The Real Celebration

Lincoln's real birthday celebration was today. The party had to wait so I could order some special flour online to make him a ketogenic diet friendly birthday cake. It arrived last week, but things kept coming up, so I didn't get a chance to make it until today.

So Lincoln was able to enjoy his very own personal chocolate cake with chocolate frosting tonight. (The cake in the other picture was an ice cream cake that the rest of us ate for him.)

And then there were a couple of little presents that Andy & I had saved for him & June to open after the cake. Lincoln got a few pool toys & Juney got some crayons for the bathtub. I hope that they have some fun with them! :)

House Update

Well, we are still waiting for the builder to finish the detailed design and submit for permits. I have to admit, Andy and I are getting a bit impatient to get things started. But I have heard from everyone that this initial part takes forever, and then once they get started it all flies by. We will see...

In the meantime we have made a few final adjustments to the floorplan, and are happy with the final design. There are minor things here and there that will be added as we go, but as far as the room layouts...this is the final plan!

Happy Birthday Lincoln!!

Lincoln turns 3 years old today!! Happy Birthday to my sweet little man.


To Lincoln,

Three years ago you transformed our lives, making Andy and I, into Mommy & Daddy. You have a most special role in our family. Together, the three of us, have fought more battles than we ever expected to fight. We have had so many ups and downs...too many to count. Through it all you have remained our sweet little boy. To us, the most special little boy on earth. You are strong, you are brave, you are hard-working, and you are very very loved.

This past year has a brought a lot of changes to you and to our family. We had another baby sister for you to love, and to be loved by. After much fear and debate, we started you on the ketogenic diet, which thankfully, has already shown vast improvements in your seizures. This coming year you start pre-school, and we will be moving into the house where you will grow up, along with your sisters. We are so proud of the things you've learned and accomplished so far. We hope for many more joyous things to come! Happy birthday to you, my handsome bo-bo bear! ;)

Love,
Your Momma

You've come a long way, baby!


Birth


1st Birthday


2nd Birthday


3rd Birthday

Eight Years Later

After eight years,
seven jobs,
five homes,
four cars,
three children,
and two cities,
our marriage is still going strong!



We are living life & loving it! :)

Here's to the next eight years!!

Happy 8th Anniversary!!

Picture Post; Mid-June through Mid-July

Happy Father's Day personalized card for Andy.

June trying out the bumbo (taken out of storage for Roxy). June likes it better now than she did a year ago. Lol.



Lunchtime...the best time for taking photos of the kids because they can't get away. ;)

Roxy being as cute as ever.

Andy after some cabinet building in the garage.

My girlies watching TV. I am sure it was a very educational PBS kids TV show.

My tough girls. Don't mess with these chicks!


June giving Roxy a "hug"

Roxy sleeping away.

Fourth of July trip...

ATV trip with me, Andy, my Dad, and Andy's dad. This is a picture of Jim, Andy's dad, pointing at his farm off in the distance.


June-bug checking out the water and the dirt (goose poop, feathers, mud, and dead fish too).

Pilcher Reservoir

Juney being a cutey while at the reservoir.

Jason & Heidi. Heidi is 2 weeks younger than Roxy & loves to be carried around this way. It is so funny how much she prefers it. She has awesome neck strength too because of this.

Our ditch kayaking group. :) My Dad, my sisters, Jennifer and Jamie & her boyfriend Joe. Andy is the photog and trip tour guide as well.

Fourth of July Parade; June, Lincoln, my Mom & I.

Roxy having a after parade snack.

After we returned home...



Lunch time



Tummy time

Sad to see it go

Roxy was born with long very dark brown or black hair. Over the past month it has begun falling out, leaving behind a kind of patchy look. Some of the shorter hairs are a light brown, and the even shorter hairs are coming in blond. It will be interesting to see what color of hair she ends up with.

Both June & Lincoln were born with stuble in the color close to what it grew in to be, although both lightened slightly over the first year. Neither of them lost their hair like Roxy is, so this is new territory for us.


Roxy at 3 weeks old.


Roxy at 3 months old.

I am already missing her long dark hair. But I am sure she will be beautiful no matter what.

Three at 3

Roxy-Roo is now three months old, and time is flying by. She is as sweet as ever. Still smiling all of the time, cooing when excited or hungry, and even rolled from belly to back once this morning. She tried rolling a few other times, but got stuck halfway. I imagine this milestone is right around the corner though.

She is wonderful, a real joy to be around. She currently weighs in at 15bs 5oz, and measures 25.5 inches. At 3 months Lincoln was 17lbs 5oz, and June was 13lbs 13oz, so Roxy is right in between.

Here are the three month pictures of each kid for comparison.


Lincoln


June


Roxy

We are home from vacation!

We had a great time over the past week in Oregon. There was a gun shooting competition, irrigation ditch kayaking, a day spent at one of the reservoirs, golf, some ATV trips into the countryside, a parade, rodeo, fireworks, a family reunion, and a 4th of July party!

June LOVED all of the people, kids, dogs, and time spent outdoors. She never hesitated to explore something new, greet new arrivals, and play with the big kids. She was a real ball of energy and the life of every party!

Roxy was a little sweetheart, and even earned the nickname "angel baby" from her Grandma Kat (Andy's mom). She soaked up all the extra attention lavished on her and loved every moment of it!

Lincoln had fun watching all of the activities, and really got a kick out of the fireworks this year. He was a little cranky about being in a different place, and some additional seizure activity didn't help. But he loved meeting everyone at the 4th of July party, and invited himself up onto many laps for cuddles.

All in all, it was a busy busy week, with beautiful weather, great company, yummy food, and a comfortable place to stay! Thanks Jim & Kathy for hosting us, along with everyone else, and for throwing a great party!!

Oh yeah, and Happy belated 4th of July everyone! :)