Life with the Poores

The Qualls

2009-07-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

So I am a terrible best friend. Jonas is almost 3 months old and this was the 1st time I met him!!!!! April and I keep on getting pregnant at the same time which limits our travel abilities...but the long wait is over...Selah and I spent the weekend with them and had a great time. Jack is precious and an AMAZING golfer and Jonas couldn't be any sweeter!!

Disneyland

2009-07-09T13:57:00.001-07:00

Selah and Byron were in California ALL last week while I was recovering from having the baby. They went with Dave and Linda and all had a wonderful time. As you

can see...the only picture I have of Byron is his shadow...it will have to do! HA! Oh...the Harmonious Hunks did get interviewed by Conan O'Brien...its yet to be seen if it will air or not, but Byron said it was a fun experience!

Bern's Steakhouse

2009-06-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

So to celebrate Dave's birthday Linda wanted to take him to Bern's and was kind enough to bring all of us along. They had not been in YEARS, and of course it was Selah's first time. We had a WONDERFUL meal, but as always, the company was even better!

June 24th...a Wonderful Day!

2009-06-29T19:24:00.001-07:00

3 fantastic birthdays...Jamie's good friend Bill, my "just like a dad" David, and then my 3rd surrogate baby Julianna aka sweet cheeks!! My due date was not until July 1st, but as always, God was looking after me and got her here early so that Byron could be with me. My water broke Wednesday morning at midnight and she was here by 1:30pm...7 lbs 2 oz, 19 3/4 " long and as beautiful as you can imagine. I'm not putting any pictures of her on the Internet...but I carry them with me and will be happy to show her off anytime:) It was a beautiful, amazing, wonderful experience as was my last surrogacy and I thank God for bringing this wonderful family into our lives!

Thank you to all of my family and friends who helped so much, especially while I was in the hospital. Being a surrogate mother is what I know God has called me to do and having the support of those closest to me means more than words can express. I also want to make it known that I have the greatest husband EVER. Byron, I would have been "fine" if she had been born while you were in CA, but the fact of the matter is, God knew I needed you. You are such a rock for me, my biggest support, and a FANTASTIC labor coach! Thank you so much for standing by me, allowing me to follow my heart, even though the calling was not something either one of us would have expected 8 years ago when we got married. You are an outstanding man and I am proud to be your wife!

Jalyn's Birthday!

2009-06-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

So June is a big month for my family! Jalyn's birthday is the 22nd, then Stephen's is the 29th. I didn't have my camera for Stephen's, but here are some good ones from Jalyn's. We went in with Stephen to get Jalyn some "Vera" and as you can see, she LOVED it! (she is soooooo goofy!)

My 31st!

2009-06-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

It started by Michele taking me to Cheesecake Factory...I had the best burger I have EVER had, but as you can see...I did not get any of my dessert for the "little hands" that we dipping into it! That night Byron took me and Selah to Kobe...then dropped by the Massaros and acted very disappointed because my family was supposed to be there for a "party". ACTUALLY he planned a surprise party for me the next night at Villagio's and it worked...I was shocked! So many of the people I love the most were there...it was a WONDERFUL night and I have a WONDERFUL husband for going to all that trouble for me!

The Girls

2009-06-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Mom bought Selah and Marin these matching outfits and we finally got them on at the same time. Unfortunately I did not get a great picture, but you get the point!

Adventure Island

2009-06-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

This was last month, but I just found the pictures. It is rare that all of us are together like this, so it was a GREAT day!

Memorial Day

2009-06-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

Mom rented a condo on Treasure Island for Memorial Day weekend and we were ALL able to go!!!!! It was so wonderful having all of us in one place. We did a whole lot of laughing as your can expect from the Johnson clan, Selah and Marin had the time of their lives, and we all got along all weekend :) SO...Thanks MOM for an incredible weekend!

Cracker Country

2009-04-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

I was able to go with Selah on my first field trip last Wednesday and it was AWESOME. We went to Cracker Country at the Fair Grounds and learn alot about "old Florida". As you can see she learned how to wash clothes with a wash board, make butter, candles, and rope, plus see how school USED to be!

A beautiful Easter

2009-04-17T04:01:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny came to see Selah a few too many times with WAY too much candy!

The Girls

2009-04-10T07:53:00.001-07:00

Just some more photos of Selah and Marin having a blast together!

Jacksonville

2009-04-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

We headed to Daytona last Thursday night for a show that the Harmonious Hunks were on (that is the new name of Byron's quartet..pretty funny, huh!) then went up to Jacksonville for the remainder of the weekend. The quartet did GREAT, scoring 51 points higher than ever before and qualifying to go to California in July. It was a FUN weekend.

Selah's Leprachan Trap

2009-04-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

This is the Leprechaun Trap Selah made for school. Unfortunately she did not catch a leprechaun, he took her gold, but did leave his shirt in her trap and some candy so she knew she almost got him! It was a really fun project for all of us.
PS...The little blue box in the back right corner was a port-a-potty for him! :)

GG LOVE!!

2009-02-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

I took this picture back in October at GG's birthday party, but I have just now gotten around to uploading everything to my computer and I noticed it! GG is not a big fan of the camera normally, but she is all smiles here with her oldest great-granddaughter! Selah LOVES her GG!!!

Busch Gardens

2009-02-02T07:21:00.001-08:00

Over the winter break Selah and I went to Busch Gardens with Dad, Jalyn and Marin. It was a perfect day...being with my family and watching my daughter and niece have the time of their lives! I loved it!

Selah's Birthday

2009-02-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

We had a Hannah Montana party at a park in Westchase and everyone had a blast. She had friends from all over...and enough Hannah Montana to open our own store! Then on Thursday (her actual birthday) me, Jalyn and Marin took cupcakes to her classroom. Sugar overload!

