Running in Circles...Rolling on the Ground

4 Months Old

2012-02-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

How cute is this?

Yes I'm totally bias, but come on! He's irresistibly cute. I cannot stop kissing that little face.

We were weighed, measured, and medicated yesterday and today...SO HAPPY. Those immunizations never seem to bother Bridge. I've never once had to give him Tylenol, so far. He's one tough cookie.

15 lb. 8.8 oz.

25.5 in.

43 cm

Bridger is such a sweet heart. He smiles every time he gets your attention, followed by a high pitched squeal. He loves laughing and really loves hugs and kisses. Bridger is very mindful of his older brothers. He watches their every move and some time giggles at the silly faces they make at him. Bridger loves his hands...

If he's not batting at a toy hanging down in front of him, those hands make their way into that big mouth. He's getting really good at grabbing toys and almost getting them in his mouth. But what he does best is make everyone smile and laugh...http://youtu.be/G5gPZcArGd0.

It's so fun to see how fast he is growing and how interactive he's becoming. I can no longer just put him in a corner to and let him observe what's happening. He know wants to be apart of the action. Now, I truly do have THREE to take care of.

Sooo Big

Always happy

And the fun NEVER ends...

2012-02-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

I thought we were in the clear from vomit, but Lincoln threw up again Monday night twice and began having diarrea. Most likely he vomited from all the milk I let him drink that day. Yeah, I know. Way to go mommy! In my defense, the hospital cleared him to have milk and I was the walking dead Monday. My brain was very slow to process or assess situations clearly.

So all day Tuesday Lincoln had diarrea. Poor boy. We had him on a very strict BRAT diet and I bribed him with Pixar Short Films to keep drinking Pedialyte...it worked. Plus, I would give him popsicles too. It was so sad. One time he popped he was standing by the front door and started to whine. I quickly can to see what was wrong: "What's wrong Lincoln?" L: "I pop!" Me: "Oh, okay. Should we change you?" L: "Okay." So sad and sure gross. I called his doctor to let her know what was going on and we have an appointment set up for today, Wednesday.

So on to today - Wednesday - Emerson, as usual comes into our room at 7 am letting us know, "Um, I think the sun is up and that means it's time to get up!" Okay, Em. If it's time to get up you know what you should do first...go potty. Spencer brought Bridger into our bed so I could feed him and laid back down into bed. Lincoln was still asleep since he's sort of stop napping so we were all trying to be quite for him. Then we hear Emerson starting to cry. Spencer went into the bathroom and asked what was wrong. Emerson: "Um, I think I'm going to throw up. I don't feel good." GREAT! So Spencer helped him stand over the toilet, but nothing. Spencer asked if the feeling went away and Emerson said yes. At that same time Lincoln woke up so Spencer went in to get him. Emerson crawled into bed with me and Bridger. Two minutes later Emerson began to cry and then VOMIT. I quickly detached Bridger, grabbed the hospital pad that I had underneath Bridger and I, and held Emerson over the pad to finish throwing up on (even though it was all over our bed).

WE CANNOT CATCH A BREAK!

Everyone, except daddy is home and I feel like a chicken running around with it's head cut off! Trying to take care of two sick boys, feed a baby, feed myself so I produce food for baby, wash clothes/pillows/sheets/blankets/furniture from vomit accidents, and remember to ALWAY wash my hands before touching baby is super difficult. BUT, I will survive. This family will survive. And what will we gain from this time of illnesses?

Great Stories & More Patience :-)

Keep us in your prayers. We really need them.

Vomit + Dehydration = a trip to the ER

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

WOW - can I just say that this winter have been super difficult?

We just got back from visiting family in Utah on Wednesday sick with colds once again (Bridger, Lincoln, and mom were the worst off). Everything was manageable until Friday. Around 1:00 pm Spencer left with a friend to go snow hiking up a mountain in New Hampshire and would not be back until Saturday LATE night (11:30pm). I was fine taking care of three without help...not stressed at all. Then at 2:00 pm Lincoln woke up from his nap SCREAMING! Emerson said, "I think you should go get Lincoln." Okay, thanks for the recommendation Emerson. I thought that possibly Lincoln got a limb stuck in his crib. I opened his room, didn't turn on the lights, saw that no limb was stuck, and went over to pick him up. When I stuck my hands under his face I felt something drip on me. First thought: Could this be his tears? Second thought: No way - too much liquid on my hands. Realization: I turn on the lights to find Lincoln pushing himself out of a massive puddle of vomit. He threw up all his lunch and half of breakfast, half digested...yeah, it was gross, you can think it. I gave him a bath while I cleaned up the mess. I remembered that he had eaten a possibly rotten clementine with breakfast and thought, it's got to be the clementine. About an hour later he vomited again, then again an hour later. I thought for sure he was done ridding his body of the rotten clementine because he gulped down some water and took some sips of ginger ale. Friday nights are our 'Popcorn/Movie' nights so of course Lincoln wanted popcorn since Emerson was eating it. He was doing great for a while, then oops! Lincoln threw up all of the popcorn right back into his bowl...and then proceeded to eat it again...yeah, GROSS; you can say it! After that I put the boys to bed. Everything was good until midnight. Lincoln woke himself up by vomiting. I changed the sheets, blankets, PJ's, and put Lincoln back to bed. Half an hour later...vomit! I change the sheets, blankets, PJ's, and put Lincoln and Emerson back to bed. Half and hour later...vomit! There wasn't much vomit, but I changes the sheets, blanket, and PJ's and put a towel down under Lincoln so I didn't have to change sheets if he vomited again. Back to bed. 3:30 am Lincoln woke up again by vomiting. Change the towel, PJ's, and put him back to bed. Half hour later...vomit. Change the towel, wipe off the little bit of vomit, and back to bed. Half hour later...vomit. Wipe it up and back to bed. Can you tell that I was exhausted? Lincoln didn't vomit again until 7:00 am. Everyone got up. Lincoln got a bath, Bridger was fed, and Emerson got himself ready for the day. I gave Lincoln some power aid to start the process of hydrating him, plus he was asking for it, "please drink?" or "please eat?" I set the clock for a half an hour to see if he could hold it down. He didn't make it. As Lincoln was throwing up my friend Amy was at the door, knocking. She was picking up Emerson to take him to a Primary activity. Once Lincoln was done throwing up I sent Emerson off with Amy. Lincoln threw up again around 10:00 am then fell asleep on the couch. He woke up an hour later asking for drink and food. I called his doctor to get some advice, like should I give him a drink if he's asking for it? The nurse asked if Lincoln was still having wet diapers. His last wet diaper was from this morning at 7:00 am otherwise his diaper has stayed dry and it was almost 12 noon. The nurse told me to take Lincoln to the hospital now. I said, "Really?" but then packed Bridger, Lincoln, and myself in the car and headed to Children's Hospital. I called Amy to let her know that I was going to the ER for Lincoln and if she would keep Emerson with her. She was super kind to keep Em for me.

The ER:

We checked into the ER Saturday at 11:30 am. The doctors gave Lincoln medicine to help his nausea. He kept that down so they offered him a popsicle. The nurse said, "Here's something he can slowly lick and hopefully keep down." Lincoln didn't lick that popsicle once. He inhaled it in a minute flat! He then shook for 5 minutes after that, most likely because he ate the pop too fast. He ended up eating a totally of 3 pops, drank 2 Pedialyte juice boxes, and 1 apple juice box. He kept it all down, but that wasn't enough. One nurse said, "Does his eyes look sunken in to you? He looks really dry." It was then that I really LOOKED at Lincoln (since I had Bridger there with me too) and noticed his eyes being really dark and his hands were stiff and wrinkled as if he were shriveling up! The nurse ordered an IV for Linc. Before the IV the doctor thought Linc's belly was protruding so he ordered an x-ray. After the x-ray came the IV. They put some numbing cream on Linc's arm and a half hour later, they put in the IV. The IV took a long time because the guy stuck it in a valve so he had to wait until all the blood was pumped out. Lincoln did such a good job. He was crying, but kept his eyes on me and would take deep breaths with me to calm down. Once the IV they pumped the fluid into him quick. The doctors came back to tell me that after running the lab tests on Lincoln's blood they discovered that Lincoln was SUPER dehydrated and his blood sugar was very low. Because of this they felt it was in our best interest to keep Lincoln over night. This was around 5:00 pm - Spencer was still climbing in NH, how was I going to handle this? I called my friend Amy who was watching Emerson and we came up with a plan. She would meet me outside the ER at 7:30 pm, pick up Bridger and the house key, take Emerson and Bridger home to my house, put them to bed, and wait till Spencer got home. SHE IS THE BEST! Amy really saved me. Spencer then called me around 6:00 pm...in a happy upbeat voice "Hi honey, how are you?" Me: "Um, you didn't get my message did you?" S: "No. What's up?" I explained where we were and how things are being handled and let him know that Amy would be waiting for him at our house...and that was that. Poor Spencer, I'm sure he didn't have a good 3.5 hour drive back from NH. Just before Amy arrived the doctor let me know that our room upstairs would be available at 7:30 pm. Great! I gave Bridger to Amy, bought some food since I hadn't eaten since 9:00 am, and hurried back to Lincoln to pack up and move upstairs. However, once I returned there was no packing up and moving upstairs..."there are complications upstairs so we will have to wait." So we waited. And waited. And WAITED! It was a good thing I grabbed our tablet, stand, and charger because that's all Lincoln did...watch movies. The bad thing was I didn't anticipate that we would be admitted overnight, therefore I didn't bring my phone charger and it died. Luckily I made all the important phone calls before that happened. My home teacher and a friend visited the ER around 9:00 pm to give Lincoln and I blessing. I needed one because I was getting more and more sick (congested) the longer we stayed in the hospital. After they left, Lincoln and I tried to fall asleep. Lincoln had a hard time in that bed. I tried lying down with him, but he would try to get comfortable by throwing his legs over me. He finally said, "I hold you?" So I picked him up and sat down on the bed with him in my arms. Lincoln was out seconds later and I soon followed (11 pm). Once I was asleep a lady came in our room letting me know that we were moving upstairs and to get my signature on paperwork. I packed up our stuff and the nurse helped us transition upstairs (11:30 pm).

