Around the States in 40 Days

Our family is currently on a 40 day "journey."  And it has been quite the journey so far! From Texas to Colorado, to Nebraska, our journey is far from over.  We are currently in Central City, NE with Rob's family, visiting some of Rob's old friends, speaking about the ministry God has called us to, spending some quality time with family, and trying to network!  It has been a pretty busy few weeks  but we have been so blessed.
There are two things that have become very apparent to me throughout the past few weeks, one is that my husband comes from an incredible family (I've known this for awhile now, but have been reminded of it lately ;) Rob's parents had 6 kids in 6 years!  Which means that we are all in the same season of life (more or less).  Three of the Johnson kids got married within 10 months of each other in 3 different states in 04-05.  The amazing part to me is that each of the 6 Johnson kids aren't people who just say they are Christians, but they are people who are actively living a life of faith and trust in God, pursuing His calling for their lives.  Not only that but Rob's parents are some of the most godly, encouraging people I have ever known whom I have come to respect and love greatly!  I truly could not have asked to marry into a more wonderful family and I am honored to be a Johnson!
Rob's youngest sister Kristi is also becoming a missionary this year.  We have been in the same boat for the past few months, deciding to follow God's calling for our lives overseas around the same time, raising support together, and leaving to minister within in a few months from each other!  She will be leaving very soon and we see it as a God thing (I hope she does too ;) that we are able to be here during her last few days in the States and even send her off with the rest of the family in a few days.  What a blessing and encouragement to be with someone who knows exactly what you are going through! A God-thing for sure ;)
The second thing that has become apparent to me is what a blessing the body of Christ is.  This is something I think we all experience drastically from time to time.  Meals made for us when we have a baby, incredible child-care workers who love on our kids and teach them about Jesus, prayers offered up on our behalf.  What an amazing thing God has established in the body of Christ, giving each of us different talents and abilities to serve one another.  Incredible.  As we continue on this adventure of drastically changing everything about our lives, raising money, and moving to the other side of the world to serve the Lord with our gifts, we have been blessed by other's gifts.  We know that we cannot do what we are doing without the body of Christ coming alongside of us, loving us, praying for us, and giving financially.  We have come to an understanding more and more that what we are doing is IMPOSSIBLE without the body of Christ. Having spoken to several people whom we do not know personally about our ministry lately, and having them be so excited for us, pray for us and even having some of them give financially towards our ministry WITHOUT even knowing us personally is INCREDIBLE.  What a blessing!  I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 12.  It's too long to quote here, but you should read it!
Here are some highlights from our trip so far...

The Entire Johnson family spent a week together in CO for one last family reunion before Kristi leaves for Zambia and we leave for Thailand

Our family hiking in Colorado

Some amazing friends of Rob organized a meet and greet with some of their friends to meet us and hear about our ministry!  It was such an encouraging evening.

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grandkids!  They had so much fun together!

One evening we had a talent show and the kids surprised by singing the song Rob's mom wrote for her kids to sing when they were kids.  It was great!

    

It's Here!

Well, the time has come.  There are only 3 links left on the paper chain I made with Clay to count down the days until we move out of our first home.  I'm not even sure where to begin as I process what we are jumping into.  Our house is half empty already.  Sofas have been sold (thank you craigslist!), we are living out of suitcases, and there is nothing in our sun room besides boxes.  Boxes filled with our only earth possessions left, and empty ones ready to be filled with the few things we have not yet packed.  OH MY, HERE WE GO!  Moving out on Saturday will be an emotional good bye to say the least.  I know that what we are leaving behind is just wood and bricks, that really is of no eternal value, but the fact remains that saying good bye to our home means so much more than just moving out.  It means we are saying good bye to the comforts of living the All-American dream.  My husband has a job that provides well for our family, we have never lacked anything, we were living in a house that could have easily been the home we raise our children in, retired in, and lived in for the rest of our lives.  In the eyes of the world, we were living a very comfortable life, but the problem is, I don't want to live a comfortable life.  I don't want to just live in the same ol' house, doing the same ol' things, being my same ol' self.  And I don't think that's what God wants for me either.


I just got finished reading a few blogs about how stressful it is to be a missionary, and I have to admit,  it freaked me out a little.  Rob and I have lived overseas before we had children for a year in the Philippines and yes, it was stressful, but we knew that our situation was only temporary.  Moving now, definitely feels a lot different.  While I feel as though we have a small, pea-size advantage because of our over-seas experience, I kind of feel like I have no clue what we are getting ourselves into.  Ok, it's more than just "kind-of feel like."  I absolutely realize that I have NO CLUE what we are getting ourselves into.
The thing is, why do I feel like I need to have a "clue?"  Oh yeah, because I am an controlling need-to-have-all-my-ducks-in-a-row-and-need-to-know-where-those-ducks-are-coming-from-and-how-much-they-are-going-to-cost kind of a person. But what does God say?

  Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Luke 12:22-34

The thing is, I don't want to live my life where my treasure is in my house that I absolutely love, or my air conditioned living room, or the "security" of my husband's job. So, what do I choose?  I choose to believe that God has confirmed to us over and over again that this is what He wants us to do.  That we are following His calling for our lives and that although that means giving-up the All- American dream, that's just breadcrumbs compared to the feast of living my life for the Lord!

Our shelves are looking pretty empty these days!

Financial Update

Well, I just crunched the numbers this morning and we have raised 33% of what we need for our monthly support and 64% of what we need for our one-time expenses when we get there!  Praise the Lord!  We are speaking at two churches this weekend, will you pray with us that God would stir the hearts of those we speak to to become prayer and financial partners with us?  We know that this is all in God's hands and He will provide through the means and at the time He chooses.  We just need to be faithful to tell the body of Christ about our ministry and trust Him!  A hard lesson to learn, and one that God keeps teaching me moment by moment!  

From Pretend to Reality

Growing up, I played a little differently than I would say most little girls play.  Yes, I did play kitchen, house, barbie, and mommy a little.  But what I most remember playing was school (where I of course was the teacher, and when I would get mad at my older brother, I would give him all F's! I'll let you guess which brother;)  Haha!), secretary, and another game that I'm pretty sure most little girls didn't.  I would climb underneath the dining room table in our front room and pretend that I could only bring that which was completely necessary to survive (you know, pillow, blanket, and my Kid Sister doll ;) because well I was in the middle of no where and had to survive on my own! Every once in awhile I would have to venture out to pick some plastic apples from a "tree" or something.  But mostly I loved the idea of living in this really small space with room only for the things that are necessary!  Weird, I know, but I seriously loved this game!

For some reason God has brought this memory to my mind lately!  Hmm... I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that we are in the midst of selling/getting rid of pretty much all our earthly possessions and moving to the other side of the world?!  As a child, teenager, and even in my early 20's I never would have thought that God would have me go into ministry overseas, but as I look back, I really feel like He was preparing me from the very beginning, long before I ever could have dreamed what He would ask me to do.  His ways are higher than Our's!

So, I secretly (well, I guess not so secretly now...) am really enjoying getting rid of all this junk.  Yep I said it JUNK!  I'm pretty sure I don't really need 10 empty picture frames and we sure aren't going to ship our couches to Thailand!  It feels so cleansing!  I really do love thinking about what are the special things we are going to bring with us, you know, like if you could only pick 10 books what would they be?  

And while there are things that we are keeping in the attics of family AND there are some things that have sentimental value that are hard to give up, this verse keeps running through my head:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures here on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Oh Lord, may I never forget that my life is not about earthly things, but eternal ones!  

And just for fun... here's a picture of my boys playing in a "tent." Maybe God is preparing them for what's to come too!  

A Big Impact

For the past few years, we have been a part of a core group that has helped to start a church in a neighborhood that was greatly affected by Hurricane Katrina.  Although we did love the church we were going to at the time, when we heard of this church plant, we knew that God wanted us to be a part of it.  What we didn't realize at the time is what an incredible blessing this church would be to us.  We absolutely LOVE Crescent City Community Church (http://www.crescentcitychurch.com/) and leaving it will be one of the hardest parts of moving to Thailand!  We love that there are 4 unique pastors that share the pulpit!  We love that there is a discussion time after the Sermon each Sunday where we are challenged greatly by the other members of our body!  And of course we love the community there and how much they love us and ESPECIALLY love on our kids (our kids are the youngest at the church so you can only imagine the kind of love and attention they get!!). Although the group of people who attend the church is small, their impact on our lives has been GREAT!
With that being said, Crescent City Community Church (CCCC) will be our sending church as we do ministry overseas, and we wouldn't want it any other way!  It's so incredible to be the very first missionaries that a new church sends!  We feel privileged to be in this position and are excited to help CCCC establish their philosophy on missions!
Although CCCC is a small church they desire to do all that they can to support us!
The first Friday night of every month our church does a movie night at a local park.  This past Friday some women from our church decided to offer concessions during the movie night to help us raise support! It doesn't matter to me if they raise $1 or $1000, the fact that they are so willing to love on our family in this way means the WORLD to us!  We feel so blessed to have the people around us that we do as we step into this next season of our lives!  We serve an amazing God who knows exactly what we need!
So Crescent City Community Church, thank you so much for loving us, supporting us, and encouraging us!  Our numbers are few, but your impact is great!  We love you!

Financial Update

Just wanted to give an update on where we are in our support raising.  As I have mentioned earlier, we need to have people and churches committed to giving us $4,000 monthly and $20,000 in one-time gifts before we can leave to start our assignment in September.  This is quite the task that we truly feel only God can accomplish!  Trusting God for our finances is one of that hardest things we have ever had to do, and YET one of the biggest blessings.  It's amazing to be at a place where God is truly providing your EVERY need.  It takes dependency on  Him to a whole new level...

