Baby Shower and Easter picnic

I am trying to make sure I am all caught up with what we have been doing since I already struggle being consistent at blogging and it will probably get worse once baby girl is here. A couple weeks ago some ladies in the branch threw me a little baby shower for baby girl. It was so nice of them and I left with some really cute clothes and other girl things we need. They also did a craft where they made cute onesies with iron ons. It was fun to get out of the house for a couple hours and just hang out with the girls. 

This last Saturday we had a branch picnic for Easter. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and good food. We hung out at the park for a few hours just playing games and visiting with everyone. John also participated in his frist Easter egg hunt! He loved it! He was only suppose to get 4 eggs but he was so quick and good at it Michael had to keep pulling eggs out of his bag and putting them back :) We are very excited for Easter this coming weekend! 

Big changes for a big boy!

This last month has been a big one for John. We have been making some big changes as we get ready to have a baby in the house. We moved all of his toys out of his room and made a playroom in our den/office area. John has moved from the crib into a twin bed! I was very nervous for this but he really has done well. The first week we had a hard time with him getting out of bed and then falling asleep on the floor! once we took away the blankets that had been on the floor in case he fell out helped with that. He does a pretty good job staying in bed and luckily he cannot open his bedroom door yet so he doesn't see much sense in getting up since there are no toys in his room. He has fallen out of bed a few times but hopefully that gets better over time. He has also recently moved from his infant car seat into a forward facing seat. He seems to be enjoying that a lot as well! It is so crazy to have our little baby grow up into such a cute little boy. He has been talking more and more and is developing such a sweet and cute personality. Unfortunately he is so shy that Michael and I are the only ones who usually see it. We are hoping that will improve since he will not even look at someone he doesn't know well if they try to talk to him. We are very curious to see how he will do with his new baby sister and sharing mom's attention :) 

John's new bed!

This is how we found him a few times that first week. 

He is just too cute!

Jana's Projects

Since November of last year I have been very busy trying to get a bunch of projects done. As the time for baby girl to arrive comes I have been working hard to get everything I started or wanted to do done as I know having two kids to take care of will consume a lot more of my time. I have been very proud of all the things I have been able to accomplish! If only I was this motivated all the time! Right before we moved to Louisiana I had Grandma Albretsen teach me how to crochet. It is something I have wanted to learn for awhile but never taken the time to do. As I have been working on several projects that have included using this skill I have come to really enjoy it! I am hoping to continue to use it and maybe even someday sell a couple things. So here is a post to show what I have been up to since Novemeber! 

(These are not in order of when I did them)

Baby girls crib! (2 pillows and the blanket are what I made)

Little ballet booties

a blanket for Baby girl's crib

car seat cover

chocolates at Christmas time for friends and Mike's co-workers

Organizing our kitchen

nursing cover

Quiet book for John (it was a Christmas gift)

refinished chairs that were given to us

snowflake ornaments for my family

tutu for baby girl

Obviously Michael helped with some of these and he has been busy with his own projects outside. He has planted a small garden with green beans, peas, and tomatoes. He has also been working hard to clean up our yard and get rid of ants! It has been a productive few months for us! 

Michael turns 26!

On March 3rd we got to celebrate Michael's 26th birthday! Unfortunately his birthday was

on a Tuesday which is a busy day for us. He had to go to work and then when he got home we quickly ate and headed off to young mens and activty days at the church. I did my best to make the day special by making him breakfast and then having his favorite dinner of lasagna and homemade bread. We had mint chocolate chip ice cream cake and I attempted to make peanut cakes for him to take to young mens. Mine did not turn out near as good as grandma Albretsen's but they still tasted good. I am a terrible wife and didn't take any pictures of him on his birthday or any of him opening his gifts. Someday I will remember to do that! haha 

The only pictures I did take were of all the food we had! 

Happy birthday to the best husband ever! John and I are so lucky to have him. He is the hardest working and most patient person I know. He is so selfless and is always trying to do his best and help others. He is a worthy priesthood holder who makes our home a place of security and peace. We love him and are so thankful we get him for eternity! 

Valentine's and Mardi Gras!

February was a fun month here as we celebrated Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day.

This was our first year being in Lousiana for Mardi Gras. Unfortunately we are kinda lame and 

we didn't go to many of the celebrations. The only thing we really did for Mardi Gras was go to the local parade in Luling. While Michael thought the parade was better than it was going to be I was a little disappointed. It was my first real small town parade and I was expecting a big parade like the ones I grew up with. It was still fun and we went home with lot of beads, footballs, and other little things they threw out. John loved getting the beads and had fun walking around picking up the ones on the ground. He eventually had too many on his neck and couldn't pick up any on the ground without tipping forward. It was so funny and cute. We had a lot of friends tell us about the big parades in Metairie and New Orleans and they sounded a little more impressive. The kids here get the whole week off of school and several people go out of town for the holiday. We weren't affected really by it since we live in a small town 45 min away from downtown New Orleans. 

For Valentine's Day we enjoyed a day together as a family with little gifts in the morning. The night before we got Chinese food to celebrate as well. Valentine's Day night we had the sister missionaries over for dinner and we enjoyed that as well. What a great day to celebrate love! 

At the Mardi Gras parade. The ladder in the picture is a big thing down here 

for the Mardi Gras parades. Smart idea for your kids!

Our Valentine's day gifts we got :)