A little from our lives!

Luke's article

2011-06-22T22:14:00.008-07:00

I know I haven't written since Isabelle was born... no excuses, but having two kids is hard! But a quick update on the family. Isabelle is now 6 months old and such a sweet girl. Lincoln is almost 3 in another 5 weeks. I graduated and passed my NCLEX and now am just looking for a nursing job and planning on going back to school for 3 pre-req's and then hopefully start an RN program next summer. Luke has started pre-req's for a PhD program that he will start in the Fall of 2012. So as you can see I have plenty of reasons to have not written. Life has been busy and the internet has been the least of my priorties. I will try to be better because I feel I need to document the kids life more and they don't have to be long posts, just short blurbs about our lives!

Now for Luke's article and link:

All our LDS friends (and others who would like to read about it): I am so proud of Luke, he has an article in the July 2011 Ensign and also has an interview on the Mormon Channel. The link is here and you can access the Ensign article from there too! Luke is going far in his career and I am very proud of him! Share with your friends and let them know you know the author... :)

She has arrived!

2010-12-24T21:32:00.006-07:00

Here are some pictures and the story will come later. Isabell (we haven't decided if there will be an E at the end or not) Sharon was born yesterday, December 23, 2010, at 4:33 pm. She was 20.5 inches long and 7 pounds 4 oz. So far she is a much more mellow and less demanding baby than Lincoln was (or still is) but she hasn't gotten the nursing down quite yet (Lincoln had it down pretty much from the start) but she is getting better. We have to stay through tomorrow (Christmas day) because I was GBS positive so they have to watch the baby for 48 hours. The doctor said if she is doing okay they will let us leave in the morning and not make us stay the full 48 hours. Hopefully our Christmas still goes well. Good thing Lincoln doesn't quite understand it all yet. We hope you all have a great Christmas and we are very grateful for our new family member and to be a family of four!

Coming along!

2010-10-11T13:19:00.002-07:00

I have tried to post onto blogger from my phone but I guess it didn't work last week, so here it is again. This picture was from my phone (cameras got stolen - not very good pic) and I was 28 weeks here. I am currently at 30 weeks. Can't believe we only have 10 more to go. I would love to update this blog more but quite frankly, I have other things that I must get done first. Sorry for all the delays.

New T-shirt

2010-07-11T14:44:00.002-07:00

So Lincoln would really like to show off this shirt I made for him.

April

2010-07-10T12:29:00.001-07:00

April was actually one of our slower months although we still traveled a little. Easter was awesome and Lincoln loved finding the eggs. He loved it. We went to Utah a few times, one time was us sisters giving Maggie (& Nate) a baby shower. It was lots of fun and she got lots of cute stuff. I applied for a scholarship and got one for $2000 but later found out they will only pay for certain things. I thought a scholarship was mine. Although I am happy for what it will pay for, it is pretty ridiculous! Then at the end of the month we headed to Vegas for Reagan's baby blessing (pictures with May) and to see my family and the Donny & Marie show, which was great! Here are some cute pictures of Lincoln and hopefully a video (of him showing his dance skills) that will work. The first picture is of Lincoln when we read scriptures. He always gets his blanket and plays with his cars. He only sits there for about 1 minute but its a start.

Out of hibernation!

2010-06-21T12:50:00.009-07:00

Now before all of you say FINALLY for posting, I want to explain. These last few months have been, well pretty hectic! I was planning on updating in December and January while I was out of school (still have posts from my England trip last August I am still working on) but I finished school, we left for our cruise Mexico to celebrate our 5 year anniversary, came back, had surgery on my wrist the next day, and pretty much couldn't type for a month after that and then school began again. I was way toooo busy to worry about my blog and decided I needed to concentrate on much more important things. Plus, we traveled a lot in March, April, May... so you see, just not home to do much posting. Quite frankly, I don't even know where to begin to tell you all the things we have done in the last few months, and I would just skip it all but since this is pretty much my journal I need to post it all. So I think I will start with newest to oldest.

May
We were able to go to Las Vegas (technically the end of April but stayed through May) and see Raegen blessed. It was so fun to see all of my family since I don't see them all together very often (although the last year has been more than most).

Here is the family and all the cousins (at the time). The boys were trying to give Reagan a kiss. It wasn't working the best.

Lincoln is finally deciding that he likes to swim but he gets in at his pace. He has always loved the bath and used to love the swimming pool until we took him a few months ago when he flipped out and would not stay in the pool. While we were in Vegas he just watched from the side and has decided he likes it now, but he gets in when he is ready.

Luke went to Washington DC for a last minute conference, and Linc and I were going to go as well but we decided the $900 ticket wasn't worth it this time. If he wants to post something on it I will let him do it. We hope to go again sometime and we all will have fun there.

Next we went to Yellowstone Bear World. It really is a neat place to see bears. You drive through with animals and then onto bears, where they are just walking around. While we were there one bear decided it wanted to walk on our car, so it did and put its paw right where my face was. It was neat but I was hoping our windshield didn't break (after all we have about a billion cracks in it).

They have a petting zoo and Lincoln loved the little goats even though they are a little rambucious.

They also have a few kid rides but we went on them with Linc so he wasn't scared. They were fun and we hope to go again if they lower their prices. haha

The cubs were the cutest. I could just watch them play all day!
What do ya think? We could totally pull off being bears!

Christmas

2009-12-25T20:31:00.007-07:00

Rachel's family all came up to stay with us in our little townhouse for the holidays. It is a full house, but that makes it all the more fun. Linc got more toys than he really needs, but one that he grew attached to right away was his little basketball set. He's actually pretty darn good already. He could probably beat his daddy in a one on one match.

On Christmas eve I was playing with Nate and Maggie's camera. I noticed that it could take an extremely detailed photo of Nate's hobbit-like feet. I tried again with my camera with nearly equally hairy results. Yes, this his how I spent part of my Christmas break.

When I wasn't taking picture of feet, we were opening presents. Hunter and Linc were fought over the same toys a lot even though they were surrounded by hundreds of other toys. Ah kids.

Rachey got her wrist operated on to remove a cyst she had. For now she's got a little stump but hopefully it will heal soon. It's a nice excuse for her not to do the dishes or change diapers. She's milking it for all it's worth. JK rachey.

too busy

2009-12-07T13:28:00.002-07:00

sorry for the lack of blogging... i am trying to catch up but not till after my finals this week.... sorry it has been a rough semester. there are a few short posts below, and videos, so enjoy those while you wait.............................and wait............................and wait!
oh ps- i am also way behind in reading all your blogs too! sorry!

Throwing balls

2009-11-30T23:59:00.004-07:00

Is it time for bed? NO!

2009-11-30T23:58:00.005-07:00

August/September/October/November

2009-11-30T23:25:00.001-07:00

Well, I feel like all I do is try to keep up with the blog, so this is going to be short and sweet and too the point for these 3 months. We have done a lot some months and others not so much.
August
- I went to England (gets its own post... coming...)
- We went to Bear Lake and rented a boat with friends (thanks Lindsey & Jared) and Maggie came too! It was way fun and Linc loved it (although not the lifejacket). We were able to tube/wakeboard (for those who got up). It was fun had by all and wish we could have done it longer.
September
- 5k
- Provo
- Canned peaches
- Canada (also gets its own post... coming as well...)
- Said goodbye to dear friends... we miss you Hailey, Daniel & Aliyah
October
- Went to a few straw/corn mazes. Lincoln had so much fun just running amuck!
- Canned salsa with my friend Kadie
- Halloween (also gets it own post)
November
- Lots of studying for Rachel, traveling for Luke, and playing/growing for Lincoln
- Honestly that was the majority of the month, but we did have a fabulous friends over, Rachel saw New Moon, and bought curtains for the living room (YAY!) on Black Friday.
- We also enjoyed a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with Luke's family in Pocatello (such great company and food)!
- And lastly, we were able to watch BYU beat the U! Hip hip hooray!
December will be a busy month too, but you will hear about that later..... until then....
(oh and pictures will be on this post eventually!)

New Member of the family

2009-10-17T23:11:00.002-07:00

This is the newest member of our family and it was a SWEEET deal! It only cost $395 for the piano, $150 for delivery (which was well worth it cause it is HEAVY) and that includes a tuning. The best thing is if I ever want to upgrade the place will take exactly what I paid and put it towards a new piano. You can tell it is a little old, and it definitely doesn't play as well as it once did, but really, you can't ask for much for a 1916 piano. We are loving it!

