Frosty

When you shape a snowman with the help of a 2-year-old & a 4-year-old, the darn dude is going to require some cosmetic surgery in order to look presentable on the lawn.

Thank heaven that grandaddy & others had the patience to help out!

Still, who needs perfection? Here is the finished product & he had character! That is what we like!

I'm sure he'll be the last thing to melt off grammie & granddaddy's lawn. It is always good to leave behind a little lingering love!

I never really thought I'd ever say this, but I think I actually got sick of hearing the tune "Frosty the Snowman" in 2011.

(Those of you who know me know I LOVE Christmas carols. But, when your boys want to hear the same song for the 1043rd consecutive time....sometimes even a carol lover has to put her foot down!)

Speaking of frosties, anyone itching for a run to Wendy's? Grammie spoiled us while it Kansas & now we dream of more than one kind of Frosty!

Let it SNOW!

One of the novelties of our stay in Kansas was the weather. The boys LOVED playing in the snow & fighting over who got the mittens (vs. the gloves, as the gloves are harder to don, don't ya know...) Winter Wonderlands hold magic, to be sure...especially for the desert dwellers! We dialed in some sledding & built a frosty (I'm sure I'll eventually get around to posting about those activities in greater detail....but don't hold your breath :)

Morgans...

So, you know Drew Morgan Johnson was named after my mom's dad, and my dad.

My mom's maiden name is Morgan, so grandpa-great is John Francis Morgan.

My dad is George Morgan Powell but he has always gone by Morgan.

What can I say? These two particular Morgans--my dad & his newest grandkid--they took to one another right off! Check out my dad's K-State purple shirt & sweater WITH his Christmas tie in this shot! A bold move but so fun!

You'll be happy to know that our lil' boys got all geared up with their own K-State purple attire. I'll dress them in it all the time to help me battle homesickness.

My dad was sure a gamer with early morning feedings! It was fun to have a slew of extra hands on deck.

Extra hands reminds me of a picture book my boys have titled "If Mom Had Three Arms". I can sure get a lot more done & get a lot more sleep when I have back-up!

I love this last photo of my dad & Drew Morgan. Yep---granddaddy has even stooped to sporting my zebra print baby sling!

(That can only mean that our lil' tyke was in "inconsolable" mode. Don't you wish babies just came with a mood dial that you could operate....??!)

GOOD TIMES!!!!

So, we just got back from a month long stay in Kansas with my folks. TOTAL BLISS.

I decided that since no one is yet in "real" school and I was on maternity leave, we were simply going to fly the coop. It was a unique opportunity & one that I'll treasure for life.

The only glitch? Well, Todd wasn't on paternity leave for the whole month, so he had to fly out later in December to join up with us.

It is the longest the boys have ever been away from their papa.

You should have seen them at the point of reunion...Christmas paled in comparison with their level of excitement! After all, I try to wrestle with them, but it just isn't the same!

I have these great shots of my mom loving on our latest addition. I have a feeling she might shoot me for including this last one.

Can you tell she was up all night with Drew? Her hair isn't done & her make-up hasn't been applied, but still...it might be my favorite photo.

Look at Drew all nestled in to her neck. There is nothing like a grammie to love & be loved by.

The boys & I are all going to have a hard time readjusting to life without my parents on hand. This afternoon after lunch, Ike said, "Mommy, can we go to grammie's house now?"

DON'T I WISH!

Hmmmm....

Do you think the boys are feeling neglected?

Either that or they are bored!

They take turns pretending to be their baby bro, whom they still refer to as "Pancho" though he does have a more respectable name :)

I'm not sure our baby items can take much more abuse, so I may have to put a stop to it.

But right now? Well, it is occupying their time AND it is keeping the peace. It is hard to put a price on that!

So, maybe there is room for a new carseat in the budget?

Clearly TJ needs a little more brawn to heft a carseat packed with the Ike-ster. But then again...so do I.

It is hard to go from cuddling Drew to hoisting up either of the big bros....they feel as though they weigh a million pounds!

Well, relatively speaking, they are like anvils. But, Drew is steadily gaining on them! He doesn't look so much like a newborn any longer...

It won't be long & I'll have biceps to sport on the cover of SI! (ha--in my dreams...)

One more Santa shot

Mom got in on the action, too! Do I need to disclose my requests? I think I'll keep you guessing :)

Serenading our baby brother...

Ike loves to sing to Drew...

Ho Ho Ho!

I am long overdue for a post. What can I say? I am in "survival mode" & we've eliminated a lot of superfluous tasks :) Being saddled with an infant has its demands, don't ya know...

Ike & TJ are totally obsessed with the Christmas season, I am proud to report!

I say this because...well, it IS the most wonderful time of the year, & I've always been obsessed with it myself. I am glad that the apples don't fall far from the tree in this case!

