Monday, November 30, 2015

Thanksgiving Wrap Up



Well we are back home from all of our Thanksgiving festivities! We had a great weekend in Little Rock. We loaded up very early on Friday morning and headed to my parents house. We were a little unsure of how Campbell would do. We like to time our car trips around his nap time so he'll sleep for half of the ride but we wanted to get on the road early so we decided to hope for the best. Campbell did amazing. I hope I don't jinx our road trips by saying this but he really is such a great little car rider. As long as Mickey Mouse is on the iPad, he's good to go. He quietly watched 3 hours of Mickey without making so much as a peep. So proud of my little guy! I think three hours is his limit though because right as we take the exit to my parents house he starts getting a little restless. 
The girls are great little car riders too and always have been. They just switch back and forth between my lap and Scotts and do their best to get a good nap in to make the trip go by quicker!!
We had an early Thanksgiving dinner on Friday and a lot of my family came up to celebrate with us. It was Avery's first Thanksgiving so she wore Gamma's "First Thanksgiving" bib. It looks as if the bib is going to get used three years in a row which I think is fun. Campbell and Avery enjoyed their dinner together a little earlier than the rest of us and they looked so cute doing it. It sure is fun having two babies in the house!
The meal was delicious and I was miserably full after it was all over. The rest of our weekend was spent mostly indoors since it poured down rain literally the entire time we were there. 
Campbell and Avery had fun being together this weekend. These little buddies always do! I can't wait until they're both just a little bit bigger and are talking and actually play together. It will be so much fun watching them!!
For now they both enjoy standing at that one toy that plays music that they both enjoy dancing to. And they both feel it's necessary to put their faces right up to the TV while Mickey is on because apparently that's the best way to watch it. 
Thanksgiving was great! Now it's time to move on to Christmas!! One of these days I'm going to get my house decorated for it. 

Friday, November 27, 2015

14 Weeks

Here we go! It's time for my weekly updates again. Scott asked me if I was going to take weekly bump photos and I said no. I enjoyed doing that with Campbell and seeing my progression but I think I'm going to sit it out this time. I may just post some selfies and whenever Scott can snap some pics of me and my growing belly I'll share those also. I still enjoy reading back on my weekly posts with Campbell and I can't tell you how many women have reached out to me saying they go back and read my weekly posts while they're pregnant to get comparisons. I've done that with other bloggers myself!! These posts have most definitely been my most popular to date and I'm excited that I'm able to do this again. Let's get started on week 14!


Size of Baby: 1.5 ounces and 3.5 inches long or about the size of a lemon.

How I'm Feeling: I'm pretty good. I still get tired throughout the day but manage to power through. My nausea has eased up quite a bit this week although I'm still getting sick about once a day. Taking my beloved nightly bath makes me nauseous and I've decided it's not a coincidence. I think the heat just doesn't settle well with this baby. So mexican food, tea and baths--all my favorite things are off the table for now apparently.

Cravings/Appetite: I crave water. Isn't that weird? I guess it's a pretty great thing to crave!

Clothes: I can still fit in all of my regular clothes perfectly. Although I won't even pretend that I didn't bring out the maternity jeans before they were even necessary. I asked Scott the day I found out I was pregnant if it was too soon to start wearing my maternity pants. I love those things.

Movement: I actually have felt little flutters in my belly and started noticing really, really early this time. Since this is my second pregnancy, I'm able to easily recognize that feeling in my tummy is my sweet little baby rolling around in there. I'm so ready to feel big movements. It's my absolute favorite thing like, ever.

Changes in Me: I've lost four pounds and when I told Scott he said "well you lost it somewhere else because I can definitely see my baby" as he pointed to my oh so big baby bump. It made me laugh! This belly is definitely bigger at 14 weeks than it was with Campbell. Women aren't joking when they say you start showing a lot faster the second time. My back is already hurting me and sometimes I have a really hard time falling asleep at night.

Baby Purchases: Can you believe I haven't bought one single item for this baby? I already have so many things that I just can't even think of what I would need. I'm looking forward to finding out the gender so I can do a little shopping. If it's a boy he is all set in the clothing department although I'll still want to get a few new things of course. If it's a girl I'll have to get a whole new wardrobe started which is a scary thought. I have no self control when it comes to baby clothes. I'm waiting until after the holidays before I even begin to think about how I want to decorate the nursery.

Favorite Moment This Week: Sharing our big news! Putting it out there made it feel all the more real. I almost considered waiting just a little bit longer until we knew the gender but my belly wasn't keeping my secret anymore and I didn't want people to think I was getting carried away with the holiday food.