My new favorite thing...

2009-10-17T15:34:00.004-07:00

If I didn't share this with you all, it would be rude. These are so good, although just 3 or 4 are enough for awhile... but so yummmmy!

Talent

2009-10-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

This girl has talent! It amazes me!

New tricks

2009-09-30T21:39:00.009-07:00

This would be the Zoolander face. He started this tonight at dinner, but I guess I was doing it first because he was copying me... I didn't know this is what I looked like.

Lincoln loves to copy us and brush his hair....

Lincoln has become a snuggle bug with his blankets... doesn't matter which one, but as soon as he sees a blanket he grabs it throws it on the floor and cuddles with it. He will also cuddle with me on occasion (which I LOVE!!!).

Man we love this critter! (because I don't know how to blow up videos, here is a closer one, but it is not the best quality and not as cute as the first)

Zoo time

2009-09-20T16:51:00.001-07:00

So, just found this post as a draft and since I already uploaded pictures I might as well publish it. Don't really know what I was going to say but enjoy the pics. We had lots of fun at zoos this summer (we went to Hogle Zoo and Idaho Falls a lot)! Lincoln always seemed to fall asleep during some of the trips, they were during nap time, but he still had fun! (There are also two new posts below as well.)

Dedicated to Texas

2009-08-31T23:02:00.012-07:00

Yes, yes, among all our travels this summer we also went to Texas... that is where my mom's side of the family is and I haven't seen them in a few years. It was a lot of fun and Lincoln warmed up to them pretty well. This is what we did while in the Lonestar state.

We played in the water at the science museum and sat in a big mouth (we did more than that there too but that was one of Lincoln's favorite).

We went swimming a few times, and Lincoln loved his new floaty toy.

We went 4-wheeling (Linc LOVED!!!!) and saw my uncle's ranch with all the cows.

Hung out with good ol' Petey - Lincoln loves dogs! He really loved him from afar and always wanted to pet him but Petey would come up licking him and then Lincoln pushed him away, but still wanted to pet him. It was hilarious!

We celebrated this...

With this result...

Making him need this.... (a bath... this pic is just after)

We also got to open these...

which made him this... :)

But the best part was hanging out with all these fine folks (aunts/uncles/cousins galore)...

(can you believe this guy is 6'8".... big compared to Lincoln... oh and me)

Even my Grandma and Uncle Mike came all the way to see us from Houston! Thanks Grandma and Mike, we were so glad you could come and visit!

This explains my kids personality to the t...

This was a cool life size (Linc size that is) chess game in the Lubbock Airport! Linc had fun...

But when we got home we were all like this...

Thanks for the great time family! We love you... Go Tech!

Wow, time is flying

2009-08-31T21:35:00.012-07:00

So this is way later but this post is dedicated to JULY because I am that far behind. Life has just been to crazy and now that school has started it will be even crazier (so if you expect posts.... DON'T - they might be few and far between). My teacher has added an extra class and clinical (adding up to 11.5 credits, which isn’t much less than full time and I am supposed to be part time) with no extra class time so that means I have more work at home, and for anyone who knows Lincoln that makes it a little difficult. (And also, sorry I have been slacking on reading/commenting on your blogs, but I do catch up every now and then.)

So July was pretty busy, as this whole summer has been, but I finished off school and we went fishing and rafting with Lincoln. Man he just loves that water! We also went down to Utah for Maggie & Nate's sealing in the Manti Temple and were also able to camp and raft with Toonce, Joel, Dallin and baby! Fun was had by ALLLLL around. We had a nice BBQ for Mags and Nate. Then we booked it back to Provo to run in a 5K the next morning at 7 am... unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of us running, but we got spiffy shirts with "big" flags on them. And we all finished the race, oh and my sister Aubrie ran with us, as well as prego Toonce. Joel and Luke pushed the two boys in our chariot racer. Then the fireworks were that night with everyone from the race plus some friends (Villalobos, Masons, Havicans + family). It was much enjoyed and Lincoln was mesmerized. The next day we went to a water park, but Lincoln was a little scared at first. But he warmed up a bit to the water and was a little happier. He wasn’t getting much sleep because of all the traveling so maybe that is why he was a little grumpy (he normally LOVES water).

Later in the month we had a little birthday party for Mr. Lincoln before we left to Texas (since that is where we would be on his real birthday). We actually had a family party with Luke’s family and then our own little one here in Rexburg… fun pics! We also went to a demolition derby and Lincoln enjoyed it, I believe, my friend Kelli is holding him.

Here are the pics and not in any special order (sorry blogger is stupid how it uploads things and it takes too long to move them around the way I want them).

My boys enjoying the fireworks!

All who was watching the fireworks in our group (not the best pic)!

Maggie & Nate's sealing BBQ with my family

The Manti Temple - my favorite!

Maggie and Nate Congrats!

The whole group who was there!

My beautiful mother in law at a party!

Linc opening his first gift!

Demolition derby!

Water park in Provo!

Rafting, he loves to row!

In his life jacket... didn't like it much (this pic is deceiving).

Fishing day and rafting... he loves to hang over the edge (don't worry grandmothers... we are always holding onto him!)

Random pics: Look what my boy can do! Yes, he built that and it is all held up by his snack cup!

And this was before he could walk (I can't believe it has been so long... and a short while since he has been walking), he wasn't fond of the grass.

Daddy and dude day.

2009-08-17T21:16:00.005-07:00

Wilst mommy is abiding in the British Isles, daddy and the runt are havin fun at the beach, or at least as close as you can come in Idaho. The yellow thing is his little friend Quackjob, a stuffed little ducky.

My Bro, the musician

2009-08-17T21:00:00.003-07:00

My bro, Lynn makes up songs and plays them without any sheet music. This is his latest. Check out his youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/juegafutbol1

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-08-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

My baby boy turned one! I can't believe how fast the last year has gone. It has been a great one and I love this little boy!

Before we left for Texas we had a little party for Lincoln. Theses are the cakes I made him for that shindig (little dump trucks)! And then him eating one of them.

Walk all over you

2009-07-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

Well, you guessed it! Lincoln is a walker! His first "real" walks started about 2 weeks ago, when he took 3-5 steps in about 10 minutes, but didn't do much walking for about a week. Then we were in Texas and he decided he really wanted to try this walking out. So, here in Texas is where he began again and became a pretty good walker by the end. Here is a video after about a week of walking. We also had a great first birthday for him as well as a fun time in Texas, those posts shall come (whether or not they come before I go to England and school starts, I don't know but soon).

Soccer

2009-07-23T16:02:00.002-07:00

working out with dad

2009-07-23T14:58:00.002-07:00

Golf balls

2009-06-26T14:23:00.003-07:00

So you saw a picture of him eating this, but I can't stop giggling everytime I watch this (especially the first 5 seconds where he is trying to smile but can't cause something is in the way) so I had to share.

The HAIR

2009-06-26T00:00:00.001-07:00

So Lincoln finally got a haircut last week. It was a bit long but everybody loved it and commented on how cute it was (except for Luke's dad - he always told us to cut it). But I really miss his hair, it was so cute and soft but he really did need a haircut. Here are pictures from the last 6 months (and in May and June it REALLY grew). He looks way cute with a buzz cut but he looks older too.

January

February

March

April

May

June

Before:

After:

All that hair is gone, we cut off about an inch and a half.

Farewell locks of cute hair!

Where has the time gone?

2009-06-25T16:54:00.002-07:00

So, I realize it has been awhile since a real post... so my journaling efforts and the sake of grandparents/family/friends that don't get to see us too often there will be LOTS OF PICTURES to follow but not much wording. Well, life has been so crazy since we began moving. I feel like my head has gotten lost, I have been so forgetful (which I normally am not too bad) and truthfully have felt a little overwhelmed with all the many things I have to do. Who knew I had so much to do when I just stay at home oh and go to nursing school... So this will be a long post but I have to document what we have been up to these past few months. Okay, so I decided to do different post with the months the pictures fall under. Enjoy!

March

2009-06-25T16:51:00.015-07:00

In March (wow that was awhile ago) we went to Provo one weekend and went on a picnic with these fine folks.

We picked some bugs from Uncle Nate's hair. (j/k)

Had Joel BBQ us up some grub.

Eat our picnic with Little Man still in his Spica Cast.

Go to a volleyball game.... (#18 is an old friend)

Aubs, Mags, & Linc at the volleyball game

This is the rest of the group that went with us.

