Look, mom! I got some mud. 

Avalee told me she got Lincoln all clean. 

Melinda's kids! 

Avalee and Abigail! 

Lincoln is nine months younger, even though they are the same size. 

The fun of cousins....Lincoln, Avalee, Mathew, Abigial, and Steven. For family members, these are Melinda's kids. 

Lincoln's Accomplishment

Lincoln reached a great milestone in his life today.

Last week we took Lincoln to the new Tyson's Mall playground. It has a fun tree slide. Lincoln would crawl up the stairs and jump or dive onto the slide. Needless to say, he got hurt a couple of times.

Today, we went to the mall. Lincoln ran right over to the slide crawled up the stairs and turned around and went down on his belly. Right before his face disappeared, I saw a smile of accomplishment. He was so proud!

Now I just have to get him to realize he has to run around and climb back up the stairs to go down again. He tries to be like the big kids and climb back up the slide.

Lincoln is too smart!

Lincoln and Avalee seem to play in the afternoons instead of taking naps. I put them both in their beds and left. After awhile, I heard Avalee yelling "Lincoln, give my sippy cup back." The only way he could have gotten it was if she had thrown it into his bed. I just ignored her and it got quiet. About an hour later, Lincoln woke up screaming. I went in to the room to find a fun project awaiting.

Lincoln has a horrible diaper rash. To ease the pain he had taken his pants and diaper off. Then he had drank the sippy cup full of water and peed everywhere. Avalee has always been one to take her clothes off but I don't remember her starting at 15 months.

Stories of Lincoln!

Lincoln went to the doctor today for his 15th month check-up. He weighed 25 lbs. 12 oz. and was 31" tall. This was the best doctor's visit we have ever had with Lincoln. Until this point in Lincoln's life, the last words the doctor would say was "he will grow out of it". I would think you are not the one that is covered in spit up all day long and cleaning the carpet. This time the last words the doctor said was "your kids are perfectly healthly". You don't know how happy this made me!

Lincoln's favorite word is "this". But when you ask him to get something, he will find bring you what you asked for. If you ask him if he has stinky poop, he goes and stands by the diapers and wipes and waits for you to come help him. If he is only letting wind, he just goes on with what he is doing.

We bought Lincoln new shoes on Saturday. Sunday I put them on him and he giggled. He then went and found his old shoes and carried them around until we left the house. I think he was going through withdrawal.

Stories of Avalee!

On Sunday, Avalee became a Sunbeam. Although she loved Nursery she isn't too fond of being a Sunbeam and being with all the older kids. Nathan and Lincoln had to stay with her for a while. Everytime they would choose her name to do something. She would go to the front just shaking and scared. When they sang "Happy Birthday" to her, she hid behind her hands (I was able to witness this because my primary class joined them). Lincoln, on the other hand, loved Primary. It was the best he has ever been in church and he was shaking and moving his arms with the songs.

Last week, Avalee jumped out of her crib, opened the door, and came running. She got dark circles under her eyes because of it. We are going to try her in a real bed again. Previous tries have left her crying in her room because the monsters were going to get her. The next day, Lincoln hit her head on and caused her noses to swell. Although you couldn't tell because she has inherited her Aunt Jeana's nose. Lincoln walked away with a small bruise on his cheek.

"Crunchy" and "oh, yuck" are not words you often hear when watching a football game. These are words Avalee uses to describe a football game. "Crunchy" is the tackle and "oh, yuck" is how the players look when they have grass stains all over them.

A couple of days after Avalee's birthday. Avalee wanted to dress Lincoln up in the mermaid dress but he would have nothing of it. So he become the prince in Avalee's dress up world. 

Avalee all dressed up! 

Blowing out the candles! 

I don't know who has having more fun in this picture Avalee or the aunts and uncles. 

Avalee got all kinds of dress up items that make her look "beautiful". 

Avalee found all kinds of treasures inside of this purse. Including a cell phone that Lincoln has claimed as his. 

The fun begins! 

Avalee was tired of waiting to open her presents. 

Avalee's Princess Cake! 

Avalee's Birthday!

Pictures of Avalee's birthday will come soon. I am so glad she was born on the 27th and not the 26th. It seems like it has been one party after another.

Avalee and Lincoln taking a break the day after Christmas. 

Next to Lincoln's monkey pillow, the animal crackers in his stocking became a popular item. He sat away from the Christmas mess and ate them all gone. 

Unwrapping presents! 

Avalee was very happy with her new "My Little Pony". Actually she got three of them. 

Lincoln did quit know what to do with all the choices in front of him. 

I did it!

My accomplishment of the year...I successfully completed six credits of accounting classes.

It was much easier to go to school before I had a husband and two kids. Now let's hope I can get through the next 12 credits before the end of 2006.

It is absolutely impossible to get both kids to look at the camera and smile for a picture. I was holding them both down just to get this picture. 

This is Avalee watching for Santa Claus to come to the Ward Christmas party. She wouldn't go anywhere near Santa but she was sure excited that he came. 

Lincoln can often be found sitting on the closet reading books. 

Lincoln dressed up to play in the snow. If he falls down, he can't get back up. 

Nathan and the kids had so much fun playing with their "car". The kids giggled and giggled. Nathan woke up the next morning with rug burns on his knees from pushing them around so much. 

Avalee and Lincoln stories!

Lincoln
His Grandma Brady showed him how to knock on doors. He knocks on any closed door. Tonite Avalee closed all the doors in the house and hid in the closet. Lincoln went and knocked and knocked on our bedroom door and Avalee popped out of the hall closet door. Lincoln giggled and giggled.

Lincoln only likes to sleep when Avalee is in the room with him. If she is making too much noise, he covers his head with the blanket and goes to sleep.

Lincoln has a love to climb upstairs and fall down them.

Avalee
Avalee is never just hungry. Instead she looks at me with sad eyes and says, "I starvin, hungry mom." You would think that I never give her food.

During the middle of the night when Lincoln cries out, Avalee will say "Lincoln, you OK." Lincoln immediately is quite. If Lincoln wakes up too early in the morning, Avalee will say, "Lincoln, sleep." During naptime, Avalee and Lincoln will giggle and taking during yelling for hours. Sometimes naptime turns into a three or four hour ordeal, two hours worth of playing and two hours worth of sleep.

Avalee is becoming a good big sister and tries to entertain Lincoln. Tonite while we were stuck in traffic, she tried everything to make him quit crying.

!Virginia's First Snow Storm!

It is very uncommon for the state of Virginia to get snow before January. I am thrilled because it makes it feel more like Christmas.

The snow started yesterday during the kids naptime. Avalee woke up and looked out the window and said, "I need my clothes. I need three sleds. I make a snowman." So I bundle the kids up and we went outside and played for about 30 minutes. The kids had a blast.

This morning I decided to be nice and take Nathan to metro. Nathan took Lincoln out and started brushing to snow off the car. Lincoln giggled at the snow coming off the car. Avalee and I came up the stairs next and I had my hands full of lots of items that need to be put in the car and was holding Avalee's hand. When we got to the sidewalk, she let go of my hand and started to walk. Immediately she fell hard on the ice. I grabbed her hand, picked her up, and made her walk again. She was screaming about her arm and hands hurting. About 15 feet from where she fell, she stopped and yelled, "my boot". I looked down at her foot and she had one bare foot. Her boot had fallen off and I hadn't even realized it because I had so much stuff in my hands. I went back and got her boot and got it on her foot and got her in the car. She cried for a while but when we got to the Metro she told Nathan, "Watch out snow. No get hurt."

She will no longer wear her snow boots because they are "too slick!" This could be a long winter.