Our shared room:

I was super happy to get into our room, but super unexcited about sharing a room with another patient who was confined to her room because she was contagious! Hopefully we catch a break and not further illnesses. Lincoln was super exhausted that he didn't wake up to me moving him around and laying him in his cage, oh I mean crib. The nurse let me know that the crib can hold adult weight and most of the time does hold adult weight. I resisted crawling in with Lincoln because it would be uncomfortable for both and we both needed our sleep. Sleep...what's that? I called Spencer, who was home and gave him the number to our room since my cell was dead. Then just as I was gearing up to go to bed, a resident doctor came for a visit. He asked me to tell Lincoln's story, then asked a bunch of other questions, and then left. Five minutes later, another resident doctor came in asking me to repeat the story again, followed by more questions. Good Night right? Wrong. Then the nurse came in to check vital signs on Lincoln and almost woke him up. Finally, we could get some sleep (1 am). Lincoln woke up at 3 am. It took about an hour for him to go back to sleep. Then 7 am sharp Lincoln was awake for good...and so was I. Lincoln looked and acted better and better as the day went on. He ate some bland food, like cheerios and drank some juice. By mid day they let him try milk, but he didn't really want that. By the afternoon Lincoln was super stir crazy. I guess he had enough of Pixar shorts: Burn-e and Presto, and Fantasia. He watched those over, and over, and over! Lincoln just wanted to get down and run around the room. One time I had to completely lock him in the crib with plastic topping and all so I could go to the bathroom! I was ready to leave too. I was kind of done pumping in the hospital and super excited to get home where I wouldn't starve! It's really difficult to get food in the hospital when your alone and not a patient. They keep a close eye on what the "patient" orders for food...just in case you're trying to feed others besides the patient. Our roommates were doing that and got caught. Finally, the doctor let Lincoln and I go home around 5 pm. It was so nice to come home. We were greeted with warm smiles, hugs, and kisses from Daddy and Emerson. Bridger on the other hand screamed and cried. Why? Because he heard mommy and wanted me and me only. Oh, it's so good to be home!

The set up

So sad

Look how dark his eyes were

Bridger Bear, my super chill baby napping in his car seat

Inhaling one of the three popsicle he ate

while zoning into the tablet

The IV

Getting hydrated

Lincoln's Crib ;-)

A top view

Munchin' on Cheerios

Starting to feel better

Wise Words from HALLS

2012-01-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

Every three weeks so far this winter the boys get sick, except for Bridger thank goodness. Lincoln has had RSV twice and is now on daily preventive medicine. Luckily the daily inhaler worked to stop RSV, but it didn't stop the flu. The boys had the flu for that last couple of weeks, which turned into ear infections. And to top it off, Spencer and I caught the flu too. Feeling awful this morning I unwrap a HALLS lozenge to seek cough & sore throat relief, but to my surprise I find psychological relief as well!

Being a mother is hard work, but even more HARD WORK when you have full body ache/pains, chills, fever, congestion, sore throat, and a nasty cough. HALLS may have helped relieve my cough and sore throat for a couple of hours, but it helped me realize...

"The show must go on. Or work."

(The performance or job of being a mom never takes a break therefore I must press on)

"Nothing you can't handle."

(I've been sick before and survived, right)

"Be unstoppable."

(Oh yeah, bring it)

"Push on!"

(Okay)

"Don't give up on yourself."

(This is my favorite because I feel that I have to be awesome, amazing, and give 110% all the time)

Don't worry HALLS. I won't give up. I'm UNSTOPPABLE!

(as long as you keep giving me cough and sore throat relief)

;-)

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

We celebrated the start of a new year by blessing Bridger in our home ward Sacrament meeting. Normally we would have invited family to come out and participate, but time got away from us and Bridger wasn't going to stay little for long. We asked, Bishop Dallas Jones, Dan Cook, Jared Poulsen, Nathaniel Hansen, and Ryan Belka to stand in on the blessing. When the time came, Spencer stood with these men and gave a beautiful blessing to our sweet, sweet baby Bridger. He was awake through the whole blessing, just staring at his daddy. Happy New Year Bridger and may you live life in a way to receive those blessing placed upon you this day sweet heart.

Bridger's Blessing Suit :-)

He is a happy boy...

who loves his daddy very much

Funny Verbal Expressions

2011-12-30T14:53:00.001-05:00

Dec. 20, 2011
I bought Lincoln a t-shirt with Rudolph, Herby, Yukon Cornelius, and the Abominable Snowman gang on it for his Christmas PJ's and Emerson says,

"Mommy, you will go buy me this shirt now."

Does he think that the force works on me?

Dec. 29, 2011
Lincoln has been a little monster while he is in bed. He yells or screams at the top of his lungs various opinions. Some include, "Mama! Come Back!" or "No Screaming!" or "Be Quite!" or "No Money? No Ticket!" (that's from Frosty the Snowman movie). He has even broken out into song; Frosty the Snowman, Twinkle twinkle little star, The wheels on the bus, and various classical pieces. So last night Mommy had enough of Lincoln's screaming and decided to go up stairs to resettle the little rascal. As she was walking in the dark towards the boy's room she bumped into Bridger's baby bath tub - BANG!. Naturally she froze hoping the boys didn't really hear her mistake. Then she heard Lincoln,

"Oops! Try again."

Lincoln's upbeat attitude makes me smile, but in this case run down the stairs choking on my laughter.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:36:00.000-05:00

This year was our first year spending Christmas without extended family. We decided it would be a good idea to avoid holiday traffic and illnesses, especially with a newborn. Our friends, the Jones' invited us to their house for a Christmas Eve party. Good food, fun games, great company, and Emerson running around with a Nerf gun shooting anything that moved - yeah, you're 3 buddy...you don't need a gun now (or ever)! We came home, watched the new LDS Christmas video, "A Gift to the World" (the boys loved it), took their pictures by our precious tree, and sent them to bed before Santa arrived.

Fresh out of the bath

Christmas lights on...

with flash light effect. Too bright Linc?

Emerson: "Let me hold that!"

A Spooky Christmas Eve

"Don't look at the light Linc!"

So Linc looks up and Em looks down.

Santa Arrived!

Everything wrapped in RED is from us...everything else...Santa (aka: Grandparents)

Up close and personal

Since I do not have a Star or Angel to top our tiny tree...the family will have to do

Sending Christmas Cards...

2011-12-17T21:19:00.000-05:00

Do you like green eggs and ham?

2011-12-08T15:28:00.001-05:00

My boys do...so we thought we would decorate their room.
Here are a couple of photos from my phone since my camera is broken!

Anything you can do, I can do better!

2011-12-01T09:06:00.001-05:00

Lately Lincoln has been obsessed with drawing. At first it was just circles, but now it has turned into writing letters or a series of lines. He frequently grabs the doodle board, runs up to you, and shoves the board into your hands as he's hyperventilating. The "hyperventilating" is his way of saying..."HOLD THIS. I want to draw." That is how we started out our day today and I just had to take documentation of what our little man can and is doing...

"I make an A"

"I make a flower"

"a Z, a O, a O"

Lincoln has been working on the letter A. He usually draws with the pen for his A's, but today he insisted on using the pink circle to make his A. I usually do the 'up/down' part of the A and he finishes it by 'crossing' it. He's extremely precise for a 2 year old. Especially when he uses the pen. He starts at one line and finishes at the other. Rarely does he ever go past the lines on the A.

Next Lincoln wanted to draw flowers. He made his three flower shapes then when asked to make the stems for the flowers, picture number 2 was the result (no help from me).

Last, but not least...Lincoln drew a zigzag letter and tells me, "a Z!" That's right Lincoln! Good work. Next he draws a circle and says, "a O!" Nice job! Then he draws an other circle, but smaller and says, "a O!" WOW! Lincoln do you realize you just drew the word ZOO? I really do not think that was his intention but I was super impressed with his penmanship ;0) And once again, he made those letters/shapes all on his own without my help.

Just another day where Lincoln blows my mind of what he wants and can do.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T20:39:00.001-04:00

It was a super cold and wet night. The snow had mostly melted but brrr! The boys could only handle a few doors and were frozen. Emerson actually said, "This is the last door because we need to go home because it is cold because I need to get warm." Okay buddy. That's a good idea.

Here's how the night went...

PHOTOS!

Our littlest Skeleton...looks a little worried :)

The lucky shot...Lincoln would not hold still

The cuddly shot

Mr. Cuddly meets Mr. Cuddly Jr. - they are very much alike

Daddy had to help with our little rascal...

Linc was threatened with "Tickles of a Life Time" if he didn't stay put. He looks scared right? :)

The Scary Skeleton Family :-)

TRICK-OR-TREATING!

Emerson had it down...Knock on the door, check.
Say, "Trick-or-Treat!" check.

Take the candy, check and check!

Lincoln got the hang of it that he helped himself to take the WHOLE BOWL of candy!
Way to go Linc-enstein :)

AND THEY'D FEAST!

And they'd feast!

feast!

FEAST!

We had a great Halloween and hope that our tradition of being skeletons continues (even if Emerson said, "For Halloween, I'm going to be a big happy Jack-o-lantern. You will make this costume for me.") We shall see :)

Helping Mommy

2011-10-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

The boys are very eager to help mommy with all sorts of tasks. Emerson helped mommy make dough for homemade cinnamon rolls...

And Lincoln helped mommy by taking care of the baby...well, his baby. He dressed Elmo and put on a new dry diaper. Thanks Lincoln.

I'm such a lucky mommy to have so much help. :-)

A Breakfast Morning in the Harrison House

2011-10-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

Yum!

Bridger's First Bath...

2011-10-13T17:30:00.000-04:00

Loving every minute of it!

Let's never do that again mommy

I wanna hold him...

2011-10-13T10:44:00.000-04:00

Emerson just loves Bridger and always wants to hold him. We give Emerson every chance to hold his sweet baby brother Bridger...

He also cannot stop kissing him

Or touching him :-)

Messy, messy, messy

2011-10-12T15:18:00.000-04:00

Leave Lincoln alone with Chobani (greek yogurt) and this is what you get!

Messy, messy, messy!

Happy Birthday...

2011-10-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

to me...31years of fun!

Columbus Day = No School

2011-10-10T13:34:00.000-04:00

And how did we spend it? Finding mommy's old USB data port and turning it into a gun...

