Johnson 2017 Recap: Updates & Pictures!

I think the person most in shock of the fact that it is almost 2018 is me. Remember that time I had that really cute thing called a blog? I think in my last post I said I wouldn't stay away too long...lies. Wondering what have I been doing all this time? Well friends, besides working, not much...

I am now 6 months into my final year of residency. In October, by the grace of God, I matched into Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship at my number one program (UNC!!!). That is a testimony in itself. I have been dreaming about this since med school and I cannot believe I am almost there! The interview process was expensive and stressful, but it all paid off. Nate is happy, the kids are happy, and we are so excited to enter this next, and FINAL chapter of my medical training. But before I get to that, I have to graduate. I feel like I have handled the stress of being a resident quite well, but in full disclosure, this year has tested me on all levels...

First of all, I am an administrative chief resident. My role is Scheduling Chief, and sure, it sounds benign... Just scheduling things... Welp, imagine being the point person responsible for the vacations, calls, interviews, board exams, administrative meetings, maternity leaves, and any other thing that could arise FOR 28 PEOPLE. I know more about where my co-residents are on any given day than my own children. 

Then, because I am a scheduling chief, when one of my classmates needed to take an emergency leave, the whole schedule had to be re-arranged. So I handled it. And as a result, front-loaded my whole year. I interviewed for fellowship, and for four months straight I was overloaded with the most administrative rotations, rotations that required 80-hour work weeks, weekend rounding, bi-weekly calls, late night M&M prep, and the least amount of sleep I had in a while. 

This fall, I missed all my kids' daytime presentations, friends' birthday parties, concerts, and it hurt. When I picked my kiddos up for the first time this school year IN LATE NOVEMBER, teachers and after school program staff said things like, "You must be Nathan/Isabelle's mom! We only ever see Dad." :crickets: and I followed it up with things like, "Yea I have been working late for 6 months..." :sigh:

I know what I signed up for. I know there are seasons of being more or less present. I know that this year was uncharacteristically more stressful. But in my four years as a resident, this has been an extreme. I was mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. I stayed on the Struggle Bus. But we made it. 

Ya'll the devil tried it. 

But we made it. 

I'd like to think there was a lesson in this. A silver lining. I think, the biggest lesson I learned is that you cannot keep falling on the sword to try and keep everyone comfortable. You have to protect yourself too. It is not sustainable. It is NOT sustainable. 

I am looking forward to a MUCH easier second half of the year. I am looking forward to making tons of memories in 2018. I am on my first vacation since August, and I am going to soak up every. sweet. second. 

Ok, enough about me. Here is a recap of the rest of the Johnson happenings since August: 

Nate...

Continues to work his tail off at work and at home. He would never tell you, but he is getting more and more leadership responsibility at work because he is great at what he does. He also does all that while keeping our home running - no matter my level of engagement - as stated previously, it's been pretty low level engagement ;-) God bless him. 

Nate says that his favorite memory of 2017 was "Racing"

For Father's Day, the kids and I gifted him a ride in a stock car! Which was pretty awesome, I have to give myself props for this one, because I was able to get that scheduled while I was on Onc...

Swoon...

Nate II (8 years old)...

Natey has taken on 3rd grade by storm. He continues to thrive on trying new things, reads without being told, write and illustrate his own stories, and is growing so much!! He is such a caring soul and even at eight, loves family time.

If you follow me on The Gram, you have probably noticed he has been sporting a fro this year. All his own idea, and it is so cool to see how he is using his new style as a way to express himself. Love this fearless kid!

Nate says that his favorite memory of 2017 was "having all of our family over for Christmas".

He's almost as tall as me!

Isabelle (4 years old)...

This year Izza has ventured out of the comfort of her brother's shadow to blaze her own trails. She loves to play superheroes with her big bro, but has also learned to write her name, started Spanish classes, enjoys mani-pedi sessions (thanks to her father), and is a budding artist - frequently drawing our family portraits on various mediums :-D 

Belle says her favorite 2017 memory was, "getting her new dolls".... -_-

Natey didn't want to go Trick-or-Treating, that didn't stop Izza!

