~Our Spring Break Thus Far~

After excitedly waiting for Travis to finish with his testing, Wednesday finally came and he is now officially on Spring Break! And since then we've 1. Taught Institute 2. Fought through CRAZY Polish Grocery store lines to buy food before all our markets closed for the Holiday weekend. 3. Had lunch with the Elders at a tasty Kebab shop 4. Purchased some Easter/Maternity outfits 5. Shared our first ever, family bucket of chicken from a KFC and it was in Poland 6. Went Swimming with our Polish and Taiwanese friends... and... I think I'll let the pictures tell the rest of what we've done:

Had a Family morning Cuddle session since
Travis had nowhere to be:)

 

 

 

Friday Maddix woke up at 5:30am because the sun was shining SO brightly so we decided to make the most of our day and prepared to go to our Plaza mall. On the way out I suggested we should walk home because it's always nice to be outside... BUT we received another snow storm; it was a large one that almost blew us away by the time we got home... Spring will have to wait another few weeks I guess.

This is me being VERY disappointed at the
arrival of the snow

Maddix Modeling his new Easter Outfit

The famous Maddix Funny Face

I wanted a picture of us looking so cute and
trendy; like a little Hipster family

One of my new Maternity Outfits
for Easter, since I literally can't
squeeze in ANY of my clothes
anymore

My two outfits Travis and Maddix picked out for me.
I've said it before, but I have wonderful boys

We've also talked with family on the phone, which has been nice. Today I went to the gym with my Polish friend, Anna and we had a great work out, followed by a wonderful evening with our families eating too much food together over at their house. Now tomorrow we will be lucky enough to enjoy Easter as a family, as well as a branch, and with all our friends.
So as sad as we are that our residency cards did not show up this week and we had to cancel our trip to Hungary and Vienna ( boo!) we are so fortunate to have such great friends here who are helping us make this break as wonderful as possible.......... while we try to forget about the snow!!!!!!

~FaMiLy gLuTtOnY~

There once was a boy who loved his dad

Rough housing with his pop sure made him glad.

What a monkey

With Daddy studying most the day, Maddix tried hard not to get in the way.

:)

But his overwhelming love always shines through, just remember dad, Maddix will "always love you."

But for those times when daddy can't play, Maddix finds mommy will be okay

Ah Ha, Pirates!

Mommy builds forts and plays pirates real well.

"I'll smote you mommy pirate!"

I was winning... if you can't tell! As much as mom tries and as hard as she plays... I find that I WIN most of the days:)

I RULE!

So we went to Warsaw in a blizzard as I previously wrote, and the weather forecast was saying to expect 40 degrees and sunny weather for the week we got home (this week); however having seen this forecast appear and then downgrade in the previous few weeks, I was less than hopeful. And so the snow keeps coming and the forecast for NEXT week has even dropped again, added snow, and tomorrow's high is going to be 17degrees :S *Sigh*
This week has been pretty good though, and it's gone by quickly despite the weather. Today I'd planned to go swimming, but when I looked out and saw all the snow I retracted my plans. Maddix ended up sleeping in, we took a lazy morning, just played, and then Maddix refused to nap; the trade-off for him sleeping in! As we got him out of bed I checked facebook quickly and noticed a picture someone had added of a large icecream shake... I instantly had to have one! After lightheartedly pitching the idea to Travis, I was shocked when he indulged my craving and we bundled up in several layers of clothing and walked 1 1/2 miles to a little German "Lidle" store through the snow to buy ice cream:) I have good boys. Of course when we got there Travis and I were excited about the new selection of non-polish snacks and walked out of the store with much more than ice cream:

Strawberry gummies, peachi-o's, berliners, a mixed back of gummies, Ice cream and oreos,
and then a full assortment of German food for dinner with the Elders on Sunday

After our walk back through the heavier falling snow we ate our donuts, prepared dinner which was German Pancakes, put on a Friday family Movie (Enchanted), and then prepared Oreo Shakes:) Maddix even helped:

Crushing up the Oreos

Our gluttony:)

So today we indulged. After a long week of no sugar, lots of working out, and a properly planned out diet for this baby, I had a day of gluttony and now I feel......... :) ....... well guillty, yes. And on top of that I think I've given the baby a sugar rush because I think he is doing flips in my stomach, and I'm feeling him more than ever! Now for tomorrow, Maddix and I are going to be doing a work out session together, that's for sure ;)

Almost forgot the Pregnancy Post

Weekly Pregnancy Questions

How far along? 24weeks 2days

How big is baby? 

