Welcome 2014

2013 was such a good year! It was almost the whole first life of my first born! Every day brought something new. Lincoln learned to sit up, crawl, walk, start talking, eat food, everything. Chases graduation, an awesome trip to San Diego, an awesome trip to Disneyland. What an awesome year. I am so excited for 2014 and the changes that it will bring! We don't have much planned so far but I know it will be good. Lincoln will turn two this year! Chase will graduate again! With a masters degree! I am really looking forward to this year!!! (can you tell?)

We rang in the New Year the most perfect way. With most of our closest friends eating food and playing games. Not much has changed in the last (almost) ten years we've known each other and that is just the way I like it. It's good to know that when it seems like everything it's changing and undecided and no matter how far apart we are at times or how long we go without taking it all falls right back in to place when we get back together. I love these people and I love that they love Link and didn't mind that he wanted to stay up till midnight (or 2:00 am) with us!

Don't ask my why he loves Steen so much. But it is so cute!

And he doesn't hate Stephen anymore!

A couple of my resolutions are:

To read the Book of Mormon all the way through (and strive for daily reading)

Get healthy/lose weight. I'm limiting myself to only having sugar treats (cake candy cookies soda ice cream) on the weekends.

Christmas 2013

Christmas was SO good this year. Mostly because we got to talk to Elder David Petersen on Christmas Eve!!! On Skype for like over an hour all the way from the Philippines! It was really good. He is loving his mission and doesn't even hardly miss us. He loved watching Lincoln run around in the background of the video. It was funny because there were just chickens cock-a-doodling in the back ground nonstop and he was just used to it and didn't notice.

Before the Skype call we went to dinner with Nonna for Christmas Eve at Bonsai. Lincoln loved watching the hibachi chef and all the fire. 

On Christmas morning I had to wake Lincoln up early at 8:30 (he usually sleeps in until 10) because I was so excited that it was Christmas Day! Santa brought Lincoln a few things including his superman chair that makes him look like such a big kid.

Oh my mom got me these FRYE boots! WHAT!? Dream come true. Best mom ever. 

And she got Lincoln this Zelda blanket and Link doll. He was pretty happy about it.

And Nonna came over for a delicious prime rib my dad cooked. (One of four prime ribs we are that week. Yum)

Jenelle got Link this huge orca inflatable pool toy. He thinks it awesome and loves riding it around the house. 

A few days before Christmas we made ginger bread houses. It was really fun and mine might have turned out the best. Depending on who you ask. So of you are asking me, yeah mine was the best!

Link really likes laying under the tree and looking at the lights. 

A few days after Christmas we did friends gift exchange! It as fun as always and we were lucky to have Joe in town with us!! But we had to say goodbye to the Jones' that night. It was fun to have everyone together again for a night though.

Christmas Jammies anyone?

A couple days after Christmas my BFF Britni came to visit us! It was beyond awesome to see her!

I of course didn't take enough pictures of Christmas Day. Chase surprised me by taking Jenelle shopping with him and picking out a ton of cute clothes for me! It was awesome. And Chases parents spoiled us too. I got some awesome clothes and Chase got a new video card for his computer. Oh and Link got this slide and toys and clothes and everything a one year old could ever want. Thanks to both our families for so many great gifts!!

It was so good to talk to David and have him remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. It has been such a blessing having a missionary. 

Lincoln: One Year

Lincoln is one year old and what an awesome year it's been. We love our little guy so much. He is walking everywhere and getting fast too. He never crawls anymore. He says things like hi, mom, dad, mama, dada, baba, and yum. 

He eats anything and everything. He loves bananas and eats them whole in about 30 seconds. He loves yogurt and apples. He loves to slurp any kind of noodles. He also still likes eggs, meat and cheese, graham crackers and loves celery.

When we went to the doctor for his one year check up he was 30 1/2 inches tall and weighed 23 pounds. He certainly has leaned out since he has started walking so much. Other than that the doctor said he perfectly completed a pre autism screening. The doctor would point around the room and Link would look at what he pointed to without being told "look". So that's good. But he had a cold for a few days before the appointment so there was fluid in his ears. It was starting to get cloudy so we decided to start him on the antibiotic before he started feeling the pain. The doctor though it was great how well he can walk and how interested he was in the things in the office. He's a perfect baby. Then he had to have four shots and the girl was SLOW. But by the time she got the band aids on he was done crying. He is a tough kid. 

He loves to read books and be read to. He loves all his new toys he got for his birthday. He got a snoopy that sings and dances for Uncle Matt and he loves to give that snoopy kisses. It's so cute. He just learned how to let Goldie out of her kennel and he thinks that's pretty funny. And he also loves to turn off Chases computer which drives Chase nuts.

