Taya Lately

(Freshly bathed!)
Can you believe it?  I'm posting!  Yes, yes, it's been a long time ... I don't want 3 month gaps like that in the future, no siree.  

So, here is a little photo recap of Taya over the last few months ... a few of my favorites.  

And here are a couple of cute stories about Taya lately too:  

She has been saying 'I love you' spontaneously to me more often in the last couple of weeks, but the funny thing is, she is used to saying 'I love you too' & so even while initiating it, she says 'I love you too' & will hug me or kiss me; and so sometimes I say 'I love you too too' & making me feel hilarious, she cracks up each time.  I'm pretty much a puddle of water in these moments.  

The other cute story from tonight at family prayers before her bed time is that she was saying the prayer & asked for help ... Paul leaned over & suggested she ask to 'bless her sister' & she straightened up, looked over & patted my belly (quite large now btw), still praying, as she said 'Bless this 'lil baby right here' (something to that effect).  Aaaand, again, another puddle of water moment.

She makes me laugh & smile repeatedly every day.  

Oh yes, and ... she has not only told an adult who had a gruff voice from an illness that he talked funny, she recently told the middle aged man with a slight belly sitting behind us on the train as we circled around Disney Land (yes, this is deserving of its own post) 'Your belly is big!' - and a few other similar stories I know, but these two come to mind.  I was just telling someone a couple months back that I suspected we had many potentially embarrassing or at least amusing moments headed our way with our social & verbal 2 year old.  And there we go!

Visit to Grandma & Grandpa Johnson in March; Taya loves all of the time Grandma Johnson spends reading with her.

Paul's birthday; Liberty Market (a favorite!!)

Easter Time

Not quite close enough to the tv, Grandma & Grandpa Johnson's in March

Coat of Many Colors

Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes & gender votes & congrats wishes!  

I had a great birthday!!  ... In my late 20's, getting closer to 30!  I don't mind though.  I think the 30s will be good.  I'll have to tell you more about it soon!

But for now, I got to thinking ... so here it comes ...

I just read Jana's post which touched on self-content with body image & how polls show that only 2% of women are happy with their body image.  Shocking, not entirely surprising with a combination of many things we are bombarded with, but still shocking.  As I read her post, the song 'Coat of Many Colors' by Emmylou Harris (originally by Dolly Parton) was playing on my sidebar over there (have you noticed it before?) and that's when I got to thinking ...

(There is a you tube link below, the song on my sidebar playlist, and I have the lyrics shown below too.  How's that for options?)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4wOlYuDLE  (If anything, you should watch this video for their sweet '70s style and rad camera fades in and out of faces in the background - you won't regret it - plus the lyrics don't do the message as much justice as the video)

Back through the years
I go wonderin' once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags that someone gave us
And how my momma put the rags to use
There were rags of many colors
Every piece was small
And I didn't have a coat
And it was way down in the fall
Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin' every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of
As she sewed, she told a story
From the bible, she had read
About a coat of many colors
Joseph wore and then she said
Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn't wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss

My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

So with patches on my britches
Holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colors
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

And oh I couldn't understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told 'em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes

But they didn't understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me

I've always thought of it as an inspiring song - especially as a mom.   I want so badly to be a mom that inspires positive self-esteem and knowledge of each individual's divine nature within my daughters (and future sons too?).  That's what I love about the mom in this song - I don't think she lied to her daughter or gave her false understanding, but just had grounded perspective and saw beauty in everything, and therefore passed it along to her daughter.  I suspect this daughter did not maintain the positive belief about her tattered clothes through the kids' teasing without having learned from her mom's perspective, faith and gratitude on many occasions.  It's not like just this one moment with her mom would build this girl's positive perspective up to this degree.  It takes time after time from a parent or loved one to instill this kind of strength in a little girl - or anyone.  I guess I just got to thinking about the negative messages we send our kids frequently without realizing it ... starting with our own self-esteem and perception of self-image, but also including things like whether our house or clothes or cooking or this or that are good enough.  If we are constantly being self-critical of our own clothes or various things in front of our kids, what do we expect?  They will learn to think all sorts of things just aren't good enough.  That they may not be good enough if they're not wearing or doing the right thing, and in some ways, maybe that certain people or things aren't good enough for them.  

I guess I would like to watch what I say more than ever around Taya and this upcoming baby - as they grow older, so that I don't send the message that if my clothes or hair or tv or phone or car or neighborhood or computer or body or personality OR  ...... aren't good enough to society - or to me, that that surely must mean those things make my daughters inferior.  I don't want them to have that misconception.  That's why I find this little girl's story in the song so refreshing.  

It all starts with self.  So whatever I can do to be positive, (yet grounded), and shed love in every way on my daughters, including a healthy love of myself as a daughter, then I think that's the start.

What are your thoughts? 

It's a ............