Names?  Still a toss up between Aaron (my fav), and Blake

Maternity clothes?   Oh I wish I had them. Most the day my pants don't stay on... which is okay when we're at the house

Weights gain?  I think I'm at 12lbs, but not sure

 Feeling the baby move?   Very much so, I'm watching him twitch all around right now. Almost always responds by punching my hand when I push on a spot. Or when I shine a flashlight onto my belly he moves all over

Food cravings:  None really... perhaps wheatthins :) 

Happy or moody? I've been much happier lately, despite the never ending snow; and now that I can get up and around more often my spirits are on the uphill climb. 

Sleeping?  I've finally found a position in bed where I stay on my side and I can sleep better

Best moment(s) of the week? When Maddix voluntarily spoke with baby brother. When Travis and Maddix were arguing back and forth saying, "My mommy, no my mommy," and Travis said "My baby brother," expecting him to play back, but instead Maddix started crying and squeaked out a "no he's my baby brother." Game was over:) Being in Warsaw getting ready for the day, and just feeling normal. Also when I was pregnant with Maddix I worked at a restaurant and ppl were ALWAYS grabbing my belly and I found it annoying, but here no one does that; however when we were in Warsaw Sis. Armstrong (American Fam) came up and grabbed my belly and I LOVED it. It made me actually feel pregnant, and not just large:) 

Anything making you queasy? Just the eggs when I take too big of a bite, but I'm pretty much over my egg aversion. 

 How is the bump?  I feel much bigger than my other friends who are just as far along as I am... but I guess that comes from it being my second, and their first.

Missing anything?  Clothes fitting, shaving easier, just bending over to pick things up, and feeling healthy. I've had all sorts of dehydration problems that have given me cracked and bleeding lips, eczema-like itchy rashes, and a range of other strange pregnancy illnesses!  

Belly button? Oh my it's on its way out! Still in, but verging out! 

Looking forward to? Having the baby move when Maddix can see him. 

Dad? So busy with school that every time I tell him I'm a few more weeks ahead he's always surprised! 

~Our Weekend in Warsaw~

All week long we were looking forward to our weekend District Conference (like a stake conference) up in Warsaw. Thursday night we could hardly control our excitement, and I tried with all my might to leave the house clean, and make sure everyone was bathed and packed... but Maddix was determined to give me trouble:) After I got him out of the bath I honestly couldn't find him until I heard some giggling:

He can be so cute

Friday we woke up with every intention of catching a comp bus (15-ish person bus) to Warsaw, until we noticed all the snow piled at our windows, then we looked outside to see a fierce blizzard blowing. We'd received probably a foot of snow over night and there was no sign of the storm letting up; not to mention the wind was gusting down from the north and I thought for sure the little people outside were going to blow away!

You can't even see the
intense snow blowing
everywhere! 

We decided taking the train would be safer and probably faster and rushed to pack in time to catch the only train of the day. When I called a taxi I found that every taxi in the city was currently unavailable and they said to call back in 20mins and try again... we couldn't wait that long. I sat in the window and prayed that something would work when all of a sudden another taxi company drove past our window with giant pink numbers across the side, so I called that company. They would still be 15mins, but had a guaranteed car we could wait for. The second we went outside and Maddix felt the blistering wind blow against him he started screaming! But eventually we got him, and our luggage loaded in the taxi and crawled through the icy traffic to a standstill.