Bang! Bang!

Since guns are not a good thing around our house we decided to get out and play at the park. Give the boys their much needed exercise.

Going Up

Coming Down

These are the trees lining VFW Parkway. We cross this road each time we go to the park. Look how beautiful Boston still is at the beginning of October!

The bees are enjoying these yummy flowers

On our way home daddy decides to have a photo shoot of the boys. 'Cos I'm a model you know what I mean and I do my little turn...

on the catwalk

Yeah on the catwalk

on the catwalk yeah

I shake my little touche on the catwalk

And I'm too sexy for these glasses

Too sexy for these glasses

The way I'm blanket dancing

And we're

too sexy

for this

Song!

Yes, yes. NO! NO! And I'm spent.

After the good photo session Emerson decides he doesn't want to stroll in the stroller with Lincoln. He would rather push...

Nice work Emerson

It was a good day. Columbus would be proud ;-)

Visit for a while

2011-10-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

My mother agreed to stay a whole month when Bridger was born to help us adjust from 2 to 3 kids. My mom is the best! She would take the boys out in the afternoon to our backyard to get their wiggles out. And take pictures of course. Plus it was a nice brake for us.

Exploring the long dried out grass

Walking along a fresh cut pathway

"Emerson! Come here!"

Emerson using his pinkie to point out a dead bug to Grandma

"Watch me shake this tree Grandma."

Lincoln does most of his exploring sitting down

Absolutely Adored

2011-10-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

Bridger is only 4 days old and we love him so much. He is a great eater and sleeper if you cannot tell from this picture (he just ate). The boys adore him...well at least Emerson does...

Kisses

Hugs

Forever Happy

Lincoln for the most part stands at a distance and stares. I think Lincoln is not sure what to think of this new little guy that is almost always occupying mommies arms...

Bridger in Mommies Arms while mommy watches over her other boys from afar

I remember Emerson acting the same when Lincoln was born, but he warmed up to Linc as will Linc warm up to 'Baby Bridger.'

The famous 'Grandpa Huber' glare...which actually is daddy's glare too ;0)

So Sweet

Our Little Burrito

Delivery...

2011-10-07T15:04:00.000-04:00

Congrats on the delivery of a healthy baby boy!

Bridger's Birth Story

2011-10-06T22:31:00.000-04:00

*WARNING* Do not read if you are grossed out by birth/labor/bodily functions/etc.

It all started Thursday, September 29th. That morning I woke up to some bloody show, which was a first for me in all my pregnancies. I quickly grabbed one of the many pregnancy books that I have and read that I should not get too excited about "bloody show" because it could mean another week to two weeks of false labor. I will admit I crossed my fingers that real labor would start real soon. I'd been having Braxton Hicks for a couple of weeks now, but that's normal. I had an appointment with my Midwife and she reported that nothing was happening yet. That night I had strong and consistent Braxton Hicks for a few hours, however nothing came of it. This was the story of my life for the next four days. Then Tuesday, October 3rd at 2:30pm the Braxton Hicks turned into real labor. The contractions were pretty consistent, coming on every 2 to 10 minutes apart. I called the Midwife around 5pm and said I she could expect me in an hour at the Hospital. After I got off the phone and talked with Spencer we decided that we should wait longer so we didn't have to sit at the hospital too long...like my other labors. So, we went to the car shop to pick up my van that was being fixed, came home, ate homemade pizza's, put the boys to bed, and sat down to watch a movie. The Midwife called me back since I didn't show at the hospital. My labor slowed down so I was waiting until it kicked back into gear. She said, don't wait too long or you might have a baby at home or in the car. I took that under advisement and we went to bed.

The minute Spencer and I said our prayers, kissed, and said goodnight my labor kicked right back into gear. I waited 30 minutes then told Spencer, "It's TIME to go to the hospital for real." We got up and called our friend, Amy K, who agreed to come and stay with our kids if we went into labor early. She came over and we were off! I called the Midwife to expect me at the hospital asap. Then I called our parents to let them know we were on our way to the hospital and that we will call the when Bridger (baby boy at the time) was born.

We arrived at the hospital at 11:30pm. I slowly walked with Spencer's help into the Emergency room of Newton-Wellesley Hospital. They got me into a wheel chair since I could barely walk and we sat at check-in for a good 20 minutes+ before someone arrived at the desk to actually check us in. REALLY ANNOYING! However, the check-in process was FAST and they wheeled me up to my room in 5 minutes flat. Once in the room I lost track of time, but everything happened very fast (compared to my first two).

The Midwife stayed pretty much the whole time. She checked me after I got settled and said I was at an 8 or 9 and would be pushing soon. Spencer and I were shocked and impressed with how well I was coping. I was having some bad back labor so the first position I got into was hands and knees. That was wonderful! I stayed like that for a while. My Midwife checked me again and realized her first estimation was wrong and that I was at a 7. Then my water broke and the contractions became more intense. At that minute my Midwife asked if I would like to change positions, maybe get into the bath tub. Yeah! Get me in some water. While she was prepping the tub my nurse put in a heparin lock iv just in case. As the nurse was doing it I got really hot and my hearing changed dramatically. It sounded like I was in a tunnel, far away from everyone. The nurse quickly made me smell a swab of alcohol and put a cold rag on my neck. I felt better, but they decided not to put me into the tub and asked if I would like to try the ball. The ball was horrible! Once I was upright on the ball the rest of my water fell out and there was TONS. It was all over the floor and that was when labor went from real intense to SHOOT ME NOW, I WANT TO DIE! I'm not kidding, I've never felt that way before. I told my Midwife and nurse to please get me an epidural fast. They sent for the anesthesiologist and pumped me with fluids to prep. My Midwife checked me again and said that I was ready to push. She then asked if I felt any urge to poop. Nope not yet, but I'm seriously dying...please numb the pain. I was out of control. I was having a very hard time breathing, maybe because I started to hyperventilate? My Midwife saved me over and over again. She said, "Christina look at me. Look at my eyes. You can do this. You are doing this. Now breath with me." She calmed me down through breathing techniques and the anesthesiologist showed up. Everyone knew I was too far gone from having an epidural so they preceded with a quick drug that lasted only an hour, just taking the edge off. However, I was all set in my mind to receive an epidural. Meaning I would loose all feeling in my legs and torso. When that NEVER happened I was pissed. I grabbed my Midwife by the collar, while crying yelled, "Why can I still feel it? Why won't it go away?" At the moment this wasn't funny to me, but now I can laugh about how out of control I was. :-)

After I changed my expectations of the drug I realized that my back labor was taken away, but I could still feel the contractions. I was good with that because it was time to PUSH and I could feel my body take over the job of pushing Bridger out. So I pushed, and pushed, and pushed. I even reached down to feel Bridger's head right before I pushed his head out. That was kind of freaky, but super cool. Once Bridger's head was out I thought all was over. Then I realized my Midwife was telling me to push to get Bridger's shoulders out. So I pushed, but nothing. He wasn't moving out. I wasn't nervous, but once 4 nurses ran into the room and my nurse was pushing down on my stomach to help push Bridger out, I got nervous. Finally Bridger slide out, but they rushed him to the opposite side of the room and I didn't her him cry. I was bawling and saying that I hurt Bridger, somethings wrong. My Midwife was trying to console me while waiting for my placenta to birth. She said, "No, he's fine. He's just a little stunned. Just wait, you'll hear him." And sure enough Bridger started crying and in no time they brought him back over for me to hold. He was so precious. I was instantly in love with him. He was very purple so they took him back to get warm. After inspecting my placenta my Midwife discovered a KNOT in the umbilical cord. Everyone was shot and amazed since that happens early on when babies have more room to maneuver. My nurse then says, "He's your miracle baby!" As my Midwife quickly stitched a small tear, her and the nurse where going over the time things happened. It was then I learned that I pushed Bridger out in 15 minutes and labor was a total of 3 hours in the hospital. How awesome was that?

Once the drug wore off they got me up and walking to use the bathroom and be transferred to our recovery room. I used up all the days that I was giving to stay at the hospital. When you have more than one kid it's nice to have a break from them, even if it isn't very restful. This time around Spencer only stayed one night (the night Bridger was born) and then had to stay home to take care of our boys. My mother was sweet enough to change her flight and come out early so she could help.

I am so happy to have Bridger in my arms now instead of being pregnant. This pregnancy was super difficult. Really bad morning sickness that would last all day, with occasional vomiting, lasting 2-3 months. Then sciatica, hemorrhoids, yeast infections, shingles, etc, all in the last 2 months of pregnancy. Like I said, it's so wonderful to have Bridger out than in. :-)

Love you Bridger R Harrison.

Early and Big

2011-10-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

He came! He's here! He's healthy! He's EARLY...

Bridger R Harrison

Born this morning at 2:31am

Weighing in at 8lb 11oz

Length being 20in

And Head Circumference at 35cm (13.78in)

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere!

2011-09-25T13:25:00.000-04:00

My mom & dad bought the boys a gift while they were living it up at the Happiest Place on Earth...aka Disneyland!

Our backyard became the Happiest Place on Earth. Thanks mom and dad.

Oral Surgery = Premature Tooth Fairy

2011-09-23T15:26:00.000-04:00

Today was the BIG DAY! The day that Emerson would prematurely loose his front tooth to the oral surgen, aka Tooth Fairy. The whole family woke up super early to get to the hospital by 6:30am and prep Emerson for the surgery an hour later. The nurse/oral assistant was super kind and explained everything that would be happening. She had Spencer sit in the main chair with Emerson on his lap while she instructed me how to connect all the monitoring 'gadgets' to his body, i.e. blood pressure, heart monitor, etc. We explained to Emerson all these gadgets that were being attached to him and he was a champ. He was so calm and cooperative that the whole medical team was blown away and feel in love with our little man. The surgen was amazing. She was super sweet with Emerson that he felt very comfortable around her. She let us know that Emerson will breath in some 'sleepy gas', about 10-20 breaths that will put him out for 5-10 minutes, then they will give him a local shot, and then pull that little baby tooth right out. I was not able to stay in the room with all the gas since I was pregnant so Lincoln and I sat out in the waiting room. Once the surgery was done the doctor brought us into the recovery room where Emerson and daddy were recovering. I asked daddy how he was...not Emerson...how was daddy feeling. Spencer teared up a little bit and said, "It just brakes my heart that he has to go through this." However, Emerson was super brave and a champ throughout this whole experience. Daddy even swiped a rubber glove to make a balloon for Em. It is sad that Emerson will have this gaping hole in his mouth for a long time, but it's better then loosing his permanent tooth. Here's some pictures that I took with my phone because I forgot the real camera...

