Over spring break, Lincoln and I did some traveling. As I drove (and he slept), I was blessed with some great "thinking time." It's not often that I have several hours in a row to let my mind wonder as it will. I spent some of that time thinking about where I am these days.

I find myself wishing that I could say that everything is wonderful. Life isn't as hard as it once was. For the most part, we have good days, but there are still times that I find "our story" hard to believe.

I feel that I am rather fickle when it comes to decisions lately. The perfect example is my housing situation. I am currently renting a house, and my lease will be up in June. My plans for what we should do next, go back and forth. One week, I think it would be best if we bought a house. Then another week, I think we should keep renting. There are valid reasons supporting both sides. Believe me, I've thought of them over and over and over and over. I think my "wishy washyness" comes from the fact that I am now solely responsible for making decisions. Though I can always ask for advice, ultimately, it is me that must make the decision. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed by all of that responsibility.

As Lincoln continues to grow, I've been faced with having to make decisions regarding his discipline. Sometimes I find myself wishing that I had someone to talk through things with. One of my good friends informed me that even if I was married, I would probably hear something like, "I don't know. You're the one with the early-childhood degree." I am very thankful that I have a degree in education. I am thankful that I have 6 years of teaching under my belt. Though being a teacher and a parent are two very different roles, I have learned a great deal from teaching that can be applied to parenting.

Easter Fun

When I told Lincoln to go find the eggs, he walked around the backyard calling, "Eggs. Eggs."

















I filled his eggs with goldfish, jellybeans, and malt balls. When Lincoln came to an egg with goldfish, he dumped them on the ground and went to get another egg. Smart boy!!!

Well, I guess spring break is officially over. We had a great time visiting one of my college friends for a few days in Dallas. Here we are at the Dallas Arboretum. Lincoln was less than cooperative during picture time. I had visions of taking some great pictures. It didn't happen, but we did have a wonderful time. The weather was great, and the flowers were beautiful!!

College friends and their kiddos

We also went to the zoo when we were in Dallas. Lincoln rode the carousel for the first time, and he loved it. He waved to the people as we went around and around. Too cute!

A Trip to the Zoo

We went to the zoo on Monday. We had a great time! Here are a few of my favorite pictures.






Lincoln and Mom






We got to ride the new train. This was the last thing that we did, so the boys were pretty worn out. Lincoln's buddy actually fell asleep on the ride.

The boys got a nice nap on the way home. Too bad the moms couldn't join them. : )

A Piece of My Heart

The other day we were at Target. A little girl was calling out for her dad. Lincoln started copying her. He was calling out "Dad. Dad." At first, I just laughed, but the more I thought about it, the more it started to bother me. It doesn't matter how loud Lincoln calls out for his dad, he's not coming.

I realize that Lincoln doesn't understand where his dad is. But as I watch my baby turn into a little boy, I know that day is coming.

Spring Break is HERE! We are very excited! We've got lots of fun plans for the week. This weekend, the focus is buying mom some new clothes. I went through my closet last weekend, and got rid of anything that doesn't fit. (I'm finally back to my "pre-Lincoln weight." Yeah!!!) We did a little shopping this morning, and we are going to hit the town again once Lincoln wakes up from his nap.





A little boy did this the other night while I was cooking dinner. I'm not sure what he was making, but it looks a whole lot more complicated that what I made (which was scrambled eggs and biscuits)!!

I took these pictures the other day when I was cleaning. Who knew that a couch without cushions could be so much fun???

The Countdown Has Begun!!!

We only have three more days until spring break. YEAH!!!! Of course, in order to make it to spring break, I must survive open house on Thursday and the "spring party" on Friday.

I am sooooo ready for a break! I cleaned last weekend, so that we can just relax and have fun next week. The only work I plan on doing is changing diapers and maybe cooking (if I feel like it). : )

A Bit Too Much Excitement

Today we had the opportunity to practice what to do in case of a tornado. We had some pretty heavy rain, and the conditions were right for a tornado, so we got to sit in a room without windows for about 20 minutes. Luckily we ended up in the guided reading library where there are TONS of books, so I just grabbed a book and started reading.

Another Lincoln Story

Last night I was reading (or rather singing) Down By the Bay to Lincoln. I decided to leave off the last word of each phrase, and see what he would do. He chimed right in with the correct word. I was amazed!