With that being said, we currently have people committed to giving us $1,045 a month which puts us at 26% of what we need and we have raise $9,605 in one-time gifts which puts us at 48% of what we need!  We are so grateful for every penny God has provided and feel extremely blessed!  We are trusting God for the remaining money to come in, all in His timing.   

So, we are printing our spring newsletter TODAY and hope to have them mailing our soon!  If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be, please email us at randcjohnson (at) hotmail (dot) com  and we would love to add you to our list!  

Thank you so much for loving and supporting our family and believing in what God will do through us to impact Southeast Asia!

SOLD

As you can imagine there is SO MUCH that needs to happen before we can move to Thailand in September.  There are definitely times when I think about all this and I get anxious.  Every time I  begin to worry, I hear God telling me "I got this Christina, I got this." And I truly feel a sense of "peace that surpasses all understanding" come over me.  The two biggest things that need to happen are one, that we need to raise support and the other is that we had to sell the properties we own.  Little did I know that God had BIG plans for us in checking one of those things off our list a lot quicker than we ever imagined possible!
So, we own two properties.  We own the house that we live in (of course) and because of Hurricane Katrina there were SEVERAL houses that were actually bought by the government.  Well, they decided to get rid of these properties by offering them to the houses next door as lots you could add on to your yard.  When we bought our house, there was a gutted house next door for the first year and a half that we lived here.   We were offered the opportunity to buy the lot next to us at a very cheap price.  We decided that it was a good investment and bought it.  So, here we are now owning not one but TWO properties that we need to sell before we left to go to Thailand.

As I knew the time was fast approaching that we would be putting our properties on the market, I was very aware of all the houses around us that were up for sale.  I drove only a couple miles to the grocery store one day and counted 20 different houses and properties just on my way to and from the store.  Also there is a house right across the street that's for sale and has been on the market for 6 months and has 200 square feet more than our house.  So needless to say, our expectations were very low.  I was already thinking about how we are going to have to consider renting our house out when we leave in September and who would maintain the lot for us.  BOY was I wrong!
We put both properties on the market on Monday Feb. 18th.  In only a few hours after putting it on the market, we got an offer for the lot next door AND the Realtor called to say there was someone that wanted to look at our house the very next day.  GREAT!  I was praising the LORD that there was at least interest in our house.  The offer on the lot was for quite a bit less than our asking, so even though we were amazed that we got an offer so quickly, we were advised and decided to reject the offer.  Ok, a few hours after this (still on Monday, mind you this is still the DAY we put our house on the market) our Realtor called us back and said that he has 4 different people he wanted to show the house to the next day!  WHAT?!  This is crazy!  So we cleaned up our house real nice (I even baked cookies, I mean, we were basically having an open house!) Tuesday came, and about 30 mins after the showings, we had a FULL PRICE offer on our house AND a MORE than full price offer on the lot next door!  We were stunned!  We had NO idea that BOTH properties would sell so quickly!  You think the story is over don't you, oh just wait... it's not!
So, Wednesday morning comes around, we were ready to sign on accepting both offers and we get a call from our Realtor saying that he got another offer on our house that was MORE than our asking price  AND another offer on the lot next door that was an ALL CASH offer for more than our asking price and they wanted to close in 6 days!  WHAT??!!!  Are you kidding me God?  I was speechless.  I still can't believe that God did this... So, in LESS than 48 hours after putting both properties on the market we accepted both offers, both MORE than our asking price.  ONLY GOD, people!  Only God!

So, we have already gone to the act of sale on our lot next door and we had the inspections for our house yesterday.  Our date for act of sale on our house is not until May because we are not able to move out of the house until then and actually the buyers are fine with that because that is when their lease ends, (yep, God's timing is perfect!)  Our Realtor (who is the top rated Realtor in New Orleans and has sold TONS of properties) said that he has NEVER before seen anything like this.  We made his record for the fasted he has ever sold a property from the time it went on the market to the time it went to act of sale with our lot.  After he tells us this I said (of course getting emotional, because well, I am my mother's daughter!) "You don't understand, this is so much more than just selling a house to us.  This is God confirming to us that He has called us to move to Thailand and do ministry there. Only God can do something like this!  Only God!"  I have no idea what our Realtors beliefs are but he said he got chills and once again stated how this has never happened to him!
PRAISE THE LORD!  I am speechless every time I think about how God has blessed us abundantly more than I could ever imagine.  This is a story for the record books of our lives where God did something truly amazing to tell us "I got this Christina, I got this!"

To the Market we Go

Well, we've been working hard trying to get our house ready to go on the market!  We are so thankful for the body of Christ and all their help!  Not to mention my amazing husband who has been working so hard and the AMAZING weather we have had down here!  Is it Spring because it sure feels like it!  We are hoping to put it on the market in a couple weeks!  In case anyone's interested ;)    

We added a little color to our front door to add some curb appeal! I really like it and think we should have done it sooner!  

fixing up a few little projects outside!

and the day was not without accidents although this had nothing to do with all the projects we were working on.  This more had to do with a little brother and a sippy cup.  I never knew a sippy cup could be used as a weapon but leave it up to the 17 month old to figure that out!! 

