Merry Christmas from our house to your's.

(Editor's Note: This video was taken on a whim. There were no rehearsals.)

Lincoln Looses a Tooth

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving (11-20-2007), Lincoln was eating an apple. Afterwards, he mentioned that it made his tooth hurt. I assumed the peel had poked his gums causing them to hurt. Then after Thanksgiving, Friday or Saturday, he mentioned it hurting again. When I went to investigate, I realized it was loose.

On Thursday, November 29, while at MDO, Lincoln really played with his tooth. Especially at nap time, Lincoln said. By that afternoon, it was ready to come out. I told Lincoln that if he pulled on it, it would come out. I handed him a small, torn-off piece of paper towel and instructed him on how to grasp the tooth and pull. Lincoln pulled a good 5 times, but it didn’t come out. It was much looser, though.

I asked Lincoln to come to me, and in one motion I pulled the tooth. I immediately put my hand behind my back. Lincoln just looked at me like “what?” until he put his finger and tongue where his tooth used to be. His eyebrows went up and we both just smiled at each other. Then we gave High-5. It bled just a little, and once that stopped, we gave each other a big hug. We were both excited. We took a picture on my cell phone and sent it to Gmommy and Daddy, who called us back from work immediatley. We surprised Gran and Papa that evening by going to their house. Lincoln just smiled real big at them. They gasped with surprise- it came out so quick. Lincoln did tell Karen that the tooth fairy would bring him 120 coins. We later explained that his coin (a golden dollar coin) was equal to 100 coins.

"Tullahoma" Thanksgiving

This year, our family traveled to Tullahoma for Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving in Ttown because I get to see my cousins and their kids. It is hard to get together as often now that we are all grown up with children. I also love Thanksgiving b/c of our family's menu! I failed to get a picture of all the food, but there was plenty. It was Delicious!! My personal favs were the hashbrown casserole, the pineapple casserole, cranberry salad, squash casserole, the rolls, pecan pie, and the sweet potatoe casserole. I won't tell you how many pounds I gained in the 72 hours I was in Ttown.

From noon until 10pm, things were happenin'. I captured a few pictures to give you a glimpse of what was like.

Madeline arrived first giving Catherine a playmate. They instantly paired up and disappeared. It wasn't long before we found them upstairs in

Grandmommy's magazines. A little later we found them in Anna
Lea's barbie dolls and accessories. They had a blast. Cousins
Kathryn and Molly were unable to join these two this year. I
decided that they will make a little "possy" that will need to be
watched. I was thankful that Catherine and Madeline didn't find
Gmommy's make-up!!




There was also some football. Tyler holding Lincoln, and bro/sis combo Reagan and Riley played football. Lincoln got his first taste of "tackle" football and had a blast. He actually threw a lateral pass to Tyler who scored a touchdown. His first assist!! The older kids were SO patient and helpful with the younger ones, for which I was thankful.

Gmommy ordered crafts from Oriental Trading company in case the weather was bad. We
were thankful the rain was finished, but the kids enjoyed the
crafts none-the-less.










Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving if there weren't snoozers during the day. Dad and Brad at least made it to the evening before passing out. They will LOVE this picture being included! :)

I can never format my pictures the way that I want to on this blog, but we also had games. They started after Coleman went to bed. Some of us played Phase 10 while Gmommy and the boys played on the computer. At 10:30 pm, we decided it was time for the kids to go to bed. Catherine fell asleep on Brad around 9:30 and Lincoln's eyelids were going to need toothpicks to hold them up if had been up much longer. I wish I could say that Lincoln slept in the next morning, but he was up by 7 am. He crawled into bed with Brad and I. See the blog below titled "Sweet Nothings from Lincoln".

I did play Hide and Seek outside after dark with the 5-9 year olds. I learned a couple things about myself. Running around my parents yard as a 32 year old was not the same as running around it as a 13 year old. As I chased kids or ran from them, I was constantly wondering where the next bump/hole would be, and I wondered if I leapt for any reason would my knees hold. That takes a little of the fun out of the game. It did make me feel a little better that I was still pretty quick in chasing the kids. I chased Anna Lea around the house once at high speed and decided quickly, however, that I wouldn't do that again. I needed to catch my breath after that one. I think playing Hide-N-Seek was one of the highlights of the day! I got to know Riley and Reagan a little more too. I told my cousin Sandy that they were both great team players!!

