The Huntingtons

8 months and 3 years

2012-01-26T15:44:00.001-08:00

This is definitely a journaling blog...

Our little guy is eight months old today. It's crazy how time is flying by and yet I can't remember what life was like without him in our family.

Lincoln lately:

Linc got his first two bottom teeth the week before Christmas-that was a painful week for all of us :) He is still as sweet as ever, but watch out he is attached to his mom now. Which means, his mommy's back is stiff and sore all day long from lugging the 20 pound tank around all day .

Charlie must have really motivated Lincoln at Christmas time. Linc began to pull himself up to stand a couple weeks ago and now he can't get enough. He also really wants to crawl. In fact, we all want Linc to crawl already! He has been rocking back and forth on his knees and standing on his hands and toes with his bum in the air. So hopefully soon he will stop the swimming and start the moving.

He is still very healthy and very happy. He is sleeping from 7:45pm until 5:00am most nights which makes his mommy very happy too!

Lincoln loves Koby more than ever. When we go into Koby's room after nap time Lincoln beams. His favorite thing to do is go on a motorcycle ride with his brother. Hopefully they always stay friends:)

Koby Lately:

Koby turns 3 on Sunday and what a treat he is:) He is growing up so fast. Each day he impresses us with the new things he has learned. He is fun to have conversations with all day long. He has definitely reached the questing stage. Here are a few, just to get a glimpse into his little mind:

K: Hey mom, what's in a gumball?
M: It's just gum in the shape of a ball.
K: No mom! It just has energy in it. It gives me energy so I can fly.

K: What do horses eat?
M: You tell me, what do horses eat?
M: They eat carrots and apples.
K: What do glow worms eat mom?
M: They eat bugs.
K: Yeah, they just eat bugs. Lions eat meat mom. Meat and snow. Do they like to eat snow mom?
M: I don't know if they like to eat snow.
K: I eat snow mom. I like to eat snow. Snow is good for babies to eat too.

K: Where is the Eiffel Tower?
J: The Eiffel Tower is far away. It is in Paris, France.
K: Can I go to the Eiffel Tower?
J: It's too far away. We need a lot of money to go there.
K: I will go to the Eiffel Tower.
(Later that day we were at Hobby Lobby and Koby points to something...)
K: Look there's the Eiffel Tower mom!
Sure enough...It was an Eiffel Tower made out of rod iron:)

All day long its...
Can I fly mom? Does Linc have a brain in his head mom? What's is this picture about? Is it gonna be January tomorrow? Can cars fly? Can airplanes drive? Do jellyfish like to swim mom? ...We love his questions! If you can't tell we love watching Planet Earth. Koby's favorite is watching the people free fall into the caves. He then goes around all day and "jumps into the caves!"...counters, stairs, beds, couches, he jumps—not afraid to fall.

We are still wondering if he will slow down as he gets older. So far he is just a ball of energy. It's exhausting, but really fun. We love how much he loves life. He is just happy to be awake and alive (even at 5 am). Whenever I pass by the nursery on Sundays I peek in... He is the loudest and most active kid around. He is definitely entertaining!

Life lately:

It feels like January is just as busy as December was. We've had injury, surgery, birthdays, etc. I was recently called as the Miamaid Adviser in YW and now attend mutual each week and teach lessons on Sundays. I also still have my VT coordinator calling. Life is busy! James had surgery on his shoulder (which will get it's own blog soon) over a week ago and as much as he tries to help, which I greatly appreciate, he has been pretty much going at about 10% of his normal capacity. He will be in his pillow sling for another 2 weeks! I sure do miss him sleeping in our bed.

We have been able to hangout with Dave and Lisa and Emily and Shane a bit this month. We celebrated Em's 21st birthday with the Henrie's and (our 3rd annual) good old Oreo Cheesecake!

That's January thus far...

One more...

2012-01-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

So we have one more Washington blog...