Oh yeah, and on the way down Linc had a huge poooo explosion! Yet again!

Linc also learned how to fly that weekend with his crazy hair.

Then when we got home we finished unpacking our house.

April

2009-06-25T16:47:00.005-07:00

To start off April wasn't as exciting as what follows but we did go to Logan for a friends wedding and a separate trip to Salt Lake to visit Maggie and Nate.

We also went to Provo to see Joel graduate with his masters! Congrats Joelhead!

Linc decided to get some teeth around 8 months (this is also when he decided to crawl, stand up, walk with a push toy... lots together).

Doesn't he look like the kid from Christmas Story?

Our kid in jail.

May

2009-06-25T14:47:00.010-07:00

For the month of may we did this:

Take lots of baths because they are so fun! Hopefully he doesn't get mad at this picture later in life, but he is so funny. We will fill up the bathtub and get him naked in his room and put him on the floor and off he runs to the bathroom.

Look cute with my cousin!

Finished babysitting our favorite dude, Ryan, for a summer break.

Read lots of books with dad

Take lots of photo shoots with mom.

Lots watch of tv... just kidding, he just likes the bright colors

Find a new pacifier.

Make lots of baby food - saves lots of money.

Hang out with my cool cousin Hunter.

Go frisbee golfing with the fam.... although Rachel is not very good, hence the picture.

Linc likes too snooze everywhere!

Hang out with cousin Hunter some more.

Go camping for the first time with Lincoln - he did very well! Aubrie also came to visit for a week.

Fed the ducks at the pond!

Drive a few cars

Go swimming in cold water at a friends party -- but he sure loved it! This boy LOVES water!

Go to the zoo again with friends and fam. We love the zoo!

June... so far

2009-06-25T10:08:00.011-07:00

And for this month we have:

read stories with Grandpa

Eaten some golf balls

Gone bowling for the first time

Gone to the Egan lake and the sand dunes (more pics of that to come) while it is raining.

Gone to the zoo again.... with Aunt Maggie and saw this bad boy!

Gone to the cool airshow

Gone biking in the new chariot purchase (bike stroller/jogging stroller/ski stroller for winter) with my friends Kalab

And lounged with dad...

What a past few months it has been... very busy and lots of traveling. Also, Lincoln caught Pink Eye and then Luke had a sore throat/laryngitis and then Luke passed that on to me and Lincoln passed on the Pink Eye to Luke before he had to go to 4-H camp for his work. It was a fun and eventful two weeks... it took forever to get rid of it all. But in the mean time, Lincoln has learned lots of things, like sticking out his tongue.

Mom and the Runt

2009-05-13T20:02:00.003-07:00

So much fun while daddy's at work.

Associated Content

2009-05-02T10:04:00.004-07:00

I saw a news story about Associated Content. You can publish articles and earn a little money depending on how many hits they get. It's not a lot but I figured since I've already written a bunch of articles I might as well throw them out into the world wide web.

Laws of Financial Freedom
There are universal laws surround personal finance success. Learning how to master these laws will lead you and your family to a sound financial future.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1691287/laws_of_financial_freedom.html

Daddy and Linc

2009-05-02T09:52:00.004-07:00

Real Salt Lake

2009-05-02T09:26:00.007-07:00

Luke and Nate went to the Real Salt Lake game last week. How can I put it? It was stinkin awesome!

Me and Nate snuck down behind the north goal, even though our tickets were nosebleeds. The first half ended 0-0 but in the second half RSL turned up the heat scoring 6 goals in the last 40 minutes or so. Nate and I were right there in the middle of the action.

I don't know quite how to put this delicately, but it was way better than the Jazz game that night. Sorry Joelhead.

Now I'm an RSL fanatic. It just happened overnight. After seeing a goal like this up close, how could I help myself.

With this as the result. (It would have been longer but my camera ran out of space):

I've subscribed to MLS Matchcenter so I can stream the games live on the internet. It's surprisingly cheap. Like $20 for about 90% of the games this season. (All except the ones on ESPN and such). This is perfect for a frugal fan such as I. I'm probably going to get some RSL gear sometime soon too. Anyway, that's all I got to say about that.

Wish you were there don't ya.

New Purchases

2009-04-30T19:18:00.004-07:00

Before :

After:

Before :

After:

Top 8's

2009-04-30T00:06:00.005-07:00

Restaurants:
~Mexican in New Mexico
~Sizzler
~Olive Garden
~Backyard Grill
~Lotaburger
~Applebee's
~Pizza Hut
~Arby's

TV Shows:
~One Tree Hill
~Smallville
~King of Queens
~Friends
~Gossip Girl
~Ellen
~Oprah (sometimes)
~The Office

8 of my Quirks:
~I like the toilet seat down.
~I love to freeze food and love food storage.
~I like to make goals but get overwhelmed with everything I have to do.
~I'm not a fan of working out but know I must to stay healthy. I have now worked out 6 times since Lincoln has been born. Go me! I am trying to be more diligent.
~I love Netflix.
~I love Turkey Day cause you get so much dosh garn food, love love love food!
~I can out eat most anybody, even the male specie.
~I can't think of quirks, when I need to (so these are pretty lame).

8 Random things I did yesterday:
~Watched Ellen
~Played Guitar Hero
~Fed Lincoln a few times
~Took a shower
~Called England
~Took a long nap
~Did the budget
~Studied

8 things on my Wish List:
~A stand up freezer
~Trips to Phillippines and many other places too
~Piano
~A nursing degree (I am working on it)
~To be done with school (slowing getting closer)
~A pilot's license
~Cruise to Alaska
~Live abroad

8 things I look forward to everyday:
~Playing with Lincoln
~Luke getting home from work
~sleeping in when I can
~calls/emails from family/friends
~reading if I get a chance
~watching some tv
~Lincoln's smile
~bedtime

8 people I tag:
~Maggie
~Sarah E
~Toonces
~Laurel
~Sanka
~Lacey
~Becky
~anyone who wants to

Who knew these tasted so good?

2009-04-11T23:26:00.004-07:00

This is Linc's wave! He sure is cute!

Buh-Bye!

He's a....

2009-03-28T11:02:00.003-07:00

CRAWLER! I took this video last night and he has improved a lot in less than 24 hours. I can't believe he is old enough to crawl. He is growing up before our eyes!!!

Which one?

2009-03-17T20:14:00.005-07:00

Soooo, the couch is our next big purchase, hopefully within the next few weeks. But I am having a dilemma. I think I know kind of the style I want, but what color (so that it looks good with the walls, but doesn't blend in and won't be too light for kids dirty hands) and what style do you think? Luke wants a sectional cause it is longer and cooler. Do you think it would look good in this right corner? (that is another problem, I think some of the couches I want don't come in the right side, only left... ugh!) Or would there be too much room left over in the rest of the living room? Please tell me your input...

My favorite, do you think the sage would look good with the brown walls? Don't know if this one comes in the right side though...

Like the sage only a lighter color, but I am hoping not too light...

I really like this style if we don't do a sectional, but do you think the chocolate would be too dark for our already brown rooms? This also comes in an off white but I think that would be too light.

I like this one plus it is sage, but it is a little more boring than the first and no foot rest

Puffy = comfy (I hope)... also comes in chocolate color

Sage but kind of a plain couch

So speak your mind, let me know what you think? And don't forget to look at the pictures of the rest of the house... below!

Our home

2009-03-15T17:09:00.007-07:00

*** Added later.... By the way, some people asked, our home is a townhome which is very nice, plus we hope to rent it out when we grow out of it in 5-7 years (probably) and we will then buy a house. These townhomes have playgrounds, and soon basketball courts or something of the sort, and a clubhouse (which has exercise equipment, kids playroom, kitchen, living room/projector to have parties). Plus we don't have to remove snow, take care of the lawn or anything like that... so we are thrilled!!! ***

Welcome to our home!!! Please remember that we are still unpacking and finding where we want our things to go. We also still have touch ups to make (i.e. the doors need to be painted white like the trim) and touch ups on the walls, as well as correctly hang the blinds (long story) and still hand pictures and stuff, but we have only been here for a few weeks, so I think we are doing pretty good. As time goes on and as we save up more money we will also be buying other things to beautify the place (i.e. barstools, new table/chairs, curtains... the list goes on) but really that could be a few years. Enjoy the pics. Hopefully you can see things, it is hard to get everything in the picture but I tried.

