Congrats, Daddy!!

This weekend was Ty's graduation at SAU. He's totally and completely done with his MBA (Master's in Business Administration). I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. It isn't easy going back to school for further education, let alone doing it with 2 kids and a wife. He has worked so hard and he did so well. Now we're just praying that the perfect job, for him, will come about! He's been searching and searching and applying for hours on end...God sure has been shutting doors but we know that He will provide for our family as He always has! Anyways, good job Ty, we're so proud of you.

Ty, walking to his seat at the beginning of the commencement!

Ty and Ri

Ty and Lincoln

Ty and I--we don't get many pictures with just the two of us anymore :).


Family shot

Congrats Ty!! You're DONE!

We had a great time at the commencement--although it was two against one. The kids against myself. Keeping them (namely, Riley) occupied for 2 hours was a challenge but she did better than I had expected. I took books and snacks and toys to keep her busy and it did for about the first 45 minutes, then she got antsy. I took her to the back of the gym and let her run around while Lincoln was satisfied in the Baby Bjorn. I couldn't expect that she'd sit still for 2 hours, but she did very well! Although, I was exhausted by the time the ceremony was over!

I'm behind...

...in my posting because we've been sick for the past week. We're all better now, but it was rough for about a week and a half. It's a long story, but to give the shortened version, Riley had the norovirus (the same virus that shut down Hope's campus) and Lincoln and I had Hand, Foot, Mouth disease. Yes, even I had it--thank you Lincoln for passing it my way.

Riley was a little bit sick last weekend when we had gone to see my dad's side of the family--well, I knew she was really sick when she threw up in the car much of the way home. GROSS! I took her to the dr. Monday, Lincoln got shots Tuesday, Tuesday night he woke up at 4 am with a 104.1 fever. I called urgent care and they said if it got to 105 to bring him to the ER. It didn't, thankfully! I took him back to the dr. on Wed. and Thursday. We were at the dr. 4 days in a row--NOT FUN! Lincoln was probably the most sick out of all of us, but I had the virus the worst (so the doc. said). Anyways, we're back in the swing of things...

Oh and did I mention that Ty didn't get sick--I find it very unfair that I get EVERYTHING the kids have and he doesn't even get a cough :) (although I'm glad I didn't have to take care of a sick hubby too :)). So scroll down to catch up with us...

Yummmm....(Lincoln's 1st food)

Well, it's back in the kitchen for me...making baby food! I love doing it, but it is much more difficult when you've got 2 kids--at least finding the time to do it with 2 kids is more difficult. Anyways, I made Lincoln's frist baby food--sweet potatoes and he LOVED them. As you can see in the video, he dn't even bat an eye; he just scarfed his sweet potatoes down. He was so excited to eat I could barely get it in his mouth--he kept kicking his legs! By night #2 of baby food he was eating the equivilent of a stage 2 jar! He loves his food.

Lincoln @ 6 months

Here is my little guy at 6 months old:

A half a year old already??? Oh my goodness the time has flown by. At his 6 month check up he weighed 17 lbs. 3 oz. (50th %ile) and was 26 3/4 inches (60th %ile). As people have commented (Kelli :)), he is definitely starting to look more and more like Ty each day...and I thought maybe I'd have one that looked like me, I guess I was wrong.

He is attempting to sit on his own and if he's looking up at me he does really well, but he's still pretty wobbly. I have to remind myself that 1. he is a boy and 2. he is not Riley. I am so tempted to compare the two of them as far as reaching their milestone, but know both will do things at their own pace. Riley was sitting by 5 1/2 months and crawling at 7 and I just don't think Lincoln will be quite as quick--which, frankly, is fine by me :). I'm just thankful he's such a happy and healthy baby.

9 times out of 10 he's got a smile on his face. Sometimes I forget he's in the room with me because he just never cries! He's sleeping through the night for the most part, he has his night where he wakes up, but when he does I try not to feed him. He also had his first taste of real food--sweet potatoes, which he LOVES. More on that to come...

Right after his sixth month apt. Lincoln got really sick, what I would call his first time "getting sick". He had the hand, foot, mouth disease. Poor baby was so sick. I felt horrible for him, but he bounced back quickly.

Matching!

Like Papa, like Grandson???

My dad and Lincoln in their matching winter hats :).

Pumping!

Don't worry, this video is NOT of me :)! Just of Riley, being Riley. She's so observant and I've noticed a lot lately that she copies my every move and every word (I really have to watch what I say). This morning was no exception. I was changing Lincoln's diaper and I heard the noise from the kitchen and I snuck up on her with our video camera... What was she doing, you ask?? She was pumping!! She had even lifted up her shirt! It was just too funny.