It wouldn't be a trip home if we didn't hit up Seattle! We of course chose the rainiest day... I do love the rain! We explored Pike Place and rode the monorail. We had never taken a monorail ride before and decided the kids would have a blast. We loved all two minutes of the ride:)

I have never visited the gum wall at Pike Place before...What a site! I didn't add my gum to it, and we made sure not to stand too close, but it was an awesome site.

We left the kids with the men and Rach took us girls out for pedicures-what a treat that was!

Koby and grandma made some excellent waffles...

Do you think we took enough pictures?!

Family Pictures

2012-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

Since the last time we were in Washington for Christmas (2009) we have had several new additions to the family. Emily and Shane got married and Charlie, Lincoln, and Ivy were born. On the last full day we were there, we went out to were Emily and Shane had their Washington reception and took a few family pictures. It was a little chilly, but the kids were good sports for the most part...Well for about 30 minutes and then the crying and whining began. Luckily we were able to get a quite a few good pictures in before the meltdowns began. We got all of these pictures on Rachel and Sean's camera (which I am extremely jealous of). They turned out really good.

The whole clan.

Before we went out to the spot where we took the family pictures, we tried to get a few pictures of the cousins all sitting together on the couch. Here is what we got:

It was quite the process. As entertaining as it was watching the chaos of the children on the couch, it was even more entertaining watching all the parents trying to get their kids to smile and look at the camera. Above this couch there is a mirror and in the unedited shots you can see all the parent's crazy faces. We will have to post a full picture sometime.

Here is another full family shot and some individual family shots:

After we got back from taking family pictures, Megan snapped a few shots of the boys.

During the family pictures, Sean decided to share his Christmas present with all of us and we put on some fake mustaches. Good times.

Here are a couple shots of just the boys and girls:

I am pretty lucky to have married into such a cool family.

Tis the season (Part 3)

2012-01-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

One tradition that we have made when we go to the DeFreese house for Christmas is going shooting. Randy busts out his 22's, shotguns, etc. for all of us to enjoy. Sadly Megan couldn't make it out this year because she had to stay behind with the kids. I am glad that she let me go though, because it was a ton of fun. This year we actually got to go up to the same spot the family took me when Megan and I were still dating. It was pretty cool. I had never shot a gun before meeting the DeFreese's, but now I can't get enough of it!

Rachel and Sean we rockin' the "His and Her" rifles they got as a wedding gift.

After shooting 22's, we went nuts on the shotguns. There were two to three clay pigeons flying at a time, non-stop!

This year, in addition to shooting guns, Randy took us (Sean, Emily, Shane, Megan, and me) out to do some archery. Another first for me. It was a blast and this time Megan got to come too! We ran around the forest shooting at animal targets while Megan sang "Robin Hood and Little John Running Through the Forest."

We all had a good time. I ended up getting a giant welt on me left arm because I didn't know you were supposed to slightly bend your elbow when shooting... smart me couldn't figure that out on my own. In spite of the welt, it was a lot of fun! Plus, I had the mental image of us all running around in loin cloths the entire time (Megan kept saying that she felt like an Indian and would prance around).

I hope we do it again :)

Crafts

2012-01-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

I want to document some of the things I made in the last few months...

Made these over Christmas break with my 4 sisters and my mom-LOVE it!

James is going to die that I made Koby and Linc model the girlie things AND posted pictures, but hey Koby was more than willing to help:)

Em and I had fun making the following bows, headbands, and Onsie together:

Made some magnetic fish and a pole for Koby...

I made octopus out of socks:)

Emily and I also made some frames to keep our necklaces untangled. Hobby lobby sells any size frame edges for like a buck. It made this project really easy and enjoyable...

...Just some of what kept me busy between poopy diapers and smudgy fingers. Did I mention I love crafts?

Tis the season (Part 2)

2012-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

So, I guess it is my (James) turn to write. I missed out on a lot of the pre-Christmas festivities because I had to stay back in Utah until the 22nd to work. Being alone for a week was interesting. The first day of being alone was actually kind of nice. I came home from work and relaxed, did some chores around the house, read a little, and watched a couple movies. However, by the next day I had run out of things to do around the house besides sit an relax... Needless to say, it got pretty lonely. Over the week I was by myself, I think I watched ever single new release in the Redbox. For some this might sound nice, but it got really old. I really missed Megan and the boys.

