We now have a “Minnie” 3 Year Old

Well, folks, our tag line has changed. We used to say, we have three kids under the age of 2. Now, we move up a year. We have three kids 3 and under. We always thought the number 2 had more impact when telling people about our situation. However, a 2 year old does not describe Ava anymore. Wow…has she entered her 3s in more ways than one! So, it was time for this household to turn itself inside out and become Mickey, or should we say, Minnie’s Clubhouse!

This pass Sunday, we as parents, couldn’t believe that our little girl is now 3. Every parent says that…but, wow have we progressed in more ways than one. So, when you asked Ava what kind of party she wanted, she said, “We are having a Minnie party, because my daddy loves Minnie.” Not sure where she got that, but everyone thought it was a riot.

So, we sent out Minnie party invites to family, put up Minnie decorations all over the house (including wall decals no less.) Ava proudly picked out her decorations at the store.  Mom really wanted the cute “ears” birthday cake done in pink polka dots, but Ava wanted all of the Clubhouse friends on the cake. (We compromised…the first of many discussions between a mother and daughter. Actually, we couldn’t find a cake with everyone on it.) Mom and dad even got the jumbo Minnie balloon. Of course, Ava has a detail oriented mother, so all the food was done in Minnie theme as well.

To our beautiful little spit fire, Ava…you make mommy and daddy so proud. You amaze us each day, and we ooze love for your adorable personality. You have a lot to teach your younger sisters. We love you! Here is to year 3! We hear it is a wild ride.

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3 Helpers to Catch Up!

Here is a post that got lost through it all during Christmas. Man…I wish these three little helpers really had the power to perform these skills!

During the Holidays…

Well, after being released from the hospital, we realized we have a lot to accomplish before Christmas! So, our three little helpers tried their best…(if only their cleaning skills were real!)

Ava has been a very patient and good big sister. And, she has’t gotten a lot of attention from mom and dad these days. So, we let her open one early little Christmas present. She was so excited! Brian thought I was absolutely crazy for purchasing this “present”. It was a little cleaning set (broom, dustpan, swiffer, mop, and supplies). As a mom, it is really annoying when she wants to help and whips our large cleaning supplies around the furniture! She is always wanting to get out the big broom!

Well, I can attest…the present was a hit. Now, I know what you are thinking…are you trying to turn your daughter into you? No…she just loves to clean. What can I say? She is after my own heart. I just wish her cleaning skills really did provide results. She cleaned all night long, and it has lasted several days. Again, let me say…I wish she actually did the cleaning! She even had to place all of her supplies by her bed at night.

The girls are mommy’s little helpers. But, sometimes, they create more messes than clean up!

After my own heart

The power that could be, if all three really cleaned!

...and to top it off, she made dinner!

It’s an Elmo Kind of World!

Today was a special day. One that we will remember for a long time, even if Ava won’t. Today, Ava got a special outing with mommy and daddy. All week we had prompted her that she was going to get a BIG surprise! We gave her hints everyday. Here were her hints:

1.  We are going some place else.

2. There will be a stage.

3.  You will know some one on the stage.

4. There will be lots of colored lights.

5. Whoever is on stage is furry.

We talked about the surprise here and there during the week. She knew that the twins couldn’t go, as they were too small. One night when mommy and Ava were talking, Ava replied: “Mommy, I know Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Ernie and Bert. Maybe they will be on stage.”

Okay, either Ava is psychic, on to us, or it’s just ironic. Yep…that’s right, she got to go to Elmo Live! with mommy and daddy today. Mommy was actually super excited. She went as a little girl with her daddy and sister, and still remembers how excited she felt that day. Mommy has been waiting to take Ava since she was born.

It was just a pure joy as a parent to watch Ava’s reactions finding out where she was going, watching the show, singing the songs, and dancing to the music. And, in typical Petersen girl fashion, she wanted the fun, expensive toy. So, her parents succombed to her wish. It was fun having a day with just her. We are thankful for Auntie Danielle who watched the teething, and ever so NOT sleeping twins!

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Resolutions and Christmas Part 1

Well, it is a new year! Happy New Year! The Johnson household survived! That is what we are calling 2011! It was the year of survival. We didn’t know how we would handle 3 kids under the age of two. We are happy to report that we learned A LOT of lessons, perfected our patience levels, and received a lot of love and joy!

