Dallas & Fort Worth Weekend-- the things we do for our kids........

5 day Labor Day Weekend. WHOOOOWEEEEE!

5 wonderful days of exploring some Dallas/Fort Worth. 

2 of those days spent right here at the Perot museum. Lincoln LOVED it. He was running around and with his little curious mind wanting to try everything, and play with everything, and throw everything....talk about stimulation overload. 

We weren't planning on going 2 days in a row, but someone gave us free tickets to come back for the next day. And when your child lights up like Lincoln did, you'll go to the same museum, to see the same things, the very next day, just to see him happy......until the following situation happens.......

This child of ours can sometimes be that child where you say under your breath, "Don't his parents teach him any discipline?" We do, but he has his days.... or in this case, he has his situations where no matter how sweet he is the moment before, he will flip a switch if someone tries taking him away from the wheel of any motor vehicle device, especially this big blue one at the children's museum. His chubby fingers are deceivingly strong. Go on, just picture me trying to pick up Lincoln so another child can have his turn and Lincoln clawing the wheel with all his might screaming bloody murder. I may have tried putting one of my legs up on the truck to get better pulling leverage....but try as I might, I cannot get that kid to let go. I can be yanking his legs high in the air until he's practically upside down... does he lose any grip? Nope. If anything, he may just rip the steering wheel off with him. 

Sigh. 

We had a few parents, heck, even children, watching the show of mother trying to defeat 17 month old son. He's one happy kid when he has it all to himself. But bless that child who happens to get a spot behind the wheel instead of Lincoln.... you're Lincoln's target now. 

 ^^^^They look thrilled don't they? I told them to tone down their excitement. ^^^

Ryan met up with his brother and friend for a preseason football game: Broncos vs Cowboys. Broncos won, so they were pretty happy about that. We stopped at these water gardens in downtown Fort Worth the next day before his brother and friend left town. 

 And our last stop before heading back home was walking around the stockyards in Fort Worth. We went there first thing in the morning on our way out of town. We fooled ourselves thinking we timed our stockyards trip right-- beating the heat, crowds, and Lincoln's nap time, but we were the suckers walking around the strip with all the stores still closed. DOH! No wonder why we had no trouble finding parking.

We walked up and down the streets, very slowly to kill time, with a few other out-of-towners like us who came too early. We stuck it out until the cattle drive, the "big" event that everyone comes to watch. It was getting extremely humid and hot and I was so ready to head back home, but I really wanted our fussy Lincoln to see all the cattle come through. So we waited and waited until FINALLY, the moment we had been waiting for all morning. 

10 seconds of only a handful of cattle???? Really??? Uuuuuggh.

The things we do for our kids. I'm sure the experience will be one Lincoln looks back on fondly throughout his precious life.  When he's old in a rocking chair and his grandchildren are asking him to tell them stories, he'll speak of waiting 2 hours for those 10 seconds of  watching the cattle come by and how magical it was. HA :) 

say "sheeeese"

I'm so ready for fall. SO ready. I'm becoming one of those people who would be okay if the summer season just went away. I blame it on the fact of not living in Idaho anymore. Those summers in Idaho....sigh. Let's just say my love of summer will never be satisfied until I can have another summer there. These Arizona/Texas summers just take a poor beating on this old girl now.

This past weekend though we had rain, and a whole lot of it. PLUS, we had "COLDER" temperatures in the high 60's low 70's, I know right? Freezing. AND, it wasn't muggy and sticky! We were outside more than we have been all summer. We had the back doors open to bring in the fresh cold air, sat on the porch and watched the rain (mostly just watching Lincoln's rain dancing), and had a little breakfast-dinner picnic without having beads of sweat dripping down our face. Glorious!!!!!!

One big plate of warm french toast for all three of us. Raspberries mostly for the chubby hand that snatched them all up before anyone else had a chance.

And a bunch of blurry photos of us trying to get a family photo that never quite turned out smoothly. Lincoln has an attraction to the camera and feels the need to jump up after it yelling "sheeeese". 

 oh. and this boy turns 18 months in a few days. this is the best age. THE FREAKING BEST. He is pretty dang special. 

Hello there, Emma Long

eating his popsicle like a boss ^^^^

Ryan's work schedule has been a little demanding..... who am I kidding? It's been very demanding. Longer hours than what we were accustomed to in Arizona, so it's been a bit of challenge--probably more for me than Ryan. I need someone to slap me silly next time I start complaining or to gouge my eyes out for checking the clock every five minutes in the evening wondering how much longer. We know it could be worse. Everything could always be worse, but we also have so much to be grateful for and this lady just needs more practice focusing on that. So here I go: I'm grateful my husband has a job. I'm grateful that he is able to provide for our family so I can be home with Lincoln. I'm grateful he is home to at least play and see Lincoln before Lincoln's bedtime. I'm grateful that he has (mostly) all weekends off. I'm grateful that my husband has such a positive attitude with everything, even though it results in me feeling completely guilty for my negative-nancy outlook. And I'M SUPER DUPER grateful for that random Friday he got off work a few weeks ago.   