Thank you God for our parents and grandparents who taught us from the beginning that being with family was important!

Oh, I almost forgot this picture- Here is a picture of all the "kids"- big and little.

Sweet Nothings from Lincoln

Friday morning in Tullahoma, Lincoln woke up early and crawled into bed with Brad and me. I love these moments with him. As he has grown older, they have become few and far between. As we were snuggling Lincoln says,

"Mommy, I love your heart."

me- "Thank you Lincoln, I love you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes."

"Mommy, I love your whole body"

(that got a soft chuckle) "Thank you, Lincoln"

"Mommy, I will never love any other girl. Just you."

I squeezed him tight- my heart was overflowing. Words were no longer needed!

The Candy Wrapper Speaks

Something funny just happened to me and I wanted to share it. Last night at Walmart, I convinced myself that I needed Dove chocolate candy with almonds. Having never purchased them, I was somewhat delighted today that each piece had a different saying written inside the wrapper. So delighted that I kept eating them (it was only 4, okay, maybe 5) just to see what they said. Finally, I told myself- "Okay, one last piece. Then I will put them away!". The last wrapper said "Keep the promises you make to yourself." I didn't think much of it until a little later when, before I knew it, I had another piece open. As I put the candy in my mouth I noticed the wrapper, "Keep the promises you make to yourself"- AGAIN. I couldn't help laugh aloud, it got my attention. This time, I will stop eating the candy!! I am afraid to see what the next piece might say- ha!!

It's a brisk morning here in Cookeville, and my favorite time of day. Lincoln and Catherine, especially, show that they do love each other by sharing hugs and kisses and even sharing the "big" rocking chair. Just moments after this picture, however, was their first arguement of the day. It was over who would hold Coleman in their lap first. I interferred quickly before they thought to play tug-of-war with Coleman's arms. Coleman was placed on the floor to play, with strict directions to L. and Cat. to "leave him alone". (Catherine is the one who plays tackle and steamroller on him. Coleman is only 3 lbs away from being as "heavy" as she is. Once he begins to walk, it will be on!!)

Funny Catherine Story
(I know, I go 2 months without posting and I do 2 in one night. I am on a roll!)

Tonight we had a meal before church. After we eat, the kids run around the gym and get all wound up before class. At some point, Catherine left the gym, and went to the bathroom. And because we are such great parents, we had no idea that she had left the gym. Anyway, this is what we were told:

2 men were taking care of business in the men's bathroom- of course. To their great surprise, the door opened and in walked Catherine all alone. She cruised right by them, making eye contact, and turned into the stall. Without closing the door, she pulled down her pants, hopped on the toilet, and began to go to the bathroom. One of the men quickly exited the bathroom and alerted Brad to Catherine's location. Brad walked in to find her still sitting on the toilet. She looked at him and said "I go poop."

Can you imagine the surprise those men felt? Of course, Catherine doesn't know boy vs girl bathroom or that it is a private affair. Who cares that those men are there. When she has to go, she takes herself. Always has. Lincoln wanted me right there with a book. Catherine says "You go!" and points past me out the door. Lincoln still wishes I helped him clean up, Catherine takes care of herself which you might think is great, but let your mind think on that just a little. At least once a day, it isn't so great! :)

Here's a Halloween pic. This was taken at their Mother's Day Out party.

Our trip to Washington D.C.

Brad ran his first marathon 2 weeks ago in our nation's capital. We flew north on Friday, with our friends Chris and Alison, and came home on Monday. My parents kept the kids, so we had a nice, needed vacation. As you scroll down, you will see that we visited some of our favorite attractions. We also visited the Lincoln memorial but I didn't include Mr. Lincoln's picture.

Yes, this is Mr. John McCain. We saw him at the DC airport on our way out. Even though we aren't HUGE McCain fans presidential wise, he is a good guy. Couldn't pass up the opportunity. I actually shied out (can you believe it?) and was watching our stuff?

This (above) is the WWII memorial.


