10 Year High School Reunion

This blog is actually about me...not Lincoln...wow there is still a ME! HA.

I graduated from Douglas County High School 10 years ago. I debated for quite a while about whether or not to attend my class reunion. I am so glad that I did. My old friend Meaghan Burke and I went together and we met Stacy there. I have been friends with both of them since elementary school. I met Meaghan at her parents house off of Happy Canyon road. They have lived in that house the whole time I have known her and it looks exactly the same inside and out. It was so nice to look around and see that nothing had changed. I got to talk with her mom for a while which was really nice. Meaghan's little sister Erin is recently engaged so I got to hear all about that excitement. I also got to talk to her mom about grandpa passing away this year. I grew up being close to Meaghan's grandpa. He was the sweetest man ever. He would show up to all of our volleyball games with a red rose for her and every once in a while one for me too. He always gave the best hugs. Meaghan and I headed to Castle Rock. The Reunion was a happy hour on the back patio of the Pegasus restaurant. Our class president Shannon O'Neill planned it. We graduated with about 365 people and I would say there were probably 100 people there. There were some people who looked exactly the same, a few that I wouldn't have recognized if they hadn't come up to me and I have to admit there were a few that I wouldn't have even known went to our high school. My friend Brook was there with her fiance Sam and she told us that she is pregnant. Brook and I have been friends since middle school and we were college roommates. All in all it was a really fun time getting to hear what everyone was up to. People came from out of state to be there. The happy hour closed down at 11pm and then a few of us went to a local bar down the street. Meaghan and I headed home around 1:30am. I had a long drive home and we were leaving for Nebraska the next morning.

I busted out my year book before the Reunion just for fun and I cried when I read what Stacy had written "Just think of graduating as opening the next chapter in our friendship. We still have kids to raise at the same time so they can be the best of friends and play barbies all night and fight over dumb things." Of course Lincoln and Connor probably won't play barbies together but they are going to grow up being the best of friends.

Me, Shelley, Stacy and Brook

Meaghan, Shelley, Shelly's husband, her 3rd boy and Amanda

6 Months Old

I always thought that time went by fast but now that I have a baby I think it goes by really really fast. Lincoln is 6 months old today. He is changing so much every day. He had a Dr appt today and he weighed in at 16lbs 8oz 40th percentile, he is 26 1/2 inches long 50th percentile and his head was 17 1/4 inches which is in the 50% percentile. The Dr said that he looked great. He smiled the whole time we were there and he charmed all of the ladies in the office. He had to have one immunization and then he got the flu shot. He got a shot in each leg. Yuck. He screamed but as soon as they were done he was fine. He is eating solid foods now. So far he has had yellow squash and carrots. I am making the baby food and it is really fun and easy. He is still nursing and eating cereal along with his veggies. He loves to be upside down and he laughs out loud a lot. He is a super happy and healthy baby. I am always telling him what a good baby he is and if he was older I would buy him ice cream. He is starting to get some teeth on the bottom. The Dr said that he felt bumps but it could still be several months before they arrive. He is rolling over like a champ now and he sits up pretty well on his own. He loves to stand with help. He has started sleeping on his tummy and his side which is super cute. We put him to bed on his back and then when we check on him he has moved to his side or his tummy. He is sleeping from 7pm to 7am and he takes two 2 hour naps a day. I a still loving being home with him every day. He is just so much fun and he keeps me entertained. As you can see in the pictures he was still happy even after seeing the Dr and getting two shots.

Lincoln's Third Camping Trip

This past weekend we went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was Lincoln's third camping trip this summer, but this was the first time for "real" camping meaning sleeping in a tent. Our group of friends headed up Friday night but we decided to wait and head up Saturday morning after Lincoln had eaten. We arrived at the camp site around 9:30 am Saturday morning. It was a beautiful drive up through Estes Park. The camp site was beautiful. When the reservation was made we were told that we could have two tents per site so we just reserved 2 sites. When the group got there they realized that was not the case. The tent pads were really small and there was only one per site. Greg and Ginger, Ebeth and Jason found a way to put both of their tents on one pad and then Carl and Denise put theirs on another one. We decided just to share a tent with Carl and Denise because the one they brought was huge. We were able to fit our king size double decker blow up mattress (I know....I know...but we have a baby) and also his pack in play in the tent along with Carl and Denise's blow up mattress. We had a fun day of cards and talking. It rained for a little while so we went to our tents but it didn't last long. Eli took Lincoln on a couple of walks in the back pack and of course he had his camera out taking lots of great pictures. We put Lincoln to bed at 7 and he went down pretty easily but then he continued to wake up about every hour. When we went to bed we brought him into bed with us to keep him warm but he just couldn't sleep. He would wake up out of a dead sleep crying. His nose was so stuffed up and we could tell he was miserable. We also felt terrible because we were sharing a tent with Carl and Denise. At 3am we gave up and drove home. When we got home we all went straight to bed. On Sunday morning when I went to get Lincoln out of bed his face was covered in snot and he just looked terrible. He caught his first cold. He has been coughing, sneezing and his nose is still running. Poor little guy. Eli had to drive back up to the campground on Sunday morning to pack up all of our stuff and then drive back home. Once Eli finally got home we all spent a lazy Sunday at home watching movies.