Looking Forward To: We had a great Thanksgiving holiday yesterday and now I'm looking forward to a weekend in Little Rock with my family. I always get so much help with Campbell and I feel like I can relax so much more. I could use a weekend where I take it easy considering how bad my back starts to hurt after not much strenuous activity. I can't even imagine how bad it's going to get in the coming weeks. I wonder why this is happening so much sooner this time? If you have any thoughts or guesses send them my way!!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you had a great day! Our Thanksgiving Day was great and it feels like the festivities are only getting started. We're headed to Little Rock tomorrow to continue on!!
Our day started early!! Campbell must have known he had a fun day ahead of him because he woke up at 6:50--about 45 minutes earlier than he usually does. Dislike. But I'll forgive him. I grabbed my little peanut from his crib and made my boys and girls a yummy Thanksgiving breakfast! We all crawled back in bed and watched a little bit of the Macy's Parade before we started getting ready for the day.
We had lunch at Scott's mom's house. Campbell had so much fun playing with his cousins. They're quite a bit older than he is but they were so sweet to him and he had a blast! My MIL got this photo of Campbell playing outside in the leaves and I think it's so cute!
Shortly after lunch it was time for Campbell's nap (and mine too!) so we went home to rest up before Scott's Dad came over for dinner. For the first time I made everything from scratch. I've been cooking for days! I actually make all of our holiday meals from scratch except I always get the dressing catered because I've never made it before and a local place here makes the yummiest dressing. However, I waited too late to order it so I decided to just make my own. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I know my way around the kitchen so I knew I could handle it with no problems.
Wrong.
I don't know what I did but it was a major fail. I didn't even serve it. I was very irritated with myself but thankfully Scott and his Dad weren't the least bit concerned. We had plenty of yummy dishes to indulge in but the dressing is my favorite part so I was pretty bummed out.
It was just the four of us--simple but nice. Once my FIL left I put Campbell to bed then made desserts to take to Little Rock tomorrow. Needless to say, I'm exhausted! Being a woman during the holidays is hard work!
To say I'm thankful for these three would be an understatement! I love my babies with my whole heart. All three of them bring me joy, happiness, laughter and endless smiles!! I'm blessed with a sweet little family and I can't wait to see the rest of my family and spend the weekend with them! Days with all of my families are the best days!!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Things That Would Make My Thanksgiving Holiday Perfect

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays and I'm excited that it's just a few days away! We're spending Thanksgiving Day here in NWA and on Friday we're driving down to Little Rock to spend the rest of the weekend with my family. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. I love waking up and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's been a part of my Thanksgiving tradition for as long as I can remember. I'm planning on making a yummy breakfast for Scott, Campbell and myself (the girls will probably get to indulge in a few bites as well) and we can all cuddle together and watch the parade while we eat our big breakfast.
If I could add these things to my Thanksgiving Holiday, I would consider the day/weekend to be a total success! Although I have a feeling that even without these things, my holiday will be wonderful. However, I may see what I can do to make all of this happen!!
(via belovelyevents.com)
A fall floral centerpiece as gorgeous as this one would definitely add a special touch to any Thanksgiving table or buffet!!
(via food.allwomenstalk.com)
A cheese tray that looks just as delicious and pretty as this one does.....just to snack on during the day.
(via iloveanimals234.blogspot.com)
A picture of my girls buried in fall leaves looking sweet and adorable and oh so fall-like sure would make me happy!
(via southernliving.com)
An outdoor fire at my parents house. Sitting on their back porch, sipping on something warm, hearing the firewood crackle and enjoying the company of my loved ones seems like the perfect way to end a day. 
(via number-2-pencil.com)
This oh so delicious looking cranberry turkey sandwich as a Thanksgiving leftover lunch. Yum. I'm definitely planning on making this!

What about you? What would make your Thanksgiving holiday absolutely perfect? Besides being with your friends, family or loved ones of course! 

Monday, November 23, 2015

All About Baby #2

Thank you everyone for all of the well wishes! We are so blessed and excited for this time in our lives and I look forward to sharing my journey with you all again! I've been asked many questions so I thought I'd answer them all for you. A lot of people have asked if I plan on blogging weekly about my pregnancy again and I figure, sure! I'm always up for blogging material and I still enjoy reading back on my weekly posts with Campbell. Let's get started with all about baby number two!!

When are you due? My due date is May 28. This baby could very easily be born on Scott's birthday (May 18) or my birthday (May 25)! We'll see!!