I was SO very proud of Brad. This was his first running experience except for sprints in basketball. Brad and Chris have been training since January. It was an awesome experience for him. He hasn't been running since, but I did hear him say that he and Chris were eyeing the Music City Marathon in the spring. Woo hoo! It is fun traveling along! :)

There was something funny that shows that I am in mommy land 24/7- I was awakened in the middle of the night by a thud above us at the hotel. In that second, I had thrown off the covers, and had a foot out of bed before I really awoke and realized that what I heard WAS NOT Lincoln or Catherine falling out of bed. I was in a hotel, the kids were in Tullahoma. So, I crawled back in the covers and went back to sleep. Brad and I got a laugh out of it the next morning.

September is full of fun. Lincoln's birthday is on the 4th and Brad's is on the 5th. It usually means Labor Day weekend is full of family, fun, and birthday cake. A perfect way to spend a long weekend!

Soccer Season began. I made them pose in the driveway before they left for the first game. Lincoln is in a new league, and loves it. A few more rules to learn but that's how it goes! I think Lincoln is catching on to some of it faster than Brad. :)

Lincoln had a special party for his 5th birthday at a local bounce zone. He barely slowed down for this picture.
We are singing Happy Birthday to Lincoln. I love the face he makes when everyone sings. He is thrilled but somewhat embarrassed. It is cute.
Whenever anyone asked Lincoln what he wanted for his birthday, he would say "A train that DOES NOT go all by itself." So that is what Brad and I got. He and Catherine have played and played with it. Actually, Catherine usually knocks parts of it down. Sometimes on accident and sometimes on purpose. Fun times!

This past weekend we went on a 2 night mini-vacation to Chattanooga. Coleman stayed home with Brad's parents (which was the earliest I have ever left a child). He was fine with a bottle, but glad I was back. Or should I say, I was glad I was back. :)
These pictures are from the Discovery Museum in Chattanooga. The water and dinosaur areas were the favorites.

These pictures are from the little zoo in Chattanooga. Lincoln is clutching Brad's leg in the petting portion of the zoo. There was a dog. :)

This is naptime at the hotel. Lincoln was "keeping his head on the pillow." Catherine.... well, wasn't quite ready to be still. It was so funny... for a few minutes anyway. I turned Catherine parallel to the headboard. Then I turned Lincoln sideways, so he had the bottom 2/3 of the bed. I put a big pillow between them and tah dah, sleep came.

The kids loved the hotel, the "escavator" and the elevator. It brought back memories of times growing up when my family stayed in hotels. I remember Amy and I giggling as we "slept" on the floor in sleeping bags- Jeff and Greg always got the other bed next to my parents. I distinctively remember mom or dad saying "Girls, be still. ... Girls, be quiet." Maybe I remember that so well because I heard those two comments a bunch growing up. :)

Please pray for my cousin Travis Speck. He and his wife Kelly had their firstborn, Bennett Mitchell, 10 days ago. He was born with an infection that was/is trying to take his life. The infection has settled in his lungs. They live in DC. Please see the following sight for pictures and updates. Or just pray for his lungs to be rid of the infectio and for there to be no other lasting effects. Pray also for T and K. I can't imagine what they are going through seeing their precious baby this way. Thank you!

http://www.totsites.com/tot/bennettmitchell

Life's Happenings

You know, you would think that staying in out of the heat would keep all the "excitement" to a minimum. But I have found that not to be so.

Referring to our terrible heat, it is nice that the hose water finally feels good! Now, on to what I actually came to write about! :)

Coleman is the child with the most going on so I will brag on him a little. 2 Fridays ago, just days after turning 6 months, I went to get Coleman up from his nap and he was sitting up. He just grinned at me. It was so cute! Since then, I have only seen him that way a few times but he really scoots around in his bed. He also is rocking back and forth on all fours and is reaching out and stretching towards toys or whatever items his bro/sis leave nearby. I keep telling him not to crawl yet b/c my camera hasn't been ready. He almost got moving today but Catherine decided to gently steamroll him. That did stop him for the moment. It is hard to believe the child is almost mobile. Tomorrow he will be talking in sentences.

