(Definitely Not) Starving Artist

I'd like to present the first of many art projects made by Lincoln! He celebrated his 4 month birthday at school with a little finger painting. I can only imagine the scene - wide-eyed, purple and green fingered and dying to get his paint covered hands in his mouth. And what a masterpiece he made! These ladies must be real professionals because he didn't have a spec of paint on him or his clothes. One day I'll be brave enough to bring out the finger paint . . . but don't hold your breath!

Chewing

For some time now, Lincoln has been obsessed with chewing. He LOVES to chew! He mostly chews on his hands, and he tries to fit both hands in his mouth at the same time. He chews on the burp cloth, his shirt, his toys, my fingers, my shirt, and on and on. He recently discovered teethers and gnaws on them too. The amount of drool is staggering, and I'm not sure how his little body can produce so much. He's not too interested in the passy these days. I keep it nearby, but it doesn't do much for him. Sometimes he chews on it . . .

Stay tuned for a post showing off his first tooth!

All Tuckered Out

Lincoln had so much fun playing today. So much fun that he wore himself out!

Luau . . . times two!

Lincoln's school hosted a luau for the infants and parents this week. Of course he had to look the part, so he got a new Hawaiian shirt just for the occasion. I even dressed as luau-y as I could manage! He seemed rather confused that Kevin and I were at school at lunchtime to play then leave him there! We got to meet some of the other parents and had a nice time.

We got invited to another luau this weekend, so we got extra use of our Hawaiian shirt and swim trunks! We went to Camp Funk (aka Shannon's lake house!) to celebrate Jason's 30th birthday and had a great time. Lincoln loves to watch the water, so he's always up for a lake trip. Happy Birthday, Uncle J!


As if he weren't cool enough in his trunks and hat, we added sunglasses to his beach ensemble. He didn't mind at all and didn't once bother them or fuss.

I personally think he's the cutest thing ever in the hat, but I'm aware of the resemblance to the Gorton's Fisherman. I'm sure one day we'll be huge supporters of their fish sticks . . . get ready, Kevin!!!

Birthday Observations

As of July 21, I am officially 30!! It sounds so much older than 29, right? I don't know what I thought would happen when I turned 30, but nothing did. I didn't sprout horns or keel over or emit fog or any other fairy tale torture. What does it really mean to be 30? I've thought about a lot about this question lately, and I've decided it could even be a good thing!

*I know who I am, and I'm confident enough to be me. Being comfortable with the good and not so good about me is quite freeing.
*Being a mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend are the most important things to me, and spending time to make those relationships successful is worth every minute.
*I don't have to wonder what it will be like to be a grown up anymore because I've become one. I love my son, keep my house clean, wake up early, and don't pick the onions off a burger (extra onions please!). Don't these qualities just scream grown up?!
*I have more love to give now than I could ever imagine, and I've realized how important it is to share that.

While I'm sure there are a few negatives about being 30, I'm not going to let that get me down. The wrinkle near my mouth that I noticed this morning is only there because I have so much to smile about. I am thankful to have so many blessings at 30. I have often thought, "This is the best time in life." Hanging out at the pool all summer in Newport, cheering on the Hogs with friends in Fayetteville, marrying and beginning a life with Kevin, and spending weekends at Branchcrest with our closest friends all made up the best times, but they keep getting better. Since Lincoln has joined us, I really am having the best time right now!

Fun-Filled Weekend

What a fun and busy weekend! Lincoln and I had all day together on Friday, and it was great. Aunt Sarah and Aunt Cheryl (technically not an aunt, but close enough) came to visit, and Lincoln put on a show. They were so impressed with his good humor, strength and smiles. He's such a fun kid! Saturday and Sunday were busy, too.

We started out with breakfast at Cindi's, of course!

After breakfast, we hung out in the bumbo while Daddy watched the British Open. Playing in the Bumbo is much more fun that watching golf! Daddy got to listen to the song we made up . . . it really gets Lincoln laughing. Imagine "How much is that doggie in the window?" but Lincoln-ized!


Later, we met Eric and Samantha at Rockfish for a yummy dinner. Here's Eric taking his turn holding Lincoln while we ate. It's a good thing he's so agreeable because he gets passed around to everyone at the table.


Samantha and Lincoln did some bonding after dinner. He loves flirting with her, and she always makes him smile.

We did some serious playing on Sunday afternoon. Once we got the errands out of the way, we played on the floor with our favorite toys, rolled over a few times, sang lots of songs, and even went for a walk around the neighborhood.

I wish I had video of this . . . Lincoln was laughing and giggling at my silly sounds. His laugh is so sweet. It's the best sound in the world!

Note: In some of the photos I post, it seems that we're breaking rules. Standing on the table, sitting in the bumbo on the table (it says not to use on elevated surfaces), bathing in a dish pan. If that's the worst we do, I think it's ok. I mean we turned out fine and our parents didn't have half the safety eqiupment that's out there today. They didn't have hand sanitizer, video monitors, microbial sterilizers, or any of the other crazy stuff that is "necessary" now!

Such a Big Kid

Linc is such a big boy! He hit 14 pounds!

Fun in the Sun

This weekend's adventures took us to the Erickson Lake House, and we had a blast! Our group included 12 adults, 5 kids and 2 dogs. We had so much fun catching up with everyone and being with our friends. Lincoln met his new girlfriends . . . Caroline, Jane, Sidney and Clare. I hope he likes older women, and I hope they don't mind his excessive drool! We hung out on the dock, ate lots of good food, did a ton of laughing, and some of us even enjoyed the lake. Lincoln got to put on his swim trunks and sun hat, and I'm certain he's the cutest thing I've ever seen. (I'm also certain that's because he's my kid!) He loved being outside in the shade, and he had a good time being around the other kids. There's so much to observe, and he really takes it all in. Thanks to Jon and Paige for having us and making it such a great weekend.

Card for Allyson

Cutest Kid Ever!!

Lincoln had so much fun driving his Jeep tonight. His toes are touching the ground, he honks the horn and picks up a set of keys to wave around. He stays in the kitchen with me while I make dinner. We talk and laugh and squeal, and I'm so happy that he's happy.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

I'm so proud to display Lincoln's most recent accomplishment, and it's a big one. He rolls!!! He's been much stronger during tummy time these past few days, so I hoped this was coming. He was holding his head up so much more and really working those legs, but it didn't happen until today. I told him he had two choices: roll over or crawl. Two seconds later he just rolled right over onto his back. It's like he heard me and thought rolling seemed much easier than crawling! We didn't have the video camera on hand for that one, but we got it ready and tried again. Nice little fella that he is humored us and rolled again. I don't think we knew how excited and proud we would be, but we can't stop talking about it. Enjoy the video!

First Place Texas Rangers

Lincoln had a major milestone today . . . his first Texas Rangers game! We watch the Rangers every night, and they're doing great this year. (Not exactly first place anymore, but we're gonna take it back soon!) We got cheap tickets and headed out to introduce Lincoln to baseball in person. He seemed in awe of everything, and he was really checking everyone out. It was a fun night, and we won! We'll definitely do this again soon.

Kevin and Lincoln watching the game.
One minor meltdown . . . Kevin (and 30,000 other fans) disagreed with the call that Michael Young was out at first. The sudden roar scared Linc, and he got a bit upset. A couple of minutes later, he forgot and went back to looking around in amazement.