The 3 Shinsels...Grew to 4

What to Do

2012-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Lincoln started preschool earlier this month, and he has brought every single germ home to share with the family. He has had a double ear infection, nasty fever, cold, and now this awful cough. My dad, Dave, and Drake have all picked these germs up too. Thankfully, I have stayed healthy through it all!

Although Lincoln sounds awful, he feels ok. This makes it tricky to entertain him. It is beautiful outside, but he starts coughing as soon as he starts running around. I don't want to take the kids anywhere, so they don't spread anything.

Good thing pinterest, magazines and creative people exist: I have found some fun things for Lincoln to do. We have made homemade bouncy balls, a mini-indoor sandbox, a superhero cape, bath paints and finger puppets.

On the Move

2012-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

Someone has been on the move lately...

He saw the camera cord, and is coming for it.

Getting closer.

Almost there.

Got it!

Happy Birthday Dave

2012-01-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Dave celebrated his 30th birthday last week. We waited until the weekend to party! We tossed around some weekend trips, but decided it would be easier to just stick around town. Dave planned the whole day with fun activities.

First we went to Hickory Dickory Dock, an arcade center. Dave and Dave saved the world.

Lincoln rode the motorcycle like no one I've ever seen.

Next, we went to a Mexican restaurant. It was such a pretty day, we sat outside. Notice Lincoln squinting in the sun.

That's where the pictures end, because that's where I had to bail out. The guys had a great time at an indoor shooting range.

At night, we feasted on homemade cookies and ice cream sundaes. The plan was to go to a movie, but Dave was very thoughtful and rented one, so that I could be included. Movies in the evening are just tough to get to, with Drake not taking a bottle.

It was such a fun day, I think we need to have more 30th birthday parties, except mine that is!

Merry Christmas

2012-01-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Before I can blog about the holidays, I need to get caught up on the previous few weeks. Drake turned 6 months...6 months, I can't believe how fast the time is going! He is mostly sitting on his own, but prefers to be on his tummy, inch worming around. He also gets where he wants by rolling around. He weighed 18 pounds 6 oz and is 26.5 inches long. His head is only in the 15th percentile. The booger is so cute, but has been waking up 2-3 times at night to eat. This is no growth spurt, he has been doing it ever since Thanksgiving. Something needs to happen, because I tend to not be the most patient with Lincoln when I am tired.

Speaking of Lincoln, he is funny/naughty as ever and has been loving this time of year. I was trying to talk on the phone with the dr's office one day and Lincoln kept yelling at me and having a melt down over something small. I kept trying to sush him, but it wasn't helping. When I got off the phone I let him have a long talk about being quiet when I am on the phone...listening to mama...not having fits...I must have been going on for a while, because Lincoln kept saying, "ok mama, ok mama." Then finally, "Mom, mom, mommmm, mom quiet down a little, ok." I tried really hard not to laugh, I even covered my mouth, but he caught me. He asked me if I was laughing. I tried to say no, but started to laugh even harder. He better not try that one again!

Today, I am so proud of him, because he did a fabulous job in his first day of Sunbeams (Sunday School). Dang, I got ahead of myself! Corey came out for a week before Christmas. Lincoln loves his Uncle Corey, and they had fun going to Waffle House, dancing to Christmas music, and eating breakfast with Santa.

I braved the mall a couple days before Christmas to get the boy's picture taken with Santa. Lincoln already had breakfast with Santa, so he wasn't that interested.

We also made a gingerbread house, but Lincoln only wanted to eat the candy. That is why there are only about 2 pieces on it.

Every where we went, if someone said Merry Christmas, Lincoln would tell them he wanted a remote control Santa train. We also explained to Lincoln the real reason for Christmas, and he thought every little baby was baby Jesus. He got excited every morning to put a piece of the nativity scene on his magnet advent calendar. Every day he asked if it was time to put baby Jesus on the scene, and I would tell him not yet (it was number 24). And EVERY day he would ask if he could just look at the baby Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, Dave got his Christmas present, tickets to the Panthers game. He isn't a huge Panthers fan, but has always wanted to go to an NFL game. Mom was brave enough to watch both boys the whole day. We had so much fun! The atmosphere was great, the fans sitting behind us were hilarious, and the Panthers won. We also had a good time talking about the "TopCats" (panther cheerleaders) choreography: step right, step left, hair whip, clap, hair whip, hair whip, clap, clap, clap.

Christmas Eve night we continued with our movie tradition. We spread blankets on the living room floor and watched Kung Fu Panda 2. We didn't really hype Lincoln up about Christmas, because we wanted him to sleep. It worked! He slept until 7:30 the next morning.

I was so excited for Santa to bring Lincoln his train, I could hardly sleep! In the morning, the shocked look on Lincoln's face was fantastic. He even had to ask, "Is this my remote control santa train?" He has been playing with trains all day ever since.

Rachel and Dave E came over for Christmas dinner and some birthday cake. Kipling, Chaucer, and Lincoln all had matching sweaters, totally by accident.

I hope all of our friends and family far away had a wonderful Christmas! May the New Year bring much happiness to you all!!

New Nephew!

2011-12-13T07:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I forgot to mention the fantastic news we got last week! Little Wynn was born to Dave's younger brother Andy. I know it's mostly family who reads the blog, but I use this as our family journal. We will pull this out years from now and "ooohhhh" at our cute, newest nephew. He is our 12th nephew...the neices are still behind with 6. Yawning baby pictures are some of my favorites!

This Morning

2011-12-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

This morning, Lincoln has been dancing to the same Trans-Siberian Orchestra song for at least 30 minutes. He also decided Joseph needed to get to Bethlehem by Snoopy train, not donkey.

Drake has been sitting up by himself this morning. He lasts for about 30-45 seconds before tipping over.

I'm enjoying these peaceful moments before the grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning begins!

Back Home

2011-12-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a little re-cap of our Thanksgiving trip...

Easy flights/drives to from airports: Lincoln and Drake are road/plane trip champions.
Hung out with lots of family.
Ate lots of pie.
Short trip to the Columbia River Temple.
Stomach bug affected all but 3 adults and 3 kids.
Ate more pie!
Girl Party that included Breaking Dawn.

I came home to a almost packed house. Yep, we are moving again. Yep, we don't know where, AGAIN!! Some day, hopefully soon, we will be able to throw some roots down. Dave still has his job in Winston, but we want to get the heck out of this nasty townhouse.

Lincoln is going through a really tough phase right now. He rarely listens to me and throws fits when he doesn't get his way. I was scolding me one day, and after this conversation happened:

Lincoln: I love you mom.
Me: I love you more Lincoln.
Lincoln: (thinking hard) ...more than me??
Me: Yep, I love you more.
Lincoln: I love you TWICE!

I would like to think he was looking for the word "most" but I'll take "twice!"

Over our Heads

2011-11-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

We have WAAAYYYY too much going on right now. Dave actually used our kitchen as a workshop to finish up refinishing/fixing some dining room chairs for someone. We also decided to move out of our very tiny townhouse, but we don't know where we are moving yet. I have been packing like mad-woman, so we can get out by the first week in December. Good thing we have a lovely trip to Oregon coming up soon. We can't wait to see family we haven't seen in a while, and we get to meet 2 new nieces!

Here's what else has been going on...

Drakie surprised my on his 5th month day, by sleeping through the night for the first time ever. It was a wonderful surprise! He has been eating a ton: he must be going through a growth spurt. I have already dragged out the 6-9 month clothes.

Lincoln and Drake have been taking baths together. It saves me time, and both of the boys love it. Drake reaches out for toys and grabs Lincoln's hair. I was a little horrified when Lincoln told me, "You can do so many things in the bath. You can play cars, you can go pee-pee..." Oh geeze. So much for getting them clean!

Mikilani, one of the preschool moms has created a blog for our preschool. You should check it out! www.abookclubformommyandme.blogspot.com

Halloween and the Day After

2011-11-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

I bought Lincoln's costume last year the day after Halloween, hoping he would like Spiderman by this year....and he did!

I was surprised he even wanted to keep his mask on the whole night. Drakie wore Lincoln's ninja costume. Poor boy will probably always have a hand-me-down costume! We went Trick-or-Treating with our good friends Kyle and Sean, I mean ninja and Darth Vader.

Lincoln was so excited to run up to the houses and ring the doorbells. His heart was beating so fast, when I would hold him back from running inside the houses! He did a great job saying "Trick-or-Treat" and "Thank You." He also asked everyone who had a pet, "Can I have your cat?" or "Can I have your dog?"

We were out for about 1.5 hours and came back home to pass out candy, except nobody came to our place. We have so much candy!!

Dave carved another amazing pumpkin. I convinced him to carve Drake, since his first pumpkin was of Lincoln. We don't want Drake to have any "issues."

I just want to document a day in our life. Some days are more crazy, some days are less crazy, but I want to be able to look back and remember these times.

2 am--Feed Drake and put him back to sleep.

7am--Drake wakes up for the day.

7:20am--Lincoln storms in the room saying, "It's wake up time!"

7:30am--Breakfast...Lincoln likes warm milk every morning.

8:00am--Shower and get kids dressed for the day.

8:38am--Get in the car and leave for Target.

8:49am--Get Lincoln out of the car and realize I forgot my diaper bag with my wallet inside.

9:02am--Run inside the house and grab my bag.

9:15am--Inside Target I get popcorn to help Lincoln to stay inside the cart, while I shop.

9:28am--Drake starts crying. Stop by the toy isle so Lincoln can look at toys and I can feed Drake. I squat down and start feeding Drake.

9:30am--Lincoln looks at me, and says, "I have to go pee pee." The look in his eye tells me it's too late.

9:31am--Lincoln has a huge accident. I mean pee all down his pants, socks, and even shoes. There is a puddle on the ground. I have to stop feeding Drake, which doesn't make him happy, and clean up the mess.

9:36am--Without any extra clothes for Lincoln, I hurry and finish shopping to get home.

10:03am--Get inside the house and go straight up to the bath. Give Lincoln a bath, and finally finish feeding Drake.
10:45am--Lincoln is dressed, turn on Busy Town Mysteries for him, so I can do some chores. While holding Drakie, I put laundry in wash, clean up pee pee shoes, and put away things from Target.

11:27am--Drake falls asleep, so I put away Halloween decorations and make lunch for Lincoln.

12:22pm--Drake wakes up, we play with Lincoln and get him milk before his nap.
1:00pm--I read to Lincoln before his nap.

1:10pm--Drake watches me prepare dinner (meatloaf) and watches me knit a baby present for a friend.

2:30pm--Drake goes down for another nap, his long one! I have alone time to fold laundry and prepare for preschool the next day. I had to do an example of the train project we were making during art. I also take 30 minutes to be on the computer.

3:45pm--Lincoln wakes up. We paint together and play motorcycles.

4:30pm--Drake wakes up and gets fed. I finish making dinner.
5:15pm--Dave comes home!!!

5:30pm--Dinner time/clean up dishes.

5:59pm--Dave watches kids, so I can exercise.

6:40pm--We swap kids, so Dave can work on re-finishing some chairs for a friend. Drake falls asleep again.

7:00pm--Lincoln plays outside in the sandbox, while I finish preschool project.

7:10pm--Drake wakes up, he gets some rice cereal mixed with apple juice, which he LOVES.

8:00pm--Dave finishes up outside, I take off to Walgreens with Drake to pick up his medicine.

8:30pm--Dave gets Lincoln ready for bed. We leave the hall light on, so he can look at books in bed.

8:30pm-10pm--Deal with a fussy Drake. I don't know if he is teething or just not feeling well.

10:02pm--Just give up and put Drake in bed. He falls asleep in less than 2 minutes, without even crying.

10:02-10:30pm--Hang out with Dave while he is working from home (normally he works until midnight or some nights later). We watch something...I can't remember what it was though!

10:30pm--Pray with Dave and get ready for bed. Every night, I am so thankful for my bed.

10:35pm--I go in Lincoln's room and clear off all the books and toys on his bed. Give him another kiss before I go to sleep.

Phew, I know I will love reading this one day!

Fall Fun and My Crazy 3 Year Old

2011-10-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

There are always so many fun activities to do during Fall. This year we have already been to a Fall Festival, where Lincoln got to go on a hayride, jump on a trampoline, and play outside with tons of kids; we have talked about monsters and pumpkins at preschool; we went to a corn maze; and we still have to go to a pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins for carving and we still have Halloween to look forward to. Mom bought us a groupon for the corn maze, which included some other activities. Here is Lincoln riding "Susie Q." Dave took this picture, he was riding on "Bessie." I'm bummed I didn't have the camera to take a picture of both of them.

I know most people think their kids are funny, but at night, Dave and I will recap all the different things Lincoln says and laugh! He is so entertaining. Here are some recent ones...

Dave asked Lincoln if he wanted another little brother (this is not a hint at anything, I'm not pregnant, and will not be for a while...probably). Of course, Lincoln said yes. When Dave asked him what the baby's name should be, Lincoln decided on "Fooie Baby."

We go to church for 3 hours on Sunday. Kids Lincoln's age attend nursery for 2 of those hours. After church we had a "family night" where we were talking about different stories from the Bible. He did something naughty and went to his room for a time out. All of the church talk paid off: when Dave went in to talk to him, Lincoln immediately said, "I'm sorry, cause Jesus love me and I love him. Daddy is special Jesus. Are you?" I think he knew that if he threw the J word around, he wouldn't get in trouble.

Lincoln waves nd says hello to everyone while we are out. Lately, when we see someone the pattern goes: first a wave, then a "Haaay", then a "What is that his name." It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy.

My mom gave Lincoln a catalog of toys to look at in the car. Now all Lincoln talks about is this Santa train. We told him we didn't have money, and that he needed to ask Santa. Lincoln's reply was, "Buuuut Mooom, I've got monies in my pocket."

He doesn't quite get the meaning of some words. He will randomly say "I promise" or "Is that cool" or "A lot."

I have to include this next one, because it really made me laugh! Please don't continue reading, if you are offended by private parts talk.

On Friday morning, I was doing dishes, while Lincoln was eating breakfast at the table. He said, "Mom, I love my business." (Business is our word for the male private part.) I asked him what he said, and again he repeated it. I walked towards the table so I could see him and asked, "Why." He said, "Because I can do this...bingadingadong (he was playing his business like a guitar)."

Every night, I say special prayers for that child! Drake is my sensitive, sweet boy. He is growing so fast. At his last Dr's appointment he weighed over 16 pounds and was 26 inches long. He loves to eat rice cereal with pears or apple, so he is going to get even chubbier. I start to tear up when I think about how lucky I am to have him! He really is just the sweetest baby.

Serious Faces

2011-10-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Utah

2011-10-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

The 4 Shinsels were in the car by 4am in order to get to the airport on time. Lincoln was so excited about the trip, he didn't fall asleep until after 10pm. We thought for sure he would sleep in the car...nope. Then we thought for sure he would fall asleep on the airplane...kinda. He drifted off as we were descending. I carried him and his car seat off the plane, so he only got a 15 minute nap. It turns out that's all he needed. He was so thrilled to see first Uncle Reed and almost Aunt Chelsea, Deanne, and the whole gang staying at Jeff and Jen's house. Grandma and Papa Shinsel drove the RV down from Oregon and had it parked outside the house. Barry, Amy, and Mya drove in from Provo. Corey drove his motorcycle over (Lincoln still thinks every motorcycle he hears is Corey's). Friday was nice, because we didn't have any plans. We ate dinner and just hung out in Kaysville.