He has five teeth. 2 on top 3 on bottom. They are so cute and make him look so big. He always sits with his legs or ankles crossed. He hates wearing socks and shoes. Oh and I stopped nursing him. It's been three days and it's getting easier. He gets sad at night but it's getting better day by day. It makes me sad too because now he really isn't a baby anymore. We love our Link so so so much. He is the happiest baby and we are so lucky he is ours.

Lincoln's First Birthday!

My baby is one. My baby is one. I just can't believe it. We had a party with tons of family and friends on Sunday eventing. I made soup and cake and everyone ate while Link and I opened SO many gifts. All the kids had fun playing with the new toys. Link had a ton of fun and ate two cup cakes in the blink of an eye (he knows how to eat people.) I hope everyone had fun! Thanks for coming everyone! 

Dressed as a knight playing in his castle from Aunt Jenelle

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINCOLN JAMES! 

We love you so much! 

Thanksgiving

All I have from thanksgiving is these few pictures my mom took and a couple selfies. Woops. Too busy cooking I guess. We were able to go down to springville with Chases family again for first thanksgiving. Chases grandma said we had 27/29 family members there. What a great turn out. I'm glad we were able to make it. Everyone loved seeing how Link just walks all over and gets in to everything. 

Afterwards we made it back home to have a quiet dinner with my family and we replaced David with Trent. We made pie and rolls and deviled eggs and cranberries and slush and two turkeys (for the leftovers of course) and mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing and yams and fresh green beans and...and well I think that's it haha. It was a great day.

Chase kept saying how it was Lincoln's last "first" holiday. So I had to get him one last "first" holiday outfit and pretend he was still a baby for one last day. His birthday was Black Friday so all day on thanksgiving I was just trying to keep him a baby for just at least that one more day. He is growing up TOO fast. 

Some things I am thankful for:

Chase of course. He is so hard working and I love him so much. He always works his hardest. Always. He is so loving to Link and it really the best dad. He changes diapers and gives him showers. He feeds him and reads to him and sings him to sleep every night. He is so proud of him. He also takes the time to take care of me when he can. 

Lincoln. He brings me so much joy and happiness. I can't imagine how I lives 24 years without him. He feels like he has always been a part of our family. He is growing and thriving and is truly the best baby. He hardly ever cries and even when he gets hurt he only cries for a second and doesn't carry on about it. He is a great sleeper and great eater. We love him so so so much.

The gospel. Even though I haven't been to relief society since I've been married and even though we might only make it through sacrament meeting the gospel is strong in our lives and we are strong in the gospel. Ever since David left on his mission I have had a heightened sense of awareness for just how often we are blessed. I love this church and I know it's true. 

Speaking if that.

David. I am so thankful for my brothers willingness to serve. He is already changing and being molded by The Lord and it is so amazing to see. We are feeling the blessings already and I really have gained a testimony if how much The Lord love his missionaries. Every short coming that David had The Lord has taken care if. David dove into this mission with a leap of faith that he would give it his all and The Lord really had made up the difference. It amazing that we can all do that with anything in our lives.

Our health. We are so blessed to be so healthy. So many people around is just aren't. They don't get to have that basic need of just being healthy. I am thankful that Chase and I are both healthy and that Link rarely gets sick. I think he has had maybe 3 colds in his life. And only one of those came with a high fever... Just truly so blessed.

Family and friends. We are so thankful to be able to be near them. We don't know where this life will take us but for now we are trying to make the best of this time where we are near family and good friends. It is so rare to have a group of friends that are all doing the right thing. We are so thankful for their food influences on us and their love for Lincoln. 

I have so much to be thankful for and I love this time of year for helping me realize it. 

Welcome Santa

Jenelle had the idea to go to Santas Magical Rooftop Landing at City Creek this year. Santa magically appeared (with our glow sticks to guide him) from a cloud of smoke on too of the mall. Then be magically jumped to the top of a different building then finally apprared in front of us and we all sang some cristmas carols. It was fun and it will be fun to go again. It's kind of funny how so often I find myself trying so hard to cherish this time where Link is a baby but then just as often I can't wait to see him grow and become his own person. 

Christmas is officially on its way!!!

Baby's First Halloween

It was a fun Halloween! So much more fun when you have a kid even if he is only 11 months. Jenelle and I took him out trick or treating and he had fun. He started to understand that people were giving out candy and he would take his time picking one from each bowl he came across. He got to eat a lolly pop and was crazy for it. We went to a fun Halloween party as duck dynasty people and saw some good friends and that was awesome. And we made a Halloween ginger bread house! Pretty fun October!

Duck hunters.

Tootsie pop addict.

Testing everything 

Me on the left/link on the right.

So crafty.