Waiting in the Waiting Room

Last full smile!

Lincoln being silly

The distraction of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Prep for surgery

Recovering Room

Emerson is trying to show me his hole...

you can kind of see it???

Here we go...nice job Em!

He is pretty proud of his hole ;0)

Emerson's full body RASH!!

I totally forgot to mention...The preschool called me yesterday at noon to inform me that Emerson had a full body rash and I needed to pick him up. We went to his doctor and decided that Emerson is allergic to amoxicillin (and all the 'icillin' drug family), until proven otherwise. Luckily, we were able to still go through with the surgery, but oh my goodness!! How many problems does Em have to face right now??? He is going to be one tough kid. :0)

An Artist is Blooming

2011-09-20T15:28:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Preschool :0)

Marbles?

Brush Strokes

Golf Ball #1

Golf Ball #2

Tender Mercies

2011-09-14T17:26:00.000-04:00

Ever since the hurricane, Emerson has had this big bubble on his top gum above one of his front teeth. His top two front teeth have been hit one too many times that bonking it on Lincoln's head that day tipped the scales. Had I known what that bubble meant I would have jumped on top of this dentist thing immediately.

I started our long and frustrating journey to get Emerson into the dentist by calling my dentist to make an appointment. By the way, Emerson is insured for this dentist who said a year ago that he does not see kids until the age of three. When I try to make an appointment for Emerson's bubble they inform me that the dentist does NOT see kids until they are eight or nine years old and that he refers these kids out to a pediodontist. I also learn that my particular dental insurance does NOT COVER pediatric dentists!!! What the heck? So, we've been paying dental insurance for Emerson and he cannot get any care? Oh how I hate the fine print of insurance companies. Our plan is called Delta Care, a DMO plan, which is umbrellaed under Delta Dental Insurance, a PPO plan. Delta Dental gave me a short list of pediodontist's that are contracted with to ask and see if they will work with me on a DMO plan. Three out of the four said no immediately. "Delta Care just does not pay enough." The fourth and last person on the list was also saying no. This time I decided to explain Emerson's situation, how I've been turned down by everyone else and, I do not know what to do. They had a change of heart and said yes!*

Dr. Sheff is the dentist's name, which was pretty funny. Emerson's favorite stuffed pal is a sheep named Sheffy. Anyway, we make the appointment which is today! I drop Lincoln off at a friends and attempted to drive to the dentist's office. I got so lost! My GPS took me to the wrong address. I had to call the dentist a few times to get help. The lady who was helping me started getting super annoyed with me and handed me off to another person. By that time I was so flustered that I cried. This new women was able to direct me successfully to the dentist office.*

Finally, we arrived at the dentist. They first took an x-ray of Emerson's front tooth, which he did pretty well with. It made him nervous to have this BIG camera pointed at his face while he had to bite down on a rectangular piece of film...and mommy had to leave the room for a bit. But he was brave. Then we saw the dentist. He was an old man, but he was super sweet with Emerson. Emerson was very good for his very first dentist exam. He giggled while the dentist cleaned his teeth with that rubber polisher. It was pretty cute. Then the dentist let me know that Emerson's tooth needs to come OUT. The dentist prescribed Amoxicillin to fight off the infection in Emerson's gum (the bubble/abscess) and gave us a referral to see an oral surgeon to remove the tooth.* The dentist said that he could extract the tooth right there in the office, but he could only use local anesthesia and "your son would never come back to a dentist again!" Would you if someone stuck a HUGE needle in your face? I think not.

And that was that!

As we left the dentist and drove home I broke down into tears again. I felt so guilty and fully responsible that my son had to loose his front tooth. If I had only been on top of things early, we could have saved his tooth. Now my sweet, tender little Emerson will have a hole in his smile for about 3-5 years (or more). As I was feeling awful and guilty I realized that Emerson started to sing. I had this primary lullaby CD playing this whole trip and Emerson started to sing very sweet and reverently to the song, "I feel my Savior's love." I calmed down and listened to my sweetheart sing this beautiful song. Emerson brought the Spirit into our car, bringing peace and love to my aching heart. While I listened to Emerson sing* the Spirit confirmed to me all would be well.

I am so grateful for all the Tender Mercies* the Lord gave me throughout this experience. I love my little man, who without realizing it, calmed my troubled heart.

First Day/Week of Preschool!

2011-09-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

Is Lincoln going to Preschool too?

Day 1:
I was a little nervous for Emerson's first day at Preschool. Only nervous that he would have a bathroom accident! Spencer drives Emerson to school around 8am and I pick him up at 1pm. When I arrived to pick Emerson up I noticed a plastic bag of wet clothes in his cubby. I thought, "oh no...he had an accident." Then Ms. Molly, one of Emerson's teachers brought him out to me and said, "Today was a good day. We had lots of fun and got really wet from play." Phew! Emerson was happy to see me, but kind of got upset when it was time for us to go to the car. He wanted to stay at school and sleep with the other kids. My first thought, "should I be offended that he doesn't want to come home?" Immediate second thought, "NOPE! I should be excited that he wants to stay and wants to come back." He had a great time and was so anxious to return the next day.

Day 2:
Emerson had to be carried out of the room by Ms. Molly as he was yelling, "NO!" My eyes went wide, but Ms. Molly, completely clam explained to Emerson that it's time to go home and he will return the next day. So, Emerson again, did not want to go home. Then Ms. Molly said, "We had a lot of fun today. Emerson loves water so you'll always have to replace his clothes everyday. And Emerson did we learn that there is no hitting at school? And Ella (another child getting ready to go), did we learn that there is no snatching toys away from others?"
So, Emerson has entered a hitting phase which is embarrassing, but we are working on it. As I was packing Emerson up, Ms. Annmarie comes out..."Did Ms. Molly talk to you about Emerson bolting out the front door?" Me, "No?" Ms. A, "Yes, he ran out and when I grabbed him, he then hit me." Me, "Okay, we will work on those things. Thank you." Oh boy. Second day and already he's in trouble. Well, we will work on brainwashing him. ;0)

Day 3:
Surprise! Wet clothes again, but just from play. The teachers everyday say, "Emerson LOVES the water." Yes he does. As we were packing up he had a full on MELT DOWN. I had to hold him tight until he would stop wiggling, kicking, and trying to hit me. Boy is he super exhausted after school. I'm glad he still naps when we get home. (no reports of hitting or running out the door - brainwashing does wonders)

Day 4:
Only wet pants today. It finally has stopped raining in MA. Emerson was way more well behaved about going home. I think he's getting use to the routine. He even hugged Ms. Molly for a while. I asked him if he likes Ms. Molly. Emerson, "I love Ms. Molly." Super cute. :0)

Spencer and I are super happy that Emerson just loves his Preschool...so far right? I'm sure setbacks will come, even with bathroom accidents, but right now everything is bliss.

Okay, I will admit it. I love only having one at home right now. I will soak this up for the next month and then it's back to two (and three).

Sleeping Babes

2011-09-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

They just would not wake up from naps!

Precious

This was Emerson's first attempt to show me a smile for a picture

This is the best picture I have of Emerson's "posed" smile

The Photogenic One...

2011-08-31T15:15:00.000-04:00

So as you know, Emerson is not my photogenic little man. People sometimes think that he rarely smiles since it's so hard to snap a decent picture of him smiling. Lincoln on the other hand has proven different. He will stand still long enough and push out the biggest smile he can for pictures. We were playing outside one day and this is what the little man did for me.

Hi Mama

Look at what I can do

Here's a quick update on the look of our backyard

I count one, two, and he chimes in THREE!

A little blurry, but so cute!

The Hurricane

2011-08-29T20:26:00.000-04:00

It's funny.

I'm always discovering what is "coming" my way, weather wise, from my family who live on the opposite side of the country!!

My sister called me one day, "Did you know that a tornado is headed straight for you?" Me, "NO?" Luckily the tornado did not hit us directly, but we did experience an amazing electrical storm that was pretty scary.

My mother called me two days ago, "Did you know that a hurricane is going to hit you this weekend?" Me, "Um, no. Are you sure?" Just then my landlords slip a piece of paper through my door titled, "Preparing for the Hurricane." Wow, I'm so not on top of these things.

Well, here we are. The day of the hurricane. Our Stake canceled church so we've been stuck inside all day. We have prepared big time yesterday. We bought water, made tons of food that will keep, froze ice and bottles of water to keep our food cold if power goes out, we filled our bathtub full of water for flushing toilets and washing dishes, and we charged every electronic thing (Mini DVD player, table, etc) to be ready for the main event today.

It rained like crazy and the wind was super strong. There was a lot of branches falling everywhere and even those Turkeys were taking cover in the grove of trees in our backyard. The power flickered on and off about 3-4 times, but has remained on. Other than that...we were pretty lucky. It sure was a good lesson on being prepared.

The only other exciting event that occurred today was Emerson and Lincoln bonking heads while they were rough housing with daddy. Emerson bonked his two front teeth once again and they started bleeding. Hopefully nothing bad will come out of that.

We were blessed today that nothing seriously bad happened to us...all thanks to those Californians who always alert me about the crazy weather Boston has. ;0)

The New Neighbors

2011-08-27T15:06:00.000-04:00

Look who moved in to our backyard...

Now we will really be able to have three separate Thanksgiving Feasts ;0)

To the Zoo

2011-08-13T15:21:00.000-04:00

We are long overdue in our visits to the zoo, so off we went...

Emerson's favorite exhibit...

The Budgies!

Oops! Don't grab his tail!

Lincoln and Grandpa Bob

Love birds

Playing on the playgrounds...it's what you do when you go to the zoo!

Spotting the giraffs and zebras

Someone was saying that this is a mommy and a baby...well we took a good look and the taller one proved not to be female ;0)

The Butterfly Exhibit

This one just hatched out of it's cocoon!

