The Johnston Family

Zoo!!!

2010-03-16T16:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Zoo day!!! Kinsley was so excited and exclaimed that the "Zoo is where the animals live...giraffes and choo choo train"! She talked about it all morning until we left! Since it's spring break here we met several friends there and spent the morning walking around in the "spring" breeze! It was cool out, but very fun spending the day outside and even seeing the new baby giraffe! Addilyn seemed to have fun too, she was very quiet and just rode in the stroller the whole morning! Here are some pics of our day out!

Oh how time flies...

2010-03-16T14:00:00.007-05:00

My Mom used to say that the older you get the quicker time goes...I think she's right! It seems like Christmas just happened, but in just a few weeks Easter will be here! Oh how time flies! Our sweet Kinsley has grown so much since I last posted. She is more imaginative than ever and keeps learning how to express her feelings more enthusiastically each day! This morning she was acting like a puppy playing fetch, doing tricks and bossing her Daddy the whole time! It seems like she shouldn't even be able to talk yet! Oh how time flies! Our precious Addilyn is getting bigger day by day. She is now taking steps and even this morning walked half way across the living room! She can wave and I really think she says "Hi" too! She also says "dada", "mama" and something that really does sound like "kisly"! Next week (the 26th) Addilyn will be one! Oh how time flies! As the girls get older it seems like they are becoming friends. Instead of just playing in their own worlds and ignoring each other, they have now started to play together and seem to even enjoy being around one another! Oh how time flies! Life is busier than ever and it's completely wonderful (stressful too, but let's stay positive!). Oh how time flies!

Christmas Time...

2009-12-25T21:23:00.006-06:00

This year we spent our Christmas in Iowa! We all had a great time and got to see lots of snow! Papa and Grammy's house is always fun and having cousins to play with is even better! This year Kinsley picked Emma as he favorite and followed her around everywhere! Kinsley kept calling Emma her friend (like that was her name) and would give her a hug whenever she saw her! Kinsley had so much fun today and was so glad Santa paid her a visit and left her lots of gifts! She was so excited when she woke up, but then was a little confused why Santa just left gifts and didn't stay for her to thank him!

This was Addilyn's first Christmas and although she didn't care about opening presents, she did enjoy playing with them! Most of all she liked playing with the "big" kids gifts and annoying them! She was so sweet and happy all day and was loving on her Mommy and followed her everywhere!

We also had Daniel with us and it was his first Christmas too! He just enjoyed being held and talking to anyone who would listen! He was a very happy boy all day and even napped really good all day!

This Christmas we are so thankful for our family, friends and most of all for Jesus. We are so thankful He came to this earth as our Savior. We can celebrate because of Him and Him alone!

Addilyn's First Haircut

2009-11-03T14:23:00.003-06:00

On Friday, October 30th Addilyn got her first haircut. I still can't believe that she needed a haircut at 7 months, but it was very needed! Her hair was so long over her ears and would stick out in every direction! Jane cut it for her and it looked so cute when finished! Here's a few pitures of the process!

Where has the time gone...

2009-10-28T13:42:00.003-05:00

I really don't know where the time has gone! My last posting was almost 5 months ago and so much has happened! From visiting with family over the 4th of July, to vacation at the beach, and having a new foster baby come live with us so much has changed in our family! Addilyn is now pulling up on furniture and Kinsley is talking and singing all the time! They have both grown so much and are the most beautiful little girls (I am a little biased!)! Daniel is our new foster baby who came to live with us at 11 days old. He is now 6 weeks old and is getting so big! He is cooing and seems to even by smiling! He is a sweet boy...something new around our house...a BOY! :) Kinsley has really enjoyed him and kisses all over him! She's always checking on "Baby Brother" and is concerned with his every move. Addilyn could care less about Daniel, but she does love her big sister! She watches Kinsley and tries to play with her as much as Kinsley will allow! It's funny how you don't think you could love your kids more, but it seems like I grow daily more in love with them!

