All about Lincoln

Oh man all you scrap bookers and record keepers out there are going to crucify me…confession: I don’t have a baby book for Lincoln…however, I do keep a blog and Dallas has a LOAD of videos that he takes of Linc on a REGULAR basis so I kind of feel justified. In my opinion, its way more fun to watch movies of him than it is to read a book that I wouldn't enjoy putting together in the first place…our posterity will be able to watch movies somehow, right? Plus…lately, if Linc isn't feeling well or wakes up at night, we will have him watch movies of himself and he will usually fall back asleep rather quickly after being temporarily amused.

Lately though, I have thought of the many hilarious things he does and just wanted to share a few “milestone” memories…

Lincoln has this “thing” where he feels the need to hold on to his belly button (it’s an outtie) AND suck his thumb when he goes to bed. He sometimes will wake up freaking out and we cannot figure out WHAT THE DEAL is…only to find out he just wants his jammies unzipped so that he can grab his belly button. I’ll post a video of him doing it below. At Christmas my fam was here to visit and my dad and Brie were teaching me some wrestling moves. Lincoln walks over to “Bampa” and lifts his shirt up to find his belly button (which is slightly bigger and more of an innie than his own). He proceeds to stick three of his fingers into my dads belly button, then get that glazed over tired look as he starts to suck his thumb. I guess it doesn't matter who the belly button belongs to. Haha!

Lincoln is also starting to mimick everything, which means that we double check our language now. Not that it was too bad before, but you know what I mean. It is so fun to talk to him and pretend that I know exactly what he’s talking about. The more I pretend to know what he’s saying, the more animated and enthusiastic he gets. His current list of words (that I can make out) include:

Mommy= “bobby” (sounds like mommy with a stuffy nose)

No= “Do!” (again, the stuffy nose sound)

“DADDY”…his most frequently used word, regardless if Dallas is in the room, house, or state of Oregon.

“Hi Zee”…dang cat

Ball=”Ba”

Milk please= “Mi ppeeeese”

Cheese

Banana= “Nana”

Grandpa= “Bampa”

Dog= “Dawwiie”

Water= “waaww”

Sugar= “uh..uh..peeeeaase (accompanied by sign language for please) uh…uh…”we all know this one…you know that annoying whiny uh…uh…that they would say “Gimmee Gimmee” if they could, with hands outstretched? Dislike.

Ashley= “Asheee”

Afton= “Asheee”

Ivan= “Iiiii”…that’s all so far

Brie= “Bwie”

Brookie= “Booiee”

Grandma= “Gamma”..if we’re lucky

Nana= “Nan”…if we’re lucky

Soft= “Saw”

Shoes= “Sooze”

Socks= “sauce”

More

All done= “Aww duh”

He says WAY more than this, but we just can’t understand it all…I’m sure he gets frustrated with how annoying it is that mommy just says the same thing over and over to him all the time and pretends to know what he’s talking about…I always think of that movie Look Who’s Talking and wonder what he really thinks about this whole thing called Life.

Lincoln does not walk, he runs EVERYWHERE. He frequently has bruises on his body. I do not beat him. Neither does Dallas. However, sometimes it would appear that way from the bruises on his forehead or cheeks from tables, concrete, kitchen floors and door frames.

We are currently in the “Lincoln please be soft” stage. He will hit the cat, or me, or something in general and then we say that phrase and he softly rubs whatever he hit…progress I suppose.

Sharing isn’t a strong suit, but we’re working on it. He likes to steal EVERYONE’s food or drink.

I keep thinking that every stage he goes through is the best one. I’m sure we will have our rough spots in the next couple of months as he approaches two, but I’ve been able to find the humor in things so far and don’t feel like I’m too much of a worrier. I don’t often indulge his tantrums (I usually video tape them instead). We are very blessed to have a happy and good natured boy. I told Dallas that when we decide to have another kid, we have got to brace ourselves just in case because he has sure maximized the joys of parenting and minimized the pain so far. I love being a mom. I couldn’t explain the amount of love or joy it brings to my life even if I tried. Oh Linc-man, mama looooooves you! Muah!!

See pics of Christmastime below. I stole them from Brooke's FB profile. Thanks sis.

Brookie and me.

Linc and "Bampa" starting the annual Christmas puzzle.

Skillz...mad skillz

Evidence that his sugar addiction does not come from me.

Just for fun!

Hot mamas!

The girls...and Linc

We indulged the kid on Christmas...he went to town on that candy cane.

Exhausted from doing absolutely nothing on Christmas.

Gramma hooked Lincoln up with a vacuum. We are domesticatin' this boy early!

Brookie coined this the Baywatch pose...how Linc prefers to have his jammies so he can reach his belly button.

Brie kicks butt on the womens wrestling team at DO, so I was asking her to show me some tricks. :)

Bonding.

Have a great year everyone!

Link and his belly button

The belly button obsession...

Tickling Link

Excuse my monkey cackle...just giving in to my evil urge to tickle my son. :)

Thoughts on the move...