Today was interesting. Catherine and Coleman both woke up with colds. Thankfully, neither are fussy or lacking in appetite. Anway, I was feeding Cm in the Bumbo seat --

Commercial: A friend let me borrow this Bumbo seat (Thank you C!!) and it is the best thing. We've taken it to restaurants so he has a place to sit when he's tired of the car seat or in lieu of it. They need to hire me on the tv selling network- I could sell almost anyone one of these (as well as the Swivel Sweeper- unrealted to the Bumbo). You can purchase the tray too and then you are really in business!! If you need to buy a gift this is a great one (you may want to go in w/ someone). I think you can get them at Target.

Back to feeding Cm cereal. He sneezes and (sorry ahead of time) and ... he cleans his nose out. As I am wiping that off Linc yells from upstairs, "Mommy, I smell poop. I think Catherine has a poo poo. Come up here quick." And, leaving Cm in the Bumbo, I do go quickly because Catherine has "big girl" panties on and the thought of the possibilities was enough to make me run with the paper towels. I get her cleaned up and within minutes Linc steps on a little nail and begins to bleed (and scream). Snot, Poop, Blood- all in 15 minutes. I call that interesting AND, if I weren't really working on my eating self-control, worthy of a box of cookies!! By the way, what goes "Burp, Spit, Poot"? No, it is not a Sandra Boynton book (children's book author). It is COLEMAN!!

Side note: Lincoln's foot is okay. I did check w/ the doctor's office and they said to keep ointment on it and watch it. The nail wasn't stuck, stuck in his foot, thankfully. And that nail being on our carpet is another story in itself.

News on the older two- Lincoln and Cat started Mother's Day Out. I think I can speak for Coleman too and say that it is nice just having time for the two of us and my Pampered Chef business. Brad said recently that it is time to get back to work. And, thankfully, I agree. In order for a savings account to work properly, it needs something to save! :)

Lincoln and Catherine love talking and bouncing around Coleman. This morning Cat was lying next to Cm on the bed. He would roll over and grab her hair or ear and she would just laugh and laugh. They are only 6 pounds apart. If she could tote him around she would, and she has tried. Lucky for us, she can't get him far off the ground.

Lincoln is Cm (and Cat's) biggest cheerleader. Whenever either does something remotely new or improved you can hear him say "Good job Coleman (or Catherine)" followed by "Mommy, Coleman just did...." with an explanation.

Of course I post all the fun, lovey moments but be confident that there are plenty of tears, trials, time outs, and some spankings in between!

Lincoln

Lincoln was watching intently as I painted Catherine's toe/fingernails yesterday. I was telling Catherine how pretty they looked and was complimenting her for how still she was sitting. Lincoln, must have been feeling left out, because he said "Mommy, my head is telling me that I want to be a girl." He went on to say that girls got to do fun stuff- paint nails, wear make-up and jewelry, etc. I told him that God made him a boy for a special reason. I had him recall how he and Brad play ball outside and Catherine watches nearby. We talked about how that was a special thing that just he and daddy do. I mentioned that he if were a girl, he might not think that was fun. That seemed to satisfy him- his head hasn't told him anymore that he wants to be a girl.

Clarification for my purposes: Cat. doesn't play ball w/ them right now not b/c she's a girl but b/c she's too small for what they were doing. We encourage Catherine to play whatever she wants whether its boy or girl toys. I just needed an example for Lincoln and that is what popped into my head. We do the same for Lincoln, however, you should have seen Brad's face when Lincoln said he wanted to play w/ a baby doll like Catherine. We gave it to him, it wasn't long before he slung it across the room. No motherly instincts there! :)

Coleman's Song for the Day

(please sing to "Oh, My Darling, Clementine")

Found my toe-sies, Found my toe-sies

Found my toe-sies toooday

They were cold and kinda sweaty,

but I liked them anyway!

Some Recent "Firsts" at our House

1. Playing in the Rain- Do you think this is an odd first? I wish it were. This picture was taken on June 16. When did it last rain at my house? May 6 (according the Cookeville paper). So, this is the first of the summer.

2. Coleman playing in his Exer-saucer. His cheeks are the most kissable cheeks around! He is 4 and a half months in this picture.

3. Lincoln can wink. He has actually been able to do this for a while but I needed a picture with him and I remembered I took this a few days ago.

4. Our most recent first- STITCHES!!! Story below....

For those of you who know my daughter, you may not be surprised that she is the one with stitiches rather than Lincoln. She is tough and thinks she is as big as Lincoln. However, those characteristics aren't exactly what did her in on our fun Saturday. Well.... maybe they are.

