Lincoln: 6 months!

Lincoln had his 6 month appointment with a local pediatrician at the very end of January (never too late to post, right!) and is growing great -in spite of the fact that we were all sick for over a month! He was 15.8 lbs and 26.5 inches and lively as he tore all the paper on the examination table. He has since started on solids (cautiously bc of his intolerance to milk and soy) and is really enjoying food! He gobbled down his first meal without any hesitation - this boy was READY. Lucky for him, he gets to hold off on peas and green beans until he is older since they're in the soy family (also all cereals since they're possibly cross contaminated with wheat- a high allergen). So far it is lots of fruits and orange veggies. Hopefully he won’t completely turn into an oompa loompa :) He is such a joy and a wonderful baby - we are so blessed to have him in our family!

Bobby's Toast

We miss you Bobby!

Mason had toast for brunch every morning with Bobby while she was here in January and is still talking about Bobby's toast! We miss you for more than just your toast J We hope to see you soon Gram!

xoxo

House Hunting

House hunting is underway and has been unsuccessful so far. There are hardly any homes in the corridor we are looking to live in so the process has been a little slow. We put an offer in on one home but the counter was crazy high because they originally bought it for too much. However, we know everything else about this move has panned out without a hitch, so we just need to be patient and the right opportunity will come along. In the meanwhile, I am starting to look at some fixer uppers - unfortunately, Matt isn't always too thrilled at some of the options I present; I keep telling him he needs to catch the vision and see the potential. I mean, what's so wrong with this beauty? :)

Help Our Friends Adopt!

This post is LONG overdue! With limited internet connectivity right now (I am sitting in the McDonalds parking lot right now...), I just now read about their recent goings-on and I realized what a dud I've been that I havent posted this on our blog yet. Sorry Rach!

My very first college roommate and her husband wish to adopt and are just waiting for that sweet baby to come to their home. Rachel is truly an amazing, above-and-beyond woman who will make a wonderful Mother. I have no doubt that Ryan and Rachel will be fantastic parents!

PLEASE, if you or anyone you know are looking into adoption, please click HERE to see their adoption profile and/or HERE for their blog to get to know them better!

A New Year... a new location!

As of late (mostly for my own record... sorry about the 'picturelessness')...

Matt is eagerly job searching and we’re hopeful that something will come through soon. He has been calling, dropping by, emailing, and faxing anyone and everyone in the area that he can find. He has had a few interviews and anticipates more, so we’re playing the waiting game. We are looking forward to finding a job, finding a home, and getting settled into our ‘new’ life here.

In the meanwhile, my parents are graciously letting us rent from them and it has been a blast to be with “Mimi and Pop Pop”! I am certain Mason is going to think things are pretty lame when we’re in our own place and these fun, goofy grandparents aren’t around all the time. On top of that, my Gram is also here on an extended stay from Christmas – talk about people to play with and be entertained by! After being in Utah away from much of our family for so many years, it has been wonderful to be together with so many loved ones. Mason is also LOVING all the animals here (horses, chickens, pig, dogs, etc) and has a special affection for Kevin Bacon, aka Mr. Piggy. Hopefully he isn’t too attached, since Kevin will become bacon before too long. Yikes.

We are FINALLY getting healthy. Lincoln has been sick since Dec 5^th… meaning, he has slept through the night approximately 4-5 nights in the last 35 days. Mind you, he never slept through the night until being weaned Thanksgiving weekend, but man, once you get there, it is HARD to go back! Thankfully he is recovering and slept through again last night. (I am considering keeping him in a bubble for a while to avoid more sickness…?) Mason also got sick at the beginning of Dec (Dec 6^th) and just got better a few days ago. It wasn’t the same illness the whole time, just one after another as we moved and traveled and got exhausted through the holidays. Matt and I also got part of it right around Christmas and it took quite some time to get better… must have been some super virus! I think I’ll be pumping us full of vitamins and wiping everything with a Clorox wipe. Here is to being healthy in 2011!

Well, there you have it, our nutshell update. I am a bit slow on blogging due to dial-up internet at the house... so McDonald's wifi is currently buddy...but, McDonald's is about 15 minutes away, so it isn't a regular activity. 'Tis a change of pace :)

We hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years and that you are looking forward to a healthy and happy 2011!

Merry Christmas 2010!

As soon as we got our stuff out of the Budget truck and into the several locations where we are stowing all of it – we were off again! We headed to Gatlinburg to a timeshare my Brother and his family is part of and enjoyed a few days in the Smokies. We played games, relaxed, went to the Dixie Stampede (so fun!), checked out some shopping, and of course ate…ate…and ate.

We got back from east TN in time to spend several days house hopping as we celebrated Christmas and reveled in the fact that we wouldn’t be shoving our belongings back into suitcases and saying goodbye for yet another year. What a wonderful thought! Mason and Lincoln were spoiled rotten by Santa and family and Mason has been busy trying to claim all of Lincoln’s toys as his. J

Merry Christmas! We are so grateful for our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and grateful for the Christmas season that helps us reflect on His birth and life. Let us not forget He is the reason for the Season! God Bless!

The 8th Move

8 moves in 5.5 years. Whew! You’d think we would be ultra-skilled at it by now, but moving is a beast every time, no matter how short of a time we’ve spent in the location. Fortunately, Matt really pulled through and packed almost the entire house (my Mom probably packed the rest the one day she was there and I packed the miniscule amount that remains after adding those two up). Unfortunately, he doesn’t know where anything is. Haha! Luckily, we have found most of the basics and can handle not finding the rest for a while longer. Really though, he was a real gem as I handled the boys throwing up and having diarrhea (sorry for the graphic :) for the entire week before we

moved. Such fun! (What timing!) Those poor kids were so, so sick and with that, we didn’t end up doing much of anything including visiting many friends since no one deserved to catch that nasty bug. As I expected, the move was as though we ‘stole away’ in the night because of the busy holiday season (and being sick). As the dust is now settling, it is so sad to think we won’t be seeing our friends for some time, but I also have faith that good friends are always good friends and we will see them again soon. We love you all!

The boys, miraculously, had their first yucky-poop- free day on the day we flew out (miracle!). They were both SO good (neither one of them cried the entire day!) and were flying champs. I am, however, SO GRATEFUL my Mom flew out to fly back with me. * Kudos to all Moms who fly solo with more than one child*. I know I could have done it, but the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” would be meant in more of a literal sense, because I am certain I might have been close to dead by the end of the day. J

Matt and his best friend, Michael, drove out with the Budget truck a couple days after I left and, with our little Zoom Zoom in tow (… and Sammy stowed inside the trailered car), drove all the way safely without hitting ANY weather. No rain, snow, sleet, etc. What a blessing! Samson also survived the trip in spite of the cold temps – his water in the car actually froze solid on the trip from Salt Lake to Denver the first night. We worried about him acclimating to the house (and animals) here in TN, but he has settled in without skipping a beat. I have a feeling being trapped in a freezing car for 3 days might have helped him be grateful for the new surroundings. Either way, we’ll take it.

Humongous thanks to all those who helped us with our move!!! I feel forever indebted to all the kind people – friends and neighbors – who have helped our family time and again. We love you all.