The wedding was at 8:20am, so we needed to be inside the Temple by 7:50am. I could pick out Chelsea's family members, because they all look so similar! It was fun to finally meet her side of the family. The wedding ceremony was lovely, Chelsea was lovely...the whole day was lovely. The weather was perfect! Jeff brought up Lincoln and Drake, since they were part of the wedding party. It was a little of a struggle to convince Lincoln that suspenders are cool, but once he had them on, he worked them.

After pictures we had a delicious lunch at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, which used to be The Utah Hotel. I forgot how gorgeous that building is!

Saturday afternoon we had a little downtime before the reception at Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. Lincoln just loved playing at Will's house. They played so well together, like they had never been apart.

Even though we were far from home, Reed had quite a few people come to the reception. It was fun to have a little Hickory reunion. Chelsea's family did a great job decorating and baking for the reception. Dave and Lincoln enjoyed the ice cream sundae bar! Chelsea and Reed had the newlywed glow: they are such a great match for each other. Of course they played the ukulele and sang together at the reception.

On Sunday, my little man turned 3! I'm still having a hard time believing that I am the mother of a 3 year old. Lincoln was so excited for his combined birthday party with Will (They were born 3 days apart.). The Sherwins were so kind to let us party at their beautiful house in Alpine. It was another gorgeous day, so the kids had fun playing outside. I thought there was going to be some drama with opening presents, but the boys were happy with what they got. The drama happened when the helium balloons popped.

The weekend went by too fast. It is always hard to leave such good friends and of course our family. We are so appreciative of all the people who gave us a place to stay, fed us, watched our kids, drove us around and entertained us. We are thrilled to have Chelsea as a part of our family!

Behind

2011-10-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm behind in my blogging, but I needed to write these things down before I forget them. Things that a mother wants to remember...

Drake giggled for the first time 2 weeks ago. He was looking at himself in the mirror and thought he was pretty funny. He also rolled over from his back to his tummy for the first time yesterday. He has been trying pretty hard for the past week, and he finally did it! Drake loves to chew on his fingers, the more he can shove in, the better. He also likes to chew on burp clothes, actually he just likes to chew on anything. My shoulders are soaked from his slobber after holding him.

Lincoln is doing a great job at throwing fits when he doesn't get his way. I don't understand why he continues to put on such spectacles, because I never give in to what he wants. Maybe he just thinks ONE day she will give in! I was so proud of myself because I didn't raise my voice at all one day, while he was throwing a fit in the car. I just started to sing. Then Lincoln started yelling, "STOP SINGING" over and over. I told him I would stop singing if he would stop crying. He immediately stopped (I have a pretty terrible singing voice.). Lincoln is very sweet when he isn't throwing fits. Today he told me he was going to use his screwdriver to turn me into a princess. You say when buddy! It still makes me melt when out of nowhere Lincoln tells me he loves me. I am a lucky momma.

The Many Faces of Drake

2011-09-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun weekend out in Utah! I have to blog about it once I get all my pictures together. I had Dave's brother Barry take some pictures of Drake, and he captured all of his expressions!

Serious

Sly

Giddy

Slobbery

Worried

Rock the Mic

2011-09-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

We have known for a while that Lincoln is NOT a shy kid. I didn't realize how much of a ham he is, until the lake trip. To say he LOVED the microphone is an understatement! When we did karaoke, it was hard for him to share the microphone. He kept on singing "Martha Speaks" and Thomas the train songs.

This past Sunday the Primary kids (ages 3-12) put on their presentation during church. It was a great presentation, and I was enjoying it when all of the sudden it hit me...

Lincoln will be in the presentation next year! This means he will get to use the microphone: this means he will have to share the microphone. Heaven help his teacher!!

I hate that only his backside is showing, but here's proof he hogged the mic.

Drakie

2011-09-14T18:41:00.001-07:00

I have such a sweet baby. My Drakie boy is a very easy baby, and he is even getting better at sleeping! Lincoln loves him just as much as I do. Usually Lincoln asks me for milk first thing in the morning. Today, he asked to see his Drakie, even before he asked for milk. You know that is love!

Drake's neck is getting so strong, it doesn't wobble anymore. I figured since he can hold his head up, he can go in the exersaucer. It is funny to see him move around in it, since he is still just a little guy.

He hasn't been taking very long naps, but he is only waking up once during the night. I would much rather have more sleep at night! I swear he does smile a ton, I just can't get a picture of him smiling. In all of his pictures he looks so serious.

Drakie and I had lots of time together while Lincoln was at the airshow with my parents and Dave was at a Ju-Jitsu workshop.

No surprise, Lincoln loved the airshow. He came home jumping up and down, telling me about the helicopters.

Dave came home excited too...he got his blue belt. He told me that's kind of a big deal, because it usually takes 2 years to get one and it only took him 9 months. Yay Dave!

Mommy and Me Preschool

2011-09-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Lincoln to our first Mommy and Me preschool. Four other mommies and kiddos joined us! We have a very creative and talented woman in our church who created lesson plans for the entire year; there are 5 different activities that each mom splits up and prepares. Yesterday our lesson plan was based around the book, "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?" Here is Danielle's blog if you are interested http://www.preschoolbookclub.blogspot.com/

We started out with our gathering activity: making necklaces with the different animals from the book. Emilie, Mason's mommy, was in charge of this activity. Here is Mason showing off his gorgeous necklace.

Next, we had circle time. Mikilani read the book, we sang songs and changed the words based on the book, and then we played a game based on the book. The kids had to sit on pillows on the floor and take turns. Most of them did well, can you guess who did have a difficult time staying in one place? Lincoln and Sean hadn't seen each other in a while, so they thought it would be more fun to wrestle.

Art time was next. Lyla's mom Lynsey was in charge, and we did the cutest craft! We made brown bears out of tissue paper and brown beans. The kids were just excited to use glue.

My favorite part was snack time. Buffy is a great baker, so of course she made rolls in the shape of bears. She also brought honey butter and fruit salad.

I was in charge in of the sensory activity. I dyed rice all different colors and put them in 2 gallon buckets with an animal in each bucket. The kids had to dig through the rice and find the animal. Once they found it and told their mommy what type of animal and the color of the animal, then they could move on to the other bucket.

We ended with a goodbye poem, and then the tears started. Lincoln did not want to leave, he had so much. It's going to be a great school year!

Lake Gaston

2011-09-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

It had been planned for months and months...our family vacation. My poor mom had put so much time into finding a house and airline tickets for everyone. Cleve and Carson were flying in from Nebraska; Kristin and Penny from Ohio (after her eye appointment); Chelsea and Reed from Utah; even my grandma and uncle's family were coming down to join us at the Outer Banks. Then Irene happened. Thank goodness mom purchased hurricane insurance. We were able to find a house on Lake Gaston at the very last minute. My uncle's family didn't make it, because Irene knocked a hole in his roof and caused a flood in his basement. Thankfully, everyone else did make it, and we had a blast!

There was plenty of room for everyone at the house; even Kristin's dad came up and stayed with us.

We had fun jumping on the water trampoline,

kayaking,

swimming and jet skiing,

coloring,

singing karaoke,

and celebrating. We celebrated Kristin's birthday and had a mini bridal shower for Chelsea.

The only thing that would have made this trip better, was if Dave got to come. I hate to see my family go home. It really stinks we all live so far apart! Carson, who turns 5 this month, and I went out for a kayak ride together. He turned around in the chair and talked to me the whole time I was paddling. My heart melted when he said,"You know what I'm going to dream about tonight? That I went on a BIG, HUGE kayak." When I asked him if there would be seats for lots of people he said, "No, just 2 seats, one for you and me." Oh, how I love all my nieces and nephews! Oh, how they love each other!

10 weeks

2011-08-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Monica gave me a great baby journal when I first had Lincoln. I wrote all of Lincoln's milestones in that journal, and since I didn't blog then...here is what Lincoln was up to at 10 weeks...

He was rolling over from both his back to his tummy and tummy to back.
He loved the blinking baby Einstein sunshine on his activity mat.
He was giggling already. Dave could get him to really give a good chuckle!
He started sleeping 8 hours at a time.
We celebrated Thanksgiving 2008.
His neck was really strong, he didn't need any support at all.

Here is my first born at 10 weeks.

Drake is a little bit behind Lincoln, but he is such an easy mellow baby! His neck is getting stronger, but still needs a little support. He hasn't giggled yet, but he is constantly making grunting/sighing/cooing noises, even in his sleep. He loves to be outside and loves his big brother. It melts my heart when he smiles big for Lincoln in the morning!

Here is baby boy 2 at 10 weeks.

Oh my hair!

2011-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is pretty bad. I don't mean bad in a good way, like "that's baaaad!" I got my hair cut yesterday, and I neglected to get my almost 3 year old one too.

In case you couldn't see from the first picture, a closer shot...

...yep, that's a ponytail!

Out of the Fog

2011-08-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Drake has been treating me well these past couple weeks. He is learning to sleep for longer stretches at night, so I feel like I am coming out of a fog.

Drake is now 2 months old. He is in the 95% for weight, 23rd head size, 55% for height, and 100% cute! The medicine he is on is helping so much: I have a happy, easy baby now! He loves Lincoln's old light and sound sunshine activity mat; he loves to look at the curtains in our bedroom when the sun is coming in, and he loves to look at his big brother. He is cooing more, especially in the morning, when we also get lots of good smiles.

Lincoln is fantastic with Drake. I wish he was as good with me as he is with Drake. We have been dealing with a lack of listening skills lately. Time outs haven't worked for us, so now we are trying a different method. He will be earning prizes for good behavior. He gets 3 warnings during the day. If he doesn't go through all his warnings, then he gets a sticker at night. If he gets 5 stickers, then he gets something he wants. Right now, he is working for a Gordon (thomas tank engine toy). He didn't get a sticker one day, so the next he was pretty much perfect! I am hoping that this will help.

My only hesitation is that I don't want Lincoln to think he gets a toy for being good, I want him to be good just to be good (does that make sense). Plus, this kid is not lacking in toys. He has the coolest room. Notice how he wanted to be in all the pictures!

This is Lincoln's first painting.

Yep, he has a slide on his bed.

Just more toys...

Even more toys stored under the bed

Come Play Trains with Me

2011-08-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I hear that..."Mommy, come play trains with me." I really wish I could do that every time he asks; however, there is a house to run and another child to take care of. That is why Lincoln was so excited to have Corey come and visit. Dave has known Corey for a long time, but I'm pretty sure Lincoln thought Corey came out just to play with him. Lincoln constantly asked Corey to play trains with him. When Corey had to work, he had a secret weapon for Lincoln, the ipad.

Lincoln could/did spend hours watching youtube videos of Thomas. His favorite was "accidents happen." Corey probably has all the words memorized now from listening to it so much. There is one part of the song where Lincoln sings, "Chickenbooga" and we cannot figure out what he is trying to say. When we ask him what that means he says, "the trains have an accident."

I feel like I will be able to play trains more often, because Drake is sleeping more. My head is coming out of a constant foggy state. Because Drake was still having tummy issues, the dr prescribed him some reflux medicine. I hate to have my child on a prescription, but I really think it is helping. We haven't had any painful crying bouts in a couple days, and he is sleeping longer at night.

Welcome to the Gun Show

2011-07-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Check these guns out ladies!

Drake has been changing and chunking out so much lately: it is hard to keep up with current pictures of him. He is turning his head to look at the blinds. Drake loves to look at blinds and curtains. I think it must be the contrast in light.

Lincoln also wanted to be included in this photo shoot. He just woke up from a nap, so his hair is awesome!

Water Adventures

2011-07-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

I need to backtrack a little bit. We had a fun July 4th weekend up in Hickory: some friends from church have an annual 4th of July party at their house on the lake. A nasty storm came through, so I was worried Lincoln wouldn't get to play in the water. Eventually, the weather cleared and he and Dave made it in the lake. They jumped on the trampoline and got to ride in Jeremy's boat. I still am hearing about the boat! I guess he got to beep the horn twice and help drive the boat, so he was in heaven. It wasn't pretty when the boat ride ended.

I am so used to being busy, it made me sad to look at my blank calendar for the month of July. When mom mentioned she was thinking about going to New Jersey to visit relatives, I jumped at the chance for a roadtrip: I know I am absolutely insane! Mom and I packed up the boys early Saturday morning and started out for the 10 hour car drive. I was shocked at how well both boys did! Drake maybe cried for 20 minutes the entire way, and Lincoln was entertained by the ipad and dvd player. We stopped at Roadside America, a model train exhibit we used to visit when I was a kid. Of course Lincoln loved it! We got inside the room with all the trains, and he just kept repeating, "WOW."

We had so many water adventures up in New Jersey. My grandma and uncle both live in lake communities, and we swam everyday. Lincoln is getting more brave in the water, especially when he is wearing his spider man life jacket. Link had lots of attention from my cousins Abby, Violet and Graham.

He also got to play in the water with Mercy: she is the daughter of my mom's great friend Heather.

Uncle Barrys tend to be really cool uncles. Lincoln got to play with my Uncle Barry, and he even got to do some fishing.

Drake didn't get to enjoy the water. He spent lots of time with my Aunt Cheryl (she even got him to take a bottle) and lots of time in the shade.

We have been having such a great summer, even though I am super sleep deprived. I am excited about more water adventures that we have planned for this summer!

4 Weeks

2011-07-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Drake turned 4 weeks old yesterday. I feel like I am in a constant fog, because Drake likes to eat WAY more than he likes to sleep! You can tell by the double chin that he has now. Last week, he rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time. He loves to look at Lincoln and his mobile on his swing. I think I have his tummy problems figured out: I just won't be able to eat dairy for a while! After talking to my SIL, Amy, and our friends Chris and Marie, we decided to buy Drake a monitor that has a motion sensor. This lets us put Drake on his tummy to sleep, without the worry of SIDS. An alarm sounds after 5 seconds if there is no motion from the baby.

Here is a picture of Lincoln at 4 weeks for comparison. There are some similarities, but Drake's face has really changed. I can't figure out who he looks like.

Lincoln has been saying some hilarious things lately. Dad bought him this matchbox car that changes colors in the water. When the water was gone from the bowl he ran and told me, "Mooom, there's no water left. Are you kidding me? There's no water."

He is very curious about how I feed Drake. He says, "Drake is eating your tummy." He picks up my nursing pads and says, "That's for your tummy." It was really awkward when he kept staring at me using the pump. He was fascinated by it!

When he slammed his finger in the folding door, he asked Dave, "Dad, why did you bite my finger." He loves to tell on Dave after he gets in trouble. For example, "Mooom, Dad took my trains away, cause I frowed (throwed) them."

Right now he is dancing to the theme song of Cailou. He is shaking his pants and saying, "Mom, my pants are dancing."

I love my boys!

Engaged

2011-07-09T09:16:00.001-07:00

My little brother has found his perfect match! He will marry Chelsea this September in Salt Lake City. I am so excited to have another sister!

