Girls' Weekend

Brittany came to visit me in Chicago since the boys would be skiing in Utah

We had a lot of fun shopping for maternity clothes

and picking out things for her baby girl coming in July!

 We stayed up late and talked

 We even bought the same shoes

 And finally, I had someone to go see Jane Eyre with me!
It's not playing in many theaters, but there was one relatively close that we decided to go to (for a 4:30 show)  We were the youngest movie-goers by about 40 years!  It was really funny, but we are so glad we went to see this movie!
It was fantastic--the scenery was gorgeous and the actors were outstanding!  Brit and I both loved it and highly recommend it to any fellow Bronte fans out there

(Mr. Rochester is quite handsome--he looked familiar and when I looked him up, imdb said that he played Wickham in the most recent Pride and Prejudice)


Thanks Brittany for coming out to keep me entertained and doing the fun stuff that I rarely treat myself too!  

Happy Birthday Kelsey!

Yay!  Kelsey got here last night so we get to celebrate with her!

Christmas of 2005, the kids and I had gone to Utah ahead of Paul

One morning I woke up with a huge pain in my lower back and side

it continued to get worse through the morning,

so my mom took me to the insta-care

where the doctor diagnosed kidney stones.

Paul told his family that I was going to be laying low for a while.

Kelsey popped over and took Matt and Afton for the entire day.

What a huge relief for me to know they were well-taken care of

and that they would have an awesome day with their auntie!

It's been 3 years since Kelsey visited,

so we're going to party hard!

We hope your day is fantastic!

My Ironman Sister

Some of you may know that I have a twin

She is swimming, biking, running the Ironman today

Heather is a huge inspiration to me

There is a lot of dedication and determination required to complete this goal!

We are so proud of her and excited for her to be an Ironman!

Race Report

I headed into Salt Lake last week to run the half-marathon

Heather and Chad are great pre-race buddies.

It's nice to just sit in the back seat and let them do all the work!

Heather is a great race coach-

She carried my gear, kept the pace, and cheered me on

Of course, this race is no biggie for her...

(for those of you who don't know, she's training for an Ironman in May)

She pulled me through the last few miles where I started to lag

and the result was a new PR for me! (1:57--so excited to be under 2)

My sister-in-law Brittany ran her first half-marathon too

We had a lot of fun discussing the race and eating tacos afterward!

(I don't know what I'm doing--talking to my mom who's taking the picture?)

Thanks to our family for all the support and a great race weekend!

The Last Happy Birthday for May!

Happy Birthday Sarah (on the right holding Josh)

We love you and hope your day is great and the year ahead wonderful!

Happy Birthdays!

March is a busy month for our family!

Happy 12th Birthday today to Courtney--

we're looking forward to Courtney coming out this week to visit!

Today is Andrew's birthday as well (second from right)

I only have group shots with Andrew in them--

Happy Birthday to a great brother-in-law!

And yesterday was the birth day of our first nephew on my side!

Introducing Garrett...

He looks a lot like his cousins, doesn't he!  

Congrats on a job well done Chad and Jordan--now the fun part begins!

Happy Birthday Brittany!

Happy Birthday to our sister-in-law Brittany today! We love you and hope you have a great day--you will get a phone call later with a special rendition of "Happy Birthday" from your nieces and nephew.

Our Half-Marathon

Heather and I did the half-marathon last weekend and finished respectably, considering my pregnant state, in 2 1/2 hours. It was really fun to have her to run with and I'm sure I would not have finished or even started without her here! Thanks Heather!
I'm also happy to say we have another runner in the family. I would like to think it's because she looks up to me that Halle likes to put on my sports bra and say, "I'm running."

Aunt Heather is coming!

Yeah--Aunt Heather gets to visit for the weekend! The kids (and I) are very excited. Heather usually comes in to watch the kids or do some work training, but this time she's coming for fun (well, and a half-marathon with me). She has not seen enough of Chicago for all the times she has been here. What to do...the architecture tour, Art Institute, Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, Botanical Gardens, Sears Tower, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium--the one that's supposed to get the $3 million dollar "projector" you've been hearing about, any one of the 3 zoos... (no baseball anymore so that's out)..there's so much to do here and just not enough time!

Happy Anniversary/Happy Birthday

Happy Anniversary yesterday to Ryan and Ruth Ann and a Happy Birthday today to Ruth Ann who turns 30--welcome to the club! We hope you get lots of celebrating and fun in these two days!

Job Well Done!

Paul ran his first marathon in Logan on Saturday along with my brother Chad and sister Heather. They did an awesome job! Although I couldn't be there at the finish line, I was with them in spirit! Many thanks to the friends and family members who showed up to support them--Paul said that's what got him through the last few miles!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Kelsey! We hope your day was great and glad we got to see you almost on your birthday!