Sweet Addilyn...

2009-06-03T14:10:00.002-05:00

Addilyn is now smiling so much and talking a lot too! Yesterday she had her two month shots...uggg! She did okay all morning, but the afternoon was not good! She cried and wouldn't eat and I could tell she just didn't feel good at all. By the time bedtime came around she was so tired and ready to sleep. To my surprise I put her to bed at 6:45 pm and she didn't wake up until 6:00 am!!! I really don't remember the last time I got to sleep completely through the night, so when I woke up this morning I felt like a new woman! Needless to say I am also so proud of Addilyn for sleeping so long...she really does love me! Here's my sweet Addilyn and her smile (well, kind of...once the picture actually took she was not smiling so big...oh well!).

Sprinkler Fun...

2009-06-02T21:57:00.003-05:00

This morning we (Aunt Toni, Kinsley, Addilyn and me) took the trek over to Collierville and spent the morning at Johnson's Park in the sprinklers! Kinsley had so much fun running from sprinkler to sprinkler and yelling "Come on" to Toni and me (She tends to be a little bossy...she got that from her Dad!). Poor Addilyn didn't get to enjoy the sprinklers, but she did get a good nap (Addilyn got her 2 month shots this morning, so I didn't want to push it by making her get wet with really cold water!)! By the time we left we were ALL wet and tired. We walked away with only a minor injury from an older boy who knocked Kinsley over and gave her a "rug" burn on her arm and leg! Over all though she had a great time and she talked about the sprinkler park for the rest of the day!

Zoo Day!

2009-06-01T14:56:00.004-05:00

This weekend Aunt Toni came to visit us and keep the girls and I company! So this morning we packed up and headed to the zoo! It was about 10:30 am when we arrived and it was already really hot out! I think before we even unpacked the van (and yes I did say van...ha ha!) we were all sweating! We walked about half of the zoo looking at the animals then we were all to our limit of sweating and we took a break in the cool eating area and had lunch! We then headed out to the play ground and let Kinsley burn some energy! Next we set out again to look at the animals and ride the carousel! By 12:30 pm we were all so hot and Kinsley was very tired so we headed home! It was a lot of fun and really fun to have Toni along...I know I couldn't have done it alone!

Play Day with Mommy

2009-06-01T14:34:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I took Kinsley and Addilyn to a park near by for a picnic and play time! We had never been to this park before and Kinsley had so much fun! They had misting sprinklers and a huge climbing rope wall that she loved. Believe it or not, Kinsley climbed to the top of the wall and back down by herself several times...she is a monkey!! By the time we left Kinsley was soaked from the misters and very tired! Needless to say, she slept great for her nap! After nap we went to a "lake" near by to feed the ducks! Kinsley did great feeding them and didn't even act scared! Here are some pictures of our day!

Kinsley climbing to the top of the wall!

Addilyn snoozing in the sling at the park!

Feeding the ducks at the lake!

Addilyn's Baby Dedication

2009-06-01T13:56:00.004-05:00

On May 10th (Mother's Day!) we dedicated Addilyn to the Lord in front of our church family! It was a really special time of commitment to raise our children to know and love God. We brought Kinsley in with us to dedicate Addilyn and the whole time she kept leaning over and kissing Addilyn, it was so sweet! We feel so blessed to have a loving family and church family to support us in raising our children and leading us by example!

4 weeks old

2009-04-23T20:56:00.004-05:00

I can't hardly believe that Addilyn is 4 weeks old today! She has already changed and grown so much! The past week she has decided that she really likes to be held and has started to cry more when put down. It has made it a more difficult week for me as Kinsley decided that she wants to be potty trained! It's a little hard to hold an infant and help a toddler go to the bathroom, but I'm making it work so far! I may be calling in the reinforcements soon! Addilyn is sleeping good at night and usually gets up twice per night, but typically goes right back to sleep after eating! She seems like she's gaining weight and is even starting to get fat rolls (so cute!)! She also really likes her pacifier, but we've caught her sucking her thumb too! Today was hot out (in the 80's) and the girls wore matching dresses! Kinsley was so excited to match Addilyn and talked to me about it several times today! Here's pictures from today...

