Mr. Man

Looks like I'm going to be having this baby boy in about a week and a half. So I suppose I should write a bit about the awesome shower that my friends threw for me. Don't be fooled by the hairy disguises, these chicks threw one great party! I always feel so lucky to have such great friends.

The theme was Mr. Man is On His Way and the decorations were so creative and super manly!

Neck ties . . .

and moustaches on everything.

They even managed to find soda bottles with moustached men.

And if you said the word "baby" you got to slap on one of these sweet little pervert moustaches. I think pretty much every lady from the ward was wearing one by the end of the shower.

I felt so blessed that so many wonderful friends came and I definitely got spoiled with great boy gifts. This kid is going to be dressed like a total stud!

The girls also came up with the cutest craft idea. My guests cut out and ironed on fabric to make me some awesome and one-of-a kind baby bibs and burp cloths.

Yep, I pretty much just sat around, opened presents, ate treats and let everyone slave away and make stuff for me.

They turned out so cute, it's going to be tough to watch ol' Klive spew all over them.

My mom made it to Oklahoma just in time for my shower. I love my mom.

And Aunt Misty got to come too. I know, I look like a tank next to her skinny bod!

I hope my buddies know how much I love them and appreciate their hard work. I felt so loved. And Klive did too. Now I really can't wait to get this Mr. Man out and put all his new stuff to good use.

Our Bott Buddies

June and Caulder. From their very first moments together, we knew that they had something special. They were just destined to be best friends. But tragedy struck too soon, and they were torn apart by the evil institution of medical school. Now, they have to travel great distances to be together.

But theirs is a friendship that cannot be crippled by time or distance apart. This duo simply picks right back up where they left off. Literally. When the Botts arrived in Oklahoma for a visit last week, they didn't even bother to say "hi" or hug.

They just started playing Lego Batman on the wii.

This time, however, we finally got a visit from our other Bott boy, Tukk. I know he's not a baby anymore, but these girls wanted to baby him the whole time. He's the sweetest little dude, but don't be fooled by his slow start in life, I think he can wear anyone out trying to keep up with him.

We had to make the most out of the short visit, so we filled it up with movies (Despicable Me was really funny!), dragon slayings, video games, ghosts in the graveyard, pizza parties . . .

and a quick dip in the pool.

This picture makes my heart happy. There is nothing better than cousin time!

Tukk and Kolby were in charge of the sneaky shark attacks.

And Winnie just looks totally like her Aunt Rylee in this picture. Lucky girl.

Tukk even let this whale pack him around in the water for a while.

We had to take them to a pool. Otherwise, they may never want to come back to the sweltering state of Oklahoma.

As usual, the time went by way too fast, and Misty and I both had to deal with the devastation, wailing and gnashing of teeth when it was time for the kids to say their good-byes. June cried herself to sleep and broke my heart. So now we'll just put on a brave face and look forward to our next visit.

Johnson/Ivie family vacation

Kolby got two whopping weeks off from school this summer. So we granted Winnie's wish of returning to her most magical place on earth - The Great Wolf Lodge in Texas. The face says it all.

This time, we got to share the adventure with the Ivies. It's been a while since we could work out our schedules to do a combined family trip. And it was as fun as ever! Just remember, Lyra smiles on the inside, not the outside!

Well, she's almost cracking a smile in this one.

Amos had a blast on the body slides. I think he'd have gone down every slide if he wasn't too short to make the height requirement. What a bummer!

I did my best to keep up with these guys. That belly is really weighing me down these days. Klive was in heaven when I just let him float in the wave pool. Too bad that wasn't quite exciting enough for June and Winnie.

June went on every slide with her dad. Looks like she'll be his new ride buddy. And Winnie took that life vest off the first five minutes we were there and swam like a fish. She gave the big body slide a go, but it really freaked her out. I pulled her out at the bottom and she was just shaking. At least she gave it a try.

Tish had her arms full with three little dudes, but June said her favorite part of the trip was finally going on one slide at the very end with Auntie Tish.

And I am so proud of my girls this summer. They have really been working hard to learn how to swim without their floaties. I had to put this movie on of Winnie because I just can't believe how well she does at 3 years old. She opens her eyes under water and turns into a mermaid!

Family Pictures 2010

Thanks Stephanie C. You made us look so pretty!

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up . . .

There are so many great things about living in Oklahoma. Sometimes, I think I could just live here forever because I have loved it so much. But then we have a day like this, and I am ready to go running for the hills. Already this month, Oklahomans have endured two F4 tornadoes, a multitude of tornado scares, and a thunder storm that produced hail the size of softballs.

This week, I learned to take flash flood warnings very seriously. The rain was literally as if God opened the sky and dumped a lake. In a matter of minutes, the roads became gushing rivers complete with fan boats sent to rescue the idiots who thought they could drive in it. Idiots like us. I'm just thankful we made it home safely.

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Having a little BBQ after some hard-core slip-n-sliding. I love these faces!!!

I gave these two matching buzz cuts. Amos had to be just like his dad. Sorry Tish, they wanted to go super bald just to annoy you.

Lyra has really taken a liking to her Papa Lee. Or as she calls him, "Pa-lee."

Kolby enjoyed his time in the sun. The hat was a must. That bald head hasn't seen the sun for months!

June may be wearing her water wings in this picture, but she's getting pretty serious about learning to swim without them this summer. She's got the underwater motions down, it's just difficult for her to realize she can come up and take a breath of air between strokes.

Winn is our little fish, as usual. Her number one complaint of the summer: Having her dirty, chlorine-soaked hair brushed when she gets out.

Sporting our Sunday best. It looks like I'm hiding walnuts in my cheeks. Thanks Klive.

The girls look so cute in these dresses. And Kolby is always my most handsome!

Hello Summer!!!

This girl is happy. For the past 10 months, we have passed by the community pool on our way to drop June off for school. And every, I mean EVERY day, she has sweetly asked me, "Mom, someday, can we go to that pool???"

Pelican Bay opens this weekend!!!! And even though Winnie can't be exposed to much sun this summer due to her kidney medication, I think we will finally be able to make her swimming dreams come true!

This girl is also happy! She graduated from Kindergarten today!!! And I might add, she had a PERFECT report card. It has been an awesome school year and June has really blossomed. She has loved her teacher, Mrs. McDonald, and so she wanted to take this special picture to remind her of the best first year of school ever!

This girl (the one packing the big boy) is putting on a happy face despite her true feelings. I know at some point I told Kolby I would NEVER have another summer pregnancy. I don't know what happened. Here we are at day one of our summer vacation, and I am so hot, I could set this chair on fire!

But you know what I do love? This little Winn. She is so loving to her baby brother, and he's not even out yet. Every time I come into the room, she runs up and gives my belly a kiss, or a little rub, and she whispers through my belly button to Klive and tells him all kinds of secrets. The cool thing is that Klive totally loves Winnie the best. He knows her voice and goes crazy in my guts when he hears her. I think they have a very special bond.

Let's hope Klive is a fan of cool swimming pools, because that's where we are going to be every day from here on out!