Love this baby!!!

Sterling already has a double chin! I love it!

He is a touch of heaven.

Hunter has already given him a nickname: Squeeker (because he grunts and squeeks 80% of the time...even when he's sleeping!) He was 7 lbs. 2 oz. when he was born--and just a week later (when most babies lose weight), he'd gained another 2-3 oz.!

We love this little boy.

Way to go HUNTER!

My Dad watched Sterling and Cody today so I could go watch Hunter give his final presentation in his law and economics class. THANKS DAD!! Hunter was SO charismatic! He was SO professional! He spoke intelligently and gave a flawless delivery. I was SO proud of him!! Way to go Mr. Man! Hunter found out that he got the best grade in the class for his paper and presentation. Law school is almost done--can you believe it?? Three years are almost up! Brent and Hunter will graduate from Washburn Law School in just a few weeks! Man--that feels good! :-)

April Fun--2009

Poppy Rod and Sterling

Cody jumps in, too!

Cindy (Dad's new wife), Emily and Sarah (Cindy's daughters), and Sterling

Mariah's 10th b-day sleep-over.
Friends: Mckenna and Allysa (sp?)

EVERYONE loves holding Sterling!! :-)

Mariah turns 10 years old!

Can you believe it?? Hunter and I are old enough to have a ten year old child!! HOLY COW!! How time flies! Mariah is a great kid. She's OOBER talented, and we're very fortunate to have her in our family. Happy Birthday Mariah!!

The Vikings invite Hunter into the fold :-)

Hunter received a call yesterday to solidify the job details with the General Council for the Minnesota Vikings. They've asked Hunter to start working in August--after the bar. We'll stick around Topeka until then. We are sooooo excited for this opportunity. YEAH!

Nerve Damage

AGH! I can't move my neck!! I was back in the hospital yesterday because of spinal fluid leakage from the epidural during the delivery. LOTS of pain. Unfortunately, the doctor couldn't make the migraine or the neck pain go away. I'm hoping I'll heal soon. Thanks to Hunter, Brent and Michelle, I'm getting through this. With the sweet things--(Sterling)--come the trials, right?? This too shall pass...

Topeka Weather UPS and DOWNS

St. Patrick's Day Parade--Topeka, KS (80 degrees!!)

This was an interesting experience! Brent and Hunter grabbed our family's front row seats for the parade, but when the parade began, a slew of adults pushed in front of the children and blocked their view of the parade! AGH! I've never seen that type of childlike behavior--displayed by ADULTS before! Fortunately, the kids had a great time being together--even though they didn't get to see much of the parade. And so it goes :-)...

Shaved Ice BOOGIE

Brent and Michelle took all the kiddos to get shaved ice while I was being admitted into the hospital last Monday. The kids danced to the music there. THANKS BRENT AND MICHELLE for all you've done to help our family. We love you!

So--Topeka has crazy weather! One day it's 15 degrees--and 75 degrees the next! On the day we had to take Sterling to his first doctor visit, it snowed in the morning--then hit around 65-70 degrees later that afternoon! Like I say--CRAZY! Michigan was similar, but not all on the SAME day!

Minnesota here we come!

Hunter received a call from the Vikings on April 1st. They've asked him to come work for them!! They're still negotiating the details, but it looks like we'll be moving mid-may! 2 miracles in 2 days!! Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers! We're not sure how we're going to pull this off, but we know all will work out. Anyone want to buy a 3 bedroom townhome??? :-)

Happy Birthday Sterling!! March 31, 2009

Traci Christensen and Jana (her sister)

Love and first sight!!

Austin Powers moment (haha!)

Amber and Mariah

(fighting over who would get to hold their brother first)

The three men in my life...

(Hunter, Cody and Sterling)

The Moore Gang

Cody

Proud pappy

Hallelujah for epidurals!

37 weeks and two days

Brent and Michelle Johnston

(Brent gave such a great description of the events on our family website--I decided to just copy and paste his post here--rather than re-write it myself. Here's his take on my labor and delivery :-)

