You Know You're In Trouble. . .

You know you're in trouble when the first thing the nursery leader says to you when you pick up your child is, "he likes to kiss."

Johnny has only been in nursery for a month now, and it was his first time going to nursery in a different ward today because we are in Mesquite for Christmas. We were a little nervous as to how he would behave, but after the kissing report, obviously he had a great time.

Apparently the haircut has not shaken his confidence.

What Have I Done?

Bye-bye curls. I cut Johnny's hair this morning, and then had a panic attack as I looked at the kitchen floor and saw his curls. I decided I prefer his hair a little longer than this, but not as out-of-control as before. Scissors would have been disastrous with how much this guy was wiggling, so I had to use the clippers. I had to trim it more than I would have liked because the curly parts kept flipping out.

He looks so grown-up now with shorter hair! The plan is to let it grow out longer, and his next hair cut will be a little trim with scissors.

Pray for me the curls will grow back!!

Things That Sparkle

Tonight we went to see the lights at Temple Square. Being the Friday before Christmas, there were definitely many others enjoying the lights also. I was very happy with our parking spot tonight, and had to take a picture. Brad thought it was funny, but I was just so grateful we didn't have to park out in the boondocks like last year. This year we got a spot right across the street at the conference center, we only had to cross ONE street, and not have to go up or down any hills. Hallelujah, especially with a double stroller. It wasn't too cold, thankfully, but still chilly enough that I made sure both kids wore hats. Isabela didn't seem to mind hers too much, but Johnny kept tugging on his. I was just glad he didn't figure out how to unsnap it, otherwise I'm sure it would have gotten lost. We took a break from the cold and warmed up inside the visitor's center and took Johnny to see the Christus. It was much busier inside the visitor's center than outside, but Johnny seemed to really enjoy it, and so did I. We are all excited for Christmas, and are especially grateful for the blessings our Father in heaven has given us. It was so wonderful to be at the temple tonight where Brad and I were married, and have our two children with us. We are very grateful to be an eternal family, and I can't imagine anything I'd want more than to be with my family forever. Merry Christmas!

Johnny Boy

Today our lovable monster turned 19 months old! We didn't get around to taking a picture of him until right before he went to bed. Yes, he is chowing down on cheetos, don't judge us, he'd already eaten dinner.

We went a few weeks ago to the doctor for a check-up and he weighed in at 28 pounds. He is also already 34 inches tall, which explains how he can grab practically everything off the counter.

Johnny is such a sweetheart and it's so fun now that he's talking more. His favorite word is definitely ball. He uses it about 437 times a day.

Other words in no particular order:

Mom

Dad

book (boo)

no

bye-bye

more

woo hoo

football (fooball)

all done

oooo (when he wants to read his snugglepuppy book)

dog

woof woof (repeated very excitedly when he sees the dog)

uh oh

shoe

hi (most often spoken very loudly right in baby sister's face)

night night

yum
swish swish (wipers on the bus)
cheese

This little guy is growing up so fast, so I guess it's a good thing we have another baby!

There It Is!!

She gave her dad a BIG smile tonight to show him how much she loves her baby Einstein

I love that smile.

The Saucer

Today was Bela's first day in the Baby Einstein. Brad has been asking all month if she's big enough for it, but I felt two months old was a little young. He finally wore me down since she'll be 3 months next week. Even though she seemed to enjoy it, Johnny was hands-down more excited just watching baby sister. He kept running around her and laughing, and I had to constantly pull him off because he kept trying to climb in with her, as you can see.

Johnny just adores Bela, and I hope these two will always love playing together. It makes me so happy when he wants to hold her and give her kisses. His new thing is laying down right next to her (and sometimes on top of her) and pressing his cheek right up against hers. I love these guys so much!

I Heart Santa

I just love her cute Christmas outfit!! I've been feeling guilty lately, because Bela basically lives in her pajamas since it's been so cold here. Today Brad put her in this outfit, and we just had to take a picture. We're all excited for Christmas, and especially grateful that we'll get to see so much family over the holidays.

Candy

Johnny dressed up as a dragon for Halloween this year and went trick-or-treating for the first time ever. Even though he didn't fully understand what exactly was happening, he and his cousin Henry seemed to enjoy collecting treats from everyone.

This was actually a few days before Halloween. He just loved the costume so much he liked playing in it

Sweet side shot

I love the wings and mini-tail

Pictures

I was going through pictures on the computer and thought I'd post a few. It is so fun to see how Johnny has changed in the past year. He's definitely growing up and becoming a big boy.