Introducing...

2009-04-01T16:49:00.005-05:00

Addilyn Gail Johnston!!! She joined our family March 26th at 8:26pm! She was 6 lb. 6oz. and was 18 1/2 in. long! We couldn't hardly believe that she was even a day early! Last Thursday (March 26th) I started to have contractions at 12:45pm and had strong contractions all afternoon. Around 6:30pm we decided to leave for the hospital...and that was a very smart decision! Little did we know that our girl was coming quick! We arrived at the hospital around 7:00pm and it took them a long time to get us into a room. About 7:30pm we were finally into a room and Addilyn was born less than a hour later!!! It all happened so fast, but it was perfect and we couldn't have asked for any better labor and delivery! So far she has been a very good baby and has even been sleeping good at night!!! We feel so blessed to have our second daughter here look forward to all our family and friends meeting her!! Here are some pictures of our sweet Addilyn!

Kinsley's Zoo Trip

2009-03-22T17:28:00.004-05:00

This past Friday Kinsley went with Jane and the whole crew to the ZOO!!! They were there all morning and afternoon and had a blast! I was (of course) at the doctor so I couldn't go, but Kinsley still had fun without me (hahaha!!!). I was told that Kinsley got so worn out that she even fell asleep in the stroller! Here's a couple pictures of her trip!

Baby Nursery

2009-03-15T15:32:00.004-05:00

Several weeks ago we completed our baby's nursery! It's done in pink and brown colors and we love it! We wanted something completely different from Kinsley's room and this is what we came up with!

Diaper Shower

2009-03-15T15:04:00.003-05:00

After church today our friends had a diaper shower for us! We to Newks for lunch and then opened up gifts! Kinsley loved opening the gifts and didn't even care that they were all diapers, she got so excited with each package! We (of course) forgot to take pictures at the restaurant, so we came home and took them! One of our friends made a "diaper cake" and it had pacifiers on it...Kinsley kept trying to pull them off of the "cake" and suck on them(she did say they are for the baby though!)!

Weekend Visit

2009-03-09T14:00:00.004-05:00

This past weekend Marcus came for a visit! Kinsley LOVED having him here and they both played very well together. They were constantly at each other's side and Kinsley was usually bossing him around! They really enjoyed riding on Ryan's back and jumping from the ottoman to the couch and then back again! They were quite the team!

Bye Bye Ni-Night

2009-02-09T13:01:00.004-06:00

Today Kinsley gave up her "ni-night" (pacifier)! We went and bought 3 balloons (she picked out the smiley face ones...guess she didn't know what was coming!) this morning and then took her to Buckhead Creek, tied her "ni-night" to 2 of the balloons and let them go! It didn't quite fly away at first like we thought it would, so Kinsley began to chase it and tried to catch it. Ryan had to run after it too and let it go again. Then wind finally got a hold of it and we saw it fly into the sky. Kinsley watched it and waved good-bye! Ryan then gave her a sucker when we got back to the car and she also got to keep the 3rd balloon that we had bought!

The true shock sunk in when Kinsley and I returned home. After we had been home for about 20 minutes she began to ask about her "ni-night". I reminder her that the balloon took it bye bye. She began to cry...and I mean really cry. Also, she really didn't want the balloon that she got to keep then! She didn't want to touch the balloon or be near it! I asked her if she wanted to let it go outside...she began to clap her hands and shook her head yes! So we took her 3rd balloon and let it go outside! The rest of the morning she kept telling me about the balloon and that it took her ni-night bye bye! I'm really hoping she doesn't hate balloons for the rest of her life now!

