Third Trimester!!

Um, hi.  It's been awhile!  But I though I better get at least one belly shot before this next baby comes.  Nothing like waiting until the third trimester, right?!  Ugh - the life of a second child has already begun and she's not even here! :)

 

Today marks week 28 and it's been a really easy pregnancy once again, for which we are so thankful!  I don't know how I would ever manage working full time and chasing around an almost two-year old if I was sick and not feeling good, or having to take it easy on bed rest.  But I've felt great since day one.  I am usually pretty wiped at the end of the day, but isn't that the life of a toddler mom regardless?

 

We found out we were pregnant right away in January and I immediately thought, "this is going to be the longest pregnancy EVER!"  Um, nope, it has completely flown by!  I can't believe we're nearing the end already.  I'm sure it's because it's not all we're focused on this time and Lincoln keeps us plenty busy!

 

 

 

Speaking of Mr. Lincoln - he will be TWO next week.  I can't even believe it.  He has been such a joy, and I am SOO blessed to be his mommy.  He has us laughing constantly.  He's been sleeping in his big-boy bed for a couple weeks now and has transitioned pretty well.  The first weekend was flawless and we both thought "we should have done this a long time ago!"  But he quickly figured out that he wasn't confined anymore and now naptime has become a bit of a struggle.  Since Hal is off for the summer and been staying home with him, they usually end up napping together. :)  But he's been pretty good about staying put at night time.  He loves the independence of getting up in the morning and walking into our room - and I think it's adorable to see that blond little head pop in our door!  He is quite the talker and will repeat pretty much anything we say.  He loves airplanes and trains and playing catch, and is a bit of a daredevil - he loves to jump off of everything!  He loves to sing!  He'll sing along with his praise CD in the car and sings along to his veggie tale movies, too.  (But he's been watching them for about a year and a half, so no doubt he's got them memorized!)  He loves to sing along with me at night when we sing "You are my Sunshine" and "Rock-a-bye Baby."  It's pretty darn cute.  And he's starting to pray.  He'll fold his hands and talk real quiet - the only thing I can make out is "Grandpa" (naturally), and then "Amen!"  haha.

 

I'm not quite sure how he feels about having a new baby yet.  He knows there's a baby in mommy's tummy, but he doesn't really react too much when we talk about her.  He found her stash of pacifiers the other day and wasn't too happy when I wouldn't let him suck on them, so sharing might be an issue!  But he's always loved babies and is really good about being gentle with them and giving kisses, so I think he'll do just fine and fall in love with his baby sister, Lauren!

 

lately...

Here's  little of what we've been up to lately... 

 

Hal has had a few out-of-town games the last few weekends, so Lincoln and I have been keeping ourselves busy.  Thankfully the games are all live online so we can catch all the action even though we can't be there in person.  So far we're having a great season, we're 4-1!

 

 

After the game, and after naptime, we like to get outside and enjoy this beautiful fall we're having!  Lincoln loves bike rides.  Even if we just step out in the garage for something, he tries to climb in the Burley to go for a ride.  He just loves to be outside.  We're definitely going to have to find a way to keep him active this winter when it's so cold.

 

 

 

Here's a before & after shot of the little updating project I did this weekend.  Our fireplace has just kind of been bugging me lately.  I see all these gorgeous, beautifully decorated fireplaces on Pinterest, and just wasn't sure what to do with ours.  It's just so ugly.  Then I came across a lady who gave her brass fireplace a little update and I thought, bingo - I can do that!  Just involves a little Rustoleum High-Heat spray paint.  What a difference! 

 

 

Arlen was also in town this weekend visiting Kim, so we all decided to go to the pumpkin patch on Saturday.  None of us got any great pictures, but here's the few that I got.  (of course, none of the pumpkins!)  They had quite a few animals:  donkeys, llamas, alpacas, cows, goats, pigs, ducks, and peacocks.  They also offered free hayrides!  It was a fun way to spend a gorgeous Saturday afternoon!

 

 

I have to share this picture too - just kind of cracks me up.  Hal came home the other night from practice and went right to the shower.  Lincoln climbed up on the gate and stood like this the entire time he was upstairs, hollering, "Dadda!"  "Dadda!"  Too cute.

 

My mom was also here a few weekends ago for a quick visit, and I didn't get one picture!  Ugh - I'm horrible!  Lincoln LOVES his grandma and had so much fun.  I'll have to be better when both mom and dad come down in a couple weeks to catch one of Hal's last home games!  We love that my parents are close enough to be able to sneak in these weekend visits and it doesn't take months of planning and a plane ride to get to grandma and grandpa's house!

back in the saddle

Our fall schedule has officially begun.  It feels nice to be back in a routine, although life definitely hasn't slowed down at all.  But, unfortunately, I don't think that's possible. 

 

Here's a little glimpse of what our last few weeks of summer looked like.  We spent one of the first weekends in August camping with a whole bunch of cousins in Walker, MN.  It was a fun weekend full of campfires, volleyball, swimming, being tourists, eating, roasting marshmallows and roughing it in a tent.  (i forgot the pump for our air mattress...eek!)