Our Family by Isabelle "Nate with a haircut"

I hope you are all having an amazing holiday season. Talk to you soon!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Along with our Christmas cards,  I would help my mom write "The Ransones :Insert Year Here:" to share our year in review with our loved ones. At that time, I thought it was ridiculous, but now that I have a family (and blog, albiet neglected) of my own, I could see myself starting this tradition. So without further adieu...

The Johnsons: 2015

Nathan: 
2015 was a milestone year for Nate. In April he turned 30!!! This year he also grew a sexy beard ;-) He continues to inspire me daily as he is always working to make himself a better person - whether it's with clean eating and exercise, putting his needs last to make sure me and the kids are happy, or just constantly reading and learning new things. Some of those "new things" include: building an electric smoker so he can slow-cook meat and control the temperature away from home - yes, this happens, discovering new places around town, and french braiding Isabelle's hair.

This week Nate lost his Grandmother - an amazing woman who was blessed to see 101 years. Please pray for him and his extended family's strength during this time.

Rest in heaven, MoDear

Jasmine: 
Shortly after my last blog post in October, I lost my grandmother. Since then, the pangs of homesickness are more present than not. It is my first time losing a grandparent and even though we knew time was fleeting, I just wasn't ready. Can you ever be? Before she died I told myself that we would finally make it back to Michigan to see her by January. Little did I know, I did not have that kind of time.

The rest of 2015 was a blur. I took out my first uterus. I started exercising...for a bit (haha). I became an "upper level/chief" on one of the busiest services of our program. I started talking to mentors regarding big decisions in my professional life. But I also decided that "I have to work" would no longer be an acceptable excuse for not calling, writing, or visiting those I love when I can. 2016 I am going to do so much better. 

Rounding out the first half of second year has been incredibly better from a family-work balance perspective in comparison to where I was this time last year.  I tried to be as present as I could in all the moments at home.

My angel Grandma Wilhelmina 

Nathan II: 
2015 meant the end of Kindergarten and the start of first grade at a new school for our Deuce. And in January he turns SEVEN. I will just let that marinate for a minute... He continues to show an aptitude for building - just like Dad. And this year, Nate (what he wants everyone at school to call him now) became a writer. His class did a unit on telling their narratives, and at parent-teacher conferences his teachers showed me his growing collection of short stories. I was already so proud, but seeing him love something that brings me joy was awesome. His dad bought him a leather bound journal this year, and he hasn't looked back.

He has also discovered sarcasm. Stating "that was sarcasm if you didn't know" when he tries it out. This kid.

Nate continues to be an amazing big brother - even though Isabelle's main goal these days is to test all the little sister limits.  And we can't forget his dancing. He can pop, lock, whip, and 'nae-'nae with the best of them.

Isabelle: 
Miss Isabelle is such a little lady these days. Sure, she enjoys picking out her hair accessories and taking care of her baby dolls - which she has lovingly named "Baby Wow" and "Baby Mommy" - but she also adores her older brother who has her puddle jumping and karate-kicking regularly.

She loves reading, singing, and dancing as much as Nate. Her vocabulary has grown exponentially and she never runs out of kisses and hugs. Even at two, she understands the importance of family - asking to call her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins frequently. I don't know what we ever did without her. She is such beautiful girl, inside and out.





Thank you to all of our loved ones and friends who have shown more unwavering love and support in the form of prayers, encouraging words, and deeds than we could ever repay. You don't know how thankful we are for each and every one of you. 2016, we're ready!

My surprise Valentine's 

Feb 2015

March 2015; Isabelle was afraid of the snow...

Wilmington (April)

My brother Josh graduated from Loyola in May!

Kindergarten Graduation in June

Cousins in July!

No more intern year!

J's Bday in August

Fall!

