We recently got a new flip video camera and took some fun clips of Lincoln. So, enjoy...
Lincoln, pretending to be asleep. Listen closely for the snoring sounds.
...since we updated this blog. So, I thought, at the very least I would post some recent pictures of Lincoln. This way, those who care can see how big he is getting.
Lincoln runs everywhere...
He runs to you...
He runs away from you ...
Sometimes he stops to check things out.
Or to tell you something....
He is very inquisitive and is really starting the jabber. Some of the words one can recognize are: mom, dad, CAR (he LOVES cars), juice, shoes (sometimes indistinguishable from juice), Mater, snack, milk, ball, button, sock, and I'm sure there are more. He likes to dance around and is pretty good at it (we'll get some video posted). He is so much fun. We could talk about him forever and think he's the best kid ever.
**I should add that these pictures were taken by a friend of Kelli's who is an amateur photographer. She does a great job. People local to the Huntsville area should check her out.
I've been hearing a lot about e-mealz and other resources that provide you with a weekly menu and shopping list. I love the idea! The problem is that after we (Tyler and I) both get home from a full day's work, the last thing we want to do is spend 40 minutes "whipping up a quick dinner." We have our old stand-bys (like tacos), but I really want to make an effort to add some variety to our meals AND make them a little bit healthier. I'm thinking the way that would work best for our family would be crock-pot meals. I would love to throw 5 ingredients (give or take, but no more than 10 minutes worth) in the crock pot in the morning and come home to a delectable smell and ready-to-serve meal .
Pretty much all I have in my crock-pot repertoire is black beans and taco soup. And those are blah by about try 3. I'm intrigued by this book, but they don't have it at my library, and I've had a bad experience buying a cookbook without looking at it.
I think that A Year of Slow Cooking, among other blogs, could be a good resource, but I'm really looking for recipes I can (quickly) throw in the pot on low in the morning and then be done with it.
Do you guys have any books or websites you'd recommend? I'm seriously considering compiling recipes and making this the subject of my e-book goal (#15), but I hate to reinvent the wheel. Any suggestions are very appreciated!
...But not as much as you, you see.
Happy Father's Day, Sweetheart. I couldn't ask for a better eternal companion. You're my rock and my anchor in the storms of life. I love you.
He went in to the office and walked out carrying this. Trying to get something out of it. An empty IBC root beer bottle. I literally ran around the house trying to find my camera to get a picture of this. Classic Lincoln.
Last week we went out to Utah to attend a friend's wedding. I'll give more detail in a later post. We were running late when we drove up, so Tyler stayed outside with Lincoln while I almost ran to slip in at the last minute. Luckily I made it, but Tyler had some time to kill. I was pretty bad about taking any pictures (I didn't even get one with Mardee!) on the trip, but at least Tyler got this one of Lincoln:
He's standing (and by "standing," I mean "sitting") at almost the exact spot we were standing on when this picture was taken 2 1/2 years ago.
It's crazy how quickly things change.
We LOVE the sugar cookies at Target. If you don't know what I'm talking about just from that statement, send me an email. Cause we need to talk.
So here's a warning for all you other sugar cookie lovers. When you see a box of mini sugar cookies that looks like this:
...and after you go through the initial horror of "what did they DO?!" you approach them a little closer and realize they used food coloring and sprinkles to make them look like little watermelons! Cute, right? And food coloring doesn't have as strong a taste as it used to, so you think, "hey, they're sugar cookies! What could go wrong? Let's give it a try."
Mistake! They also added flavoring! I am talking back-to-third-grade watermelon bubblicious taste! Yuck. That taste belongs only in bubblicious. I think the whole rest of the carton will end up in the trash. I didn't even finish the one I took a bite of. Moral of the story - stick to cookies that are cookie-colored (and flavored). And if you want to do a fun watermelon dessert (which I FULLY support), I have a great low-fat cake recipe that was a hit at a Relief Society event a few years ago. The trick is to have it look, not taste, like watermelon. Thank you. This has been deep thoughts by Kelli Williams.
Crunch Time! March for Babies is THIS Saturday! Some background information in case you can't remember the details from last year - I've thankfully never needed the services that March of Dimes is committed to, but when Lincoln was born over a year ago, it was the end of a VERY rough pregnancy. I had preeclampsia for the last month of my pregnancy, so Lincoln had to come 4 weeks early. We felt SO blessed that he was healthy enough not to spend more than a 4-hour transition in the NICU, but I felt the immediacy of how many things could have gone wrong. It really opened my eyes. And I simply can't do much to help those families and babies who aren't as lucky, but I CAN walk a few miles (that's a blessing as well, come to think of it) for such a wonderful cause.
