Check out these adorable folds and rolls!

I can’t believe how fast she is growing. Again it’s just such a contrast with Link. Lincoln wore newborn clothes until he was 3 months. Claire is fitting perfectly into 3 month clothes already.

Claire has been a real delight the last couple days. We had a few weeks of fussiness, and hope that’s coming to an end. She smiles more and more and has just started cooing. It’s wonderful to hear other baby noises besides crying!

Lincoln now surprises us daily with all the new things he knows and does. His imagination is flourishing. He and I seriously have a blast together! Recently he got up the courage to lay down on his back in the tub. He’s never really liked water, so this was a real accomplishment.

Also, we’ve been working on our monster faces. But somehow I don’t think this cute boy could ever look scary.

I’m doing great. I can honestly say I’ve never enjoyed being a mother more.

Here are a few pics of our last trip. I didn’t get much variety, and if I hadn’t told you, you probably wouldn’t have any idea where these were taken. As it turns out, it’s hard to take pictures of a toddler you’re too busy chasing.

Here are my failed attempts at getting a good picture of Link and I together. Oh, and just so you know, Link really has a good time when we go, though you’d never guess from the pictures!

Posing in a car from Mr Toad’s Wild Ride. He’d want to crawl up inside this car every trip. It was great. He loved it, and the best part was, we didn’t have to wait in line!

Boat rides are Link’s favorite. And if you didn’t realize, Disneyland has a lot of them. When we talk about Disneyland, he always mentions the bo (boats) and the wadden (water).

Here he is on Small World—his favorite.

Coming off Small World, being all independent with his buddy Benji.

I bought Link a pair of Mickey ears with some left-over birthday gift card money. I should have removed the price tag before photographing him wearing them.

Oh how I love my little buddy! We really have such a great time together!

We have another possible option that would be much closer to home. This job is in Sandy, UT. We should be hearing from them soon as well. Personally I feel good about both options. We are just praying for a lot of direction right now.

We’re hoping to move sooner rather than later. This baby is coming in June, and it would be really nice if we had a chance to get settled before she comes. Besides, packing boxes at 8+ months does not sound pleasant.

Miles has been down and out with a toothache this week. He’s on Vicodin, ibuprofen, Nyquil, and two types of antibiotics and is still miserable. I took him to the endodontist (root canal guy) and he sent him home saying there’s nothing he can do until the infection clears. So I’ve been basically taking care of both my boys full-time. It’s reminded me just how much Miles helps out around here!

Chasing a toddler while pregnant sure is exhausting! It’s been interesting though. As I get bigger, Link seems to grow more and more independent. As long as I am patient, he will climb into the car and up into his car seat by himself; he’ll walk up and down the stairs to our apartment while holding my hand; and he’s been much better at not running off. We made great pizza dough together the other night. It was the first time he successfully helped me in the kitchen. He is just my little buddy these days. We have so much fun together, even though I may get a little tired of him asking me to play basketball with him all day everyday. There’s nothing I love more than seeing him grow and develop and learn new skills.

Life these days is unsure, but good. One thing is certain though, we are on the verge of some exciting adventures!

Lincoln is such a joy, and it’s an honor to be his mother. We are growing and developing together. Things he’s learned this year include: smiling, laughing, sitting, crawling, standing, talking, and soon to be walking. Things I’ve learned this year include: smiling more, finding just the right spot to tickle, sitting still just holding my boy, playing on the floor, getting on my knees and asking for the Lord’s help, and taking one day at a time. And until now, I never knew I could love so much.

Here are just a few recent photos of the one-year-old.

Eating with Daddy. He always wants to eat our food. But who could blame him!? Please forgive the unkempt hair!

At playgroup with his good buddy Benji.

After finishing off a small In-N-Out fry.

We have high hopes for Link becoming and In-N-Out employee. Yummmm, family discount.

This is going to be one of those entries where I go on and on and tell you all the new things Link has learned and post adorable pictures of of his stellar eyes and amazing cuteness. This post is basically for journaling purposes (since I’m very very bad at keeping a journal). If you feel sick from me spewing these sentimental moments, please feel free to move on. I won’t be offended.

Words/phrases Link understands:

Bird
Ball
Balloon
Where’s the. . .
Mama num-num
Mr. Lion (stuffed animal)
Dadda’s home!
Bye Bye
(and I’m sure there are many more. drawing a blank. . .)

New Accomplishments:

Standing on his own
Points at everything he sees
Bites me to get my attention (not a good habit!)
Throws balls (and food)
Climbs up the stairs
Shares (puts toys in my hand, food in my mouth)
Pushes walking toys
Stands up in the shopping cart, even when strapped in
Loves to play with my keys
Gets really excited and crawls away when I growl at him
Shakes his head no
Loves to read stories
Plays well independently
Reaches for things on top of tables, desks, etc.
Enjoys taking things out of boxes and off shelves
Is still afraid of the vacuum
Sleeps through the night
***Folds his arms to pray*** This melts my heart every time. Probably the cutest thing I’ve EVER seen!
Mumbles along while Mom and Dad pray
Dances and “sings” along to music

As I mentioned, Link plays very well independently. I can see already that he will be a problem solver like his daddy. He has an innate curiosity about him. Yesterday I found him in his room pulling books off the bookshelf then he moved to pulling toys out of his toy box then preceded to do the same with the dirty laundry. Then he thought he’d be really helpful and mix the dirty clothes with the books and toys. Oh, and you’ll see in a couple pictures that he’s started to let go and stand on his own two feet. Look Mom no hands! Oh and boy was it HOT here yesterday! Hotter than St. George and Arizona! 99°F I think! And because we live in beautiful Southern California, we don’t have A/C. Apparently there’s no need (except for these sporadic and insanely hot weekends we have throughout the year—October, January, May). Hence the reason Link is only wearing a diaper in these pictures.