It was stupendously perfect. 

The weather was perfect. The location was perfect. And the fact that it was a Friday morning and we were at the lake with no one else there was even MORE perfect. 

We laid out our beach blanket, dumped the buckets and shovels into the sand for Lincoln, opened our little cooler of drinks and snacks, and enjoyed our view. Even more so, we relished our Friday "DAY" time together as a family. :) :) :)

Mayfield Park

If you ever need a gorgeous backdrop for a photo, just find a muddy brown lake like this one. She's a real beauty huh?

Well this trip to Mayfield Park was back in our hotel living days shortly after moving to Austin. We did everything we could to stay out of the hotel as long as possible on the weekends. But it was the middle of June and hot and humid, so our trips to the park were most enjoyable on the drive there and back inside the AC blowing car. We also became regulars at one of the mall play gyms........AND around Costco pretending like we're shopping but just there for the samples, just being honest here.

Back to this park: we went on a Saturday morning before it was extremely hot and sticky and it was actually a beautiful place. I heard there were peacocks that roamed around here and thought Lincoln might get a kick out of it. So we walked around the trails trying to track a peacock down-- we could hear them, but never did quite spot one until the very end. Turns out they roam around this garden and pond area by the parking at the end of the trails. Good thing the trails were a hit with Lincoln because he wasn't a fan of those peacocks. C'mon peacocks, can't you be a little more entertaining for my boy?

we're sure glad we have you Zilker

Probably my favorite place in Austin right now. I know we have so much more to explore, but Zilker Park is a tiny taste of what I imagine Central Park to be like-- but for now I'll just say it's the best.

It's huge (that's what she said), with trees everywhere, running trails, a train ride the goes around the park, volleyball courts, playgrounds, up against the lake and next to the botanical gardens, an outdoor theater and stage for concerts, PLUS a great view of downtown.... you get the idea. These pictures don't even showcase the beauty since we were only in one secluded section of the park.

 Lincoln will just run around as far as you'll let him. I've brought toys every time, but I'll probably stop. He's not even interested in them when he's there. He loves to wave at people walking by and point out the planes flying overhead. He stares at the dogs...maybe gets trampled by a few....he will chase the birds....and then get chased by a few. As for me-- I sit and relax and watch people obsess over their dogs with other dog owners and then pick up their dog's warm poop.... I get to watch a double feature of an outdoor yoga class and a moms&strollers fitness class while I lazily lay there eating all of Lincoln's animal crackers. Oh, and there's always some random person doing something like baton twirling or practicing their own version of martial arts. Either way, we're kinda in love with this place. 

With a name like Deerdorf, how could this mountain not be special to us?

I'm usually the worst at keeping surprises. THE WORST. Especially with Ryan. And ESPECIALLY when it comes to telling him.... oh ya know... we're pregnant again. Yeah, it's a little hard. (That's what she said). But somehow, I managed to go a full week until we made our trip out to his family's ranch in Colorado. It was actually quite funny because the whole time we were there I was extremely tired, taking one to two naps every day. Surprisingly, Ryan just thought I was taking advantage of the vacation and available family to babysit.

I decided to tell him a few days into our trip. Lincoln was down for the night and the sun was just beginning to set. We decided to go for a hike and watch the sun go down. It was a good idea.... but a bad idea at the same time. I had no energy whatsoever and Ryan, who was unaware I was pregnant, was showing no mercy and we had few breaks as we practically ran to the top to catch the sunset.

We made it, barely. And the view was perfect. This is my most absolute favoritest time of the year there. Everything is green green green. Right before haying season so I had zero allergies while I was there. Could you imagine me telling Ryan this glorious news with blood shot eyes, a runny/stuffed nose, and a scratchy throat? Not a pretty sight.

We took in the beautiful view and then I asked him, "What would make this night better?" And his first response was.... "snacks?" Yes Ryan, snacks would have been nice. His second choice, "Having Lincoln up here with us." I finally told him, "What about having Lincoln and his sibling up here with us because 9 months from now we can!" One of the best parts of telling your husband you're pregnant is their reaction immediately after telling them. Completely priceless, which is why, like I did with Lincoln, filmed the whole thing and plan on showing our next child the moment daddy found out the happy news. We are ecstatic for baby boy 2 to join our family and eventually all 4 of us hiking this mountain together. :) And when he gets older, I can say, "Here are pictures the night your daddy found out you were coming. Look how cool your parents were and still are!"

looks like the boy:girl ratio will be going up in January

We've pretty much started the countdown already and 2015 is going to be a great year.

one for the parenthood score board and the shortest trip to Tucson ever.

Lincoln's been on a roller-coaster with his eating habits: when he's up he eats anything and everything, and when he's down, he will only eat bread, applesauce, and now blueberries. It's a battle every time I try to get him to eat something else, a battle that he always wins.

I tell ya, I'm catching on to Lincoln's sneakiness and manipulations. Yes, for a one year old he's become quite the feisty one. What I've noticed is that he only wants what Ryan and I are eating, not what's on his own plate.....LITERALLY. We could all be eating the same thing, and he could have his own serving on his own tray, but if it's in OUR plates, he wants OURS instead. So we end up giving him our chunk of food and I end up eating the tiny scraps off his tray for myself. 

