Hello Again, the past 3 months!

Where to start... I'll talk about my boys.

Beginning with the handsome Zach. He is a wonderful older brother. I remind him on a daily basis that Grant and Bennett worship the ground he walks on and therefore needs to be an example at all times. Pressure yes, may cause anxiety problems in the future, maybe. But as for now this extra responsibility makes him think twice before he does something. Zach is excited to go to Young Fives. I am still wondering if I want him to go to full day school... we shall see. I know that he will love it, but I will miss having my right hand man with me. Zach still loves superheroes, and could watch them on TV all day long. One day I thought I would see how long Zach could watch TV, before he got sick of it. Bad idea! The mom guilt set in and I turned off the TV. I love how happy Zach is and how much he gets a kick out of planning things. To him the planning of the event is more fun than when it actually happens. Like today Timmy made a Batmobile and Zach was thrilled with the idea, sat in the batmobile car for a minute and then moved on to another plan that he had in mind. When he talks it is the best. Because he uses his hands, tries to look over his glasses and will do all that he can to make eye contact with you, preferably by grabbing your face to make sure you are paying attention to him. Zach prefers not to color or draw, but would rather use all the tape he can find in his grasp, cut things and his favorite is finding cardboard and cutting it with a butter knife. He also loves books read to him, and can sit for a long time, maybe I should see how long... but I don't know if that would be a fun game! Tools are still his love and he could build with his daddy all day long.

Grant is a little spit fire. He believes he is the same age as Zach and wants to do everything that Zach is doing. Grant is personality plus and loves to dance. The reason why he is still a little guy is because he works off his meal right before our eyes. He is on the bench at the table eating and dancing. I think we have found our Johnson runner in Grant. Not only does he have awesome form, but he also loves to practice running with his dad. Zach could care less about it, so when we go "running" Grant and Timmy are up in front and I am pushing Zach and Bennett in the stroller. Grant loves to play games and could play them all day long with someone (which is why he doesn't play them all day long because I am not that committed!). He loves to color and do homework. He takes his work seriously and wants his art displayed on the fridge. I think it's great how different Zach and Grant are, because there isn't a lot of competition going on at this stage in the Johnson family. Of course they are only four and two, so there is still time for it.

Bennett is a little delight. Timmy says that I need to stop acting like he is my favorite son. I tell him that I don't have a favorite son, I have a favorite age, and nine months is awesome. I don't know why I have a fetish with this awesome Bennett, maybe it's because I love his name, or because he has been to Sparrow hospital more than he should, so I feel extra grateful to have him. But he can do no wrong in my eyes. Zach and Grant know that if they do anything to the Bennett, it won't be to their benefit! Bennett is the one that I still get up in the night for to feed him. The others I didn't after six months. Which is why Bennett is so luscious and huge! Bennett is just happy, probably because he gets whatever he wants, but that is besides the point... I also told Timmy that I would not have cried for two days straight after I found out I was having another boy, if I had known that he was the Bennett! Yes he is that special!!! And no he is not my favorite child:) He has two bottom teeth, is crawling, pulling himself up to things, and refuses to eat baby food. He wants what we are eating and will go to great lengths to get it. When we are sitting at the table, he looks at the baby food jar with disgust, then stares at our food and grunts. and grunts until he gets it. Our dinner is quite the deal, Grant is dancing, Bennett is grunting, and Zach is in the zone and is trying hard to finish his huge plate of food. When we tell Zach that he took to much food, he considers it a challenge to finish. Life with three boys is so much fun. I am grateful for all that they teach me! Sorry about the long post.

Lexie took these amazing pictures! Thank you for letting us visit you guys it was amazing:)

The Past 5 months!

There are many reasons why I haven't posted. Pinterest is my new favorite go to site. Other peoples blogs are awesome and I would rather read than write. Sleep is one of my favorite things to do. If I stop paying attention to one of the boys, things get dicey. And perhaps my number one reason is, that I just didn't feel like it! Not that I have been a huge blogger to begin with, I have had this blog for four years and have posted a total of 64 times, go me! Perhaps I will make it a goal to be a good blogger...I believe I have said that before!

