Check it out.

New Baby Boy

I have a lot of catching up to do but the most important post of all is definitely about our new sweet boy Westin. He was born August 13th and weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 9 oz. The labor and delivery could not have gone any better. I went in at 6 p.m. to be induced and he was born at 12:01 a.m. He has been an angel baby. The first few weeks were pretty rough as he was wide awake and alert between 1 and 4 a.m. It was killing me. But that passed and now he's really a great sleeper. He is definitely the worst at spitting up. It is absolutely crazy how often he spits up and how much he spits up. But what cracks me up are the reactions from dad and siblings, "oh gross; help, help; oh sick he just barfed; it's on me, it's on me" It cracks me up. What do they think is in his spit up? Chunks of food?

I have thoroughly enjoyed this sweet baby. I have taken more time with this baby to just sit and hold him. Perhaps it's because this very well might be our last and knowing that I want to treasure the time I have to hold him. They grow so fast and fit right under your chin for such a short time. They sleep in your arms for just a couple months. I love to just stare at him and smile at his innocence. I love knowing he was just with our Father in Heaven. I love looking at him and wondering what he is thinking. I love to watch him discover his tiny hands. I love to listen to him cooh. I love that he is tubby and bald. And I love his big blue eyes (thank you dad). He definitely has me wrapped and thats OK. He is our happiest baby; smiling and laughing all the time. Someone commented the other day, "I've never seen a baby laugh so much for no reason." I know his happy spirit is a blessing from our Heavenly Father to counter what has been such a long year. Thank you for this blessing; I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Longing

There are certain times in my life when the longing is stronger than others and for whatever reason, my longing is strong right now. Perhaps it is because right now life is hard. And certainly not just for me but for so many of us. As our Gospel Doctrine teacher said on Sunday, "Mortality is hard." I've always known this fact, I grew up watching first hand a man live a life that was hard but as I'm encountering my own experiences that are difficult and watching those close to me experience different challenges, that realization is becoming more true. And ever since my dad died, I've felt more than ever that mortality is hard and life is fragile. But what is the longing I am referring to? It is the longing to be more like my Savior. To have Him a part of me, to have Him a part of my home and my family. And not just on Sunday's but every single day. It is to feel Him close so that His Spirit can overcome the discouraging feelings I battle when life is hard. It is to have Him as my reminder of hope and joy. It is to have His spirit remind me that at the end of the day His gospel brings a peace that can overtake my frustrations. I decided on Sunday to make the following hymn my personal creed:

More holiness give me,
more strivings within,
more patience in suff'ring
more sorrow for sin,
more faith in my Savior,
more sense of his care,
more joy in his service,
more purpose in prayer.

More gratitude give me,
More trust in the Lord,
More pride in his glory,
More hope in his word,
More tears for his sorrows,
More pain at his grief,
More meekness in trial,
More praise for relief.

More purity give me,
More strength to o'ercome,
More freedom from earth-stains
More longing for home.
More fit for the kingdom,
More used would I be,
More blessed and holy-
More Savior, like thee.

Because so often this is how I feel; that if I could be just a portion of who my Savior is, a little more Savior like, then possibly I could lift my family when life is hard, comfort others when they struggle and help remind me that although things can be difficult, life is good and I am blessed and that the reward at the end of the journey will be worth all I experience now.

I know this is quite an entry after a long absence from blogging but it has been on my mind all week and I felt I just had to share. Stay tuned for some great pictures and updates on my sweet family.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

We had a fun St. Patricks day here at our house. The morning started out with a little visit from a sneaky leprechan who sent the kids on a treasure hunt to find a pot of gold. Then we had Lucky Charms with green milk left by our leprechan. We enjoyed our green food throughout the day and our green dinner with mint chocolate chip shakes for dessert. All in all it was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it. The pictures aren't very good but hopefully you can get the idea.

Announcing...

We are pleased to announce the Johnson's will be adding another boy to our crazy, fun house. Peyton will remain princess of her castle. We are excited and know this sweet boy will be another blessing in our home!

Kids who love to read

I have kids that love to read and I love it! It is so good for them and it gives us good time together. Peyton created this little outdoor set up all by herself! It was incredible to go out and see her. My jaw just dropped. She insists on dragging her little bag around with her everywhere and she always tries to stuff more books than could ever possibly fit in the bag. And when they don't fit she just throws the biggest fit. It was cute at first, now not so much. Wyatt decided to join her when he saw her set up. I made them some hot chocolate to go with their set up since it was a little cold outside.

Peytons First Haircut

It was past time to say goodbye to the mullet. So we took Peyton to get her first haircut. She actually did so good. There were absolutely no tears which is quite the opposite from Wyatt as he was all tears. I'm sure the skittles helped. :) Her haircut has made her look so grown up. It is hard to believe shes almost two!