They have mastered the words to some favorite holiday tunes, including "Holly Jolly Christmas", "Here Comes Santa Claus", "Up on the Housetop", "Mistletoe & Holly", "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" & "Frosty the Snowman".

It is rather adorable to watch them belt out words! I need to capture video at some point!

They were SO fired up about seeing Santa & sitting on his lap...well, until the actual opportunity arrived.

We had to really prod TJ to go anywhere near the red suit!

It took 20 minutes of watching other kids come & go unharmed to convince him that he could approach without repercussion. He wanted a candy cane bad enough that eventually he overcame his fears!

Drew was our best sport! And, Santa was so accommodating. I mean, look at him holding his beard away from the little guy so he doesn't inhale hair!


My boys didn't have their fill of jolly ol' St. Nicholas while seated on his lap, so they followed him down the hallway when he was trying to make a fast getaway.

This cracked me up!

They were most intent on getting the message across that they simply NEED a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos in order to face the new year!

I feel confident that Santa will deliver.

Thank heaven we connected with the powers that be :)

To be absolutely certain the wish is granted, we will be writing letters later this afternoon to the North Pole.

This is one of my favorite shots of the boys with their backs to the Nikon getting a little extra love from the jolly guy.

When we went to leave, there were clods of mud in the parking lot, which Ike deduced must be "reindeer poop".

He proceeded to interrogate me about whether it was from Rudolph or Donner or Blitzen or Comet or Cupid....

And, he wanted to know who was going to clean up their mess....and why Santa's reindeer don't wear diapers like Drew.

I bought Christmas jammies on-line this year & since they were buy 1 get 1 free, I bought 2T & 3T as well as 4T & 5T for the big boys & also a newborn sleeper & 3 month sleeper for the babe.

Ike & TJ have been sporting BOTH of their respective sizes & they get most distraught if I haven't done the laundry! I'm feeling like I should have bought them 6 pair a piece!

Mission Accomplished

GOOD NEWS! We did sneak a photo shoot in before the close of our day!

I think this one is awesome because our lil' man is starting to show signs of a double-chin & he isn't even 3 weeks old!

Oh so good for brain development, eh?!
I was trying to tickle his toes here, but we all know any semblance of smiling at this point is really due to gas, not emotional response to any stimuli. Still, it is a good image for 2 reasons: a. perspective of hand size (mama vs. baby) AND b. in addition to the double chin, Drew (aka Pancho) is getting a little bit of a pot belly! Gotta love it!
And here is our infamous blessing outfit. We call it (lovingly) our dracula wannabe costume. This is due to the fact that any baby sporting this attire can look quite threatening when the collar flips upward! Trust me when I say, even this sweet lil' face when accompanied by a dracula cape (albeit white rather than a menacing black) in the act of zeroing in on your nipple can create a shiver down your spine! (Maybe that is too much information?)

Suffice it to say: we no longer buy baby attire with collars of any sort. Another lesson learned: never trust the sizing---as this is an "extra small" yet all of our newborns have drowned in it!

DREW gets blessed

Today: Sunday, November 27.....Drew got totally legitimized on the records of the church with his baby blessing. Heaven knows I could never have pulled it off without my parents' help (hence the big rush to get this crossed off the agenda before their departure.)

Drew had a rough night, but on the plus side: he was a total trooper for the actual event today!

He slept through the blessing in fact.

And, he was also content through the festivities that followed.

The downer? We didn't get great images of him captured since he was snoozin'...

But hey, we still have a little daylight & his outfit has yet to be soiled...so keep your fingers crossed.
I particularly like this image of the wee one yawning.

Though I am sporting a smile...the yawn suits me better :)

What I'd like to know is: who started the tradition of the parents pulling off a party on baby blessing day?

Can you see all my new gray hairs in this post??

(Warning: It is best to consider that a rhetorical question. You have the right to remain silent & I'd exercise it if I were you! :)

Crazy Cousins

Can you tell that Ike & TJ idolize their cousin Brayden...the way they are cloistered around him & his infamous broken arm...? I love it that Brayden was conscious of matching his tie to his cast! So fashionable! We were missing the entire array of cousins from both sides for the big day today, but glad to have the company of a stalwart few!

6 years and counting

'Uncle' Bert sported his lime green tie from our temple sealing back in 2005 for Drew's baby blessing today!

How is that for sweetness??!!

It is hard to wrap your mind around the changes that have occurred in our lives since that fateful day!

A blast from the past

Here is Drew posing on the luv sac in one of TJ's old outfits. I like this particular shot because it looks as if the little guy is waving to us.

"Hello World!" he seems to be saying.

I dug through my electronic files & found TJ at roughly the same stage in his infancy also lounging on the luv sac sporting the same attire! You can tell they are brothers, no?

I would like to point out that Drew has on "new" socks.