They are so darling. Both play ukulele, and that's what they did for their first date...walked around downtown Salt Lake singing and playing the ukulele.

Hard to say Goodbye

2011-07-03T16:24:00.001-07:00

The time finally came...we had to say goodbye to Grandma and Papa today. We got used to having Grandma around, even my mom is going through Mama Shinsel withdrawals! Before they left, they took Lincoln on some adventures.

On Friday, they traveled up the mountains to Tweetsie Railroad.

The next day, they went to the local airport museum. Lincoln was so excited to show Papa the shark airplane.

They wouldn't have had to go anywhere, Lincoln was having a blast just being on Papa's "Bus." He would go out there and watch movies, play with his cars, and eat snacks. When he got hungry, he would say, "I'm hungry for Papa's bus." That means the food is yummier than what is in my mom's house!

Today Dave gave Drake a blessing in church. It was a very sweet blessing, and I'm glad his dad and my dad were able to be a part of it by being in the circle. We don't baptize babies in our church: worthy priesthood holders give them a blessing of health, knowledge, whatever the spirit prompts them to say.

Speaking of Drake, he had his first bath last week, and he HATED it.

I don't ever know what to expect from him at night. Sometimes he can be up for 2 hours at a time. What I do know is that he sleeps better in bed with me. I prop him up on his boppy pillow, so he can see me. It is amazing that I couldn't even sleep in the same room with Lincoln, but I can sleep through all of Drake's baby squeaks and grunts.

His cheeks are starting to fill out more. He will look so different the next time we get to see Grandma and Papa again!

Big Brover

2011-06-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

(Lincoln at Sean's birthday party a couple weeks ago. These are his best buddies.)

Lincoln is doing really well adjusting to being a "big brover." He loves to hold Drake and stroke his head. Link is ready for Drake to be playing, he will say, "baby brover, wook at dis toy, wook." I took Lincoln out to get donuts the other night, to have some alone time with him. As soon as we got to the car he pointed to Drakes car seat and said, "baby brover sits there." He said it twice. I am glad that he considers Drake a part of the family.

PBS has been a staple lately. We all know this tv network tends to be on the liberal side. While we were at the park, some landscapers were trimming the trees. Lincoln screamed out, "Noooooo, stop hurting my trees!" As soon as I told Dave (who is pretty conservative) he told me no more Sesame Street. He also said he was going to buy Lincoln an ax!

Mom and Maxine took Lincoln to a cool park last Wednesday. It was great to just hang out at home and hold Drake all day. It has been wonderful having Grandma stay with us. I'm very thankful for Papa, who has been away from her this long. She has been Lincoln's constant playmate and a huge help around the house. I would feel like a jerk asking her to vacuum or clean my kitchen floor, but I know she loves it!

Feeling Good

2011-06-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how good I feel! I have been off pain meds for 2 days, and today I haven't even had to take a nap. I was feeling so good, we went on an adventure with Grandma today.

I sat on the side of the pool, while Grandma took Lincoln for a swim.

It took me a while to get a mid-air shot, but I did it!

Drake was there too, he slept the whole time.

I am not going to lie, I wanted a girl BUT I am so in love with this little boy. He is the best baby! Dave and I are amazed that we don't have to do much to make him happy. He smiles all the time and only gets upset when he has to get his bottom cleaned. I took him to the dr's today and he is now past his birth weight at 7lbs 10 oz, which is fantastic. The nurse was impressed.

Baby Brother

2011-06-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Lincoln got a baby brother on Wednesday at 12:56pm. Drake weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Everyone told me the second c-section would be better, and they were right! I have been feeling so much better. I will write more details when I get this computer charged and when I am off my pain killers. Who knows what kind of details I would include if I started typing right now...yikes!

Drake has been such a fantastic, mellow baby. He smiles a ton in his sleep and loves to look at lights when he is awake. It is amazing how much you can love a little one, even though he has only be around 5 days!

Lucky Children

2011-06-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is one lucky boy, because my parents took him to Tweetsie Railroad (an amusement park) to see Thomas the Tank Engine. I am one lucky girl, because I had a very relaxing Saturday at Rock Barn Spa (a little piece of heaven).

Mom and Dad, who celebrated their 34th anniversary that day, came home exhausted from the crowds and standing in line. I came home with freshly painted toe-nails!

My cousin Donna and her 4 kids stayed in Hickory the night before Tweetsie and joined them at the park the next day. It was so nice to see her and her adorable family (I'm not just saying this because you read my blog Donna!). Dad took her 3 older kids on some of the bigger rides. I love their faces of pure joy and horror in this picture (they are the 3 starting from the left).

Camping...kinda

2011-06-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

Lincoln was counting down the days until he got to go camping with his Dad and Dave E. Because Dave had to work and drive up to Hickory, we decided it would be easier to "camp" at the Edwards backyard. They recently set up a fire pit, so we knew there would be a place to roast marshmallows. I came over and enjoyed some s'mores and then spent the night inside with Rachel. Besides the marshmallows, some highlights of the night for Lincoln were:

watching the campfire

catching fireflies

watching Curious George in the tent

wearing Dave's headlamp

sleeping right beside/on top of Dave during the night

We all enjoyed a big breakfast in the morning: Lincoln woke up at 6:15am from the sunlight. Thanks so much Dave and Rachel for the fun times!

Proof Dave was there...I blinded him with the flash
Watching a movie in the tent
The excitement is obvious about the campfire

There is walking space!

2011-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

We are all moved in our new place, and there is walking space now! I am grateful 7 men from the ward plus my dad showed up to help on Saturday morning. Lincoln stayed at a friend's house that morning, so that I could help direct where everything went. Dave picked up the uhaul truck in the pouring rain on Friday night and loaded/dropped off a good amount that night. We worked hard all day Saturday, and Sunday we had to finish cleaning out the house. I have to dote on Dave a little, because he worked so hard Friday-Sunday, so that I wouldn't have to. He did get upset with me when I tried to lift Lincoln's wooden toy box and dropped it on my foot. I know, I shouldn't have even tried. It has been my personal nightmare to stare at things I can't move or organize. I also have to give props to my dad, who came down and helped Saturday and Sunday.

We drove up Sunday night to drop some things off at our storage unit/aka my parent's basement. Dave was looking forward to taking a bath in their claw foot tub and working in the shop with some new tools. He went into the garage to load a new chuck on his lathe, looked down and saw a copperhead snake by his foot. Dad could tell something was wrong when Dave asked him to come downstairs, so he booked it as fast as he could. It took them a good 20 minutes to find it, shoot it with bbs, and eventually chop it up (gross I know). The poor guys were so tired, but couldn't go to sleep with all the adrenaline they had.

We had a nice relaxing Memorial Day: Lincoln and I spent some time with the Edwards. Actually, Lincoln didn't want to leave their house. I told him he could spend the night, but I was going to go, and he didn't care one bit: he was going to let me walk to the car without him. That stinker! I bet he would have cared a couple hours later.

Lincoln went with me to my dr's appointment on Tuesday, because mom has been out of town. He was very well behaved and liked it when the dr told him I had a train in my belly. Lincoln started running around the room choo-chooing. I was surprised to learn that the baby has turned head down (I was told at this point, it probably wouldn't) and my body is preparing to have this baby naturally. I wouldn't mind if he/she showed up before the 15th, as I am starting to get uncomfortable.

We have a lot of fun things planned over the next couple weeks...one thing Lincoln is looking forward to is camping with his dad and Dave E. We have read a couple books about camping, he is excited to roast marshmellows. I can't wait to see pictures!

Chatterbox

2011-05-23T16:52:00.001-07:00

For a couple weeks, I have been keeping a list in my wallet of things my little chatterbox has said. If I don't write it down, I'll forget it. Now, I feel much better having them written down in a more permanent place.

Lincoln has been referring to himself in the 3rd person, example..."He wants some milk."

He was shooting a ball into a tupperware container in the kitchen. When he made the shot he said, "That's incredible!"

I made some ricotta pancakes and Lincoln told Dave, "These are the best pancakes I ever had."

As we were driving up the hill to my parents house, he looked around and said "Saweet."

When we ask him if he is going to have a baby brother or a baby sister, he tells us a sister. Dave was trying to mess him up and asked if it would be a girl or boy sister. He said, "a grill sister, and I'm a a BOY sister."

I traded in my Accord for a mom car (Dodge Magnum), and Lincoln calls it the "white shark car." He loves that there is a sunroof and asks for me to open it whenever we drive.

He still loves to help me bake. These pictures are after he helped with some brownies. I knew he would get messy licking the spoon, so I just let me strut his toddler bod.

Evicted

2011-05-15T12:19:00.001-07:00

I saw this on a friend's facebook status and thought it was pretty cute. Baby, you are getting your official eviction notice today. 30 more days and you need to get out!

Seeing this post made me think of the time I came home to an eviction notice. Let me give you the background:

The 3 Shinsel boys all used to live in Shinsel Manor in Provo. It was the best place! It was close to the football stadium, had tons of space, and someone was always there to hang out with. Dave moved out when we got married (obviously) and then a few months later Andy moved out because he got married too. We decided we didn't want to lose Shinsel Manor, so Dave and I moved in, and Barry stayed (he had his own room and bathroom in the basement). You might think this is strange, but I loved living there! The place was big enough for all 3 of us, and Barry was great to live with.

(The 3 Shinsel boys plus Lincoln. I had a better picture of them at Shinsel Manor, but I don't know where it is)

The owner unexpectedly stopped by one day to look around, and she was appalled that we painted over her nasty wallpaper from the 60's. We asked the management company if it would be ok before we did it, and they told us yes. She claimed all her accessories went with that wallpaper. Gross! I can't imagine what the accessories looked like or how much dust they had on them.

A couple weeks later we drove back from Andy and Amy's wedding reception in Oregon to find an eviction notice on the door. Their year lease had ended and we were just paying month to month, so we had 30 days to leave. It was a very sad night at Shinsel Manor! What is not sad, is that this baby will be here in a month, and I can't wait to tell everyone, "It's a Girl or It's a Boy!"

Bitter Sweet Moments

2011-05-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have had some bitter-sweet moments over the last week. I much prefer sweeter milk chocolate, but bitter sweet can be ok sometimes, like in chocolate chip cookies.

Bitter:
Last Thursday Lincoln and I drove up to Hickory for a funeral. My dear high-school friend, Jessica, lost her Grandpa, the man who raised her. Paster Ballard was extremely dedicated to his church (he worked there for 32 years) and to his family (he almost made it to his 60th wedding anniversary). The service was very nice, and his church was packed with people.

Sweet:
Later on Thursday I drove back home to attend "Girl's Night." My Winston friends wanted a reason to get together, so we had a girl's night instead of a shower (I would have felt uncomfortable with people getting me presents.). LeAnne hosted the party at her lovely home and we had a fabulous time! The 10 of us ate delicious food and played a couple baby games. Even though they promised no presents, they ended up getting me some things to pamper myself (candle, foot soak, make-up, lotions, and a gift card). I am blessed to have some great friends!

Bitter:
Because I will be in the hospital for 2 nights, we wanted to have Lincoln feel comfortable spending the night away from Dave and me. I left him with my parents on Thursday, and didn't see him until Friday night. I was able to get some things done, I otherwise wouldn't have, but I missed my little guy. He makes my life so enjoyable! Later that night, mom texted me that he was fine and didn't even ask for me. Tears!

Sweet:
Lincoln did fabulous, and I was able to sell one of our cars on Friday. I even got more than I expected for it, which was very sweet. Dave and dad test drove a car on Saturday, and I think it's the one! We are getting it checked out at a larger dealership tomorrow, so we will know for sure soon.

Bitter:
Even though we just saw Dave's parents, it feels like a long time, because Lincoln asks for them all the time. It is always hard to be away from them, especially on holidays like Mother's Day!

Sweet:
We were able to spend Mother's Day with my family and the Edwards. Dave E made his famous chicken tinga (a recipe he learned on his mission) and dad made his fantastic chocolate cream pie. Lincoln made me a card and Dave bought me some lovely lilies. On top of that, it was a beautiful Spring day!

We have a date!

2011-05-02T18:28:00.001-07:00

We have a date: June 15th is when number 2 will arrive! I am in such a peaceful place now that we have some plans figured out. The owners of our house decided to sell it, so we have to be out in 30 days. No problem now that we know we will be sticking around Winston for a while. We found a smaller place to live in the same neighborhood and will move out 2 weeks before the baby comes. It looks like I will have to save all my "nesting" for the last 2 weeks of the pregnancy, as I will be unloading lots of boxes. Now that I know where we are going to be, I am feeling really excited about this baby!

Easter Time

2011-04-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Easter is a fantastic holiday, simply because it has the best candy of all the seasons! Ok, just kidding, not about the candy, but for the reason. It is nice to reflect on the Savior's work and sacrifice during this time, and it has been interesting trying to teach Lincoln about Him. Dave and I put in a cartoon church movie about Christ's life, but had to turn it off when Satan came on to try and tempt Jesus. It was a mad dash to the tv to turn it off, because he is going through a "scared phase" and Satan looked really creepy. I am proud to write that Lincoln said his first whole prayer all by himself the other night. This is a real accomplishment, because Lincoln does not understand reverence and is usually very loud during prayers. It makes me happy something is finally sinking in.

I also love Easter because of the beautiful Spring weather. We have had some gorgeous sunny days, and all Lincoln wants to do is play outside. Unfortunately, we had a rainy morning the day of our egg hunt at our house. We had to hide the eggs upstairs, while the kids played downstairs.

I found this great Sesame Street egg decorating kit at Goodwill. Our Goodwill is sweet because Target donates all the left over seasonal items, so I got the egg dying kit, plastic eggs and an Easter basket all brand new and half the price I would have paid at Target. Anyway, we had fun times decorating eggs. Lincoln picked out the colors, stickers and holders for every egg.

He couldn't just sit still for pictures, he had to stick out his tongue.

And again...

Boys are so weird...and hilarious! Have a wonderful Easter everyone.

Stress and Pregnancy

2011-04-15T17:54:00.001-07:00

I came across this article, and now I have something else to worry about. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42555647/ns/health-pregnancy/ "A mother's stress during pregnancy and breast-feeding may prompt changes in her infant's genes that increase the child's risk of obesity later in life, according to a new study in mice." Holy cow, I'm going to have a chubby kid with the amount of stress we are dealing with right now! I just finished what I could do of "candlelight yoga" to try and prevent this from happening.

Weekends

2011-04-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Like most people, I love weekends! We have been able to visit my parents most every weekend, which is fun for everyone: Lincoln gets to play with my mom and dad; Dave and I get some relaxing time and even some dates; and mom and dad get to spend time with Lincoln. I feel very lucky Dave has a great relationship with my parents. Anyway, we just aren't sure how long we will be living where we are...it might be a lot longer, it might not be, so my parents have been taking advantage of the past couple weekends. Dad has taken Lincoln to the airport museum for the past 3 Saturdays. He is so spoiled to get to see cool airplanes up close! Speaking of spoiled...he scored a bike and helmet from a garage sale last weekend. He can ride it pretty well, as you can see from the picture, he got away from me pretty quickly. We do make him wear a helmet, but this is what he thinks of it. Mom and dad took him to an Easter egg hunt and to a park on Saturday, while Dave and I ran errands together. It is so nice not to worry about chasing after him while getting stuff done and knowing that he is having fun. Everyone ventured to the park on Sunday: it was a beautiful afternoon. Today mom called me during the afternoon to tell me she arranged a date for Dave and me on Saturday. No wonder I love weekends!