Let's see having three boys has been a whirlwind of wildness. Right after Bennett got out of the nicu, Zach's school started, Grant crawled out of the crib and now sleeps in his toddler bed. Toddler bed means no nap, because there isn't a way to contain him! Grant also was considering potty training at that point, but I put a stop to that nonsense! Zach began wearing glasses to help his eye not go in. The van needed a major repair. We have each taken a turn getting sick. Zach and Grant have there standard Michigan runny nose all winter long. I ended up getting the flu, because I forgot to get the flu vaccination. (Note to self, very important to get the flu shot next year.) Timmy got pneumonia again, the last time he got it was right after Grant was born! Poor Timmy. I forget that having a baby is also hard on the husbands. Again a reminder, that the world does not revolve around me!

But Bennett was the one that upped us all, with his his high temperature of 105 degrees. This was a very scary time right before Christmas break, it happened over the weekend, and by 2 am I was beside myself and knew that I needed to take him to the ER. The nurse was surprised that his temperature was so high, because he was being so smiley and happy. They took several tests, put an IV in to keep him hydrated and gave him some more tylenol and a heavy dose of some amazing antibiotics. With all of this combined, they were able to bring his temperature down to 98 degrees. They sent me home and said to set up an appointment with the pediatrician. At 10:30 am Timmy took all of the boys to the Doctors office while I slept. When Timmy came home I asked where Bennett was, he replied that he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. We both started crying. I rushed to the hospital looking for my little angel, knowing that he hadn't eaten for five hours, and didn't take a bottle, plus he was with people that he didn't know. They took him up to the hospital and said that it could be a number of things, like meningitis, pneumonia, and some other diseases that I didn't know existed. At the time Bennett was 3 1/2 months and because of that they needed to keep him at the hospital.

It was like the NICU experience all over again, we were on the same floor and the NICU was just around the corner. Monday night his fever spiked again, so we needed to stay 24 hours to the time of the fever. We were able to leave the hospital on Wednesday. The doctor said that because the fever rose again after he was given the antibiotics, it was probably a virus. They didn't know what virus it was, and it didn't matter to know what kind of virus it was, because they couldn't do anything about it. Timmy being the scientist he is thought they should really try to know what kind of virus it was. I get so worried when Timmy is in the hospital with me, because he always wants to switch his major to medical, and I don't want to be in school for the rest of our married life. We will be happy if we get out of school by our tenth year anniversary!

The Pediatrician, checked him on Thursday and said that he was fine. And then Friday we packed up and left on our month long Christmas break on Saturday. Beginning in Missouri and ending in Utah where Timmy was able to go to China. The Christmas break was amazing, and Bennett was just fine. Right now he has a cough, and spitting up a lot. Before I wouldn't think twice about it, but now this child has shown me that he takes a sickness and runs with it! Let's just say that I am watching him like a hawk and not afraid to take him into the doctors office, ER or Urgent Care if need be!

These past five months I felt that I must have angered the heavens in some way because of our bad luck. But it isn't hard to find the blessings and the help that we have received along the way. Modern medicine, amazing! Great help from friends and neighbors. Mechanics, helpful. Mothers intuition is real. Amazing Timmy. Sweet boys. Wonderful family to visit and take care of us. And sweet Bennett. How I love that boy, his smiles mean so much more, I want to hold him a little longer and take in every moment with him. Bennett has taught me many things these past five months, that babies can get really sick, that we are being helped every step of the way by a loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that no matter what happens we are a family forever!

Here are some pictures:

Announcing Bennett Steel Johnson!

After a long pregnancy, that seemed to have lasted longer than nine months. I finally went to labor a day after my due date, and contractions began exactly at midnight of September 30th. I didn't have a game plan of who would take the kids when I started going to labor, but luckily sweet Marianne hurried over and took care of my boys. After much pushing and pain (that was with an epidural!), Bennett arrived at 7:25 am and weighed 9 lbs, 12 ounces. That will be my one claim to fame, delivering a big big baby, I knew my belly had to be that big for a reason. And now I know why!

