How many Chandler Johnson's are there?

My friend Shannon did this cute post on her blog and i thought it was interesting enough to post on my too.

How many Chandler Johnson's are out there?

There are fewer than 1,536 people in the US with the first name Chandler. (we can only guess that most of them are male).

There are 2,115,427 people in the US with the last name Johnson.

Johnson is the 2nd most popular last name. (duh!)

There are only 11 people in the US with the name Chandler Johnson!


But we all know this little girl above is the best Chandler Johnson!

A bunch of Johnson's

This evening we went to a cookout at Jeremy's aunt and uncle's house. They have 2 boys, an 11 yr old and a 2 yr old. All day we kept talking about going to see them and using their names. By the time we arrived, Chandler was so ready to play with Cousin Daniel and Cousin Ethan.

Chandler and Ethan couldn't wait for the burgers and hot dogs and were sharing a snack. Ethan has the same beautiful golden curls as Chandler. I think it must be a Johnson gene.


Group photo of the Johnson cousins--Daniel holding Peylon, Chandler and Ethan. (This one is for you Sparky and Pops)!


Chandler loved that they had a rock trail and spent over 30 minutes picking out her favorites. She then carried them around in her fist for another 30 minutes.

I got Chandler and Ethan to do Ring around the Rosie. Chandler loved it and kept begging to do it again. Ethan liked it b/c he could pull Chandler in a circle really fast!

Ashes, Ashes, they all fall down!

What do you think? Do they look alike?

Photos of the week

Chandler reading her favorite book to Jake this morning. Can't you tell Jake just loved it?



Last night we went to Karyn and Andy's for a cookout. Johnny and Julianne and their daughter came too. The 3 girls had so much fun. Hailey and Chandler stopping long enough for me to snap a picture.


The girls were so wired before we left. We tried to get a group photo of them and this was the best we could get! (Jennifer, recognize the dress Hailey is wearing?)

One day this week Grandad joined us for story time with my moms group. After story time the kids got to make a doggie hat. Chandler refused to wear hers.

Chandler with her friends from the moms group. Don't they all look like big kids?!

Of course Grandad and Chandler had to read some more stories before we could leave the library.

Birthday Boy

We had a birthday boy in our house yesterday. Jeremy turned 33! Chandler got him some framed photos of herself and colored him a card. Then we took him out to eat at his favorite sushi restaurant for his birthday dinner. Chandler was so well behaved and was so excited to be eating out with us.

The birthday boy with his favorite girl. I know it's a little blurry, but it's the only one i have.

All day I kept telling Chandler it was Daddy's birthday. Then she would start singing "Happy Birthday" but insert Jake's name instead. By the end of the night she got it right and serenaded her daddy.

Happy Birthday Jeremy! We are so proud of the husband and daddy you are!

Wordless Wednesdays

Friends on Sesame Street

A video of Chandler introducing us to her friends on Sesame Street. Make sure you have your volume up b/c she does not talk that loud.

For Sparky and Pops

Unless you are one of Chandler's grandparents you probably won't have much of an interest in this video. My favorite part is when I tell her to look in the bag and she takes me literally and puts her eyes right up to the opening!

Thank you for the books Sparky and Pops! Chandler LOVES them!

Am i seeing Double?

My eyes have been bothering me a lot lately. Everywhere i go i am having double vision!

Thanks for the outfits Sparky! The girls look so cute in them. They had fun being twins.

Big Announcement

I want to let everyone know that the big announcement I promised in a previous post was Jeremy's new job and the move to IL. I am under no circumstances pregnant!! I had been getting this question from some blog readers and wanted to dispel the myth once and for all! We are completely happy with our family of 4 (if you count Jake) and are not expanding at this time. Thank you for your attention! :)

I'm in the Money

Last month I participated in a children's consignment sale. I was hoping to make a little bit of money and clean out Chandler's closet and old toys in the process. I also put her nursery bedding, lamps and decor in the sale. Well today the mailman brought me my commission check. I made over $200! Not bad for about 5 hours of work getting the items ready to sell. There is another sale coming up in mid-September and I am going to put the rest of her winter clothing and a few more toys in this sale. But even better than the earned $$ according to Jeremy, is we got rid of a bunch of "junk" from the house. Now i will just have to decide what to spend my hard earned $$ on!