The clock said it was 12:17, and our train was at 12:25pm; all I could do was pray that the train would be late and everything would work out. When we reached the station we repeated the phrase to purchase tickets in Polish but the lady wouldn't take our money. She kept pointing to the clock and then outside. We had 3mins, but I was so afraid she was saying it was too late. Blessedly a young girl hopped out of her spot in line and translated for us that we needed to run to the train and purchase our ticket from the conductor; she even escorted us outside and showed us which train it was..... in was clear at the other end of the yard!!! Travis was sprinting with the luggage and a backpack, while I followed carrying Maddix, a backpack, and I was wearing my nice high heel boots. It was seriously like a bad dream: we were running in slow motion. With the wind and snow blowing against us we just seemed to be going nowhere when we heard the conductor blow the whistle that they were leaving. I yelled to Travis, "GO! Just GO!" and he sprinted ahead. He made it. I eventually threw the screaming Maddix to Travis and heard the boy cry out, "my hat!" I looked behind me and about 15 ft his stupid hat had blown off... so back I ran, grabbed it, and then caught the conductors arm as the train departed. I kid you not, I felt like we were straight from the Anastasia disney movie when they're fleeing onto the train. I then felt more like that movie when we found all the compartments full and ended up standing next to the bathrooms where the train cars connected, with the doors stuck open so snow was blowing in.

Our lovely standing area

We were here probably 20 or 30 mins before the train police came through and instructed us to move for our own safety (we think, it was all Polish), and thankfully some people took pity on us and shifted around their arrangements to squeeze us in. With Maddix squeezed on my pregnant lap, and Travis getting dripped on from the suitcase above head we settled in for the 2hr 45min ride to Warsaw.
To our liking when we got there is was still freezing, but there was no snow, so we decided to walk to our hotel where we then checked into the Raddison Blu and ate the lunches I'd prepared up in our room.

The bathroom

Part of our room

After we warmed up we went back into the cold to explore the city. We first went to an authentic Pottery shop, then through a Jewish neighborhood, and then over to Stallin's tower where we were hoping to go through the Technology Museum but found it closed.

My boys

For dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which was one of the things we were most excited for! We were craving some good ol' American food, and boy did we get it.

Look at those drinks! 

Umm... yes I am pregnant;
justified. 

Hard Rock, Warsaw

While were there we even ran into the Armstrong family and the feeling of running into someone we knew was very enjoyable! When we got back to the hotel we prepared for some swimming, then showered off, and got ready for bed while also cuddling as a family to the ending of a movie.

Ready to swim

Travis was feeling quite
American in his Freedom
Run Shirt

Saturday morning we went to the included breakfast and stuffed ourselves on all the wonderful food. We also witnessed a tacky American tourist at the omelette bar who was being so rude... I felt embarrassed for her. After breakfast we went swimming again. The pool was connected to the spa area and had a zen feeling to it, and while Travis was trying out the sauna's Iswam next to Maddix who decided he wanted to walk around the edge of the pool. When we reached the far end of the pool there was an older gentleman sleeping on the chair w/ his towel WIDE open and I got a full view of all he had going on; I was fine with all the naked women in the locker room, that honestly doesn't even phase me anymore, but this image was going to take some getting over.

Once we checked out of the hotel we had the option of taking the hotel's Mercedes Van Taxi, or a no name beater car down the road. We decided it would be much safer to go with the van and traveled to the Armstrong's in style. However, when it came time for me to venture all on my own to the hair salon, I found my taxi ride quite bumpy... now I'm accustomed to the sleek ride Mercedes has to offer ;)