Bennett had enhaled the meconium and was not breathing well. So he was rushed up to the Nicu. He ended up staying in the nicu for 9 days. I have decided that the doctors do not release you from the Nicu, until you have Olympian health. There was a time that I thought he would never be released and that they just wanted to keep him! Every day he improved, to the point that for the last five days he didn't have any oxygen or ivs hooked up to him. He was just chillin in the nicu, barely fitting in the bed, and keeping the nurses busy, because apparently he has a cry that can wake up the whole nicu.







Looking at these pictures brings back so many memories. After Bennett was born, I was aware what was going on and knew that he was in trouble. But from the beginning I felt this peace that sustained me through those nine days and since then. It was hard not be able to hold my sweet baby for a couple of days, and wonder when he would come home. But I was grateful for the many prayers that were sent our way, for the incredible care and concern that was taken to make sure that Bennett would be all right. My mom was able to come and help me, and ended up staying a total of 13 days, to help us out! I was grateful for Timmy for his constant support and love, and understanding what the doctors were saying. It took me nine days to know how to say meconium! And then my sweet little boys at home Zach and Grant. When they came to the hospital to visit me, I just started crying, because I was needing to hold someone, and there they were to fill that void. The reason why Zach is in his undies, is because he spilled chocolate milk on his clothes.







When Bennett came home, we were excited and couldn't believe our good fortune. He is a wonderful baby and so sturdy and huge. He is a calm child and has the biggest cheeks and eyes. He looks a lot like Zach to me and we are trying to find Grant in him. He changes everyday and it is fun to see how Zach and Grant love their brother. Whenever I have a challenging time during the day or night, I often think, "At least Bennett is not in the nicu, and least I am able to hold him whenever I want!"







We love our happy angel!

Note to self, no more summer babies!!!

I am dying of heat today and it only went to 85 degrees today. The only thing that went through my mind is...you are still in second trimester! Oh my. I am used to having babies in the summer Zach's birthday is August 28th, Grant July 20th and other little baby boy due hopefully August 29th. The only question is why? Why do I do this to myself? It's easy, I completely forgot how uncomfortable heat and pregnancy are, but it is quickly coming back to my remembrance. Note to self, don't do this again! As for names of boys, Timmy and I are not on the same page. I like the names Theodore and Bennett, and Timmy likes the name William and James. As you can see we are on totally different pages. Luckily we have a lot of time to think it over, but we know for sure the middle name is Steel, after my dad and my grandpa. I have found out when talking to people that the ladies tend to like the name Bennett and the men like James. As for Zach he likes the name James because it is a train name from Thomas the train episodes. Boy names are hard to figure out, but in the end he will have to be named that is a requirement to leaving the hospital!

As for life with two sweet little wild boys, it is a lot of fun and very demanding. I think that is just parenthood, it is hard. But it has been by far the most rewarding thing I have ever done or will ever do. I had lost my phone for four days last week and had no idea where it was. I finally found it in the little potty of Grants! The only reason it was found was because Grant wanted to try going potty and I happened to be right there! Miracle? I think so! Timmy is gone to New Orleans for four days and I am trying to be brave. The boys ask every night where he is and we all miss him.

Another funny thing about expecting another boy are peoples reactions. When the boys and I go to the grocery store, we create quite a scene. The kind people around me ask, "Are you having a little girl?" And I say "no, another boy." I can see the pity and sadness on their faces. They then say "It will be all right!" Yes it will be all right! We just want this cute little boy named "Bennett" (hint, hint) to be well and healthy, we can't wait for our little addition. In fact he can come before his due date, if he so chooses.

Here am I with my amazing belly! Yes I am feeling really brave at the moment!

What are we having, a Boy or Girl?