A few weeks ago I started toying with the idea of doing a giveaway on my craft blog in which you could get one entry for every dollar donated to help me reach my goal. But it doesn't quite seem right to try to make people buy into a cause, so I kept putting it off and putting it off. Now it's the eleventh hour, so this is the compromise I've arrived at: while I'll almost certainly do a giveaway one of these days, if I meet my March of Dimes goal, I commit to hosting a giveaway by the end of May. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait patiently :) (and don't worry, when I do, I'll post a note here to go check out the other blog). So, if you feel like this is a cause you'd like to support but you weren't sure how to, here's an easy way! Just click on my March for Babies link to the right -------> and donate however much you feel you can. I won't publish names or amounts; you have the option to leave a comment when you make the donation, though.
If you can post about this and get the wider blog world aware, that would be fantastic, too! Maybe other people can find someone they know who is walking that they can support. I also think the walks are at different times in different cities, so it's never too late to support this cause. The important thing is for the donations to get to the right place! Thanks! :)
Also, check to see if your company can match your donations. Mine does, so if yours doesn't and you want to see your donation go further, get me your info to make the donation in my name so my company can match it.
Enough babbling. I'd really appreciate y'all's support. Thanks!
For those that find the title a little cryptic, I'll fill you in. Last fall, I mentioned on my facebook status that I had planted over 100 bulbs around our house. When questioned, I said most were daffodils and I couldn't remember the name of the others (they came in a box together). Les, who knows WAY more about plants than I ever even aspire to, really wanted to help me figure it out. Or maybe she's a little OCD like the rest of us, and it bothered her, too. I don't know. Either way, HERE is the plant, Les!
What IS it? And PLEASE tell me it gets bigger? Cause our house is small, but not small enough that all these tiny little dwarf flowers don't look ridiculous. (For those that have trouble following a double negative - the house looks ridiculous with all these dwarf flowers!) Maybe the hostas will save us. If I planted them correctly...
That's right, kids, we headed over to downtown Huntsville, so we could do a photoshoot at the corner of Lincoln and Williams. I was hoping to get a decent picture of him with the streetsign in the background and his cute smile on his face, but man that kid was NOT in a smiling mood. And he really just wanted to watch the cars. It took him a little while to warm up to my friend Natalie who took the pictures for us. But how cute is this, really?
And, then, like I said, he just wanted to look at the cars.
But we still got some cute shots, and you can see them all in Natalie's facebook album here. Check back again in a few days because she told me she's still planning to put some more up. Yay! Thanks, Natalie!
The bulbs I planted last fall are blooming! I feel like such a success. But is it possible I got dwarf daffodils? These things are tiny, and all the others in the neighborhood are large and gorgeous. Do they bloom later their first year?
No sign yet of the hostas and the other whatchacallit-flowers (I seriously can't remember the name), but I'll keep y'all posted. Cause I know you're dying for updates on our landscaping.
I'll post some cute pics of Lincoln soon, cause let's be honest, that's why y'all are here. We've got some good ones, trust me. We've also added a few on facebook, so check the albums More Lincoln, Lincoln 2010 vol.1, and the mobile uploads (which I'll add right now) on the side ----> and let me know if you can't access them. :)
I really need to be better about keeping this up-to-date with some Lincoln stories. I'm SO that mom who when asked how her weekend was, says, "Oh, it was ok... Lincoln did the cutest thing!..." and then I'm off. I'll try to be better about doing that on the blog, as well.
So, these are some of his latest tricks (and treats):
He learned how to clap just the other day, and he thinks it is the funniest thing. He was sitting on Tyler's shoulders at the ward activity on Friday night and started clapping while he was watching people dancing. It was adorable! I tried to get a pic or video, but nada. I think that's the first time he spontaneously clapped. We've been trying to teach him for a while, so success was felt all around.
We also taught him how to "give 5," but he's not much of a performer so we can't show anybody! It's really cute, though. We say, "Can you give me 5?" and hold up our hand and he just starts slappin' 5s!
He's learned what "no" means, so now when he sees cords, for instance, he solemnly shakes his head and says "no no." He also does this when he gets to about the second step on the staircase at my in-laws.
He is VERY independent. He's all about finger foods. If we try to hold out a cheerio to put in his mouth, he leans his head back and reaches out to take the cheerio from us to put it in his mouth by himself. Some of his favorite foods right now are bananas, peas, carrots, corn, pears, goldfish crackers, graham crackers, teddy grahams, and cheerios. He also loves the little gerber graduates meat sticks. And he loves anything sweet or anything, at all, that you are trying to eat.
