Spring weather

It warmed up to 55 degrees a couple weeks ago, but after the long winter it felt more like 70. So in celebration of the firs spring-like weather we went on a hike in the Boise foothills. It was a bit of a struggle to keep Carson focused on the hike because he found a big stick and frequently had to stop and draw in the mud (there was plenty of that). It's amazing how much he loves to make a muddy mess while Nate and I are making "Eeew" sounds.

Valentines Day

So we started out our Valentines celebrations this year on Thursday, which is when Nate and I decided to celebrate Valentines so we could avoid some of the crowds at the restaurants. On Valentines day itself I had a trail of paper hearts coming from the boys rooms leading them to their little Valentines day treat bags and our Valentines day breakfast. The boys each got two extra hot wheels and a Thomas the train DVD. Needless to say the day included plenty of hot wheel racing and Thomas watching. We had a yummy breakfast of heart pancakes with strawberries and whip cream. Latter in the day we went mini golfing. It was a good day. I hope every one had a good Valentines Day. :-)

Baby Fin

My brother and his wife had their first baby January 30, and this week I got to take pictures of my adorable nephew Fin. I do love to take pictures of my own kids (obviously their pictures are all over my blog and my home) but taking pictures of other people was a very fun change. It was fun enough that I might try and do it on a more regular basis. Here are some of my favorite pics of baby Fin and Jamie.

Time

Sometimes I feel like I have very little time. I have found myself more and more telling Carson that I don't have time to play because I need to clean the house, make dinner, or do any number of countless errands, chores, or hobbies. This week I tried to balance my life better and take more time with my kids. Here are some of the things I found time to do this week: paint with Carson, play dinosaurs, play farm animals, make and decorate cookies. I ended the week with a family trip to the zoo. It was a good week. Lots of time well spent.

Carson showing off his "meat eaters"

Lincoln and his farm animals

Carson letting his creative juices flow

Carson driving Nate around the Zoo

Lincoln stranded on the grass (if you place him on an uneven surface he tends to just stand there and wimper unitl someone moves him to a surface that is more solid)

Oh, and Lincoln found time to play with his food

Lincoln Bug

So Lincoln's birthday came and went and I didn't write down anything that he is doing at age one. First, he still has some nick-names. We mostly stick to Lincster or Lincoln-bug. I am always calling him Lincoln-bug; I think it is because he can be so sweet. You can be sitting on the couch and he will come over and give you a head hug. This is definitely new since Carson was never really one to give lots of hugs. He took his first steps a few days before his birthday and now walking is his preferred mode of transportation. Also, Lincoln can say a few words like: Dada, buzz (like a bee), and do a decent car "vroom." He can also sign "all done" and "cookie." It is soooo adorable when he signs cookie because he will make his little sign and then go over to the pantry and wait for someone to get him his treat. Yes he does have us pretty well trained. Also he is a pretty good eater. His favorite meal is Ravioli in tomato cream sauce, and he has been known to eat as much as me during this meal. Lincoln's favorite book is "Ten Little Lady Bugs." His favorite things to play with are the plethora of cars and trains that we own. Lincoln can also be a VERY loud child as I'm sure anyone who has sat by us in church can attest to. Overall, he is a very jolly kid and has always laughed easily. He loves to be chased and about half the time when you chase after him he collapses because he is laughing so hard. Even at the age of one you can tell that he thinks he is pretty hilarious. Lincoln is a Joy and we love having him in our family.

A Lazy Sunday

What do we like to do on a lazy Sunday. Well, when it's football season Nate likes to get his football fix. Carson usually gets his time with dad fix. Lincoln usually gets his run around and make a mess of the house fix (but, I guess, technically he gets that every day). And I get my camera fix. The results were nothing fancy, but I had fun.

I am so lucky to have such sweet and adorable Boys:)

Christmas and New Years

We had a quiet Christmas at home this year. We had plans to make some trips to visit family, but because of sickness and weather we opted to spend the entire Christmas break at home, and it turned out to be exactly the kind of low key break we needed. We ended up doing a lot of hanging out, but also managed to squeeze in over the break painting, sledding, bowling, and partying with family that came up to visit.

Carson and I making our Gingerbread train

Carson being a shepherd in the Christmas Eve reading of the Nativity.

Nate narrating the Nativity story and Lincoln paying attention dutifully

One of the many big hits Christmas morning was this very cheap foam sword. Carson got two swords, but they didn't survive the week before they broke. Luckily there were enough new toys to play with that Carson wasn't too devastated by their demise.

This race track was a big hit but Santa didn't bring it until a couple days after Christmas to replace the remote control car that wasn't working and had to go back to his workshop.

Lincoln loved his little interactive musical toy.

Family Sledding trip after Christmas

New Years Eve - Lincoln turns 1!

New Year Eve we celebrated this little guy turning the big 1

The puppy cake

Lincolns first taste of cake (icing)

By the end he was quite into his cupcake


I wanted to get some cuter shots of Lincoln enjoying his first sweets, but they didn't turn out quite how I wanted because Lincoln hated the frosting; most of my pictures turned out like this...

Yep not a fan of store frosting.