Anyway, the night before Shane and I headed to Washington, I decided it was a good time to pack. I also realized that I forgot to do any laundry. Of course I waited until 12am to start. So, I did laundry, straightend up the house, and packed. When I was finally finished I thought I would be able to sleep for a couple hours before I had to get up to catch our flight... I was wrong. It was 3:45am and I need to leave at 4:00am. Not cool! But I guess I did it to myself.

Shane and I had a little set back and we got to the airport later than we had hoped. I was thinking because our flight was so early that day, we wouldn't have to wait long in the check-in/security lines. Boy was I wrong. I have never seen the lines that long before. We were getting more and more nervous as each minute passed. Finally we got to the security gate. Both Shane and I ripped off our belts, shoes, etc. and got through the gate as fast as possible. When our things came down the belt we just grabbed them and ran. I had a hard time trying to keep my pants up :) Of course our gate was at the very end of the terminal. We made it just as they were about to close the gate. Talk about a rush! At least we got to Washington ok.

It was nice seeing everyone and before we knew it, it was Christmas Eve. Koby was pretty excited for Christmas. I don't know if he had trouble falling asleep because of the excitement, but when Megan and I finally came up to our room to go to bed, we found Koby sleeping like this:

Koby was the first to wake up. We let him go into everyone else's rooms and wake them up too. Following the DeFreese family tradition, we all lined up on the stairs to take a picture before going out to see the Christmas tree.

Excited to start opening presents.

Lincoln, Koby, and Charlie getting into their stockings:

Megan made Koby and Eli Batman capes.

Megan got the blog book she has been wanting.

After opening some presents, we headed over to Micah and Eve's church for baby Ivy's blessing.

After the blessing we headed back to Randy and Laura's for some more fun. The McCall's and the DeFreese's came over too.

Ryder with his new jeans from Aunt Rachel.

Eli kicking it with Ethan in his Batman get up.

Koby happily playing with his mini bowling set from Aunt Shannon.

All in all it was a great day. We got to open presents, go to a blessing, eat good food, and hang out with family. I am pretty lucky to have such cool in-laws.

Love these moments...

2012-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

Holy Mullet

2012-01-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

Over break Sean, Shane, and James formed a hot, new boy band-Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mullettes. You probably haven't heard of them. Their wives wouldn't let them go public, they were just too hot...

Don't you wish your husband was hot like mine?

Tis the season (Part 1)

2012-01-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas vacation was eventful! I am pretty sure we have about 400 new pictures loaded on to our computer from the trip...therefore, there will be many blogs.

This year was the year for Christmas at the DeFreese house. My sisters who got married in the last couple years made it so their Christmas rotation was the same as ours. So this year all of the DeFreese kids (and families) were home for Christmas. It was a packed house! It was pretty chaotic (mainly thanks to our wild 2 year old and teething baby), but pretty darn fun! We've always had fun as a family, but having Eve, Sean, Matt, James, and Shane join our family has made the holidays even more special.

Emily, the boys, and I flew out a week before the men. Thank heavens I had Emily on that flight! We were early to the airport, but the lady wrote the wrong gate number on our tickets, so we were sitting at the wrong terminal for a while...when we finally put two and two together we RAN to our gate. Em took off running with Lincoln. Koby started chasing after her crying, "Wait for me! Wait!" People were staring at Koby wondering if his mother abandoned him. Haha. I was a little behind trying to catch up with him, lugging a stroller, two carry-ons, and a car seat. Oh the joys of traveling with kids.

This is what went down the week before Christmas...

We met Ivy, the newest cousin and only grand daughter, and hung out with the family...

We decorated the tree...

We went and watched our little wrestling champ, Ryder, pin some kids at his wrestling match...The pictures of Ryder are on my mom's camera :(

Linc and I went out to dinner with my friends from high school...