6 Years

Today is our 6 yr anniversary. In those 6 yrs, we have moved 5 times and lived in 3 different states. We have been through multiple job interviews and promotions. We have dealt with infertility and been blessed with Chandler thanks to modern medicine and God. We have been through a lot. We have seen each other at our worst and at our best. The one thing that is always present is how much i love Jeremy.


Jeremy is an awesome husband. He once told me that the best advice he got from his mom was" always put your family first". That is one thing that he does live by. With all his decisions he always considers how it will affect Chandler and I before he proceeds.

Jeremy is so funny. He loves to tease me and get me "mad" at him. He makes me laugh a lot. Jeremy is also very thoughtful, giving and loyal.

We of course have had our disagreements and our fights. But i always know 100% that Jeremy is there for me and will love me until the day he dies.

I am so thankful that 6 yrs ago on this day Jeremy and I said our vows. I love him more now than i did 6 yr ago and i never thought that would be possible. Jeremy, thank you so much for being the perfect husband for me. Thank you for loving me through it all. I can't wait to see what the next 60 yrs hold.

Home Alone

Today Chandler and I are home alone. Jeremy went to Baltimore to go to a concert and have a mini-boys weekend. But Chandler and I stayed busy. We went to the park in the morning and had a brunch playdate with our moms group. Then we ran some errands and ate lunch. After naps we went to the pool. We ran into some of Chandler's friends there. One of the moms offered to let Chandler stay at the pool with her daughter and let me go to the grocery store by myself. So that was a nice treat. When i went to pick up Chandler about an hour later, the mom had already given Chandler and her daughter a bath. So sweet. We had a late dinner, played a little and now I just put Chandler to bed. I thought this day might go by kind of slow since Jeremy was out of town. But we had a great day.

On Friday morning, Chandler and i had a lazy morning. We laid around watching some movies and playing with Jake. Chandler was laying on the floor and Jake came and did this to her.

After a bit her moved away to chew on a bone. But Chandler kept patting her belly and saying "Jake lay here". It was very sweet. I love that she loves that dog so much. They are such good playmates.

I treated myself tonight by buying me a piece of cherry pie and some trash magazines. As soon as Chandler is sleeping I am off to read them in a hot bath. Can't wait!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho..

..it's off to Illinois we go! Jeremy got the job he interviewed for! He had his interview in IL. on Wed. He was asked back for a 2nd interview for this coming Monday. On Thursday afternoon, HR called him and told him they were not going to proceed with the 2nd round of interviews and wanted to offer the job to him. I am so proud of him! I think we are still in a state of disbelief that we will be moving AGAIN!! But this is a wonderful opportunity for his career and it will allow me to stay at home with Chandler. But the news is bittersweet as we have some really great friends here and we will miss them dearly. We are also sad that we will be moving away from family that is here. It has been so wonderful to have Chandler be able to spend time with my dad and her cousins. But we know that this is what is meant to be for us at this time in our lives. We look forward to the next chapter. So again congratulations Jeremy. We couldn't be prouder of you!

What color is this?

Video to show how smart our big girl Chandler is.

Babysitting Anna

I joined our neighborhood babysitting co-op. So instead of paying $$ to the babysitters, we pay and get paid in cards. Today we helped out our friend Courtney and watched her 21 month daughter Anna in the morning. Chandler and Anna had lots of fun. And they got along very well.

They decided to move the chairs from her kiddie table. I guess they needed a front row seat for Mickey Mouse.



After playing inside for most of the morning I took them to the park. They ran all around, did sidewalk chalk and blew bubbles. Of course it was a warm day and they had to take a break for a snack and juice.

After lunch the girls laid on Anna's mat and listened to some music. Chandler was all happy about sharing the mat, of course Anna wasn't too pleased about it, but she let Chandler lay there.

