Oh, so tired!

Here's our not-so-little Nigel taking up our entire bed. He is one funny pup. Also, check out Mike's cool UPS tan in the background.

Weddings, Weddings and more Weddings!!!

Mike's sisters, Katie and Kylie, both got married these past few weeks. They were beautiful brides and both had very different and unique weddings. It took a lot of planning and effort to pull them off and we all worked together and did it. Did I mention that they got married two weeks apart?!?! But somehow we still did it! Here are some photos of their big days...

Our little family at the Temple

Katie and Travis - They were married July 24th at the Reno Temple

That entire day they did not take their eyes off one another

Gorgeous!

The Beautiful Bride

Steve and Kylie were married August 8th at the Reno Temple

The Wedding Party

Us Beautiful Bridesmaids - We had fantastic RED heels that were to die for!

The Handsome Groomsmen

Our little family again!

Congratulations to Travis and Katie and also Steve and Kylie. Welcome to our cRaZy family boys. Enjoy every minute of your eternal marriage! Love you guys!

Sunday Nights at the In-Laws

Because of the craziness of planning two weddings, Mike's mother enlisted the help of their cousin Natalie. She stayed at the Johnson's home for over a week, helping with planning, decorations and making all three of the bridesmaid dresses. Amidst all of the wedding hoopla, we were all able to set aside some good ol' family time by learning the art of Pole Dancing. Natalie is a pole exercising instructor (and yes, she is a member) and was kind enough to not only bring her pole, but let everyone have a try.

Here Mike is being taught by our pro, Natalie.

The correct way to slide down the pole...

and the not so correct way.

Here is how Mike ended up. He does get a gold star for a valiant effort!

Matt working on his Flagpole move. Not so bad, right?!?!

Travis doing his own moves. Don't you just love the black socks?

Even Dad got on and gave it a try.

Don't tell anyone, but I think he actually enjoyed it!

Steve actually held on the longest. Good job, Kid!

We even let Brayden try to do it. He may need some practice though.

Thanks goes to Natalie for such a fun Sunday evening. I do have to say it was kind of odd to see a stripper pole in my In-Law's living room. It was quite fun and crazy none the less!

Our Little Nigel

We have a new little addition to our family and his name is Nigel. He is only 8 weeks old and is an English Bull Dog and Pit mix. He is very mellow and very good with Brayden. He evenhas Mike wrapped around his little paw. He is the perfect pup for our little family!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

My New Love

Today I got myself a little something. A gift from me, to me. A little self-indulgence, as you will. Today I bought myself a beautiful camera.

I love taking pictures. I carry my camera with me wherever I go, so I thought that it was only fitting to get one that I would love with all of my heart and soul. One that I could pour myself into and be able to capture every waking moment, especially of Brayden. He is my muse.

All I want in the world is to be a photographer. To hopefully one day start my own business and yet still be able to stay home with my son. I figure I only get to live once, and I have come to close to the end to not take any chances. That is what life is about. I thank my husband for working so hard for our little family. He encourages me to do what I want to do. He is my inspiration and I love him whole-heartedly.

Thank you Mike for allowing me to start this new adventure.

Learning to Ride

This week Brayden finally learned how to ride his bike. I know, I know. I am a terrible mom for waiting this long to teach him, but at least he caught on quick. My dad took him out to a parking lot by our home (because idiot people like to fly down our street) and taught him how to ride in about 30 minutes. Now Brayden rides like a pro!

Free Summer Fun

Last Friday we met up with Matt, Jen, Jonah and baby Caleb to play in the water fountain at the movie theatre. The boys had a great time running through the water and hitting around the Cars beach ball. Brayden loves playing with his little cousin Jonah. They get along so well. The best part of our fun outing was that it was free! You can't beat that!

26th Birthday

So Monday was my 26th birthday. I really wasn't all that excited because now I am just that much closer to being...gulp...30!!! The day was pretty fun though. I was able to go out to lunch with a good friend, go shopping, get my fingernails and toes done, have dinner and cake made for me, and the best part of all - presents!!! I received a lot of great things, but the best was the beautiful Eternity pearl and diamond necklace from mu adorable hubby. There is a long story behind the necklace, but it was the greatest and most beautiful gift. My hubby sure does know how to spoil me!

Me and my Papa

The "Girls"

Me and my Best Bud!

This picture explains how I really felt about my birthday!

Fish Follies

What the heck is up with our fish? We got these two fish in February for Brayden and they are the two weirdest creatures ever. Their names are Fu Man Choo (if you look at the orange one, it looks like he has a moustach) and Johnny Cash. After every feeding, we find that they like to float upside down. For the longest time we thought that they were dying and we came very close to flushing them down the toilet. We did some research on the internet and found out that we were giving them too much food and that they were just like us humans, trying to relax after eating. Good thing I didn't flush them.

My Last Day at SNCA

For the last five months I have worked for Sierra Nevada Cardiology and Associates. After 6 years of being home with Brayden and four of those years being sick with cancer, I thought it would be a good idea to test the water and work for a little bit. I jumped right in and worked 5 days a week from 8am to 5pm. The first couple of weeks I thought I was going to die. My entire body hurt and I found that I was constantly exhausted. But as time went on, my body got stronger and I discovered that I could do it. I meet some amazing people in that office and was pretty sad to go. They had a big pizza party for me on my last day and also gave me a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers. I know that I will miss all of the girls at SNCA, especially my mother, who works downstairs in their cath lab. But I am excited to spend the summer at home with my little boy. I have the rest of my life to work, but Brayden will only be a little boy once.

Jodi - who was like my work mother

Cheryl and her sad, little face

Medical Records Department

Kerri, me, Nicole and Jeannine

This is Nicole - my partner in crime