Here's cousin Cooper taking such good care of Johnny while he was visiting Mesquite last October

Last Halloween (5 months)

Christmas with Uncle Stevie (7 months)

Easter Sunday and also technically the first picture with his baby sister because I was about 4 months along

His Daddy learned the hard way to not leave Johnny unattended with food

At Grandma Tate's birthday party in April (11 months)

Once he finally overcame his fear of balloons after his birthday, he became obsessed with them and whenever he happened to get one, insisted on taking it with him everywhere for the rest of the day (June - 13 months)

Testing out the new couch Daddy bought

Wearing Aunt Ashley's shirt during 4th of July weekend

What a silly kid. Johnny's such a happy boy, and is always laughing and bringing so much joy to our lives every day. He's a keeper.

Ten Little Toes

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I am thankful for many things, most of all my family. My handsome husband works hard to provide for our family, and also has started taking classes to earn his master's degree. Even though he is busy with work and school, he always makes time to spend with his family. He loves playing with the kids and helping out, even when I know he's had a long day.

Johnny is just a bundle of energy always wanting to go about twenty times as fast as his mom will let him. He runs most everywhere, and is excited that he is able to express himself with more words every day. My favorite is when he says "all done" and hands me his plate. His new-found love is definitely his baby sister, and he never lets an opportunity pass by where he can hold her or smother her with kisses.

My sweet Isabela Rae is definitely a testament that every child has their own individual personality. It's so fun experiencing the differences in her personality than that of her big brother's. She smiles so much now, and loves sitting up to see everything that's going on around her. Especially watching what mischief Johnny is up to. I cannot get enough of her cute feet as evidenced by the picture above, and am thankful every day for the wonderful blessing she is in our lives.

I am very grateful for my family and the wonderful things we have been blessed with this year. Thank you to everyone who is a part of our lives and who show your love and support to us.

3 Years Later

Three years and two days ago, I met Brad. He came over and knocked on my door, invited himself in, and asked me out for a date that Saturday. I said yes, and we had a great time on our picnic in the canyon.

We went on a date tonight, exactly three years later, to celebrate that special day, and brought our two kids with us. Apparently a lot can happen in three years.

I just want to say thanks for knocking on my door Brad, and thanks for marrying me too!

Bad Injury

This picture is of my niece Emma on her first day of preschool this year. Doesn't she look so precious? Unfortunately, this sweet girl suffered a bad injury yesterday when she fell and busted her chin open. Her mom took her to the hospital and six stitches later, she was still such a brave girl. I can't handle the picture of the actual wound that Fran took, but this one below still shows the bandage without being quite so gory.

I love how she still needs to pose and smile for the camera right after she's home from the hospital. She's one tough girl! We wish you a speedy recovery Emma, and congratulations on becoming a member of the "stitches in your face" club.

I Love It

I love my little boy, but I have decided that little girls have the cutest things!! My friend Lindsay stopped by to visit this last week and brought Bela some gifts, including this cute headband with a bunch of interchangeable bows. I love it, and think she looks adorable. Thanks again Linds!

Delicious

I miss the Puyallup Fair. It happens every September in Washington and is pretty much the best fair I have ever been to. And I've been to a few. It has the fun rides, lots of large farm animals, and so many vendors. If anyone knows me, they know I love to watch the demonstrations. I love the chamois that can absorb all that soda from carpet, I love the salsa maker, the back-support man, the indoor grill, the magical car wax, and the list goes on.

Most importantly however, is all the delicious food this fair has to offer. I've been to the Utah State Fair, and it does not compare in the least. What is fair food without a delicious scone, earthquake burger, and curly fries? Here's a picture of my niece Emma, and nephew Stevie enjoying these greasy culinary delights that can honestly only be eaten once a year:

It's Game Day

Tonight BYU is playing Utah State. Whenever Brad wakes up on a day that BYU is playing football, one of the first things he says to me is, "It's game day." He is most definitely trying to pass on his love of BYU football to our son Johnny, and is adamant about him wearing his jersey during the entire length of the game. It's cute to see these two dressed up to show their support for the team. Now we just need to get some BYU gear for our newest little one.

In other exciting news we went to Bela's two week appointment today. Even though she's technically only 13 days old, they let us come a day early. She's grown a half an inch to 21 inches, and weighs 8 lb 4 oz. The doctor said everything looks great and we're so happy our little one is doing well.

Here's a picture of her at 9 days old:

Bedtime with Johnny and Bela

This kid cannot get enough of his baby sister. He's done pretty well for the most part with soft touches and not being too rough, but he definitely needs to be supervised at all times. Brad told me he wanted to be holding Bela in this video, and then was so mad when he realized his hand is covering her pretty much the entire time. Oh well, at least you can see Johnny being adorable.