Downstairs

Walking in the front door

View of the living room

Another view of the living room with our awesome new tv

Closet under the stairs (there is also a crawl space under the home that enters in this closet)

Bathroom off living room/kitchen

Dining room (attached to kitchen)

Kitchen (attached to dining room) - the door on the left is the water heater and we are going to buy a freezer to fit in there... so excited!

Pantry - love it! I have to buy more food to fill it up :)

Upstairs

The stairway

Bathroom right off the stairs

Toilet/Shower with their own door to shut out sinks

Master bedroom (all our furniture fits in one room - YEAH!!!)

Master closet (this picture doesn't do it justice, you can't see around the corner)

Laundry room/filing cabinet

Closet in hallway

Guest/computer/work out/ everything room - what are we going to do when we have more kids

Lincoln's room

Lincoln's closet (same one in everything room)

Videos for those who want - gives you a somewhat better idea.

Video of the downstairs

Video of the upstairs

More giveaways

2009-03-11T21:55:00.002-07:00

So, this lady, Annette Lyon, who writes books is having a give away, I have missed some of the week but still want to enter for the rest of the week. Her books seem really good and they are on my list to read. Here is a link to her blog and a trailer to her book...

New faces

2009-03-10T21:56:00.005-07:00

Here is the latest face from Lincoln. He has liked all the food he has tried except pears, he just doesn't care for them. So I mixed them with barley today (which is also not a favorite) and after every bite he did this face and a mmmm sound (not like a good mmm but I have to eat this mmm). This is mostly going up for Luke so he can watch it, as he is away at a conference this week. I also put captions to the pictures on the previous post.

In the past.... few weeks

2009-03-10T00:17:00.012-07:00

So, we have finally moved in to our townhome and it is starting to feel like home. We still ahve to finish painting the doors and touch ups, but that will come someday. Life has been even crazier than before. Of course you heard we were sick the weekend we were painting and then moving, the nephew who broke his leg at our house while his parents helped us move (go here to read story), Rachel has passed her tests (numerous ones), has had projects to do and lot of homework and doing taxes. What else, oh yeah, Linc has been sick again and threw up A LOT all over mom one night when she got home from class but was filling better the next day. We have been to Boise and back. Then now Lincoln has an ear infection this week and I have been treating it with an oil and cotton balls (hence that big white thing poking out of his ear). We haven't been to the doctor yet and it seems to be getting better so don't think we will go. Also, look at the hair on the back of his head stand up. But man, what a time, so you see why I haven't posted much recently.
When we were painting our townhome, Lincoln was fussing so I went to check on him and I found this... of course I had to take a picture and then save him.
This is Lincoln in his room before we painted the trim, I will be posting the after pictures soon. Whenever we finish unpacking and getting everything together.
Just look at those eyes, I don't have a lot of recent pictures except for Linc, mostly because of the move and the camera was hiding.
This is the hat they put newborns in and this was Lincoln's when he was born. I was packing away old clothes the other day and put it on him. It was a bit snug but still cute... he pulled it off his head pretty quick.

Same hat, but Linc is thuggin' it.

This is the only pic I have of our townhome from the outside, more to come....

So, on Mondays and Thursdays I have class so Luke has to give Lincoln bottles. This is what I came home to, it was so cute. Lincoln just loungin' in daddy's arms. He loves to play with my face when I am feeding him and Luke's too. He is always pulling on my lips and hair... it hurts.

Can't say much more than... how adorable is he?!?!?! Some of his many faces.

Chilling on mom and dad's bed. This is the life.

Lounging in the exersaucer while sucking the thumb.

So ever since this kid can roll, changing diapers is impossible, hence the bare bum in the next pic.

For Luke's birthday I had some friends over and threw a surprise party for him. It was fun and we played games. Luke is the big 30 now... can you believe it?
And this video is just funny.

Back... sort of

2009-02-23T13:44:00.003-07:00

Internet is up and working at our NEW PLACE! We are moved in, well with boxes and stuff EVERYWHERE... and last week was the crazies of my life. We had to finish painting... took forever and three coats, which Luke had to take Tues and Wed. off to finish up the last two days because Lincoln and I were really sick. Then he took work off at the end of the week (basically didn't go in at all that week) to pack up and move, while I had a huge test to study for. Then we moved on Friday and Sat (thanks so much to all who helped), and spent the majority of the day in the ER because my 2 year old nephew broke his leg at our new place... we feel just awful! Finally found my router and cord to make the internet work, but yet, I am too busy to be on this thing. Luke is gone now to Boise for the week and I leave tomorrow (class tonight) to join him, so we are gone again... And our house is still a mess. Maybe one day I will update with a real post, but this is the synopsis of our life for now.

Out of commission

2009-02-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well until our internet if fixed (it has been a week now), no updates will be added to this blog... sorry! Also, we have some exciting news too. We are now homeowners but more on that later, we are very busy, painting, and moving in the next few weeks, along with school, work and everything else in between. See ya soon, I hope!

Dance, dance, dance!

2009-02-01T00:46:00.003-07:00

So, I saw this video a few years ago, but somebody else had it on their blog so I decided to post it on mine... it totally reminds me of my cousin Heath - looks just like him and something he would do. This guy did a good job putting all these songs together. Enjoy!

Another video...

2009-01-24T16:48:00.003-07:00

So I realized that the video below of Lincoln eating rice cereal doesn't show him attacking the spoon very well. So here is another view that is a little clearer. He cracks us up!

New Year = New Goal

2009-01-24T16:14:00.004-07:00

One goal I just thought of for my blog is to make sure I make more posts in the months to follow then in years past on my blog. Now, that is easy to beat for 2006 and 2007 considering I never even wrote in January. And this post makes it even with blog posts for 2008, so only one more post to go. This might seem lame to some of you but to me, I think it will be a challenge, especially in Oct and Dec...

Yummy in my Tummy

2009-01-21T23:44:00.011-07:00

"What, another picture of me?!?!"

This was Lincoln's first solids this weekend (when his aunts Aubrie and Maggie and uncle Nate were here - we had a blast with them here too). He absolutely loved rice. This is just one of the many videos we got of it. I think he is kinda scared of Luke's laugh in it and everybody else just watching and laughing at him. He would just attach the spoon every time. He was such a cutie. Since then he has gotten much better with thicker rice.

I realize that pretty much everything has been about Lincoln but really he is our life now. To update a bit.... Rachel started her nursing program last week. It is going well, it will be busy and fun, but she is also nervous and hopes she does well as a nurse (ya know with IV's and shots and giving meds). Very glad it is part time and Luke can watch Lincoln when she is gone. Luke continues to work long and hard at work. Life is really good and there MIGHT be some more exciting news in the future, but we will see. Here are some extra pictures of Linc from the past few weeks. He is just too cute.

My man, the computer savy guy at 5 months old.

He loves his exersaucer. He will dance the night away.

Found out he loves paper... I think he ate a little...oops!

Thuggin' it!

So this is how he slept until....

... he's been a rolling machine...

...can't get him to stop rolling over... should I be worried?

This is for you Liz... sorry it is a little late, but I thought I would put it up. Thanks for the outfit, he loves it!

And this is to show you our food storage that I so neatly organized recently... I love it!

Rolly Polly

2009-01-12T15:26:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how fast our little guy is growing up. He likes to roll front and back all the time... what a cutie!

Sledding and New Years

2009-01-12T00:14:00.009-07:00

Cousins, oh cousins!
Lincoln actually enjoyed the sledding. He was laughing although you can't tell because it was so cold on his face that it was hard to smile. Isn't he just so cute?!?!
Here I am pulling him. And videos below of the little adventure.

This was for New Year's, we stayed up and played games... I had to put goof on my forhead and my nephew had to keep a spoon in his mouth. We had lots of fun! Unfortunately, we didn't take more pictures, but you can imagine the night... ha:)

Christmas Time

2009-01-11T23:54:00.003-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve with Luke's family and it was a blast. Luke's mom made these really cool hats for everyone in the family. We wore them all the time after that - even around the house. Linda (Luke's sister) likes to make funny faces, so I joined in... little did she know I would post it on the blog. Lincoln had a totally awesome first Christmas with a new Christmas outfit that he pooed on right away. He even got Lincoln Logs for Christmas and I think that might be a pattern in the years to come. Here he is opening his book from Grandma and Grandpa Wittwer. It is the coolest book that spells out Lincoln's name -- thanks again! Here are our cool stockings. I have had mine for years and years (my Grandma made it for me) and the Luke's stocking also came from my Grandma. However, Lincoln's is just temporary until I get around to making him a stocking. I have a whole other year to get going on it.

