Things I want Lincoln to know...

I think often about the kind of young man I hope Lincoln grows up to be.  Lincoln, we love you so much and your dad and I try every day to be the best parents we can be. 

Characteristics, Traits and Values we hope to teach.

• Family time is #1.  Our time with Lincoln is priceless. We hope to create a routine of family nights in our home as Lincoln grows up.
• Lincoln growing up and being happy is not our goal.  Happiness is a feeling, like something being hot or cold, and will change with the weather. We hope to impart a feeling of contentment and peace, a state of his spirit and not his emotions.
• We hope you grow up having an appreciation for hard work and knowing the value of money and the cost of having things.  Things will come and go, but you learn and grow from the lessons learned through hardwork and perserverence. 
• Silly things, like how to cook, do his own laundry, make a bed.  Lucky for me your dad knows how to do all of this and helps me with all household chores.
• Lincoln will be taught to be respectful.  To teachers, grandparents, babysitters and our friends.
• Lincoln will be encourages to show gratitude, compassion and volunteerism.
• Lincoln will be taught that he is accoutable for his actions.
• Lincoln will know how to have fun and play hard.
• Lincoln will know that laughter is the best way to make others smile.
• Lincoln we want you to have an imagination! To build rockets with cardboard, color outside the lines, play in the mud, splash in the puddles, sing in the rain, make airplanes with legos and people with play doh.
• Lincoln will know the 'Bambi' rule.  You know, if you can't say anything thing nice, then don't say anything at all.

Lincoln's First Haircut

BEFORE

[Preface: I have been so thrilled that Lincoln has had hair as a baby- I didn't have any until I was three, so the hair has been a big deal for me:)]

Lincoln is nearly 15 months and we took him for his first haircut last week.  I am opinionated when it comes to giving my son a haircut.  I didn't want to give him a "big boy" hair cut right away; I was him to keep looking little for as long as possible.  He'd been looking a little rough with his hair getting so song around his ears and neck.  I couldn't decide when I was going to do it and kept talking myself out of it because he'd have a day with the curls above his ears and on his neck! 

I took him to the gal who cuts my hair, on a last minute call, when David had a work from home night. She just trimmed around his ears and his neck line- that's it!  Linc's haircut was so fast she even cut David's hair that night too.

Helping me with my hair :)

Five Question Friday

1. Have you ever hit an animal with your vehicle?
Yep, I've hit a bird, and most memorably a goose.  It just jumped in front of my car, no time to avoid it or stop the car.  I looked in my rearview mirror and saw what looked like remnants of a pillow fight!

2. When you see a string on your clothes do you pull it off or cut if off?
Depends on if I am near scissors, if not I'll attempt to pull it off.

3. Did you have your own room or share a room when you were young?
I always had my own room. I was the middle girl, between two brothers.  Lucky me.

4. Would you rather wear the same thing for the rest of your life or eat the same thing for the rest of your life?
Definately wear the same thing, as long as I could choose what it was.  I get tired of eating the same things.

5. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
The first show I really remember being obsessed with was Dawson's Creek in high school. 

Making Goals... Being Held Accountable

There are some habits that I want to start and to hold myself to.

1. Work out.  I have Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and I have time to do it after Lincoln goes to bed.
2. Declutter the House.  Including table surfaces, closets and drawers.
3. Clean. Implement and Stick to a House Cleaning Routine.
    Daily - Make beds, Do Dishes,
    Monday- Clean Bathrooms
    Tuesday- Maintain Laudry (Fold and PUT AWAY!)
    Wednesday - Clean out Refrigerator, Trash
    Thursday - Clean Kitchen
    Friday -
    Weekends- Dust, Sweep, Mop, Vacuum, Laundry (Put away Linc's Laundry)
4. Take better care of myself.  Drink Water, Use Chapstick, Apply lotion ( I get heat rash on my arms every winter), Last. Dentist? Yuck.

Tips: I have seen that some mom's lay out their kids clothes for every day at the beginning of the week.  This would really help me with the morning scramble, so I will begin this on Monday, Feb. 22.

Longer-Term Goals:  

Plant small garden, especially basil for pesto- oh, how I love pesto, YUM!

Play outside with Linc this summer. I am an indoor girl, but I need to commit to this. Go to the pool, playground, walks...

Give hand/home made gifts for Christmas. Strawberry jelly, Pesto, homemade ornaments, art by Lincoln, etc. Only buying for children this year to minimize costs and stress.  Christmas can be a very wonderful time or stressful time and I am making the decision early to try to focus on Christ as the center for Christmas and my little brother, nephews, niece and Lincoln having a happy Christmas.  You know, if they're having a marry Christmas we will too : )

A Little Perspective, please.

