30th birthday surprise!

My wonderful (and sneaky) husband has been busy these past few months planning a surprise celebration for my 30th birthday. On Saturday morning, a few of my close friends showed up at my door to take me away for a day full of fun and surprises. The biggest surprise was seeing my friend, Steph. I do not get to see her very often since she lives in Nashville, TN, so she was the last person I expected to see at my door. I was so happy she made the long trip back to Iowa for the occasion. The girls ended up taking me out for lunch and then to the spa for an afternoon of pampering. On Saturday evening, the guys joined us for a nice dinner at the Latin King. It was a very special day spent with very special people. I am thankful to Jay for planning everything. He did a great job!

Surprise! Great friends! I love my boys! Lunch at Panera At the spa Pedicures!

Another surprise! I was very excited when my sister showed up with Avree and Emmersen!

38 weeks and counting...

36 weeks

Here are a few pictures taken at 36 weeks. (The second picture was taken with my sister-in-law, Tricia, who is 4 weeks behind me). I had a doctor's appointment last Friday and the doctor told me I was dilated to 1 cm. At this point, I know it doesn't mean much, but it does tell me the end is in sight!

Emmersen's Baptism

Emmersen Faith Melhus was baptized on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at the Liberty United Methodist Church in Liberty, MO. Emmersen did so well during the entire service and she didn't seem to mind when the pastor put water on her head as she was being baptized. After the service, we all went to Matt and Brittany's house for brunch. It was a special day for a special little girl and I am very honored to be Emmersen's godmother. I look forward to watching her and big sister, Avree, grow up together.

Great Wolf Lodge

The Johnson family headed down to Kansas City this past weekend to spend time with my family at the Great Wolf Lodge. The Great Wolf Lodge is a family resort with a large, indoor water park. It is a perfect getaway for families looking for a break from winter.

We arrived on Friday night just in time for an hour of swimming, which was followed by watching the kids run around and play together in the hotel room. While the kids were having fun jumping from bed to bed and loading up on sugar, the adults enjoyed a card game of pitch. Saturday was filled with more swimming. Jack had a blast playing in the kiddie pool and going down the water slides. He also had fun with Daddy in the big pool where he was able to swim on his own, thanks to his new swim float. While the kids napped on Saturday afternoon, the girls went shopping while the boys played more card games. On Saturday night, the whole family enjoyed dinner at T-Rex, a dinosaur themed restaurant geared towards families. We ended the weekend on Sunday morning with Emmersen's Baptism, followed by brunch at Matt and Brittany's house. It was a great ending to a fun weekend of quality family time.

Jack and Daddy having fun in the water

The boys and the kids posing for a picture in the kiddie pool Grandpa with Jack and Avree

Jack had a lot of fun going down the water slides

The big kids playing a game of pitch

Grandma and Grandpa

Brittany with Emmersen in her little swimming suit!

Sliding head first to Grandpa

Avree and Kaiya posing for a picture in their matching outfits

Dinner at T-Rex

The kids sharing one slushie with three straws!

A picture with the dinosaur (whom Jack thought was Barney!)