Ambassadors

I love seeing how God uses so many people, circumstances, and most importantly  His WORD to encourage me lately.  I know He is always there working in my life, I think I am just a little more aware of it lately!

I have been reading through 2 Corinthians during my personal Bible study time.  This morning I was reading chapter 6, where it says,
 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are AMBASSADORS of Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 6:17-20

Being Ambassadors of Reconciliation is something that our church preaches often and something both Rob and I have thought about A LOT lately.  God has done amazing things in both Rob and I's life.  We have come to trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross.  God has SAVED us.  And our lives are forever changed because of that!  We are NEW CREATURES!  And it is because of this that our desire is to be Ambassadors for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To let the world know of God's amazing love and how He has demonstrated that through the cross.
 We know this to be true, with everything that we are!  We believe in this message and know how God can change lives through this amazing truth.  This is why we are selling all our stuff and leaving everything we've ever known to move to the other side of the world, to share the message of reconciliation with Southeast Asia, to be "Ambassadors of Christ!"

Here We Go!

Since sending our support letters in December, our life has been quite the whirl-wind, and we are just at the beginning of all this!  We have heard that the sooner you are able to get rid of things, the better.  So, January has been full of craigslist listings, trips to Goodwill, and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.  As September seems fast approaching, we feel pressed for time!

We met and signed a contract with a Realtor a couple weeks ago to sell our house.  For some reason doing this made all that is happening in our lives VERY REAL to me.  Although we have no idea what God's plans are for this house, we love this place.  Having children and the memories of them in your "home" just makes a place so special.  Rob and I have been married for 7 1/2 years and we have lived in 9 (yes I said 9!!) different places since we have been married.  So I was never attached to any one place, well, until we had our kids.  Leaving the house we rented when I was pregnant with Clay until he turned one taught me this.  I will never forget Rob and I cleaning up that little house after we moved all our stuff and going into Clay's empty room where I couldn't hold back the tears!  There are so many memories of Clay's first year of life in that house!  And our current house holds even more!  I know quite a few tears will be shed when we have to leave our precious home!

Although these walls hold such great memories, in all reality, our lives are not about where my child learned to walk, how many times I pushed our boys on the swingset in our backyard, or the countless hours of story books being read in the living room, our lives are about living for our Lord and Savior!  And although we are very fond of our lives here in New Orleans and all the people and places that we hold so dear to us, they are not what is of most importance.  So, is all this transition hard, absolutely!  Will we miss New Orleans, our house, all the memories, and people, absolutely!  But are we completely at peace about where God is calling us and what He is calling us to do, ABSOLUTELY!  Are we excited about this next season of life, ABSOLUTELY!

I have been journaling off and on since I was a teenager.  My teen year were when my faith became very real to me and I began to understand the privilege of living our lives for the Lord.  Since then I have often written the last lines to be "Lord, I want to go and do whatever You have called me to do.  Here I am." While that desire has taken me to very unexpected places, the reality of that desire rings so true in where God is taking us.  Although there are many details to figure out, much to do, and a lot to say "good-bye" to, we are convinced that this is the journey God has called us to.

So, Lord, I want to go and do WHATEVER you have called me to do, even if that takes us to Chiang Mai Thailand!

Big News!!

We have some exciting news!!!  Rob and I have been on quite the adventure over the past 6 months.  Since graduating from Moody Bible Institute we have always felt like God would lead us into full time ministry one day.  We didn't know when or how, but we knew that we felt called to serve together.  In 2007-2008 we taught at an international school in the Philippines.  It was an invaluable time for us as a couple to search our hearts and see if God was leading us to full time ministry overseas.  While Rob had always had a desire to serve overseas, I (Christina) have always felt like God would call me to ministry but never thought it would be overseas.  Until we spent that year in the Philippines. God really showed us the incredible NEED there is overseas for people to come to know the LOVE of Jesus Christ.  This was a need we could not ignore.  God began to change my heart in a way I never thought He would.  He truly began to stir within me a passion for overseas ministry.

We came back the summer of 2008, feeling like we would love to go back overseas but knowing that it wasn't the right time.  A few months later we found out I was pregnant and knew that this season of our lives would be focused on starting our family.  So, we planted ourselves in New Orleans, LA were Rob works for a local house raising and Shoring company and we began to be a part of a core group that helped to start a church (http://www.crescentcitychurch.com/)  In 2009 we had Clay and in 2011 we had our little Zeke.  It wasn't long after having Zeke that Rob and I made a goal to be at a place were we discussing and looking into what God would have for us next by the time Zeke (our youngest) turned one in August of 2012.  