Christmas Vacation

2009-01-21T12:15:00.003-06:00

This year for Christmas we drove to Nebraska the Monday before Christmas and spent time there with family until the day after Christmas...then we drove to Iowa to spend time with more family! We had a great time and Kinsley proved to be a great traveler once again!!! She didn't sleep well in the car, but still stayed happy watching "Baby Einstein" DVD's (We're hoping we actually improve her intelligence by traveling!)! I tried to remember to take pictures of Kinsley with all the family, but I didn't do such a great job. Here is a few pics with family...

Family Christmas...

2008-12-18T09:45:00.005-06:00

Since we'll be traveling over Christmas, this past Monday we had our family Christmas! First we took Kinsley out to pick out her new Christmas ornament for this year! She loved the Hallmark store and it was a little hard to keep her on task (they had these huge stuffed "puppies" that she kept carrying around the store!)! Kinsley really loved looking at all the ornaments and she picked out an ornament called "Dancing with Daddy", it's a big bear dancing with a little bear that is wearing a tutu! It's really cute! We then took Kinsley out to dinner to Panera Bread. She didn't eat much, but loved watching all the people! On the way home we drove around and looked at the Christmas lights. Kinsley loved the lights! When we got home we read the "Christmas Story" in the Bible and talked about it in front of the fire, then we had Kinsley open her gifts from us! She loved opening the presents and would get so excited over each one! We all played with her new toys for the rest of the evening!

"Winter" Leaves...

2008-12-18T09:41:00.004-06:00

The leaves finally finished falling off of the trees in our yard, so this last Sunday Kinsley "helped" Daddy rake all the leaves in the yard! She loved raking and crawling in the piles, but most of all she loved the rides in the wheelbarrow! It was hard work, but at least Kinsley enjoyed it!

Thanksgiving in Arkansas

2008-12-09T08:58:00.005-06:00

This thanksgiving we went to Arkansas to visit Uncles, Aunts and cousins! Kinsley had a great time playing with her cousins and bossing them around! She also decided that she really likes her Aunts and that they are really fun to play with. Kinsley also ate a lot, so hopefully on her next weigh in she'll have gained some weight!! Cousin Megan was a lot of fun too, because she gave Kinsley her fill of Diet Coke (picture of Kinsley drinking a can of Diet Coke) and Kinsley was drinking so fast that she hardly took a breath! Golf cart rides were a big hit and Kinsley even loved to just sit and play on it without going anywhere!

The Friday after Thanksgiving we went to visit Santa (a.k.a. Uncle Jim)! Again, Kinsley was scared, but we got a family picture with him! We tried to tell Kinsley it was Uncle Jim, but there was no reasoning with her!

We all had such a great Thanksgiving and we are so thankful for all our family that is so willing to let us come and invade their homes! We are truly blessed by God for our family, friends, health and so much more!

First Piggy Tails...

2008-11-24T18:53:00.003-06:00

Today Kinsley had her first piggy tails in her hair! She looked so cute and she liked having two "bow bows" in her hair. She kept checking throughout the day to make sure they were both still in her hair...she is definitely a girl!

Visiting Santa...

2008-11-21T11:04:00.003-06:00

Last night we went to Bass Pro Shop to have Kinsley's picture taken with Santa! Well, she saw him and freaked out! Needless to say we did not get a good picture with Santa, but at least it's a picture! They had a whole area set up with Christmas things so it was fun to look around and Kinsley enjoyed her time with her friend Cameron. Kins also found what she wants for Christmas (you better be saving up Daddy)!!

Iowa Trip...

2008-11-20T14:23:00.006-06:00

Last Friday at 4:15am (yes am!!) we left on our great adventure...to Iowa! Kinsley was wide awake as we left and seemed to really wonder why we were all up in the dark and leaving our house. She quickly found out this was no short trip! Really though, Kinsley was and is a great traveler, and really is with a DVD player and Baby Einstein DVDs! It took us nearly 12 hours to reach our destination, but it was well worth every minute in the car! For the first hour at Papa and Grammy's house Kinsley ran around exploring every room. They have a large two story home, so there are many rooms to check out! She was in heaven...lots of room to run and Papa and Grammy to spoil her! Kinsley loved playing dress up, but she didn't keep the outfits on long! She also loved going up and down the stairs and would drag Grammy along with her!