U of I

2008-12-22T01:50:00.002-07:00

Since Luke works for the University of Idaho... we like to advertise for them.

Over Thanksgiving

2008-12-22T01:44:00.005-07:00

We had a very eventful Thanksgiving but had such a great time with my family. I always get homesick when I leave and am away from them. We went to Savior of the World, Body Worlds exhibit and the Joseph Smith movie in Salt Lake on Wednesday. We had Thanksgiving at my sister Aubrie's apartment and Grandma and Grandpa Forsyth also came. I made the wonderful pies. We had pumpkin cheesecake, lemon meringue, mixed berry, and chocolate. They were dang good. We also went shopping of course and took pictures on Black Friday. That night we took my parents on the "Polar Express" because my mom just loves that movie (and so do I). It was tons of fun and here are the pictures to enjoy some of it.

Crafts and the BYU games

2008-12-22T01:36:00.006-07:00

We made gingerbread cookies this week.... they were dang good, I'd have to say. I am not that creative but I thought they turned out pretty cute. We also watched the bowl game where Lincoln was cheering for BYU... too bad they didn't win. We are trying to teach him earlier to like football and other sports. Also, here is the christmas card I made for this year, although it isn't as fancy as I would have liked, but I had to get it in the mail .Can anybody tell me why the colors mess up when I put these things on here?

Santa and trips

2008-12-22T01:30:00.004-07:00

So the past few weeks have been very busy. We were gone for Thanksgiving and then we came back home for a few days only to leave again and go to Cascade, Idaho (very beautiful) for a work trip for Luke. Then came home for a day or two then off to Pocatello for another work trip for Luke. This week we have been home but I have had 3 dentist appointments, another doctors appointment, babysitting, trying to clean the house from the lack of it while we were gone, and a fussy baby (I think from teething). What a month... Christmas is almost here and we are so excited. Here is a photo with Lincoln and the "real" Santa. This guy starts to grow his beard out in July. He was awesome. Oh and another photo of Lincoln's first swimming experience.

So proud!!!

2008-12-21T23:56:00.004-07:00

We are so proud of our son. He has been able to roll for a week or more when we move his arms out of the way but as of Friday he is a roller all by himself (at least from tummy to back).

The little guy is also quite a chatter. This video is a mellow version of his chattering... Luke wonders where he gets it from... it isn't me!

Happy 4 years!

2008-12-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Luke and I have been married for 4 WONDERFUL years. It only seems like yesterday when we were dating... We have done so much in 4 years like graduate from college, go to Mexico and Europe and countless other places in the US (i.e. Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, New Mexico, California, Oregon), moved a few times, had a baby. And yet our adventure still continues as Luke continues to find ways to make more money, I go back to school for nursing (starting the program in January), buy a house and definitely have more kids. I am so thankful for such a wonderful husband who does so much and is such a motivated guy. I love him to pieces. We are going to a dinner/show and sleigh ride tomorrow night, it should be fun. Here is a picture to reminisce.

A Christmas Poem

2008-12-19T14:11:00.005-07:00

This is a little thing I wrote for work. As part of my job I write a little financial column every couple weeks for our little Rexburg paper here. Can you believe I get paid to just sit around and whip these things up?

A tale of two brothers, Harry and Ed McDougal.

Harry liked spending, but Ed was more frugal.

This Christmas Harry bought Ed a shiny new bugle,

But Ed spent more time searching, starting with Google.

Google gave Ed a few starting ideas,

“Perhaps I could give Harry a gift card to Maria’s,

Authentic cuisine, complete with tortillas,

With waiters who always say ‘Muchas Graci-as.’”

“Or maybe I’ll get Harry an i with a Pod,

Or maybe I’ll get him a new shiny hot-rod,

Or an Alaskan cruise where he can go fishing for cod.”

But then Ed realized that his thoughts were quite odd.

“I’m Ed McDougal, known for my thrift,

I don’t need to give Harry an extravagant gift,

He just needs to know I care,” he sniffed.

“But Christmas is coming, I need to be swift.”

Christmas morning arrived and Ed felt a little uneasy.

Ed worried that Harry would find his gift cheesy.

When Harry began to unwrap, Ed became queasy,

He tried a distraction, “Let’s go play some Parcheesi!”

But that morning Parcheesi was not to be played,

Harry opened his gift, at first a little dismayed.

“It’s nothing too fancy, it’s actually home-made,

I put together home movies from the 80’s decade.”

“I used a friend’s computer to make the DVD,

It’s from when we were kids, here, pop it in and see.”

Acid washed jeans, feathered hair, the old Atari,

Transformers, He-man and even ET.

“Man the 80’s hit us hard! This is true hilarity.

This is the best gift I’ve received,” Harry said with sincerity.

Christmas morning the brothers spent in solidarity,

But the brothers each had different future prosperity.

You see, Harry spent way too much on Ed’s horn.

He spent the next year in debt and forlorn,

“I haven’t felt so poor since the day I was born!

I have way too much debt from Christmas,” he did mourn.

“I need some kind of bailout just like Fannie Mae,

I’ve got an idea! I’ll cash out my 401(k)!

It was once worth 5 grand but worth only 9 dollars today,”

Harry asked Ed’s advice but Ed said, “No way, Jose!”

“I know that since Christmas you’ve been real low on money,

But cashing out now is a big mistake, sonny!

When you’re old you’ll be rich, it won’t even be funny!”

“Thanks Ed,” Harry sniffed, ‘cause his nose became runny.

“But I don’t know what to do to get rid of this debt,”

He wished he had not borrowed for the shiny cornet.

“Christmas debt is not good, Harry, don’t you forget,

There’s no way out of loans, except through hard work and sweat.”

Ed then showed Harry the interest on what he bought,

How it added up to much much more than he thought,

And Harry finally learned to do what he ought,

“From now on I won’t ever spend more than I got!”

Chubs!

2008-12-18T00:19:00.001-07:00

Tag-Along

2008-12-02T00:14:00.000-07:00

5 things I was doing 10 years ago: (Linda tagged me awhile ago and I still have yet to do this)
1. I was being a cool freshman in high school.
2. Had a crush on a senior... haha
3. I think reading Work and the Glory.
4. Getting my braces off soon.
5. Having the time of my life (sorry can't remember anything and my planner from 10 years ago is not to be found at the moment)

5 things on my To-Do list today:
(since it's midnight, I'll share what's on tomorrow's list)
1. Take Lincoln to his 4 month appointment.
2. Study for my final this week.
3. Babysit for Ryan.
4. Call stupid insurance and figure out this mess.
5. Pack for our trip to Cascade, ID.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Cheese
2. fruit
3. Watermelon Jolly Ranchers
4. fudge brownie chocolate ice cream
5. Chips and salsa from cafe sabor

5 things I'd do if I were a millionare:
1. Invest & Save
2. Travel
3. Travel
4. Hire a chef
5. Buy a house

5 places I've lived:
1. Las Vegas, New Mexico
2. Provo, Utah
3. Los Alamos, New Mexico
4. Logan, Utah
5. Idaho

5 jobs I've had:
1. Construction work (all sorts) for my dad
2. Flower shop
3. Cafeteria worker
4. IT person
5. Switchboard Operator
6. Resident Assistant
7. Secretary
8. Substitute teacher

5 people I tag:
1. you
2. you
3. you
4. you
oh and
5. you

Linc's life, cute pictures

2008-12-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Lincoln will just fall asleep while we rock him with his arm straight out.

I just love these buns (and he just got out of the bath so he is clean)!!

He loves to dance naked in front of the mirror.

Dad and Linc watching some football!

He does this thing with his arms now... so cute!

A night after my class, I sure miss the guy when I am gone.

Just too funny!

This is his pouting face - it breaks my heart!

*** And these pictures are actually all more than a month old, I just forgot to hit publish.

First football game

2008-11-17T00:26:00.011-07:00

This was Lincoln's first football game. Being the alumni that I am of USU, I got some free tickets to the football game against Hawaii. USU actually won!!!! That is amazing cuase they normally stink, but they didn't do to bad and the weather was amazing. It was like 65 or 70 degrees that day (on Nov. 1). This first picture is of Lincoln on the drive to Logan. He is such a chunk in his car seat, normally he doesn't look this chunky. haha:) He absolutely loved the football game but was so tired but it was so loud. He finally fell asleep on me, at least for a bit. Also, we took some photos of him and dad in the leaves and they are adorable! My boys are studly!

