I Love You~

I Love you- some say its a saying we too openly use. It should be sacred and only said to the ones we truly love. I believe the contrary, it's a phrase we do not use often enough.

The other day I took Cayman in for his check up at the doctors office. I watched him as he played with the other kids in the waiting room, giggled when he sat on his pediatricians lap, and hi-fived all the nurses. I am blessed with one very friendly little boy. He loves absolutely everyone he comes in contact with. Its a characteristic I wish I had more of. We are taught to be like little children, and to love thy neighbor. Sometimes it can be so hard. In the world we we live in today, terrible things happen. Do I love the men who set off bombs at the Boston Marathon? NO! But we are taught to. This is a concept I will have to work on until the day I die. But I will die trying.

My little boys are so much of what I want to be in life. I had to put Cayman in the "calm down corner" for the first time the other day. He was so upset, and I felt so bad. It's not fun being the bad guy. But, he forgave me instantly. Came up and kissed me on the cheek, gave me a big hug, and signed "sorry." Then he said in the sweetest little voice, "I love you, mommy." It brought tears to my eyes. Children are so forgiving, so loving, and perfect in every way. I want to be like that. "Hate" is not a concept he understands, he loves with all his heart. Children don't care what house you live in, what car you drive, or how much money you make. They are humble, and they love you regardless.

I was reading a talk the other day by Jean A Stevens, first counselor in the Primary General Presidency. She said, "These precious children of God come to us with believing hearts. They are full of faith and receptive to feelings of the Spirit. They exemplify humility, obedience, and love. They are often the first to love and the first to forgive."

I love this talk, it is probably one of my favorites. Children are who we should be striving to become more like. Humble, loving, forgiving, accepting, and so much more. They do not judge us, they love us with all that they are. 

 

 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I have this picture hanging up on our hallway, in between Cayman and Beckham's room. Underneath is this saying. It reminds me every day how special it is to be a mother of such precious little miracles.We live in a day and age where there is too much hate, jealously, and not enough love. I wish I could say that I had no enemies, but I'm sure that's just not true. I'm sure there is someone out there who doesn't like me, even without knowing me. So to you my friend, well.. I LOVE YOU! So uh, take that!!! Everyone deserves to be happy, EVERYONE deserves their happily ever after. Doesn't mean we need to be best friend with them, it just means we need to love them regardless of the situation. This is something I am going to try much harder to do.


To Cayman and Beckham, My two sweet little boys.
Thank you for choosing me to be your mom.You are the reason I wake up at 6:30 am most days, so I can get ready for the day before you're even up. I don't want to miss a thing. Your smiling faces are what keep me going. I am so proud of you both and cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for you. You are the reason I believe in miracles. You are the reason I want to be a better person. You are the reason behind my each and every day. No amount of money, fame, or materialistic thing could ever replace the love I have for you. You are my whole world, my heart, and my best friends. I love you more than life itself. One day, you will be grown up and married with your own kids. I hope that you will love them like I love you. You will forever and always be- my two sweet little boys! I thank our Father in heaven every day, for sending you to me.

March of Dimes~ March for Babies

On May 18th my family and I will be walking for the March of Dimes. Having had two micro preemies, this is very important to us. Funds raised in March for Babies helps support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And they will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care. The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

One HUGE misconception about pre term babies, is that their mother did not care for their bodies while they were pregnant. Please people, educate yourself before you say something that could offend the millions of women who have to go through putting a baby through the NICU. It's not easy, and these women and children  need LOVE and SUPPORT.  Lets stop the ignorance and push for OB's to educate parents as to why babies can be born early without any warning. This should be done starting at 24 weeks, not when the baby is already born!  I thought because Cayman was born early that maybe I could have done something different, ate a little better?? I wasn't eating any different than any other pregnant woman. Maybe I shouldn't have exercised? My doctor asked me to though, he said it would help with labor. I was so confused. So, with Beckham I took it easy. Never excersized, ate as healthy as I could, and drank lots and lots Of water. 27 weeks rolled around and BOOM, here comes baby! It's frustrating to say the least. I'd like to know why this happened, and I think research needs to be done. Women need to be aware that this could happen to any woman, even if your mother and sisters had perfect pregnancies. I know mine did.