Trend

2011-03-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

I know I write this all the time....I'm far behind in my blogging and I don't have many pictures. It's not a trend I am proud of.

I love being pregnant for many reasons, but one is that I can blame mistakes on my "pregnancy brain." Last week, I thought St. Patrick's day was on Monday. Link and I had green eggs and ham for breakfast, and we made green almond cupcakes with green butter cream frosting from scratch. He liked the cupcakes much better than the eggs. I did too! Anyway, I'm glad Dave didn't go around work pinching people, because Monday wasn't really St. Patrick's day. Pregnancy brain!

Lincoln and I spent St. Patrick's day on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. My grandma has had horrible weather this winter in New Jersey and was sick of it, so she treated us plus my mom to a mini vacation at the beach. The weather was perfect: not too hot and not too cold. We spent most of the 4 days right on the beach or in the pools at the hotel. Lincoln's favorite was riding bikes on the beach. When he watches the videos of himself and my mom on the bike, he freaks out, jumping up and down and waving to mom in the video.

Yesterday was my turn to have the kids over for kid co-op. They are getting really close to each other, and it is fun to watch them interact now that they are all talking more. I love this picture of all the boys in their sunglasses.

Dave E came over last night, which is always a treat. He had to be in Chapel Hill and wanted to aviod driving in the nasty storm we had going on. Of course Lincoln had to play a little keyboard for him, while sitting in the baby bath?!?

Phrases

2011-03-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Lincoln has been stuck on a few phrases lately. I know this will make me laugh in a couple years, but right now it drives me crazy!

"Stop it" This is his absolute favorite. He says it to his toys, he rephrases things to include stop it, and the worst is he will say it to me. I don't mind if he says it to his toys, but he gets in trouble when he tells me to stop it. I tried taking treats away, but once he knew treats were gone for the day, he would repeat the phrase over and over. A time out in his room behind a baby gate is what works the best. It breaks my heart when he cries and says, "I'll be nice mama, I'll be nice." I don't know if those 2 minutes are longer for him or for me!

He is such a stinker, and I try really hard not to laugh when he says something naughty. For instance, I will be singing a song, and if he doesn't want me to sing it, he will start singing, "Stop it, stop it" to the tune of whatever song I am singing. Another time I said, "Lincoln, how about we go downstairs and play trains." He mimicked my voice and said, "How about...stop it." Dave asked him if he wanted some carrots and he told Dave, "want some stop it."

Another phrase I hear is "no mama, no mama, no mama, no mama, no mama" you get the idea. I don't know why he feels he has to respond to a question with that many no mamas.

This kid is addicted to milk! I have limited his milk intake to 3 times a day, because he wouldn't eat any food if I gave him all the milk he wanted. So, the other phrase I hear all day is, "Mama want some milk." I have explained he gets milk in the morning, before his nap, and before bed, and I know he understands, but he still tries hard to get more.

Lotta of a little

2011-03-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

We haven't had any major events or things happen since we have been back home. It seems like the small things add up and keep us busy.

Lincoln and I have been going to our kid co-op and playgroup once a week. Last Friday we went to Bounce U, a place with lots of bounce houses. It is a little too much for Lincoln to take in. After a couple minutes of crying, he decided to go in the bounce house with all the balls. We stayed in that one the entire 75 minutes of the preschool playtime. I was fine with that, because while other moms were chasing after the kiddos, I had a nice place to sit with a backrest and a fan blowing on me.

Lincoln and Sean liked to wrestle for the balls. Thank goodness Sean's dad wrestles at home, because I would have been embarrassed. We had company over the other night and Lincoln kept trying to wrestle the other 2 year old. He did not like it at all and would go to his mom crying every time Lincoln got near him.

This was our second month of the produce co-op, and it was my turn to pick up the fruits and veggies at the large warehouse. We have enjoyed eating blueberries, grapes, potatoes, salad, cucumbers, and grapefruits all at the fraction of grocery store prices!

Mom and I had an aromatherapy class scheduled at the local community college this past weekend. We were supposed to learn how to make lotions, toners, lip balms, and other creams. I had Dad all in charge of Lincoln for the morning, with a trip planned for the airport museum and Dairy Queen. Mom and I were the only ones who signed up for the class, so they canceled it and called a wrong phone number, so we didn't get the message. We still took advantage of the morning by doing a little shopping. I am now the proud owner of a sit and stand stroller. I can't wait to use it!

Dave is still loving his MMA classes. He came home excited one night not only because he got promoted twice in one night, but he got a black eye. This is his first black eye ever, so I had to document it with photos. It wasn't a bad one, so I had to zoom in a ton to even get it on camera.

Western Adventures

2011-02-27T17:17:00.001-08:00

After a couple sick days and a good dose of anti-biotics, we had the best trip out to Utah last week! Lincoln had a paper chain countdown going from 30 days out, so he was pretty excited to get on a plane. We were greeted by some of his favorite people...

Thank goodness for Skype, because it had been six months since we saw Grandma and Papa last. They drove their fairly new RV down, and that is where we lived for the week. This RV is huge! We did lots of activities in the RV like...

making brownies

working on the computer

eating Grandma's famous raspberry jelly and much more.

Besides seeing Grandma and Papa, we finally got to meet our niece Mya.

She is such a cute, happy baby with the best cheeks for kissing! Lincoln right away warmed up to her and shared some of his cars. She gladly accepted a red car, and immediately put it in her mouth. We also spent lots of time with Mya's parents.

Barry and Dave got caught up on playing video games, while Amy and I got a little shopping done.

Lincoln got to see three other uncles. Brent and Andy flew in from Arizona the same night we got in and had breakfast with us the next morning, before flying back to Oregon. Reed and his girlfriend Chelsea came down to Provo for a fun time at Chuckie Cheese, and we got to eat dinner with them in Salt Lake. If only I were better at remembering my camera, I could prove that we got to see these uncles.

We also got to see some of Dave's "brothers from other mothers" (sorry I couldn't help it, Reed uses that expression all the time). Lucky for us, Jeff's family just moved to Utah, so we got to hang out with them a few times. Will amazes me with how well he speaks! My favorite thing he said was, "Sue, these crackers are delectable."

Lincoln and Will played together really well.

Jen is pregnant, four weeks ahead of me, so I imagine the next babies will also be good buddies.

Again, lucky for us Corey transferred law schools last year, so we were able to see him too. Lincoln got really comfortable with Corey. Our last night, Lincoln had fun tickling his legs, ground and pounding his tummy, and massaging his back.

Corey invited the guys over to his parents for a fun afternoon that included this 4 wheeler. It was so muddy that Dave flipped it over while his dad was on the back. Thank goodness they weren't hurt and that I wasn't there to see it!

We caught up with the Balls at Cafe Rio and Mi Ranchito. I guess both of our families really like Mexican food.

Once again, if only I remembered my camera, I would have pictures or me and my good friend Deanne. She braved Chuckie Cheese with us down in Provo and I got some without-Lincoln time with her one night.

Lincoln was not a happy camper to be going back home. As soon as we got in the car for our drive back to the house, he kept asking to go to the airport. We didn't get adjusted to our house before we left again. I had an ultrasound the next day, so we were able to spend time with my parents. I am happy to report that the baby is healthy and the measurements are all where they should be. Dr. L sealed the gender in an envelope for Dave, but I want to keep it a surprise. If Dave spills, then I get a present, but if he keeps it a secret, then he gets a present. We are still negotiating what the presents will be. I can enjoy this surprise a lot more now that Dave knows and won't be bugging me with trying to find out the gender. So far, he has done a good job with the secret. We even discussed both boy and girl names tonight.

My Sick Valentine

2011-02-14T16:20:00.001-08:00

How pitiful is this face?

Lincoln has been sick over the past few days. We finally made it to the Dr's today, and besides a nasty virus, he also has an ear infection. I am confident that his medicine is already working: he is already perking up. I am also confident he past his virus on to me and Dave. Happy Valentine's Day!! Even though we weren't feeling well, I had to something special for breakfast. I had fresh strawberries from my produce co-op, so I whipped up some yummy strawberry heart-shaped muffins.

I have been taking care of a sick boy, so I haven't had the chance to blog about a couple things. Did you notice Lincoln's hair in the first picture? It is super short, because I tried cutting it myself. It has been about a week, so the imperfections aren't as noticeable! I love what my MIL told me: this is the best time to practice cutting hair, when the kids are young, because they don't care what it looks like.

Last Sunday when I picked up Lincoln from nursery, he was crying and rubbing his eye. The nursery leader told me that he got some bubbles in his eye from the new bubble gun they used. I thought he would calm down after he took a nap, but things got worse as the day went on. He barely napped and didn't want any lights on in the house. Dave and I tried everything we knew to make it better, but he still wasn't opening that left eye. We were trying to decide if we needed to take him to the ER, when Lincoln said, "Mama fix it, make it better." I felt so helpless, so we packed up and drove to the ER. He was crying and still had his eye closed until...we saw some fish in the waiting room. All of the sudden, that eye popped open, and Lincoln was laughing at the fish! I found out there were 5 other people in front of us at the ER. A nurse said it was probably just a scratch, and the only thing a doctor would do is prescribe some eye drops. Dave and I decided we could wait until the next day to see his doctor and spend some of the money we saved from the ER visit on something else...

these fish!

Petsmart was closed, so thank goodness Walmart sells fish. Meet Ernie (orange tetra), Shay Shay (yellow guppy), and Chinook (male guppy with large tail...if fish have tails). Lincoln decided on the names, Dave and I only threw out suggestions and he kept what he liked. Shay is his good friend who has blond hair. When she came over the other day, she was so excited to meet the fish who shares her name. Chinook is named after a helicopter, no explanation needed there! Ernie from Sesame Street is orange, so naturally the orange fish is Ernie.

It was my turn to have the kids over this week, and we have been trying to do a lunch with the moms every other month. I hosted the lunch this month, so all the moms just stayed and ate when they came to pick up the kiddos. Dave was so nice to take Lincoln to Chuckie Cheese the night before, so I could get most of the lunch prepped. It was fantastic to sit and eat lunch with 3 other women! I feel so lucky that our kids get along well, so we could talk and laugh while they played.

Presents

2011-02-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Dave and I celebrated our 5th anniversary this week, and he gave me such a great surprise present. Being 20 weeks pregnant, my back has been bothering me. I got a text message from Dave with an address, right when he walked in the door from work. I asked him what it meant, and he said, "That's where you are getting your massage." Honestly, I started to cry! It was so thoughtful, and the thought of a massage made my back so happy. On my way home from the fantastic massage, I thought about some of the other presents Dave has given me. Most have been amazing, but some still make me giggle when I think about them.

First Christmas: Dave worked at a dive shop and got a good discount on the inventory. They had a new line of dive watches for women. He knew I needed a new watch (again so thoughtful), but asked my mom for her opinion about which watch. My mom and I have never had similar tastes, but Dave didn't know that yet. She told him the pink watch band with the pink face would be a good choice. I really am sounding like a brat right now, but it just wasn't my style, and Dave could tell as soon as I opened it. I felt horrible that I couldn't put a better face on and tell him I loved it. I hurt his feelings so badly that I thought I would never get another present from him again.

With the determination to redeem himself, Dave gave me the best, best present ever. He upgraded our honeymoon suite from a garden view to an ocean view! We had the best time in Jamaica, and I loved looking at the beautiful water from our room. Besides that, he gave me a different, fantastic watch the night before we got married. What a sweetie!

The view from our room

The first flowers Dave ever gave me. They were supposed to look like a fruity drink to get me pumped for Jamaica. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, so we had many fruity drinks!

First anniversary: I was so excited about our first anniversary. Before I went to work, I laid out some of his favorite treats with a card, so he could wake up to a surprise. I got home from work early that day, and I came home to Dave playing X box. He thought I would be home later and hadn't gone out to get me anything yet. The next day, he came home with a plastic bag from the BYU creamery (small grocery store). He pulled out some cheetos, car freshener, ice cream, and a pair of socks that said, "I am not a cheerleader." What?! It is funny to me now, but again he could see I was a little disappointed.

Valentine's Day was just a couple weeks later, and once again he redeemed himself. I love cheesecake, but especially Cheesecake factory cheesecake! Dave ordered a whole cheesecake from the Las Vegas restaurant (closest to Utah), and it arrived in a container with dry ice. Once again, so thoughtful!! The best part, is that he wasn't sure if the first order went through, so he ordered another one. I was in heaven with 2 cheesecakes!

There have been other doozies, like a box of pop tarts (I think he went shopping with Corey for those.), and there have also been some other great ones, like a beautiful arrangement of roses. I just feel incredibly lucky to be Mrs. David Shinsel!

Reading through this I feel like a brat. I just need to add:
1. We have never had a ton to spend on presents.
2. I don't expect a present every holiday/birthday, especially when we don't have any extra money to spend.
3. It is hard to come up with a good surprise.
4. I have it very easy, because Dave doesn't like surprises and he tells me exactly what he wants.

Phew, I feel much better now, please don't think I'm a spoiled punk!

Toddler Shenanigans

2011-01-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my world...

While "driving" my mom's car, Link found some of her burt's bees lipstick. He loves to use my chap stick, only mine isn't tinted. Ooops! Sorry Dave, I know that one kind of hurts for you to see.

He is such a scavenger, he digs through all my drawers and closets, looking for cool "toys." This is a push pin I discovered in the lock of my desk.

This is NOT the first time, the stinker has colored on the walls. I have gone through 2 magic erasers; however, it was the first time he blamed me for it. "Momma, what you do dat, crayon on da wall."

I promise, I didn't stage this. He came out of my room, just like this, from playing in the closet. Of course, the hangers were being used as a weapon. I just love his sound effects!

My Handyman

2011-01-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

Dave started woodworking in high school, and picked it up again last year. Below are some of the projects he has carved with a wood lathe or by hand. We decided to call his style, "Soft Modern." He is always up for a challenge, so if you an idea that you would like, I bet he could whip it up!

Last year, Dave's Christmas present was a wood lathe. He has made some beautiful blush and shaving brushes.

My parent's neighbors needed a custom grill table for their Egg Grill. I love the look of cedar wood!

His largest project has been this nativity set for our good friend. The pictures don't do this gorgeous set justice. My favorite piece is of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, carved out of Olive wood.

I think homemade Christmas presents are the best, especially when you don't have a ton of money to spend. Dave carved these mixing spoons for family members.

Just for fun, he helped a friend at work with his Christmas present, a Demon Deacon cornhole board for tailgating.

His next big project is a king-size sleigh bed. I can't wait for him to get this piece done, because this is one we are going to keep!

Birthday and Other Updates

2011-01-10T07:51:00.001-08:00

Dave only has one year left of his "twenties." We actually had 2 birthday celebrations for the birthday boy! Our 2nd party was in Hickory last weekend. Dave has been wanting fried chicken for a while, but we havn't found a great recipe yet. Dad tried to recreate his mom's fried chicken. My Grandma Helen made the absolutely best fried chicken! It was always an experience when she made it, because he kitchen wasn't the largest and she didn't have a dishwasher. I have some of the best memories of cooking with her! Anyway, Dad did his best, but the chicken pieces were just too big. This made the outside too crispy and the inside not quite cooked.

