Happy Father's Day!

I knew from a young age it would be difficult to find a husband who would live up to the standards I had in my mind.  Many girls seek out a husband who has the same qualities as their own father and I was no exception.  Finding a man who was as loving and kind as my Papa would be difficult.  Luckily, I didn't have to look far.

Kirk and I met my junior year and his freshman year at Central.  We lived across the hall from each other in the dorms.  I told Sarah the first week or two into school that I was going to marry him.  Seven years later, we were married and here we are almost twelve years later enjoying parenthood. 

I'm not going to get all mushy on anyone, but for as fantastic as the mothers are in my life, the fathers are just as wonderful.  I dare you to find a Pop as kind and loving as my own (good luck), my grandpa is the most wonderful grandpa (and he gives the best hugs) around, my brother-in-laws are all the best fathers, and my father-in-law just happens to be really great, too. 

(Grandpa and Lincoln)

I fell in love with Kirk all over again 10 months ago.  Seeing Kirk with Lincoln makes my heart melt a little bit everyday.  I loved Kirk before we had Lincoln, but I love him in a whole new way, and maybe even more, now.  I imagine I will only love Kirk more next year and the year after that and the year after that...

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful dads in my life!

Father's Day Weekend

We had a very busy weekend with our families.

Yesterday we went to Joelee and Jason's to see my family.  We always love getting together for many reasons, but these days it's getting all the kids and seeing them interact together.  The babies are 17 months old now and it's amazing how far they've come.  Lincoln is almost 10 months and still pretty cautious of the babies and getting a picture with all 5 kids can be a challenge, but we keep trying! (From L to R: Lincoln, Gianna, Quin, Ellery and Easton)

Quin especially loves Lincoln.  I love it when she kisses him.  It's so cute!

We spent some time in the pool.  Lincoln, Ellery and Quin all loved the water.  Easton and Gianna didn't want anything to do with it.

Today we went to Kirk's parent's for a brunch.  We have a new addition to the family since the last time we all got together.  Kirk's younger sister, Amy, had a baby June 9th.  Her name is Alexis and she's a doll!  She slept much of the day away and Lincoln didn't seem too interested in her, but the rest of us were!  (From L to R: Sophia, Noah, Lincoln, Olivia, Lexi)

Noah, Olivia and Sophia all love seeing Lincoln.  Each time they see him, he's a little bit older and a little bit more interactive.  They love playing with him and I think he loves playing with them just as much.

One Little Munchkin

It's hard to believe that Lincoln is 9.5 months old already.  It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and showed him his new home.  The time has flown by!  The sleepless nights seem like a distant memory.

Lincoln had his 9 month appointment today.  No shots at this appointment YAY!  That's always worth celebrating.

Today his stats were:

Weight: 17 pounds 8 ounces (5th percentile!)
Height: 28 1/4 inches (41st percentile)
Head: 44.7 centimeters (27th percentile)

The NP had no conerns about Lincoln at all.  Even though he's in the 5th percentile for his weight, she said his chubby little thighs and his "beer" belly indicate he's doing just fine and there is nothing to worry about.  We were getting a little concerned because he's not crawling, but she said not to worry.  His time will come.

This is the look Lincoln has on his face while we're at the doctor every single time we go:

It's the GET ME THE HECK OUT OF HERE face.

Lincoln's new favorite game is peek-a-boo. It's so very cute. I love that he's learning new things everyday. It makes each day a little bit more fun.

Thanks for checking in.  :)

Stay-cation Days 8 and 9

Oh, vacation, how sad I am to see you go...

I finished the 5k yesterday.  Yay!  :)  My only goal was to finish in under an hour and I did!  I'm so happy it's over.  On to the next one!

Today we just enjoyed a laid back relaxed day.  We'd never been to the fish ladder or river walk in Lansing so we went over there for lunch and a walk.  It's too late in the season to see trout or salmon so we just saw dirty Grand River water.  It was such a nice day, though, and the fish ladder is actually in a part of Lansing known as Old Town.  There are a lot of little shops and restaurants.  It's in a diverse part of town which makes the people watching all the more fun!

Hopefully you didn't get too sick of the constant blog updates! We have another vacation coming up next month. Looking forward to getting away from home for a bit. No stay-cation next time!