4 Days Late--Happy Birthday to Sarah!

Okay, I'm 4 days late wishing Sarah a happy birthday--but I have a great excuse! I was with her in person on her birthday! Sarah and Andrew announced that they were chosen to be the parents of a baby boy and there was going to be a big party to celebrate on Sarah's birthday! I hated to miss out, so Paul sent me and Halle out to visit and meet our new nephew, Joshua! It was so fun to see Sarah and this little one! Sarah's in for a big year as they watch this little boy grow! Happy year to you!

Mothers' Day

As we celebrate our mothers today, I want to also celebrate the women in my life who have helped me to be a better mother. I have the blessing of having grandmothers, mothers, and sisters in my life who each teach me something that I hope to pass on to my children. These examples make me want to be a better mother and I feel lucky to have their influence in my life!

(My Grandma Ann is on the left and Paul's Grandma LaRue is on the right)
(Grandpa & Grandma Johannesen with the kids)

Grandma Ann has shown me creativity, acceptance, and concern for others.
Granny LaRue has shown me unconditional love, service and joy in the gospel
Grandma Johannesen has shown me long-distance caring, devotion to the gospel, and love of family.

Me, my mom, Kathryn
(Me and Gail)

My mom has shown me creativity, empathy, friendship and energy
Kathryn has shown me generosity of spirit, direction, and love of learning
Gail has shown me sacrifice, courage, and forgiveness

Heather has shown me humor, creativity, and service.

Sarah has shown me faith, dedication and patience

Ruth Ann has shown me discipline and perseverance
Jordan has shown me hard work and a sense of humor
Brittany has shown me loyalty, determination, and intelligence
Kelsey has shown me tenderness, friendship, and strength

William Bennett stated, "We are here to help one another along life's journey." These women have helped me along my journey as a mother, sister, daughter, and friend. My heart is full when I remember the actions of love that have been shown me. While my children physically made me a mother, these women have shown me the qualities of a mother. I hope you each have a wonderful day and know how much you are loved by us!

Our Birthday

"Either this baby's got four feet, or there's two of them in here!" These words were the first indication that my mom knew she was having twins. Even the doctor was surprised. It was 3 am in the morning, and she had gone into labor a month early. Because she was having a c-section, the doctor could clearly see that they'd been miscounting the babies for 8 months now. Every time they had listened for a heartbeat, they only heard one. We were lined up with our hearts right next to each other and they were completely in sync.
It's been that way for 32 years now. When people ask what it's like having a twin sister, I say it's having a built-in best friend. Growing up, we went everywhere together. People knew us as "the twins." If I went somewhere without Heather, they'd ask where she was! The past 7 years, we've had to celebrate our birthday separately because we're now 1700 miles apart. But I know that part of her is always with me--I wouldn't be surprised if our heartbeats were still synchronized. Happy Birthday to my "womb-mate" and best friend! I love you and hope you have a fantastic year!

(This is not our best picture--we were at Lake Powell. We have tons of pictures of us together
when we were younger, not so many now that we're not adorable little girls)

Happy Birthday Jordan!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Jordan! We love you and hope you have a great day today!

Happy Belated Birthdays!

Happy birthday to Andrew and Courtney who share a special day on March 31! We hope you both had a great day and look forward to a fantastic year!

3 Cheers for Aunt Heather

Why are were cheering for Aunt Heather? Because she is making it possible for Paul and me to go to Italy. She is taking vacation time to come out and watch her nieces and nephew and all she's asked for in return is a souvenir bag that says, "Good girls go to Heaven; Bad girls go to Italy." (She missed her chance to get it last year when she was in Italy) Now I think that this sacrifice earns her the favorite aunt (and sister) award for the year. She also has earned this award for 2002, 2004, and 2007 because of her willingness to watch the kidlets when the grown-ups escape for a vacation. The benefits of this award aren't always tangible--you get kids who beg to sleep over at your house, ask if you can be the mom instead of their real mom, and tell their mom how funny you are. You also get a sister and brother-in-law who are indebted to you for life!
So those of you who know Heather will need to check in on her periodically and make sure she's okay and that her sanity is intact. After all, she's going from 0 to 3 kids in one fell swoop (for 9 days)!

Sarah and Andrew's downtown tour

Sarah and Andrew came to visit. Their first day here, we headed into Chicago to do the "touristy" activities. Our favorite thing for visitors to experience is the architecture tour. It was a beautiful day and is always interesting to see Chicago from the river! We also made a quick trip to the Field Museum where we saw Sue, the T-Rex. It was a long, fun day!

Happy 30th Birthday Sarah!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Sarah who turns 30 today! We hope this next year is the best ever! By the way, this is Sarah with her aunt Allison--that's right, she's our aunt!