Smile!!

These are the things that have made me Smile lately:

(meaning I don't have anything specific to blog about so I'll just do a big photo dump)

We popped our pool last summer, so Daddy and the boys went to Walmart and got a bigger and better one!

Lincoln is not so much a fan of the heat.

(either that or he's just not a fan of his dorky mis-matched hat)
This boy is obsessed with dumping water on his head!

This is what Daddy gets for lying on the couch.

Our neighbor gave us 2 free tickets to Sesame Street Live so Kallen and I went on a little date!

I thought since the tickets were free, that I could splurge and get him a little souvenir....that was until I saw the price of the "little souvenirs". I'm sorry but I am not paying $15 for a little elmo glow light, or $10 for a giant elmo balloon.

This was the cheapest thing I could find ($4) and since he never gets popcorn Kallen was pretty excited!

(sorry buddy- you have a cheapo mommy)

For being free, I thought we got Great seats!!

Gotta love sugar-free popsicles on a hot summer day!!

Kallen's "cheese" face

Ah yes, and then there is this always happy boy!

That is Always happy when he is around his mommy.

(we are having some issues with separation anxiety- not something we ever had to deal with when Kallen was a baby.)

My boys were made to be outside! If we are having a rough day- we all just head outside and both boys are entertained for hours! This is going to be a fun summer! :)

Lincoln's Dedication

Last Sunday our church had a baby dedication and it made for such a special mothers day!

What a special gift to be able to stand before our church family and commit to raising our child to love God.

We are SO blessed to have such an amazing family.

Our children will grow up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who love God and I hope they will realize what a special gift that is.

Family photo opp!

Thanks to everyone who came to support us on such a special day!

We Love you guys!!

In my dreams...

I am in LOVE with this duvet cover:

In fact, I have been for almost 2 years now.

The problem: it costs $280

It is online only at Dwell Studio and they do not have sales. :(

I just cannot justify spending that much on something like that.

Ah, duvet cover, perhaps someday we will finally be together...

...until then I will just keep dreaming about you!

6 months

Lincoln turned 6 months on May 1st, but we just had his check up today so I have been stalling his 6 month post.

Height: 27 1/2" (85%)

Weight: 18# 11oz (72%)

Head Cir: 17 1/2" (70%)

Eats: 100% breastmilk - I have started trying cereal/babyfood but he gags when the spoon even touches his mouth. I think he is going to be a little slow in the transition from milk to solids.

Sleeps: pretty good at night! He usually goes to bed at 9:00pm, wakes up briefly to eat around 5am, then sleeps until 7-8. Naps are something we are working on. If I would stay home all the time and keep him on a solid schedule he would probaby do great, but I have Kallen who just takes 1 nap/day and I really want to be able to go places in the morning and afternoon this summer. So Lincoln kind of just gets thrown into whatever we have planned for the day and if he naps- he naps. (it's bad I know :S )

Talks: he babbles off and on, he squeals when he gets excited, his new favorite thing is to suck on his bottom lip and spit, and he has the best belly laugh I have ever heard!! Occasionally Kallen gets him to laugh like no one else can and it is the sweetest thing ever!!

Moves: not at all!! Lincoln seems to have 0 interest in rolling. He sits up on his own very well and I really think he will skip rolling and just go straight to crawling. (which I don't think will be anytime soon) I am totally fine with him not being mobile- keeping track of 1 moving child is crazy enough!

Lincoln is still a very happy and smiley baby!

And although he is still somewhat laid-back, he is also starting to be kind of finicky. He HATES the heat! He spent every hot day this week crying and whining until I would strip him down and stick him under the fan (that is something we will be working on), also if you do not do things the way he wants- he will whine until you do. (another thing we will work on)

He is in that grabby stage where he will grab at anything he can get his hands on, and then of course it goes straight to his mouth! He eyes our food to the point where you almost feel guilty eating in front of him. haha He is definately going to be our little tank.

We love you so much Lincoln! You are such a joy in our lives!!

"If ya ain't Dutch, ya ain't Much"

I have not been to Tulip Time since I was a little kid, but I married "one of those dutch guys from Pella/Osky" and I figured it was about time we went to see what it was all about.

We headed down Friday morning, picked up Shawn's mom, and started our day at the What Cheer fleamarket. (an Awesome flea market that they have twice a year. Lots of antiques for a fairly reasonable price!)

Then we swung back by the house to meet Shawn's Dad and pulled into Pella just in time to catch the 2:30 parade!

Kallen is in that wonderful phase where he insists on walking instead of riding as much as possible:

Apparently one of the best things about Tulip Time is the food
(although it all just seemed like fair food to me)

I am usually not a fan of funnel cake, but my m.i.l. introduced us to this funnel cake topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and I have to say it was pretty good!
Kallen has always had a special bond with his "Papa" and he was in heaven all day- having Papa's undivided attention. :)
Lincoln got lots of cuddle time with Grandma! :)

At one point during the parade Kallen looked back, spotted this man, pointed, and said "Uh Oh!"

You can't go to tulip time without getting a picture in front of the tulips!

I'm not sure why I thought this would be possible with a 2 year old and a 6 month old.
Most of our attempts ended up like this:

(Lincoln was mesmerized by the tulips and would not take his eyes off of them)

I guess in Pella there is a $100 fine for each tulip that you break.

In my attempt to get a decent picture, I asked Kallen to give Lincoln a hug.

He, ever so sweetly, hugged his little brother then quickly let go, knocking Lincoln off balance and sending him backwards into the flowers.

Oops! Please don't tell anyone!

After that we high tailed it out of there to go visit Shawn grandparents who live a few blocks away from all of the action.

It has been so cold lately, it was really nice to get out and go for a walk!

Kallen spent most of the time turned around, playing with his brother.

I just LOVE that Lincoln is getting old enough now to interact!

I'd say our first family Tulip Time was a success!

It was SO good to spend time with family, and see a part of Shawn's dutch heritage.

An overall review: it was very crowded, and the parade was close to 2 hours long, but Pella has such neat little shops and the tulips were all beautiful!!!

I'd say, if you are not a fan of big crowds, you could just head to Pella the week before or after and get pretty much the same experience! (plus you can go to Jaarsma without having to stand in a ridiculously long line. And no we did not even bother.)