People, people... I need help. how do I get my pictures where I want them? I want them to be side by side and not stacked under each other.... AND
*** Don't forget to look at the adorable videos of Lincoln pulling my hair below!***

laughing and thumb sucking...

2008-11-13T15:04:00.006-07:00

Here are videos of Lincoln laughing out loud! He is just so cute. I have to help him along, so just ignore me and my goofiness. He has also started to suck his thumb this past week, and it is so cute!

PS- Sorry the one video is shaky but I was trying to get him to laugh and record it at the same time.

Tip Junkie!

2008-11-13T00:35:00.001-07:00

Here is a site for a great give away!! Go find out what you can win!

Can I have some more?

2008-11-06T23:52:00.004-07:00

Welcome to my life...

We voted!

2008-11-04T22:42:00.004-07:00

Luke and I both voted... Luke did two weeks ago because he is out of town this week so he mailed it in and I went to the polls and voted today. I had a tough time deciding who to vote for and was still unsure as I was filling out my card, but I made my decision. Afterwords, I was wondering if I made the right decision and after watching both candidates speeches tonight I decided I did make the right choice. No matter who you voted for, isn't it great the milestone our country has just made. We have elected an African American and next it will be a woman (just not Clinton please... just kidding)! I am so proud of this country and am grateful to live in the USA and call myself a proud American! Oh and I didn't get a sticker... how rude, they didn't even offer me one, just said I voted!

99 Balloons

2008-11-02T22:32:00.004-07:00

What a sweet story this is! I cried when I first watched it so be prepared with the kleenex. It reminded me how much I love my son and how blessed we are that he is so healthy. This would be so hard to have happen to my own child and I count my blessings about Lincoln (even when he is quite fussy and crying). I thought I loved him a lot the day he was born but my love for him keeps growing and growing each day. I feel like I have a glimpse of how Heavenly Father feels about us.

***An update on this couple is that they just had a baby girl two weeks ago, so Eliot has a baby sister now.***

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T22:43:00.005-07:00

Tonight was Lincoln's first Halloween. We were just going to dress him up with a few cute sleepers we had, but a friend of mine lent me this chicken outfit, so that is what Lincoln was and he was dang cute! Our ward had a trunk-or-treat so we dashed off to the church and gave away candy to all the kids and we even went around ourselves and got Lincoln some candy for later. We had a good night and Lincoln was so good. He fell asleep in my arms as I was walking around with him to fetch his candy. I guess it wasn't that entertaining.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

I love my MUMMY!

2008-10-31T22:40:00.003-07:00

Carving Pumpkins!

2008-10-31T22:22:00.005-07:00

We carved pumpkins with our neighbors last week and unfortunately ours molded within a few days because Luke didn't want to put it outside so the freezing would keep it fresh. But we stuck it out there anyways, instead of throwing it away. It was called "Crazy Squirrel." Luke decided that he wanted to have a fabulous pumkin and that is what he came up with. This picture doesn't do it justice but Luke did a good job. It really was crazy!

your blog?

2008-10-29T22:08:00.001-07:00

I recently updated our blog but I am afraid I lost some of our friends blog info... so if you don't see your blog to the right, please let me know so I can re-add it... thanks guys!

You Can Vote However You Like

2008-10-28T22:20:00.002-07:00

Some of what these kids say is hard to understand but overall the message is loud and clear and I LOVE it! Apparently these kids are from the Ron Clark school.

Giveaway

2008-10-22T00:18:00.001-07:00

So, if you go to this site: http://thevillageshopblog.blogspot.com/ you can enter to win a free giveaway. This is my friends site and she makes all these cool things... I thoroughly enjoy it... so have fun!

Oh, how we love this boy!

2008-10-19T01:01:00.002-07:00

We can 't get enough of this boy so here are some more pictures... You are probably annoyed with how many I put on here , but he is just too darn cute and we love him so much!

Love this song - If The Savior Stood Beside Me

2008-10-13T15:34:00.003-07:00

Photo Tag

2008-10-13T14:23:00.003-07:00

Here is a fun & easy photo tag. Here are the rules: just go to your picture file, open the 6th folder, and the 6th picture! Then post it and tag 5 friends (I tag anyone reading this... that wants to)

My 6th folder happened to be a picture of some friends so I won't post there picture incase they don't want it so I went to the next picture - us at a demolition derby this past July!

New style...

2008-10-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to change my look this past weekend.... I have been growing out my hair since before I got married (about 4 years), so I decided to chop it and start over again.... It turned out great thanks to my twister, Mags! Here is a pic of my new style. I am also attaching a few pictures of Lincoln and his cousin Dallin and one of father and son and Linc with the big eyes! He makes us laugh! Oh and Linc and aunt Maggie!

You're It!

2008-10-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

So, I did this when my internet was down so I am finally getting it posted.
THE RULES: You have to take 12 pictures of the following things and you have to do it right away. No straitening, cleaning or wiping your kid's nose (I mean it!). then you tag 6 others.

1. KIDS. Isn't he just the cutest... that is all I have to say about that.

2. BATHROOM: Couldn't get a very good angle but here is our big bathroom with no cabinets.

3. CLOSET: I chose our food closet because I love it.... man oh man do I love food and it is just wonderful... see the cans of peaches..... mmm good!
4. FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES: Love my docs!

5. SELF-PORTRAIT: Welp, this is me!

6. LAUNDRY ROOM: So glad we have a washer and a dryer.... A must with a kid, haha:)

7. KITCHEN SINK: So, not all of these are dirty, the ones on the right are clean just drying....

8. INSIDE THE FRIDGE: I'm proud of our fridge, unfortunately all 10 meals I made for when Lincoln was born are gone. That was handy.

9. LIVING ROOM: It sure gets messy fast with a baby and laundry.

10. OUT THE NEAREST WINDOW: Love the view of the parking lot.

11. LAST THING YOU READ TODAY: Gotta know what to expect from the little guy...

12. TURN ON THE TV: I like this show, "What I Like About You." It's ditzy but funny.

I am not very good at picking people so if this seems fun... I tag you!

Blessing

2008-10-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

We blessed Little Linc on Aug 31st. It was a lot of fun to have my family here and Luke's family to join in the festivities. My family was here the week before and how nice it was to have them here for so long and they helped us out a ton. Thanks to our great families for the love and support they give us.

Cutest boy/update

2008-10-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to take so long, but we had a week without internet and everything else has just been crazy. It really has, but here is the update on Little Linc! He is growing like a weed, we are very proud of him! When he was born he was right around the 12% for weight and 61% for height. Now, two months later he weighs 11.6 pounds (50%) and is 23.8 inches tall (80%). That is quite a jump in percentiles if you ask me... but we are glad he is gaining and a healthy, happy boy! He is starting to smile more and more and is letting me put him down more and more, so I am able to do more stuff - like blog (that is a BIG reason I haven't been able to type much on this thing). He also had his shots at his 2 month appointment and he did not like those but as soon as I picked him up it only took a few second for him to stop crying. He was a good boy! We are enjoying him and love him very much but definitely adjusting to this new life style. I knew it would be an adjustment but you just don't understand completely until you go through it. That is all for now! I will put up more pictures soon. I couldn't just pick a few pictures but tons from the last two months - he is just too cute!

slackering...

2008-09-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

I know I have been slacking but adjusting to this baby is harder than I thought. Just kidding, it is more my school work and lack of sleep but give me a few days and I am going to have lots of post... just you wait.

announcement

2008-09-01T20:15:00.002-07:00

Here is the announcement I made for Lincoln, for some reason the colors are off... I will try to fix that.

Poo explosion

2008-08-22T20:21:00.004-07:00

4 days old

2008-08-05T22:54:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to show a few cute pictures but I will post more later as time permits... more about the delivery day and how it has been so far! Thanks for all your congrats and well wishes. We appreciate all your support! Now, look at those eyes...
Also, we decided on
Robert
for his middle name.

Put em' up! He has socks on his hands because he keeps scratching his face up. He likes to tug at his eyes and ears! I don't think he realizes this hurts yet.

Lincoln's Log

2008-08-03T07:54:00.005-07:00

My mommy's not really reading. See the book is upside down.
Hello world. My name is Lincoln (Middle name still to be determined). I was born at 3:16 PM on August 2nd. I am 20 inches. and 6 pounds 11 ounces. I'm a little pink and wrinkly and I love to explore the world around me. There's so much more space here than my old home. It's a little chilly though.

