Kylee's 1 Year Pictures

Lincoln's cousin Katee was visiting from Oklahoma & offered to take Kylee's 1 year pictures. They turned out great...especially since Kylee was crying almost the entire photo shoot. Katee was so nice about it & ended up with some good shots. Thank you SO much Katee!!!
(Not pictured: Lincoln & I jumping up & down and throwing balls into the air behind Katee, hoping that Kylee would stop crying long enough to get a few pics. :) )

We couldn't be more thrilled to call this girl our own.
And check out Katee's photography blog...she is awesome!!!

24th of July Trip

This past weekend we headed to Snowflake to celebrate the 24th of July. This was only the second year that Linc & I have gone to the July 24th celebration since we've been married, & we really enjoyed it! Every time we're in Snowflake, we wish that we could pack up & move there tomorrow. Alas, that dream won't be realized until after Lincoln becomes a doctor...so I'm trying to be patient for the next ten years, until we can get there!

Kylee has been really fussy for more than a week. (We think she may have an ear infection.) I did happen to catch a few of her "happier moments" on this trip though.

This is how Kylee usually looks when I take her anywhere in the truck...so happy to have her baby with her!

When we got to Snowflake, we headed to the Willis Farm (next-door to Linc's parents) to join in the fun that was going on! We visited with family & friends, watched the melodrama that Linc's cousins put on and watched Kylee help Grandpa make homemade ice cream to sell. Here she is saying "Ooo" because the ice was so cold. (She says "ooo" & makes this face about 30 times a day. It's very cute!)

That afternoon we headed to the park to look at what the vendors had to sell there. Lincoln saw lots of old classmates, which was fun. Saturday night, Grandma babysat Kylee while we took our nephew Marcus to the rodeo. The rodeo didn't disappoint, and after it was over we sat in the stands & watched fireworks. They were AWESOME.

Sunday, after church, we took Kylee to the cemetery to visit Jackson's grave. She actually really loved it there and just stared at, and touched, Jackson's headstone for at least ten minutes.

On Sunday night, Linc's mom threw Lincoln & Kylee a birthday party. All of his aunts & uncles came, as well as some cousins & friends. We ate red velvet cake & homemade ice cream & sat in the backyard visiting until dark. Check out this cake. How redneck is this? A pink candle for Kylee, a broken skewer for Lincoln, & a bride/groom (that Lincoln's parents had on top of their wedding cake when they got married) to celebrate Linc's sister's wedding anniversary that day. Ha ha. (P.S.-Lincoln's mom gave me permission to call her cake redneck. :) )

After the party, the boys pulled out some fake mustaches & we had a photo shoot. Please, please...don't be jealous.

Cute Olivia & Claire were our photographers...

Group shot...

A few of my favorites this trip:
Seeing Katee & Kevin & their kids, who were visiting from Oklahoma
Late night walk with Carl & Wendy and the dogs
Holding hands with Linc during the fireworks show
Lincoln & I reading Catching Fire out loud to each other every chance we could get

Random Fun

Kylee has loved having Uncle Aaron & Uncle Shawn home for the summer! They give her lots of attention & she just soaks it up. :)

On Linc's birthday we went to lunch at Joe's BBQ. Here we are ready for a yummy lunch! Notice cute Kylee in the back seat...Lincoln turned Kylee's car seat around a couple of weeks ago without my permission. He had promised me that he wouldn't let her sit that way until the weekend before her birthday. :) That girl has her daddy wrapped around her finger!

Lincoln had to work on his birthday, so Kylee & I picked him up from work & took him to Panda Express for a quick dinner. (Their new walnut shrimp is GOOD, by the way.) It was a fun birthday for our whole family and Linc says it was his best one yet! I've realized that the years when I don't stress about how I'm going to make his birthday special & I just let him choose what he wants to do, turn out to be the best. :)

I had to include this pic. I stuck Lincoln's hat on Duke's head the other night. Instead of throwing it off, he just sat on the stairs & stared straight down without moving. Then after probably two or three minutes, he started moving his head back & forth VERY SLOWLY. He had no idea what to do. That sent me into giggling fits for awhile. I obviously get bored when Lincoln is working late & Kylee is asleep for the night. :)

28 Reasons

Happy 28th Birthday Linc! Here are 28 reasons why I love you:

#1:
YOU'RE NOT AFRAID TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY.

#2:
YOU TEACH BY EXAMPLE.

#3:
YOU CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE I LOVE.

#4:
YOU'RE QUIRKY.
(Yes, I even love you for your goth obsession.)
#5:
YOU'RE A HANDS-ON DAD.

#6:
YOU DREAM & MAKE PLANS WITH ME.
(And when those plans change, you help me make new ones.)

#7:
YOU MARRIED ME IN THE TEMPLE.

#8:
YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.

#9:
YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE A GUN.

#10:
YOU ENJOY TRAVELING.

#11:
YOU SHOW EXCITEMENT WHEN YOU THINK NOBODY IS WATCHING.

#12:
YOU'RE A WICKED WII PLAYER.

#13:
YOU GO SHOPPING WITH ME.

#14:
YOU CLEAN THE THINGS THAT I DON'T WANT TO.

#15:
YOU STAY BY MY SIDE THROUGH SURGERY AFTER SURGERY.

#16:
YOU'RE STRONG.

#17:
YOU'RE NOT AFRAID TO DRESS LIKE A GIRL.

#18:
YOU TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE.

#19:
YOU TALK TO PEOPLE WHEN I'M TOO NERVOUS TO.
(Like the judge during Kylee's adoption hearings.)

#20:
YOU'RE GOOD AT DOING HAIR.
(And are willing to straighten mine almost every day.)

#21:
YOU'RE AN AWESOME UNCLE.

#22:
YOU SACRIFICE TO BE A PARENT.

#23:
YOU'RE A GOOD COOK.

#24:
YOU POSE FOR PICTURES THAT I TAKE FOR THE BLOG, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO.

#25:
YOU CONVINCED ME THAT I WANT TO BE A SMALL TOWN GIRL.

#26:
YOU WALK OUR DOGS EVERY MORNING & NIGHT.
(And they adore you for it.)

#27:
YOU WERE MY LIFELINE WHEN JACKSON DIED.

#28:
YOU ARE (& ALWAYS WILL BE) MY BEST FRIEND.

I LOVE YOU BABE.

Lincoln's Bday Dinner & Kylee's Bday Party

On Sunday night we had Lincoln's birthday dinner & Kylee's birthday party at my parents' house. Lincoln chose calzones, corn & salad with homemade peach/berry cobbler & ice cream for dessert. After dinner we had Kylee's 1st birthday party. My mom decorated with streamers & everything "birthday". I had all kinds of plans for Kylee's birthday cake but after realizing that we had to have the party a week & a half before her birthday & not having much time to plan, then going to multiple stores without finding what I needed, & having the first cake I made sink in the middle...we settled on a very simple "#1" funfetti cake. Obviously Kylee didn't know the difference!

Soaking in the attention while we sing "Happy Birthday" to her...

Squishing the cake in her fingers, trying to figure out what it is exactly...

Tasting it...

Deciding she doesn't like it after all...

And wondering why everyone is laughing...

This picture explains itself...

Giving Kylee her own cake to eat was NOT a hit. She seriously hated it! I'm pretty sure it was the texture. We even sat her on the ground & dumped her cake down next to her. She just sat in it & then started crying again.

Maybe next year. :)