Even though the chicken wasn't a success, it was still tasty and we still had fun. The Edwards came over to celebrate too. I made an almond pound cake with a dutch chocolate ice cream center and dark chocolate frosting (per Dave's request). Lincoln LOVES to sing Happy Birthday and help blow out candles. Rachel topped my cake with Dave's present: Dr. Pepper and Double Stuffed Oreos!

Potty Training is going so much better, now that Dave showed Lincoln how to stand up. I guess he feels like a big boy, because he is doing great now! He only has 1 or 2 accidents a day, and it's usually my fault from forgetting to take him to the bathroom. This morning, the first thing he did was go to the bathroom and start taking down his pants and diaper. I was also impressed that he is ok to go in public restrooms like Wal-mart and the church. He made us all laugh when he came up with his own version of "Follow the Prophet" a church nursery song. He started singing, "Pee Pee in da Potty" to the same tune.

Lincoln is also surprising me with how much he knows about letters. Dave's parents gave him a letter Leap Frog for Christmas, and it is amazing how much he is picking up from that. We were at the park and Lincoln said, "H Momma." I looked over and someone had spraypainted an H on the bridge. My mom said, "That's right Lincoln, H is for House, lets go back to my house." Lincoln replied, "Helicopter." What?!? I know he says helicopter a lot, but I really think he was telling us H stood for Helicopter.

When do you give up?

2011-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

So today has been day 3 of serious potty training, and I had to put Lincoln in a diaper for the last hour that he was awake. I had just had enough of cleaning up messes. I must have cleaned 15 different pee spots off the carpet! The most frustrating thing, is I KNOW he can do it, because he did fantastic yesterday. I used a trick that Vic told me about: I would give him a cup of warm water to put his hand it and it immediately triggered him to go number 1. I think from that, he figured out how to hold it in. Today the trick didn't work at all, not once. We would sit in the bathroom for over 30 minutes, he wouldn't go and then 30 seconds -2 minutes later, he would have an accident. Yesterday if he started to go, he would hold it and go to the potty to finish. The world was a bright, beautiful, sunny day yesterday! Please come back yesterday.

I have heard not to make potty training a battle, but I feel this time clock ticking...I have got to keep trying! For the next couple days, I am going to change things up a bit: no reading in the bathroom or spending more than 5 minutes. We will try to go every 15-20 minutes. If it doesn't work, and I sure pray it does, I will just give up until it gets warm. At least with warm weather I can put the little bugger outside and he can make as many messes as he needs to learn how to use the potty.

On a positive note, Dave and I both have joined gyms. Dave started back at a Mixed Martial Arts gym, and I joined the YWCA. Perfect timing, because exercise is a great stress reliever!

Oh dang, I shouldn't be writing these complaints today, it's Dave's birthday. We had a fun dinner celebration, and now he is getting his fitness on at his MMA training. Happy Birthday to my "Prince of a Man."

Lots of Laughs

2010-12-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

Laughter is a wonderful thing. I am grateful that I have a family on the West coast with a great sense of humor and a family on the East coast that is equally as funny. We have missed our West coast family this Christmas season! Here are some moments from the past week that were captured on camera...these still make me smile

Mom cracks up Penny---is there anything better than a baby giggle??

We went down to see the Christmas lights at Tanglewood and stopped at my house for dinner. While we were there, we busted out some Christmas carols. Reed felt the need to dance super creepy.

Kristin really enjoyed the country ham biscuits Christmas morning.

Cleve and Reed bought matching shirts and they posed with monkeys. I really don't know why, but it was fun to take their picture.

I was really surprised by how bright my cake was with 27 candles. Number 30 won't be good...just a warning.

Dave loved his Christmas presents!

The family was not thrilled or showered for a picture, but we had to take one before Dave had to leave for work. Here is one of the last shots.

The boys have it made...

2010-12-22T13:39:00.000-08:00

Carson and Lincoln have been in heaven the past couple days, and Christmas isn't even here yet! Yesterday we went to the Snow Village, a big model train village by the science center. They got to see lots of model trains, and the workers let the boys push buttons to make the train whistles blow.

We walked over to the aquarium and science center after they had their fill of trains. Carson was too scared to pet the sting ray that kept coming to the surface, but Lincoln was more than happy to grab it and squeeze the sides. Why does he not listen when I say, "Softly?"

The boys played so hard that they both crashed for a long nap. They needed their rest, because we went to the mall later that night to visit Santa. I don't know why we chose to go at 6pm, because we had to wait in line for over an hour! Lincoln wasn't really sure about talking to Santa, until I told him he needed to tell Santa what toys he wants for Christmas. Then, he started yelling across the line gates, "Helicopter, Garbage Truck, Airplanes." I was relieved he wasn't scared of Santa when we it was our turn. He told Santa he wanted a helicopter. You can see the wait was worth it: we got an amazing picture (just kidding---I'm the only one kind of looking at the camera).

Today we went to the NC Transportation Museum. This is a great museum we have been to once before when we saw Thomas for Lincoln's birthday. The boys had a blast looking at all the old cars, airplanes, trucks, motorcycles, and trains. We even went on a ride on the train turn table.

Busy Times

2010-12-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

It always seems like there is so much going on during the Christmas season. I love staying busy, so this has been such a fun week. I wish I had more pictures of our different adventures!

The week started off with the good news that Dave's older brother Brent and his wife, finally got to pick up their daughter in China. Kaylee Mai is almost 18 months old and is beautiful! We are so excited for the H family. They return to the States on Christmas Eve. What a wonderful Christmas present to bring back to their 4 boys. It has been great reading on their blog everyday about the places they are visiting and the food they are eating.

Lincoln enjoyed his playtime at Shay's house this week. She lives in a huge house with super fun toys. His favorite is the mini roller coaster in the basement. Shay's mom made a fantastic lunch for all the moms after the play date. It was wonderful to sit and chat with new friends. I feel blessed that I have met a great group of people in our new city. Lincoln left the play date with hugs all around to his buds.

We had a nasty ice storm that kept us inside all day Thursday. It is challenging to entertain a 2 year old in the house all day. We played some indoor soccer, and Dave had to wrestle Link to tire him out. I just love watching them play together! Dave taught Lincoln some new ninja moves. I forgot about them until one day when I was changing his diaper. I leaned forward to give my little guy some kisses. All of the sudden, I see a little smirk and he yells, "TRIANGLE!" The triangle move is when one person wraps his legs around the opponent's neck and lifts up the hips to make the squeeze tighter. I haven't laughed so hard in a while!

As usual, Lincoln helped me make cookies for a cookie exchange I had later this week. I made Maple Pecan cookies with a Maple glaze, and they were tasty. I also made homemade hot chocolate and apple cider for us to enjoy with all the cookies. We had a small group because of the icy weather, but we still had a great time just chatting and sugar binging.

Mom and I picked up Reed at the airport on Friday. We hit up Trader Joe's and by the time we were done, it was 9pm. I had not eaten dinner yet, so needless to say, I was starving. I have been trying to eat every 2 hours, and it had been 5 hours from my last meal. Reed and I spotted a Mexican restaurant in the same parking lot as T.J's so we started walking over. Mom couldn't believe that the first thing I said to the waiter was, "We are not here for the experience, we already know what we want to eat, and we are hungry." Just so they wouldn't spit in our food, I apologized and told the waiter I was pregnant. He was excited for me and showed me a 4D picture of his baby girl that will be arriving soon. Phew, I almost asked for food poisoning for the 3 of us!

Cleve and his family arrived and we have been playing hard ever since. Carson and Lincoln were instant friends: they are so cute playing together. We have lots of other plans to stay busy. I will be a good girl and take more pictures, or just have Cleve take them with his fancy camera.

Hair Cut and The Death of a Christmas Tree

2010-12-12T17:24:00.000-08:00

Dave and I decided a long time ago that we would wait until Lincoln was 3 to get his haircut. I didn't think that would be a problem, because it took him FOREVER to grow hair! For the past couple weeks, his hair had been out of control. He constantly brushed it out of his face, sometimes with 2 hands at the same time. That wasn't the breaking point for me...it was the snot. Lincoln got a runny nose, with all the hair brushing with his hands, snot always got smeared on his face and hair. He had hair stuck to the sides of his face with the gunk.

I warned Dave I was going to get it cut, and I really don't think he believed I would be strong enough to do it. He wasn't doing the snot cleaning though. So, after our Wal-Mart shopping (They do not have a Super Target in Winston!), we pushed our shopping cart over to Smart Cuts. "Quita," the hair stylist, was very nice and did a great job with Lincoln's hair. I'm so shocked he didn't cry or scream. I just gave him a lollipop, and he was ok with it, even though he did shrug his shoulders up and tried to grab the scissors a few times.

My family always celebrated St. Nickolas day on Dec. 6th with stockings. The cars in the picture were in Lincoln's stocking along with Wonderpets fruit snacks and a Santa Pez dispenser.

Do you notice how beautiful our Christmas tree is/was. I was so excited to have a real Christmas tree for the first time since Dave and I have been married. We were gone this weekend and came home to a bug infested living room. Gross!! The tree had hundreds of black, tick-looking (but not ticks) all over the trunk. They climbed on top of my piano, they crawled up the legs of our table, and even made it to the kitchen. I do have an artificial tree, but of course it is in my parent's garage. Lincoln loved our Christmas tree, and I didn't want him to go without one, so...

We decorated our Bamboo!

Shutterfly is the bomb!

2010-12-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have always loved Shutterfly and have been using their services for years. Shutterfly is an online photograph store. You can do just about anything with your pictures on this website. I have made scrapbooks, posters, birthday invitations, stationary, and just enlarged pictures. There are also great photo gifts if you need a Christmas gift idea, just go to the website. My mother-in-law does a Shutterfly calendar for everyone in the family, it has everyone's birthday and anniversaries, plus the grandkids love to see pictures of themselves on their birthday month. We love to tease her about how she pics out the most unflattering pictures of the adults. Just so she won't get teased again, she sent out an email to post pictures that we like onto our shared Shutterfly family website. This is another great tool that Shutterfly offers! Here is the link to start creating your own personalized calendar... http://www.shutterfly/calendars.com

Dave and I have had a bunch of moving expenses, and since he was out out of work for 4 months, we didn't have Christmas cards in our budget. I was so excited when I was on facebook and saw my friends posting about how bloggers can get free Shutterfly Christmas cards if they write up a blog about them. So, I get to tell you more reasons whey I love Shutterfly, just so I can make this 200 words. We have used their Christmas photocards in the past, and I love all the designs. There are so many different designs: if you like retro/classic/colorful/black and white, you can find them here... http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-photo-cards

Last year, we had this picture of Lincoln,

and chose the design from Shutterfly that said, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas," and we wrote, "Lincoln had a little too much Christmas." I feel bad now for throwing my precious boy into a panic attack over Santa, but the card turned out really cute!

If you don't want to use any pictures, they also have cute Christmas stationary here... http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-cards

I'll leave what we are doing this year as a surprise, but it will be just as cute as last year, thanks to Shutterfly!

Longest Post

2010-11-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

So much has happened in the past week, I'm sure this will be the longest post of the year. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have Dave home from work for 4 days!

Before we left for Hickory, Savannah, Lincoln's neighbor friend, helped bake some cookies. My tub of 100 cookie cutters doesn't have any Thanksgiving or Fall related cookie cutters, so we used cars, trucks, bunnies, hearts, etc but we decorated them with autumn sprinkles. I know what you are thinking, I tried with Halloween cookies, and it didn't work out so well. I thought if Lincoln saw Savannah concentrating on decorating instead of eating, he might do the same. And he did, pretty much.

Lincoln's cookies, mostly cars, trucks, fire engines, and dogs...

Savannah's cookies, mostly hearts, butterflies, and bunnies...

We invited the "K" family up to turkey dinner in Hickory. They are a fun family of 3, who go to church with us and are living far away from their home in Utah. Tyler is in his first semester of the MBA program. Mason is just a couple months younger than Lincoln, and is so easy. Sometimes I forget he is around, because he is so quiet and easy to entertain. Here he is showing off the turkey hat my Aunt Monica sent to Lincoln. The turkey hat was amazingly, a big hit.

Lincoln in the turkey hat... I know my mom's hands look scary, and they aren't clenching Lincoln, she was just steadying him as he was spinning around in circles.

Even Big Bunny got a turn with the turkey hat.

We had 3 different turkeys for dinner, a brinned baked, a plain baked, and a Cajun butter injected fried one. Is it hard to guess which one was the most delicious? The fried won hands down...too bad mom forgot to put it away in the fridge that night. We woke up to a nasty turkey smell on Black Friday.

I just left myself a great intro into my next paragraph. My fabulous husband and wonderful dad went out at 3:30 am on Black Friday to score my Christmas present. I DID NOT ask them to, just so you don't think I'm an awful, spoiled wife. Dave volunteered and Dad is always up for an adventure with his favorite SIL. They went to Target for this...

It is a Dyson DC17, and I am loving it! I have wanted a Dyson for 5 years, ever since my MIL bought one and cleaned Shinsel Manor, if you ever saw Shinsel Manor, you know why I fell in love. Some women would think that it is awful to receive a vacuum for a Christmas present, but it doesn't feel like work when I vacuum with my Dyson, and I really like functional gifts.

I do love Christmas time, especially now when everything is so new and fun for Lincoln. We picked out and decorated our Christmas tree tonight. There is nothing better than the smell that a Christmas tree puts out! I'm thrilled that we were able to have a real one this year. Lincoln kept saying, "Hooray, hooray" as Dave put the tree inside and secured it in the stand. He has had fun with all the ornaments, and I know that I will be picking them up off the floor everyday. I only got one picture, because the camera batteries died, so I'll have to take more later.

After church, we took some quick pictures for the Christmas card. This isn't the picture we are going to use, but I still like it.

Dang, I have some cute boys!

Finally

2010-11-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

Finally, I get to write that Lincoln stayed in nursery the entire time at church today...all 2 hours! There were no tears, and he kept playing when I came to pick him up. He was fine without me.

I have had some proud mommy moments this week. Besides nursery, Lincoln has used his big boy potty twice. I'm not really starting potty training yet, but I'm excited that he isn't afraid to use it now. I'll really start the nightmare of potty training after Christmas.

Last Christmas, Dave's brother Brent and his family gave Lincoln some board books about food and colors. He loves these books and has them pretty much memorized. I read the first line, and he can recite the second line on the page. My proud mommy moment is when we got to the blue page about blueberries. One of the lines is that they are blue, round, and cute. After he recited the line, he took my face in his hands and said, "Mommas cute." That's my sweet boy!

Here's the handsome boy in his church sweater vest. He had nice corduroy pants on too, but the sweatpants took over after church.