While we had this goal, God was already working.  We received a mass email in May concerning a need for a Site Volunteer Coordinator for Southeast Asia.  The location for the position would be in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but we would be coordinating volunteers for 5 different countries in Southeast Asia.  The more we looked into the position, the more God began to show us that this was something we really had a heart for and that would utilize both of our gifts.  They were specifically looking for a couple who could work together!  Emails became interviews which turned into a trip to Chiang Mai to see if this was really where God was calling us.  Soon after our trip in October of this year, we were officially offered the position and it didn't take us long to accept!  So, we will be moving to Chiang Mai (Lord-willing) in September 2013!

The Site Volunteer Coordinator is a very key position.  Basically we would be assessing needs and coordinating volunteers to come to 5 countries in Southeast Asia whom will help with various projects, including teachers, construction projects, computer projects and various other needs.  We are excited to serve in this way and truly feel like we can impact Southeast Asia in a mighty way by and through the hand of God.  

We have already begun to prepare for this transition as you might imagine, it is a monumental task!  We  are already selling/ getting rid of things and preparing our house to be put up for sale!  (Anyone interested??? :)  The biggest task of all is that we have to establish a group of partners willing to financially support us and our ministry..  Being that this is a ministry position, we need to raise funds to cover our expenses.  In order for us to be able to go in September of 2013, we need to have people committed to financial partnership with us totaling $4,000 per month to cover all our living and insurance expenses.  We also need a total of $20,000 in one time gifts to help establish our new house, buy a car, and cover the cost of our training and language learning expenses.  If you would like more information about our family and what we will be doing or are interested in financially partnering with us, we would love to add you to our mailing list.  Please email us at randcjohnson (at) hotmail (dot) com.    
    

Taken on our trip to Thailand in October with the city of Chiang Mai in the background. 

The First of Many Firsts

Well, it was bound to happen at some point, right!?  It just seems like it came too quickly!  Clay started preschool today for the very FIRST time!  Now, I have to admit, I only signed him up for two days a week.  I wasn't ready for any more than that, although, I think he might be!  I was so nervous this morning, I mean, I think I was more nervous for his first day of school than I ever was for any of my own!  Maybe I'm crazy, or maybe I'm just a mom. Well, probably just a crazy mom!  But you know, you want to protect your kids and provide and always be there for them, make sure their ok, etc. etc. and believe me there are many etcs.!
 Clay was SO EXCITED!  He talked about it a lot.  We even went to Target to buy new "school shoes" yesterday.  Of course he picked the Spiderman ones that light up!  I mean, what 3 year old boy wouldn't?!  And last night as I'm putting him to bed, I find the new shoes on the floor RIGHT next to his bed!    I guess he wanted to be ready!  Too cute!  He was up til at least 10pm coming out of his room asking for things.  I think he was too excited to sleep.  I remember that as a kid.  Who am I kidding, I'm still like that ;)  When I woke this morning, realizing I wasn't being woken up by our 3 year old boy, I knew he stayed up a little too late.  Hoping I wouldn't have to actually wake him to go to school, he was up a couple minutes later! He didn't eat too much for breakfast, stating "well, mom there is snack time at school!"
So, I wondered today, how is he doing? Is he making friends?  Is he missing me?  Did he cry at some point?  Is he being shy?  OH WHAT IS HE DOING?  I'm sure there is a reason why they don't have one of those cool windows where you can see them but they couldn't see you.  Moms would camp out there!  I know I would! Oh I wish!
Ok, I have to admit, I was a little giddy when it was time to go pick him up.  Who knew 3 hours could be so long?  I couldn't wait to hear all about snack time, craft time, play time, and anything and everything you could get out of a 3 year old boy.  The teacher said he " had a great day!"  And it sounded like it!  He told me he "didn't cry" and "we played with play doh." Other than that, there wasn't much more I could get out of him.
And so I sit here, reminded once again, that our children are in God's hand and not our's.  That there are so many questions I would loved answered and there are so many things I want to control, but the truth is, I will never know EXACTLY what happened during those 3 hours this morning (unless of course they decide to install one of those cool windows)!  I guess it's all apart of this whole "mom thing" happening to me, but I know there will be many other times in my life where I just have to trust God with the most precious gifts I could ever receive.  Ok, God, lesson learned, now can they install that window??!! :)  

A MUCH Needed Thankful Heart

This seems pretty personal, but I feel like I need a little accountability here. And it seems writing something on my blog for the whole world to see is quite the accountability partner.... And so...
I've decided that I am a pretty cynical person. I always seem to see the glass as half empty. There are definitely moments were I am grateful and can see the good, but lately I just seem to always be this grumpy wife and mother. My thinking is the problem comes from a lack of thankfulness. And so, I have decided I need to make an effort to begin this new year with a grateful attitude. Afterall, I have a MILLION things to be grateful for. TRUELY. Not so sure how much I will be able to blog about this, but I'm going to make an effort to daily write down things I am thankful for (a practice I have heard so much about lately and NOW is the time to implement this practice). A thankful heart is MUCH needed in my life right now. I can't continue on being this way. For the sake of my relationship with my husband, my children, and MOST importantly, my GOD, I MUST do this. My attitude as the "keeper of this household" affects everyone here and I have got to change. Without further ado... here's the beginning.

