Happy Love Day!

We love our little love bugs more than anything. They are growing up fast…hard to believe their are becoming “little girls” already! But, in our house, we like to think that every day is Valentine’s Day! We don’t need a special day to say, “I Love You”. Rather, we embrace love everyday!

So, we share our love with you today! Thank you family and friends for always being there for us…loving us, supporting us, laughing with us (or at us), and being a part of our lives! Happy Love Day!

(The twins were teething this day, hence why there is more of Ava!)

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Only in Nebraska…

…can it be 69 degrees on a Monday and snow almost a foot on the weekend! But, it was a great chance for Ava to really experience the snow. Many winters, she has been too young! We were fully equipped this year with snow pants, gloves, boots…the whole nine yards. And, wouldn’t you know it, it has been the driest winter. But…this snow storm had Ava excited…and her dad too! Did we mention he is a kid at heart? Good thing it was a Saturday, because these two rascals had fun in the snow. Mommy stayed warm with the Cheetah girls.

Aubree and Annelise didn’t venture far…but we explored the snow when daddy brought us some to touch. We thought it was cold! (They do a shivering motion…so cute!) Ava was all about the winter attire. Although, we had problems with our gloves. It left our hands cold, which we did not like. So, like mother, like daughter…we sat on the steps and gave directions to daddy. (So wish I got a picture of that! I was helping teething Cheetahs!) Ava kept saying…daddy, make it bigger! We soon realized in our (or should I say Brian’s) quick efforts to get one done, we wouldn’t be posting our creation on Facebook. Wow…some people had some industrial sized creations! Ava felt the nose was very important though…carrot nose was a must. We looked high and low for eyes and a mouth. All of our charcoal was gone. So, mom’s quick thinking landed them with Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies…to which Ava and Brian indulged in at the end. Mommy didn’t want to waste the cookies for a mouth though! So, this snowman’s mouth is hiding from the cold.

Hey, I don’t remember this from last year! What is this white stuff?

Exploring the world around us.

Explorer Lisey…tasting it. Man, it feels good on the teeth! (Teething issues!)

Our purple people eater! She melts our hearts!

Attempting a snow angel.

Rock’in the snow gear!

Building Mr. Snowman…didn’t last long!

Ava and her “man”

A good looking pair!

Trying New Things

Well, it was a usual week in the Johnson household. You aren’t sure what you are going to get. Beginning of February, and we had 60 degree weather (Last year, we had blizzard conditions!). After MDO (Mother’s Day Out) one day, we decided to go to the park and play outside. Who would have thought we would get this privilege in the middle of winter. It was kind of funny watching Aubree and Annelise at the park. They are afraid to walk on the wood chips. It must be a stability factor.

(For Auntie Autumn–since it has always been so nice, Ava thinks you are coming home. Auntie Autumn told her when the weather is hot, she will get to see her again. Well, Ava is putting two and two together. The only problem is, it isn’t June!) But, it was fun watching how 16 month twins explore the outdoors.  Annelise was finding all kinds of things to discover. Ava, meanwhile, blew bubbles that got Aubree laughing. Annelise and Aubree can now say the word “bubble.” Bubbles were the only thing that wasn’t winterized and mommy could find in the garage.

Mommy might also add that she tried to be that patient, good-natured mom while taking the kids to MDO for the day. I thought it was so nice outside…why dig the stroller out. All the girls can walk now…it will be fun. Bloody…wrong…move. We will be on stroller lock down until we can wrangle these kiddos in. All three went in different directions. Ava took off at lightning speed. Annelise wanted to explore rain gutters, and Aubree thought it would be fun to keep going to the curb where the cars were. Patient mommy I was not after that.

And, Ava now has homework! The girls take a Kindermusik class. Since becoming three, Ava is now in a more advanced class, which leaves mom and dad remembering to do their homework. This week was making your own instrument. Mom and dad went the easy route…homemade morachas. But, we did let her get creative with paint. Boy, that was fun! Of course, Bree and Lisey thought they needed to paint too!

Aubree, would also like to introduce her new hair style. It’s called the Pebbles. Her hair is just starting to get into her eyes. And, we rip out clips the minute they touch the hair. So, mom tried to gather a few strands up.

Mommy’s beautiful view.

The bubble maker.

Ava=I took a nap today.

Dude…it’s 60 degrees in February!

Where did the birdy go?

Not Dora. It’s Annelise The Explorer

The “Artist” … very intense

Creating works of art for music class!

…we need a paint brush too!

Debuting the new “do”. What do you think?

Mom said it looked fine. What do you think? The jury is still out for me.

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!