Riding the Carousel

Both boys were a little afraid...can you tell?

Lounging in the back of a safari drive from the boys - we crashed into the lion's cage.

CRASH!

Watch where you're going Lincoln!

Look - a lion

Lazy, lazy lion!

Both boys wishing they could lay around all day...NOT!

Wow, is that how wide I am from behind?

Gorillas!

Here's the new baby

I love this exhibit for this reason...how close you can get

He is so cute

A must have picture for Grandma. Thanks Grandma, it's cute.

Beach Madness

2011-08-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

My parents came into town yesterday and we decided to head to the beach as much as possible. So off we went...

Wingaersheek Beach

Look at that smile!

Emerson just loved splashing Grandpa

Uh oh...the tables have turned!

The boys loved Grandpa's splash play...

But they had to stand right next to mommy or that big whale!

"I must conquer this rock!"

Throwing rocks...

Splashing and...

Getting dirty. What more could a little boy ask for?

The tide went out

Lincoln decided to fix the crack in the rock by plastering it with sand. Way to go buddy!

Practicing for swimming class

The much needed beach burial

Sand play with Grandpa

We had a blast as we always do on the beach. Emerson even had his first experience peeing in the bushes before we took off for home. Grandpa took him and when they came back Emerson said, "I watered the plants mommy!" Oh the joys of potty training.

Happy 7th Anniversary

2011-08-10T15:06:00.000-04:00

As usual, Spencer is out of town attending his annual business conference for professors all over the world. It really doesn't bother me much that we are unable to celebrate our actual day of our anniversary because we always manage to do something before or after. I also never expect anything from Spencer on "our day" besides a phone call so we can express verbally how much we mean to each other. I especially did not expect anything this year since we went on a wonderful date last weekend...a romantic, delicious dinner out and Blue Man Group afterwards. I must say, Blue Man Group is a wonderfully fun, interactive show that everyone must experience for themselves. Well, at least if you like interactive shows. We had a blast.

Well, today - our actual anniversary day - something beautiful shows up at my door...

totally blown away and very much surprised. The little note that came with it was even better than having flowers delivered to my house.

My sweet love, we've traveled so far

since that quiet beach in Malibu,

I'm excited to see how much further we'll go.

I love you.

Spencer

I love Spencer so much. I do not know what or where or who I would be today without this amazing man in my life. I am grateful for the last 7+ years of our life together. I've learned and have grown so much. I am forever in debt to my Heavenly Father for putting Spencer and I together. I will never forget our "fortune" from the cookie on that beautiful beach in Malibu...

Two paths have crossed

and will remain ONE Eternal Journey.

Eternity is not enough time together.

I love you.

31 weeks

2011-08-09T14:50:00.000-04:00

Big and Fat :0)

A Sumer Carnival

2011-08-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hancock Village does a really good job of putting fun events specifically to unit this community. Nearing the end of summer they put on a little carnival with food and fun activities for the kids. There are a ton of kids living here so it's always super crazy, but fun. This year was even better since Emerson is getting old enough to start participating. All he wanted to do is bounce in the bouncy houses, which who would want to do anything else?

There was cotton candy booths and I decided to give Emerson his first taste of this wondrous treat. His response, "Did you eat a cloud?" I reply, "Did you?" Emerson, "Yeah!" Too cute. It's really funny how you remember eating these things when you were young and how amazing they were. I would always bug my parents to buy me cotton candy at various carnivals and state fairs. I certainly do not feel the same way anymore. I seriously got so sick from eating a few bites! Some experiences should just remain in our memories. ;0)

It's POTTY TRAINING TIME!!!

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

And boy, am I so excited to do this. I'm 30+ weeks pregnant, Emerson is not too excited to do this so I have to dance around and make the event fun by creating a chart with all sorts of rewards. Not to mention, I have a 1.5 year old running rampent in the house while I take Emerson upstairs every 30 minutes to try and go potty. Poor Lincoln is left all alone and pretty much every time I come downstairs he's into stuff he should not be into. He even puts himself in dangerous situations too that I luck out on, meaning he's not hurt. I must have an angel watching over him. Then to top it all off, I have all this pressure on me to make sure Emerson is near 100% trained by the end of the month (before Preschool). It's a requirement that the kids be potty trained to attend BC's Preschool.
WOW - this is a challenge.
Can I just vent and say, I hate those amazing potty training stories you hear. You know, "Oh it only took me three days to train my child and they haven't had a problem since." I think those parents do have every right to share those wonderful stories, however...these exceptional stories should never be told to a perfectionist with a deadline. ;0)
So far, we are on day 4 and Emerson is doing well. We have accidents every day, but that will improve with time, right? I know he will master this thing, but will he be able to do that in a month? Oh, first time experiences are the worst! Well, with somethings.

Reward System:
One M&M for sitting on the potty
The choice of three M&M's or picking out a toy Dinosaur if he went Pee.
And he got to watch a short movie for going Poop in the potty.

You can see that the getting the poop in the potty was a very difficult task.

A New Friend

2011-07-25T14:30:00.000-04:00

After a day of rain we found this guy outside our back door...

The boys just went nuts over this toad...and I mean ALL the boys in this house!

It's pretty cool how well he blends in to our yard.

Tricky Toad - and no, we did not keep him.

Our First Beach Day

2011-07-23T21:46:00.002-04:00

Picture this: 2 wild and mobile boys with a prego mom who cannot move quickly at all...that would not be a pretty sight at the beach! I'm sure one if not both my children would drown and I would go into preterm labor.

Spencer took a day off from work and we decided to hit up one of our favorite beaches, Wingaersheek. We love Crane Beach as well, but Wingaersheek is our top choice when it comes to little kids. It's so shallow allowing the water to be a little bit warmer and there are tons of tide pools where kids can explore crabs, snails, and all that jazz. Bottom line...our boys had a blast and I wish that we could go to the beach 3 times a week.

Hi Lincoln!

Our new beach toys

They loved them

Hi daddy

The View

The tide goes out...

and...

it's time to play!

Lincoln, what did you find?

Hee, hee!

"A Shell!"

And look at what Emerson found...

A crab, it's dead.

Splish, splash!

A Reading of The Lorax

2011-07-20T21:34:00.003-04:00

I asked Emerson to read the Lorax to Lincoln, just to keep them in Emerson's room while I did some chores upstairs. To my SURPRISE, Emerson "recited" the book, word for word to Lincoln. He knew exactly when to turn the pages even though he has no idea how to read the words. What a smarty pants. I was blown away so I quickly ran downstairs to get the camera to record this MARVELOUS event. It's a 10 minute video that captures most of his reading, but I will not post it because I'm sure it will bore most. So this picture will suffice...

For the next week or so. Emerson would "read" The Lorax, turning pages on cue and all, twice a day. Then he started "reading" other Dr. Seuss books - The Sneetches, Yurtle the Turtle, The Big Brag, etc. We are so proud and blown away by our budding boys. They are just too cute.

Oh - did I mention that Lincoln started reciting Green Eggs and Ham right before out trips out to California and Utah? Yup, and he's starting to shout out lines from The Lorax as well. It's super funny.

Our 4th of July Celebration

2011-07-04T19:33:00.027-04:00

Spencer and I decided to spend our 4th walking the Minute Man Trail up in Concord, MA. It's not a very far drive from our house, about half and hour. The walking trail I believe begins in Lexington and ends in Concord just before the Old North Bridge. We walked a small part of the trail in Concord, had a picnic on the remains of someone's house (that was involved in the civil war), then drove up to the Old North Bridge. The land and houses are so beautiful up there. It makes Spencer and I very envious and wish that we could afford property there.

This little man is too cute for words

Already wanting to climb trees

Even though he wants to climb...he's still a little scared to be up in them ;0)

We then headed over to DeCordova Sculpture Park. The boys and I have been a few times, but this was Spencer's first visit. It's an awesome place if you enjoy art out in nature.

Emerson shielding his eyes from the magnificence...or is it just too bright in the sun?

Lincoln: "I touch?"

"Do you hear something?"

Giving you an idea of the art immersed into nature. Beautiful.

Ah - the Red Man

Emerson had to hug him

They actually cooperated!

Lincoln loved his armpit

Lincoln loved standing under the Red Man's arm so much that we had a hard time getting him out. He through the biggest tantrum that we had seen to date. We just laughed and laughed about it.

And that was our Independence Day celebration. No fireworks yet...my kids are too young and I don't have the patience to deal with them that late at night.

My Mushroom Heads in Tie-Dye

2011-06-27T15:20:00.001-04:00

So the boys absolutely love their Wyoming Tie-Dye shirts and pretty much want to wear them all the time. I thought I would take a few photos of them in front of our house...

View from the back

And here's the front...ah, sweet brother's hold hands.

I asked them to sit at the door...who ever thought that they would comply??? I sure didn't!

So cute I could just eat them.

Last Day in Wyoming

2011-06-21T16:44:00.045-04:00

Here we are. Our last day in Wyoming and the weather was beautiful. We will miss this place very much. It's hard to wait a year until having a chance to travel back, but we will survive. Spencer took pictures of Emerson's last walk through the fields of Dandelions...

Trying to find the perfect one to pick

Found it.

Oh no, a bug! Emerson covers his ears when he gets scared.

He's so tender :0)

By the cabin these two little rascals where stomping the grounds together. Although, Lincoln (being a fresh walker) had to try and keep up with sweet little Norah.

So cute!

Here's Emerson's Tie-Dye Shirt...the swirl!

And here is Lincoln's...daddy made him a skull. Emerson really liked Lincoln's shirt.

As the adults where packing up and cleaning the cabin the kids had a great time drawing on the sidewalk with chalk...

Emerson: "Here you go Norah."

A super silly smile

Good and messy - Emerson is a true artist, who gets down and dirty with his creations.

I love how Norah is smiling her best throughout these photos :0)

James and his artwork

Having a good time.

We will miss you Wyoming and Utah. See you next year.

Tie-Dye, Play, and Hikes, OH MY!