Sweet Prayers

Lincoln has started to repeat my words when we pray. Our prayer before mealtime sounds something like this:

Mom: Dear God

Lincoln: Dear God

Mom: Thank you

Lincoln: Thank you

Mom: For our food

Lincoln: Amen!

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A few other random things:

-Lincoln has started to say his name. It sounds more like "Leein" when he says it.

-Lincoln has started talking more to himself when he is playing. Most of the time I can't understand a word he is saying. Yesterday he was talking to his stuffed "yat" (aka cat), and he was even twisting the cat's head from side to side to make it say "no."

-He loves to take a bath! He is often in the tub for at least 40 minutes. After a few days of being a little bored, I started bringing a cup of hot tea and something to read. That way we both get a little down time. : )

-He also loves to write. He MUST have paper and a pen of his own when we go grocery shopping. What a funny boy!

Field Trip Recap

We had a wonderful time on the field trip. We couldn't have asked for better weather!! This was the best field trip that I have ever been on, and it was free-go figure. My favorite part was seeing the baby animals. There were some two day old piglets that were precious! We also got to watch chicks hatch out of their eggs. It was really neat! As fun as field trips are, I'm glad we don't go on them too often. It wiped me out. I put Lincoln to bed a little early, and I was in my bed by 8:05.

One of the little girls in my group is super prissy. She informed me that watching the chicks hatch was gross because there was a little blood (or some other substance) in the shell. She also did not want to walk in one particular area because she didn't want to get cow poop on the bottom of her shoes. It was at that moment that I thought, "Maybe having a boy isn't so bad after all."

Only two more days until my favorite day of school-field trip day! I love to go on field trips with my kiddos because it gives me the chance to just sit back and enjoy my kids. This year we are going to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It should be lots of fun!

The other day I overheard one of my boys informing several friends that we are going to see Hannah Montana on the field trip. Considering the fact that our tickets were free, I'm thinking that's not likely to happen. : )

Adventures in Lincolnland

This morning we made a tent in the living room. Lincoln loves to hide, so this was right up his alley.









The weather was BEAUTIFUL today! We went on a big adventure. First we walked to Sonic, then to a park, and then back home.


He looks so grown up in the picture.





















I was under the bridge when I took this picture. He thought that was pretty funny!



Lincoln as two obsessions these days.
#1 Trains-I can't tell you how many times I hear the word "choo choo" each day. When he was sick, I rented a Thomas the Train movie for him. He has asked for it every day since. I tried to explain that the movie went "bye bye." That didn't deter him from asking about it. Meme and Pops brought over a surprise last night. Lincoln is now the proud owner of his first Thomas the Train movie. I'm thinking we will be having a train themed birthday party this year. : )

#2 Pops- Lincoln is constantly asking for Pops (aka my dad). I bring Lincoln to my parents' house each morning. When we pull into the driveway, Lincoln always calls for Pops. He loves to work outside with dad. He loves to sit on the motorcycle or go on wagon rides. I'm glad that they are buddies.

The other day I went into Lincoln's room to get him up. He was leaning over his lullaby aquarium telling his fish to obey. Can you guess what we've been talking about lately???

We've had several things to celebrate this week. Lincoln took his last dose of medicine yesterday. Yeah!! The antibiotic wasn't a big deal. He liked it. In fact, sometimes he even asked for more. The eye drops were a completely different story. He HATED them. There's nothing like having to lay on top of your child and pin them down in order to administer medicine. I grew to hate those drops too. Especially when I heard a sweet little voice saying, "no eyes, no eyes."

We also celebrated Keith's birthday on Tuesday. (It seems that many people tend to think more about a loved one who has passed away around the time that they died. Some even refer to that date as an anniversary. To me, an anniversary is something you celebrate. I can't bring myself to celebrate that day. Of course it is wonderful that Keith went to heaven on that day, but other than that, the memories that surround that day are awful. Though I'm sure those memories will never completely vanish, I try very hard to not go back to those last days. My goal is to give Dec. 1st as little attention as possible.) Lincoln and I made Death by Chocolate-one of Keith's favorites- and we watched home movies.



Such a serious face! He was really concentrating on savoring that bite!