GIRL!!!

I don't know what I would do without my sisters so I am thrilled that Taya and Baby Girl Johnson get to have each other as sisters!!

I can't wait to get to know her!

And most importantly and good for my sanity's sake, everything looks good health wise - no concerns, so that is great :) 

I don't know if Taya gets it yet.  I think Paul and I both kind of thought it was going to be a girl, but also thought how new & exciting it would be to have a boy too.  But I really am glad that Taya gets a sister & I can't wait to see how their personalities differ. 

And it was a great start to my birthday, followed by more and more greatness.  So it has been a wonderful day!

Maybe I'll do a part 2 post with pregnancy pics & ultrasound pics! 

 

Vote Ya'll!

(I always thought that Carrie Underwood's Literacy Campaign name was ironically funny:  'Read Ya'll!')

I wrote this post a couple of days ago and my computer decided to shut down the internet when I had finished - without saving it yet ... so this will be the short version!

Did you see my voting poll over there on the right side?  ... Whether you think this baby will be a boy or a girl? You have one day left to vote!

I've been asked a lot what gender I want.  I really don't care with this one.  I think there would be fun things with a girl or a boy.  Girl - cheaper (for now ... not in 15 years, make that 12 or 13 yrs.) & it would be so fun to know Taya would have a sister (I love having sisters!!!).  But a boy would be fun and new and would guarantee us, well - a boy!  I hope to have a boy at some point, I just don't necessarily care what order.  Of course, Paul is pulling for a boy BIG-TIME.

On another note, Taya makes us laugh everyday - I will have to rewrite Taya-isms (that's what I lost in the last post) soon.  But she says things like 'milk' with a southern drawl - meeeiiilk & 'garbage' like a Boston city garbage man - gaahhhbage & world= waaeed (actually I have no idea how to spell the way she says it - you'll just have to know it's funny).

I'll see you back here soon!!

In one week ....

Next Friday, the 19th, on the morning of my birthday (how subtle was that hint on a scale of 1-10?), we will find out if Baby Johnson is a boy or a girl!!  

(Please, please cooperate little baby!)

I've been feeling little 'flutter' movements for the last 2 or 3 weeks & then started feeling clear identifiable nudges from the baby in the last week.  I love it!  I can't wait 'til the kicks are big enough & predictable enough to have Taya feel them in my belly.  She'll get a kick out of that!  (bu-dum-chhhhh, drum roll)

I'm phasing out of that awkward stage where you don't look pregnant, but you don't look like your normal self either, but not quite big enough for strangers to ask me when I'm due.   ...Nice to have my bump finally establishing itself!

Happy Valentines Day Weekend!!   

Poor Paul has to deal with Christmas followed by our anniverary followed by Valentines Day followed by my birthday all within less than 2 months! 

Don't miss this!

Nooooo, this isn't what you think it is!!






Ok, actually it was! That is of course, if you saw the ultrasound picture & thought - Breanne's pregnant! We are really happy & excited & Taya loves to talk about being a big sister & the baby in HER tummy.  They will be almost exactly 3 years apart (I'm pretty happy with that age span at this point :)  )  


We'll find out the gender in a month more or less, so we'll keep you posted!

Can't wait to get to know another little Johnson! 

5 Years

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted.  Wow, have I been busier than all of you, that's for sure!  I mean, that's the only good explanation right?   gaggedy gag gag...  

 (I can't decide: is that kind of joke even funny, or just annoyingly funny, or just plain annoying?)

Hmmm, I'm feeling a little delirious right now, but I just had to post for the sake of posting ...

So the real topic is that it's our 5 year anniversary tomorrow!  

We're doing an exciting get-away - at home.  

No seriously though, exciting.  Seriously!   You keep thinking I'm being sarcastic.  (told you I'm delirious) But the fact is we're having Taya babysat for 24 hours and staying at home, making a fancy dinner together; we've been working on a little facelift to our master bedroom that gets poorly neglected out of all the bedroom kiddos in the house - always whining to us about its poor neglect too.  Anyway, it's still a work in progress, but hopefully it will feel nice enough tomorrow to become the Fancy Pants of our home.  Fancy if you call modern mixed with ecclectic mixed with half of the projects to our facelift plan are still yet to be...

We're even treating Saturday as if we're out of town and spending the day together too - kinda fun!

So happy 5 years to us!

(And finally, happy blog post to me too - two months!  I must be really, really busy.  I mean really.)  ; )

Glad to know she knows!

After just finishing one fruit leather, Taya just pulled two more out and asked for them a few times in a row ...

'You just had one Taya, so we're all done with those for today, but maybe tomorrow'

(Repeat the begging and this response 3 times)

Finally Taya said:

Noooo.  Not tomorrow!  ..Me Special!!

Glad to see the message I've been telling her for many, many, many nights has gotten through - one way or another!