#1 I'm thankful for a safe 19 hour road trip home from Nebraska. Cars can be dangerous and I am so grateful we made it home safely.
#2 I'm thankful for a good reliable car the Lord has blessed us with which keeps the anxiety of traveling to a minimum! ;)
#3 I'm thankful for this moment right now. Zeke is sleeping away and Clay is entertained momentarily by a video which gives mommy this quiet moment to begin something I have needed to do for a LONG time.
#4 Because I have been thinking about this, I decided I wanted to read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Volskamp. Just posted on facebook asking if someone had it an BOOM a few minutes later I'm picking it up TONIGHT! Thanks God for Your provision, even in the small stuff!

too cute!

So, I'm potty training clay (will have to do a whole other blog about that one!). and on the potty this morning I told him to push some peepee out and his response was, "Mom, sometimes it does it all by itself."

Zeke is 3 Months and Clay is (almost) 2 1/2!

Well, my baby boy is 3 months old! He is no longer my little newborn and is now my little infant! And boy does he act like it! I have not really been doing tummy time a whole lot because, well, he doesn't really like it and he is a little spitter-upper! On his 3 month bday, I decided to give him a little tummy time and as soon as I put him down he rolled from his tummy to his back. Of course, like all moms, I was like, hum, did he really just roll over? Maybe I helped him when I put him down, so I did it again and he rolled again! It was then that I realized that our little Zeke is not just going to be this little baby that eats, sleeps and poops all the time, he is going to grow and move and talk and walk, etc! And it all begins with a little roll! Craziness! Clay was a little behind in all the physical development stuff, so having a 3 month old roll seems really early to me! Plus he has been really trying to roll from his back to him tummy. He can make it all the way to his side and almost over, but not quite yet ;) It's been fun getting to know Zeke better. He loves attention. Often when he is fussy, all you have to do it give him a little attention and then he is fine! He is a smiley little guy, but of course, I get most of the smiles ;) He has really started to giggle which is always adorable! He seems to like all the typical things babies like ( and Clay hated) . Like his baby swing, the bath, and (my personal favorite) a paci! I am still amazed that I can just rock him for a couple minutes, give him his paci, lay him down and he goes to sleep without a peep! Never knew babies could be like that! He is such a sweet little guy! Here are his 3 month stats:
12lbs. 4oz. -50th perc.
24 inches 50th perc.
A pretty average baby ;)
And now for the big brother... Oh our little Clay is probably the most adorable 2 year old in the world ;) He has the sweetest personality. He is SUCH a happy little guy. Seriously, most of his day is spent with a smile on his face. All you have to do is look at him and he will smile at you! He LOVES attention. Really! he will do anything for your attention. His newest thing is his "surprised face" (shown in the brother picture) , which I think is absolutely hilarious! So he often looks at me through out the day and does this face just to make me laugh! too funny. He is a really compliant child. I rarely have to put him in time out. Really all I have to say is, "Clay are you going to listen and obey?" and he usually obeys! I know this is not typical for a 2 year old. Once he was getting close to 2, I was a little nervous about the "terrible twos" but it has been nothing but a pleasure. I am LOVING the twos. He is talking up a storm which is the best part! He comes up with the cutest things! Here are his 2 1/2 years stats:
29 lbs 25th to 50th perc.
37" 50th to 75th perc.
ok, enough bragging about my kiddos! I'll just leave you with a pic...

From Pallet to Bookshelves!

I was introduced to pinterest.com about a month or so ago. It's been so fun to find all these great ideas of really creative things to make or do. One project I really wanted to do was make bookshelves for Clay (and eventually Zeke) out of a pallet. Knowing that Rob could get a pallet from his work for free, this wound be a really inexpensive but COOL project! We have a regular bookshelf in Clay's room for his toys and books, but all his books had found their way into a HUGE pile on the floor by the rocking chair. Clay liked to have easy access to his books and wanted to be able to see the front covers to know what book it was instead of just the binding. So, I knew these book shelves would be PERFECT! Rob's parents came last weekend and Rob took some time off work, (and Rob's parent like to help with projects) so I knew it was time for our first pinterest project! And they turned out AWESOME!! They are adorable and Clay really likes them and I LOVE not having all the books in a huge pile! If you have little ones and have access to a free pallet, this is so worth it... Here are some picks...
The before picture!Clay had to get in on all the action! Painting them was a family event!And the after! How cute are these! Can you believe that they were made from a pallet?!

Clay was SO excited!

Zeke is Two Months!