Happiness

2010-11-17T14:42:00.001-08:00

I have been overwhelmed by the phone calls, thoughts and prayers from family and friends. I really, really, have appreciated them and have felt them work. I decided to see my old doctor who delivered Lincoln, because I just didn't want a stranger to have to tell me bad news. I was absolutely shocked/happy when Dr. L pulled up a picture of a baby on the ultrasound screen. Yep, sorry to scare everyone and make them worry, but I am still having a baby!!! Dr. L said it could have been a miscarried twin, a broken blood vessel in my cervix (which bleeds like a head wound, and sorry yes I did type the word cervix), or it could have due to my blood type (I'm A negative). I'm not supposed to worry about what it was, just that I still have a baby. My due date is 6/23/2011.

This pregnancy was so different that it was with Lincoln, I was convinced I was having a girl. Now, I don't feel pregnant at all, just like before, so I'm guessing it's another boy. Whatever it is, I'm keeping it!

I'm not sad I published my eariler post: I really did need the support of friends and that prayer network. Thank you, thank you for thinking about us, and please keep praying!!

Lots of love,

Julie

Can't Sleep

2010-11-17T02:12:00.000-08:00

I havn't been able to sleep all night. I feel so heartbroken right now. I really didn't want to cry again today, but I guess I just I'm not ready to get over this yet. I carried a baby for 9 weeks, and yesterday I lost it. Just during the middle of the day, out of no where. I had still been feeling very pregnant, so I am shocked. I have an ultrasound tomorrow to confirm what I already know: there won't be a baby in the picture. It is strange, because yesterday I still had some glimmer of hope that maybe there was another one in there; however, I slept off that hope and I don't feel pregnant at all today. Please be thinking of me and Dave during this time. I have already felt the prayers of family members, for which I am very grateful! I am also thankful that I didn't experience any physical pain, and that a lovely friend came to pick Lincoln up when I couldn't reach Dave at work.

Facebook

2010-11-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Do I still exist on Facebook friends? I just tried to log on and it said my account was disabled due to a fake name. What?? I guess they think Shinsel is a made up name? Let me know if I still show up or not please.

Sickies

2010-11-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

We have all been a bunch of sickies around the house lately. Dave and I have taken turns sleeping downstairs so we won't hear the other spouse or child snore/cough. Dave's boss even sent him home Friday and Monday to do work at home. I didn't mind that part. It was nice to have him close, even though he was in front of his computer. I bought some humidifiers for our bedrooms, and Lincoln calls it his "cool steamer."

Anyway, besides not feeling very well, I have some news....Dave grew out his goatee again! I love his facial hair. I was sad when he had to shave after graduation to interview for jobs. He doesn't usually let me take pictures of him, so this is from April.

Just so I won't forget

2010-11-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Lincoln is completely binky/pacifier free!! It has been over a week, since he first said his binky was broken. I don't know if there was a little hole in it, or if it didn't feel good to suck because he had a cold. Either way, I told him I couldn't fix it, and he was fine with that. He hasn't asked for it since.

He is so picky about what he wears. His favorite shirts have monster trucks, cars, trains, helicopters,etc. The one exception is his keywork shirt made by his friend's mom, Jen. This makes it tricky to put coats or sweatshirts on, because he HAS to see the design. Good grief!

Lincoln sleeps in a big boy bed now. I don't think he really cares where he sleeps, but he loves to jump on his bed! In face, he is jumping all the time. He jumps to dance, he jumps to move into another room, and he jumps from furniture to furniture.

His favorite movies right now are the All About series. They spotlight different modes of transportation, so you can see why he loves them. We went to a new library in our area, and they have all of the movies, so Lincoln was a happy boy. Right now, he is watching the sepisode about Fire Trucks. They are so cheesy and have really horrible actors, so I try not to be in the same room when he is watching them.

I say this every month, but this has been my favorite! He has such a personality, and it is nice to understand what he wants and communicate with him.

Kid Co-op

2010-11-08T08:03:00.001-08:00

3 other mommies and I have started a kid co-op. We take turns watching all 4 kids one morning a week for 3 hours. I was worried how Lincoln would do, because he still doesn't stay the entire time at the church nursery by himself, which is 2 hours long. Imagine my surprise when I didn't get a phone call to pick him up that first week! He did so well: he didn't even cry. I was happy to get my entire house cleaned, workout and take a shower without any interuptions.

Last week, it was my turn to have the kiddos over. It was much easier than I thought it would be. The kids pretty much entertain themselves. Even though they don't really interact (except to steal a toy), the play well just because there are other kids around. They are about the same age, except for Sean, who will be 18 months soon (he is so dang cute!).

Here are some of the activites we did:

Drew Masterpieces....thank you crayola for Color Wonder products!!

Played Piano

Got creative with the trains on the DJ table

Watched Blues Clues, except Eli had to make a quick business call on the Elmo phone

It is amazing to see such personality differences in kids the same age. Eli is just a chill dude, who bobs his head to any music that is on. He doesn't get upset when other kids take toys away from him. Lincoln had a hard time sharing his toys in the beggining, but warmed up when we started jumping on the LoveSac(a huge beanbag chair). Sean is into everything and loves to climb/throw stuff. He didn't like it when I even looked like I was going to leave the room. Shay is just a doll, and she has a Gucci bag to store her diapers and snacks. She does really well sharing, probably because she has 3 other sisters to share with.

I'm excited that this is going well. I think it has even helped with nursery. Lincoln wanted to go in this week, and I was able to be out of the room for an entire hour. The only reason they had to get me was for a diaper change. After he had seen me, it was over, but I am hopeful it will only get better.

Shout outs

2010-11-02T07:06:00.001-07:00

Today I need to give a few shout outs to some people...

Shout out to my neighbor Mikilani, who drove over to my house, to tell Dave to answer his phone, because I was locked out of my car at the downtown library.

Shout out to Lincoln, who was unusually well behaved while waiting 1 1/2 hours outside the library.

Shout out to the homeless person who entertained Lincoln while I was trying to explain to Dave over the phone where the extra keys were hiding.

Shout out to the man in the very saggy pants, who let me borrow his cell phone, to make a long distance phone call (Dave's still has a Charlotte number) because my phone battery died.

Shout out to the fire trucks, ambulance, and police cars who kept driving by and kept Lincoln happy.

Shout out to Dave, who finally found the keys and came to rescue us.

Shout out to the Halloween candy, which I consumed a lot of when I finally got home.

My Skeleton

2010-11-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

We can put the skeleton costume away now, all the parties, trunk-or-treats, and trick-or-treating is over. It was a great Halloween season! Lincoln enjoyed trick-or-treating very much. I think this picture sums up his amazement that he was getting candy...

We went trick-or-treating on Saturday night at Old Salem, a colonial village in Winston Salem. They had people giving out candy at all the houses/stores. It was the perfect walking distance for Lincoln and it wasn't really crowded. Lincoln thought it was perfect, because he got to eat his candy on the way to the next candy point.

On Sunday we past candy out to the trick-or-treaters and Lincoln helped himself to candy everytime someone came to the door. Halloween is over and now we can look forward to Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving and wish it got more credit! It seems like right after Halloween, Christmas season begins.

The sky turned black

2010-10-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

I grew up in NC, so I remember practicing for tornado warnings. We had to go in the cafeteria, crouch down and put our arms over our heads. I also remember hurricane hugo ripping through and taking down tons of trees in our area. Those are the reasons I was freaking out a couple nights ago when I could feel the thunder through the walls, I could see the lightning getting closer and the rain coming down in sheets. Sure enough we had a tornado warning, so Dave went into action mode. He found the flashlights, moved furniture around and spread blankets on the ground. I brought Lincoln downstairs with us, and we had a little slumber party until the warning was over.

The next day, Lincoln was taking a nap, when the sky turned black. The thunder started up again, so I checked the weather. Dang if I didn't have to wake Lincoln up again and take him downstairs because of another tornado warning. This time the tornado was only 9 miles away. Poor Dave was watching the sky from the 4th floor of his glass office building! I was just glad last night, we were tornado warning free and didn't have to wake up Lincoln.

Baking with a 2 year old

2010-10-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

I should have known, really I should have learned my lesson last week. I thought it would be so fun for our family night to take Lincoln to a pumpkin patch. I had these images in my head that he would run through the field, giggling and excited to pick his own pumpkin. Dang if there wasn't a playground in the parking lot, so Lincoln was not interested at all. I thought he would enjoy scooping out the pumpkin to carve it, but again, he wasn't interested.

One week later, I think, "Oh, it will be so fun to make and decorate Halloween cookies with Lincoln." I have lots of cookie cutters and even bought food coloring for the project. Lincoln didn't care about anything but eating the cookie dough. Seriously, he probably ate a pound of it yesterday. I only used cookie cutters for a dozen cookies, then gave up and dropped the rest of the dough on the cookie sheet. I was still determined and had Lincoln help frost them later. After every cookie we frosted, he swirled his tongue across the beautiful cookie. Needless to say, only half of the cookies got frosted. I even gave up taking pictures of the whole process. We are going to wait another year to do some of the holiday stuff I thought he was ready for!

Starting off ok, even though he did have to taste the flour when I first spread it out.

Now the eating begins and doesn't stop until I put the camera down.

Anxiously awaiting to eat more...the gross streaky stuff on the door is stuck in the glass, and I can't clean it.

Fall Fun

2010-10-17T12:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I feel bad that Dave is working and Lincoln and I are out playing during the day. We have been enjoying this Fall weather and have taken advantage of lots of activities that go on during this time of year. I really do love Fall: I would love it even more if I knew Winter wasn't about to come!

Last week, the 2 of us joined some other ladies from church for a mountain adventure. First we stopped to get apples at Levering Orchards. The people were so friendly: they told us what certain apples were good for and let us sample what ever kind we wanted. I wish I had Barry's (my BIL) photography skills and his camera, because there were some great photo opps. I promise, I didn't dress him in overalls on purpose, but I'm glad he had them on!

Next, we went drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mabry Mill. I would have been happy just to drive on the parkway, because it was GORGEOUS this time of year! The trees are at their peak Fall colors right now. This mill is so picturesque. I felt like I transported into a different time period. Lincoln liked looking at the ducks and climbing in the wagon with his buddy Denzil.

One night we went to "Dark in the Park." A large band played at Bethabara park, while kids ran around in their Halloween costumes. They also had hayrides for the kids and ice cream; however, Lincoln enjoyed playing on the train tracks. He kept saying, "Train coming." Lincoln broke in his skeleton costume, so it's all ready for the big night.

Dave has still been working hard on his woodworking project, so Lincoln and I visited mom and dad. We took the little guy to Tweetsie Railroad, for the third time this year. This time was great, because we were some of the first people in the park. It was a little chilly, so I guess most people were sleeping in. Because Lincoln was the only one on some of the rides, I could tell the workers to stop the ride if he got upset. So this time, Lincoln tried out 3 new rides! He rode 2 different airplane rides and a boat ride all by himself. After he got off, he was beaming with pride. What a big boy!

Embarrassing Moments

2010-10-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt embarrassed for your child? I have had a few of those moments over the past couple days.

Last Tuesday: I took Lincoln to music and movement class at the library. My child was the only one spinning in circles while the other children were doing hand motions to "Wheels on the Bus" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." He would spin so much until he would fall into the other kids. My child was the one sprinting around the room during the limbo song, while the other kids danced around calmly with their moms.

Last night: I smelled something really nasty right when Lincoln walked into the kitchen, where I was finishing up dishes. I was confused because the smell was coming not only from his bum, but also his hands. Then I felt really embarrassed (and grossed out) when he stuck those fingers into his mouth! He shivered like he had just eaten a lemon, but then...he did it again!

This afternoon: My 2 year old loves you tube videos, not cartoons, but videos of helicopters, trains, monster trucks, airplanes, etc. We watched a new video with F 14's today. When the first plane zoomed by Lincoln said, "Oh my gosh, fast airplane." The rest of the video he kept repeating "Dudes, or WOW." How does such a young guy get such a thrill out of those videos?

Myrtle Beach

2010-10-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Mom has been craving the beach for the past year, so she treated Lincoln and me to a few days at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Dad couldn't go because this is a really busy time at work, and Dave needed to stay at home and work on a woodworking project he has to get done in a couple weeks. We missed the guys, but we still had fun without them!

The weather was perfect...not too hot but still warm enough to sit out in your bathing suit and go swimming in the ocean. The resort we stayed at had lots of activities to do, even an indoor waterpark. I'm impressed with how well Lincoln did just playing in the sand. We spent most of our time down at the beach. Of course, all the snacks and juiceboxes helped.

While we were at the beach, Lincoln called me Julie twice. Because I didn't pay attention to him, he stopped calling me Julie, but now he calls me mom instead of momma. He has been randomly yelling MOM lately. I don't know, he's a weird dude. He behaved very well when we went out to eat; it may have been the Wonderpets I played for him on the dvd player. Please don't judge me, I just wanted to eat my seafood in peace, because I rarely get to enjoy seafood (Dave hates it!). Plus, we were outside, where it didn't bother anyone else. I'm still thinking about the delicious shecrab soup I had.

When we got back home, we went to the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston. It was actually a really big fair, with lots to see. Lincoln really liked seeing a pig race (They raced around a track for an oreo.), and he LOVED all the tractors. Dave ate a huge gyro and is still talking about how good it was. I'm glad he was able to take a break and join us at the fair.

Sleep Update

2010-10-03T11:49:00.001-07:00

I have very few pictures of Lincoln sleeping, because I feel like I am racing towards the bed to get myself to sleep after he goes down. This is not a complaint, only a update. I am thankful for my Aunt Cheryl for her wonderful advice that has helped get Lincoln out of bed with us. Lincoln can successfully fall asleep in his bed and stay asleep for 8-9 hours. I sit outside of his bedroom until he falls asleep, with 2 baby gates in his doorway so he can't crawl out. Some nights it only takes 10 minutes for him to go down, and some nights I have to warn him that Daddy will have to come sit by his doorway if he doesn't stay in bed. I talk with Lincoln during the stay about staying in bed all night, and we say a prayer together before he falls asleep, asking that Lincoln will not be scared and will stay in his bed all night.

I am also doing a rewards system for him. If he sleeps in his bed all night he gets a sticker in the morning. When he gets 5 stickers he gets to go out for french fries or a milkshake. I wasn't sure he would grasp the concept, but we often hear him say, "5 stickers, french fries milkshake." We just enjoyed a strawberry milkshake from Chick-fil-A on Friday!

Birthday Boy

2010-09-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

Even though I asked him really nicely not to, he still did it...he turned 2. At least we had fun celebrating though! Mom and Dad came down for a day out with Thomas the train at the Spencer Transportation museum. There were lots of Thomas activities for the kids to do besides riding the train. I'm pretty sure riding on Thomas was Lincoln's least favorite part. He really liked looking at the model trains and the old airplanes, trains, and cars. I will def have to take him back to the museum sometime!

Our good friends Rachel and Dave came down for a good ole' steak and potato dinner. Dave tried out cooking the steaks on his smoker, and they turned out so yummy. Rachel brought down Elmo cupcakes for Lincoln and a Peanut Butter/Chocolate cake for Mom's birthday, which was just a couple days before Lincoln. At first Lincoln was shy about Elmo, but after he took a bite, he was hooked. His tongue was bright red from the Elmo candies.