How are you feeling? Oh you know, terrible. I am not blessed to be one of those women who has an easy first trimester. I have been miserable and often times have shed tears over how horrible I have felt these last 2 months. The nausea this pregnancy has been much worse than it was last time but I haven't thrown up quite as much. With Campbell I lost 6.5 pounds and this time I've lost 4. I still can't decide if I've felt better, worse, or the same as I did when I was pregnant with Campbell. It's definitely been harder being pregnant this time considering I have a little toddler to look after. Now that I'm in my second trimester, the last 4-5 days have been much better so I'm hoping I've turned a corner.

When did you find out? September 14. Apparently I'm one who gets a positive super early. With Campbell I found out at 3 weeks, 4 days and this time I was only 3 weeks, 2 days. I heard Campbell wake up so I went to the bathroom to take a test before I got him out of bed. I watched the test and thought I noticed a second line appear. I held it up to the light and sure enough there it was getting darker and darker. I thought to myself "well alright then," laid it on the counter and went and got Campbell.

How did you tell Scott? Thankfully Scott was home when I got the positive. I was in the kitchen while Campbell was eating his breakfast. Scott came in the room and said "hey buddy are you ready for your first day of Mothers Day Out?" and I said "he sure is! And he's ready to be a big brother too!!" Scott looked at me and said "oh really? Yay Campbell!" Scott clapped, I clapped, Campbell clapped. It was a sweet little moment for the three of us :)
Have you had any cravings? As I'm typing this I'm currently eating a bowl of cereal which is something I never do because I think milk is so gross. But apparently I like cereal when I'm pregnant because I was the same way with Campbell. I haven't had as many food aversions as I did last time but the one thing that is insanely strange is that the thought of mexican food and tea sounds horrible. Whaaat?

Is this pregnancy different than your first? The thing that stands out to me about how different this pregnancy has been is that I am so hungry all the time. Like, starving. It would suddenly hit me how hungry I was and I had to eat right. then. That's starting to go away a little bit thank goodness because I felt ridiculous pulling into a drive through at 2:00 in the afternoon and ordering a kids meal.

Are you showing? Oh heavens yes. My belly started pooching out at 5 weeks and I was convinced there was two in there. At 8 weeks I was having to wear clothes to try to hide it and by 11.5 weeks it was a full blown baby bump. At first I was kind of embarrassed at how quickly I was showing because with Campbell I didn't have any little bit of anything until 17 weeks. Once it really started to look like a little baby bump I was reminded of how much I love the bump and now I'm glad it's decided to make it's appearance a little early so I can enjoy it longer!
Are you so excited? I am excited! I'm also terrified. I've made it no secret that we struggled so much in the beginning with Campbell. Everyone tells me that this time will be different but I still have so much anxiety about having to go through it again. Newborns are hard. The sleep deprivation is what I'm dreading most and I'm already trying to come up with plans on how I can get some sleep. This time I'm definitely going to have to let people help me more. I wanted to do it all myself with Campbell (Type A) and now I'm already telling Mom and Scott what I'm planning on their "jobs" being.

How do you think Campbell will do? I truly think Campbell is going to do great!! He's so sweet when he sees other babies. I think he'll be interested in the new baby occasionally but I think life will just continue as it normally does for him. I'm going to do my best to make sure Campbell's life doesn't drastically change with the new addition. I plan on having the new baby nap in their room so Campbell and I can hang out downstairs or in the playroom, just the two of us, like we always do.

What has been your favorite moment so far? Getting to see the baby on an ultrasound is always so fun and special. We've already had 4 ultrasounds so we've been able to see our little one a lot! And I know this may sound silly but this baby looks so different than Campbell. I know it's hard to tell in an ultrasound but it's a completely different profile which is kind of crazy to me! I just assumed they would look identical. I'm so busy with Campbell so this pregnancy is passing right before me and sometimes I forget that I'm even pregnant. I'm ready to meet this sweet little baby and bring him/her (we don't know the gender yet) home so we can be a family of four (six including the girls!!). Imagining snuggling with both of my babies brings tears to my eyes and I'm looking forward to those sweet moments we will have together.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Arriving in May!

We are thrilled to announce that Campbell is going to be a big brother!
Baby Johnson number two will be joining our family in May! Come back tomorrow for all of the baby details!!