Well, my little 2 month old is 11 lbs. and 23 1/4 inches long, both in the 50th percentile! At about 6 weeks Zeke started smiling! I'd like to say I got the first smile, but Rob did! I didn't believe that Rob got a real smile until later that evening I got one too! And now he's starting to smile more and more! He is also starting to try to "talk" a little too! Everyday he talks more and more! It's so cute! I guess it's official, he's not my little newborn anymore! At about 9 weeks he started sleeping from 11pm to about 8:30pm, but he got a cold a few days ago and has been waking in the middle of the night for a COUPLE HOURS because he can't breathe very well! Now I'm a little worried that he won't go back to his 9 hour stretch once he's over this cold. I guess we'll see, but I'm exhausted. It would be one thing if he would go back to sleep after nursing him, but instead he wakes and is up for a long time, making me a very tired momma! Besides that, he's really a sweet baby! Very pleasant! I'm so excited to experience all the "firsts" in the months to come! We love you Zeke!

Lovin the things my two year old says...

Last night as we were driving home, stopped at a red light, Clay notices the moon. As soon as the light turns green and we start moving Clay exclaims, "Daddy, the moon is running!" Love that kid!

Zeke's Labor Story

I can't believe our little Zeke is already 8 weeks old! Before any more time flies by I need to write out his labor story! Be forewarned, this is going to be very long with a lot of details! I don't want to forget all the little things which is why I'm writing everything out!
Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was so desperate to have him! Once I hit 37 weeks I was ready to do whatever I could to induce labor! I don't love being pregnant so I was beyond ready to push this baby out and stop waddling around! More importantly, I was having low amniotic fluid towards the end of his pregnancy and had to go twice a week to get it checked. At every appointment there was the potential for the doctor to tell me I needed to be induced immediately (this is what happened with Clay). Plus I had a little bit of high blood pressure, nothing serious, but high enough for them to want to watch me really well. So, needless to say, the end of my pregnancy was extremely stressful and I felt like I was living at the doctors office! I felt like the race was on for me to go into labor on my own before they wanted to induce me! Since I was induced with Clay, I really wanted the experience of just going into labor naturally plus, I just feel like it's just better for things to progress naturally rather than forcing the baby to come before he's ready! (Don't get me wrong, there definitely are good reasons to be induce, like I said, I was induced with Clay and I feel like it was the right decision.) Anyway, like I said I was doing everything in my power to induce labor. I went for walks often, drove in Rob's bumpy truck, sat on a labor ball, etc!
I had been having a TON of braxton hicks that were really painful and were pretty consistent but they would always stop. I was really worried I wouldn't know when I was actually in labor because I would just think it was braxton hicks.
On August 1, 2011 I was having contractions in the morning but they stopped and then would have a few all day long, but really far apart, like 30 min or so. I felt like I was getting really close but had no clue that he was going to be born in only a few hours. I took a nice warm bath that night, trying to relax as much as possible, thinking that it would help me go into labor. Went to bed, but never slept. At midnight I noticed that the contractions were starting to be really strong and coming every 8 to 10 min. I was hoping this was real labor but wasn't really convinced since I had had plenty of braxton hicks that close together but they always stopped. At about 1 am, I'm still in the bed at this point, they were getting really painful and I began to think about the day before and how I was having contractions but they were really far apart and how all day and night they were getting stronger and closer together. I was really thinking this could be it. By 2 am I woke Rob and called my mom and Crystal (my sister in law). I told both my mom and Crystal on the phone that I was so sorry if this is just a false alarm but that I really thought this was it! So, I began to finish packing but could hardly think... It all felt so surreal! Could I really have just gone into labor naturally? Was I about to meet our baby boy?! Because of all that was going on in my body in the past 2 months I had just come to the conclusion that I was going to have to be induced again that that I needed to give up the dream of going into labor on my own. So, it was hard for me to believe that I was really going into labor naturally!
Well, my mom and Crystal arrived at about 2:30 am and I just kept telling them I am sorry if this is a false alarm, but at this point they were coming about every 3 to 5 mins and I couldn't talk while I was having them. They both looked at me and said, "Christina, we don't think this is any false alarm. You look like you're in labor!" So, we called the hospital and they told me to drink a glass of water and wait an hour. So for about half an hour we were all just standing in the kitchen (don't know why the kitchen? all I knew was that it was better for me to stand!) talking in between contractions. At about 3 am they were about every 2 to 3 min apart and were really strong. We all decided it was time to leave. We said good bye to Crystal who was staying with Clay, and my mom, Rob and I left.