I just couldn't resist putting this embarrassing video up :).

Kalamazoo kids museum

Last Friday, I took Riley and Lincoln to the kids museum here in Kzoo. We had never been there before, but we were meeting our MOPs group there. We had so much fun, once we found the place. I suck at directions and finding things, which is why Ty always drives, but he was working so it was up to me. I definitely got lost and turned down the wrong way on a one-way road--twice! YIKES. The worst part was my cell phone died when I tried calling and getting directions! But we found it, nonetheless, and had a blast.

Right before we left, Riley was being so loving to Lincoln. She was kissing and hugging and caressing his head.

Riley didn't want to look at me for a picture, but I got her anyways :).

As I said our MOPs group was meeting at the museum, but the only ones that showed up were my friend Molly and one of her two boys, and me with Riley and Lincoln. That's alright though, Riley and Evan had a blast and played so nicely together.

Evan driving Riley in the school bus!

LET US OUT!!

It was too cute, Riley and Evan held hands everywhere they went!

Good Morning!

This morning I FINALLY got Riley "eating" her cereal on video. She's been doing this since she started eating real cereal. It cracks me up...she must watch Ty eat his cereal too often. When she's done she always says "more milk momma", I secretly have the milk next to me so I don't have to get up 10 times :). Both kids are usually so happy in the morning, it is one of my favorite times to spend with them.

Another loooong day...

Yesterday was probably one of the longest days of my life, for a few reasons: 1. Ty worked from 6 am until 7 pm. 2. Riley and 3. Lincoln :). I seem to be having a lot of long days lately!!

The morning started off rough, Lincoln was up at 5 and Ri was up at 6 (time change has really messed them up). I decided to take a shower while Riley watched Sesame Street at 10 because she rarely moves from the t.v. I took Lincoln into the bathroom with me in his bouncer. I came out after 5 minutes, literally, and didn't see Riley. I thought that was weird, so I started walking to her room but as I passed the kitchen I saw her sitting on the floor with the cake that I had just made. She had taken the Bumbo seat to the counter and grabbed the cake, the whole thing, off the counter onto the floor where she could devour it. So, it was 1/2 gone and 1/2 on the floor. I was not happy...(it was awfully funny, but I didn't want her to know I thought so :)). Here's the leftovers:

The left over cake...

Then, in the afternoon after a LONG day at the mall (Ri was so crabby and tired) I came home and put her down for a nap. She hasn't been wanting to take naps lately and she always takes her diaper off when she does, it's so frustrating! So after about an hour of her playing in her crib, I peeked in to check on her and sure enough, she was bare-bottomed. Well, what I didn't know was that she had pooped and thrown her diaper at the wall with the poop in it. There was poop on the carpet, on the wall, on her dress, her sheet, etc. You get the picture. So I spent 20 minutes cleaning up and lysoling her toys and the wall--GROSS.

Poopy diaper (don't mind the mess...I'm referring to the toys :)).

It seemed like things like that went on ALL day. I'm glad that Ty's taking the kids tonight and I'm doing something with a friend :)...

Trick-or-Treat!

Well, we had a great weekend, full of festivities. Friday, for Halloween, we got the kids all dressed up and went to downtown Richland where they were having a "fall fest" in the town square. There were lots of games and a petting zoo and "trick or treating"...the kids had a lot of fun, but it was definitely for kids that were a little older (ages 5 or 6 probably). It was a beautiful day to go out, we debated taking them at all if it were cold, but it was SO nice that we just had to get out.

Finally sitting still for 2 seconds...I love tutus on her...makes her look so girly!

My little ladybug and monkey!

I call Lincoln "my chunky monkey", so this outfit was very appropriate!

My little Monkey's 1st Halloween!!

After we went to Richland, we went to our church for Trunk or Treating. It was a lot of fun and people definitely get creative with their trunks! Lincoln had fallen asleep by the time we got there, but Riley, Ty and I enjoyed going around getting candy, eating hot dogs and drinking apple cider!

Mr. Independent had to hold his own bucket! :)

Daddy and Ri going trunk or treating!

Riley is definitely at the age where she won't sit still for anything. We tried to get some good pictures of her, but she bounces off the walls so it's becoming increasingly more difficult to get good pics of her just sitting there smiling. Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep her bangs (that I'm trying to grow out) out of her eyes?? Her hair is SO thin that hair bows and hairspray doesn't work!!