah as well. Great!

Daniel told me at the end that "I just want the lady to do it at the place. And I'll tell her if she's going too fast.". Poor little guy. I think I've scarred him, physically and mentally!

How I'm feeling today...

That about explains it all in one picture. It wasn't taken today, but man oh man. I was actually doing better in that photo than I am at the moment. At least I had my hair brushed and makeup on! Not the case at the moment, and its, oh, almost 3:45! Oops!

Today has been utterly useless. All I've done today is feed and change my kids, and partially pick up the living room. That's it. Oh, I also cleaned out the litterbox. It NEEDED it, trust me. (yuck yuck yuck)

I hate it when I waste days away. I keep telling myself thoughout the day, "Ok, 10 more minutes and I'll get off my butt and get some more stuff done." More often than not, it just doesn't happen.

I'm going to work on getting the blog revamped. I need some fresh pictures for the title bar, since those are now a year old, and a bigger/better layout. I want to be able to have a list of my favorite blogs I check out (Hi SpongemomSquarePants!) on the side. I want some pretty colors, and some 'other than stock' buttons for things like subscribing (HA! Subscribers?? Don't you need readers first??).

I want to get back into this blogging business.

Like I said in my last post, I used to be REALLY into this whole blogging thing. I had hundreds of peopel visiting my blog weekly. Not a lot to some of you big-times, but it was a lot to me! I like to feel like I'm a part of that community. The only difference now, is that I've let the cat out of the bag and my family (Hi Mom!) reads here now! They mostly read for new pictures and funny stories I believe, which are few and far between these days. They might be in for an eyeful now! :) Oh the stories I could tell. Nothing like total transparancy, right?

I can't promise that I'll blog every day, but I'm certainly going to do so more than once a month or so as I have been! Funny pictures and stories included. They happen daily around here. :)

Thanks for checking me out....

Poor, poor, pitiful me!

Because I know that I don't really have any 'readers' anymore, I've become a little blog neglectful. There was a time "back in the day " when I had a lot of readers! Well, a lot of readers by my standards anyway. Enough that I was checking my site tracker weekly, and marveling at the tens of people who had stopped by to read my drivel.

Then I had to change my blog address, and I deleted my old blog due to some online drama that I won't get into at the moment...

Then I went on a blogging 'strike'.

Then all of my funny stories got lost in my own, short, short memory for all of that time.

NO MORE, I say! I don't blog for readers, I blog for memories. If I happen upon some readers in the process (Hi Mom!), so be it!

I've been crazy busy lately. I started working again back in July, and though most weeks it is only one night a week, its really seemed to add a LOT to my schedule. The last few weeks my friend and coworker has been on vacation, so I've been working three nights a week. I don't know how people work full time AND have a family. There just isn't enough time in the day. Bartending has been, interesting. Its a decent spot, and the crowd is pretty mellow for the most part. It can just be a really depressing job. So many sad, sad, people.


We also moved back into July. I *hate* moving, but man, was it ever worth it! We moved HERE....yeah...I'll take that view any day over the double-wide falling apart trailor view that I had previously. We had a beautiful August, and a gorgeous September. The weather was great and we enjoyed many days swimming in the lake. The house also came with a hot tub. Ahhhhh...heaven. We keep it bath-water warm so that the boys can play in it. After an initially hard learning curve with the hot tub chemicals, I think I've finally got it down! Yeah me!

Now my 'battle' is keeping the fur tumble-weeds off of the laminate floors! Bleh!


Daniel has been growing and growing. He's grown out of two pairs of shoes this summer. Its crazy how that happens. We're starting a little 'in-home' preschool with him very soon. He's so excited. I think he'll do well with it, its me that has to get disciplined about it. We've been toying around with the idea of homeschooling for Kindy as well, but haven't made any definite decisions as of yet.

We're both conflicted. If Daniel goes to public kindy, I want him to wait unil he is 6. He's a classic summer boy birthday, and the debate rages on whether or not to start them 'on time'.

Elijah has moved from being a 'baby', to just being 'one of the guys'. Or so he thinks anyway! He spends his days chasing his big brothers, trying to steal their toys, pulling the cat's hair, and spilling things. :) Just what a 1 year old loves!

I get the biggest kick out of this kid. He LOVES hugs and kisses, and has a REAL thing for his Daddy. Its so, so sweet. He also now LOVES kissing his brothers! Big, wet, slobbery open mouth kisses. So cute.

Isaiah's talking has exploded the last few months. He's saying everything he wants, having full conversations with his brother, and just blossoming. Its so cute to hear him. I think because he started talking so late, it really made me appreciate it more. Or maybe he is JUST.THAT.STINKING.CUTE. This is the most expressive kid I've ever met. His facial expressions crack me up, every day. He's got the kindest heart. He is our cuddler right at the moment. The perfect size to just wrap up and snuggle. This is a classic Isaiah face. This is him, excited. He isn't really into posing for the camera at this point, so most of the pictures I have of him are making funny faces and sticking his tongue out. That's cute and all, but I like a good smile now and then.

