Sunday, May 19, 2013

4 years old


It's hard to believe Lincoln is now four!  His official measurements are 34 lbs. and 40" tall (both in the 30th percentile range).  He did great getting his last round of vaccinations.  He cried and fussed more about the band-aids on his legs than the actually shots.  We later had to go back and get a finger-prick lead test done at the hospital lab because it had been overlooked at his 2 year appointment.  That was not so fun, but he was perfectly fine as soon as the nurse applied a super cool Angry Birds band-aid and handed him some Thomas stickers. :o)

Lincoln still loves Thomas and trains.  He also loves playing Angry Birds on the Roku TV.  He does not love thunderstorms.  This is a new development this spring.  I have spent several nights laying in bed with him until the storm passes.

Lincoln has started saying more creative prayers that include references to things that have happened recently or are going to be happening that day.  He has also started taking a keen interest in picking out his own clothes.  He has the fashion sense of a 4-year-old boy and does not have a very good weather barometer, which leads to some interesting combinations.  It's not surprising to see his pants/shorts on backwards, and you can almost be guaranteed that his underwear is on backwards and probably also inside-out.

The other distinct habit Lincoln currently has is calling everyone "guy."  As in, "Hey, guy!" when the  nurses walk to their vehicles parked on our street or he meets middle-aged women in the grocery store or little girls at the park.  Some people do a double-take, and then I have to explain that he calls everyone "guy".

This is some artwork from preschool.  He has also started to write a somewhat distinguishable "Lin" to begin his name.


Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

Lincoln had a big birthday celebration today!  It began with a birthday cinnamon roll with sprinkles.  Lincoln wanted to practice with a candle.


After church, all the grandparents arrived for lunch.  It was a beautiful day to enjoy eating out on the deck.  Then came presents.  Lincoln received a bunch of new books, some construction equipment, outdoor toys, Thomas stuff and a new red roadster bike.  He was thrilled!





His cake was Thomas, of course. (Thank you, Fareway bakery!!)


Then Lincoln got to try out his new excavator.


Later in the afternoon everyone headed to Shell Rock to watch Emily's Slugger game.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of everyone together.  Both sets of grandparents took off for home immediately afterwards and had to drive through severe weather.  We're sure glad they were able to make it a great day for a special little 4-year-old boy!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Birthday girl?!?

We decorated for Lincoln's birthday today.  Needless to say, someone was a little disappointed it wasn't her birthday.  So, Emily made her own cake out of paper, pipe cleaners and tissue paper.  She dug out her birthday crown from last October and made me an invitation to her 7th birthday party.  Only 165 days and counting!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Preschool Picnic

Lincoln's preschool had an end-of-the-year picnic.  They supplied the burgers and hot dogs and the rest was potluck.  Lincoln was too interested in everything going on to actually eat anything. :o)



Thursday, May 16, 2013

Birthday & Buddies

Lincoln got to celebrate his birthday at preschool today.  His choice for birthday treats were Thomas fruit snacks. :o)


Since it was Thursday, Owen came home with us.  I have been watching Owen on Thursday afternoons since February.  His older, third grade sister also comes home with us when I pick up Emily from school.  It has been a fantastic arrangement as Lincoln LOVES playing with Owen & Ellie.  He cries when it's not an "Owen & Ellie Day".  Emily enjoys it, too.  They are great kids, and it has been fun getting to know their parents more, too.  Today was a perfect day for lunch on the deck!


Owen & Ellie's mom is an SLP, so we'll take a break for the summer.  However, Owen & Lincoln will be in the same preschool class again next fall, and we will probably have him two afternoons per week then.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Mall fun

A good friend who moved to Wisconsin two years ago was back in town to visit.  We had a fun time at "the noodle place" (aka HuHot) and playing at the mall.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

First at bat

Emily is on a coach-pitch Little Sluggers team in the Shell Rock Youth Sports league this year.  They are the A's and consist of Kindergarten & 1st graders.  Emily is #1 on the roster and was the first batter in the first game of the season.  She had a solid hit on the second pitch!

Mother's Day Tea

Emily's Kindergarten class hosted a Mother's Day Tea for their moms with an Eric Carle theme.  It began with a short program (see video) that concluded with a reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.






Then we were free to move around to different centers.  They included games, puzzles, a butterfly craft, a snack and a large bag full of gifts.


The day ended with a special recess for the kids and moms.  However, it happened to be the one, crazy hot day (96 degrees) and no one really felt like doing anything. (Remember that recent snowstorm post?!?).

Note:  Emily's class also had a Dad's Fishing Day last week at the duck pond in Waverly.  (I don't have any pictures from that.)  Austin & Emily had some bites but ended up snapping the line and losing it in the reeds along the shore.  Austin made up for it by taking Emily out for ice cream at DQ before heading home. :o)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

First tooth lost!

Emily met the deadline with two days to spare when she FINALLY pulled out her first loose tooth.  This is why it needed to come out very badly:

May 3, 2013
May 12, 2003

The hole wasn't there for long as the permanent tooth quickly moved into the correct position just as the dentist assured me it would.  Whew!  Then came the tooth fairy issue.  Emily had been talking about setting an elaborate trap with banana peels to test whether or not the tooth fairy was real.  I never did quite follow her logic, but convinced her to leave her tooth in a bowl on the kitchen counter.  She found a quarter in it the next morning.  After hounding me for 20 minutes (much like with Santa), I finally gave in and told her I was the tooth fairy.  Then she didn't believe me.  She thinks I'm tricking her into thinking I'm the tooth fairy.  I guess I can't win!  I'm just glad the first one is out and she found out it's not a big deal.  She has a least two more that are slightly loose.  Bring on the sweet corn!

Mother's Day

It's always fun to see what kinds of homemade gifts kids come up with on Mother's Day.  Emily has had a bucket of stuff prepared for almost a month.  Below is a video that includes the book she wrote about moms.

Lincoln made this in preschool.


I'm so lucky to be a mom to these two!