Optimist?  Half Full? Susie Sunshine?
Pesimist? Half Empty? Eeyore?

I also believe in another category. The ostrich; he/she sticks their head in the sand, scared, but pretending that nothing bad will happen. My husband calls this army tactics, that if you can't see the bad guy, that bad guy cannot see you. While we call it different things, we agree that these coping tactics rarely work.

Realist.  There is water in the glass. Fact.

I didn't find out that realism was an option until my senior year of high school.  I liked the idea of focusing on what is rather than worrying about all the gloom and doom or thinking it would all work our perfectly. 

I appreciate the optimists, pesimists and ostriches in my life. The help me be real.  They help me to have perspective in this crazy world. 

It is important for us all to remember on days of work set-backs, sick children, mac and cheese for dinner, car accidents, being stuck in traffic... that life isn't all that bad. Keep in mind that work is just work and can be better tomorrow, illnesses will pass, dinner will be better another day and your commute will be lighting fast on the way home.  Problems, irritants, frusterations and stress can often go depart as quickly as they arrive.  For work, I try to start fresh everyday, either with a clear desk or plan of attack for the next day.  For traffic, I stop listening to radio reports and turn on a favorite CD (worship songs, John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, Colbie Callait) and go somewhere else in my head.  I was getting really angry for a couple evenings and really didn't like that about myself, especially knowing that Lincoln is in the car with me in the mornings.  I got an i.Pod shuffle for christmas and bought myself a car adapter so I just need to load it up and it will be my traffic solution.

I know that God has a plan for my life and the lives of my husband, son and our families.  I also know that trials, stuggles, adversity, poverty, pain, illness, sadness, brokenness, etc. are part of the human condition. It's those times that should bring us closer to our God and our faith. 

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Not cut out for this.

Lincoln is teething... or sick... or teething

David had some side work to do yesterday.  Oh yes y'all!  We're re true romantics over here.  I was at home covered in snot and tears and David was working, boots covered in mud, and frusterated he couldn't figure something out.  All is well, he took care of the issue and only has a couple more things to do and he will be done with side work for a while.  We totally appreciate the opprotunity, although it has been hard to have a grateful heart sometimes.  We knew for a long time that this job would come along for David, but never thought he would also be in night school, 4 nights a week, working towards a bachelors degrees when it came time.  It isn't easy to be grateful all the time, but I think we've done a good job.  We are very excited for the people David is doing the work for and think they will enjoy their home when it is complete.  It is a big opprotunity for David to wire a house and has been a learning experience for sure, and I am very, VERY proud of him!

We are united in making sure that we don't take our family time for granted.  It has been our plan since David began night school and this is just one more reminder of how precious our weekends are.

Lincoln is a bit of a mess today, and well, yesterday too.  I think he is cutting two top teeth.  His nose is running like a faucet, and he is coughing this evening too, he has been very clingy and sensitive.  He was given meds for pain relief when he seemed to need them.  Just so you don't think he's too sick, he managed to tear apart the living room, all his toys, and all of my DVDs no less than 4 times today.  He has been busy.  No less thirsty, but eating about half what he does normally.

I am not cut out for 2 days at home alone with a teething/sick toddler by myself.  I love Lincoln- I told him constantly today- I held him when he'd let me, wiped his nose and tears : (  He was mad- that's where I become confused and feel inadequet.  Sometimes he didn't want to be held or comforted.  Just wanted to let out how mad he was and maybe even that he hurt.  It is so hard to not be able to comfort him and have him talk and tell me what I can do.  He did not nap well yesterday and today.  My neighbor had someone over who left two pitbulls in their turck for two hours and the barking woke and kept Lincoln up - I was pretty pissed- I knew he needed sleep.  He was in bed at 7:20 tonight. 

I hope he feels better tomorrow.  I hope David is around to be my partner in crime next time; I am so grateful that we are a team!  Today was a long day, and while we had moments of laughing, cuddling, and learning new words (like,  Gotcha) it is more fun if I know he doesn't hurt/feel like crap.

Warning: This is an honest blog.  If you don't like it, are offended by it or feel the need to say anything snotty you can leave.  Just go on ahead and click that little X in the top, right of your computer and don't look back.

If you can relate and understand, please keep on coming back! :)

Update for Family & Friends 2.9.10

David had a check-in today with his oncologist and everything still looks great! He had a chest x-ray last week and they did blood work today and everything is normal :D He will be seen again in 3 months and then we move on to appointments every 6 months!!

