First Smiles

Anyone for a game of Volleyball?

This was quite the rousing Saturday night activity! We decided to pretend we were at a warm sunny beach instead of a cold frozen iceberg in the middle of February. We had a such a great time with two blue balloons and some curly ribbon. Just goes to show that with a little creativity, you can make a lot of memories--even on a small budget!

Winter Snowfall...

Our winter snowfall this year brought the sweetest angel into our home:

Tate Wess Johnson

He was born in the wee hours of the morning on December 29th.

I went into the hospital Sunday night, the 28th so they could determine what time I should come in on Monday for the induction.  After the check up, the nurse said all they would have to do would be to break my water.  I was so grateful to have it happen without too many interventions.

When we came back home I began having regular contractions.  I believe it was around 10:00 pm.  After 2 hours of wondering whether or not they were real, I realized I couldn't take the pain much longer.

We rushed up the hill to the hospital.

After the epidural I felt so much better.

We turned down the lights and I lay there drifting in and out of sleep feeling so near to heaven and feeling so much peace.

{Patrick told me several days later that he had felt the distinct presence of his grandmothers and my grandma Ruth.}  These were sacred hours that I will always treasure.

And just a few hours later, we welcomed little 6 lb. 2 oz. Tate into our lives and into our hearts.

It was so sweet to see Easton and Tate's first encounter.

He's leaning over for a kiss...

Here is Tater on his way home from the hospital

and his first day home

Dear Tate, 

What are you thinking about?  Could heaven be on your mind?  It's on my mind every minute of every day now that you are part of my life.  Thank you for being the answer to so many of my prayers.  From this moment on I will be your mother, your defender, your protector, your nurturer.  I love you.

Love always, 

Mommy

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year for Valentine's, I decided to get creative and refrain from spending any money. I thought it might be fun to adapt the "12 Days of Christmas" to the "14 Days of Valentine's." Each day Patrick received an e-card in his mailbox accompanied by sweet little messages from me :) I also gave Patrick a song I wrote called, "Between the Lines." The Saturday before Valentine's Day, Patrick came home from basketball to a Valentine's breakfast. Although the heart-shaped pancakes might not have looked professional, they still tasted good!As for Valentine's Day, we had the privilege of going to the Temple with my parents and then spending a relaxing day with our family. My mom told us that she would watch the boys so we could go out to dinner, but we decided to postpone our Valentine's date for a less busy night. Patrick promised me that we will go soon! We finished the night with a hearty round of "Imaginiff." (If you haven't played this game, we would highly recommend it. It is a lot of fun and provides a lot of laughs!

Tate's Blessing

Tate Wess Johnson was blessed by Patrick on Sunday, February 1st. We were so blessed to have so many of our family there to support us. Tate had two grandpas (Grandpa Greene and Grandpa Johnson) and three great-grandpas (Grandpa Lystrup, Grandpa Johnson, and Pop) in the circle to bless him, along with two uncles (Payton Johnson and Chris Chamberlain) and two great-uncles (Corwin Cook and Gregg VanHazelen).

After church, we all went to our little upstairs apartment and had ham, potatoes, rolls, and salad, topped off with some delicious desserts. Our apartment is small, but there was a warm spirit of love there as we gathered with loved ones.

Tate looked like a little Portuguese man in his knit sweater and cap. (Coincidentally, his blessing outfit was called "Fisherman.")