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. Our team is walking in March for Babies because we want to do something about this. I know you care, too. That's why I'm asking you to join us. It's easy: just click the join this team button.

If you can't walk with us, please help by donating to our team. You can do so right on this page. Thank you for helping us give all babies a healthy start!   The All-Star Brothers. 

Thank you for your support guys, love you all!!

Easter~

It is so much fun having a little one that understands what Easter is. We got to witness Caymans face light up as we decorated Easter eggs, made Easter crafts, opened Easter baskets, and made cookies. My favorite part was reading him the story of Christ and his resurrection. Every time he sees a picture of Christ he knows exactly who he is, and says "Jesus!" I cant wait until next year when Beckhams a little older. Then we will have TWO very excited little boys for fun holidays like this! I had fun decorating for Easter this year, and the pastels colors made me so excited for the sun to be out! Yay for sunshine!

This Easter we kept pretty darn busy, we took Cayman to the "Easter Eggstreme" at Thanksgiving Point. Once again they did not disappoint. I thought it was just going to be a huge Easter Egg hunt, but I was so wrong. They did have a huge egg hunt; but they also had rides, games, bounce houses, food, face painting, and even a petting zoo! Needless to say, Cayman had a blast and so did Skyler and I. Cayman was a pro at the egg hunt. He saw all the older kids running for the eggs and putting them in their baskets, so he quickly caught on and ran for the eggs. He actually ended up with more than some of the older kids, we were impressed. haha

The following day was Easter morning. The Easter bunny did not disappoint. ;) Cayman was so excited, and Beckham loved his first Easter basket (I think). lol

We went to church in our Easter attire of course, and took our very FIRST family picture! So crazy it took us this long to do so, but i'm happy we did!

After church we had a big bbq with Skylers family. My side of the family was not able to make it, because my mom was really sick. :( bummer. It was still  blast though, my in laws sure know how to have a great time! I get along with them so well, they are awesome. I often ask myself, how did I get so lucky!? We had another Easter Egg hunt with the little kiddies, made Easter cookies, decorated eggs, and made cupcakes.

Cayman made these Easter cupcakes all by himself (with a little bit of my help) It made a HUGE mess, but he had so much fun so we didn't care. Its memories like this that make the messes, temper tantrums, poopy diapers, and sleepless nights so worth it!

I'm so glad spring is here, and that we can finally get out of the house! I foresee lots of walks, and days at the park in the future. CAN'T WAIT!

Spring Closet Mix Challenge

Spring has sprung, and that means a nice mix up to my wardrobe!! Whoop Whoop!! Man was I ready for a change. If you follow me on instragram, i'm sure you've seen my posts from the Spring closet mix up challenge. So, I just wanted to share a few of my favorite deals for this spring! No, I am not trying to become a "fashion blogger" by any means. I do however like finding my friends a good deal. So why not? Its fun! Hope you all enjoy. :)

Bracelets:{ Apple of my eye Jewelry }Top:{ Forever 21} Belt: old {Similar Style} Pants: {Gap} Wedges: Tjmaxx

Top: {Forever 21} Skirt: {J Crew} Necklace: old 

Top: JCrew {Similar Style} Cardigan: {J.Crew Factory} Belt: Old {Similar Style} Pants: {Gap} Boots: Dolce Vita {6pm.com} Bracelets (My personal favorite Jewelry site): {Apple of my Eye Jewelry}

Top:{ Shop Sosie} Necklace: {T&J Designs} Tie: {P.S I Adore You} SUCH a cute site! 