Our weekend all went so fast as we had a wedding to attend (Ryan performed the wedding ceremony) and people to visit. We also celebrated my Birthday! Yeah...another year older (I'm just thankful that I'm not 30 yet)!!! Grandpa and Nana also came to visit for church and the afternoon! Kinsley got a new little people play set from Grandpa an Nana and loved playing with it, especially the puppy! Kinsley also had a great time playing with Paige and Emma (cousins), she followed them around and they were both so patient and loving to her. On Tuesday we were able to have lunch with Grandma Bert then we went to visit Aunt Elinor. Kinsley played with her stuffed teddy bears and gave them lots of love! It was great seeing family and being able to stay a few days to relax! We really feel like Kinsley had time to spend getting to know everyone which is so important to us! I've included some pictures of our trip!

Well, as of tomorrow I will be 22 weeks! I can't believe we're over half done, the time is flying! While we were in Iowa I really started to feel baby girl moving a lot. It's crazy the difference one week makes! We are now starting to plan the room (trying to pick colors and bedding) and we've started to discuss names. Before we know it she'll be here!!

Ouchy of the day...

2008-11-10T13:23:00.005-06:00

This morning I was getting ready for the day and Kinsley was playing with a towel. She tripped over the towel and hit her head (right between her eyes) on the bath tub. She immediately got a bruise and huge bump. Poor girl! It has already started fading a little this afternoon, so hopefully it's not too evident later on! Besides that, Kinsley has had a great day playing with her older friend, Olivia. She has followed Olivia all over the house and copied everything she has done! They are really funny to watch together. We are also having the twins, Riley and Haley over this evening for dinner, so I know Kinsley will have fun with them...and we're really excited to see how much they have grown too!

It's a ....

2008-11-07T17:13:00.005-06:00

I am exactly 20 weeks today and we had our ultrasound this afternoon! Ryan and I got to the office and had to update paperwork and wait for what seemed like a long time for our turn. When we went back, the tech began to measure the baby and she showed us different parts of the baby’s body. Then the tech got to the “parts”, but before she even said, Ryan and I both could tell that…IT’S A GIRL!!! It was VERY obvious! Everything else measured perfect and she seems to be growing and developing right on track. She approximately weighs 12oz., which is right on target for our March 27th due date. Our little girl was so active doing flips, turns, rubbing her eyes, and even crossing her legs! We are so excited about this addition to our family and we are so thankful God has allowed us to be parents to another little girl!

1 day to go...

2008-11-06T13:13:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow at this time we will know if we're having a girl or boy (hopefully...if the baby cooperates!)! I was talking to Kinsley today about finding out about our baby and she lifted up her shirt and started patting her tummy! Our poor daughter is already messed up at such a young age thinking there's a baby in her too! We are all so excited though and we look forward to celebrating our baby's good health!

2 days and counting...

2008-11-05T13:46:00.000-06:00

We have been counting down the days, and now, only two days left until we find out the sex of our unborn baby!! It seems like we've waited forever, yet it has come so fast. I am more ready to just know that everything is okay and that our baby is growing well and maturing how he or she is supposed to. I know that Kinsley won't understand yet, but she will be excited to see pictures of the baby after the appointment. She already loves babies and will be the best big sister!

Today I had to finally do some maternity shopping...uggg! Anyone who has ever been pregnant knows how that is! I already feel fat, I don't need bright lights and big mirrors to exclaim to me what I already know...that I'm getting larger every minute! On top of it all, what's with the sizing?! They should make that a lot easier on us emotional women! I really don't need to have a breakdown in the middle of the mall!