I had twenty weeks of pretending that I was having a little girl that I was going to call Clara, only to be shown that it is yet another boy. And not just any boy, but a little wild in my belly, the ultrasound lady had to chase him around my spacious belly. He almost didn't show me that he was a boy, until he realized that I needed twenty weeks to cope with the idea of another little angel boy to make the three amigos complete. After one day of mourning and watching Tangled, I have now come to realization that it is okay to have another boy, and that it will be fun! This little boy will help calm down Zach and help him be an older brother, and give Grant a run for his money, because Grant thinks he owns the whole household, and needs to be humbled a little bit. Timmy couldn't be prouder, his dreams of wanting to become Tim the toolman Taylor is now complete with his three boys. And as for me I am still the Princess of the family!

Winter Fun

Let me begin with my birthday. I officially extended my birthday to a month, and it was awesome. I began my celebration in Utah and ended it whenever I felt like it. Also when Timmy had had enough. I oftentimes forget how old I am and have to ask Timmy because luckily we are the same age, he is two months older than me, so right now I am 27. Another side note is I do not want to be in first trimester next time I have a birthday because I didn't want to do much and nothing sounded good. That is probably why I extended my birthday.

Zach loves snow, he could play in it for hours. Grant is not so much in love with snow and as soon as some form of his skin touches the snow he is ready to go in. I am not a fan of snow and try to keep them indoors as much as possible. When Timmy gets home is the time they go outside. I know that I am lame, but my better half makes up for it! Zach is in love with Snowmen, he continually asks to make one, and finally Timmy made the ultimate snowman for him. Zach was in seventh heaven and was devestated when it started to melt!






For Valentines day the boys and I went out to pick out Valentines. Zach was excited at first but lost the fire very quickly. Grant was the one who stuck with it to the end. He was so cute drawing on each card and putting it in his box to hand out to people. It was also fun to see him pass out the Valentines, he took it very serious and wanted to make sure that I was close by to help him hold his Valentines he received. I was so impressed with how much he wanted to be a part of it.

It's been awhile yet again!

I know I am not a good blogger. I also am trying to blame it on something, maybe it's
because I am expecting another baby again? However I have been out of first trimester for a while now and will find out on April 12th if it is a boy or girl. I am thinking that it is a girl. Anyway. Let me begin the post with Christmas. To say it was magical would be only the beginning.

Beginning with a sweet nativity scene. Grant was the baby Jesus for a second. Zach was Joseph and did a wonderful job taking over Mary's job by riding the donkey and holding Baby Jesus.

Opening presents was a lot of fun, Zach helped pass out the presents and then was able to open all of his wonderful presents from his generous Aunts, Uncle and Grandparents. Grant was very neat and orderly unwrapping his presents and would tear off a piece then put it in the trash. Zach was your standard present opener, fast and furious.



We had lots of dancing parties at my parents house. It got to the point where the boys were able to dance on top of the ping pong table. I was impressed with their sweet moves. I have since tried to get the boys to dance like that at home, but alas. I am not able to provide a ping pong table, cool rocky music and 10 screaming fans.


Here is Zach with our cat that my kind parents our keeping until we have a house and a job. He is a huge cat, and very nice to let Zach wrestle him, I am sure that Link our kitty wants us to take all the time we need to get our schooling done!


I have a precious Grandmother Soffe who just shines and is an angel of earth. I try to get as many picture shots with her and the boys as I can.


The reason why I add this picture is because every single family picture shot we have, I am always wearing this shirt. I don't know what draws me to it, but I stick out like a sore thumb and i am pretty sure this shirt has made a couple of Christmas card photo appearances!


We were able to visit the Oversons, aka Zach's love Lauren in Cedar City. It was a wonderful time to catch up with our wonderful friends. Zach did not forget his betrothed and even now Zach talks about marrying Lauren. We are not brainwashing our boy, he is coming up with it on his own. We really miss the Oversons and were so lucky to see them!







We had a wonderful three weeks in Utah and I loved being with my family as well as see Timmy's family. But all good things must come to an end. It truly was a magical time and reminded me yet again the importance of family and friends and how precious they are!