Maddix and Little Rachael Armstrong

My hair apt was unlike any experience I've ever had. From the moment I walked in I felt like a country bumpkin in the big city. Travis had looked up one of the highest rated salon's in Warsaw and found Milek Designs (they do all the models and actresses hair on t.v. so I was excited). We read the reviews and found that if you wanted the best job, then schedule an apt with their top stylist, Michal. So that's what we did and before I even met him I first went through one of his flunkies who got me suited up and ready to go.  When Michal came over he was appalled by my hair and kept fanning it out at full length while screwing up his face. He'd ask me questions like, "What happened here? What is this color, green? Why is it wet?" To which y shy, awkward reply was "It's been almost a year since my hair was done, and I just came from the pool?" Again, he was disgusted. Eventually he sat down and flipped open his giant book of hair colors and asked what I wanted done. When I pulled out a picture of the blond I wanted, he cut me off with an "impossible." He probably told me my different requests were "impossible" at least 10 times. Then again, he asked waht I watned, and essentially when I had no clue he circled me in deep contemplation before calling over "my team" of flunkies and putting them to work. He was like a doctor; he did all the crucial parts like deciding what color, mixing it, and cecking on my team to see that they were doing it just right, but then he left all the dirty work to them.  I had a guy and a girl brushing at my snarls and going to twon while I sat there blown away at everything going on around me. Michal was cutting the lady's hair next to me, and the moment too much hair reached the floor these girls would appear from no where: one to blow the hair off her lap and neck, and the other to sweep it all off the floor! At one point when it was just the boy working on my hair he told em I had great hair *sniffle* I needed that. I completely felt like Ann Hathaway in Devil Wears Prada, and he was the one guy that befriends her (however everyone was nice, just very serious). Michal returned to do my cut and he was very serious and focused but I couldn't get passed the way his t-shirt kept rising with his arms and exposing her perfectly trimmed belly hair, or his extremely tight jeans, or his hair which was shaved on the sides and led into a Flock of Seaguls type top. Somehow it worked for him. When he was done he asked what I thought and I told him it was beautiful to which he replied, "The best you've EVER had?" With all the expression in the world on his face while he said it. He told me I had model gorgeous hair, admired it a min, then called me taxi because we were the last ones there. The Polish idea of long and thick was nowhere near as long and thick as mine or they wouldn't have scheduled me at 3:00pm when they close at 5:00; hence why everything was "Impossible" in the time frame we were working in.

Before

After

I beat Travis to the chapel and got there at the end of the singles mixer, at which point Sis Neilson (mission Pres's wife) tried to hook me up with the singles, until she recognized me.
Travis was so excited to see my hair that he actually walked right past me and I watched him search the crowd before pulling his phone out to call me, all the while I was maybe 10ft away. Bro. Gladun told me I had movie star hair, and another lady took the number for the salon. We had gone with Ombre to get me closer to blond and everyone seemed to like it, except Mikojil who told me I should have paid more to have it all dyed the same color! HA, the bum... I ended up paying double what the price range said it would be because of just how thick and long my hair was!! Oh well, Travis loved it and that's all that mattered to me:)

Before

After

 Sunday, St. Patrick's Day
Sis. Armstrong made us green pancakes before going to the conference. Afterward we said goodbye to everyone we'd ran into, got a few pictures with our beloved Elder's from the past, and then the Armstrong's drove us to the comp bus.

E. Miloski, Travi, Maddix, me, E. Wilson

The drive home was beautiful and sunny and full with practically only our branch. Maddix fell right to sleep and we talked with Cody and ate the lunches Sis. Armstrong prepared for us. The roads were even so empty we got back 30 mins early and Cody helped carry our luggage back to the apt.
Maddix was so sad to be back and just kept crying to go back to the Armstrong's. We tried to cheer him up by calling our families for a quick chat before having the Elder's over for dinner. He seemed to perk up and we all had a nice evening. And that was our Weekend in Warsaw.

~What Goes Up, Must Come Down~

I knew that having such a great day with Maddix would ultimately result in a bad day to follow, such is life... but nothing could have prepared me for just how LOW we could sink over the past few days:)
After our wonderful Thursday, Maddix woke up Friday and he was a whole new person; it has been one fit after another. His school time which he normally loves was like pulling teeth on Friday. During his music activity he literally laid belly down on the ground and shoved his face into the wood floor with this look of sheer annoyance and boredom.