We took the little guys bowling. Ryder won, but Koby came in close second...his daily practice paid off :)

We played swords, superheros, had pillow fights, wresting matches, etc. Six little grandsons wore us adults out! We got to just hug and cuddle sweet little Ivy.

We ate reindeer pancakes and decorated cookies for Santa with Aunt Shannon...

We They ate some nutritious octopus ...

We wore out grandpa and grandma...but Linc made up for it by snuggling with them...

Then the men came to town. They decided it would be fun to go off-road up a snowy mountain with the little, old Honda. We did indeed get stuck, but the men managed to save the day and took us on a pretty hike...

And we all overate, but especially Chloe, the cat, all thanks to Koby...

Home again, Home again...

2012-01-01T23:08:00.000-08:00

We got to spend Christmas with my family in Washington this year. It was the craziest and the best family vacation yet. This picture makes me happy...

Ugly Sweaters

2011-12-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Henrie's and Finch's came over last weekend and made some ugly Christmas sweaters with us. It was awesome.

Shae looks like she can be a teacher; Kyle looks like he could be her student - Haha.

Shane looks like a redneck; Em looks like Ms. Frizzle

She thought she'd be real funny and sew a picture of me on her and James' sweaters.

James' reindeer is perfect and my sweater has a sweet scarf:)

I'm glad we have friends who are nerdy enough to do this with us. These sweaters will be worn. James and Shane already agreed to wear them on their flights to Washington. I'm glad Em and I won't be traveling with them...

Teething

2011-12-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Lincoln and I decided to bond a little more this last week.

Lincoln's bottom two teeth have poked out. The poor little guy has a runny nose and likes being held, but he is still smiley and sweet. Me on the other hand, I am not handling the pain as well... Screaming, crying, overdosing on Orajel. Apparently the nickname Mega Mouth has come back to haunt me. My big mouth has made room to fit my Wisdom teeth. And with a second one breaking through the surface, lucky me gets to experience all the pain this little guy is feeling...

Being wise really hurts sometimes.

Broken Trust

2011-12-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

I hate Utah winters. It's cold, dry, and miserable. Yesterday my lips were killing me because they were so dry. I looked all over the house for some chapstick, but to no avail. I started compaining to Megan, hoping she would come up with somekind of solution for me, because that's what wives do right? Well, as I was cleaning up lunch, she came up to me with what I thought was some type of moisturizer on her finger and she, "This will help you." She proceeded to rub my lips. I licked my lips and thought that it tasted a little funny... then my lips and tongue started to go numb. It was Orajel. What a punk!

This is how my lips felt...

She better watch her back, because I am plotting my revenge.

The Parent Club

2011-12-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last night we finally experienced complete insanity.

After we got both kids fed, bathed, changed, read to, prayed with, bundled, sang to, re-bundled, given ”one last drink” for the 3^rd time, taken to the bathroom, rocked, tucked in, and locked in, and after we folded and put away the SIX loads of laundry on our bed, we crashed. For the first time all day we sat down, and for the first time in our lives we literally saw a glimpse of what insanity feels like. We began to cry and then laugh because we were crying and then cry because we were laughing so hard and then laugh because we felt so crazy. We actually started dreaming we were in strait jackets, locked in a room, counting ceiling tiles.

After a few hours of dreaming we were once again here...

...we woke up happy and sane once again and had Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes for breakfast with two wonderful kids:)

I know our blog screams PMS sometimes, but that's just life and this is just a little family history in the making... Life is good.

A Strange Obsession

2011-12-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have a nephew that loves superheros. I know lots of little boys that love dinosaurs. What's not to like? The make strange sounds and have big teeth (Side note: Do we really know if dinosaurs roared like in Jurassic Park? Although paleontologists has been able to reconstruct the skull and nasal cavities and can speculate what they sounded like, no one really knows. What if they meowed? Think about it...). I always hear that little kids love trains too. All of these things I would consider normal for a 2 year old boy to be obsessed with.

So, have you ever met a kid obsessed with bowling? Not just a kid who likes to go bowling, everyone likes to go bowling. No, I am talking about a full blown, everything this kid does ends up turning into bowling, type obsession. Well, I guess Koby is a little abnormal.