One night it hit me though. What if, just what if, I pretend to make myself a big bowl of veggies all for myself!!!! and I'd sit on the floor and eat them right of the bowl with my fingers and pretend like I don't want to share. I'll tell you what happened. He came over to me and sat next to me peering into the bowl, then peering up at me like, "Aren't you going to share?" And this is where your acting skills as a parent comes in. At first, you need to act reluctant because it's SOOOO DELICIOUS you want it all for yourself, but then after he bats his eyes at you, you have a change of heart and allow him to grab some. He takes a bite.....and then another. Worked like a charm.

It was Lincoln and I, sitting on the kitchen floor, eating a bowl of veggies straight out of the bowl, hovering over them and taking turns eating our carrots, peas, and corn. This was the first time he was eating something more than bread. I attribute my success to Lincoln's natural greediness to take whatever I have, but mostly to my amazing acting skills. And because of my success, this was the first time I started keeping score: 1 Point for Mom! :)

And as far as the shortest trip to Tucson ever? We drove 1.5 hours on Saturday down to Sabino Canyon, but Lincoln was really on one. He had a crappy nap beforehand, which made him extremely irritable. We sat to have a little lunch and if we didn't have the blueberries right in his lap he would scream. We stayed 1.5 hours and then drove 1.5 hours back home. It was rough. I think the only time he was being cute was when we gave him the map and let him lead the way on the trail. That was short lived though because he biffed it TWICE and did two face-plants onto concrete. That was the cherry on top of our disastrous Saturday day trip. Making memories right?

mothers

And since I saw all my mom friends posting these ADORABLE pictures of them and their kids being all cute....I thought I'd share MY Mother's Day pictures.

This is what I got: Lincoln giving DAD the kiss and the other?

Him squirming out of my arms to push the stroller. 

This is my mother's day picture, just keeping it REAL folks. :) 

I'm not sure what's funnier. Lincoln looking like he's busting out of his diaper??

 or me getting kicked in the bladder but still smiling about it??? What I'm really thinking is: "Lincoln, let go of this stupid stroller and act like you love me gosh DANGIT!!!!"

Ryan walked through the door a few weeks ago after work and told me to close me eyes. I love surprises, especially from Ryan. He can be surprisingly romantic. Well, I close me eyes, and when he tells me to open, he has a bouquet of daisies held out for me with a big grin (I'd take daisies over roses ANY day). As pretty as the flowers were, what was even more beautiful were the words he said to me after.

And, in summary, this is what he said. 

I wanted to get you flowers to show you how grateful I am you are able to be home with Lincoln. I know it is hard work, but it's the most important work you could do as a mother. You are a great mom and wife.Lincoln and I are blessed to have you.

Those words were simple but extremely meaningful to me, especially since I've struggled emotionally on becoming a mother even before Lincoln was born. A little background of my struggles...

Ryan and I were married almost 5 years before we got pregnant. He had brought up the "baby-talk" several times in our marriage, but I managed to either sway the topic of conversation onto a different path, or pacify him saying "I'm not quite ready now, I feel I will be soon..." He was ready, I was not. As I look back now, my fears were mostly a result of not feeling like I would be a good mother. I had COMPLETE lack of maternal instincts. I thought my desire would eventually come, but I preferred looking at babies only from a distance. I felt like those maternal instincts and love for babies would eventually find its way in my heart.

And then we got pregnant, unexpectedly.

Before Lincoln was born, I had no hesitation going back to work. I was lucky to have a job I LOVED-- My boss, my friends at work, my hours..... I was foolishly convincing myself that having a baby wouldn't affect me working as a nurse.

But something someone changed whatever plans I had for myself.

Lincoln was born and my life changed. And I knew within the first week of maternity leave I couldn't go back to work as a full-time nurse; I couldn't leave Lincoln with someone else to care for him while I was gone all day. My priorities changed. Any desires that I had for myself were set aside, and the desires I had for Lincoln became my priority.

I knew I wanted to be the one to be home and raise him myself. I wanted to be the one he saw first in the morning and after his naps, I wanted to be the one to feed him, play toys with him, read to him, and chase after him. I was there the first time he rolled over, the first time he crawled, the first time he stood and the first time he walked. It's not always easy; it can be tiring and frustrating and I'm working on my patience daily. Some days I think working 2 shifts a month aren't enough, and most days I still feel inadequate as a mother, but through the good, the bad, and sometimes ugly parts of raising a child, I know I am doing the Lord's work and that is the most beautiful thing in the world. I cherish the divine calling I have of being a mother, especially Lincoln's mother. :) I'm grateful 14 months ago I got to become a mother to this wonderful boy..... 

And through everything I have experience so far with Lincoln, my appreciation for my own mother has grown heaps and bounds. She has always been an example of a selfless caring mother and I love her for all that she has, and continues to do for me.

This picture is a few months old, but it's definitely one of my favorites.