Planting Milo with Daddy

Planting Milo with Daddy

"Daddy, there's no Mickey on this TV."

Planting Milo is a family affair.  :)

GPS makes it SO easy to multi-task.  Eating a snack while planting. 

Happy little farm girl! 

Father's Day Post (just a little late)

I always knew Marc would make a good Dad.  I mean, I wouldn't have married him if I didn't, right?!?  But never in my wildest dreams, could I imagine just what an amazing father he would be.

When the girls were born, I saw an instant transformation.  He was so in love with his daughters and so attentive to them, and to me.  I can remember him holding the girls skin to skin.  Many of the nurses commented how impressed they were because most men wouldn't hold their tiny little babies.  The NICU even requested the picture below of Marc holding Marleigh, so they could use it to show men that they too can do skin to skin. 

The look on his face says it all.  I have NEVER seen him more content and happy. 

Marc's commitment to his family is incredible.  Many times, I told him that we would be fine in Wichita.  He could go back to Larned and visit us on the weekends.  He insisted on being there for his girls.  All 3 of us.  We were there for quite a while, and I can honestly say, that Marc was the ONLY father that I know of that was there every single day.  I credit this for why Marleigh has done so well.  Her Daddy loves her so much and was there for her every day. 

I have had the privilege of watching Marleigh and Marc's relationship grow.  When we first brought her home, he would stay up with her when she was a night owl, so I could get some rest.  He taught her about Powercats and John Deere.  He let's her "help"  him whenever he is working in the garage or out in the yard. She truly adores her Dad and is always looking for his approval.

I feel so blessed that Marc works so hard for his family.  I am lucky that I don't have to work full time.  I love that him working so hard has given me the opportunity to only work part time.  I hope he knows how much I appreciate him and cherish the extra time I get to spend with Marleigh. 

Marc makes Marleigh a priority and always makes time for her.  He puts in many long hours.  Sometimes he quits around 5:00 to spend time with Marleigh, only to return to his office after she goes to bed.  Just the other day, he volunteered to take her to the grocery store when I had given him a list that was a mile long.  But, he knows that Marleigh LOVES to go shopping, especially at Dillons.  He could have easily just went to the store and got home a lot sooner.  Instead, he took her, and she had a great time. 

I could go on and on about what makes Marc such a great father.  But, I've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words.  So here's some of my favorites.  Happy Father's Day (late), Marc.  I love you.  You are an incredible father.  Our children (and their mama)  are so lucky to have you.

Odds and Ends

Addendum to my last post:  What makes those thankles particularly funny is the fact that while I had noticed  I had some swelling I didn't realize how much.  Marleigh and I were playing on the floor and she got a strange look on her face, started poking at my ankles, and saying, "ewwwwww."  Must be bad if a 2 year old notices them!

~~

Marleigh has been begging to go swimming every day this week.  Yesterday was fairly nice, so we asked Aunt Myra to go to the pool with us.  Marleigh is a little fish.  She loves the water and has no fear of it whatsoever (can't decide if that is a good thing or not at this point).  She turns on her tummy and kicks her legs and sort of dog paddles, grinning from ear to ear the whole time.  While she was "swimming"  a new song came on over the radio.  It must have been her jam, because in mid swim she stopped and had to dance.  Aunt Myra and I both laughed out loud.  At one point, she slipped a bit and her face went under water.  I thoroughly expected a mild freak out, but she just kind of shook it off and was ready to go some more.  After well over an hour, we decided to head home.  I told Marleigh it was time to go and she looked at me and said, "I will just swim for a bit more, Mommy."  As we were driving out of the parking lot she waved and said, "Goodbye, pool!" 

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Marleigh looks like her Daddy in many ways.  She's got his blond hair, and his big, bright, blue eyes.  While I was fixing her hair yesterday morning, we were talking about how I have brown hair, and she has blond hair.  I told her she got her pretty blond hair from her Daddy.  She looked at me rather seriously and said, "No, Mommy.  Daddy got his hair from me!"  Not a day goes by that she doesn't say something that makes me smile.  One thing she did get from her Mommy is her complexion.  I always put sunscreen on her, but you should see her tan.  You'd think she lived outside! 