After Anna left everyone took good long naps. I hope to use the cards I collected to have a date night with Jeremy soon.

The same things over and over

I love being a stay at home mom, but sometimes I feel like Chandler and I do the same things over and over. On Monday we went to Chuckee's to play. It was really hot outside and I am getting tired of the pool and the park. Chandler got a gift card to there for her birthday and we put it to good use. Chandler is getting really good at some of the bigger kids games.



We weren't going to stay for pizza b/c it is expensive, but we met Karyn, Andy and Hailey there and they were eating pizza and it didn't seem right to not let Chandler have any. She of course loved it and proceeded to eat 3 pieces. Thanks again for sharing guys!


Then this evening, Chandler & I went to Chick-fil-a for kids night. We were suppose to meet a bunch of the moms in our moms group there. But it was raining and everyone backed out. Chandler and I still had fun. She liked the balloon artist and cow from afar, but watch out if they get close.

She did not want her picture taken and was pushing the camera away.

After she ate, I let her run around the play area. It is pretty small and the toys are made for much bigger kids. But I think she enjoyed herself by running around.

Pondering her next move.

The monkey the balloon artist made her.

Even though it was raining, after dinner we headed to the half price book store to buy Chandler 2 of her favorite books: Hug and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. To our dismay they did not have them. But I did find her some new books that were on clearance. We scored 5 books for less than $10!

Jeremy is in Bloomington, IL tonight. His big interview is tomorrow morning at 9:00am. Again your prayers are appreciated.

County Fair

This morning the 3 of us met up with Grandad, Aunt Mel, Uncle Brett and Cousin Hannah at the county fair. It was pretty close to Chandler's nap time but she hung in there like a trooper. She was so excited to see cousin Hannah. We took the girls through an interactive farm. They got to collect eggs, milk cows, feed chickens etc. Chandler is picking the best apple.


After the farm, we checked out the pig races. They also had baby goat races. They were so cute.

It was the hottest day of year so far today. We went inside to watch some dogs do tricks and some bmx riders do tricks. Mainly we just wanted to be in the air-condition. If you look close you can see how sweaty and over-heated Chandler is.

Posing with Grandad before we left. It is about 2 hours past her nap time and she was exhausted!

Cousin Hannah and Grandad.

We had a good time at the fair. The best part was we got to enjoy with our family.

Our week

Chandler and I had a week full of fun activities. On Monday our neighborhood had a back to school pool party. We met some neighborhood friends there and also invited some friends from outside the neighborhood. We stayed at the pool for over 3 hours. There was a DJ, music, pool games, food, dancing.

My cute surfer

Sydney and Chandler having a snack pool side

On Tuesday we went to the zoo. Then that evening we went out to eat dinner with Mr. Bob and Mrs. Judy for dinner. They are some friends from our neighborhood in TX. We ate pizza and Chandler loved it!

Wednesday we rented some princess movies and watched those. Chandler has gotten into the princess phase recently. It is kind of cute. We spent the rest of the week going to the park, the pool and the big playground. On Friday night we went to Chandler's BFF's for dinner. Hailey's mommy was not there. But her daddy sure appreciated the company and the dinner.

The BFF's

Chandler is a great sleeper. Lately when she takes her nap she asks for Mickey book. Then she lays down in her crib and quietly reads her books. I usually wait about 30 minutes until i know she is in a deep sleep and then i go and remove the books from her crib. This is what i found at nap time today. Can you say that this girl loves to read?!

After Chandler's nap and Mommy's nap today we went to the pool. Of course Chandler had to get in her daily quota of loving on Jake before we left for the pool! Poor Jake. It is a shame no one loves him!

We have a fun day of swimming and a trip to the county fair tomorrow. Fun, fun, fun!