New Year's Eve

2009-02-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

We decided to go to Sea World on New Year's Eve and it was incredible. It was very crowded, but we enjoyed all the shows so much! We are going back very soon because we did not get to touch the dolphins...that is a MUST!

Christmas

2009-02-02T06:56:00.001-08:00

I am well aware that I am late...sorry!
We had a wonderful Christmas..everyone was healthy and happy! Here are some highlights!

Surrogacy Number 2!!!

2008-11-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

Yes indeed...I am pregnant again. This time with ONE baby, due at the very end of June. I had to fly out to California for the transfer, so Aunt Kaye and Sarah joined me to make sure I was fed while on bed rest. We had a wonderful time, laughed SOOOOO much, and enjoyed BEAUTIFUL Laguna Hills. The family of this precious baby is thrilled...almost 10 weeks down, so 30 more to go. I will keep you posted!

Family Photos

2008-10-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

We are bad parents...just so you know. This is the first time we have EVER had our family picture taken! But to me...it was worth the wait for these AWESOME pictures. These we done by our good friend Kristen Joy...she is amazing and I will be happy to pass her info on to anyone looking for a great photographer (besides myself of course!)

Marin's Big Party

2008-09-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful niece was 1 on September 23rd, but we celebrated last weekend with a FROG party. She was really into frogs, so Stephen and Jalyn took advantage of it, but we think she might be on the tail end of that phase! None the less...we had a blast. She was the BEST girl ever and we all had a wonderful time!
PS...look at her face with Jamie...she is SO over him!

ALASKA!!!!

2008-09-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

What an AMAZING trip!!!!! Alaska and Canada were both SO beautiful that pictures don't come close to doing it justice!!!! The cruise was so fun, every port was different and exciting, and getting to travel with Grandma, PLUS seeing Jamie perform was a wonderful blessing. Just wanted to put some of the 1500 (or so) pictures up for you to see a little of what we experienced.

Headed to Alaska...

2008-09-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

We leave for Alaska tomorrow, but it has not been an easy week getting there! I had a "medical concern" early this week that required most of my energy (but everything is 100% fine now), and then last night we learned that the Houston airport is closed this weekend due to hurricane Ike, and that was our connection to Seattle! Byron and Mom were up until after 1am trying to figure out how to get us there, and ended up having to get a refund from Continental and buying new tickets from Southwest that take us through Nashville. So the Good Lord Willin' (the creek don't rise) me, Selah and Grandma leave tomorrow around noon, and Byron flies out around 5pm. Please keep us in your prayers...no more glitches would be great! We are planning to have a terrific time, and I will update you as soon as we get home!
PS...these pictures are of my niece Marin...she has NOTHING to do with this blog, I just wanted everyone to see how DANG cute she is!!!!!!!!

Our New Love

2008-09-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

It is a REALLY long story as to why we have ANOTHER dog...but here he is...
Prince Charming of Land O Lakes.
She named him (as you can tell) and he is the sweetest dog we have EVER owned. We rescued him from an animal shelter and he came to us so filthy and matted that we have to have him COMPLETELY shaved down the next day, so these are the before and afters.

Big Day!

2008-09-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

The 1st tooth is OUT! It has been "hangin" in there for a while now...but on Sunday, Sept 1st, she bit into an apple and that was the end of it! The tooth fairy did come by last night, but I'll let her tell you about that..."The tooth fairy came and I wanted to catch her, but I didn't really. She gave me 2 bucks...2 bucks is alot people, 2 BUCKS! I put my tooth under my pillow and when I woke up in the middle of the night money was there...thats the end of the story. I love you" That is typical Selah! She ran into our room at about 2 AM screaming that the tooth fairy had come by...it was the sweetest thing ever! Thank you to all of our friends and family that told her she would probably get between $10 and $20...RIGHT!!!

Selah is in Kindergarten!

2008-08-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

It is true Selah started Kindergarten last Monday (August 18th). She is doing great, hates Math (so she says), but other than that it is going well. She says..."Dear Family, I hope you're not mad that I'm in Kindergarten. I am a little nervous that I'm in Kindergarten. I'm mad too that because I got on yellow because I was talking in line. But my favorite part of Kindergarten was I got "Turtle Tokens"! And I learned all about Turtles, I learned that if someone flips over a turtle on its shell it will die, might not melt, but not have any food or drink. And that the Mommy turtle lays eggs and when the eggs hatch the Mommy never comes back. Thank you, I hope you enjoy this." Ok...that was REALLY Selah talking! She is so funny!

The WHOLE Poore Family

2008-08-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Thought everyone might want to see ALL the members of our family. While Selah is our oldest child we have 2 K-9 children that are bigger than her. Nylah (the gray spotted one) is 2 1/2 years old, and Duke (the black one) just turned 1 this month. Yes they are Great Danes, and Yes, they live in our little house with us! Big babies!

Tennessee Trip

2008-08-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

We had the most WONDERFUL time in Tennessee. This was the first time the 3 of us went on vacation together and we loved it so much we are going to ALASKA in September! Can't wait!
In Tennessee we went hiking (shown here), horseback riding, to Rock City, Ruby Falls, and then stayed in Nashville for 5 days...it was awesome. Selah was such a good girl. You should see this child hike!
Sorry that I have not been keeping up with this...I am taking alot of heat from the fam, so I will try to do better!

My First Day

2008-04-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone else in my family is doing it...so I guess I need to start blogging (is that even a word?) I am mainly doing this to keep Jamie updated on Selah...but it should be fun!