 

Lincoln loves the park, and thankfully there's a really nice one close to our house.  Many evenings we would end up there to swing, slide and just run around.

 

 

Both Lincoln and Libby loved spending time outside in the pool!  So did I!  :)

 

 

To help solve part of our daycare dilemma, my parents came down to visit/babysit Lincoln for a few days.  So of course we had to go to the mall for a little shopping/people watching/oriental massage trip.  And we found a great new mode of transportation!  You might notice in the video a part where a cute little chick rode by in her stroller!  :)

 

 

 

While my parents were here we had to hit the Great Minnesota Get-Together!  It's become a tradition, and we always have a great time!  And I think we may have a little cowboy on our hands.  Lincoln absolutely LOVED the horses.  And of course with Grandpa's encouragement, he may have planted a kiss on one or two.....or every single one we stopped to see!  :)

We also made a pit stop that weekend to the stables at Bunker Hills.  I had never been there before, so we just though we'd check it out to see if we could pet the horses.  You can't.  But they had saddles set up on a log to practice sitting in.  He looks like a natural! 

 

My dad also got our bike tires aired up and attached our Burley to my bike so we can finally get cruising on our bikes.  Better late than never!

 

Then my parents left.  And they took Lincoln with them.  I only cried for an hour or so, but then I got SO much done!!  And Lincoln had a blast at grandma & grandpa's.  He was grandpa's little sidekick all week - they had so much fun together!

 

My brother brought Lincoln back on Thursday night, and we had a nice, relaxing last weekend before Hal started school and Lincoln started his new daycare on Tuesday.  Of course, football has been underway for a few weeks now, so Monday it was just Lincoln and I at home.  We may or may not have spent almost the entire day in our jammies.  :)

 

And that all leads us to our first day of daycare.  Well, these pictures are from the second day because, let's face it, I'm just not as on top of things as I would like to be and I totally forgot to take a picture on the first day. 

 

I guess it was a little too early in the morning for a real smile.  But he still likes to ham it up for the camera!

 



 

It literally took most of the summer to find a new daycare, but our last interview was the winner!  The problem we ran into was that for Lincoln's age group, most licenses only allow them to have one or two children of that age.  So most of the places I called were already full.

 

The first couple days have been pretty good, but it's going to be a transition.  But it's close to home and close to work, and I think it will be a good fit!  Thanks for praying with us!

 

Hope you all had a great summer!

Twelve Months!

So....I scheduled this to post on Wednesday morning, Lincoln's birthday, and I just realized it didn't post.  So here it is.  Better late than never!

 

I can't even believe how fast this year has gone, and am even more amazed at how much Lincoln has changed and grown in just one short year!  I am so blessed to be this little guy's momma and fall more in love with him every day!  Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

 

 

Last Day of Daycare

We are so sad that our daycare is closing.  We love Jacquilyn and the care she has provided for Lincoln this past year.  We will definitely miss her and her daughter, Saelah, who loves Lincoln and Lincoln loves here - they're great friends! 

First day of Daycare - September 16, 2013

 

 

Last day of Daycare - June 6, 2014

 

So now the search begins for a new daycare for Lincoln.  It's so hard.  Please pray with us if you think of it.  We were so blessed to be able to have him in a Christian home and environment this year.  Praying we can find something similar.

Eleven Months

Thankfully we're almost to the end of the first year monthly photo sessions.  And I only say that because it's getting harder and harder to get him to sit still enough to even get one good picture where he's looking, let alone smiling!  My goodness.

 

But, clearly, turning on Veggie Tales was not a good tactic.  Oops.

 

 

 

 

Canadian Camping Trip

This past weekend we spent camping with Darby and Deanna (& Britta and Mandi) and Derek and Jill (& Chloe, Abby, Thad and Ezra).  We had a super fun weekend with great weather!

 

 

We camped at Sioux Narrows Provincial Park in Sioux Narrows, Ontario.  It is beautiful.  I have never been to that part of Canada before, but I'm hoping this won't be the last time!  Saturday morning the boys and Thad and Britta headed out trout fishing and left the women and babies and Chloe and Abby back at camp.  We filled the morning with playing at the park and a two-hour hike through the woods.  It was pretty rugged terrain at times (we may or may not have been on a trail?!), so we definitely got our strength and cardio workout in for the day.  We all were pretty warm so we headed back to camp to get on shorts and the girls got on their swimsuits.  They're pretty brave because the water was ice cold!  But they had a blast splashing around in the water.

 

 

Deanna took most of these pictures (because we all know I have good intentions, but usually forget to pull out the camera/phone).  So I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  It was such a relaxing weekend and we hope to get at least one more camping trip in this summer!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sioux Narrows bridge



 

Nothing better after a long, busy weekend than to kick up your feet with a cold drink

and Bob the Tomato and watch a few episodes of Veggie Tales!