Mason

Mason Harding Johnson arrived on Wednesday, April 9, at 2:41 pm. He weighs 6 pounds, 13 ounces and is 19.5 inches long. He is our smallest baby and has been great so far! His middle name is my mom's maiden name and a tribute to my grandmother that passed away in January. We think he looks just like his brothers and will fit right into the Johnson clan. We came home today and are trying to adjust to life again. The only complication associated with Mason's entrance into the world is the fact that I had to push for over an hour and a half because he was coming out face up which makes it much more difficult. Because of how long I had to push and the fact that my knees were up by my chest for all that time, I have some nerve damage to my legs and will have to walk with crutches for about two weeks because my knees and calves feel completely numb. It's not exactly the ideal situation, but considering all that could've gone wrong we still feel incredibly lucky. We are just so grateful that he is here and he is healthy. Thank you for all of the well wishes and prayers in our behalf and also to everyone who came to visit. We can't wait to show him off to everyone!

Play Dough Recipe

Today Gavin had a playdate with his good friend Coleman. We made play dough and this is the best recipe I have found. It's not sticky, it doesn't require any strange ingredients, and it smells so yummy!

Kool-Aid Play Dough

1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. salt
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid
1 c. boiling water
1 1/2 T oil

Mix all together in a large bowl. Let cool. Store play dough in a tupperware or ziplock bag.

The Easter Bunny Came!

Early Sunday morning, painfully early like 6 something, Gavin came into our room wide awake for the day. I think his entrance may have been fuelled by a certain 5 year old telling him to wake us up so they could go and find their Easter baskets... Both boys were told to go back to bed and not come out until 8 (we recently put a clock in the boys room so they knew when it was really morning). As soon as it was 8, Cameron came in and told me that he thought the Easter bunny had brought him a gun with darts that stick on stuff. Hmm, how did he know that? I asked him if he had already been downstairs and he said no, I just think that's what the bunny brought me. Soon he confessed to sneaking downstairs to just take a quick peek. Then he said that he thought the Easter Bunny had also brought Gavin a gun like his. When I asked if he had also found Gavin's he gave the same response that no, he hadn't found it, he just thought that's what the bunny would do. Sneaky kid... Sure enough, both boys got Nerf guns with the suction cup darts, new videos, and way too much candy. It certainly isn't easy getting the kids dressed and ready for church by 9 am on a regular day, but on Easter Sunday it is so much harder. We gave in and let them each have a piece of candy after breakfast, but that did not stop them from begging for more until church was over. My sister Becky and her family came for Easter dinner and we feasted on ham and all the fixin's. We also had an egg hunt (twice) which was a big hit. I am sad to say that this will be the last holiday that we will be able to spend with them for a long time. They are moving to Colombia in July, so we were grateful to be able to spend this special day with them.

Coloring Eggs

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way! Tonight we dyed Easter eggs in anticipation of tomorrow's excitement. I found the coolest gadget at Walmart that ended up being the perfect coloring kit for little ones. It's this special spinner that you just put your egg and some drops of dye into and then put the top on and let the kids have at it! Soooooo much better than the messy cups we usually use and our kids loved it. Not to mention the eggs came out really pretty all 18 of them... Anyone want to come over for egg salad next week?

Inner Harbor and Chaotic Egg Hunt

My oldest sister Lisa, turns 40 next month. When she was out here in January she told us that she wanted all of us sisters to get together in celebration of this major milestone. I laughed because I knew in April I would be in no condition to travel. My other sister Kristin decided that all was not lost, we could get together before her birthday somewhere closeby, in case I should go into labor. Kristin planned it all out and we went to the Baltimore Inner Harbor this past weekend. It was the first time that my sisters and I have ever gotten together by ourselves and I have to admit that despite my fears of all of us being at each others throats, it was an absolute blast! I haven't laughed so much in a long time and I realized that I don't give them enough credit! Lisa flew in early on Saturday and we stayed at a hotel just two blocks from the harbor. The highlights of our trip included attending an "inner-city" farmers market, paddle boating (thanks to the beautiful weather on Saturday), a trip to the aquarium, and makeovers for all of us! Lisa then flew out on Sunday evening and we came home. For four sisters we are all so different, but get us together and the inherited similarities really become obvious, and this trip really showed how related we are. What a blessing that we were all able to come together for a few days without our families and bond once again as sisters. Thanks to our husbands for holding down the forts and giving us a weekend off!

