"Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. " ~ Elizabeth Stone

Sunday, January 27, 2008


Thank you President Hinkley, for your love, your service, and your incredible example. We are all better people because of you.

My Man

"Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty."
"Selections from Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley," Ensign, Mar. 2001, 64
This was taken today!


Today is one of my favorite “anniversaries” to celebrate with my hubby! Six years ago today is the day that we met. It was a tough time for me and he brought so much joy into my life. I had been sent home from my mission for medical reasons and was supposed to go back out in about another month (I came home the day before Christmas). My friend talked me into going with her to the institute ward and when we sat down I noticed that the second counselor in the bishopric was really cute. I didn’t think too much about it because I was headed back out on my mission soon.
After sacrament meeting this guy catches me in the hall and says , “You are Tiffany Johnson, right?”
Me, “No”
Him, “But you just came home from your mission ?”
Me, “Yep”.
Him, “To Australia”?
Me, “No.”
Him, “Finland?”
Me, “Nope.” (What is this guy thinking???)
Ok - this went on for a while before he finally just asked my name and I told him I was home on Medical leave from the exotic Utah, Ogden mission.
Well, Kate asked me to go with her to the fireside that night at the Freers home and I thought, hey it’s a Fireside, those are always uplifting and there is no harm in that … (keep in mind I was released and was going to get set apart again when I went back out). Ok so it was a really great fireside and after it this same guy (who, because he was in the bishopric, had participated in the fireside) came up to me and asked, “Will you be my spouse for a night?”
Me, “WHAT?
Him, “There is a special fireside for the bishopric and their spouses, “A night with a general authority,” but since I don’t have one would you go with me?”
Me (breathing a sigh of relief), “oh, ya that sounds like fun.”
Ok - at the same time I am saying the above sentence I was told quite clearly through the Spirit that this is the man I am going to marry. I thought , ok whatever, after I finish my mission.
Obviously that was not what the Lord had in mind. There were a lot of forces at work to bring us together at the right time both single.
Our first date, the following Friday was great. I had tried not to tell him about all my health problems only to end up at a table with the Johnsons, Packard’s, and Fillerups. I was a bit embarrassed when they all spent a good portion of dinner asking questions about my health and my accident etc. I thought for sure that I would never hear from Jonathan Thom again.
I was so wrong. He was proud of the things that I had gone through and I was impressed with his spirituality and work ethic and many other things.
It was one of the hardest things emotionally that I have ever had to do when I told missionary medical I would not be coming back out. I had continued to think I would be able to for quite a while but by the time I was physically ready, we were completely hooked on each other! I knew that it was the right thing to do though and my mission president and his wife really helped me to feel good about the decision.
I love so much to remember that day. It is filled with such joy yet such uncertainty. With hope and with the realization that while some dreams may be ending, others were just beginning. I look back now and realize that is the day we began to fall in love, though we didn’t know it at the time.
I feel like the luckiest woman on earth to have such a wonderful (and agreeable as Jane Austen would say) husband. He treats me like a queen and puts up with all of my problems so well. I know that was the hardest thing for him to deal with about me but he never made me feel bad about it at all. He is truly so far above me in so many ways that I am not sure I will ever catch up with him. I am grateful that I have forever to try.
I love you hun! Happy “anniversary”
Stay tuned for the next “anniversary” - the day after Valentines day… That is another of my favorites!

Friday, January 25, 2008

You Are an Apple

You are strong, powerful, and even a bit stubborn at times.
You have enough strength to help those around you in trouble.

You are adventurous and charming. Many people are drawn to you.
You love life, and you enjoy traveling the world. You enjoy fine food, art, and culture.

People have accused you of being a snob, but that's not accurate.
You do enjoy the best things in life. Unlike snobs, you truly appreciate quality... not just pretend to.


I am sorry for doing another one of these - but I kinda like 'em:)
Also - PLEASE scroll down and comment on the hairdo post. I really don't know what to do! :)

The Big Bro turns the Big 3-0!


Today is my Big Brothers birthday! My brother and I spent most of our youth at eachothers throats, but luckily we have gotten past that stage in our lives. He is now a lawyer and has a beautiful wife and two handsome sons. We are so proud of him and all that he has accomplished! I love you bro! Happy 30th!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

New hair???? I need help!




Ok, so I have been debating for about a year and a half about getting this haircut. For those of you that know, I tried it June 2006 and the hairdresser totally destroyed my hair. It was AWFUL!!!! But I am thinking if I go to someone who knows what they are doing maybe it would be better. My problem is, I do love my long hair - it is so pretty when it is done (which rarely happens) at least I think so. So PLEASE (!!!!) give me your opinions! Can I pull this off??? Should I keep growing my hair longer???? I need help! Thanks a million!


Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Tagged

What is his name? Jonathan, Jono, NEVER John
How long have we been married? 5 years almost 6 months! CRAZY!
How old is he? 29
Who eats more? Oh - Jonathan for sure! Except when I am 9 months pregnant. I can put him to shame then!
Who said I love you first? Jonathan "accidentally" 3 times before the "real" declaration! (ie - "I really love you. Uh, I mean I really love that your a great girl..." these kinds of silly things. Don't be afraid silly, just shout it out!)
Who is taller? Jonathan, by a lot! He's 6'6" I am only 5'10"
Who sings better? Jonathan would say its me but he really has an amazing voice and has sung with me in church a few times! I am so proud of my man!
Whose temper is worse? Definitely depends on the day but for the most part I have to say me... SURPRISED?
Who is smarter? JONATHAN!!!!! 100% No question on that one
Who mows the lawn? The field? That would be Jonathan, He doesn't want me to have fun on the tractor too I guess:)
Who pays the bills? That would be Jono - see 2 questions above... I am math dyslexic. He got sick of me paying 19 dollar bills with 91 dollar checks etc... :) I'm ok with this arrangement:)
Who does the dishes? Usually me, but my hubby helps when he has time:) Isn't he great!
Who cooks dinner? Me Me and Me. I LOVE to cook so this is great!
Who drives when you are together? Always Jonathan, even if I beg - apparently he doesn't like my driving record:)
Who is more stubborn? We both are pretty stubborn but mostly about the same things. It's us against the world babe!
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me, I HATE conflict and will do anything to avoid it/ end it.
Who has more friends? Neither of us.... Well, that's not true, we just never hang out with people because we hardly get to see each other as it is so when we do we like to hang out as a family. We love the friends we do have and are so grateful they are so patient with us!

I tag.... Shannon, Jackee, Ali, Jen(s), and Linsey. Plus anyone else who will do it!

I am not sure about this one

Who You Should Vote For

Barack Obama: 56%
Mike Huckabee: 50%
Mitt Romney: 50%
Hillary Clinton: 44%
Ron Paul: 38%
Fred Thompson: 31%
John Edwards: 31%
Dennis Kucinich: 25%
John McCain: 25%
Mike Gravel: 25%
Rudy Giuliani: 25%


Who you agree with on the war in Iraq: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

Who you agree with on the economy: Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Fred Thompson

Who you agree with on health care: Barack Obama

Who you agree with on taxes: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards

Who you agree with on abortion: Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Mitt Romney

Who you agree with on gay rights: Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney



Ok - so I have done a few of these and they usually come out saying I should vote for Romney or Huckabee... This one didn't. It wasn't as in depth as others I have taken so I don't know. Do you know who you are going to vote for?

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Jail

As we were getting into the car after the Dr office today Emma told Russell "You better get into your car seat quick cause if you don't that is naughty and you will go to jail"
Me -"Emma there is no jail for 2 year olds"
Emma - "Is there a jail for 4 year olds"
Me - "No, there is not."
Emma - "Is there a jail for 16 year olds?"
Me - "Yes, actually there is." (Wondering where she came up with that age?)
Emma - "Well, is there jail for 5 year olds? Oh wait, I remember - it is called school"
I was rolling - what a hoot. At least she knows what shes getting into right?

By the way, we are still two weeks away from the big 2 month for Hannah but they did weigh her today... 10 lbs! Holy cow! She is so chunky! I am loving this. I definitely loved my other sweet babies but I have a thing for the rolly polly ones and now I have one:)
Em and Russ really loved showing off how big there sis was to the Dr. They are so proud of her!

Russy Bubs

This morning Russell came out of his room with his arms wide open and said "Mom, I am your little man and you love me this much". I gave him a squeeze and told him that was for sure and says, " you think I am the cutest boy in the whole world, hu?". My kids certainly don't suffer from a lack of self esteem! I love it:)
After we dropped off Emma at Joy School we drove to the store and sang songs and Russ says "Mom, you are such a beaufiul (beautiful if you need the translation) singer." AWWWWW! Keep in mind it was the soundtrack for Beauty and the Beast so nothing too exciting - not Sarah Brightman or anything:) But it is nice to have a little fan club as a Mom. I know it will come to a screeching halt as they near the teenage years so we will love while it lasts!
LOVE IT!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

What is a mother to do?