We got to labor and delivery at about 3:30 am and they checked me. I was 5 to 6 cm and about 50 % effaced! I was definitely in labor! woohoo! While we were waiting for them to bring me to a room, I was overwhelmed with exhaustion. I hadn't really slept in 2 days (was up the night before with braxton hicks in the middle of the night) and I just remember laying there thinking I was so tired! At about 4:30 am or so they finally got me to the room. As soon as they are trying to hook me up to the machines to watch the baby's heart beat, they were having problems, so more people, doctors, etc. came in the room and I started to get concerned. I thought he was going into distress (this happened with clay and they started preparing me for an emergency c-section. thankfully his heart rate went back up and I was able to have him vaginally.) Well, the doc told me she had to break my water because they had to put internal monitors on the baby and they gave me oxygen. I was getting really concerned, but once they put the monitor on him, he was fine. I think they were freaking out because they couldn't pick up his heart rate with the external monitor. Anyway, I told them I wanted and epidural so I could sleep until it was time! The contractions didn't seem like they were that close together and from what I remember from Clay's labor it felt like one big contraction for a couple hours before I was 10 cm, so I thought for sure I still had hours and hours to go. I just kept thinking it would be nice to sleep for at least 2 to 3 hours! So, they gave me an IV and after about half an hour called for the epidural. The guys came around 5:45 am or so. (I was about 6 to 7 cm at this point) My mom and Rob had to leave while they did the epidural. Well, I don't know who the guy was that was doing my epidural but he was taking FOREVER! He got it in and then had to take it out and do it again. I don't know what was going on but it was making me nervous. I kept asking the guy, is this normal?? Is something wrong? Everyone kept reassuring me everything was fine (all the while I was having to tell them when I was having really bad, had to moan and pray through them kind of contractions, but it still felt like I was having good breaks in between?) My doctor came in and asked what was going on I told her I was exhausted and wanted an epidural so I could sleep. The guy finally gets it in me and tells me it will start to work in the next 5 to 10 mins. My doc says, we really need to check you! She checked and told me "this baby is going to be out in less than 10 mins!" I couldn't believe it! I told the doc to get my mom and husband in here right away! (Mind you, the epidural guy was still in the room waiting for my epidural to start working, that's how fast everything happened) They come in. My doctor tells me to push, and just like that, with one horrible burning push, I was 10 cm. So, here I am with an epidural that hasn't started working yet about to push this baby out. I remember asking my mom and sister in law what it felt like to push without pain killers and they said "oh it feels good to push." I was so surprised because of what I had heard, they said something about a ring of fire, and well, it sounded horrible. Anyway, so with the next contraction my doc had me push twice and out he came! First of all, as I'm about to push, all I remember saying was " It hurts. it really hurts!" I was saying that for a couple of reasons. One I was told it feels good to push (yeah, so not true, at least for me) and remember i had that epidural? Yeah, it didn't start working until my doctor was stitching me up! Glad I got an epidural for 2 stitches!
I couldn't believe that he came so fast! It was only 6 hours of labor and here he was! I was only in the labor room for like an hour and a half! Plus I only had to push twice and out he came! I had to push for an hour before Clay came out! I remember asking my doc at one of my appointments if labor was harder when you are induced compared to going into labor naturally and she said "labor is labor!" OK SO NOT TRUE! Going into labor naturally was WAY BETTER than being induced. That's part of the reason I wanted an epidural, I thought the contractions were going to get horrible with no breaks at all for hours before he came. I couldn't believe that they were still further apart and I was ready to push! Crazy!
One of the things I really didn't like about Clay's delivery is that they took him to the nursery before I really got the chance to nurse him. I had told my doctor about this and she was really apologetic about it (she didn't deliver Clay, the on call doctor did) and said that this experience would be very different! And sure enough she handed Zeke to me right away and told the nurses not to take him until I had the chance to hold him for at least and hour and was able to nurse him! It was great! Zeke took to nursing like a champ and my mom, Rob and I got some quality time with him before he had to go to the nursery. Funny thing, Rob and I had two names picked out but we never decided on which one we wanted to use. Mom had to leave the room while we discussed which name to pick since we might use the other one if we are blessed with another boy. Funny thing is I thought we were going to use the other name, but somehow when we saw him, he looked like an Ezekiel instead! Ezekiel means "strengthened by God" which is one of the reasons we loved the name so much! And that was that. He was Ezekiel Scott Johnson!
We didn't get to the room I would be staying at til about 8 or 8:30 and at about 10 am Clay arrived to meet his baby brother! I couldn't believe how fast everything happened! Clay of course wanted to hold Zeke right away! There was one point when we asked him where his baby brother was and he pointed to my tummy. So I think it took him a little bit to understand that Zeke was his baby brother! The rest of our hospital stay was full of family and friends coming to meet our little Zeke!
Another nice surprise was how great I felt after having Zeke! What a difference from the recovery from Clay's labor! So, I only stayed in the hospital one night and was able to come home the next day!
Zeke we are so thankful that you are a part of our family! You are an adorable baby who we love dearly! We can't wait to get to know you and love you more in the years to come!

Zeke's One Month Stats

Zeke had his one month checkup this week and I was surprised to find out that he had gained more than 2 lbs. since his birth! Gaining weight was such a struggle with Clay! He was the skinniest baby! His weight was always at the 10th percentile or below! Don't know what I'll do with a chunky baby ;) but Zeke is definitely going to be bigger than his big brother ever was! Here are his stats:
weight 9lbs. 6oz. 50th percentile
length 20 1/2 inches 50th percentile