Next time, I'll tell the story of why we're currently on a potty training 'break' with Isaiah. It involves Isaiah, Elijah, a fork, and the carpet. I'll leave it at that for now. Not for those with a weak stomach. I don't know why this is showing up as a link. I wish I knew more HTML. Don't click! I think its just the picassa link and I don't know how to shut it off....

My three boys....just before their first birthday...

Here is Isaiah! One day before he turned one year old. :) He's showing us his cheerio. So cute!
















Here's Daniel! This was a few days before his first birthday. He had already mastered getting up and down off of the couch. Very big stuff...













Here is Elijah! He's eating the blackberries Jeremiah and Daniel went and picked. He LOVES his blackberries!!

I can't believe my third baby is about to turn one!! Its goes way too fast. He's a big guy now....a...TODDLER!! Oh no!!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great time yesterday. First we went to one of Jeremiah's friends' homes. The boys all dug for clams since the tide was out and his friends live right on the Puget Sound. I actually tried one! I wasn't a fan! I'll stick to my clam chowder, anyday. Little pieces, that's the key! The taste was good, but the texture...bleh. My camera wasn't charged, so I don't have pictures of that.

After that we went to our other friend's house. The same one we are moving into next month! Of COURSE I forgot to take pictures of the actual house/property. I did get a couple of good ones of the boys though! They both tried out tubing behind the boat.



Isaiah wasn't a huge fan at first, but tried it again when Jeremiah, Daniel and I were going. It was a blast!


Jeremiah wakeboarded. His first time in YEARS! He's sore today. As was the pattern yesterday, I didn't have my camera out on the boat for that. I wish I would have! Jeremiah did GREAT! He took a couple of hard spills, but really did good, especially since he hasn't done it in SO long.

The fireworks on the lake were amazing.


They are ALL legal out here, and the people on the lake really went all out. The show lasted for well over an hour, almost 2! All three boys fell asleep during the fireworks.



I made a cheesecake. It cracked, which wrecked the decoration I had on it, but still tasted good! Everyone seemed to like it. I got a few "this is the BEST cheesecake EVER!" comments. I like those!! I don't make it often because its so much work, so when I do I really like it when people enjoy it.


Today we were busy cleaning. I'm trying to get the house in order before my BIG HUGE AWESOME trip!!! Yup! In case you haven't yet heard, I'm going to Minnesota July 9th to the 15th. It'll be just me and the baby this time. I can't wait. I'm SO nervous leaving my big boys, but we'll all be ok. (I keep repeating that to myself!) I've just never been apart from them for so long, especially so far away.

I'm sure it'll be fine. I don't know what I'll do with myself having only one child to take care of for 6 whole days! I bet I'll figure it out though!!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Just another update!

Its been a long week in the Johnson house. The kids were all sick, and had runny noses, coughing, the whole bit. Not fun. I've been covered in boogers and snot all week, but surprisingly enough I haven't caught it yet. For that I am really, really thankful! As little patience as I have now for the seemingly constant whining, it would be substantially less if I was sick too.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

That pretty much sums up how we all felt this week. Hopefully they get better, and soon!!

I'm trying to figure out the Audacity program, that edits mp3 files. I have a bunch of songs that I've done at church, but they are all strung together and I'm trying to figure out how to split them up. I'm not having much luck. I usually pick up programs pretty quickly, but this one has me baffled.

Ok, I have to go break up yet another fight. Wish me luck! (is it nap time yet???)

Sleeping babies....

My kids sure do fall asleep in some weird places! You can click on that collage to see a larger version.

I kept telling my mom I was going to put this together, so this morning I finally went through my Picasa and picked out all the cutest sleeping kids pictures I could find.

Next will be the biggest messes collage. :) That one should be interesting!

Elijah has now officially entered the 'troublemaker' stage. He spends his days searching out coins on the floor that the boys have found somewhere and dropped, and crumbs to snack on. I think my vaccuum will be officially worn out after this one! He loves chasing his brothers around and trying to take all of their toys away. He's a professional at crying when Isaiah comes near for hugs or to play. He's still love to cuddle though, when he's not crawling laps around our house! He is pulling up on things to stand, and starting to let go for little bits of time to stand on his own. I'm hoping he doesn't figure out the walking thing as fast as Daniel did!

He's eating lots of real foods now, and love....wait for it....spaghetti! Surprise surprise!

Isaiah is my little book lover at the moment. He'll sit and listen to stories for hours, if he could. He loves tormenting Daniel with "NOOOOO!!!! Mine!!! Gib Me Dat Naano (his way of saying Daniel)!!!!!!" and following him around in tears. "Take turns" is taking a while to sink in with this one!

Daniel just turned 4 years old and now is a 'big boy' according to him. He will *not* stand for being referred to as little, at all. He got a fishing pole for his birthday, and its been hard to get it out of his hands to even go to bed! He can't wait to go fishing for real and catch his first fish.