~~

Marleigh is quickly becoming quite the little farm girl.  She gets so excited when she sees ANYTHING farm related.  "Anhydrous tanks!"  "Elevators!"  "Combines!"  "Cows!"  This morning Daddy called me on his way to Gigi's.  They were going by some cows and Marleigh was saying, "baby cows.  BABY COWS!"  He asked her if she remembered what a baby cow is called.  He said she kind of squinted her eyes for a bit, and he could almost see the wheels turning.  Then her eyes lit up, she got a big smile and said, "A CALF!"  So either the other day, she was just being a stinker when she told me "A baby cow, Mom", or it finally clicked.  Judging by he ornery twinkle she gets in her eyes, I'd say she was just being funny.  And that's okay.  I think both her Mom and Dad have been known to be a bit ornery.  :)

For my Johnson sisters

Some of you might not know, but Marc has 5 sisters.  Yes, 5!  I was a little nervous to meet them all almost 7 years ago at their cousin's wedding.  Needless to say, they are all great and we get along very well.  I just seemed to kind of fit (at least I think so!).  But, whenever we are all 6 together, I stick out like a sore thumb.  They all have beautiful, blond hair.  My hair is dark brown.  I remember an Old Sesame Street song that goes, "which one of these things doesn't belong here..."  I joke that we're just like that song. 

Anyway.... some of my Johnson sisters also joke that I also am different because they seem to think they have "cankles".   I don't think any of their ankles are that big.  And its not like mine are tiny by any means.  But, I would now like to state my case as a true Johnson as depicted by my cankles thankles (yeah.... they're so big you can't tell a difference from my thighs to my ankles) in the pictures below.



Exhibit A




Exhibit B
I mean really?!?  Can you see an ankle bone anywhere?!? 

 Since this is my blog, I get to be the judge and jury.  :)   I win!  Now, THOSE are cankles!   I'm a true Johnson!  All I need to do now is dye my hair....

Out of the mouth of babes....

Me:  "Marleigh, do you remember what Mommy told you?  What is a baby cow called?"
Marleigh (without hesitation and with a hint of sarcasm):  "A baby cow, Mom."

Marleigh as we're pulling up to the field to ride with Daddy:  "Two John Deere Combines!  They're so pretty!"

Marleigh after I asked her if she wanted Ketchup of Mustard:  "I'll just take a little of both, please, Mommy."

Marleigh when I picked her up the other day:  "I want to go home.  Larned, Kansas, please!!!"

Marleigh as I am picking her up out of bed yesterday morning:  "I want to go ride in the combine with Daddy."
Me:  "Daddy is taking a shower, he's not in a combine."
Marleigh: "Then I want to go ride in the combine with Papa."

Marleigh while driving home yesterday:  "I watch Mickey, please?"
Me:  "No, you're okay. We're almost home."
Marleigh: "Then I watch Veggies?"
Me:  "Honey, not right now.  We'll be home in just a few minutes."
Marleigh:  "How about Silly Songs?"

She is always coming up with something new and making us laugh.  :) 

Father's Day

I have a whole Father's Day post, but I am tired and am trying to get Marleigh ready for bed.  So, it will have to wait.  We FINALLY got a good day of cutting wheat today.  Basically, the first full day so far.  We went out to ride with Daddy and Papa.  Since I am 8 months pregnant, I am banned from driving the grain cart this year.  That's okay.  I have a far better job of growing Jr. right now!  I couldn't resist sharing some pics of 2 of the best Dad's I know.

Getting ready for a ride in the "big ol' truck"  as Marleigh says.

Riding in the combine with Papa.

Walking with Daddy down the road to pick some flowers.

My little farm girl!

Picking the "pretty flowers".

So happy to be picking wild flowers with Daddy. 

A lucky little girl to have such a great Daddy!

What I'm excited about.

I am absolutely, 100% completely excited about meeting our son here in just a few short weeks.  He is so loved already.  I think that before you have children, no matter what people tell you, you can not ever fully comprehend the instant, intense love that you have for your child the moment they enter the world.  Knowing that kind of love already, I am thrilled at the thought of that wash of emotions once again.