This year, we hope to “take back control”. Well, control might be a strong word to use. Our hope is to make 2012 a year where we get a better “handle on things”. And…this blog being one of them. We realized we slipped a number of times this year. (In December, we had 4 posts drafted, but they never made it to publishing…the holidays and kids took over!)

We also hope for a healthy year. The girls are happy and healthy little larks right now. It makes for a very happy mommy and daddy. We’ll see how long we can hold out, as we returned to daycare today.

As we continue to work on and refine our other resolutions, we figured we are only six days late on this post! We hope this post finds you healthy, happy and joyous! Please know that we treasure your support and friendship. Thanks for getting us through the year! You loves means so much.

Christmas Part 1

Why are there parts to Christmas? Well, the girls had MULTIPLE Christmases and a lot of spoiling by loved ones! This post will focus on the Johnson side (Petersen side coming), as it was the “Johnson” Christmas this year. That means, the Johnson side got us for the actual holiday. It rotates every year. It will be interesting to see how this changes, as more in-laws are entering the mix.

Dave, Wendi, Kelli and Little Dave (we really need to find him a good nickname!) arrived at our house on December 23rd. Full Christmas traditions got underway on the 24th! Ava frosted cookies with Grammie. And, boy did she love that! The boys got a day out (as the girls got a day out on the 26th). They went golfing (simulation-don’t be fooled, we do live in Nebraska). And, then they went out to lunch and a scotch bar, (nothing like cheering it up for the holdiay, huh?). What did the women do…19th century stuff…what women always get stuck doing…cooking and taking care of the kids! No fear, the boys got payback on the 26th! We did appetizers and soups for dinner. Then it was off to church we went. The girls did fabulous. They danced in the pews to music. When a picture of baby Jesus appeared on screen, our little Ava was the first to belt out…”That’s Baby Jesus!”

After church, the twins went to bed. No mommy or daddy wants cranky twins for Christmas. Ava got to open her some presents and prepare her snack for Santa. We were very excited about that. We also had to say good-bye to Smurky (see previous post). After the kids were all nestled in their beds, dreaming of sugar plums…the boys got the ultimate Christmas Eve experience. They had to put together the Santa gift…a walk-in kitchen! You ask why this wasn’t done beforehand…because it was so big, Ava would have totally seen it. And, you ask, why a big one? The pictures will explain why. How many guys does it take to screw in the bolts? Mommy will point out that Big Dave had to tell the boys to read the directions, as they were already doing some things wrong!

Here are some pictures of the weekend:

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I have to say, as momma Johnson, the hubby did well this year! Brian is always so spirited and ambitious with the Christmas lights. I love my father to death, but that is one area where he doesn’t have passion–putting up Christmas lights! When my mom wanted some one year, she went up on ladders doing it herself when he was on a business trip! Brian though…busts them out as fast as it turns the Christmas season.

I also have to say, he has been Petersen-ized though. But, he does it so well. Brian grew up with colored lights, but I have certain liking to the classic white lights. Such a good hubby to accomodate me. Doesn’t the house look great? Nice job Bri-guy! The girls are in love with the lights.

We also just started our tradition this year of two trees…yep, I am becoming my mother! We have our “fancy” tree and our family tree. The family tree is all of our miscellaneous and heirloom ornaments. It is still in “production” as the years grow on.

But, what is the most fun? Watching the girls. They are in complete awe and their little faces just light up at the Christmas decorations. When a Christmas tree turns on…it’s like the world stops. It is so fun watching them experience Christmas this year. Ava is even more into it, and the the twins are discovering everything for the first time. Utter joy!

And, if you haven’t heard of “Elf on the Shelf”, you need to research it. Our elf entered our house on November 28th, and his name is Smurky! Wow…does that have power or what! All of the girls find him each morning. Even Aubree and Annelise know what it is and can’t figure out if he is not in the spot they last saw him. Santa is definitely going to have to deliver this year. We got three very “nice” girls. Oh…the magic of Christmas. Brian and I are eating up every last morsel this year!!

Taking in the view…

Annelise in awe…what is this white stuff?

Wow…it just falls out of the sky like that?

The Johnson “Fancy” tree

The Johnson Family Tree

Smurky…making his way around the house!

La Casa…all lit up with snow!

