What? I blog? Who knew!

Not me evidently. I went pretty much without internet from August of 2009 until July of 2010. We moved. Caleb turned one! We bought a new truck, and had an old car die a very peaceful death. We made two cats outdoor cats. They've killed countless mice and moles. I had a short, but sweet trip to Minnesota to see one of my bestest cousins get married. It was beautiful. It was fun. It was fast. Now its over.

Life is crazy with four little guys. Daniel starts KINDERGARTEN in a few weeks. A few WEEKS! I'm mildly freaking out, but I find that if I plant fingers in my ears and sing "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA" really loud, I can drown out the reality that my baby is about to go to school. It seemed like that day would never come! Now its here, and its too soon. He is so ready. I am actually so ready. Its just a change. Next year Isaiah goes. Three more years, Elijah. Then one, or possibly two, years after that, Caleb.

I turn 29, for real, in a few months. Not really looking forward to that, but it is what it is! My 10 year high school reunion was last weekend. I didn't go. I wished that I could have, but it just didn't work out.

Jeremiah was hired on at our church part time running the children's ministry. He's so excited a the opportunity to serve in this manner. I am excited for him! He also changed positions within his full-time job. He moved from doing outside sales, with a commission based pay structure, to inside sales and running the warehouse, which is mainly a salaried position. That has been a welcome change.

Here is a couple of pictures, to fill some space. I will post some more when I figure out this Mac and an easier way to do it!

Caleb's 1st birthday party!

Elijah squirt gun warring with his big cousin Jake. 

 

Caramel Chocolate Treasures

I got this recipe off of a blog, and then forgot to write down which blog I got it from! When I figure it out, and I definitely will because I want to make more delicious treats from there, I'll post it and link to it. Gotta give credit where credit is due!

I doubled this and it made a little more than 3 dozen.


Chocolate Caramel Treasures

Cookies:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 T whole milk
1 t vanilla
1 c flour
1/3 c cocoa
1/4 t salt
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 c finely chopped hazelnuts

Caramel:
10 plain caramels, unwrapped
2 T heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle:
3 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to warm


Make cookies:
Beat butter, sugar, yolk, milk, and vanilla well. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt into a separate bowl. Slowly add to sugar mixture and beat on low until dough forms. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap until firm. (I made it in the AM and baked them in the evening.)

Roll dough into 1" - 1 1/2" balls. Coat in egg white, and then roll in chopped nuts. Place nut coated balls on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Press thumb into center to form indentation. Bake 10-12 minutes until done. Immediately press centers again after removing from oven. (I used the bottom end of a knife, you could use the bottom of a wooden spoon or whatever is that general shape that you have laying around!)

Make filling by melting caramel and cream over med-low heat in saucepan until combined and smooth. Spoon into center of cookies.

Melt chocolate in microwave being careful not to scortch it. I did it at 50% power in 20 second intervals until it was melted, stirring each time. Place melted chocolate in a baggie and snip a tiny hole in the bottom corner. Drizzle over cookies and let cool competely to set up.

Love....

Because I'm cranky and exhausted and need to refocus a bit...

I decided to post some older pictures that I'd neglected to post before! Sounds like a good idea, right?

Here I am, out on our friend's boat on the 4th! What fun! No tubing for me, but the guys went wakeboarding and the kids went tubing and it was a blast. I love being out on the water. Elijah was enjoying himself as well! He didn't even cry when the boat turned into a wave and he and I got soaked!

Speaking of Elijah...I have another curly haired little boy on my hands! These were a surprise for me. Daniel had some curl to his hair, but it went away by the time he was 1 I think. We're loving this! He's a shaggy little boy right now, but that's ok. I have a feeling these might not stick around too long if I cut them off!

A few weeks ago we had a big, sudden rain shower and I couldn't resist letting the boys out to stomp around in the downpour. They had so much fun. It was fun watching them too!

In other news, yes I'm still pregnant. No I'm not having contractions. I am hanging in there as well as I can. I have bad days, and I have okay days. Late pregnancy sucks, but I'm blessed to be here. I just cannot wait to meet our latest addition and be on the other side of this!