So while I was gone this weekend, Jeremy was such a great dad and took the boys to an easter egg hunt. Cameron had been begging to go ever since we got a flyer in the mail because a helicopter was going to drop the eggs for the kids to find. Pretty great in the eyes of a five year old and admittedly pretty intriguing for adults as well. It was put on by a local church and held at an elementary school. Jeremy said that when they got there they had to park so far away because it was soooooo crowded. They had anticipated 1-2 thousand people, but 3-4 thousand showed up. As they were walking to where you have to register, Gavin fell in the mud and got a big scratch on his nose and mouth so they had to reurn to the car to try to get him cleaned up and stop the bleeding on his face. Poor Jeremy didn't have any baby wipes so he was trying to just use the few napkins we had in the glove compartment. But he did not give up. The kids anxiously awaited by the field, already littered with thousands of eggs, for more eggs to be delivered via the anticipated helicopter. The moment came and the kids watched on in awe and then were patient for the cue to be given when they could let loose and gather the eggs. Jeremy held Gavin's hand and had Cameron close by him as the stampede began, but there were so many kids and soon Cameron was nowhere to be found. Cameron tells me that he ran fast to get more eggs and when he realized he couldn't find daddy, I am proud to say that he put into practice what we have taught him at home. He found a mommy and told her that he had lost his dad. This kind woman took him to the event staff (and gave him two eggs which Cameron was the most excited about) and they announced over the speakers for Jeremy to come and get him. Jeremy, who had been searching frantically, was relieved to find him safe and sound. That night when I called to ask about how the day went, Cameron told me he had gotten lost, but he was most concerned that he only got 4 eggs. Jeremy said that the crowd was so massive that many children were crying because they did not get any eggs at all and Cameron said he would've shared, but he was saving his extra eggs for mommy. What a sweet boy! In light of what happened, I seriously doubt we will return next year for this egg hunt, no matter what gimmic tries to lure us! I will just have to be sure to hide the flyer before Cameron sees it!

Sprinkle!

Last night I got together with some close friends for my baby "sprinkle." We went out to eat at one of my favorite restaraunts, PF Chang's and just had a nice night out. It wasn't supposed to be a shower because after all, this is my third boy, but my terrific friends brought gifts and all went in on a gift card that will definitely come in handy for the new carseat we need to buy. My dear friend Angie that organized the evening also had these adorable little fortune cookie favors and brought one of those yummy chocolate Costco cakes. It was such a fun night, I am so lucky to be surrounded by such a fun and sweet circle of friends. Thank you ladies!

Big Boy Bed!

It's official now. For a few weeks we've been experamenting with Gavin sleeping in the bottom bunk in Cameron's room and now he will actually stay in bed, even during naptime! The first few nights I would find Gavin up in the top bunk playing while Cameron was sound asleep and then he would yell for me because he couldn't climb back down by himself. We would then "punish" him by putting him back in the crib which he decided he was too big for. I'm glad it ended up being his decision and yesterday I took down all the stuff in the nursery to start getting ready for the new baby. I was a little bit sad the whole time, wondering if Gavin would really suffer from that "middle child syndrome" since he was moving into a room that is really Cameron's and making his old room into one for this new addition. Would he feel like he didn't have a place of his own anymore? I think I am overly paranoid about all of the stigmatisms that come with birth order, but I just want all of my kids to feel individually loved. We will be tweaking the big boy room a bit by changing the decor some, hopefully that will be enough to make Gavin feel welcome there too and change it onto Cameron and Gavin's room. We sure are proud of our big boy and this big step!