Ok, indulge me here for a sec. As I was packing things up I found this in our office closet, which is like the catch all for everything that doesn’t have a place but I don’t want to throw away. I wrote this poem for Dallas for Valentine’s Day in 2004 about 6 months before we got married. Valentine’s Day on a poor college student budget had to breed some slight creativity…warning…it’s a bit cheesy, but we do cheesy things when we’re in love and that’s what makes it memorable… :)

However, I thought it interesting that the message totally applies to my experiences in life at the present moment in the midst of our move.

Surprises are a part of life, I’ve learned this to be true

When we think we’ve got life figured out

We are thrown something new.

And then, we begin to think

all our planning is for naught

But when we open up to change

there is so much we are taught.

When we don’t know what we’re missing,

it’s easy to assume

That whatever the surprise is, there just isn’t any room.

Then someone comes along in life

and takes you by surprise

And you’re willing to see the world

through someone else’s eyes.

It’s the first time that I’ve realized

this is what life’s all about

To live, learn, risk and love,

and maybe take a different route

Fears that were so evident before, seem so distant now

It’s amazing, but to explain it, I’m sure I don't know how

Sometimes words aren’t enough

to explain just how I feel

But I have no question in my mind,

that what this is, is real

Although so unexpected, I’m enjoying my surprise

That’s changed my perspective and my heart

and helped me realize

That sometimes when we least expect it,

we’re blessed with someone new

And I couldn’t be more grateful because my surprise was you!

A girl at church spoke today about gratitude and choosing how we feel about the things that occur in our lives. She’s 16. Impressive. It took me a lot longer to figure that out and the thing is…it’s a daily battle, but I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. I have gone back and forth with all of the natural feelings people have when a move is involved: Mourning for things that could have been, friends that will be sorely missed, all the girlfriends Lincoln might not get to have now, the beautiful green Oregon scenery, breakfast club workouts, and all that is yet to be learned from the amazing people in Newberg, Oregon…and all the friends in the surrounding areas of course.

I was kind of mad at first, I’ll be honest. Not at anyone or anything in particular. Just that kind of mad you get when you have your plan all set in place and ready to go and then some other plan pops up and you feel like, “Man just ignore it, life is good, we’re on our way to what we want…thanks, but no thanks!” Funny, because that exact phrase was how I felt when I started dating Dallas seriously. He totally came at what I thought at the time was the worst time EVER. My whole life plan was set…then BAM! Then between these unexpected experiences and the perspective we gain when it’s all over, the pendulum starts to swing…you know the thoughts… “Why the heck do I even plan if it’s going to get turned upside down in the end anyway?” Well since then and even now I know why. GROWTH. And the growth that takes place has so many avenues in which it can apply itself.

It’s easy to avoid pain…Don’t get your hopes up, because you might get disappointed. Don’t risk because you might lose or get hurt. Don’t hold on too tight because it will hurt too much when you let go. Don’t say what you think because someone might be offended or disagree with you. Don’t spend so much time planning because things will change. Don’t stay up too late having a meaningful conversation because you have work in the morning. Don’t set goals because you always have to reset them anyway. I’m sorry, but I call B.S. on it all!! No joke. We are here to LIVE our lives. Life is a journey. We are SUPPOSED to have crappy experiences AND amazing ones. One of my very first friends in college told me that sometimes you can’t really appreciate the joys in life until you’ve experienced those trials…and vice versa. It’s true. The spectrum of perspective is vast and great and all inclusive for sure.

Now, I don’t want to be misunderstood. Moving for me is not one of those “crappy experiences” I referred to. I just got off on a tangent, which is an often occurrence in my every day life…those of you that know me well know this about me. But I can always bring it back when I need to :) (which brings me to another tangent: one of my resolutions this year is to be more effective and concise in my communication, so maybe my next blog post will be shorter and sweeter and more to the point.) Back to moving…it really isn’t one of those experiences I’m chalking up on the “crappy” list. It’s just a plain and ordinary hard things most people experience. I think no matter what stage in life you are in, if you love people and make good memories, it’s hard to say goodbye. By the way, that word is lame. Goodbye. I don’t consider it goodbye. Especially with all the technology we have access to.

I’m grateful. Again. It always comes back to gratitude for me. It’s a cycle. My mom always says, “It’s hard to be grumpy when you’re grateful.” Tru dat sista. Dallas is gifted in many areas, and I’m so proud of the man he is and continues to become. Among many other things, he stays on top of the market for his skills and experience and seems to always be in the know about the important aspects of his work...hence the move and switch to his new company in CA. What I’m most grateful for though is prayer. Really. There have been so many thoughts, experiences large and small, and questions that I’ve had about the why’s and how’s of it all that I feel grateful to know that I have a Father in Heaven who listens. I don’t have to filter, edit, condense or sensor anything when I go to Him. I don’t have to fear imperfect judgment or worry about being misunderstood in my emotions and communication because He knows me. He knows my heart, my desires and my motives. In turn, He blesses me with answers I need when I need them. Most of all He blesses me with peace. Peace is crucial. Regardless of belief systems, peace is a universal quality that humankind strives to have...that homeostasis that provides a constant, stable condition in our lives. I have it. By the Grace of God I have it. And I’m grateful. When I have peace in my life, or strive to have peace in my life, I also have perspective. I don’t always have both, but this is what I strive for because I know that with peace and perspective that comes from a loving Father, any life experience…small or large, is always completely full of potential for more love, more joy and more happiness.