Drakie Boy

Look at who can sleep through the night now! Ever since we got home from Oregon, he has been a sleeping champ. Here are some other facts about this handsome little guy:

1. He just got his 5th tooth.
2. When he gets mad, he makes this pirate face, where he scrunches down his right eye.
3. His feet are so chubby, crocs don't even feet him.
4. He lights up when he sees Lincoln, and Lincoln can get him to laugh more than anyone else.
5. When you tell him to jump, he bends his knees and straightens them.
6. He is listening to commands like: Give Lincoln a kiss or Show this to daddy.
7. His kisses are kind of toothy.
8. He throws things to get attention.
9. He loves the end of the bath, when there is just a little water left in it, so he can do belly flops.
10. He is such a climber. He has already mastered climbing Lincoln's slide bed, which terrifies Dave.

Alter Ego

I have blogged before about "Lincoln Punch" but now it is a full alter ego. Lincoln snatches the kid knives from our silverware drawer, swings them around, and becomes "Lincoln Punch." Today I couldn't find something so he told me, "Don't worry, Lincoln Punch combined with the power of Star Wars [he has NEVER watched the movie, so how does he know about it?] will find it." Later today he told me I could be "Lincoln Mommy Punch." How thoughtful!

Lincoln Punch has become a huge fan of soccer. He loved his first day of practice and didn't want it to be over. Dave and he kicked the ball around some more when we got home. I seriously would fear for his opponents if "Lincoln Punch" showed up for a game though!

This very active boy can be very sweet. Every night I tell him I love him more than all the stars in the sky and all the sand at the beach. I end with telling him "...and that's a lot." I have asked him before how much he loved me, and he would always say, "3." 

When we were in NJ, he finally understood what I was asking him. After waking up really early and wanting me to get out of the bed to get him milk, he told me "I love you more than all the tall buildings when we are on an airplane [we had just flown over NY city] and all the water at the beach, and that's a lot." After wiping the tears from my eyes, I quickly got him the milk he wanted. Worked like a charm!

Beach

Before we left for Oregon, we took a quick trip to a lovely beach in South Carolina. I am still jet-lagged so I can't remember the name of it. Southbrook, or Seabreeze...something like that. Anyway, we met the Edwards and my parents down there, and we had a very nice weekend. Both boys loved the ocean. They were so fearless, jumping in the waves. Drake just kept walking out, like he could swim. I'm glad they like it, because I am big beach fan. Just let me stay out there all day, and I'm a happy girl. Swimming in the ocean is so refreshing! Oh, we also saw 3 dolphins swimming together one morning. They were only about 50 feet away from us.

Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles Oh My!

The only thing that was good about coming home from Oregon, was that Dave was waiting for us. There were lots of tears leaving Grandma and Papa's house, waiting in the security line at Boise airport, and during the plane ride home. We had the BEST trip!!

Dave was able to spend a week with us. We started off the week with a mini-Shinsel/Huntsman/Wright reunion at the water park in Boise. Andy's family in Alaska were so missed! Reed and Chelsea were able to make it to the park. We hadn't seen these cuties since their wedding, so I wasn't sure if Lincoln would feel comfortable with them. As soon as he saw them at the park, he flew into their arms. It was so cute! I can still make myself cry if I think about it!

Of course, Lincoln LOVED playing with all his cousins. Like most little boys, he thinks big kids are the coolest. He also had fun playing/taking toys from/teasing his younger cousins Kaylee and Mya too!

Barry's family also stayed at the Shinsel's house. It was great for Lincoln and Drake to have a friend the minute they woke up. It was also great for me: I got to have a friend too! Amy and I went to some garage sales, played with the kids, and just got to hang out.

We spent lots of time outside at Grandma and Papa's house. Drake didn't really like the hot tub, but Lincoln and Mya did! Drake preferred to scare the heck out of me by climbing up the tree fort and walking towards the open edges. He also had fun going down the slide and swinging.

Some of the Huntsmans met us at Riverside park. I love this picture of Kaylee and Lincoln: it emits pure joy!

We also learned some news that we will be gaining a new niece the beginning of October. Emilee Jiao is a beautiful 4 1/2 year old from China. We can't wait to meet her at Christmas!

Lincoln and Papa made some fun memories together: they built a boat. It doesn't look like much from the picture, but it means so much to Lincoln, plus it floats!

I really am so lucky to have such a wonderful family on Dave's side. Actually, I don't even feel like it's Dave's family, they are definitely mine too!