Making Thanksgiving Pies with Maimeo

Christmas with my parents (Lita & Grampy) and "little" brothers - Carey, Josh, and Jordan!

My Grandma Wilhelmina 

Nate's Grandma MoDear

Out with the Old!

Happy 2014 Everyone!

I hope you all had a great holiday season and end of the year. We are currently experiencing a bit of an extended break with the arrival of "Snowpacolypse" 2014. Schools, businesses, roads, etc. pretty much in the entire state of Indiana are closed due to the almost foot of snow that fell all day Sunday. Today, we had a windchill of -35. Yes, you read that right. 35 degrees BELOW zero. Never in my life have I heard the news give a run down on how to avoid frostbite until last night. Tomorrow, we are advised to stay indoors again due to this crazy cold.

The fam and I had a lovely Christmas. After waking up in Indianapolis and opening gifts with the kids, we hit the road for Michigan to spend time with the extended family. We were able to stay in town from Wednesday to Sunday, so we got some great visit time in - it's never enough to see everyone we would like, but it was more time than most...

Back in 2013 (lol), this happened...

Isabelle wasn't too impressed by Santa...She kind of reminds me of "Grumpy Cat" haha

 

I'm so excited about the great things to come in 2014! This is the year I become "Dr. Johnson"! We will be moving (hopefully south!) - and most likely buying our first home. I will finally be done with paying tuition and will get my first paycheck doing what I love. Natey will be starting kindergarten... YAY!

I kicked off the new year by getting rid of the old... Every closet (aside from the hubby's :side eye:) has been cleaned out. I got rid of so much junk, and with the help of organization blogs and youtube tutorials, found some space-saving ways to do things like fold underwear and towels. My underwear drawer looks like a Victoria's Secret display it's so neat, and don't get me started on our medicine cabinets and linen closet...hahaha My new crusade is a fight against dust. It's like ridiculous in this house, sheesh. 

I haven't really made any resolutions this year. I just want to be better. I want to be a better Christian, a better wife, a better mother, a better friend. I guess I should be more specific, but I think simple is best for me right now :-) 

I started counting calories and semi-"eating clean" last Monday. I'm already 5lbs down! I'm sure it's just water weight, but my goal is to be slim and trim by graduation. I have about 20lbs to lose in 5 months. The first two days was so hard, but I am finally not feeling starved anymore. So now I have a bit more confidence that I can do it!

Minutes post piercing. She was a trooper!

This month's rotation is a sub-internship in OBGYN. It is kind of like what I did in October on internal medicine - acting as an intern. The biggest (and awesome) thing about it is that it's in my soon to be specialty! The hours will be long, but I will try and keep you all posted on how it's going...

This past weekend Isabelle got her ears pierced! She did so well, but poor Natey started to cry because he didn't want anyone to hurt his sister :-(

And Natey turns 5 on the 29th! I cannot believe it. Below is a peek at the photos taken by his dad for the superhero themed invite. SO cute!

                                  

I think that is all for now. Ciao!

2011 Reflections and 2012 Resolutions

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

I definitely am working on making my goals year-round, but the new year is always a pivotal time to take inventory on how far we have come. When we were younger, and even up until a couple years ago, my mom would make us write our "vision statements" for the year in addition to spiritual, physical, and mental goals. It is a great thing to do no matter where you are in life....

Last year I shared Pumpkin's resolutions with you: 

"1. No bas (bottles) - so far he is only taking a couple at night with water only...2. No more night time feedings (we have cut down on the milk A LOT, now he doesn't fuss as much and his belly is a lot less bloated too...3. Sleeping in the big boy bed4. Potty training - even his teacher thinks that he is ready, time to whip out the pull ups!"

I am so excited for him because everything was done, well except for the complete potty training, but I am hoping that by his birthday we will be good...pray! It's amazing to look back and see how far he has developed in just one year - last year I talked about how he was starting to call me "mommy" all the time...awww That is definitely a great example of why I started my blog in the first place. I want to be able to go back and remember all the wonderful things about life right now.