By this I simply mean new to our family....neither Ike or TJ has sported them in any previous photos. (Nevermind that my coworker's son may have worn them....)

For the record, YES! We are open to any & all hand-me-downs!

Granddaddy rules the roost!

Grammae has been here for awhile, but granddaddy just arrived earlier this week in time for Turkey Day.

He has already been put to work! Here he is reading to the Ikester. TJ was in & out (the lil' guy has less of an attention span).

I pity our poor boys when all our company leaves. They LOVE the extra attention & TLC!

(By the way, the big boys just transitioned to these bunk beds & they're loving it!)

Debut in "real" clothes

To date Drew (aka "Pancho") has been sporting only sleepers.

But, today, after bathtime, I totally stepped up & dug out an outfit for our lil' champ.

Then we proceeded with a photoshoot.

He is undisputedly GQ, no?

Handsome isn't the half of it. He is a good little eater, this one. And, thus far, he is quite the charmer. We hope his positive disposition holds once he "wakes up to the world"....

Both the other boys had jaundice which concerned me a lot. Drew has had some mild issues, but nothing like his brothers, which has been refreshing!

What a zoo!

We have managed to pack in a little fun amidst all the newborn feedings & diaper changes. The weather has been quite nice & refreshing here after our long HOT summer.

We had a most pleasant zoo outing! Steph even skipped kindergarden to join us!

You would think there was snow on the ground the way Ike & TJ insisted on bundling up, though! They are definitely NOT thick skinned when it comes to 'cooler' temps.

Our girlie cousins are super good at posing when commanded. Ike & TJ? Well, photo shoots are NOT their thing. We were lucky to get any photos of them where they aren't a total blur!

TJ was especially rambunctious at the zoo. I think this is the only decent shot I have of him. Ike is being a clown. He thinks we were in the big ring at the circus rather than at Reid Park :)

We splurged & rode the train with Grandmae. Steph & grandmae rode in the coal car, much to the dermatologist's chagrin (as there is no sun shade over the coal car).

I had TJ behind behind the coal car then the next car housed Cherece & Megan. We totally let Kate & Ike share the caboose without any adult supervision! I thought that was a bold move.

I seriously wish I had given my phone to a bystander to photograph the entire train & all of us yeah-who's. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.....

Drew - changing fast!

Drew is so far proven to be an awesome baby...let's hope the trend continues.

New toys for the big boys

Since we have our THIRD boy, and are pretty much geared up with baby attire in blue hues, many of our friends have gifted things to Ike & TJ rather than Drew. The older kids have been eating it up! Here is undisputed favorite 'new' acquisition. Travis (the son of 'Uncle' Bert & 'Aunt' Gigi) got a new motorized sportscar & gave our boys Travis's old jeep.

It goes without saying: THEY LOVE TO HAVE LICENSE TO DRIVE!

Myself? Well, I have several new gray hairs. It is impossible to watch them in their toy set of wheels without stressing over coming down the road (literally) once this crew of ours moves into the teenage era!

Bonding with the newbie

Here are all 4 of my boyz....doing some male bonding. And, yes: there IS a football game going in the background :)

Ike is actually quite gentle with the new addition. TJ has been too, so far. We hope this holds!

It is fun to watch Ike cuddle Drew (aka "Pancho") & teach him all his preschool letter songs.

We ought to post video!

Incidentally, Ike says that Drew is to be referred to as "Pancho" FOREVER. Period. It is a little awkward introducing him to others & our boys are very vocal & confused about mom's terminology (i.e. actual name vs. nickname).

This has been our first infant with any noticable hair at birth. If I hadn't seen him erupt right out of me I might not have claimed him, ya know?

Cousin Kate is Drew's (aka "Pancho's") first love.

He was eating up all her kisses!

I think I will wait a few years before I break it to him that marriage is out of the question.

Home again, home again....

...jiggity jig!

We got discharged from the hospital tonight! Here is Drew (aka "Pancho") ready for take-off.

We are anxious to settle into a new routine at home! And, heaven knows...we'll get more sleep at home than we did in-house.

(Of course being well-rested will be something we all have low expectations regarding over the coming months! :)

DREW MORGAN JOHNSON

It's official - we have named our new addition - Drew Morgan Johnson.

New Addition

Baby Boy #3 born on 11/10/11 at 1:55 pm - 7 lbs. 3.3 oz, 19.75 inches. Mom and baby doing great. Obviously this is relative, but compared to other boys, easy delivery for Mindy. He is very alert and seems pretty content.

It's Go Time!

We arrived at the hospital this morning at 5:30 for the scheduled inducement of our "name still to be determined" son. I'm really starting to think Pancho is the right name. Enough drugs today for Mindy and I might get her to sign off on it. Mindy is enjoying a book until the action picks up.