I apologize if I neglect to answer the phone or return calls. Please be sure though that I appreciate knowing you are thinking of me! These days its hard for me to string a coherant sentense together that isn't interrupted by a "NO! Please don't hit your brother!" or dealing with an injury, or trying to clean up a bit so I'm not completely embarrassed when people drop by, or.or.or.or. You get the picture. Plus, my mom and my grandma always tried to teach me that if I don't have anything nice to say...:) I'm just a ball of complaints at the moment, and its no fun to listen to that.

It is sounding like Dawn (my cousin, for the few of you that don't know her or me that well!) and little Jackson are going to be able to come out for a visit in a couple of weeks! I'm so excited! I haven't seen any of my family for a year, on the nose, and it sucks. I'm missing them a lot, and even though I'm a bit ahhhh...distracted by other things at the moment, it still weighs on my mind a lot. Its going to be awesome to catch up with her and get to know little Jackson a bit.

We're hoping (and wishing, and praying and hoping some more) to be able to make a trip out in September. A lot of things are going to have to fall into place for that to happen, but if its meant to be, they will. We're working hard at the moment to get some things in order, which I'm sure you all can relate to. Its not easy in the current climate, especially for a commercial plumbing supplies salesman! Thank God though, its all working out. Just when things look to be falling apart, they just start working out. It certainly isn't of our doing. I am just glad that I really am NOT in control of all of this stuff, and the one who is is all knowing and all seeing and is able to do anything!

Speaking of things coming together, airfare for our entire family will only cost (only....haha) $600. Jeremiah now gets free flight benefits through his father, the two littlest will be lap babies, and buddy passes (also through my father in law) run just shy of $200 a piece, round trip. Since our family is now gigantic, we'll need to rent a vehicle when we get into Minneapolis to get up to my home town, unless anyone has a vehicle that'll fit two car seats, two booster seats, and three adults, and a lot of time on their hands that particular date which has yet to be determined! Last year when we were thinking of coming, just the airfare alone would have cost us well over $1000. This price reduction makes the trip much more doable.

I'm thinking of making it kind of a long trip, and having Jeremiah fly in with me on the front end of the trip, staying for a long weekend, then flying back to WA. We'll stay another week or so, then have him come back out for another long weekend and fly back with me home again, home again jiggity jig. I know my limitations, and flying cross country with 4 kids 5 and under is one of them. This is one of those cases where free flying for Jermeiah is such a help.

Now I just need a miraculous injection of some extra patience for this last week or so. Daniel has already deemed me the most meanest mom is the entire world. He's probably right this week. They are such good boys. They keep me busy, in the best way possible. So, send me a message, send some encouragement, say a few prayers for us, and hopefully in my next post I'll have brand-new-baby pictures!

The day that we almost lost at eye...

What does one stick being swung and one kid on a bike not paying attention equal?

Lots more gray hairs for mom, that's what.

Holy cow.

It actually looks worse than it is. It hardly bled at all, and he's doing fine. Its just WAY too close for comfort! I almost had a poor little pirate!

Its been a long day today. Tuesdays always are. Jeremiah takes a course through our church on Tuesday evenings from 6-9pm. That means I fly basically solo from the time I wake up until the time they go to bed. Normally I don't mind, but at 38 weeks + it is a bit much. I really look forward to 5pm when he usually gets home, and so do the kids!

My oldest officially thinks I am the meanest mom ever, and am absolutely no fun. :( He's probably right at the moment. I'm working on it though! The above was the result of me trying to let them do something fun by going outside!! Lots of good that did! It almost resulted in an ER trip and being down one eye for Isaiah!

I can't wait to have this baby on the outside. I can't wait to not waddle. I can't wait to be able to go from sitting to standing without wondering how I'll get there. I want energy again! Motivation! I can't lie, I'm also looking forward to that day or two 'off' in the hospital getting to know the newest Johnson. By the time I get out of there though I'll be missing the near constant chaos that I call home!