Even though this child does not need presents, Dave and I bought him 1. It is a soft remote control car that is meant for 2 year olds. To say the least, he loves it! As he was playing with it on Saturday, he kept saying, "I love you car." and then he would give it a big smooch. The love hasn't faded, he is actually playing with it right now. He got some cards from family members, and his favorite was the monster truck one from my Uncle Barry.

My little cutie is 2, and I couldn't love him more! I'm very grateful to Dave that I can stay at home with him and see him grow up (if he has to).

My baby

2010-09-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Please be thinking about me this weekend, as I try to deal with my baby not being a baby anymore. He will be...2. Yikes!

Museums

2010-09-23T06:08:00.001-07:00

Lincoln and I have ventured out to 3 museums in our area. Mama Shinsel went with us to the Children's museum. I was running out of batteries, so this is the only picture I was able to take before the camera died. Sorry it's a butt shot Link. They were climbing up a fort to play with trains. Lincoln made a picture for Dave's cubie in the art room, and he enjoyed playing in the Krispy Kreme donut factory. This museum was so fun, mom has decided to buy us an annual pass for Lincoln's birthday.

When Dave had his job interview, Lincoln and I drove down to keep him calm and collected in the car. While he was busy with the interviews, Lincoln and I went to the science center close by. We didn't have enough time to see it all, so we need to go back soon. His favorite parts of the museum were the music room and the human anatomy room (he loved the huge teeth you can climb). I knew Dave would be proud of the wall size guitar Lincoln was playing with.

Last week, we drove to Greensboro to meet up with some friends at the science center. I worked at Ace Hardware with Natalie (her dad Chip owns the store), and haven't seen her in years. It was so nice to meet her little one, Madison, who is just a couple months younger than Lincoln. The museum was alright, but the best part was their mini zoo outside. The kids got to see monkeys, tigers, wolves, snakes, wallabies, and lots more. There was also a petting zoo with goats and sheep. Lincoln felt right at home running up to the goats, because of all the visits to the Huntsman's farm this summer. All of the excitement made the kiddos hungry. They were so cute eating their lunch side by side.

Ouch

2010-09-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

These pictures will make you cringe...

My nephew Kyle started playing football this year. He has had to drop out...

He was wisked away to surgery shortly after this picture was taken. My other nephew Jaden knocked heads with another football player and got a nasty concussion. This is exactly why Lincoln will be enrolled in baseball or ballet, just not football.

My niece Penny had some eye surgery done to correct her nystagmus, a condition that is associated with albinism.

What a trooper. Those red eyes make me hurt, but she still has a smile on her face. We will know in 6 months how much the surgery has helped, but mom said Penny held her gaze for a while, which is more than she has ever done! I'm pretty sure my mom's heart melted instantly.

Back to Lincoln

2010-09-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

What kind of mother am I, that I wrote 2 blog postings without mentioning my son?? Lincoln has been so chatty lately, and he has finally started to sing. I always sing to him, so I'm thrilled he started to pick up on it. I caught him the other morning singing the Apples and Bananas song. Now his favorites are the clean up song and the mickey mouse clubhouse theme song. I love his high pitched notes. I just hope that he gets more singing talent than I have.

He has been making lots of new friends. Yesterday, Shay from nursery, came over while her mom went to the dentist. Lincoln kept repeating "Shay Shay" before she came. They played really well together. While he was running, Lincoln wanted Shay to say, "Ready, Set Go" instead of me. This morning Dave and I woke up to Lincoln saying, "Airplanes, Helicopters (totally normal), Shay (that's when we started laughing." Today his buddies Sean and Mason are coming over to play.

People have always told me girls are such drama queens, but I'm not so sure Lincoln is any different. Maybe it's just a 2 year old thing...For example: We were at the park after it had rained, and I was wiping off a puddle at the bottom of the slide. I guess Lincoln noticed me do this, because he went to the top of the slide where there were only 2 drops of water. He started yelling, "OH NO, ALL WET." I had to brush it off before he went down. It is hard not to laugh during his temper tantrums; how he just throws himself on the floor.

I will be a better mom next post and might even include some pictures of the little guy!

Purple Power

2010-09-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am by no means a photographer or an expert in plants. One thing I know is that there is a power with purple plants. They make me so cheerful! I have planted some purple plants at our new place and some others too.

The grounds are beautifully kept at BYU, and I'll always remember the pansies that were usually planted during winter semester. They have that purple power, because they make me smile when I drive home. These are right outside my front door.

Mums are such a Fall flower. They remind me of Halloween and the crisp Fall air. They also have that purple power.

Oh wait, more pansies...

I was lucky to have a friend dig up lots of plants and bulbs from her garden. These are day lily bulbs, which will be beautiful and purple this Spring.

These fun prickly grasses were almost dead when I planted them, and I was excited to see some life. They aren't purple, but I guess I'll keep them.

The family that moved left a very old lawnmower in the garage. I tried to start it, there was gas and oil, but it wouldn't turn over. From my Ace hardware days, I remembered spark plugs need to be changed frequently. So, I bought a new spark plug, put it in, and it worked! I was so excited to fix the lawnmower for $2.19, rather than to buy a new one. I really like to mow the grass, it is therapeutic for me (I know, weird). I think it is that you can see the results of your work immediately.

Love my brother

2010-09-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

I do love both of my brothers, but I also love my brother sewing machine I just got! I have only been sewing since the summer, but it is kind of addicting and very empowering. I finished my first project with my machine yesterday. I made curtains for the kitchen. I didn't use a pattern, just measured, cut and sewed. I forgot to add a couple inches for the top fold on the pair, so they are a little too short. They still serve 2 purposes: 1. They keep out the sun. 2. They make me happy! I seriously squeeled when I hung them up.

I will never forget...

2010-09-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today is the 9th anniversary of the terrific attacks that occurred in our country on September 11th. I still tear up every anniversary. I would never have guessed something so horrible could happen in the US, but it did. This day makes me so thankful for all those who serve in the military and local departments to keep us safe. This day makes me mourn for all those who lost family members. This day makes me so grateful to live in a country that came together so strongly. This day makes me realize how lucky I am to have my family and to live in the best country in the entire world.

Lincoln and I went to an airshow today, while Dave was at work. They did a great tribute to 9/11: there were several firetrucks/police cars doing formations while the national anthem was sung. All of the sudden during the song, 2 F-16 jets roared through the sky. It was so powerful, it gave me goosebumps! The airshow was huge; there were tons of helicopters, planes, and jets, but also there were race cars, buses, and trucks. Lincoln was in heaven!!

To make it even better, a man walking in gave me a free ticket. I wasn't planning on spending any money, because the ticket was a little expensive, but with the money I saved, I bought Lincoln a toy helicopter and hot dog. I wish I would have recorded his happy dance when we walked through the gates and saw all the planes. He kept repeating,"PLANES, HELICOPTERS." I love it how everything from childhood is exciting again with little ones!

How could I forget?

2010-09-08T11:51:00.001-07:00

I don't know how I forgot to mention I have a new niece! Congrats to Barry and Amy: Mya Shinsel is a precious little girl and I am so anxious to meet her!

Past week

2010-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have been holding off this post, because I wanted to add pictures. In fear of forgetting what we have done this past week, I decided to go ahead and blog.

Dave, his parents and my parents went to Washington D.C. for the Restoring Honor rally last weekend. They had a great time! Actually they said the rally was more spiritual than political.

While they were off in D.C., Reed was so nice to hang out with Lincoln and me. On Friday, we went to all of the consignment stores looking for furniture to fill our house. I didn't really care for the lime green dresser from 1970 or the pleather couch, so there were no purchases. Lincoln had a first on Saturday: we went hiking at South Mountain State park. I have a fantastic hiking backpack, so we made it all 2.7 miles up and around the water fall. I let Link out for the last mile, but he was such a slow-poke. He just enjoyed looking at acorns and picking up leaves. After a while, I broke out the peanut butter M&Ms and bribed him down the mountain. We had a fun dinner with the Edwards that night, and Sunday we were off to OUR house!

Mama Shinsel and Dave met us at the house, and the week of working, unpacking, sorting, hanging, and cleaning began! Dave had a great first week of work and has been impressed with the company. He has already been able to take over some of the work load in his team. While Dave was at work, Mama S and I worked like mad women to get the house set up. We got all the necessities put away, so we were able to go have some fun too.

We ventured to the park one morning. By 10am, the sun was getting too hot, even though it was only 46 degrees in La Grande. Mom and Reed came down one day to go to Old Salem with us. It is a small version of Williamsburg. It was just as cheap to get a family membership, so we will be able to come back with Dave. I know he will love the woodworking, gun making, and forging that they do there! We also took Lincoln to the children's museum, which was so rad. There was tons for him to do!

It was a sad Saturday morning when we had to take Mama S to the airport. We had been telling Link that she was going to get on a plane and go home. It really sunk in when we dropped her off and pulled away. He started crying and saying, "Jamma" (his word for Grandma). It just stinks that our parents like on opposite sides of the country!

We made up for Grandma leaving by meeting Mom, Reed and Reed's good friend Hawke at Emerald Point water park in Greensboro. Even though it was crowded, we had a good time.

Church was our next adventure. As soon as I walked in the chapel, I saw my old friend Lori, who worked with me out in Utah. She is living in Memphis and was just visiting an old roommate. I love it that the world is so small! Everybody was super nice, and I am looking forward to getting to know some of the ladies with other kiddos Lincoln's age.

We made it up to Hickory for some Labor Day fun later that day. Monday, Dave was able to work on some of his wood projects, and Lincoln and I went off with Dad and Reed. We ended up with the Edwards for lunch on Monday and headed home later that evening.

Wow, that was the longest journal type entry I have done. Will I really ever enjoy reading this later?

This is where we call "home."

2010-08-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Dave starts work on Monday, and this is where Lincoln and I will be.

This is where Lincoln gets to play. You can't see from this picture, but the backyard is huge, and it's fenced in!

I was 17 again

2010-08-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

I sure felt like I was 17 again when I went to a Maroon 5 concert with my good friend Rachel. We had so much fun at the concert singing along to all the songs and watching the band perform. I went to a M5 concert in 2004 with my roommate Meg: we barely knew their songs, but still had a good time. The band is very entertaining and talented. The main singer Adam Levine also plays the guitar.

Rachel is so crafty and made t-shirts for us. Sad that we were the only ones there with homemade shirts...I guess people don't do that after a certain age, but we did.

Rachel bought the tickets at the beginning of the summer, while I was out in Oregon. I read her email too quickly and didn't notice that she bought tickets for the Georgia concert instead of the NC concert. I found out the day we left, so we quickly made plans to stay with some old friends that live outside of Atlanta. It was fantastic to visit with the Cygielman's! I went to elementary school with Michelle and hadn't seen her since the beginning of high school. We stayed up until 2:30am talking, even though I had to wake up 3 hours later to ride home.

It was my first night away from Lincoln, and we both did just fine. I'm not ready to leave him for a while though. I guess I am just as clingy to him and he is to me.

Moving Week

2010-08-23T15:43:00.001-07:00

The lack of posts is because we have been so dang busy. Because I announced to the entire world out of excitement, most people know that Dave got a job! He will be working for Aon in Winston Salem, NC as a Benefits Specialist. Just when I was about to doubt prayer and fasting, this job came along. I am very thankful for our friends and family who continually thought/prayed for Dave in his job searching.

Dave starts work on Monday, so we needed to hurry and find a place to live. I called the Bishop (head of the local church) and he told us about a family who moved away but needed to rent their house. It happens to be a great starter house that we will purchase in a couple months, if everything looks stable with Aon. We had the house inspected today, and everything is gravy. Mom and I will drive down tomorrow to a little cleaning, and then our moving crew (Reed and his friends) will help move us in on Wednesday. Dave and I have been sleeping on our king bed in the living room of my parent's house, so we are thrilled to get in our own place!

Meanwhile, Lincoln has been having fun with his old playgroup buddies. He even gets to go to the fire department this week. His vocabulary is getting bigger and he continues to crack us up. Lately, he has been saying hi to everyone and waving. He won't quit saying , "Hi Momma (or Daddy, Papaw, BB, Reed, Maggie, etc.) until you say hi back. The other day after he got done with his "hi" rounds, he waved to himself and said, "Hi Ikies (that's how he says Lincoln)." As most little boys he is so into trucks, airplanes, trains, cars and boats. I'm excited that we have tickets to see Thomas the train on his exact birthday.

Lots of pictures and more information to follow...

Humidity

2010-08-11T13:46:00.001-07:00

Oh North Carolina and your humidity...the only thing good about you is how you make Lincoln's hair curl.

Family Fun

2010-08-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

My whole family was together this past week. It was the first time we have been together since my wedding reception. This is a warning...if you are baby hungry, DON'T look at the pictures. My niece Penny is just too dang cute!

The 3 Shinsels flew in last Friday. Poor Dave barely made it: Dad took him to Urgent Care right when we got to Hickory and found out he had strep throat, a sinus and ear infection. So that is why Dave isn't in a lot of these pictures: he was in the sick room for the first half of the week.

It didn't take long for Lincoln and Carson to get along. They played so well together, even though there is a 2 year age gap. They had fun going on adventures outside of the house, but mostly there were content to play trains in the basement. Here they are watching Thomas on the tv (this was a rare quiet moment).

We took the kids to Hickory Dickory Dock, an arcade game place. Lincoln's favorite part is putting the tokens in the game and pushing start...he's done after that, so I had to take over driving for him. Cleve is beside me and I'm blocking Carson's head.

Mom and I also took Carson and Lincoln to Kool Park, a small water park. We had fun going down the long water slide. It was a great place for them, because there are so many shallow pools to play in.

Cleve was a groomsman for his good bud Travis. We have known Travis since we first moved to Hickory, and it was wonderful to see him so happy. He was beaming when his bride walked down the aisle. Mom was so sweet to let me go to the wedding as Dave was still sick, and she stayed at home with my crazy toddler.

Penny looked adorable in her flower dress at the wedding.

Reed's good friend Hawke came over a couple times, and we played board games. This was the first night Dave ventured outside the sick room.

Remember the tutu I made for Penny? She posed in it for me, and I'm pretty sure my heart melted.

We ended the week with a trip to Tweetsie Railroad up in the mountains. The boys loved the rides, especially the bumper cars and the train. Dave, and I took Lincoln on the Ferris wheel. Every time we went over the side, I could feel his muscles tense up. He did really like the ride and when I asked if he could do no hands, he slowly took both hands off the railing.

Mom bought the boys matching outfits. They got dirty even before we left for the park.

Carson is all geared up as a cowboy.

The boys checking out the scenery on the train.

I warned you...

We had a great time with the Nebraska Williams'! I don't know when we will get to see them again, so thank goodness for Skype.

2010-08-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cleve took his family back to Nebraska today. Lincoln and I are going through Carson withdrawals, and I miss holding Penny already!

Oregon Recap

2010-08-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

We have been back in NC for a week, but I still need to recap some events from Oregon.

July 4th: I know I am going way back now, but I have some great pictures of Lincoln being patriotic. He loved watching the small firework show that Dave put on and he made great sound effects noises. We didn't make it to the big fireworks show, because Dave had to leave for an interview early the next morning.