Saturday he was once again a terror at the grocery store and as we were about to leave he found out we wouldn't be stopping by the pet store area to see the turtles because of his behavior; he began screaming in the store and I kid you not EVERY Pole was glaring at us. It was awesome...
If the day couldn't get better, after trying to clean the apt 1,000 times so it would be nice Monday, only to have him undo everything one step behind me, I was making dinner when I heard this shrill scream followed by sobbing, "NO! Oh NO! I... *sobbing* I... NO! I pooped on my blue blanket!" Moments later I entered his room to find a man size poop on his blanket. This was around an hour after he'd peed through his last pair of underwear resulting in basketball shorts with no drawers while I washed the underwear... so the poop just rolled out (please don't think we're forcing him to potty train before he's ready. He does really well, and is always expressing to us that this is what he wants to do, BUT he is 2 1/2 and has accidents. Plus he loves his legos and if those are out he will never make it to the toilet because he's too distracted). Good parts of Saturday: We couldn't take the boy's  tantrums anymore so we put in a movie to slow him down and keep him from breaking things or himself. However Travis seemed to really like Mary Poppins as well, seeing as how throughout the movie I found these two in several positions just watching.

Trying to study, but don't
know how successful
he was

Saturday night I decided to try a new recipe for homemade meatballs and then we mixed them up with rice and steamed vegetables. I was loving the dinner and asked Travis if we should have it again, which he agreed too. But then that night after dinner I started having an allergic reaction to what I'm sure was the bbq sauce in the glaze. We've always wondered if I was allergic, but last night confirmed it. I broke out in an itchy rash and started swelling up everywhere.

Travis looked it up to make sure it was okay, and he ended up giving me a benadryl and just putting me to bed. This morning I woke up feeling much better, but stayed home from church to rest... which left Travis alone for church. Apparently Maddix was sitting with some friends at church, since Travis was conducting, and during the sacrament Maddix ran up to the keyboard and began waling on it. After Sunday school Maddix couldn't get to daddy in time and had another accident which left Travis scrubbing the carpet. He screamed all through Travis's meeting after church, and then they missed their bus on the way home so they had to walk through the snow storm back to the apt. Travis had called along the way so I knew what to expect, and when they came home I found two frozen, angry ice cycles. Luckily I had some hot lunch and coco waiting for them with fresh pj's and a clean house. Can I just say, by the time lunch was over I was ready for Maddix to take a nap?! However it was too late in the day so we just followed him around trying to stop him from breaking things. Good moment from the day:

Trying to burn some energy with Play time

Most the day was a success, until dinner when Maddix just walked over to the dinner table, threw his hand down on the plate that was on the edge of the table, and sent it to the floor in pieces. And on that note we sat down to a lesson with the elders on parenting... conveniently, ha ha, and they kept saying how great of parents we were, all the while Maddix was in our room for time out and banging on the walls so we could hear him. Once they left Travis pulled a chair over, sat Maddix on it, and we had a family talk; surprisingly enough it actually went quite well; he was able to communicate with us much of his frustration and respond to questions we asked him. By the end we were all hugging and just happy that this weekend was behind us.

~Close to Perfect~

I know I'm going to leave out the cutest details, or skip over some point that really explains why today was so great because it's late and my brain is shutting down, but while I can somewhat think, I have to get this day recorded; it was seriously as close to perfect as they come. 

Today was the first day this month that the sun didn't shine, it was rainy all day, but this meant Maddix slept in:) When he and Travis came to wake me up they both brought a teddy bear and woke me up with teddy kisses. I got to cuddle with Maddix during scripture reading and he propped his stuffed animals up so they could hear the scriptures as well. 

All morning we built forts, played cars, looked at pictures of past trips to Disney Land and the beach, and ran around to some music. While we were playing Maddix stopped, told me he needed to use the bathroom, and ran in. I let him hold the little hot wheels car that was the current prize for pooping on the toilet and sure enough he did it:) He was so proud of himself and I was overjoyed with his progress. For nap time he chose to wear his big boy underwear, instead of a diaper because he's been doing so well. He also so politely asked if he could sleep with my blanket... of course I said yes because he was so cute about it, but deep down I was afraid he would have an accident on it:) 

Actually was yesterday's nap, but he's just too cute
to pass up a photo-op

 When it was time for him to wake up, you should have seen the pure joy and sincere pride on his face when I told him he'd made it all nap in the underwear without an accident! So he rushed to the bathroom. When I asked if he was done he said no, which was out of character, and then he pooped a little more before getting off! 