To Cut or Not to Cut

Brad has been on my case for a while now to get Johnny's hair cut. I think he's tired of random strangers telling us what a beautiful daughter we have. I love Johnny's curls but do agree something needs to be done. The only problem is Johnny doesn't fully understand the concept of sitting still, and I don't know how that'll work with getting a hair cut. I also don't want him to lose that innocent baby look, but I guess I need to realize that my little guy is growing up. Here are two pictures from the last couple of days to illustrate my dilemma. He looks so adorable, but his hair is a little out of control.

And Baby Makes Four. . .

After waiting through a hot and uncomfortable summer, our baby girl is finally here! She was born on Saturday, the 19th of September, weighing in at 7 lb 13 oz and is more adorable than we could have imagined. We decided to name our sweet baby Isabela Rae. Her big brother was a little unsure of her at first, but now she is the first thing he looks for when he wakes up. Things have gone great so far this first week, but now my mom has gone home so we'll see what happens. My sister gives me about a month before I call crying that I can't do it. I'm hoping I last at least a little longer than that before my first break down. We're so excited and appreciate all the well wishes we've received about our newest addition to the family.

We just love her so much!

Our first family photo. I don't even care that I am so swollen, I love how Johnny is just fascinated by Bela.

Because Brad was at the BYU football game and didn't come until a little before the baby was born, my mom took me to the hospital. This let her have the privilege of holding Isabela that first night.

These are the beautiful flowers my wonderful husband got for me

Her Dad picked out this cute outfit to wear coming home

Pretty much the only picture of her not screaming after we put her in her carseat

Johnny finally starting to realize this little baby is here to stay

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

So as you can see, it's been quite a while since I've posted. Johnny is now 16 months old and we just had our beautiful baby girl last week. Since I pretty much neglected posting anything about our summer, I thought I'd share a few brief highlights.

Johnny finally got a crib!! Our old apartment was only a one bedroom, and there was just enough room for Johnny to be in a pack and play. Now that we're in our new place, we were finally able to get the crib that Brad's parents have been wanting to buy us ever since he was born. Johnny says, "Thanks Grammy and Pa, I love my crib so much!" And he really does, he sleeps so well during his naps and at nighttime.

We were able to see Stacie and David and attend their engage- ment dinner in Salt Lake. It was so fun to be able visit with them and celebrate their upcoming wedding.

For Pioneer Day we headed up to Chester- field again to enjoy the festivities. We stayed with Brad's parents and it was so nice to spend time with them and Bryson and Jamie, and Daylen and Ashley. Johnny loved playing with his cousins and loved riding on the four-wheeler with his Dad.

We were also so excited when Cori and Chris came by for a quick visit with Cooper and Jasper. Bryson and Jamie also came down that weekend, and Maurie and Christy too. It was so much fun seeing all the cousins together and I'm really sad that for some reason I didn't take any pictures.

There were a few other exciting events also this summer including Brad buying us a beautiful new couch that we're not allowed to eat on, and my sister moving to Utah! It's fun having Melinda and her husband close by and Johnny loves playing with his cousin Henry. Our summer was great, and made even better by beginning our new adventure as a family of four.

Johnny's Special Day

I can't even believe this kid is a year old now! We celebrated Johnny's birthday last Friday with a little party here at our house. Johnny was so happy his Grandma and Grandpa Perkins were able to stop by and share in his special day as well, and says thanks for the great gifts. Later in the evening we had some friends come over for cake and ice cream. Johnny loved it when everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to him, but got a little shy when it was time to dig into his cake. After everyone else was enjoying their own dessert, he started enjoying his a little more. Even though he loved all his presents, I do think his favorite is the bat and whiffle balls his dad picked out for him. Johnny is so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who already love and support him so much. Thanks to everyone who was able to share his special day with us, and to those who wish they could have been here!

Mother's Day

Even though I was pregnant with Johnny last year on Mother's Day, and he was born just a few days later, this year felt like the first real Mother's Day for me. Brad made it very special and was sure to take such great care of me so I could relax and enjoy the day. He even started a day early by getting me these beautiful roses on Saturday. Sunday morning he made us a delicious breakfast, and then after church came home and made a fantastic dinner. His parents also stopped by on their way up to Salt Lake and were able to enjoy their son's wonderful cooking.

Thanks Brad for the wonderful weekend, and for taking care of this little rascal so I could have a little time to myself.

Pictures

Just a few random pictures I'm finally getting around to posting. The first is of Johnny with his cousins that came to visit for conference:

He absolutely adored all of them, and they were so great with him. Even Camille, who endured some hair-pulling and excessive grabbing due to this little guy's excitement. But she was a tough girl and was all smiles in the pool:

And lastly, Uncle Stevie on his new bike. Johnny and his mom both hope he stays in one piece.