So blessed…

We feel pretty blessed in the Johnson household! For Thanksgiving, we had three healthy and happy girls. And, they all tried turkey! (Ava only ate whip cream last year!) It was a nice, calm Thanksgiving to remember…

After our rounds in the hospital, 4 Johnsons on medicine, and our share of sleepless nights, we finally made it to the holiday in good spirits. Aubree still has her share of wonderous nights, where mommy is up with her. But, it was wonderful to have three laughing and playful girls to brighten such a family spirited day.

We headed to Nana and Papa Petersen’s for the big meal. And, Nana put on her usual spread! Wonderful food. We got to spend time with our new newlywed couple, Danielle and Chris! And, we got some quality time with Papa, as he  has been traveling a lot, and the very next day he was headed to Amsterdam! We dearly missed  Auntie Autumn though.

The girls also got to experience the love of Grammie and Grandpi, who drove in for the holiday. Grammie just couldn’t wait until Christmas to see the three little pumpkins. So, love was all around the girls. (We missed Kelli and Dave too!)

We have many, many blessings and so much to be grateful for. It would be hard to capture it all in a blog posting. But, the look in each family member’s eyes said it all. Love. Happiness. Family. Friends. Good Health. Laughter. Wonderful memory making…

Our Little Pumpkins Ready for Turkey Day!

May I try some turkey please?

This is day is about food, who said I wouldn’t love it?

Ava feeling like a grown up! Cheers! (It’s cranberry juice, people!)

Turkey Tired

The best party…whip cream! (It’s the only thing she ate last year!)

News from 305

Well, we know…there hasn’t been a lot of posting since pre-Halloween. The scoop…all three kids have been battling horrible colds, teething, and tough schedules in our house. It seems we have gone through Kleenex boxes and beyond with three little runny noses. Well, it finally landed us with one in the hospital. Hence, we haven’t had time to make a posting.

Thank you for all your prayers and good thoughts. For those that don’t know, Aubree landed in the Boys Town Research Hospital on Tuesday with pneumonia. She does not have a complicated case, but she had some horrible symptoms that we could not curb on our own at home. The first day was pretty rough. It wasn’t our little Aubree at all. A lot of wheezing, sound effects, no personality, and moaning. It was tough to watch. But, now we are on the mend. We are starting to see Aubree smile, play with toys, and laugh. We are going to “challenge” her today…see what she can do on her own. IF all goes well, we could be out of here tomorrow.

For the loved ones that have had to endure little ones in the hospital, our hats go off to you. It is hard as parents. Momma didn’t even like watching them put the IV in little Aubree! But, this Thanksgiving, we are extremely grateful for good healthcare, a fabulous doctor, and compassionate nurses.

Daddy is commanding the fort. He is doing an excellent job. He is getting a full taste of what it is like to be the full time momma. Ava and Annelise miss their sister! Momma is looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving with HEALTHY kids. There are more details to this story, but EVERY KID is now on medications! Let’s heal up!

So…momma and Aubree are at camp in room 305. We send our love and hope to share the news that we are home very soon!

We have spirit…

Yes we do! We have spirit; how about you? The Johnson’s are getting into the Halloween spirit. (It is so fun when the kids are little, but mom could cross this holiday off the list anytime!) Here is a sneak preview of what the girls will be for Halloween. Last year, Ava ATTEMPTED to be a pink poodle. We tried everything in our power to get that girl into costume. We didn’t succeed but for a 1/2 hour of trick-or-treating. When asked this year what she wanted to be, she said a kitty cat. Ok…no problem. Then, she saw the pink poodle hanging in her closet. Ava got so excited and wanted to try it on right away (is this the same child?) So, she wants to be a pink poodle again for Halloween. Hey, mom has no problem with that…no costume buying!

And, the twins…well, I am sure we could have gotten creative. However, mom has a serious obsession with cupcakes. (That was the theme of their birthday party a couple of weeks ago.) So, we found some warm (Yes, we live in Nebraska–you never know what the weather will do.) costumes. So, they will be our little cupcakes that they are.

We will be craving pumpkins this weekend, so be sure to check back for pictures. Ava will get a kick out of it! Daddy even found Minnie and Mickey (latest obsession) patterns!

Our little pink poodle...

Our baked little cupcakes...

Halloween 2011

And…it is official.