This year Pumpkin's resolutions are: 

1. Finish potty training!
2. Start reading - if anyone has any good phonics type book recommendations please share!
3. Get on a soccer team
4. Learn karate in a real, controlled setting and not just on Power Rangers
5. Behavior improvement - Don't get me wrong, he is a great kid, but we just some fine-tuning when it comes to listening to his mommy and following directions in public...LOL

My resolutions are a work in progress but so far... 

1. Study the Word daily and join a ministry at church.
2. Make better food choices and exercise regularly.
3. Generate more medical school-help content and income from the blog.
4. KNOCK OUT my Boards. 

In my marriage I want to... (also a work in progress tho) 

1. Carve out a REGULAR date night in our schedules.
2. Go on a vacation together.  
3. Maybe read a marriage book(s) together...
4. Work on formulating our "get out of debt" plan together and set more financial goals.

Do you make resolutions/goals for the New Year? What are some of yours? 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

More.

Something in my spirit keeps telling me that I need to go to a new level.

I need to stretch.

I need to be more of an example.

I need to bear more fruit of the Spirit.

I need to continuously exercise my faith.

I need to be more kingdom and eternity-minded.

I need to actually get involved in my church.

I need to stop depending on my feelings and more on what God says.

I need to look outward to help others instead of always looking at how I can help myself.

I need to REALLY get into a habit of dwelling in the Word and not falling out of it.

I need more of You, Lord.

Back to business...

School started on Monday and so far it has been completely different from the first semester. Although I did have a quiz already, for the most part this is going to be so much better than the fall... I think I am going to start taking Yoga during my extra free time. All the lifting of my 40 pound, almost-two-year-old is taking a toll on my back. I tried a yoga video I picked up at target for the first time and I like it a lot! Afterward I felt so aligned and like I had better posture - which made my back feel much better too. I'm going to sign up for a Saturday class through school, they have a great student discount. Right now my mind is still on vacation and focused on other things, but I decided that on Monday I will start to take things a little more seriously ;-)



On Monday, I finally upgraded my computer game - thanks to student loans of course, but I am now on team MacBook, and so far I love it. I hoping that the ichat and working webcam I have now will help me with my "stay in touch with friends" resolution...

Speaking of resolutions, Pumpkin's New Year's resolutions are:

1. No bas (bottles) - so far he is only taking a couple at night with water only...
2. No more night time feedings (we have cut down on the milk A LOT, now he doesn't fuss as much and his belly is a lot less bloated too..."
3. Sleeping in the big boy bed
4. Potty training - even his teacher thinks that he is ready, time to whip out the pull ups!

Over break we were able to spend a lot of time together. He decided that he would start calling me "mommy" and I love it - even when he follows me around saying it over, and over, and over...Santa was very good to Pumpkin who essentially has three Christmas drop offs in Indianapolis, Long Beach, and Detroit :-) We just knew hokey pokey Elmo would be a hit, but he seems to like the tool sets and doctor gear the most - that's when he isn't reading or giving us his Justin Bieber "Baby Baby Oh!" performance (where he sings that phrase into his mic multiple times LOL)...need to get that on tape next


On the 29th, he turns 2!!!! I cannot believe it. He has made the past two years of my life so meaningful. I am so thankful that God has entrusted me with him. We aren't having a birthday party but I am trying to think of something fun we can do with him. I definitely want to take cake up to his school so we can have pictures with his friends...I need to get his birthday photo shoot taken care of too...I really don't have time for this back pain right now...ugh

Also, I found another awesome website for young moms - a young mommy blog is what inspired me to start my own. Meatball Kisses went public on January 1st and has hit the ground running! Pass the following link on to a young mommy that you think needs some encouragement! It's so exciting to meet/hear about other women following their dreams, DESPITE statistics and public opinion... Meatball Kisses

Be blessed everyone and Happy New Year!