It happened this past Saturday, June 23. Brad, Lincoln, Catherine, and I drove 45 minutes away to this awesome pool in McMinnville (No, we didn't leave Coleman at home. He was with Brad's parents). It is a huge pool half dedicated to children. It is perfect for sitting babies and young elementary age because you walk into it and then it gradually increases to 4 feet. The other plus to this pool is that it has 3 water slides. One fast, open-topped, slide that curves around and around and 2 tunnel slides- the blue is the tall one and the green is the shorter one. We weren't there 3 minutes when Lincoln, with shoes and shirt already off, was ready to go down the blue and green slides. I asked him to wait while I "floated" Catherine up. By the face he made, you would have thought that I asked him to do the impossible. So, he and Brad walked into the pool until Catherine and I were ready.

Once we were ready, Lincoln went to the slide. Brad went along to catch him. Catherine watched from the shallow section and yelled out "Yeah, Ga-ga" while clapping overhead when she saw him come down. (Side note- she can't say Lincoln. So Ga-ga it is) Then she got the itch to try it. Afterall, if Lincoln can do it, so can she. So, Brad and I consulted and decided she was big enough. So up she went with Lincoln. And down she came to Brad 3 different times, with Lincoln not too far behind, loving it each time.

So, skipping ahead to after lunch, we noticed storm clouds getting closer and sent the kids down the slides one last time before we left. THIS time however, Lincoln went down the slide first and Catherine not understanding to wait a little bit, zoomed down after him. And somewhere between the top of the slide and Brad's arms, her chin found Lincoln's head and presto we have a "scrape with underlying lacerations". Catherine began to cry, Lincoln rubbed his head, Brad took Cat. to the side and looked in her mouth and on her head for a boo-boo and didn't see one. Then he noticed a little blood on his hand, and he waved me over. I looked at her chin and said that we needed to go the hospital. Lincoln immediately forgot about his head and asked if the police were going to come- he was afraid he was going to jail. Realizing my mistake of word, I explained that we needed to go the Doctor's office for Catherine to get a special bandaid for her chin. That made him feel better. Catherine had by then stopped crying and the the little bit of bleeding had stopped. We got our stuff together and left right as the lifeguards blew the whistle for everyone to get out due to lightning. From the slide incident to us leaving took about 10 min. It was not traumatic, the lifeguard didn't even know anything major had happened. Cat. fell asleep in the car as we drove back to Cookeville to a nice, new, and fast urgent care clinic in Cookeville. We weren't about to go the ER and wait for hours!

I held Catherine's head and Brad held her hands. Lincoln sat in the chair in the corner looking at a Veggie Tale book. Catherine cried but stayed pretty still. The doctor said that for a 2 year old, she was the best he had ever done.... in 20 years. There was no screeching, biting, or kicking. I understand that doctors are supposed to say nice things to make mommy and daddy feel better (and come back) but she did do very well. When it was all over, however, I felt exhausted and a little weak. Lincoln just said that he didn't want to ever do that!

So, how is she doing? Sunday morning, 18 hours after receiving the stitches, she was running laps around our recliner AND Sunday night at church while running and playing with friends outside she put her head through the black iron rails on a hand rail and got stuck. Brad and 2 other daddy friends pryed them open enough for her to get out and off she was again!

And that's my Catherine-
I wouldn't want her any other way!

Summertime, Summertime, Sum- Sum- Summertime

Coleman- 4 months. Wearing size 3 diapers- the same as Catherine. Began rolling back to front at 4 month date and now sleeps on his belly. Lincoln can make him laugh better than anyone.

Cruising around the yard in a wonderful hand me down jeep.

Just Coleman and me

Catherine, (Aunt) Tammy, and Lincoln

Swimming at Jeff & Paula Todd's with Andrew and Ben

Swimming at Greg and Andrea's

My sweet children- they really do love each other


College Friend, now missionary in Africa, Mark Manry (far left) and his 3 kids at a get-together during his furlough




Warming up after playing in hose

Lincoln "diving"



Catherine turned 2 April 23


Lincoln and cousin Tyler at the Depot in Cookeville

Soccer- Lincoln's ready to go

Lincoln and Brad