So my kids have figured out that every time I sit down to feed the baby I am not getting up for about an hour... You can imagine what that means for the way our house looks lately! I feel like I spend the whole hour and a half before the next feeding cleaning up before the next round! Some days it gets a little frustrating:) And Russell has figured out how cute and funny he is so he looks at me with those huge eyes and cracks a joke and I am putty in his hands... Its a vicious cycle and most days I wouldn't trade my life for anything!
I have been pleasantly surprised at how easily we have all adjusted to having another baby. I have always heard how hard it is to add #3 (and #6 incidentally) so I was a little worried! To be honest she has had the most "issues" but has still been the easiest! I guess it must be because we knew what to expect and prepared for it all better?
Life is not slowing down here at all! We are getting back into the swing of things with joy school, church callings, Dr appointments, etc. I am also training for a race. I know I know - you can pick your jaw up off the floor! I am not supposed to run because of the aneurysm and the knees but I really want to... I was also not supposed to have babies so I figure since that went ok... :) I am going to do a 5K in April and a 10K hopefully in June. I have 1 goal - not to come in last! I am a terrible runner so this is a good goal for me:) Emma is so cute when she talks about it, "Mom, I am so excited to see you race - i am sure you will win". I keep explaining to her that I don't care about winning - I just want to finish. She still can't understand how I can possibly NOT care about winning. After all - it is so important when it comes to things like Candy Land and Checkers... Luckily they have started talking about goals in Joy school and maybe that will help her to understand that it is just something I want to do.
I know there are going to be a lot of days I just don't want to get out and run and even more pain but I am excited to be able to check something off my list of things I want to accomplish. I will be sure to keep you updated on how the training is going! I don't want to mention how long it takes me to run a mile at this point because you will wonder why I don't just walk - I am sure I could finish faster that way!
Anyhow - this is a really long post and to all of those who actually read it (thanks Mom) sorry. Next time I will try to keep my ramblings to a minimum!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Really?

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer

You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.
A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways.
In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.
You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for.

In love, you express your emotions through actions.
Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!

At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time.
You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut


A chef? Right on:) That and Child psychologist were always two dream jobs! After my career on Broadway had come to an end that is.... ***sigh*** Oh the dreams of our youth

Friday, January 11, 2008

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!!!

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart
Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome
Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand
And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?


So - I saw this on Tia's Blog and had to see what city I belonged in! I love the answer I got! It totally made me feel good! And seriously, I could not agree more! Do you think I belong in Rome? Jonathan says I belong in Flag.... I guess that is true too but I at least need to belong in Rome for a few months of my life at some point! :)

My Superheroes!

My kids love the show "Super Why" on PBS and Superheroes has become one of their favorite things to play! So... the other morning we made superhero capes and they have had a blast with them. My Favorite part is that their main super hero power is -
"THE POWER TO HELP"! I have made the most of that one - you can bet on it! They have cleaned their room and picked up the living room 3 times without complaining! We also had a great time playing scary witch trieng to take away their powers... If they didn't use their powers and help without being asked then the scary witch (that would be me) can give them the kiss of power-removal! That has made things even funner! Plus - it can involve quite a bit of chaseing! Good for a Mommy training for a race!
Here they are S E - Super Emma and S R Super Russell ! My superheroes!



I can save the DAY!


Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Random Sweetness

Every day is a chance to get dressed up! This particular day was Sunday! So sweet!



Emma loves a photo op




Yes, what you think he is doing... that IS what he is doing!




He can even switch sides!




Sister love.






Another Photo op - what did I tell you?


All sprawled out for a long winters nap!




Sweet "santa" baby!

Man I love these kids!



Christmas Morning - Daddy are you sure you are awake???

Yeah - fun times

All these cars are MINE!!!





CINDERELLA!




Emma is sooo happy that these dress up shoes are her very own! "Just like SARAH ***SIGH***"


A CAR PILLOW!?




New PAJAMAS! YEAH!!!!



Some Christmasy fun

Here I am with my little Christmas baby!

Isn't she GORGEOUS???? I am sure I am not at ALL biased!

Hannah with her buddy, cousin Abigale. Although at this point - if Abbi rolls over - Hannah is A GONNER! :)

Russ and Em went crazy for these light up things at Jeremy and Doreans house.




See?

Look at her! In a little "preemie" dress all done with church. No one else was but I had a migraine and since Jonathan drove us all - he had to drive us all home too:)






Not a great picture but we tried... I think Emma looks adorable though. And yes - it IS the same Christmas dress as last year - one great thing about being super skinny I guess



The Polar Express!

Last year my parents suprised us with tickets to the Polar Express and it was so much fun we decided to go again - with a two 1/2 week old baby... :) Ya, we are crazy but I LOVE this time of year and had to make the most of it!


Russ when he found out that he gets hot cocoa and a cookie at 7 pm!

The goodies! We actually got hot cocoa and cookies 2 times because our first train car broke down and we were all moved to different cars. In ours they assumed we hadn't gotten snacks yet and gave us more - the kiddos were in HEAVEN!

This couldn't be the sugar could it???



Such a Grandpas girl! We were so glad my Dad came with us to keep this under control! THe kids are angels when he is around!

Except that Russ still has a "breaking" problem. I know he doesn't mean to but he always breaks EVERYTHING! Here he broke the window handle and the shade.... But he is just so cute, what can you do?



Dad and the kiddos! It was great to get a night without any thing else to do but be with eachother!



Comfy ride, eh? I wished I could lay down and take a nap too.

Hannah is just SO thrilled! Can't you tell?


There it is! The North Pole! FINALLY! As I mentioned before - the car we were in broke down so the whole event lasted abour an hour longer than normal - but still, a blast!




Emma just saw Santa!



The highlight of the night - getting a bell from Santa! Just look at Russells eyes - worth everything! It is just so magical!