It all started about eight months ago, give or take. Our friend Steve and Janelle were in town and we decided to go have dinner together. There was a bowling alley right across the street and after dinner we decided it would be fun to go over there. So we headed over, got all situated and began bowling. I thought Koby would like to try, so we bought him a game too... I don't think I have ever seen Koby so excited. Not at Christmas time. Not at his birthday. Not even on the 4th of July. I think he almost hyperventilated. The rest was history.

Koby hasn't stopped talking about bowling since. Now, every time we got to the mall (right next to the bowling alley), he asks if we are going bowling. One night, after a brief trip to the mall, Megan and I decided to give in to Koby request to go bowling. Again, I think he almost hyperventilated. He is quite an intense bowler. After that trip the obsession really kicked in. The next day he began using his soccer ball as a bowling ball and would try and hit his other balls.

Not long after he decided he wanted to knock things down instead of simply hitting them. He then graduated to Tupperware.

That lasted for quite some time. Those Tupperware containers were all over our house. Everything was turned into a bowling alley. The kitchen. The bath tub. The basement. It was only a matter of time before Lincoln's toys would become bowling pins.

Yes, that's right, Elmo, a cow, a tiger, a little Asian girl, a paramedic, and a little school boy have become bowling pins. With all this bowling, Koby has actually gotten quite good. In fact he beat me the second time we went.

Well, Megan and I figure it would be nice to get Koby some real bowling pins since the Tupperware had taken quite a beating and Lincoln wanted his toys back. We were going to give them to him for Christmas, but since we are flying to Washington this year, space would be limited, so we decided to just give them to him early.

The day after Thanksgiving Megan went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping with her sister. I didn't really want to hang out at the mall, so I took Koby to BYU campus. We walked around for a bit, and then went to the bookstore and did some Christmas shopping of our own. I decided it would be fun to take Koby bowling again (just feeding the fire, I know). He had a blast! He would yell at his ball. He would jump up and had give me high-fives when he would knock down the pins. It was really fun.

That night we went home and set up all of our Christmas stuff. We put a little nativity set out on the table. While Megan and I were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, we saw Koby in the dinner room playing with the nativity set. He had set them all up in a row and was mumbling something to them. I tried to get closer to him without him noticing so I could hear what he was saying. He was holding the cow and a wise man. The cow said to the wise man, "It's your turn to go bowling." The wise man then took his turn. After he was done, the cow said to the wise man, "Good job! What is in your present? Oh, it's a bowling ball!" I just had to shake my head and laugh. Crazy kid.

Just recently Koby started adding some special "thanks" in his prayers. He now says "Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for going bowling and knocking down aaalllll the pins. I love you. Jesus Christ, amen." Crazy, crazy little boy. At least he keeps things entertaining. Gotta love him :)

Maybe he will go pro? Nothing is cooler than a Pro Bowler! I guess that could always be my retirement plan. I can see it now—professional bowler, Koby Huntington, bowling for the PBA World Championship. He needs the prize money to support his parents who went mentally insane always picking up bowling pins and things that were used as bowling pins around the house... Sounds good to me.

Temple Square

2011-11-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

Sean, Rachel, and Charlie came in town for Thanksgiving. Sunday we went with the Quigley's and Finch's to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. The temple looked beautiful! James has been saying we need to take the boys and it was the perfect opportunity. I am just sad I didn't get a picture of Rach and Sean.

Six Months

2011-11-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by... Lincoln turned 6 months on Saturday. This 18.6 pound chunk is as lovable as ever. He is sweet, squishy, calm, friendly, happy, big, dimply, and smiley.

Lincoln can roll, but prefers to sit calmly and play with his toys. I don't really see crawling too near in the future. He is content with sitting and observing. He is a sweet, mellow baby...except when there is food involved. Lincoln is one LOUD eater. He grunts, moans, and screams the entire time he is eating. We just can't feed him fast enough!