2011-06-20T20:24:00.077-04:00

I believe the Harrison's have had a tradition of Tie Dying shirts up at the cabin. Uncle Matt really enjoyed this tradition and so he keeps it going for the kids. It was so fun to create patterns for Emerson and Lincoln shirts. I helped Emerson with the swirl pattern and Spencer created something new for Lincoln. When I asked what pattern/design he made he said, "I'm not telling you because I'm not sure it's going to turn out!" What a creative wimp. ;0)

From right to left: Paul, Elline, Miles, and James

Emerson watching the creativity from a distance

clean up

Emerson and his obsession with Dandelions - it's cute

Play time while we wait for our shirts to soak

This is just a cute picture...I couldn't resist including it

Mr. Miles showing off his mad skills...

Oops!

We all fall down :0)

After Tie Dying and play, we set out to hike up to the Intermittent Spring up in Afton, Wyoming. Since the water level was too high the spring never fluctuated, but it is still a great hike and a beautiful place to be.

Beautiful Day!

My favorite picture of daddy with Lincoln

Yup, Spencer helped walk or carry the boys throughout our hike

The Intermittent Spring

Smile

Aunt Andrea with Lincoln

We crossed the river and climbed up as far as you could go to the top

Peek-a-boo daddy!

Lincoln: "A Rock!"

"I throw!"

"All done."

Attempt #4 with Family Photo

Oh, almost

On a way home

Reading time with Grandma...

2011-06-19T15:20:00.003-04:00

One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish.

Rockets and Acrobatics

2011-06-18T15:37:00.077-04:00

I'm not sure what year John began the rocket launch, but this was our second year of watching it and first year of participating. Emerson's brown rocket was launched several times and he was SO EXCITED to be apart of the action. He wanted to be involved with every task...the pumping, the launching, the retrieving, and the prepping. He loved every minute of this. Even down to the very moment his rocket exploded from too much wear and tear. It was so cute to watch him in his excitement. Everyone had a great time watching Emerson and his cousin James launch their rockets...

Loading Emerson's Rocket

William getting the pump ready

Emerson being prepared to handle the launch sound

Ready...

The crowd hushed and ready...

GO!

Uh oh!

Emerson - 'what happened?'
Paul - 'your rocket broke.'
Emerson - 'uncle John, fix it.'
Uncle John - 'I'm trying.'

The rocket

...broken.

See?

James showing his remorse.

Or is he? ;0)

James let Emerson load...

and pump/prep his rocket, since his broke.

James, you are sweet.

Emerson having withdrawals after rocket time was over.

Near the end of rocket launching the acrobatics began. Well, only Matt was the one doing acrobatics. His oldest daughter, Olivia kept practicing her gymnastics on the lawn, and I must say, she is pretty good. I'm not sure if it was a challenge or if Matt just really had the desire to do a back walkover??? Anyway, he stretched for a little bit and with the help of his brother, Spencer...well, the pictures tell it all. :0)

1st attempt...

Oh, no go.

2nd attempt...

Oh, one leg up!

And it's not happening, at least not today. :0)

Pretty hilarious if you ask me. They were having a good time. I think they were laughing the entire time.

Time in Wyoming

2011-06-16T14:10:00.025-04:00

Every time we visit our family in Utah, during the summer, we all venture up to Grandpa Huber's Cabin up in Wyoming. Last year that we did this we had a blast and I appreciated the vast open spaces and beautiful mountain air more so than I had ever appreciated it. Maybe it was because we are now living a cramped city life or maybe because Emerson was a little bit older and ran around like mad? What ever the reason I was super excited for our stay at the Cabin. I was also excited to soak up the sun while floating down the river in our inflatable rafts. That was so fun and Emerson ate that up. We were looking forward to taking Lincoln down, however, the weather was harsh this year and we did not have very many warm days. Plus, since there had been so much snow and rain, every river, pond, lake was super full, flooded, and running extremely fast. Playing in the water was a no go this year.

Even though the weather wasn't what I was hoping for, we all had a great time and I cannot wait for next years visit.

Time in Utah

2011-06-13T13:56:00.003-04:00

Utah was busy as usual.

Trying to make sure we see all who we miss dearly: High School Friends, College Friends, and Family, Family, Family. :0) We always try to plan our stay in Utah long to make visiting all work, but it always feels rushed! Maybe we need to move back? Yeah, someday that might be a possibility.

The only pictures we took while in Utah was...

Attempt #3 with Family Photo

Testing

1...

2...

Once again, unsuccessful. Either one child is looking away, or squirming to get away (from daddy's tickles), or the camera is not in focused. Someday we will get it right.

Drive to Utah

2011-06-11T23:38:00.002-04:00

We decided to save a bit of air money and drive from Tahoe to Utah. We are very lucky and blessed to have two boys who are really good on long drives. They don't get car sick and for the most part they stay positive, until about the half hour of driving. The drive is about 8-9 hours long so for the boys to get tired and cranky for the last half hour of the trip is AWESOME! :0)

Spencer and I both wanted to stop at the Salt Flats and let the boys run around. It's too bad that the Flats are located in the last half hour or so of the drive. By then the boys were pretty out of it. We were pretty tired too. Can you tell?

Ha, he smiled with mommy :0)

Beautiful weather and sunset

It was really nice to arrive at Grandma and Grandpa Rulon's and put the boys down to bed. It's a long day of driving, but both Spencer and I miss this drive. Awe, memories.

Last day in Tahoe

2011-06-10T22:34:00.100-04:00

Being our last day up here in beautiful Tahoe we chose to take another hike. This time the hike was a bit more challenging. The Ranger I spoke with the day before about good, easy hikes suggested that we take this hike up to Cascade Falls. He said that is pretty easy, but might be slightly strenuous on the return hike being uphill. He then said, it's so worth it to see the fall. Well, it was definitely worth the hike to see the fall, but I do wish we had a backpack to carry Lincoln in. The trail started off flat and wide through a forest. Then we came to a short steep climb over rocky terrain, then it was a very narrow downhill trek trying to make sure the kids, my parents, or I to fall off the cliff. Once we arrived at the fall, Spencer thought it wise to keep the boys away from the actual fall since it was a huge drop off and because the water was so high - running FAST - from all the snow melt. I found a spot that had a little pond next to the fall and convinced Spencer to bring the boys over. They played there for a while, we took pictures, and headed back to the car. The hike back was more on the difficult side. Spencer held Lincoln the whole time, while my dad carried Emerson on his shoulders. Lincoln cried and squirmed in Spencer's arms all the way back, but the funny part about that is Spencer singing songs to Lincoln and Lincoln occasionally singing along in between tears. Funny stuff. That hike was a little difficult for our boys, but they were troupers, as were my dad and Spencer.

The beginning - easy part :0)

The view from the trail - looking out across Cascade Lake

Other side of our narrow trail - super pretty surroundings

We've arrived - Cascade Falls

Looking down

The beautiful blue birds that kept following us, or following the boys - they assumed that the rocks they were throwing was FOOD!

Cooling Off

Throwing Rocks!

And lots of SPLASHING!

Cute toes

Totally has daddy's deep desire to climb :0)

Grandma + Grandpa

Our first attempt to get a good 'family photo' - Lincoln's crying!

I promise we did not plan our outfits ;-)

We drove across the street to look at Emerald Bay and Fannette Island (Tahoe's only island). On the very top of Fannette Island a woman, Mrs. Knight, had her Teahouse built. Her main mansion, I mean home was on the shoreline of Emerald Bay. You have to pay to get down to her mansion and we were not in the mood for that kind of sightseeing. The bay is super pretty...

Looking out on Emerald Bay and on to Lake Tahoe

Fannette Island - can you see the teahouse?

There - now can you see the teahouse?

It was lunch time so we drove down to another beach to eat and play in the COLD water. It was a little bit cooler today because of a breeze, but did that stop the boys from going in. Nope. And that did not discourage Spencer from taking another swim. Although, this time, the swim was more of a dip. :0)

Super pretty Beach!

The ritual of being buried and Lincoln wanting to join the party.

Emerson wanted the big pine cone from the first picture and decorate it, since it was his "Christmas Tree"

Lincoln thought, "That's silly."

Can you tell it was a windy day?

It blew Lincoln over many times, but he was loving it.

They are so cute with each other

NAP TIME for all. The boys and my dad took naps while Spencer, my mother, and I watched an oldie, Teen Wolf. Good times. After naps, we decided to head back to the same beach we were at and play one last time. That beach, by the way, was so small, yet the sand was so fine and felt wonderful on your feet. There was a little too much shade at this time of day and since the wind was blowing no one went in the water to swim as they might have been planing to do. Just the usual, feet in the water, throwing rocks, and being buried in the sand.

Step 1: Find a rock

Step 2: Pick up the rock

Step 3: Throw the rock - success!

Attempt #2 with Family Photo - Emerson would rather bury himself in the sand!

We were the only ones on the beach - it was really chilly!

So pretty

I love this picture - good catch mom.

"Bye bye Tahoe!"

Emerson insisted on holding the "broomstick" - this was the beginning of his obsession with Mickey Mouse and the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

"Bye, bye Grandma and Grandpa Bob. I love you. See you later!"

We couldn't have asked for better weather for our stay in Tahoe. It was so beautiful and we had a blast. We cannot wait till next year to do it all over again.

Time in Tahoe

2011-06-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

I love Tahoe and I love that my parents only live about an hour away. Spencer suggested that we spend part of our family vacation up in Tahoe. Such an awesome idea and we had so much fun that we will spend more time up here when we visit my family in California. We thought the weather would be super bad since this year winter has stuck around a little TOO LONG. However, the weather was perfect from the day we arrived and on. We could not have planed our Tahoe trip more perfectly.

The afternoon we arrived we headed out to the nearest park/beach close by our cabin in South Lake Tahoe. All I should say is...

Beautiful.

Swing, swing, swing.

I like to swing.

I like to sit and swing...

(can see the Casinos poking out of the tops of the trees underneath Emerson)

Swing, swing, swing.

Taking a closer look.

Hi handsome :0)

Looking over at Emerald Bay.

The next day we went on a nature walk around this center that was all geared towards kids. The trail was paved (easy for little kids) and they would have little stations to stop at and help teach your kids about the nature around them. They even cut into part of the stream, putting a glass wall up so you could see the different types of fish swimming. It was really cool. I think Spencer and I were more excited about that than the boys were. It was really fun to teach Emerson and Lincoln new and cool things about the earth we live on.

Information board to teach your kids.

An activity to demonstrate how much water each human uses/wastes.

