Free Range on Fairview

Holy mac. I haven't blogged in what feels like an eternity but I'm still here alive and well and doing great. The kids are all growing out and growing up, Shane is working like crazy at UPS (what can I say, online shopping and mailing Christmas presents are big here in a little town) and I am just trying to hold down the fort. Lincoln is starting to turn in to a compliant and cheerful little bundle of joy. He is almost rolling onto his tummy on his own, is really giggly and babbly (trying to talk in sentences?) and loves to play peek-a-boo. He likes hanging out with his brother and sister and really can't wait to start eating big people food. He's quite a chunk and is going to bed at night beautifully. Sleeping through the night is another story, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one of these days now. Dylan is on his first big break from school (other than when he was home recovering after surgery) and after we had a big talk the other day, is being quite th

Burr I don't even want to go outside today because it's 19 degrees right now. Poor kids had to go to school,  no snow days here. He even switched to a normal sized back pack so he can bring his snow suit to school for recess time. Danielle has driven to school and back home which is a little nerve racking but she's doing good and the practice is good for her. Unlike all the people in Seattle, she will be prepared if the weather takes a turn for the worst when she gets older. Since it's Lincoln's first real sticking snow, I threw him in his snow suit and plopped him next to Dylan to make the first snow angels of the season. As soon as pictures were done we were back inside, too too cold. His little nose got red in a minute of time so I think we'll spend the rest of the day inside by the fire. Tomorrow I do have to hit the grocery store and I am going to try the hard core couponing that I've read about on other blogs, mainly thekrazycouponlady.com I'll bri

So let's see... Dylan is getting his tonsils and adinoids (sp) out on December 6th so I'll have him home for probably at least a week with that. He kept getting strep throat and the doctor said "well we either take them out or do nothing." so we're taking them out. He is slightly unaware of how he's actually going to feel afterward, but the promise of all the gatoraid and milkshakes he can drink is keeping him happy at the moment. Lincoln is growing like a weed still. At his 4 month check up yesterday he weighed in at 19lbs3oz and is 26 inches long. He had to get a few vaccines so hopefully he's still in a good mood today since yesterday he was actually really relaxed/tired, I don't know which one. He can also roll from his tummy to his back either way and can roll from one side to the other but not from his back to his tummy, yet. The doctor still says no food until he can sit up on his own (choking hazard) so nothing at Thanksgiving, but maybe by Ch

Lincoln in his pumpkin suit next to the pumpkin Dylan got on his first field trip. Baby's first Halloween. Sitting at blue table with his friends Dylan showing off his costume at the school party Danielle the french maid. A free costume is better than no costume The boys playing Ele-fun together Shane and Lincoln putting in a new bathroom sink in the kids/guest bath

It's hard to believe Lincoln can go from this, to this in less than 4 months. It doesn't even look like him because his chin is so doubbly chubby.  Grandpa Kevin (Papa) came by for a visit this weekend and we love having him since he's moved to Montana. We don't get to see him as much as we want (nor the rest of our family) so we had a great time together. He also got to hang out with Shane all day on Sunday at the Seahawks's big win. His first time in overalls, hamming it up for the camera.

Boo I'm having problems making my photo thing work for my stupid blog. :(

Just a little picture of Lincoln and Liko hanging out during the day. The dog laid his head down to take a nap and the baby kept kicking him in the nose. He just snorted and rolled his eyes at the baby. Hah I love that they get along so well since the baby just realized that he might be a fun toy and keeps watching him walk around the room. The face Lincoln making cracks me up too :)

Just like big brother, he already likes books :) Thank God

Shane and I came into a little unexpected money a few weeks ago and decided that since almost every penny we earn is going to paying bills and minimizing debt that we would each get a quarter of the money and do WHATEVER we wanted with it. Now other than birthdays or Christmas, I haven't really had an opportunity like this since I worked full time so I thought about it for a few weeks. What did I need but didn't have? No I have everything I need, but what have I really wanted? Shane knew exactly what he wanted from the minute he suggested the idea (which makes me think he had this planned from the beginning) and ordered a rear bumper/tire carrier for his jeep. I used a little of my money here and there for guilty pleasure items like a fashion magazine and a few lattes out. I also ordered a pair of cute slouchy gray suede boots from Target, which I still need to scotchguard before the rain or snow starts. And as I was looking over my wish list I realized one thing that I absolut

 I have tons of pictures of Dylan in the Johnny Jumper so I thought I would try it with Linc too. I had to shove some receiving blankets in to keep him from sinking from side to side, but he loved it. It gave him a chance to move his head around and have some exercise :) I also thought it was cure to see the height difference in the boys right now and compare again in 10 years.  Lazy Sunday morning in Mama's bed. Passed out on the couch, his little hand twitching a bit. Reminds me of what I might have in store for me during the teenage years.

 I have a picture of Dylan taking a nap in Daddy's camouflage a year or two ago. This year I thought it would be fun to get one of Lincoln in the same pile of clothes. I love how all three of these were taken within a few seconds of each other but his facial expressions are so different.  Today when Dylan got home from school he was grumpy and said he didn't feel too well so he zonked out for a nap on the couch while I also got Lincoln down for a nap too. Danielle stayed after school for some help so I actually got part of dinner ready and cleaned out the dish washer. Of course I didn't get to finish this before the little one woke up, but hey I had a small moment of silence complete with a picture of a one handed baby and a little boy turning into a little man with a little smear of pink frosting on his cheek from a girls' birthday party at kindergarten. Danielle is 17 today! I can hardly believe it. This picture was taken a week or two ago by Danielle's frien