He's learning to drink from a straw, but sometimes he gets too much in his mouth, doesn't know what to do with it, and lets it just run out down his chin. So drinks get kind of messy. He's getting better though. He had his first kids meal at Wendy's on Saturday, and he really liked the chocolate milk. But we didn't have a bib for him, so we had to remind him to swallow and take the straw out of his mouth. I think he's been doing much better since then.
At the doctor's the other week he got his first series of 12-month shots. As a reward, the nurse offered him a sucker. He'd never had one before, but oh my word, he LOVED it! And he looked SO smug about it. I love that something so simple can bring such joy. I have a lot to learn from my little guy.
I already blogged about his obsession with diet mt. dew that he got from us, but seriously all the kid needs for hours of enjoyment is an empty soda can. I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself one of these days, but it's a losing battle to try to keep them away from him.
About three weeks before he turned one, he starting pitching a HUGE fit every time we put him in his car seat. We were confident that the next three weeks would be terrible until we could turn his car-seat around. But then he figured out that he could see his "friend" in the mirror on the headrest (that we use to see his face in our rear-view mirror), and he started getting this huge grin when we would put him in his seat! It still hasn't lost it's appeal, but we're wondering if this narcissistic impulse should be encouraged or not? It's so adorable, though. He even took his first series of steps toward the mirror! (One's been on the floor lately because of our flooring project.)
He LOVES shoes. We're not sure what it is about them, but he makes a beeline for the foyer and the shoes that are neatly stacked there... until he pulls them ALL down. I think part of it is the laces (remember he loves cords, too, that's why he's learned "no").
He is ALWAYS on the go. That's why I love this last of our monthly pics with the elephant:
We could NOT get him to hold still.
Which is about as funny as his 11-month pic where we could only get him to hold still if we let him hang on to a mt. dew can:
And finally, the kid is stinkin' cute in hats. At the store on Saturday we were trying a bunch of hats on him and admiring him. At first, he pulled them off, but we think that once he caught on that we were an appreciative audience, he was more willing to pose.
I think that's all for today. If I can manage these more frequently, the next updates won't be quite so long!
If you follow my other blog, you may have seen that I'm participating in the Felt House-A-Long that Fireflies and Jellybeans is hosting. We're just starting week 1 (so if you want to do this with me, jump on the bandwagon!) which is Planning and Supplies. She has a great list of inspiration, but after starting my "sketches," I'm kind of at a loss. I'm wanting to do something fairly gender neutral so that any future female siblings aren't left out of the fun. Which means I want it to be easily modified, as well. For instance, I like the idea of window boxes, but right now they'll just have greenery - maybe later I'll add flowers. 
So I've gotten this far, and now I'm stumped. It's kind of blah. Click on the image to see it enlarged if you need. Do you guys have any thoughts or advice? We're brainstorming here - no bad ideas. I don't know that I like having the SAME window on both sides, but I do like the idea of windows. I'll probably make fruit for the tree - It's just not on the sketch. And don't worry, the "leaves" on the tree will look MUCH better.
Does the portico over the front door look like a portico or just some random shape? Circular window on the front of the house - yes or no? One of the inspiration houses had a cute half-circle window in the door, so maybe a window in the door would be better? The back is BORING - what could I add that would reasonably be on a house? What else could I put on the sides? Does the grass look like it could be grass, or should I try for bushes or something?
I'm not wanting to make something super-intricate, so some general ideas to get the creative juices flowing would be MUCH appreciated.
Yesterday - Lincoln took his first step.
Tomorrow - Lincoln turns 1.
Where has the time gone?
I don't think I've mentioned on this blog that I started another blog as well. It's more dedicated to craftiness (sewing, quilting, decor, clothing, whatever) than this one. Despite some posts, I do try to keep this blog more about our family (and by "our family," I mean "Lincoln") than about me and my hobbies. I mention this because I get a LOT more hits on this blog than the other one, and I'd appreciate if some of you with crafty inclinations would blog-walk on over and give me some feedback (here or there or an email. whatever.). I'm still getting a feel for it, and trying to balance the crafting with the family and the full-time job, but I'd love some feedback on things you might like to see over there and any hints for how I might be able to break that blog out into the bigger crafty blogosphere. I really do appreciate you reading my ramblings - I feel so loved when I get comments. :)
Am I the only person in the world who likes to coordinate their kitchen soaps with their color scheme? I don't think so. Am I the only person who has a green kitchen? Again, I don't think so. And I LOVED the green tropical passionfruit soap from Bath and Body Works. Past tense. LovED. Because now it's pink. 
And I love pink (weird since I had a love/hate relationship with it until I found out I was preggo with a boy), but I don't want to start over on a pink kitchen. So now I have to start over on finding a kitchen soap I can love.