But do you want to know, what I am over the moon excited about?  I know it may sound very shallow, but I am ecstatic that we will be going to the hospital, having a baby, and coming home together as a family a few days later. 

Preterm labor was not fun... well, labor in general never really is, but when you are only 26 weeks pregnant, it greatly increases the stress.    An ambulance ride wasn't exactly how I envisioned arriving to the hospital.  Unless this baby decides other wise, we will know ahead of time, when he will be born.  There won't be any frantic rushing around.  There won't be 48 hours of contractions and praying non-stop.

My labor progressed so quickly.  I was terrified by the fact that the girls were so early and small.  Add the fact that Marc missed the birth of our daughters, I'd say over all, it wasn't what I had in mind.  I am so thankful that Marc will actually be there as his son enters the world.  I'm sure it will still be intense, but not nearly the chaos of the birth of our girls. 

I barely got to see the girls for a split second after they were born.  Then they were whisked away to the NICU.  I was actually very lucky that within just a few days, I was able to hold both my children.  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to holding my sweet little boy within minutes after he is born. The fact that I won't need "permission"  to get him out an incubator. He won't have IV's and tubes to worry about.  It is such a relief.

I am so eager to be able to nurse him.  I waited so long to be able to nurse Marleigh.  It is such a special thing between a mother and her child.  And while I did get to nurse Marleigh a few times, she had so many meds that she was fed by bottle the majority of the time.  Which meant I had a very unfufilling, but close relationship with my breast pump.  Not really the most enjoyable thing.

Leaving Wesley for the first time after having the girls was very hard.  It didn't seem right that I was leaving my tiny, precious babies.  I am loving the fact that we will be able to leave the hospital together as family. 

When I went into pre-term labor, we were having carpet laid in the basement of our house.  Needless to say, our house was a complete disaster.  Torn up from one end to the other.  We didn't have the carseat, the nursery done, or even an organized house.  Another additional stress when we finally did get to bring Marleigh home.  I plan to have the house clean, organized, and Jr.'s room completely ready, so that when we come home, we can just relax and enjoy our first few days home. 

I am also very happy that we won't have the additional stress of bringing home a fragile preemie that is on monitors and various medications.  Worrying that your child will have an apnea or bradychardia or stop breathing while eating..... it takes it toll.  I know any new baby brings some tension and anxiety, but much less than a 26 week preemie. 

Please don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for Marleigh and the progress she has made.  Please don't take it as me complaining or feeling sorry for myself.  I am just beyond elated that Jr. has stayed put so long, and he won't have all the struggles that his sisters did.  And that is what I am excited about.

Visit from Aunt Monica

Monica now lives in Wichita, which we LOVE because that means she is closer to us!  She came for a visit last weekend.  Marleigh had so much fun with Aunt Monica and Aunt Myra.  She would grab each of them by the hand and lead them around saying, "Come on, guys!"  Sunday we hit the splashpad and park.  The water was really cold and it wasn't overly hot, so we spent most of our time playing at the park.  Marleigh was on cloud nine! 

Love this picture of Marleigh and Daddy!

Great picture of Aunt Moni & Marleigh! 

Loving the teeter totter with Aunt Myra!

Family teeter totter time! 

Marleigh tried EVERY swing, teeter totter, and spring toy.  She had such a great time with her aunts!

Trip to the Zoo!

Last Saturday, Daddy had a CatBacker's Golf Tournament.  My sister and nephew were in town, so we decided to head to the zoo in Great Bend. It isn't a huge zoo, but it is free, and the kids had a ball!



Marleigh LOVED the fish!





Marleigh was calling to the peacock, "Come here, peacock!" 



Luke with the Leopard





The bears were "fighting".




My tender-hearted little girl didn't like that the bears were "fighting". 




You can't see it from the picture, but the lions had sharp claws.  Marleigh shouted, "they need to cut their fingernails!"




Marleigh and Gigi



Splash pad pictures!

Our Family

Add caption

Marleigh loving Natalie's wagon. 

Grand opening

My nephew, Luke, going down the slide of Natalie's Wagon.