Flats: {J.Crew Factory} Pants: (so in love with this fit) {Gap}

Top: {Forever 21} Pants: old, craving {these} Necklace: Old {Craving this} Shoes: {Charlotte Russe

Sweater: {F21} Button down: {Forever 21} Monogrammed Necklace: My Glamour Chest, old {Similar Style}

Peplum Top: {F21} Lavender Pants:{ F21} Necklace: {F21} Shoes: Old

Bracelets: {Banana Republic} Watch: {Bohme} Top : {Nordstrom}

Heels: Old {Craving These}

I am also loving this necklace for spring from Luxe Craving. One of my new favorite Jewelry sites!

Bracelets: once again {Apple of my Eye Jewelry}

Top: {F21} Bow Belt: Nordstom {Similar Style} Lavender Skinnies: {Gap} Glitter Flats: {Sole Society}

Sweater: {F21} Chambray: {Nordstom} Denim: Old, loving {these} Heels: Old, obsessing over {these}

Top {F21} Pants:{F21} Necklace: Old

Also, one of my new favorite online sites is VeryJane.com Seriously guys, there are some great deals on here, and I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the company! Such an awesome company. They list items every day for a discounted price, so make sure and check it out every day. I had been eyeing this gorgeous J.Crew bracelet for months now, and here it is for $24.99 on VeryJane. Its J.Crew inspired by Hawthore collection, and you cant even tell the difference! Amazing!

Cayman Turned 2!!

www.katejohnson-photography.com

This adorable little man turned two on March 18th, and it makes me so sad. When did he start growing up? Here's a few pictures from his birthday party. Big shout out to SpaceshipsLaserBeams for the party design templates, and for getting them to me on such short notice. 

Because Beckham still cant be around big crowds, we decided to have Caymans birthday party be an intimate gathering with close friends and family. It was perfect, and I must say I think I did a pretty good job with the time I had. We didn't decide on a day until last minute, because so much family wasn't able to make it the original day we had planned. SO, I literally put his party together in less than 24 hours. I was up till 4am baking, but it was so worth it. Caymans face was priceless when we took him downstairs to see his party decorations. His new favorite thing is "Vroom Vrooms," so of course I just had to throw him a race car birthday party! Skyler even grabbed a small tire from the garage, washed it off really good, and we used it as a decoration. I think it gave it the perfect touch. :)

I made a four layer cake the night before Caymans party, and didn't finish it till 4 am. Oy vey, remind me to just buy a cake next time! I think it turned out pretty cute though, and the mini flag banner was just too cute on top.

Cayman could have cared less about pictures, all he was interested in was the cars and of course all the food. I swear this kid ate at least 10 mini doughnuts that day, and we didn't protest because it was his party and he could do what he wants ;)

Party Details

Little man opening his presents. :)

Cayman and Navy- Such a cute couple! They are the best of friends. Thanks Alex for coming last minute, glad it worked out!

Dont forget Beckham! He was such a sweet good boy that day, as always. :)

Singing Cayman Happy Birthday, his face lit up and he couldn't stop smiling. 

I promise Cayman had a fun time at his birthday, he just HATES taking pictures these days and refuses to smile for them. lol Happy 2nd Birthday Cayman, I hope your day was as amazing as you are!!! XOXO

Caymans actual Birthday~

As I was looking through my blog posts, I realized I didn't post about Caymans actual birthday. His party was a week after it, but we made the real day extra special too!

We got Cayman out of bed while singing, "Happy Birthday to you!" and brought him downstairs to balloons, a few presents, and an extra special birthday breakfast! Birthday Pancakes. Holy Heavens, these were AMAZING!! For all of those who wanted the recipe, you can find it here.

Later that day, we took him to Jungle Jims, one of our close friends recommended it. They have all kinds of rides and games for little kids, and cayman had so much fun! Our good friends the Nelsons came to celebrate with us, which was perfect because Cayman and Tenley are best friends. They love each other! My mom and sister Alyssa also showed up and surprised Cayman as well. It was such a simple, but fun day!

Still cant believe my little boy is TWO!!!