T - 13 days, give or take, and counting. It seems so far away. 13 days feels just as long as 13 weeks did. Time slows to a near stand still when you are so close!

I have a midwife appointment tomorrow. I think I'm going to ask and see if there's anything going on and/or room to sweep my membranes....we'll see!

I'm so done....

I don't think I hit this point in prior pregnancies until closer to my actual due date, which is still 24 days away.

Yes, me, right now, 36 weeks and 4 days into what is probably going to be a 40+ week pregnancy, I'm SO done.

Everything is a major production. Getting out of bed? If I'm lucky. Actually getting walking once I do succeed to pull and grunt my way out of my bed or off the couch or out of a chair? HA!

You know you are REALLY pregnant when you get congratulated, like I did, just for getting UP out of a squishy comfortable chair at your doctor's appointment. Yes, really, as in, "Wow, you did really good getting up! I was really thinking we would have to call in a fork lift or something!"

Ok, so she didn't really say the last part. It didn't help that immediately after that I had to get on the scale though.

I feel like I'm 100 years old. About 18 times a night when I get up to pee, or get more tums, I have to hold and press on one of my hips that has been busy separating from the other side of my pelvis due to all of these awesome hormones and various chemical things going on that make all of your joints loose and ready for the big event. Then I wobble and groan my way into the kitchen or bathroom to do my business. After, I have to crawl back into bed and attempt to find a comfortable position that hopefully doesn't involve actually rolling over. Rolling over in a laying position = no fun.

I'm glad that God orchestrated this all so perfectly, of course. I'd be in a world of MORE hurt without those hormones driving me crazy, but oh.my.gosh. This is going to be a long 24 days (give or take 7ish). I think that is part of the perfect plan. Make the mother-to-be so miserable that she actually encourages and looks forward to the labor and delivery portion of the pregnancy! I don't know how many times the last week or so I've told Jeremiah that I just want to go to sleep and wake up in labor, 3 or so weeks from now. Maybe then I'd be rested. I doubt it. I haven't slept in more than 3 - 4 hour chunks for the last 5.5 years! Who am I kidding!

Now if you really don't scare easily...



I'm warning you...don't look if you have a weak stomach...



Really, also don't look if you are thinking of getting pregnant anytime in the near future, because this MIGHT be what's in store for you if you have the perfect storm of genetics and a never-ending appetite...



Ok, don't say you weren't warned!









Just when I thought it wasn't possible to get more stretch marks...


I present, the stretch marks OF my stretch marks.

This is to accompany my newly acquired gray hair I think. I do not see myself aging gracefully!

Ok, enough complaining! I'm blessed to be ALMOST ready to deliver my 4th child in just over 5 years. I have an awesome husband who has really dialed in this whole 'having a cranky, fat, pregnant wife' thing and knows JUST what to say and how to act to make my life a whole lot easier. I have three awesome boys that love me and keep me insanely busy. I need to be insanely busy. Idle hands are not good for me.

Someday before I have this baby I might actually get a shower and put makeup on AND get dressed in halfway presentable clothes all in the same day and have someone take an actual photo of all of me and not just the big, round, randomly bulging part. Maybe.

24 weeks already!!

Here I am, well, 1/3 of me anyway. Its the best I can do myself! Plus, it was a no makeup day. :) 24 weeks. More than 1/2 way there. 16 weeks to go. Yeah!


We had a fun weekend. Saturday we relaxed and lazed around all day. Sunday we went to church, and then spent the afternoon enjoying the VERY RARE sunshine! The garage got cleaned out, the brakes got fixed on the van, and the kids got to play outside for HOURS. What a great day. After all of that Jeremiah took the big boys out fishing for a while. Now its Monday again, back to the grind.









I cannot seem to get a candid picture of Elijah! He sees that camera come out and poses every time.

Here they are reading his current favorite book, Are You My Mother.


Not much more to say this morning! I need more coffee and need to get off the computer and clean up! The weekend has a way of destroying my house. What were YOU up to this weekend??