Getting tired. It was a long, fun day for Lincoln. Before he went to sleep, Jon did a little teeth brushing and some feet tickling, and then we sang him a sweet hymn. What a great way to conclude such a wonderful day. Hope you enjoyed looking at all the photos from Lincoln's birthday! Wish you could have been here to join us. Thanks again for everyone who keeps up with our happenings by checking out our blog. It means a lot to us to know that we're loved. God bless! And Happy 1st Birthday Squeekers!!

The party is over and now it's time for a bath. Lincoln absolutely loves to take baths! No matter what mood he is in prior, he will always laugh and play in the tub. We love it. One day he will kill me for putting pictures like this on our blog, but for now I love it! Look at that little bum. He had fun playing with his new bath toys that he got for his birthday, too.

Lincoln loved his presents! He got much needed clothes and some awesome toys. Here he is with some of them: loving his jumping Tigger, watching the ball go down the slides, and wearing his new 49ers suit from uncle Konnor. Oh man, does he look handsome in that niners gear. No wonder Konnor had been asking me over and over again these past two weeks if I would ever let Lincoln play football. How funny. I had no idea what he was leading up to.

Yummy! Isn't that so hilarious! I love these pictures. They capture the cake on his face perfectly! The story goes like this: Lincoln wan't too interested in the cake at first. We tried to show him what to do by eating our cupcakes, but it didn't work. So, I tried breaking the cake open a bit for him to know that there was cake underneath the green icing stuff. Then he finally got into it. In photo #3 he's attempting to put his face into it. It was a lot of fun. And, to my surprise he didn't seem too wired afterwards. He actually slept in longer this morning than normal. Hey, maybe I should do this every night! j/k

And the festivities begin! Photo #1: you should have seen Lincoln running in circles around the house with uncle Konnor. He was totally giggling the whole time! It was so sweet. Next: this is our neighbor Jenny. Lincoln absolutely adores her. Whenever he sees her the biggest smile goes across his face. I'd have to say she's his first best friend. Following: the Willison boys! Aren't they cute in their party hats? Look at those great, big smiles. Last of all: the party crew. Our neighbors came over and had cupcakes with us while we video taped Lincoln eating his first cake and opening his presents. Thank you to all who sent gifts. That was so sweet and thoughful of you. That really warmed our hearts. It was awesome.

So, of course I was hesitant to give Lincoln a ton of sugar for his birthday. But c'mon, it's his birthday. The kid has got to party! So, this is what I settled with making: a small 5" yellow cake for Lincoln, cupcakes for us, and for the frosting I combined marshmellow puff with cream cheese. Oh! That is a heavenly combination! Great for dipping fruits. Anyway! I added green dye to the icing and some sprinkles to make a one. Isn't that cute? I was pretty proud. Simple, yet decorative. That's definitely me when it comes to cakes. Oh, and here's another tip that I've learned about cakes: if you add half a packet of pudding to the cake mix before you bake it, the cake will turn out very moist. So yummy in your tummy! I would also like to give a shot out to Kitchen Aid mixers; they are the best!

Lincoln playing in his homemade birthday suit! As you can see he is learning how to climb on top of everything. It'll be a beautiful day when he learns how to dismount properly. Yesterday, he also learned how to open drawers and pull clothes out. Next step: to teach Lincoln how to put the clothes back. So much teaching, and it's only the beginning. He does listen really well to me, though, when I tell him 'no'. He's very smart; you can see him consider what I'm telling him not to do. He's good at making the right decision. It's awesome raising a kid.

This is the beginning of Lincoln's first birthday! He woke up around 6:30. We fed him a bottle. He's taking formula and cow's milk now. Actually, later today he signed to me that he wanted milk, so I gave him cow's milk in his sippy cup and he totally took it. He has always refused formula in his sippy cup before, so I was very excited! In the first picture Jon is about to head off to school at 7. Second picture, uncle Konnor is feeding him the last of his bottle before he goes down for his first nap. And third, my little birthday boy is taking nap #1. Isn't he adorable? Especially with all those crazy curls! They're starting to take over his head. I just love it! Guys (like his dad) are just gorgeous with curls. Mmm-hmm.

This is the mother hummingbird who has claimed our feeder. She's hilarious, and sooooo cute! Just perched right on the top of the shepard's hook, keeping guard of her treasure. It's really neat to see what hummingbirds look like still. This is my first time getting to see a hummingbird up so close. They are magnificent. I'm so glad that God created them. I think they are my favorite bird.

We threw a little party for Jon for his 25th birthday. It was a lot of fun and several friends came over. In these pictures we have the carpool gang and associated wives: Jon, Zac, and Sean followed by Kim, Dorsey, and Jessica. Now, try guessing who's married to who? We were so happy because our dining table made a surprise early delivery the day before we threw the party. It was perfect because we then had enough seating. I think about 7 couples showed, kids in tow. Costco is the place to go to get party food. I served those cream puffs, some yummy meatballs, spring rolls, and classic root beer in glass bottles. And yes, even Jon's cake turned out alright. Last year I completely botched his bday cake, so this year I went simple. He liked the writing cuz it looks like 'mud'. I don't know if I'll ever be a Terrie Willison or Jen Lage when it comes to cake decorating. I'm more of a party girl. I like to organize big get-togethers. Maybe one day if God sees fit to bless me with that talent. Until then, let's party down.

These are July photos when he was 10 months old. Wow! Can you believe that he is almost 1 year old?!! I can't believe I was going through the whole infancy thing this time one year ago. Those first several months were the hardest months of my life. I think back to how hard it was to take care of Lincoln and his colic and how badly I couldn't sleep, and it makes my whole body tremble. I love how much easier it is to take care of him now. Life is so good right now. Sure, there's new challenges, especially the tantruming and how to discipline, that are coming up, but at least I can get enough rest and feel good every day. I was in survival mode for a while there... To end on a positive note I will tell you of my favorite thing to do with Lincoln: I love to cradle him and tickle his rib cage with my teeth. He just looses it and totally cracks up. It's the cutest laugh you've ever heard! (By the way, Lincoln's almost walking. But don't tell anyone yet. I don't want him to feel pressured :0)