Mommy says I'm the cutest boy in the world.

If this is my competition then she's definitely right!

Lincoln's Log 2

2008-08-03T07:48:00.003-07:00

Mommy worked up quite an appetite making me.
I'm going to be a boxer. Put up your dukes.
But for now, I'm just going to take a break.
Don't forget I'm the star of this photo.

Serenity now!

Lincoln's Log 3

2008-08-03T07:38:00.007-07:00

My mommy likes to tickle me while I'm trying to sleep.
See what I mean? Here she is tickling me again.

I hope I grow up to be just like my daddy. Except he has been known to frighted small children on occasion.

Grandma and Maddy

I'm so popular! More to come!

Not yet...

2008-07-30T15:28:00.005-07:00

So, I am sure most of you were sure that my next post would be of the little guy, but nope, not here yet! Today is my "original" due date but my official one is Monday, August 4th, so I still have a few days. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday and if I haven't had him by then the doc said we would discuss what I want to do. I assume to just wait till the due date and then maybe be induced but I would like him to come naturally cause inducing just doesn't seem all that fun. Just so this post isn't so boring, here is a picture of my belly at 38.5 weeks. I am taking one every week to see how much I grow... I think they look pretty similar but you can see some growth. Also, I still am not too uncomfortable, sleeping isn't impossible but I am sure I don't sleep as well as when I am not pregnant, and really I am not dying to get this baby out like I have heard. I guess I have it pretty easy but I am NOT complaining about that. However, every since the 4th of July, I seem to swell more and more, not everywhere, just the feet and hands. Hands aren't that noticeable but the feet... oh boy...! Last night I made about 10 meals to freeze and that much standing took it out of the feet. I didn't get a picture of those, but the one here is a not so bad shot. Enjoy! Hopefully the next post will be of the new guy!

Yellowstone & July 4th weekend

2008-07-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

So, about 3 weeks ago my friend Lindsey and her hubby Jared came up to visit Luke and me and we all went camping in West Yellowstone... We love that place and it is always an incentive to anyone who comes and visits us! It was just beautiful though (probably because of the snow it had when we were there a few weeks prior)! The camping wasn't all that bad and I think I actually slept better that night than I had in awhile and that was all being 34.5 weeks prego. Luke and Jared were being stinkers and spraying bug spray into the fire (I admit I told them to be careful b/c it was flammable and that is what got them going) but I am just glad nothing bad happened -- like an EXPLOSION! We also did this murder mystery thing on BYUI campus... it was pretty fun but if they would have planned it out better, it could have been tons better, but thanks to Luke, Jared, and Lindsey for going with me, because overall it was fun and I had always wanted to do something like that! Next time, I should plan my own and have a dinner with it.
My favorite thing about Yellowstone is that the bison just roam up and down the road - following the yellow dotted line. It is quite funny. In one of these pictures the buffalo decided to take a leak and we got it on camera - yeah for us!
The next week was the 4th of July weekend when my little sister, Aubrie, came up from P-town with her friend Hillary. Also, Toonce, Joel and Dallin made the trek as well and we had a smashing slumber party when they got here in our humble abode! It was fantastic and we stayed up till 3 am playing risk. The next day we went to the 4th of July parade and toured the fair at the park (which was lame compared to last year). We then went off to Idaho Falls and had a big ol' party with Luke's familia and enjoyed the evening and watched the totally awesome fireworks that Idaho Falls puts on (I have never seen better and if you are on the water it is even better). The pictures don't do the fireworks justice... I really need a tripod for my camera... one day. Plus, I kept snapping the picture at the wrong time. Better luck next time. We had another big slumber party at Luke's parents house and the next morning had quite the morning with the ladies in the fam. We went to Perkin's where we had a baby shower for this little boy who is about to pop and had such a great time and enjoyed many gifts that are so cute -- thanks to all you wonderful sister-in-laws and mother -in-law. This boy is going to be mighty stylish.
Later that day we decided to head to Island Park, a bit north. Luke's friend Brian and his wife have a cabin up there where we stayed. We went kayaking and canoeing in the river (where Luke kept trying to tip people over - namely his prego wife) and then enjoyed some might fine tostadas and then went swimming in the pool. It felt really good to go swimming actually and I wonder if this little guy could tell he was a bit lighter for me. Brian's daughter like pointing to the different pools when she wasn't in it and meaning she wanted to go to a different one. She would go to everyone in the pool with her except Luke! Luke seems to scare kids until they get used to him. Poor guy... maybe it is his facial hair. We played more games that night and Luke, Aubrie, and Brian stayed up late again playing Risk (Luke's new favorite game). The next day we went to church with like 2,000 other people. You could say it was a little packed and dang hot! Afterwards, we drove on home but detoured to Mesa Falls on the way home. It was beautiful and very enjoyable! I absolutely love waterfalls!
These last few pictures are the two updates of me and my belly. He continues to grow and squirm around like crazy... I'm telling ya, this is going to be one active fellow! People still tell me I am small for how far along I am, but I just hold him in more (my theory but what else would it be). My stomach continues to stretch and be poked and prodded but that is life and we are getting very excited for that life to come about (not the delivery part though). So, the first picture was last week (at 36 weeks) and the striped shirt picture is tonight (at 37.5 weeks). Laurel, my older sister, is coming this weekend and I am very excited to see her and Jeremy (her hubby) and their baby Hunter. He is now 3 months old and "talking." Have a good week everyone!

OH BIG PS! I passed all my tests for the CNA (certified nurse assistant) certification so I am no officially a CNA! One down and now we just have to keep progressing towards that nursing degree... I also got all A's in my classes for summer! YEAH!

The month of June (and a little of May)!!!

2008-07-02T12:00:00.006-07:00

Well here are a few pictures to show you what we did for the month of June. It was an eventful month as most months tend to be. As Luke's dad says, we are always on the go. Lisa (Luke's sister) has a Special Olympics day here in Rexburg so we went to that, but unfortunately I missed seeing her in the events she participated in but she did very well and we are so proud of her. We went down to Las Vegas at the beginning of June to see Laurel's baby blessed. He is growing so much and he is so cute! There is a sister picture with Hunter and then the proud parents and grandparents. Our family has just begun but we are excited to now be 10 people, soon to be 11 in my immediate family. That doesn't quite compare to Luke's 30 (soon to be 31) people in the immediate family. But we are just beginning.
Luke's sister Linda and Maggie threw me a baby shower in May and that was totally a blast. I got lots of neat things for our baby boy and it was SO wonderful to see friends from Utah that I haven't seen in awhile. It was fabulous and I really appreciate them for doing that for me!

We also went to Yellowstone in May and it rained and snowed the whole time. The buffalo tend to like to walk down the middle of the road and follow the yellow line (as if they are being tested for being drunk). It is quite funny and there is one picture of Luke eating a chip and the buffalo is just walking right by our car. It is quite fascinating. We also saw a white coyote and he was just walking along all the cars. The lake in Yellowstone was still a bit frozen over and looked somewhat like waves, it was very beautiful but still chilly and surprising for May. I mean it snowed! We thought this winter would never end, until June and July hit and now it is quite hot, but nothing like Mesa (which I am very grateful for).
Another thing we did was go to the Annual Air Show that Rexburg has with my dear friend Kelli and her mother. Unfortunately I forgot my camera but Kelli got some good ones, but I don't have them yet, so just imagine some cool old planes flying around. And maybe I will add them in later.
You will notice one picture of Luke with a paper with the world drawn on it. He has been on a RISK thing, ya know, the game Risk. He loves it and when we went to Vegas he decided that he wanted to play so much so he made his own game with my sister Aubrie and brother in law Nate. They never got to play however, but it was cool nonetheless. haha
The last two pictures are of my big belly. The blue shirt was week 34 and the gray shirt was this last week - week 35. I think I am growing and changed quite a bit in just the one week, but people still tell me how small I look for being due so soon. Well, the doctor says I am doing just fine and I think I just hold him inside more. I had my appointment last week and I am already dilated to a 1. I am not taking that to mean anything because I could be at a 1 for the next few weeks.... we will see what happens. Thanks by the way for all the wonderful advice you all gave about what to be prepared with. I appreciate it so much and you have somewhat calmed my fears. It still seems unreal this little guy will be here in a few weeks, but we are very excited and starting to put things together.

I will write again soon to tell you about the last two weekends... they were eventful and fun! Until then... adios!