We spent our time after that driving cars around, rough housing together, and just laughing at each other. I had to clean up the house since we had our friend, Anna coming to pick us up so I asked Maddix if he wanted to watch a movie. He did, but only if he could sit on my lap and cuddle with me! ~ Melt my heart~ I couldn't say no, so I eagerly scooped him up and we cuddled for awhile before I cleaned. Then tonight I made his DAY when I told him we'd be going swimming at the pool with Anna because he'd been such a good boy. Oh he was SO HAPPY, and really didn't want to leave when we were done. But besides a minor fit he left pretty willingly. When we came home Travis had a wonderful dinner waiting for us, and Maddix ate all of it including the veggies with no complaints; all the while flashing cute little smiles at me. I showered him off, then read him a few books before he went right to sleep:) 

I almost couldn't put him to bed because today was just too good. Too wonderful. One I always want to remember. It would have been perfect had we had a little more time with Travis:) But as it's testing time, we take what we can get!

Pregnancy Post #2

First off I want to apologize for the photo. When I realized that today was Tuesday and time for my two week post, I instantly grabbed the camera and found no recent photos of the belly. 

So I just snapped one, knowing that I wouldn't end much more ready than this the rest of the day. So sorry it's in the work out clothes, but it does give you the best idea of just what size I'm at!

Weekly Pregnancy Questions

How far along? 22 weeks, last week of the fifth month!

How big is baby? He hits the charts at 1lb this week, 8 inches long, and is no longer a fruit, but the size of a small doll.
Names?  We actually have our two options that we will choose from:
1. Aaron Falco Johnson (I LOVE and adore the name Aaron, and Travis is very attached to Falco because it's very German and he's always loved it)

2. Blake Arek Johnson (Blake would be more for Travis's taste and I think it would be great to pick a Polish name since I've been pregnant here, hence the middle name) 

 Maternity clothes?  Same answer as before, rubber bands on the pants and extra long shirts   

Weights gain?  I weighed in gaining 10lbs with my shoes on, so 2lbs a month; not bad I thought, but my doctor was mad it wasn't more, "You're small woman, like small bwurd (bird)."

 Feeling the baby move?  Oh yes, he's lower than Maddix ever was so I have to use the restroom much more.
Food cravings:  Cafe Rio, Olive Garden, Cheese-its:) Just because I can't have them, I think.
Happy or moody? Much more happy, especially since the sun is out. Still irritable on days:) 
Sleeping? A little better since Maddix stopped waking up, but I wake up really sore each day 
Best moment(s) of the week? When Maddix decided that the baby loves him, instead of the opposite! He has been doing this thing where he tells the baby "hi" and then repeats from the baby's perspective "Go away Maddix." Then he proceeds with a "poor Maddix." This week it's changed to, "Hi baby..." "...Hi Maddix, I love you..." ".. I love you baby, oh, he loves me!"

Anything making you queasy? Eggs!!! Too bad I am now on an 8 hard boiled egg a day diet! Thanks to my "dangerously low" albumin (protein) levels, I now eat those because it's best/quickest form to bring the levels up. In two weeks I'll be retested to monitor any change. How is the bump? Getting bigger, still at the cute stage I think 
Missing anything? Really miss being in shape, sleeping well, and not having my back hurt so bad all day long! 
Belly button? While still in, I can see it's tightening.

Looking forward to? Deciding on a name! Having it feel more real.

Dad?  Currently reading the What to expect when expecting book for the 22 week details and laughing at some of the information written down. 

So I know this is a pregnancy post, but I also have to mention that yesterday was our Branch FHE night and Travis was in charge of the lesson/game and I was in charge of the treats. I just want to write what a WONDERFUL helper Maddix was. I would measure out the ingredients and then he would dump them in. Not only did he stay focused the whole time, but he actually mashed all the bananas by himself! I kid you not, he did so well and the banana bread/cake turned out so tasty! Too bad it took extra long to cook so Trav and Maddix ran to the church while I followed in a taxi to give more time and then we found no one had showed up. So instead we and the Elders cleaned the chapel, ate some treats, and then enjoyed our first nice warm weather walk home of the season:)

  - Then End-