Koby is Lincoln's favorite person. He lights up when Koby walks into the room. If he is upset and you show him a picture of Koby he will smile and flail his arms in excitement. I guess he is quick to forgive all the bangs in the head from toys, pushes, tackles, and help with rolling over that he receives from his older brother.

I love each new stage and development, but time really does fly by a little too fast...

A Perfect Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

On Monday my cousin Jason, Laura, and their two kids came over to make Marzipan cornucopias with us and the Finch's. We did this when we were younger and Em had the idea to do it this year. She did all of the prep work too-(Thanks Em!) Although a little crispy, the cornucopias turned out awesome. Emily made a perfect loaf of bread. The men decided to be strangely inventive with theirs- Jas made a fruitcake, James made a pizza and sandwich, and Shane made a turkey. It's was a fun Family Night. We are so excited Jason and Laura live just over the hill from us.

Check out Shane and Emily's awesome Minion cupcakes.

Emily's perfect creation.

We had many offers to join others for Thanksgiving this year and are very grateful for those offers. However, we decided to do it on our own this year. It turned out to be perfect:)

It just so happened that Koby and Lincoln were in need of a nap just before the cooking was done. So, James and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving date during nap time! It was the first really relaxing Thanksgiving in a while. We enjoyed some delicious food, shared adult conversation, cleaned up, watched some football, and napped together on the couch- all while the little munchkins napped.

Our meal was healthy and delicious: cauliflower mashed potatoes, seasoned chicken, fresh green beans, and raspberry vinaigrette spinach salad. It was our first time cooking a whole bird, and my first time cooking pies by myself. It was a success! I think James and I ate an entire sweet potato pie and a banana cream pie by ourselves in like 3 days.

It was a Happy Thanksgiving. Bring on the exercise this week:)

We finished the night with some Christmas tunes and decorations! Since we always travel, we have never had a real Christmas tree at our house. This year, we got a steal of a deal, just 30 bucks, on a pre-lit Christmas tree. This will be our first Christmas with a tree taller than 18 inches. Yay! A tree really ushers in the Christmas spirit.

Top 10 things I am grateful for this year:

2011-11-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

1. James. James has worked 24 days straight this month. It's been rough, I miss him. We've had the best 5 years together!

2.The Boys. I am so lucky to be a mom. The job involves tears, screams, tantrums, no sleep, pee/poo, no privacy, and 24 hour commitment, but it also includes laughs, hugs, entertainment, smiles, excitement, and love.

3.Family. I am lucky with this one! My parents rock. I must have a good family if I still love to talk to them on a daily basis! My siblings are my best friends. I only wish I lived closer to them. I am extra lucky I married into the Huntington family too, they love me like their own:)

4.The church. It is so nice to know you are never alone. Even moving to a new place, having the church provides instant support and friends.

5.Emily. I don't have many friends and I rarely see the ones I do have. Although I tricked her into giving me the best barbies everyday growing up and then decided not to play when it was her turn with them(I know, so mean), Emily still loves me. If we haven't talked in a few days she calls just to say she misses me. I am grateful she's my best friend. I am so lucky she lives close to me.

6.Our House. Thank heavens for our house. Even if it is in Utah, James and I thank God every night to be on our own in this house.

7.Our car/motorcycle. We have the worst luck with cars! However, we have had some great modes of transportation the last year and a half. No engines dying, car accidents, or people stealing them..Knock on wood.

8. James' Jobs. James is a hard worker and he had two steady jobs right now. Coming from experience with not having a good job, I am so grateful he has two!

9.Great Health...and Tony. Oh Tony I love you. Thank you for providing me with a great workout program that I can do with Koby and Lincoln. And thank you for helping me lose all but 3 of my pregnancy pounds thus far!

10.Nap time. Even though it is nap time right now and I can hear Koby jumping on his bed, I am grateful for nap time. which also leads me to be extra grateful for child proof door locks. Nap time keeps me in the running for becoming a...

*Bonus: I am grateful for my healthy new love, Sweet Potatoes.Where have you been all my life?