Airshow: Andy's family, Grandma and Papa, and our family headed to Baker City for an airshow. Sydney and Lincoln are both going through an airplane/helicopter phase right now, so they had a fantastic time. They took turns flying a toy plane around and making plane noises. I am really surprised at how long they lasted! This was one event that was even fun for the adults. Andy, Dave and Papa were impressed with the huge WWII planes that flew in formation.

Wrights visit: Kim came up to visit some high-school friends, so we had a chance to hang out with the kids before we left for NC. They are so good to play with Lincoln and he adores his older cousins. I have decided that Lincoln just needs some older siblings to keep him entertained: if only I could give birth to a 5 year old. The kids slept outside in tents, and Andy hooked up a projector so they could watch a movie on the old garage.

Papa's Birthday: For the 2nd year in a row, we have been able to celebrate Papa's birthday in Oregon. Sydney and Lincoln made cards in the morning. (The reason they are outside and Lincoln doesn't have pants on is because they were using markers.) The Huntsmans came over for peanut butter cookies (Papa's favorite, that Lincoln helped make) and milkshakes.

Cleve and his family are leaving tomorrow, so there will be lots of recaps of our adventures of them. Actually the thought of blogging it all makes my hair do this:

Typical Night

2010-07-26T16:16:00.001-07:00

So this is a post that I can use when Lincoln has kids and is complaining about bedtime routines. Last week, Lincoln earned how to climb out of his crib, his grandparents even bought a bigger crib and he managed to climb out in about 30 seconds after it was put together. I am scared of crib tents, so this is our typical night now.

Let me backtrack and write what our nights USED to be like....starting at 7:30pm, Link would get a bath, get his allergy medicine, get his teeth brushed, get some books read, and get in the crib by 8:00pm. If he wasn't tired yet, he would just talk to himself until he fell asleep. It was really just too easy!

Now our typical night:

8:30pm, we start the bedtime routine (we have tried earlier, but get frustrated when it doesn't work.).

9:00pm, I start rocking him in the rocking chair.

9:45-10:00pm, I put Lincoln in the bed we made (2 queen beds pushed together)

1:00-2:00am, Lincoln starts *flip-flopping* around like a wild cat, which can last for hours

6:00am-7:00am, Lincoln, Dave, and I all wake up from our slumber party

I just have to remember that we have been carting this boy all over the country, and I have to be patient that as soon as we get our own place, we can start to get a better routine. But I so can't wait, until Lincoln's crazy toddler starts pulling the same thing, and I can say, "Booyah, you did it to us son!"

*flip-flopping* I thought this was a normal term, but it confused Dave the other night. I woke him up at 2:00am, and this was our conversation:

Me: Dave, please switch places with me in bed, Lincoln has been flip-flopping around for over an hour.

Dave: Sigh, here (he is pointing to his hand).

Me: What?

Dave: (still pointing to his hand) Well, I don't have any flip-flops right now.

Me: (trying not to laugh so I don't wake my flopping child up)

Cars, Trucks, Trains and especially Airplanes

2010-07-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Just like most little boys, Lincoln loves any moving thing with a motor. I never paid attention to train whistles outside or airplanes in the sky before I had Lincoln: I just drowned the noises out. It is amazing to me that his little ears perk up for any kind of moving vehicle.

For the past couple weeks, Lincoln has been really fascinated by helicopters ("copder") and planes. Lucky for him, his Papa has a private pilot licence and has his own airplane. We decided to fly to Portland when Dave came in from Charlotte last week. I was worried about how Lincoln would handle the noise and turbulence of a small plane, but he loved every second! He looked out the window, watched some movies, ate snacks, and even got to fly the plane for a little bit.

Besides flying in the plane, he got to see his Daddy, so I'm thinking it was a fantastic day for the little guy!

Small Things

2010-07-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder for me of all the small things that make me happy. We have received all "no thanks" for a couple jobs we thought might really happen, and Lincoln has now climbed out of his crib twice tonight, so really this is just for me, but you can read if you want.

It makes me happy when Lincoln crowds around his cousins. He adores the Huntsman boys, and I so appreciate the attention they give him.

Lincoln loves to help me bake. He does a great job with cupcake liners. (Sydney helped too.)

Lincoln likes to show affection by giving pats. He held on to Dave's arm and patted it most of the way back from picking him up from the airport. He missed his dad! I don't have a picture of the pats, but I also have to say that I missed Dave so much: we had never been apart for a week before. The sweet "love" email he sent me when he was gone was a small thing that definitely made my happy!

I think it is so cute when Link says "Cheese" for the camera. He doesn't do it often, because I can rarely get him to look at the camera. I got him this day though, and the picture caught the space between his front teeth, another small thing that makes me happy.

How do little boys make such great sound effects? It makes me happy when he throws rocks into the water and makes a "spasht" sound.

Dave held Lincoln until he fell asleep just now. That really makes me happy, and with that I will try to have sweet dreams and not think about all the "no's" from this past week.

The Craft Bug

2010-07-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have never really been interested in crafty stuff. Actually, this post is going to make my mom flip: She is so crafty and would beg me to do projects with her, and I would always refuse. So, I don't know when I got it, but the Craft Bug finally hit me. Maybe it was all the blogs I have been reading...Zandi and her amazing hats; Jen and her monthly craft nights; Donna and her decorating; Natalie and her quilting; Rachel and her little bit of everything...

It started with a tutu. My SIL Amy and I decided to make some tutus together. I know I don't have a daughter, but I do have nieces. These were so easy to make, and I am happy with how they turned out. I can't wait to see pictures of Penny and Baby Girl Shinsel in their tutus. Dave will be upset that I am sharing this info, but Link LOVED the tutus. He honestly would put them on and dance around. Yikes, we need to get this kid some more dirt to play in!

Mama Shinsel also contributed to this craft bug. She handed me a bag of old jeans and said, "You could make a nice picnic blanket with these." I was laughing in my head, because tutus are one thing, but sewing machines are totally different. I had lots of help, and ended up with this great blanket. The sewing machine didn't even make me throw up like I thought it would! The front is denim squares in a random pattern, and the back and edges are a funky red cotton material. (Don't you love my model...he's giving you his profile shot.)

When we went to pick up material for the blanket, I found some Cars material. I need to explain that Lincoln LOVES the movie Cars. It makes sense that he likes it: it's just like Thomas but with cars and not with British accents. Anyway, Grandma already had most of the Cars characters, she bought him Cars dining ware, and now he has a Cars blanket. He carries it around everywhere!

I found a cute dress that was super on sale, but when I tried it on at home, it was too short. For the first time in my life, I thought, I can fix it. I am planning on sewing some material on the bottom, just to make it longer.

I realize kindegardners could do these projects, but I'm still excited about all of them. Now I just need some more ideas, so keep craft blogging my creative friends!

Stories from the Crib

2010-07-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last week, I put Lincoln to bed in his pack-in-play at Grandma's house. Usually Link does really well falling asleep on his own. It is rare for him to cry. I was surprised when I heard him screaming on the monitor a couple minutes after I put him down. This cry wasn't a "I'm sad that I have to go to sleep cry." It was a scared/hurt cry. I walked down the stairs, and I will never forget this image...the door to Lincoln's bedroom opened slowly and out walks the little guy so upset. I should have known he would climb out one day: I started climbing out of my crib at this age and it is only fair that he do the same. I think he got so dang scared from the fall, because he hasn't done it since that night!

The weather has been warmer lately, so I put Link down for a nap in just his tee-shirt. When he woke up, I walked into his very dark room. I couldn't see much yet, but Lincoln was holding out something for me. He said, "This??" in a question form, and I was handed his diaper. It could have been much worse, he hadn't used the bathroom in his crib yet and it wasn't a number 2.

Non-related crib news, Dave is in Charlotte for a job interview with Bank of America. It is weird that we have flip-flopped hometowns for the week. Keep fingers and toes crossed for us!

A lot of "Firsts"

2010-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Lincoln turned 21 months the past week, and he has experienced a lot of "firsts."

*He went to his first play. Four of my nephews were in "Princess and the Pea," and they put on a great performance. Lincoln actually enjoyed it: we only missed 5 minutes because Link just had to climb the stairs at the theater.

*Lincoln has enjoyed ice-cream before, but last week he got his own ice-cream cone. Why are little kids so cute when they have food all over their face? It never looks good on me! He felt like such a big boy holding his own cone. He did so well the first time, that he got another one the next night!

*The best "first" was going to the beach for the Shinsel family reunion. I was worried about how Link was going to like the beach, because Dave and I both LOVE it. My worries disappeared when we walked down to the ocean for the first time. Link seriously spazzed out! He thought it was the coolest thing to be in a huge sandbox with waves.

We had a great vacation. Lincoln had a blast flying kites, playing with cousins, running from the waves, playing pool, and eating lots of junk food. It was great to see family members we haven't seen for a while.

* I also had a first. I tried real, fresh crab meat. It was super tasty, and I even got to re-taste it as I got food poisoning that night. I don't want to blame the crab, because it was so yummy. I'm just thankful my stomach waited until we were done driving home from the coast.

A really crazy first is that my sweet niece Penny, who was born in March, is the first person in our family (that we know of) to have albinism. She was just diagnosed at her 3 month check-up, because she can't focus her eyes: they are always shifting. The good news is that there are surgeons who can operate as early as 6 months, and the exercises that her mom is doing with her are helping her. She was able to reach out and grab her brother's finger.

Road Trip

2010-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

This past week, Dave, Lincoln, Mama Shinsel, Tyler and Devin (two of our nephews) went on a little road trip. Tyler is a rising senior and is a fantastic football player. Some college scouts invited him to a couple football camps, and his mom with 7 other kids to care for at home, asked Mama Shinsel to escort him to Idaho State and Weber State.

The 3 Shinsels tagged along, because Dave just really likes football, PLUS, we got to pick up Elder Williams from the Ogden Utah Mission Home. I hadn't seen Reed in 2 years, so Lincoln has never met his Uncle Reed. It was so great to see him and catch up on what he has been doing. I have been warned that missionaries can be a little weird after 2 years, but Reed surprised me: he still had a great sense of humor and was fun to talk to. He did however, throw in a scripture reference once. I am really proud of my lil brother for serving the Lord with full obedience and charity for the people of the Ogden mission.

When we got back from our road trip, Lincoln and his cousin Sydney had their reunion. She is only 6 months younger than Lincoln and they interact really well together. Lincoln is already attached and talks about "Syd" when she isn't around. I keep forgetting to write that Lincoln says his whole name..."Ikies Arder Shinshaw" Time really can just stop right now: I know I have said it before, but this is such a fun age!

We have another road trip planned in a couple weeks, and I hope it goes as well as this past one.

It is grand in LaGrande

2010-06-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry about the title, but I couldn't resist. We made it out West, and we are enjoying a beautiful sunny Saturday. Who knows, we might even hit up Hog Wild Days later tonight! Lincoln was a fantastic traveler, but is still adjusting to the time change. He is up and ready to go at 5 am. I remember when I used to wake up at 5 am for early seminary in high-school, and it didn't seem as hard as it does now. Anyway, Dave has already put in a full day of work with Vic and he has had another phone interview, his 4th. I am thinking/hoping he will get a job before the end of July.

We packed in a ton before we left NC including Tweetsie Railroad, Hiddenite Mining, Science center, and Hickory Dickory Dock, but without my computer I just feel so lost to post pictures.

Fun Stuff

2010-05-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when Mama/Papa Shinsel come out to visit us, wherever we have lived, they are always helping us...helping us move, helping us pack, helping us with a newborn. This time wasn't different, but we did manage to do some fun stuff.

While Dave was working on a beautiful outdoor table for the neighbors, I'll post pics when I get them, M&P took Link to Buffalo Beals, an animal park really close to Hickory. We saw all kinds of animals including a camel, and we even close enough to feed and pet some...have you ever pet a giraffe before? Lincoln loved the donkey, because he loves to say, "Hee Haw." The place had a great play area, so while Lincoln was climbing up slides, I decided to feed the llamas. I guess I was taking too long, because one spit at me. Gross! Have you ever smelled llama spit, if not it is disgusting.

After a long day of moving, the whole family and the Edwards went out to Sims BBQ. It is a family run restaurant in an old barn. They have live folk bands playing for the cloggers. Of course, I brought my red clogging shoes, and of course Lincoln, Rachel and I danced!

I convinced Mom and another friend to have a garage sale on Saturday. I didn't want to just give away some things I don't need anymore, when I could sell them (remember, husband just finished school and is still job-less). The weather was against us, it started raining at 8 am. We decided to pack it up at 9, when we did, a couple with 4 kids and no jobs came by and offered us 20 dollars for what we could give them to resell later. Mom loaded up their whole van and gave them back their 20 bucks. I saw them driving down the road and the wife was crying. I didn't know why until Mom told me what happened. So, it was all worth having the garage sale after all! Plus, Lincoln enjoyed the price tags.

On their last night with us, Dave smoked some ribs. I'm not a huge meat lover, but DANG, his ribs are good! After stuffing ourselves, we headed off to Glen Hilton Park, right by the house. We fed the ducks and nasty geese and watched Lincoln do all his park tricks. He barely needs help going down slides now.

It wasn't hard to say bye to M&P on Sunday, because we will be seeing them in just a week. The plan is to live out in Oregon until Dave finds a permanent job. That way we can pay our bills and also spend time with the family out West!

Changes...

2010-05-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

There have been many changes at our house lately. We still don't know where we are going to be from week to week, but that's ok. I have decided to enjoy each moment, because Lincoln is so dang fun.

He has changed so much within these past two weeks. He is learning his numbers and colors already. At Wal-mart yesterday, he was screaming/counting the lights in the rafters, and he is getting really good at color games on pbs.org. It's no wonder why Dave was awarded the best dancer Senior superlative at La Grande High, because Link has recently picked up on his awesome dance moves. He moves both arms, bobs his head, and bounces up and down. The best part is when he pooches his lips out at the same time.

We have been having so much fun with Gma and Papa Shinsel in town. I have a ton of pictures to post, but will wait until we move out of the townhouse tomorrow and the garage sale is over on Saturday.

Lots to do...

Master Dave

2010-05-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

Dave walked across the stage at UNCC to accept his Masters diploma in Industrial Organizational Psychology! He has worked so hard these past 2 years, and I know it has been tough trying to support a family at the same time. Master Dave sacrificed lots of sleep, staying up late to do school work, in order to spend time with Lincoln and me. I would have been the nastiest, grouchiest, meanist momma/wife if the roles were reversed, so thanks Dave!

New Crush

2010-05-11T09:32:00.001-07:00

Besides Dora the explorer and Abby from Sesame Street, Lincoln has picked up a new crush. My good friend Deanne is visiting from Utah. When we saw her at church, Lincoln very willingly gave her a kiss, a real one too...right on the lips. The next day, Deanne came over for dinner, and Lincoln kept showing off for her. My favorite was when he dug through my bag (in a different room), found his sunglasses, and came strolling in the kitchen with them on his face. He knows he is such a dude with glasses on!

I don't get to see Deanne a lot, and it was so nice to spend some time with her. We grew up together (I have some great blackmail pictures of her in elementary school), and she was such a role model to me through high school. After her mission, we were roommates out in Provo, and we had tons of fun living together. She and her mom drove all the way up to D.C. when Dave and I got married. I just love this girl, no wonder Lincoln has a crush on her!