Daddy in a teaching moment with Emerson.

'These flowers are called, Dandelions.'

Emerson is now obsessed...(oh, and that's just water from the experiment on his pants).

Mommy and Lincoln on the walk.

On a bridge and trying to get rid of my kids by pushing them over.

Just kidding!

The Lincoln just HAD to touch the water.

So did Emerson.

It was a very pretty walk.

After the walk we ate some food to fuel up then drove over to another short, easy hike to one of the many lakes that surrounds Lake Tahoe.

Having a snack before our next hike.

Our hike...

again, kid friendly...

to this gorgeous lake.

We sat for a while.

And threw rocks...

Found a lady bug...

And played with sticks.

It was a good morning...now time for naps. After naps we headed out to one of the south beaches to try and take a swim. Yeah, the water was FREEZING. I'm surprised Emerson and Lincoln even walked in. However, they were smarted than their dad. Spencer decided he wanted to go for a swim. That didn't last very long, but he was able to brag that he went in while we wimps sat on the side. I'd rather be a wimp than freeze to death! The boys teeth were chattering just with them only putting their feet/legs in the water. It was a really fun beach and a great way to end our day.

Lincoln - not sure if he wants to be in the water.

Getting out...it's too cold.

Here's our water/beach baby!

Look, sand Grandma!

Fun with daddy...

Our sun baby. Lincoln likes to watch the action from a warm environment.

So do I ;0)

'Give me five.'

Catch me if you can...

Lincoln decided to get in on the fun...even if that meant getting in the water.

Spencer going for his swim...

Can you find him?

'What are you doing Emerson?'

'Oh. I play with you.'

The beach ritual of burying Emerson...

Such a good day :0)

That afternoon...

2011-06-07T19:07:00.003-04:00

Emerson has been dying to go into 'Grandpa Bob's Pond' (as Emerson calls it), ever since we arrived in California. The weather has not been cooperative until today! After a morning at Fairytale Town and naps, Emerson's request finally was made...

A dream come true!

Hey. Where did that hand come from?

Get ready...

Splashing is just too much fun.

'OH! I got water in my eye!'

Since the weather had been rainy the water was pretty cold. Emerson was shivering pretty much 5 minutes after he had been in the pond. It took a lot of convincing followed by threats to get him out. Silly boy ;0)

Time in California

2011-06-07T13:43:00.000-04:00

SO MUCH FUN!

It was a blast hanging out with my family again. I missed my sister a ton and it was so good to hang out with her and the kids. They, Anna's kids, are getting so big and all grown up I can hardly believe it. Plus, Emerson and Lincoln had so much fun with them. We spent a whole three days with my sister and her kids. We tried planing a BBQ and pool party at her house the first day we were there, but the weather had different (raining) plans for us. We managed. We played inside her house: running, screaming, dancing, chatting, laughing, tickling, and crying (mostly the kids), and we still were able to whip up a yummy BBQ lunch. As always, my mother gathers us together for a 'family photo' and here it is...

And as always, I prefer the goofy shots...

Emily is above the mess. Emerson is being 'loved' by Lindsey (a little too much). And Lincoln has had enough of what Tanner has to say. This is too cute ;0)

On Monday, my sister came up with the kids to play at Grandma's house. Once again...RAIN and once again, we had a blast inside. Spencer is really good with keeping kids entertained. He came up with a lot of games to play and we even played old childhood games I grew up with like, 'Mother May I'. I actually didn't play. I watched comfortably from the sidelines enjoying the childhood memories flood through my thoughts. I couldn't stop the huge grin on my face that curved up to my ears. It was fun. We had another yummy BBQ lunch. Nothing is better than cylindrical meats to a child...

Lincoln's turn...

Wait...

He must not have liked that so much.

Tuesday, we met up with my sister, the kids, and my best friend growing up, Kim and her kids at Fairytale Town. We took Emerson and Lincoln there last summer. Emerson had so much fun we decided it would be fun for Lincoln to have a chance to experience all the fun, aka SLIDES! (ye be warned...there are a lot of pictures with slides)...

Can you tell that Lincoln so wants to be in this picture?

Out of everything to see and play with Emerson finds the mote and goes there first thing.

Here's my water baby

Besides water to play in, Emerson loves drinking fountains.

Slide #1: 'Old Mother Shoe'

loved it.

And Lincoln/Daddy?

Loved it.

Linc was brave enough to try on his own...if you look close, there's a big smile on his face.

Emerson, Emily, Julieanna, Lindsey, and Tanner

What's up?

Lindsey leading Emerson on 'The Crooked Mile' - super happy right?

Slide #2: Daddy was a good sport...

There's no way my hips or lap could have handled that slide or both boys ;0)

Another drinking fountain. He was pretty thirsty from all the play.

Slide #3: 'The Barn' - Lindsey and my best friend's kid, Brynn. They were BFFs from the moment they met!

Whoa!

Anna's littlest climber...

and the big climbers - top: Lindsey, Tanner, Brynn (Kim's)

middle: Bryson (Kim's)

bottom: Hudson (Kim's)

BFFs! They are so cute and look very similar.

Slide #4: 'The Rabbit Hole' - Emerson trying a new way to slide.

He enjoyed it so much he had to run up and do it again!

Lincoln's turn...

whoa!

Daddy explaining to Emerson who's giant foot they are standing next to...the giant from 'Jack and the Bean Stalk' (one of his favorite stories, thanks to Super Why).

Slide #5: 'Jack and Jill' - Lincoln letting us know he wanted to do it all on his own...

Let's do it again!

Slide #6: 'Sherwood Forest'

I don't want to leave mommy!

Emerson loved the slides here too, but he decided to try new things...and love them.

Like jumping on the bridge.

Claiming his territory by yelling.

And climbing up the robe ladder.

As always, we had a great time at Fairytale Town. This will most likely be a yearly event. It's just too much fun. I hope Kim will join us again next time we go. I had a blast hanging out with her and my sister's kids adored Kim's kids. Maybe they will have to get together, especially Lindsey and Brynn. I wish I lived close. ;0)

And our summer vacation begins...

2011-06-02T14:32:00.003-04:00

We are taking our anual 3 week vacation to visit with our family. We have missed them terribly and it will be so fun to spend a lot of time with each of them. Plus, this year we are visiting other places with our family to spice life up. My family lives outside Sacramento, CA, which is where we begin our adventure. Then we will head up to Tahoe for a few days. Next we will drive over to Centerville, UT, where Spencer's family is...spend time there and then head up with the family to Wyoming for cabin fun. I'm so excited I can hardly wait. I hope our flight goes well tomorrow. Regardless, it will be so good to be with family again.

Changes...

2011-05-29T20:21:00.015-04:00

They come so quick!

As we were rushing into Sacrament meeting, about 5/10 minutes late, we caught the tail end of Ward Announcements. "...special meeting regarding change in ward boundaries..."and so on. What, what? Who? When? I always kick myself when we arrive late to church. So I sat through Sacrament, which was awesome, very eager to find out what announcement I missed. Lucky for me, our first councilor of the bishopric decided to repeat this missed announcement at the end of the meeting. "On Sunday, June 12th we will have a special meeting with the rest of the Stake to reassign the boundaries of all Boston wards."

Through out the rest of church I walked around happy and sad. 'What ward will we belong to when we return from vacation? Will I have the same calling? Will I have to make all new friends?' The list of thoughts go on and on.

Even though no one knows what the new boundaries will be, I am sad. I kind of do not want our ward to change. I just became grateful for the unconventional friendships that I have in this ward. I just go into the swing of my calling and the thought of starting over...'sigh'! Then again, maybe nothing will change. The point is there is uncertainty in my life and I do not do well with uncertainty. It's difficult for me to be patient. I'm sure all will be well, but it will be very interesting.

When we come back from vacation we will be (possibly) attending a new ward, at a new time, in a new building!

Fun?

Yes, fun.

Thoughts about a Transit Ward

2011-05-28T14:44:00.001-04:00

We had a BBQ today. Not in celebration for Memorial Day Weekend, but to say goodbye to some of our good friends who will be moving from Boston very soon. We will miss them. It was so fun to have one last time with them and really good food to eat. ;0)

The ward we are apart of out here in Boston is a serious transit ward. It's full of young families either going through school (medical/law/other) or just starting their careers. Mostly, the families are here for school and once their 2-3 years are up, they leave! Therefore there is a lot of turn over and it is difficult to make real bonding friendships. Boston is really such a different place. Even though we are not very far apart from each other most find it difficult to get out of our houses and really connect. It's much easier for the 'stay at home moms' to get out together for playgroups or trades for babysitting, but even that is difficult. I do wish it was a little bit different. That instead of being the one who initiates playgroups and gatherings that I would receive a phone call to hang out somewhere...to know that I do really have friends. Then again, I have to remind myself, frequently that it is difficult to get out and about when you have 1+ children under the age of 5. Children of those ages are pretty demanding and need a lot of your attention.

So to give the benefit of the doubt and looking for the best intentions, I do believe that I have some friendships out here. Will they be lasting ones...probably not, but I am truly grateful to have these women around me. They teach me many things. Things about raising children, about being kind, about serving others selflessly, and about being a better person all around.

It's time to look for the brighter side of life.

It is such a better and more healthy way to live.

So, again, goodbye to our friends who are moving soon. You will be missed.

Paper Chains...

2011-05-27T16:29:00.001-04:00

Don't you remember making paper chains in school to either count down the days till Christmas Vacation or when it was Summer Break!? Oh, I do. I loved looking at the chains and noticing how fast the extremely LONG chain would get smaller and smaller. I love visual aids if you haven't guessed.

Well, Emerson has been asking me every day for the past 2 weeks, "Mommy, I want to go on the airplane." YEAH, I know buddy. So do I. Well, not fly on the airplane - stuffed in those small seats with my two wild boys - but I'm so looking forward to our vacation out in California and Utah. So instead of getting annoyed with Emerson's persistent asking, I decided to make a paper chain with him to count down the days till we FLY ON AN AIRPLANE...