Stay-cation Day 7

What an exciting day we had today! 

Today Kirk, Lincoln and I went to the Toledo zoo with my brother.  Nate lives in Toledo and knew the zoo really well (he's been there like 1,000 times...and I quote!) so we knew exactly where to go.  The zoo wasn't busy and besides the rain at the end, it was the perfect day to be at the zoo.

We knew Lincoln was still a little too young for the zoo, but Kirk and I hadn't been in a long time so we were excited to see the animals and the improvements the zoo had made in the last 6 years.

Lincoln was so excited to get the day started!  Ok, he was probably more excited to be out of the carseat after the drive there, but either way, he was excited.  Lincoln seemed to really like the gorillas and the fish.  He loved the bright colors of the fish and I have no idea what he loved about the gorillas.  This was the biggest and meanest looking gorilla I have ever seen!

We saw everything from gorillas, to seals, to polar bears, to giraffes, to zebras, to ostriches, to rhinos and fish.  And we saw elephants.  The last time we were at the zoo, the elephant on the right, Louie, was just a baby the last time we were there.  We were able to see a baby polar bear and giraffe. 

 

The Toledo zoo isn't too big and it isn't too small.  It was the perfect zoo for us.

After the zoo, we headed to Pizza Papalis.  It's the best deep dish pizza around!

Oh, and have you ever seen anyone walk their cat?  Nate with his cat, Dischord:

Only 2 more days of vacation left.  Kirk has to work tomorrow and, for some reason, I told my friend Christa I'd walk/run a 5k with her.  What the hang was I thinking?!  We're not sure what we're going to do Monday yet, but I'm guessing not too much with work looming on Tuesday...

Stay-cation Days 4, 5 and 6

The last 3 days have been pretty laid back and uneventful.

Kirk and I took a trip to Detroit on Wednesday.  We go down regularly to see the Tigers or for other random reasons, but I really wanted to go to Corktown and Mexican Village since we'd never been.  Corktown seems like a fun area and Mexican Village was a street of all Mexican restaurants.  Heaven!  We took our pick with Xochimilco Restaurant (pronounced so-she-MIL-co).  It was excellent!  Small, had old tables and chairs but the food came quickly, the portions were large and the food was great.

We drove around the city a little bit before heading home.  Kirk and I both really like Detroit.  I know Detroit gets a bad wrap, but the city has so much history.  There are a lot of old churches, really good restaurants, bars and museums. 

Yesterday we just relaxed and didn't do too much.  Today we headed back to Kensington.  We used to spend so much time there.  It's been fun going back, walking the trails and hanging out by the water.  Today we walked the paved trails and stopped so that Lincoln could try out the swing.  We've never put him in a swing like this before and he loved it!  I have a feeling he's all boy underneath his sweet exterior.

After Kensington, we met Kirk's parents in Ann Arbor for "linner".  Ann Arbor has some really great restaurants.  We chose Ann Arbor Brewing Company.  Lincoln did really well in the high chair. 

We're hoping to make it to the zoo before I go back to work Tuesday.  We're crossing our fingers the weather holds up!

Stay-cation Days 2 and 3

Things are so very exciting around here!  OK, not really, but we are enjoying our time off and the family time.

Yesterday Lincoln and I were able to hang out outside before the weather turned yucky.  Lincoln does really well outside and enjoys playing with his toys and eating a Mum-Mum while I read and work on my tan.  I love that he's so independent and stays on his blanket.  I know before the summer is over he won't be sitting still for long.  I'm enjoying his immobility. 

Today we headed to Howell Beach.  It's not much, but it's close to home and is perfect for us.  The beach is on Thomspon Lake.  Kirk and I hadn't ever been there before and were surprised to find the water and the beach to be clean and not busy.  Lincoln LOVES water.  (I think I've said this before.)  He splashed and kicked and didn't even cry when put half of his head under the water.

Here are our last 2 days in pictures:

I must admit: when I started this blog entry I thought I was going to have a lot of pictures but I didn't have a ton I liked.  Sorry!  I swear the last two days were loads of fun and relaxation!  :)

And, in case you haven't seen it on Facebook, my new favorite picture of Lincoln...