I had a great opportunity present its self last night at dinner. My mother-in-law Shirley works at the University in our town and mentioned that someone had asked her if she knew of anyone to work part-time as a secretary because they can't advertise the position yet because of hiring freezes or something. It would be a great opportunity for me (since it would be until 2 every day and the kids don't get home after 2:30) however I now have 3 kids and I just can't imagine not being here for them. Since I've been a stay-at-home mom my life has completely changed. I was a devoted mom to Dylan when I was on my own before but now with 3 to nurture, care for, discipline and get to hang out with I am in total "mom mode." I'm still working towards finishing up school. I also have a commitment to MOPS as a leader and am helping in Dylan's classroom. I love being home to hear the drama of the day, to make nutritious (or delicious) snacks, to help with homework,

Well it happened sooner than I thought. It was only a month in to his Kindergarten year and I got my first call from Dylan's school. Oh no. Was he sick? Did he get in a fight and get sent to the principal's office? What sort of emergency happened to make them call me? All these questions were running through my mind as I said hello. It was the school counselor calling. She told me about how some of the boys from both kindergarten classes were having difficulty showing proper behavior out at the playground. I knew Dylan played a little rough with his friends but I never imagined that he would have to get a special "class" teaching him to get along with others. Anyway the counselor went on to explain that Dylan's teacher recommended him as a role model of good behavior for the special playground class. Wow. Here I thought she was telling me that Dylan had social problems but it was actually the opposite. I could be more proud that he exhibits friendly, kind behavio

Shane took the camera hunting for the next week and a half so here I am without new adorable pictures of Lincoln's rolls on his thighs and forearms (not even in normal places for fat rolls!) so I shall post an awkward story instead. I was at Fred Meyer the other day doing some grocery shopping. My town is fairly small and I always go to this specific store because I know the lay out and I think it is cheaper than Safeway and SuperOne. Since that is like the hot spot of Ellensburg I see a lot of the same people working there when I am there like every week. One of the guys that works there had a daughter in swim lessons with Dylan so I met him a while ago. Anyway I said Hi yesterday and he came up and said "I know you don't know me from Adam but I'm a little concerned." I looked at him a little awkward because I didn't know if he was going to joke around about how often I am in there or something. "I've known you for a little while now and since you&#

As I was getting ready to have my beloved first cup of coffee this morning, I reached up for my favorite mug, the one with the chip. I have a set of four plain white mugs that I got in a set back when I moved into my first apartment. Nothing too exciting, but somehow that one little chip gives it so much more character and the other ones. Most people get rid of things once an imperfection is found. Luckily God loves us all, even the ones with a chip.

First of all I figured I should do one for myself and I figured out I am basically a quarter away from getting my AA when I left college (yeah I know what a dummy right?). Anyway I applied for financial aid on Monday and if that all works out, I'm going to try to finish my classes online for winter quarter. Here is a picture of Lincoln helping me out. Next are a few pictures of mr Lincoln sucking his thumb, moving his hands/head towards objects and toys, sticking out his tongue, laughing and gripping things with his hands. He is also teething and gets frustrated since he still can't really control his hands to get to his mouth. Another huge step is that he can roll to his side. He favors rolling to his left but I saw today that he can do it both ways. Also his belly button is working towards being an innie :)

Had a strange realization last night. Newborns and teenagers have much more in common than I realized. That's all I will say about that. Well this is our 3rd (2nd full) week of school and it seems like we are starting to get into a sort of schedule now, thankfully. Getting up at 6 is a little crazy but if I have any plans I have to shower then. It also helps the day start better. I make the kids and Shane's lunches and usually try to have a hot breakfast ready too. Hopefully it really does help them stay focused longer like I've read. The last few weeks for me have been crazy busy but it looks like things will finally be settling down. I've got the baby napping (in his own bed!) trying to catch up on the house. Feeling like I finally have a little extra time on my hands I'm thinking about revamping the kitchen. I've had the red since I was out on my own but I might try to kind of blend it with the rest of the house and take it a little calmer with some greens. W

Lincoln is sure worn out from his 2 month check up. 3 shots and one really good peeing all over the doctor's wall and we got out of there. At 10.5 weeks he is weighing in at 14lbs 12.3oz, almost a whopping 15 pounds and is 24inches long. He is in the 75% for length and width, no wonder he cries at night, he must be growing constantly. He is also officially teething and has two little white poky teeth that are trying to get out. The doctor doesn't think they will come out any time too soon, but they are there and hopefully won't come out too quick. I don't think mommy will like that too much. After getting his shots he wasn't too happy but passed out on the drive home, took a little nap in his car seat, ate a little more and is now napping in bed giving me a little time to eat lunch and hopefully grab a cat nap as well. Here's a random shot: I took this picture of Liko and Tom enjoying a meal together. I can't feed Tom cat food while Liko is outside so I'

Both of the older kids started school today! Danielle is a Junior this year and drove herself to school this morning. She has Health, English, Adv. Biology, Mixed Media Art, and Math. She is also thinking about joining the year book team or whatever you call it. Dylan is a Kinder-kid and I dropped him off. Luckily the teacher planned on parents staying around and we got to see a little of what the day is going to be like including story time and the Pledge of Allegiance.. His teacher is Mrs. O (Overland) and she seems like a great match for Dylan. Man those kids sure have a lot of energy. It sounds like he is going to learn some Spanish too since there are a couple of kids in his class that don't know much English yet. Dylan sits at the blue table and is right between two girls (everyone is boy girl boy girl). The class has 26 kids and exactly half are boys. Hopefully he makes some good friends :) His teacher also made care packages for the parents including a cute little note, kle

Dylan was playing with his action figure Hunter Dan and Brother was watching him. This was one of our first lessons in sharing toys and already Linc is learning to ham it up for the camera and is making some laughing sounds. 8 weeks tomorrow, it's hard to believe.