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Date Night

My Mom has been up for a few days and it's been nice having her for a visit! It's a short visit (she's leaving tomorrow) but we've had a nice time. We haven't done a whole lot but after we got Campbell from MDO he came to the mall with us to do a little shopping. He's a pretty good shopper especially if you give him a snack! If he has a snack then he'll let you shop for as long as you want!!
Mom insisted on Scott and I having a date night since we never, ever get to do that anymore. I've really been craving a nice meal with my husband so I was excited that we got to get out of the house for a little bit. We decided to have dinner at Tavola (one of our absolute favorites) then after we wanted to check out the new coffee bar--Onyx--in downtown Bentonville.
It was so neat in there and I can see why everyone has been raving about it. I told Scott this needs to be our new date night thing--on the rare chance we actually get one. Downtown Bentonville is becoming so, so neat and I love being in that area. So many good restaurants are downtown and I loved this little coffee shop. I'm so thankful to my Mom for giving us a date night so we could enjoy a delicious meal and some quiet conversation! It was much needed.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Wants Not Needs

You know how you see something that you really want but you know it would be silly to get it because deep down inside, you know you don't need it? That's how I'm currently feeling about these items that I keep getting heart eyes over every time I look at them.
I think these shoes are so pretty. I would really love to call them mine but I know I would hardly wear them because unfortunately, I rarely wear pumps these days. A girl needs to splurge on a gorgeous pair of shoes every now and then though, even if they aren't practical, so I just may have to do it with these pretties. They're Free People if anyone else thinks they need them too.
I love these blazers from J Crew. They're called "The Campbell Blazer" which makes my heart go pitter patter. It's kind of like it was meant to be don't you think? I used to wear blazers all the time but I never do anymore so it's probably best if I just move on from The Campbell Blazer. Sigh.....
These faux fur pet beds from Restoration Hardware have Ivy and Madison's name written all over them! But they already have a bed from Homegoods that they've always had and they absolutely love, love it. So it would be silly for me to get these beautiful faux fur beds that would look so pretty in my house.
That's pretty much it. And also everything that's in the holiday Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids catalogue. Usually I throw my magazines away but I've kept those because I enjoy looking through them over and over again. I should probably find something better to do with my time.....

Monday, November 16, 2015

Walmart Adventure

We had a nice, low key weekend. We all just hung out, watched some college football and ate some pizza. I actually got to sleep in on Saturday. Saturday is always my day to sleep in but I've gotten to where I can't sleep in anymore. But I actually slept until 10:30 and it was glorious! Our Saturday night ended with the Hogs beating LSU and nothing is more beautiful than that.
Sunday consisted of our regular routine. We went to church then decided to eat at Flying Fish after. Campbell LOVES eating there. A couple that was leaving walked by and commented that Campbell hadn't stopped eating since we sat down at the table. It's true. I don't blame Campbell, I love it too.
There's a new Walmart Neighborhood Market across the street so we decided to pop in and check it out. Because when you live in Bentonville that's what you do. Plus this particular neighborhood market carries Ricks goodies and I needed a sweet treat. When we walked in they had these adorable mini carts and right when I saw them I knew Campbell would love pushing it. Oh my stars did he love it. LOVE. I honestly think it was like, a top life moment for Campbell. Everyone in the store just stopped and watched. He squealed with delight and extreme joy was written all over his face.
We decided to grab some stuff to make chili for dinner and Campbell couldn't get enough. He loved setting the food in the cart and walking up and down the aisles. We got tons of cute videos of his Walmart adventure and I keep watching them over and over. It was so hilarious and adorable that he was having as much fun as he did! Scott and I (and everyone else in the store) got a big kick out of it. It's one of those things that I'll always remember!

Friday, November 13, 2015

Snoozin' Away

This little peanut slept until 10:00 this morning!! He was in bed before 8:00 last night which means he slept about 14 hours total. Crazy! It's honestly not super rare for him to sleep in like that but he's never slept until 10 before. That's a new record. Last Wednesday and Thursday he slept until 9:00 which made us late to my bible study and MDO since he's my alarm clock! He must be going through a big growth spurt. Campbell usually sleeps until 7:30-8:00 in the morning so it's such a nice treat when he sleeps in! I woke up on my own at about 7:45 today and ate breakfast in bed and watched my morning shows until he woke up. It was so nice! I kept thinking to myself "this must be what it's like to have teenagers." Ha!
Campbell has a new dining room table! You can see a better picture of it on my Instagram (@kara2lou). I'm wanting to transition away from the high chair and this was the best option for us. One of my friends/neighbors made it and Scott and I love the way it turned out! We're still using the high chair--especially for messy meals--but this is working pretty good so far. Campbell gets up and down a lot and we're trying to teach him to sit and eat but I don't think he gets it. I'd love for us to all sit at the dining room table together but I'm worried Campbell would ruin the table, my chairs and the rug under the table. So that was a no-go. I love that he has his own little table and he loves that he has his own little table too. We just have to work on sitting at it the entire meal time. It may take a while!
We don't have much planned for the weekend--thank goodness. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my little family and getting together with friends to watch the game tomorrow. Y'all have a good weekend!