Big Interview

As many of you know we relocated back to TN from TX last Sept for Jeremy to become a State Farm Agent. After much soul-searching, Jeremy decided that agency was not the right step for him and decided not to pursue it. I am happy that he was brave enough to make the decision not to go forward with opening the business and have to tell a bunch of people his decision. The realization came in late May. Since then Jeremy has been working on special projects at State Farm, all the while trying to figure out his next career move. He was recently informed of a wonderful opportunity for the same position he had in TX. Except this position is not in TN. It is located in Bloomington, IL. He has his big interview on Wed (8/12) up in IL. This would be a great opportunity for Jeremy to get back into the field he loves. It would also be a great opportunity for the family as i would be able to remain at home with Chandler. Which is where i want to be. We would appreciate all prayers for his big interview next Wed!!!

Happy Birthday Jacob

Today is Jake's birthday!! He is 6 yrs old. Even though he is a dog we tried to make his day special. This morning Chandler and i serenaded him with our renedition of Happy Birthday. In case you can't understand what she is saying--it is Happy Birthday Jacob!

Jake got lots of kisses, hugs and cookies from us today. He even got a special frozen penaut butter treat.

Jeremy took this 2nd video not knowing i took the first one. And yes i promise she does wear pants sometimes!

Last but not least, i took Jake on a long birthday walk this evening. When we returned i tried to get Jeremy to take a photo of my and the birthday boy, but Jake would not cooperate. So i had to settle for the one up top. He is headed to drink some water. To me it looks like he is flashing me a smile.

Happy 6th birthday Jake. We love you!!

Cousin Hannah & Chandler

Last Saturday we went over to Brett, Mel and Cousin Hannah's house. That was a good thing as Chandler had been asking about cousin Hannah all week. Uncle Brett cooked us burgers on his new green egg grill. I am not sure what that is, but Jeremy seemed pretty excited about it. Chandler and Hannah played so nicely together and so hard too.

They are watching their daddy's grill in the rain.

They took some time to color together.

Cousin Hannah looking cool with her shades, while watching Elmo.



Taking a break to eat some gummy fruit.

This photo has the best story. Towards the end of the evening, Hannah got her blanket and pillow from her crib and laid it on the floor. Then she went and got one for Chandler. She told Chandler to lay down and then Hannah covered her gently with the blanket and then laid down next to her. Melanie and i tried to lay down next to the girls. But they both told us "no, no Mommy. Night night". And then made us leave the room. They stayed laying on the floor like this--going night night--for over 30 minutes.

I just LOVE this photo and the memories it brings back for me. I can't wait until the girls are big enough to really have sleepovers together.

Mommy and the zoo

Last night Chandler kept asking about the zoo. She was naming all the animals she wanted to see there. So when we woke up to a sunny day i decided to take her. We did not go with anyone else. It was just a date with Mommy and Chandler. We had so much fun. We saw the elephants, 2 monkeys, some red hogs sleeping in the shade and zebras drinking water. She petted the baby goats and daddy goats in the petting zoo. But her favorite by far were the Meerkats. There were tons of them and boy were they active. We probably watched them for 10 minutes. She wanted to see more animals but it got really hot and Mommy was so tired and hot from pushing the stroller we had to go home. I did not take bring my camera b/c i wanted one less thing to carry! So no photos of me and my big girl at the zoo. But lots of good memories.

Chandler loves Grandad

For Chandler's birthday Grandad got her some sidewalk chalk. She loves to draw and color with it. The other day i asked her to draw something she loved and this is what she did.

In case you couldn't figure it out: she did I LOVE GRANDAD. Now bear in mind she does love herself and Chuckee but this was the best photo of Grandad that Mommy had. Chandler has been spending lots of good time with her Grandad this Summer. They have taken a trip to Chuckee cheese, played on her slide in his backyard, read books with him and to him. Even taken a nap on his shoulder while we strolled through Costco. So sweet. A few mornings ago i woke up to Chandler talking. Over and over she kept saying "It's Grandad!" She sounded so cute and so excited. I guess her and Grandad were having fun even in her dreams.

When we first moved back to TN Chandler was apprehensive of my dad. But now she will run to him, call his name, and ask him to hold her. I am sure it melts his heart.