FROM BRENT JOHNSTON:
Michelle and I went to the hospital last night around 9:45. We took Hunter some goods from Sonic--so he could have his nutrients. Julie and Hunter were in great spirits when we arrived. Julie looked great and it seemed like they were having an enjoyable time. Their nurse was very friendly and helpful. When we got there, Julie was at a 7 1/2, but was still having contractions pretty regularly. We had time to talk, and Hunter was able to give Julie a priesthood blessing. Then at about 10:30, one of the Doctors broke Julie's water. Within about 5 minutes of having her water broken, Julie turned a little pale and started getting nautious and lightheaded. We knew that her body was gearing up for the big arrival. She continued having hard, steady contractions, and started progressing about 1/2 cm every 10 minutes. I burned a lot of calories walking out of the room every time the nurse had to check Julie's cervix. The nurses prepared the room for the delivery in advance so there was no rush and everything stayed very calm. At about 11:50, Julie's Doctor arrived and was ready to get down to business. I took my place in the waiting room at that time, and Michelle and Hunter stayed in the room with Julie to encourage her through the delivery. Julie pushed with all of her might through 5 long contractions before Sterling finally made his grand entrance (or exit--depending on how you look at it). The only potential problem during the delivery was that Sterling did not want to let the Doctors deprive him of his constant feeding tube (I completely understand that). His umbilical cord was wrapped once around his neck, but the Doctor had no problem taking care of that. Finally, sometime between 12:20-12:34 (I don't know the exact time because I was in the waiting room), Sterling was born. His face was pretty bruised from the rough trip through the birthing canal, but he is an adorable baby. He has precious chubby cheeks and a great big smiler--and a decent set of lungs! He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and I believe he was 18 3/4 inches. He has a decent amount of black hair, and it was so fun to hold him. Julie did such an amazing job! She looked great after the delivery--her color returned to her cheeks and she was radiating happiness and love. I am so thankful that Michelle and I were able to be there with Julie and Hunter last night. We had a great time, and we are so excited that Sterling is finally here. By the way, he said that I was his favorite uncle!!!!

Blake and Cody

Amber and Sterling

So happy together... :-)

37 weeks! WE DID IT!

So this was the goal! Baby and I have made it to 37 weeks! YEAH! I'm still pregnant! Okay--so now, this baby should have all the essentials to be healthy. Whew--what a relief! So--my doctor's appointment is tomorrow morning, and he's asked to strip my membranes. I'm not a nurse or a doctor--so I don't know what all goes into that or exactly what that means, but since I've already begun dialating--I'm guessing this might be the last week I'll be pregnant! I'm anxious to lay on my tummy again. I'm anxious to move around the kitchen freely--without bumping into everything--or being unable to reach the cupboards because my tummy is in the way. I'm anxious to feel thin again! Of course, it always takes me a good 6 months to fight off the weight, but I'm ready to get started! Life is good. :-)

A week with Granny Jo, Natalie and Jeff...

WOW! My work is a lot easier when shared with my mother!! My mother--the hardest worker I've ever seen in my life--makes my chores look simple! I was hoping this baby would decide to be born while she was here, but it looks like I'm going to have to do this on my own. Truth be known--I want this little boy to bake until he's good and ready. I'm just a little (a lot)apprehensive about having a newborn--three other children to care for--a husband in the middle of his 3rd year law school finals and bar--and a house and laundry to keep up with. Boy oh boy! WISH ME LUCK!!

We've had a lot of fun with Natalie and Jeff here, too. Natalie (my 9 year old sister) is Mariah's best friend, and they play from the break of dawn until beditime. Jeff has kept Cody and Blakester busy with nerf-gun wars and video games. Jeff is the best entertainer because he enjoys the boys toys as much as they do!!

If you couldn't tell from our pictures, Hunter and I are a little (a lot) bedraggled. With papers due for law school, with church callings to keep up with, with a ton of irregular contractions (pre-term labor), and family visiting--we've been pretty worn out!! My mother finally convinced me to prepare for this delivery. Hunter took me to the hospital last night, and we were able to sign papers and see what I'll be in for when I really go into labor. It was a nice getaway.

As busy as we are--we're enjoying life. :-)

Family Easter Egg Dying

Just to get a headstart on Easter, we dyed Easter eggs for our family activity. The kids came up with some ingenious designs! Great fun!

Cody turns 5 years old!

35 WEEKS ALONG!!

So, I have officially hit 35 weeks! I'm feeling it, too!! My pregnancy clothes don't even fit me anymore!! Pretty sad! My belly is pushin' out farther every day! My due date is April 19th. Let's see how far I get with this little guy! I'm hoping to carry at least until 37 weeks. We'll keep you all posted.

St. Patrick Day Fun--Neighborhood Bocci Ball

What a great St. Patrick's Day! We began the day with a birthday breakfast for Michelle. SO FUN! Then, we took the kids to the Topeka Parade. Next, the Johnston kiddos were dropped off so Brent and Michelle could get a night away. We played Bocci (sp?) Ball with all the neighborhood kids, ate popcorn while watching Backyardigans and had a fabulous time!! However, I'm POOPED! I passed the 35 week mark for my pregnancy on Sunday--so every activity takes a lot more energy than I can muster!! It was so wonderful spending the day with friends and family. Yeah for holidays!