We now have three toddlers in the house. We aren’t quite sure how we are here already or fully understand the work, energy, and love that went on this year. But, Aubree and Annelise are full spirited one year olds.  They each got their one year check up last week. They are healthy, growing little buggers that momma and dada are so blessed to have. We have been transitioning onto whole milk in the last two weeks. They have been doing great, although bedtime has had its issues. We aren’t quite in our milk coma when we lay down. But, the girls each have their own special highlights:

Aubree

• We have three and half teeth! The fourth upper right tooth is coming in.
• We are over 22 lbs and a little soft marshmellow that mommy likes to squeeze!
• We can crawl circles round you and stand on our two feet really well. We should be walking in about a month (yikes)!
• We like to put the telephone to our ear and try to say, Hi!
• We can try to give you a kiss (it is her tongue sticking out, which turns out to be a very wet kiss!)
• If you ask her where the ball is, Aubree will go find the ball anywhere in the house for you.
• We can do touchdown, “more”, “good job”, “yay”, and high five in sign language.
• We like to shake our tail feather…ask her to shaky her booty!
• We climb up and down the stairs very well!

Annelise

• We have four teeth…those 5th and 6th ones are causing us problems!
• We are very solid and sturdy…over 23 pounds. (She is going to be our athlete!)
• We can crawl around and around…and stand very well on our feet. We, too, will be walking very soon! (Can you imagine all three!)
• When asked what a doggie says…we try grunting twice for, “woof, woof”.
• We like to point at everything and try to make the sound, “what’s that”.
• If you ask her “where did xx go?”, Annelise puts her hands out in an asking fashion.
• We can do touchdown, “more”, “good job”, ”yay”, high five and wave in sign language. 
• We like to dance and CLIMB everything. She thinks she is so funny when she is really high!

Here are some pictures of when we tried to attempt 1 year photos:

Annelise Christian

Aubree Eve

Our two peas in a pod...

Little (Big) Birthday Girls

It Rained Cupcakes…Twice!

Wow…as we write this, we are humbled by what our family has become. We are also humbled by what this year has taught us. It is unbelievable that we have reached this milestone in the Johnson household! On October 13, Aubree and Annelise will turn 1. We can’t even describe all the feelings that we feel. If you think it was adventurous having three children under the age of 2 in our household, just wait…the fun has just began. We are about to have 3 toddlers on the loose on Edna Street!

This past weekend, we were very blessed to have both sides of the family in town for a major celebration. As always, we parents try to make things even and fair. It was a cupcake celebration to the fullest extent…just like Ava had! There was only one person missing from our bunch, Auntie Autumn in London. But, have no fear…we Skyped her in! (As our parents say: “isn’t that technology now days amazing!”) There was cake, delicious food, Cupcake wine  (for the adults, yes they make it, and yes, we needed it!), presents galore, a NE football game, and most of all family and love!

And, we can’t have Aubree and Annelise steal all the spotlight. It was a big celebration weekend on many levels. Auntie Kelli got engaged the night before the party! Congrats Auntie Kelli and Uncle Dave…it is going to be an amazing year! (PS…for those that follow this blog…yes this is weird for our children to comprehend and get straight. There is Poppa Chris and Uncle Chris on the same side and now their will be Grandpi Dave and Uncle Dave on the same side. The Aunties are in love with people that have the same name as their dads!)

Here is a gallery of pictures of the festivities. We have inserted comments to set the stage…

Birthday girls making their appearance…

Miss Annelise feeling the birthday energy…

I am going to rock at Christmas! Give me any kind of paper, and I can rip with the best of them.

Skyping with Auntie Autumn! (Oh, that technology!) We miss you!

Somehow, Ava got presents too! Getting some Johnson love…

The “Cupcake” Cakes

We could do some serious damage with this beast! We have heard sugar is good…

Do we look our age? We heard one is the new “thing to be”!

Ava and her cupcake…yes, we ate this BEFORE dinner! Such a Johnson!

We adults needed something for the sugar rush…it just happens to be Cupcake wine!

This hat is ridiculous…I am only doing this for mom’s scrapbook!

Oh, come on Aubree…get in the spirit, dude! It’s our time to shine!

What…what are we doing? Why are we naked outside?

Hey, now we are talking! What is this? Looks de-lish…

What I am suppose to do with it?

Interesting…(being careful…she is our messy one!)

Mom must say it is okay today. Or, was this dad’s idea?

This was definitely dad’s tradition…I heard he gets bath night tonight, since we are not Ava (who did not touch an once of it at 1.)

Man, this is great…loving the freedom!

What? No one said I was the clean one…

We think we know why we are outside…

Of course, big sister had to join in too! Surprise, surpise…

Family fun…yep, it was dad’s idea!