Thursday, November 12, 2015

A Day At Target

Campbell had MDO today and my first stop after dropping him off was to Target. I'm trying to get some Christmas shopping done and wanted to see what I could find at one of my favorite stores. I didn't get too far inside before the dollar bins up front stopped me in my tracks. Have y'all seen all of the Christmas goodies they have in the dollar bins? It's heaven. I noticed that it looked good when they were putting it out about a week ago but I had Campbell with me and was in a hurry so I didn't get a chance to look. I bet I spent 30 minutes checking everything out and I came away with some pretty terrific finds!
Campbell's stocking is officially stuffed with these cute toys that I found! Everything but the xylophone was one dollar!! They had so many cute things to choose from but I decided my little guy would probably enjoy these items the best.
I got overly excited when I saw these cute dog sweaters for only $3. It's no secret how much I love a sweater for my girls (they love them too!...well, Madison does) and $3 is a steal. They had so many cute ones to choose from, and I probably spent a solid 15 minutes trying to decide, but ultimately I went with these. The girls are going to look so cute and cozy in their pretty new sweaters :)
And since I was doing such a good job finding all kinds of fun things for my people, I decided I needed a prize of my own. Who knew Haribo came out with holiday gummy bears? The red and green are my favorite colors so this was quite a delightful surprise.

Once I made it past the dollar bins, I headed over to the Christmas section and spent entirely too much time browsing. It made me so excited for the holidays! Target always has the best Christmas items! I wanted one of everything but forced myself to have self control. I already want to go back and browse again. Sometimes it's fun just to look.

That's pretty much what my day consisted of. Before I knew it, I had spent over an hour and a half in Target. It was glorious really. It was super cold outside and I sipped on my yummy cappuccino while I looked at Christmas stuff. The perfect Target experience if you ask me.
Once you become a mom, things like taking your sweet precious time at Target become such a treasure.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Catching Up

Hey all! Sorry I've been a little MIA. I have not been feeling very good recently. I feel like I get sore throats all the time which makes me think Campbell must have sore throats a lot too. I feel okay but sleep terribly and just feel a little worn down. Ugh! I'm over it. I plan on heavily medicating myself with some serious over the counter PM medicine so I can get some good rest tonight.
We spent our weekend in Little Rock visiting my family. We didn't have anything going on and figured we may as well go down there for a change of scenery. We visited the new outlet mall (I was impressed!) and did some of our other typical LR shopping (toggery, jcrew, apple store, anthro) and the rest of the time we just hung out at my parents.
My Mom and Dad got a new play kitchen for Campbell and Avery to play with and it is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Campbell spent the entire weekend playing with it. He would put that little oven mitt on and take cookies in and out of the oven. It cracked me up. That's a felt pizza on top of the refrigerator that I had to put out of arms reach because it made such a mess. I still can't handle messes, 19 months later. I try to tell myself to let it go and embrace the mess but no can do.
We got home late Sunday night and as I was laying in bed watching the news, the weatherman warned of a possible freeze that night. I've been keeping my eyes and ears open for a freeze warning so I could be sure to cut my hydrangeas before the frost killed them. I hopped out of bed at 10:30 pm, grabbed a flashlight and went out to my hydrangeas. I cut about 2 dozen and they are so beautiful. Thankfully we didn't get a freeze, and there are some hydrangeas that are close to blooming so hopefully it will be another week or so before we get one and I can gather a few more gorgeous flowers before it's over.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Lazy Day

Today was a lazy day where Campbell and I laid around and did nothing, never leaving the house.
Those days are nice to have occasionally. I usually feel super bad about myself when I do that but I didn't today. I guess I needed a break from the typical daily life of errands and chores and even just putting makeup on. I finally managed to get Campbell and myself out of our pajamas around noon. When Campbell took a nap, the girls and I decided to curl up together and take a nap also. When we all woke up, Campbell and I decided to hang out in the bonus room, share a bowl of apples and watch some cartoons together.
I love that my little boy will cuddle with me. It seems like most toddlers are too busy for that but Campbell loves curling up in my lap. I treasure his sweetness. And his appreciation for an occasional lazy day with his Momma.