God blesses us so much:)

The First Snow

2011-11-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Today consisted of eating snow, having a snowball fight, eating snow, making a snow man, eating more snow, and having an accident in the snowsuit from eating all the snow. Haha. It was a fun day!

I wish I had those lashes!

Eating snow of course

Twenty-Seven

2011-11-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

James turned 27 on Monday! I asked him what he thought about the big 2-7. He told me he thought he would have accomplished alot more by the time he was 27. I told him he has. So far....he graduated college, has two steady jobs, started his own non-profit organization, has a house, two kids, and a smoooookin' hot wife;) I love his ambition and the choice he made to have us in his life.

James has been out of town the last few weekends. We miss him. Today Koby said, "Mom, do you know who my favorite person is?" I started to guess. He says, "It's my Daddy!"

Things that I love

2011-11-17T15:29:00.000-08:00

Life changes so quickly. These are just some of the things I never want to forget.

I love when Lincoln wakes up and I lift him out of his crib, he wraps his arms around my neck and gives me a big hug!
I love when Koby asks,"Are we going to have Family Night tonight Mom?"
I love when Lincoln is tired, he looks at me with the sweetest eyes and then buries his face in my neck.
I love when I walk by Koby's door during nap time, the toys I forgot to take out (so he actually takes a nap) are shoved through the crack under the door.
I love when I go into his room in the morning and see the 20 cars on his mattress and wonder how he slept comfortably on them all night long.
I love when Lincoln gets so excited to take a bath, his arms and legs start moving a mile a minute in a crazy man way.
I love when Koby says,"You know how much I love you Mom?"
I love how Lincoln's eyes disappear when he smiles at me and he gets a bashful look.
I love Koby's random thoughts he shares with me.
I love that whenever we read books with food in them Koby has to pinch at the food and we have to pretend to eat it.
I love that Lincoln just lays in my arms and plays with my hair.
I love when Koby asks, "You gonna play with me mom?"
I love that Lincoln gets so excited when Koby wakes up and comes into the room :)

I hope I remember these sweet moments, instead of the poo I had to scrub off of Lincoln's bum, Koby's hand and shirt, my jeans, and the floor yesterday afternoon.

Oh and I LOVE the random, "I love you" texts James sends me all day!

Life is good

2011-11-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

In spite of the rapid temperature drops, the snow, and the depression that accompanies winter for me, I must say, life is good. Even though Megan and I are both still tired from the lack of sleep, I am exhausted from not having a day off since October 30th and won't have one till Thanksgiving day, having Koby and Lincoln around always brightens things up.

Today was rough though. I was up with Lincoln at 5am this morning. I hate not being able to sleep, but I can't help but be happy when he starts giggling for no reason. Koby and Megan got up a little later, so I was finally able to get ready for work. When I was leaving Koby said, "Have a great trip dad!" It made me smile. Kids are hard sometimes, but they sure are fun :)

Opening Halloween packages from Grandma and Grandpa D and the McCalls

5 1/2 Months

2011-11-12T22:46:00.000-08:00

It is fun to compare these two. Their personalities are so different. Koby is definitely a mini Megan. Lincoln is definitely a mini James.

Koby is so much fun, he is full of life, rarely sits still, and will keep us running all day. It is rare to find a picture of Koby as a baby not smiling. The kid would laugh at the wall if you set him in front of it(which really makes timeout pointless, haha). He is always so energetic and happy to be awake. He is our entertaining little ball of energy. He is full of love and will let you know!

Linc is our sweet, relaxed little one that will snuggle on his mommy's lap all day long:) I was hoping for this. He is usually calm and enjoys observing what is going on around(mainly Koby being Koby). One thing I love about Lincoln is, if you make eye contact and smile at him his entire face will smile back at you-his eyes disappear and his dimples pop out! It makes me feel warm all over and it makes it impossible to be annoyed at him when he won't go back to sleep at 5:45a.m.

They couldn't be more different and they couldn't be more loved.

So proud of James :)

2011-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Look what randomly came in the mail this week. The word is getting out. Hopefully Run for Innocence can help change some lives:)