Freaking out...

2008-06-13T12:30:00.003-07:00

So, as I sit here and ponder our baby boy is coming in less than 8 weeks (time has been zooming past) and I don't know if we have everything and I am freaking out (like this lady). Okay, I am not freaking out but I am a little nervous. We have the basics like a crib and travel system/car seat and some clothes (but how many clothes do you need), and some other random stuff, but really do we have everything we need?
So my question to all you parents out there -- or anyone who knows about this stuff -- I ask ... WHAT DO WE REALLY NEED? What were some of the essentials that you thought you couldn't live with out or were a lifesaver for ya or great to have on hand? I would love your input in the matter because I am feeling unprepared and I know there are some things that are more fun to have but give me all your input.

I'm not the only one

2008-06-09T09:51:00.002-07:00

I was just thinking how I am not the only one who hasn't been that great with updating my blog.... it seems like almost everyone (not all but a lot) on my list is lacking in the posts, so therefore I don't feel so bad.

There and back again!

2008-06-04T20:16:00.021-07:00

So, I realize it has been more than a month since our last post and I apologize, it has been a crazy month in half. I will briefly give you an update on what we have been doing. Well, end of April, we went to Provo to watch Maggie graduate from BYU in Sociology. We are very proud of her for sticking it out and finishing her degree. Rachel finished her last week of school and took finals and she got all four A's and one B (which was so close to an A-she's bummed), Luke had a conference in St. George so Rachel tagged along and hung out in the hotel and finished a blanket for Hunter (the new nephew) while Luke was at a boring conference which he presented a lovely presentation at. After St. George they decided to continue down I-15 and see Laurel and Jeremy and Hunter in Las Vegas. It was a short but sweet trip and then they were off to Eagar Arizona to see Rach's grandpa and aunt. It was also quite fun to visit with them and spend a few days just sitting around. After that it was off the Grand Canyon which was fabulous! They spent a few days camping and hiking around that huge canyon! It was quite fun and such a pretty sight! Definitely a place to go back to. We didn't get to hike down to the water because of Rachel's condition with the big belly and all but we plan to go back and especially to the Havasupai Reservation and see the Supai Falls. We then drove back to the north part of where the Grand Canyon starts and saw the actual water that runs through the canyon and yes, even stuck our feet in. It was freezing!
Then we drove up through Utah and camped out some more and went to Goblin Valley and the Coral Reef National Park. There are sure some pretty sites in this country! Since we have been home school has started again for Rachel where she is taking a medical terminology class, a math class for health professions and and CNA class. They pretty much take all her time (just the CNA class is M,T,W,Th 2-7 and and longer once clinicals start which is going to be an interesting experience). She was subbing until last week because now school is over and well she is pretty excited about being done for the year. Luke continues to work and try to catch up since I take him all over the place. As he says, I am all over the place and I am even pregnant! In May alone we have been to Yellowstone, back to Utah for a Dave Ramsey show (a financial guy that Luke likes and he does have great advice!), and then back to Las Vegas again for Hunter's baby blessing. But Luke has 4-H camp next week that he is hoping it will stop raining so they can have an enjoyable time... it is his time to enjoy the kiddlings again!
It has been exciting and lot going on. We are counting down the days till we have this baby. We only have 9 more weeks to go, so it is really getting close. We are ready but not... as I am sure most first time parents are like that. Rachel is finally realizing this baby has to come out and is scared for that process. She is still pretty comfortable most days, or maybe we should say not too UNcomfortable. However, the belly is getting tighter and sleepless nights are becoming more frequent. She also has to learn to stop eating such big meals, but she is starving. haha The joys of pregnancy! This kid sure kicks a lot though, I think he is super active. Whenever he is in a position that is not so comfy, Rach pokes at him to move him and Luke tells her to leave him alone.... BUT SORRY! If he pokes me, I will poke back! Here is the last picture I took and I am definitely getting bigger that is for sure but people tell me I am small for how far along I am. In this picture I was about 29 weeks, and I will take another in a few weeks or so and post that. I think I have grown even more since this picture was taken. And I have gained about 18 pounds, it is finally coming! I had a baby shower last weekend thrown by my beautiful sister and sister in law... Toonce and Maggie! It was great fun to see all my friends from Utah and thank you so much for coming and the cute gifts! It made it even more exciting that this baby is coming! Love you all! Ok, so this is a long post, longer than I planned because I have a math test tomorrow, but enjoy and I will try to post sooner next time!

Lots going on

2008-04-23T12:13:00.007-07:00

Sorry it has been so long... a lot has happened in the last month or so. We were planning on moving just down the street to a two bedroom but that didn't work out so I had to find a place to live quickly so we knew what we were doing. We found a place and moved in the past weekend (see picture, you will get some of the inside when it looks decent). Thanks to Luke's family, they were a huge help this past weekend and we can't stress how much we appreciated their help, even if they did push it! It seems some people were not up to the task but did it anyways, due to their stubbornness. Luke's dad was sick, then Luke got sick on Sunday, then his mom on Monday and then I got it yesterday. We think it might be the same bug but we all kind of got it or so it seems. I am the only one who has thrown up though and it might be due to the pregnancy, but today I am feeling much better (and that is only the 3rd time I have thrown up this whole pregnancy). It has been really nice so far and we hope to find a place for everything, but the more it gets organized the more it seems feasible. We are also getting rid of a bit of stuff to declutter. We have already given away our old stationary bike, a table, the weight machine and have sold our little portable dishwasher and hopefully a little vanity soon. It feels good to get rid of things that you really just don't use anymore.

I am now 25.5 weeks along. It is moving along but is a lot slower than the weeks at the beginning. It is hard to believe I only have about 15 more weeks though. Looking back at my first trimester I never realized how sick to my stomach I really was. I knew I didn't feel the best all the time but now that the queasiness is gone, it is much better. I just have some serious growing pains. I ache all the time in the whole stomach and pelvic region. Junior (as we have started to call him) is quite the kicker. He kicks pretty much all the time now. He takes breaks but for the most part he is always kicking. The last few days he wasn't quite as active oh but that didn't last long. He is back to his non-stop kicking and it is getting harder and harder.
Here is an updated picture of my tummy. This was taken last week so at 24 weeks. Some shirts make me look bigger than others, it just depends on where it is tight on me, because other shirts make me look quite small. I am excited about my tummy though... it is finally getting bigger but still seems small to me. I am not really uncomfortable and I am enjoying being pregnant, it has its moments that aren't so fun but really I think I am lucky and have had it fairly easy. Clothes are a little annoying because I am not quite big enough for the maternity clothes but too big for my normal clothes. It is okay though, I will survive! My biggest complaint is that the pants aren't quite long enough and the bum area is too big, but I hear that is how it is for almost all women so I am glad I am not the only one with the problem.

Luke has been busy with work taking trips for conferences (another one next week to St. George, I am tagging along and afterwards we are going to drive to Vegas to see my new nephew and then to Arizona - Grand Canyon- for one last big trip before this baby comes). He has had such a busy schedule recently, I feel like I never see him anymore, plus I am in Idaho Falls 3 days a week finishing up school. I only have about one more week left and then three classes this summer which end in July then I can apply to the program. I found out new information about the program which was not good news but hopefully it still works out for the best. Life is just grand for us but busy for sure. One more thing, I wanted to say congrats to my sister for having a cute baby boy named Hunter. He is the first grandkid on my side so I was really happy about that. I stole this picture from her blog so enjoy. I can't wait to meet him!

Life as we know it...

2008-03-28T21:30:00.006-07:00

Well, since recently all I have done is post things about being pregnant so I thought I would post a few things about what we have done recently, but then I realized that I only have a few pictures because the rest are on Luke's camera which is at work so I can't get those pictures, so here is the one thing we did do that I have pictures of.
There is a cool place called Black Swan Inn (blackswaninn.com) that has themed hotel rooms. Luke and I stayed there for a few nights after we got married and so it was fun to go back and see another room. We stayed in the Sea Cave room. It was pretty cool. There was a seashell bed, huge screen tv, heart shaped jetted tub with a fish that is the faucet... It was neat and we enjoyed it. Hope to stay there again sometime in the future...
Now onto the pictures of my stomach. Here is the newest. I have grown quite a bit recently, but some days I could swear it is bigger and other days it is smaller (I think a lot of it deals with how tight the shirt is that I am wearing). This picture is me about 21.5 weeks. Enjoy!