The chain has worked wonders. Emerson asks me every morning, when he can go on the airplane, I march him over to the paper chain, we remove the link that has yesterday's date on it (with Emerson's brilliant coloring skills), and we then count together how many days we have left. I love it when these great ideas pop up into my head. Really this chain has been a blessing to my nerves with a young boy who is in his...let just say "testing all limits" phase. ;0)

I really do love my big boy, especially his stance in the picture with that goofy grin. :0)

My Mushroom Heads...

2011-05-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

The boys hair was getting too long and I wasn't too excited about shaving their heads like I normally do.

For the first time I took the scissors to their heads...

I may be a mean mom, but I think they look SO CUTE!

I don't need others to agree and I'm sure one day my boys will look back at these photos and say...

"MOM! What were you thinking?"

My reply will be, "The haircuts made me laugh and that is a good thing for mommies to do, LAUGH."

Graduated!

2011-05-25T10:51:00.000-04:00

We did it! We moved Emerson into the "big bed" last night and he did awesome.

Spencer put him to bed and said that he didn't hear a peep from Emerson at all. I came home from book club around 10pm and my curiosity got the best of me. I peeked into Emerson's room to see how he was doing. I found him sound asleep in the bed still. However, there were about 4 other blankets pulled onto the bed, along with a couple of cars. I found the cars underneath his body and head. So I rolled him over, cleaned out the bed of toys/blankets, and tucked him back into bed.

At least he was quite all night and was still sleeping in his bed right? ;0)

20 weeks - The half way point!

2011-05-24T10:34:00.002-04:00

Lincoln R Harrison is officially 18 months old today!

2011-05-17T17:46:00.001-04:00

Warning: This is a long post about an update on Lincoln's accomplishments. Read at your own risk.

Where has the time gone? It feels like Lincoln has grown up so fast. Maybe it's because he's been a super young talker? Just today at his 18 month check up with his doctor she asked, "How many words do you think Lincoln can and will say?" I didn't know how to answer because I stopped counting a few months back when his vocabulary was 50+ words! Lincoln has spoiled us with his ability and desire to talk, talk, talk. Is he saying sentences? No, and we do not expect him to anytime soon. However, lately he has been putting two words together and sometimes three words. But that is rare. So just for the sake of documentation here are words he says...

Daddy

Mamma

Emerson (sounds like: "Ema-sin")

Grandpa

Bob

Elmo

Hungry

Fishes (goldfish)

Apple and Sauce (for applesauce)

Toast

Water

Milk or I Want Milk (that three word sentence is occasional)

Buckles

Door(s)

Chair

Couch

Light

Lamp

Diaper

A Bath? (every night he asks this to take a bath)

Heart, Square, Circle, Flower, Triangle (and he knows what these shapes look like)

Books

Bink (for Binkie)

Blanket

Teddy (for teddy bear)

Big Bear

Wall-e, Eva, Mo

Stars, Sun, Moon

Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, Tongue, Teeth (and points them all out on yours or his face...all the time)

Button (for belly button)

Head, Shoulders, Tummy, Hands, Feet, Toes

Prayer or Arms - he says "arms" meaning fold your arms
Cuddle
Yummy

Thank you

Please

Hi or Hello and Bye or Bye, Bye

More, Again (often said one after the other)

No (he can say yes, but hardly uses it)

I Touch or No Touch

Jacket, Shoes, Socks, Pants, and Shirt

Ball(s), Soccer ball

Blocks

Car

Up, Down, Open, Close or Shut

There (when he's completed a task)

All Done

Okay

I Play

I Push

I Run or I Walk

I Watch

I Sit

Upstairs or Downstairs

Laundry

A Song? (when he wants to listen to music or hear "Elmo's Song")

Sam I am

Sneetches

Bird, Cow, Cat, Dog, Frog, Duck, Horse, Sheep, Pig, Lion, etc. (with accompanying sound)

(counts) 1, 2, 3, 4, -, 6, -, 8, -, 10! (he skips a bunch of numbers just to get to 10 faster)

(he knows some letters and knows their sounds) B, C, D, I, K, M, O, R, S, T, X

...and the list goes on.

Lincoln's eyes are developing. He was extremely far-sided from birth and diagnosed with Congenital Nystagmus. His eyes has improved majorly since birth. His eye prescription went from a +8 (around 3months old) to a +1 (14months old). His glasses are for the far-sided condition of his eyes. The nystagmus will always be with him, however the involuntary eye movement and head bobbing has and will decrease over time as he learns to control it. The doctors still do not know the cause of the nystagmus, but the working theory is Achromatopsia = color blind and light sensitive. Again, Lincoln's eyes are still mysterious, but other than that he has proven to us all he is right on target with all other physical, emotional, social, neurological developments. He is amazing.

Lincoln has developed into a singer where he will chime in if he knows the song and participate as much as he can. He loves listening to music of all kind - classical, pop, rock, children's songs, church/primary songs, etc.

Lincoln is very active! He loves to walk (finally) and is now trying to run. His running usually is just a very fast walk to a stumble and fall. However, falling doesn't get him down. He picks himself right back up and starts at it again. He loves to climb...on everything and now demands to walk up and down the stairs. So much for me feeling comfortable with Lincoln around stairs!

Lincoln is a problem solver. He will sit and do until he can complete the task at hand. Also, if you teach him something, it only takes you teaching him once or twice and then...he's the master. ;0)

Lincoln is very independent. He's very much a "I want to do it" personality. So now, whenever mommy or daddy tries to "do" things for Lincoln that he has not quite mastered, but is attempting to master...he throws a FIT! Love those tantrums. This requires a lot of time and patience on my part, but I am willing to let him do because he is so proud of himself when he is finally able to "do" whatever he's been trying to do.

Lincoln is super happy and social. It doesn't take much to get a ear to ear smile out of this little man. And OH! What a smile! Although, as of late, we have hit a slight separation anxiety phase. This too shall pass.

Lincoln loves his big brother Emerson and so enjoys his company. I say company because he doesn't always enjoy Emerson taking away the toys he's playing with or wants to play with. And lately, Lincoln doesn't really care for Emerson laying his body on top of him (wrestling - Emerson is really into it). Don't worry Emerson, Lincoln will catch up and when he does...look out! ;0)

Lincoln loves mommy and daddy very much. Even though he asserts his independence from us, he still loves to be our little baby...for the time being.

Lincoln's stats are:

Weight = 25 lb 9.6 oz (46%)

Height = 33 in (71%)

Head C = 49.5 cm/19.5 in (90%)

We love our little Lincoln

19 weeks along...

2011-05-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

with my oldest making an appearance with his head in the the bottom left hand corner.

It will probably be difficult to keep my boys out of these weekly updates ;0)

Introducing Organism #3

2011-05-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

He is so cute! Those are his fingers by his mouth.

Oh yeah, it's another boy and we are so excited!!

A Beautiful Day

2011-05-13T20:13:00.025-04:00

so it's time to play in the backyard (that is finally fixed)

Hi Lincoln!

Are you dancing?

Nope, just falling ;0)

His reaction...it's a good one.

Getting back up

Look who decided to lie down on mommy while she was taking photos of Lincoln...

My sweetheart

What is it with sticks?

This picture makes Emerson look like he's the enforcer!

There's that cute British smile we love so much.

R E A C H !

"I got it!"

Love it.

Oh and did we mention that Lincoln can walk now???

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T22:19:00.006-04:00

Give me a M...M!

Give me a O...O!

Give me a M...M!

THAT'S MY MOM!

I love you and am forever grateful for you.

Our time at the pool and on our little hike...

2011-05-08T16:11:00.005-04:00

Our Mini "needed" Vacation

2011-05-07T20:21:00.020-04:00

Last year we got our hands on a 2 for 1 deal to stay in this Inn up in Lincoln, New Hampshire from LivingSocial.com. If you want good and fun deals near where you live, look up livingsocial.com! They send out a deal a day. Most deals, we are not interested in, but then there are those days when something really fun pops up and we have to take it.

Anyway. We headed up to Lincoln, New Hampshire early Thursday afternoon to check into our Inn and quickly discovered that this town and surrounding towns are all little ski resort towns. Since ski season was over and the "off season" does not begin until Memorial Day weekend or after...we were pretty much the only vacationers there. At first, it felt a little creepy. Most of the restaurants were closed for the season! There was not much we could do. Luckily, we prefer quite, non crowed places, so we got over the creepy feeling and very much enjoyed our quiet, relaxing stay in Lincoln.

So what did we do? The Inn we stayed at had an indoor pool & hot tub. We spent the majority of our time swimming in the pool and occasionally sticking an arm or leg into the hot tub. The town of Lincoln is located just on the boarder of the White Mountain National Forest so we went for a scenic drive around the mountain range. Super pretty. We also took a short hike into the forest on our way home.

The scenery was so beautiful and we very much enjoyed watching the boys fall in love with the pool. Emerson to this day still asks, "Mommy, I want to go to the pool." I have to remind him that there are no pools around us and then he responds, "Mommy, I don't go to the pool" (meaning, I don't need to go mom, its okay). He's too cute. I'll need to find some sort of pool activity to get him involved in since he had so much fun. Lincoln enjoyed the water, as long as he was completely wrapped around mommy knowing that she would not let go of him or pass him off to daddy. Daddy would try and get him to swim. He was not having it. :0)

2 nights and 3 days was just enough getaway time without totally getting away. We had a blast.

On our drive around the White Mountains we stopped at this natural waterfall.

They really were enjoying themselves ;0)

Swimming with daddy.

Here's a picture to give you an idea of the indoor pool area.

Emerson over took Lincoln's "boat" however Lincoln didn't mind since he would rather be attached to mommy or lounging on the chairs.

Lincoln's favorite spot.

"Sometimes I like to pose here like this while the ladies pass by."

Our little hike up in the mountains...

Emerson would rather walk by himself.

What is it with my kids and touching the camera all the time?

Lincoln on this trip decided he would rather walk than crawl or be carried.

I love the little men in my life

2011-05-05T10:00:00.009-04:00

Especially when I walk into Lincoln's room and find this...

Lincoln takes his reading seriously ;0) This is actually one of his favorite things to do: crawl up into a chair or into a corner then flip through any and all the books he can get his hands on. So precious. I love it.

Our Easter Morning

2011-04-24T10:53:00.001-04:00

Emerson, what are you eating?

2011-04-23T15:49:00.001-04:00

Really, these "balls" are called aebleskivers and yes, they are yummy.