Duck Pond Junkies

Uncle Walt has been in town for the weekend from Chicago for homecoming weekend. The fellas enjoyed campus & a football game (albeit a lousy one) yesterday. Today it was fun to see Walt interacting with the boys. He is such a kid at heart himself that it is tempting to adopt him! These photos weren't actually taken from our trip to the park today. ***I am delighted to report that today was actually jacket weather here!*** But since I did not think to snap photos today, I am posting some from earlier last week.

Yes, you read that right. We are regulars here...as "playing tag" with the ducks is a favorite pasttime!

So obsessed with ducks are Ike & TJ that I am getting totally burned out from reading "Duck at the Door", "Duck Soup" and "Duck on a Bike" for bedtime stories with our crew!

This second photo captures the moment that aqua caliente revealed her hidden secrets to us. The ducks eat "palm fruit" (for lack of a more knowledgable label to put on these little yellow-orange morsels). So, since you are NOT supposed to bring outside food in for the ducks, we've been collecting the palm tree offerings & having a grand time.

During "duck tag", Ike claims to have stroked a few feathers from time to time. Each time he claims this, TJ gets VERY distraught over not being fast enough to tag one himself.

Here he is looking pitiful. Whenever he is feeling blue, he DEMANDS to be held by mommy. If I dare to be seated, he'll say: "No, mommy! Hold me and STAND UP!"

I think he is in for a rude awakening later this week when Pancho is born! To think that mommy's arms may not always be free....?

Halloween Carnival

Halloween is one of the holidays that seems to last for a week. Various school and church activities, not to mention the actual night for trick or treating provide more the ample time for everyone to dress up and score some treats. Last night we attended our church party, which the boys loved. Both Ike and TJ have very particular tastes - they both traded bunches of chocolate candy for suckers. It is a little unfortunate that most Halloween parties are at nigth. After all the build-up and anticipation, they boys are typically exhausted by about 6 pm.

My life is a zoo!

I often think it would be convenient if we just rented a cage at the zoo to occupy ourselves, as long as we're given a key to come & go as we please.

Seriously, this is one of our boys favorite spots on the planet!

Since my friend Kara, whom the boys refer to as "Aunt Kara" has been in town for a brief but delightful stay, we splurged & rode the train.

(You have to pay extra for a train ride as this is not a perk that is included in your membership fee....)

TJ loved being the "caboose". It is a bummer that I do not have a picture of Kara to post. What was I thinking?

We enjoyed a few animal sights that are not every day fodder for us as zoo-goers.

First of all, Elinor the giraffe in drink position, though she is actually hunting for snacks.

Seeing a giraffe all bent over like this makes me smile, as it is, well.....awkward, to say the least. It reminds me that God must have a sense of humor. Also, it makes me feel slightly less awkward at some of the ways I compensate being 36 weeks pregnant....

The other fun sighting was Baheem, our male tiger, taking a dip. I have only seen him swimming twice in the last several years.

It wasn't even particularly hot on Monday when I got this shot. I think of cats being aquaphobes, but tigers are one of the few big cats that enjoy laps. FUN (as long as you're not in the same pool with him, especially if he is craving a snack!)

Slumber Party with Mom

On nights that Todd is away (to scouts, etc.), and I am solely responsible for getting the boys to bed, they insist on it being a group affair.

And, well...I am a softie. I think it is totally fun & bonding to snuggle!

So, we read stories in the king size & then all nod off. (Actually, usually I am playing words with friends secretly on my iphone while they nod off, and then I sneak out of bed to tackle a few chores.)

Typically I move them once they are safely off to la-la land. However, the more pregnant I get, the harder it is to motivate myself to do any unnecessary lifting.

Case in point: last night while the UofA football game was going down, I left them unattended in the big bed for about an hour snoozin'.

When I circled back around to check on them, this was what I found. TJ is nearly off the southwest corner, even though I had piled up the pillows to prevent a fall. I did promptly get motivated to transfer him, by the way. The 45 pounder waited for papa, though :)

And, by way of comment on Todd's post....anyone with kids ought to download the song "Pumpkin Patch" by Andy Z off an album titled "Pockets". My boys freaking LOVE it. We listen to it year-round, which makes actually going to a pumpkin patch even that much more fun & memorable!

Let's All Go Down to the Pumpkin Patch!

Our hole crew plus Grandma were able to steal away this afternoon to one of our favorite October destinations - the PUMPKIN PATCH! It's about 90 miles away but a fun jaunt. It was the end of a pretty long day for all of us, but the boys had a great time deciding what pumpkins to bring home. This year, they were very much into picking the smallest pumpkin they can find. This is mostly because of a library book they have been reading about the "Littlest Pumpkin". We made it home with two small ones and two big ones. We arrived too late for the hay ride, but they boys had just as much fun running up and down the stationary hay ride trailer.