Goodbye Uncle Anthony

My brother is moving to Decatur Illinois to coach and be the marketing director for Millican University. It is a great opportunity for him and we pray that eventually it will bring him back to Colorado to coach for UNC or CSU. We picked him up from the airport on Saturday afternoon and he spent some time visiting friends throughout the week. We met him for dinner at CB & Potts on Wednesday night with his friend Kristen and then he came back home with us. We spent all day Wednesday together getting him ready for his move. Eli made a fabulous dinner of steaks, potatoes and salad on Thursday night. We enjoyed the evening with Anth and Kristen and then Lincoln and I took him to the airport this morning. We have been able to see him a lot since Lincoln was born so it is going to be hard to have him so far away. Thank goodness for technology. I keep a blog, Facebook, My Space and we send videos over you tube so he will be able to see and hear all about Lincoln while he is away.
Uncle Anthony giving his first bottle. Look at the love between them.


I think he looks like a Kerr here


What good looking boys


My shirtless boys

Swim Date with the Alfords

We spent a wonderful Sunday with the Alfords. We joined them for Church Sunday morning and then headed over to their house in Reunion. They made us a wonderful lunch of chicken Caesar salad, pizza and an amazing peach dessert. After lunch we went to the Reunion pool. It was Lincoln's first time at the pool. He is just really mellow when he is in the water. It is a really great pool with a slide. Hayden can go down the slide now so we had fun watching him. The pool was great for Lincoln. It had a really nice area for babies. We all enjoyed some time in the sun and watching the kids play. Thanks Alfords for a wonderful day.

Four Wonderful Years

Eli and I celebrated four years of marriage on June 26th. My parents came out for the weekend to watch Lincoln. It was our first time leaving him with someone else. We left on Saturday morning around 10am and headed to Estes Park. We spent the day shopping and enjoying the warm day. We had lunch at a neat restaurant that overlooked the town. We stopped by a really neat wine and cheese store and had them make us a beautiful meat and cheese tray. We picked out some wine and headed to our B and B to check in. The Bed and Breakfast was beautiful. We spent some time in the hammock on the property and in the hot tub that sits under a gazebo. Instead of going back into town for dinner we enjoyed our meat and cheese tray and wine on the patio. It was such a wonderful relaxing time. We spent some time telling each other what we love and admire about one another. It was a great time for us to reconnect after the busyness of adding our new family member. We headed home around 10 on Sunday morning. Mom and Dad said that Lincoln did great. It meant so much to me that they drove out to be his first babysitters.

The POD

When I lived at the Cairns house we were put into prayer groups of three and they were called PODS. I was blessed enough to be in a group with Jenny and Kari. We met periodically in one anothers rooms and shared prayer requests. It was such a special time to share our hearts and know that the others would be praying for us. Jenny lives in Colorado Springs with her husband John and their little boy Christian. They have another baby boy on the way. We met in Castle Rock for dinner on June 20th. We had a great time talking and reminiscing. We closed the restaurant down. I didn't get Lincoln home and into bed until 1am, but it was well worth it. We met in Castle Rock again for dinner on the 22nd of this month as a late birthday celebration for Kari. Our friend Johanna from the Cairns house joined us as well. We closed the restaurant down again. Thank God for great Christian friends.

Play Dates

Lincoln had a fun week full of play dates. On Tuesday my friend Angie and her little boy Trey came over. It is always great to talk with Angie because she is a Baby Wise mommy too and her pediatrician is the author so she is always very helpful with answering my questions. On Thursday the mommy's from our Church had a play date at Caren's house down in Parker. I don't know how many we had total but it was more than a house full. We got a good picture of all of the babies together. Stacy and Connor came over on Friday to keep us company while we had a garage sale. It is amazing how much difference there is between 4 and 8 months. It is fun to watch Connor and see where Lincoln is going to be very soon.

The University Church of Christ Babies


Trey and Lincoln


Connor and Lincoln

Fun with Friends

We had our friends Greg and Ginger over for lunch on Saturday the 12th.


And then we went over to our friends Ken and Heathers new house for dinner. The Farwells were there as well with baby Lila.