We took Lincoln with us today and David's doctor and nurses just love him there, he shows off some, but mostly is quiet, making sure we know he is not our trained puppet and never, ever performs on command.
Lincoln is 14 months old and a busy ball of energy! He is walking, but mostly running; talking: he can say ma-ma, da-da, tree, car, shoe, hat, ball, ba-ba, cracker (cah-cah), apple, grandpa (ba-pa) and more. He also does baby sign language for more, all done, and cracker. Lincoln also can make animal sounds for a cow, horse, sheep, dog, duck and lion. His latest thing he is doing is picking up his large toys and carrying them around, displaying what we call 'feats of strength'. He will pick up anything for my hand weights, his little people parking garage, his little couch, a storage ottoman that holds his toys.... He is lot of fun, very happy, very busy, super affectionate... you get the idea- Lincoln is awesome and we're loving every stage :D

David is still going to night school (in addition to his day job), working towards a degree in computers (Simulation, Modeling and Game Design). He has been going for nearly 10 months now and is maintaining a 3.7 GPA. He will finish sometime around the end of 2011. Our jobs continue to go well and we are hopeful that jobs will pick up and we will be busier this year. I am doing well, enjoying keeping up with my guys. I am looking into getting a better camera for myself to better capture Lincoln's busy life and build a photography hobby.

Feats of Strength and New Talents

Is the circus hiring? If so, we have a new side show performer for them! 

Lincoln is working on his Feats of Strength' act!  He carries both of my 3 lb. weights around at the same time.  He moves his little couch, little people parking garage and a storage otoman that hold his toys all around the living room all day long.  We laugh at him and try to look out for him hoping he won't hurt himself. 

------

Lincoln is copying lots of things we say these days and is doing more and more animal sounds every day!  Nay (horse), Mbooo (cow), Uh-uh (dog), Baaaahhh (sheep), qack-qack (duck).  He is now signing cracker, its a wierd sign- with your right hand, knocking on your left elbow- and saying cracker at the same time!  We, like all parents, think Lincoln is so very smart and are very proud of how he is picking up signing and talking so quickly!!!

:)

26

My birthday is this week.  I am 26. 

I think this is the beginning of the sweet spot in my life.  Hopefully it lasts for years and years to come : )

I love the life David, Lincoln and I are building and enjoying together everyday!  I enjoy my time with them more than I can say.  David and I have a great relationship; lots of talking, laughing, cuddling & TV watching.  Lincoln is growing so much every day.  I try very hard to soak up the time I have with him every day.  He is awesome, and while there is the compulsion to wish we could 'stop time' and just try to capture his wonderful ways in my memory and pray that I remember in the years to come. 

David and I have some big goals this year to lessen our debt and we're already tackling that in a big way.  We're also looking into trading his small 'cross-over' car for an SUV to better suit our needs with Lincoln.  We're looking into getting a fancy DSLR camera to help us take better pictures of Lincoln and 'capture' more family moments : )

This year didn't begin for me on New Years; it begins for me this week and I am very much going to enjoy 26!

Condolences

I fact I haven't been able to escape in adulthood is family, friends and parents of friends passing away.  My grandpa passed away when I was a freshman in high school.  My nana passed away when I was 19 and my papa when I was 24.  One of my best friends from high school dad passed away last year.  I didn't go to any of these funerals.  I went to a friend's grandfather's funeral when I was in middle school- I don't know why.  My grandpa, nana and papa lived in Colorado when they passes away and I was not able to travel there for their funerals.  Not being able to attend something that should make a passing real makes it very easy to pretend that it's not.   Or maybe un-healthily (I made that word up, just now), clinging to them not being gone? Or letting go enough to have them be in Heaven, knowing we'll see them again.  I was very close to my grandparents, especially when you consider that I grew up a N.avy brat and only lived in the same state as my grandparents for a couple years in elementary school.  I need to write a separate post about how awsome my grandparents were and are, but for now I'll say that I love and miss them. My grandma is currently battling dementia, has been since 2007, and it is very hard to visit with her knowing how much is missing. 

Last weekend a friend of mine passed away.  I hadn't seen her in about 5 years and she moved to another state about a year ago.  She was only in her 30s : ( 

To her family,
I am so deeply sorry for your loss. These is no way to sum up               or her meaning to me, my parents and siblings, classmates and church family in words.             shined from miles away, sang for all to hear and hugged us with her entire spirit. She was always there as a listening ear, a hand to hold, shoulder to cry upon and dear friend to sing, laugh and celebrate with.                was my friend, mentor, youth leader, choir director and roommate on many church trips. We laughed until we cried and cried until we laughed. She will be missed, but we will see her again soon. I personally can't wait to see the party she is preparing for us in Heaven. See you soon              , show that angelic chior how its done! God Bless you Mrs.  and family. May the peace of God hold you at this time and comfort you until we see           again!