That may happen sooner than we thought!! Some friends of ours from church are going to be renting us their house in August. They live RIGHT on a lake. The deck out the back door goes right up to the water!! We are so excited! They have a beautiful house, and we can't wait to move in. The boys will get to fish until they can't fish anymore. Jeremiah too, as a matter of fact. I'm looking forward to bonfires out by the lake, and soaking in the HOT TUB (woo-hoo!!) this winter! Its only a 10 month lease, but believe me, we're going to fully enjoy those 10 months! Hopefully pictures will be coming next week sometime. Anyone up for a vacation??

Who is who?

Leave your guess in the comments...

Ragout of chicken legs...

Ragout of Chicken Legs Recipe #72497
You will not believe the sauce that results from this dish. Mashed potatoes are a must so you can puddle on the sauce and let it soak in. by silky
35 min 15 min prep SERVES 4

Ingredients
4 even-sized chicken legs with thigh
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup dry red wine
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons madeira wine ( I used Marsala)


Directions
1. Let the chicken legs sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the butter.

3. When the butter melts, brown the chicken legs a few at a time over a medium-high heat until they are all browned.

4. Remove them from the pan and sprinkle in the flour.

5. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes, then pour in the chicken stock, wine, garlic, shallot, bay leaf, salt, pepper and Madeira.

6. Bring the liquids to a boil, then replace the chicken legs skin side down and cover the pan.

7. Let the liquids return to the boil, then lower the heat and let the chicken simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the legs are cooked through.

8. Transfer the chicken legs to a platter and cover with foil; keep warm.

9. Let the sauce return to a rolling boil and let it bubble vigorously until it is reduced by half.

10. Remove the bay leaf and spoon the sauce over the chicken legs. Serve at once.

We liked this recipe. I'd give it about a 4 start. Its definitely worth a try, especially if you enjoy cooking with wine!

Just a couple of boys!

These two are going to be best buddies I think! Isaiah LOVES to play with the baby, and as you can see, the baby LOVES playing with Isaiah!!!

Yuck...teething. Do you see those bulging gums? They look so painful! I wish they'd just poke through already!!

This is my new favorite dessert. Homemade strawberry shortcake. SO STINKING good. I'll post a recipe for it as son as I have a chance. NOT diet friendly, but so nice for a treat. Everything is homemade, the whip cream, strawberry sauce, and shortcakes. YUM YUM YUM!

Some more pictures and stories!

Here is Daniel and Isaiah in their "spots" for when I sweep/mop. :)




Isaiah decided he wanted a hot dog bun...this is how I found him about 2 minutes later...

Puffy is STILL bigger than the baby, but man do they love each other!

I finally talked Jeremiah into wearing the baby pack (which evidently isn't very 'manly', according to him!), AND vaccuuming, at the same TIME!! Mark your calendars folks!

We've had a pretty hectic week, and its only Tuesday! Jeremiah had a CT scan yesterday for some frequent, severe headaches he's been having for about a month and a half. Thank GOD it came back normal. We're not sure what is causing these headaches yet, but at least it isn't anything life-threatening. We were both pretty nervous about it, but thankfully it was only a 2 day wait to get the scan. I pretty much just tried to keep myself busy and not dwell on the 'what-ifs'. That's harder than it sounds!

The baby came down with a cold yesterday, so its been a long couple of days. He only wants to be held when he's sick, and doesn't sleep long without someone right next to him. Last night that didn't even help! We both were up and down for the majority of the night. Poor little guy. I'm pretty sure I have the same cold as him. I had to take some Claritan D this morning, and then remembered why I don't take that stuff much! I can see why they use Pseudoephedrine to make meth. WEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I got a lot of cleaning done this morning though, on the plus side, and did it all without blowing my nose 800 times!

Here is a link to a song I put online that we did at church on Sunday. Feel free to give it a listen! I'll try to remember to upload some more on there soon!

What do you think? Do they look alike? Can you tell who is who?

Freebies & Deals!!

Since I always find such good deals online I thought I'd share them with you guys! Here are some I found today. Later on I'll post about Bzzagent and what good deals I've gotten from them!

For now though, here's something to get you started. Its a good idea when getting freebies to have the google toolbar with the autofill feature. It saves you a lot of repetitive typing!


free 32. oz bottle of Clorox clean-up, and a chance to win some contest
http://www.realsimplerewards.com/rsn/Clorox/sweepstakes.html

Free Sample of Paul Mitchel Super Skinny Serum
http://www.paulmitchell.com/headforchange/


free 10 day supply of pamprin
This is not a coupon, but you must look through the pages to locate it. You must select the "coupon". Then choose print this coupon and it will redirect you to a page to fill in your address. It is a very simple form.

NOTE: The page changes so keep looking. I found it page 3.
www.smartsource.com

free eyeglass case
http://cadillaceyewear.com/styleyes/register.cfm

Chadwick's 75% off clearance sale
http://www.chadwicks.com/womens-Secr...location_id=01