I love boots, but I have a tough time finding the right pair and then figuring out how to wear them correctly. Lately, inspired by my trip to Utah for Christmas and the realization that boots are SO in, I've been looking for a black pair. I scored these beauties on Saturday. (Which cost just about as much as I saved with my first major foray into couponing. Does buying them defeat the purpose? No, I think that IS the purpose.) The big question, though - what to wear them with? Jean skirt and jersey shirt? Black skirt and button-down? It's just too much. Thoughts?
I ALWAYS jump on the bandwagon late. This was true for capris, those large pearl necklaces with a satin lace tie in the back, pilates, blogging, and a whole host of other things. It's advantageous because things are cheaper then, but it means I'm constantly behind-the-times. I'm ok with that, though. (Side note: ironically, sometimes I jump on first and start the trend, but never get credit. I'm not bitter. But vinyl, for instance? I was in the first wave, promise. Due in part (or entirely) to a Christmas present from my BFF in Auburn. Oh, and the random coloring-strands-of-your-hair-with-highlighters back in the seventh grade? All me.)
But back to the topic at hand.
Everyone's blogging about couponing these days. I tried SEVERAL times a few years ago, and it never seemed to work. I kid you not. They'd forget to scan the coupons or some other bizarre occurrence, and I was left to either be That Customer, or say no prob and try another day. I figured 3 times meant it wasn't for me. But now I've decided to try again. I've had luck with coupons for baby formula and the target coupons, so maybe the stars have aligned better for me now.
So, the point. I know there are TONS of sites where you can go print coupons, and I'm wondering what your favorites are? I want to have that feeling of success of spending only $70 for $200 worth of groceries. And so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Late. Again.
I love seeing Lincoln explore and discover the world. Who but a child gets such joy from drinking out of a cup? And spilling water on himself (and the rug) while doing it?
We're signing up to walk in the 2010 North Alabama Start! Heart Walk on February 20, 2010. Tyler's sister Angela organized a team to support her father-in-law, who has had 2 heart attacks in recent months. We think this is a great cause to support, and we would appreciate any donations you could make to the American Heart Association for this walk. This link takes you to Kelli's donations page, and we'll add a link to Tyler's later.
On a side note, I sent out a bulk email with this link and got a lot of "undeliverable" messages. A good bulk email once in a blue moon is very effective for updating one's contact list...
I had a spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin, so I tried this super easy recipe the other night. They were SO good! Now this whole week I've been wishing the weather was better, so I could brave the store and buy more to make another batch or two (or three...).
Here's a fun story for you of how Diet Mt. Dew brought Tyler and I together. We officially "met" at a young adult conference here in Huntsville. We were introduced at the dance on Friday night, we both went with the group going to Waffle House afterward because the other one was going. I got there late and ended up sitting at the end of the table with my knee pressed against Tyler's. I was twitterpated shortly thereafter. Moving on.
We had shown up for the classes Saturday morning and kind of gravitated toward each other, but we didn't really know each other too well yet and therefor didn't want to assume anything. When we broke for lunch, my friends and I got there first and Tyler was a few people behind us in line. We went through and I got some Diet Mt. Dew (note: this is slightly unusual at an LDS function. I was grateful.). We were sitting down by the time Tyler went through the line, and like I said, we were still getting to know each other. So, Tyler said he was going to just bring the 2-liter bottle of Diet Mt. Dew to his seat (I'm not sure how it was possible for this conversation to be casual, but trust me, it was), and I said that he was only allowed to do that if he came and sat by me.
That's right, friends. I was a brazen hussy. But Diet Mt. Dew provided the means, and I tell you all this story to illustrate just how fundamental Diet Mt. Dew is to our relationship and to justify the following picture.
He comes by it honestly. Mom and Dad (Me! and Tyler! How are WE Mom and Dad?) drink these ALL THE TIME. They must be good. (The can is empty. We're not total loons.)
You read right, my friends. Tyler and I decided to make ONE new year's resolution. We're going to drink 8 glasses of water a day. That's it. That's the resolution.
But, I've decided to play a game as well. Steph over at Somewhat Simple has created the Feeling Fabulous Challenge. I have no illusions that I'll win, but I like that there are identifiable activities I can do each day for which I can award myself points for the week. I might even go buy some gold stickers. One of the goals she lists is "no sweets, soda, or fast food." I just drew a line straight through that. No way I'm even trying. But "drink 64 ounces of water"? That was my new year's resolution! I'll rock it! "No TV"? Probably another line. But "finish a craft..."? Now she's talking my language. Check it out and play with me if you'd like.
I've decided that this year I'm just going to try to establish better habits. Hence only one defined goal. "Exercise more" is too ephemeral. But "get a point for each day you exercise for 30 minutes"? That I can visualize.