Lincoln at Four Months

Lincoln is growling like crazy and changing every day. He had his four month appointment on the 8th. He had to get 4 more shots and another oral vaccine. He cried but as soon as I picked him up he was fine again. He is 26 inches long which is the 90th percentile. Hopefully he will be tall and handsome like his daddy. He was 14 pounds even and his head was 41.5 cm. The Dr said that he looked great. He finally decided to roll over on the 14th. I have been practicing with him because both of his buddies from my work were rolling over at about 3 1/2 months. He was laying on our bed on his back and he rolled to his stomach. They say that babies roll from front to back first but not our son. When Eli got home he put him on his tummy on our bed and sure enough he rolled from front to back. He decided to do both in one day. He has not rolled over since, either way. I think he was trying to get me to stop worrying about him and he hates tummy time, so I guess he figured once he rolled over for me he wouldn't' have to practice anymore.

Fourth of July-Hartwell Family Reunion

My mom's side of the family gets together every 4th of July for a reunion in Nebraska. My mom's mom was born on the 4th of July so we always get together to celebrate Granny Ladies birthday. It is such a great tradition. I think I have only missed two of them in my 28 years. One time I was in Ukraine and the other I was on my honeymoon, so they were valid excuses!
My mom is one of 8 kids and 5 of the 8 were there for the reunion. My uncle Buddy the oldest passed away a long time ago and my uncle Chad lives in North Carolina and wasn't able to make it and my uncle Dell was not able to make the trip. We missed you guys! We decided to have the reunion at Red Willow lake this year. It was a great idea because there was lots for everyone to do. Most of us camped for the weekend so we got to spend a lot of time together and there was a pot luck on Saturday so all of us could be in one place at one time. We did a lot of boating, wakeboarding, tubing and played corn hole and washers. We ate and talked a lot. Aunt Jacquetta had a drawing for a big granny sun hat. She also put a poster board together of pictures of granny lady at the lake. Some of the grand kids wrote their favorite memories on the board. It was cute to see what some of the little ones remembered about granny. Bubby wrote on there that Jacquetta sent him over to granny's one time to get a band aid and her hearing was so bad that she sent him home with a bag of candy. I remember one time Danny and I were riding in the car with granny and she ran right through a stop sign. We both closed our eyes and told her that she had just run a stop sign and she said don't worry everyone knows it's the granny mobile and they get out of the way! She was so fun to ride in the car with. Every time she would turn a corner she would say "WEE!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANNY AND AMERICA!

Little Eli

Melissa and Lincoln

Norma and Eli

Baby Eli

Eli at 3 months old

People are continually asking us who we think Lincoln looks like and as adults you can't really tell which one of us he looks like, but when you see Eli's baby pictures he looks like a little Eli. I think he has my chin and my eyes but the rest is all Eli. He even has the same hair that Eli had except Lincolns flops to the right and Eli's went to the left. We tell Lincoln often to enjoy his hair while he has it.

Lincoln's First Camping Trip

We headed back to Nebraska for Fathers day weekend. The Howell reunion is always over fathers day weekend so we were able to go to that this year. The Howell's are my grandma's family. We headed out to Cambridge lake on Friday night. Mom and Dad had set up their pop up camper for us to use. We had four spots right next to each other. Mom, Dad and Grandma were in Grandma's camper, Marlyn, Rod and Tonya were in their camper and then Bill, Deb, Nicole, Rhett, Sara and Brody were all in their camper. Ryan and Kendee also joined us. Mom, Dad, Eli, Lincoln and I took the boat out for a nice night ride around the lake. We all spent the evening around the camp fire.
On Friday night Eli and I headed off to the pop up with the two dogs and Lincoln. Eli crawled into bed on the one side and the two dogs got up in the bed on the other side and I put Lincoln in his pac n play in the middle of the camper. I laid Lincoln down gently hoping that he would sleep through the night and then I crawled into bed. Well as soon as I crawled in next to Eli the whole camper tipped to the one side and Eli and I hit the ground. The pop up is a bit like a teeter totter and with all of the weight on one side it caused the camper to tip. After the shock had passed I crawled out of the bed, or should I say up and out of the bed since we were now on the bottom side of the teeter totter and ran to Lincoln's pac n play. His eyes were wide open. He wasn't crying but he was definitely awake. He had only rolled slightly in his pac n play because he was in the exact center of the camper. My dad came running over and once he found out we were all ok he bust up laughing. Eli had to muffle his face with a pillow because he was laughing so hard. My dad though that we would have to sleep on different sides of the camper to even out the weight, but then my mom came over and asked if he had put the hitch down. He smiled and said he had forgotten. That is what levels the hitch side with the tire side on a pop up. So that made Eli and I feel a little less fat. We got the camper all leveled out and went back to bed. Lincoln was of course still wide awake so we took him to bed with us.
We spent Saturday on the boat and attended the reunion. The actual reunion was at a camp pavilion near the lake. Everyone brought a dish to share. I haven't been around my grandma's family a whole lot so it was nice to see her brothers and sisters again. I could tell how much she enjoyed it. They brought out a bunch of old pictures and had a good time reminiscing.
Saturday night was a much more peaceful night in the camper. Lincoln slept through the night in his pac n play and the camper stayed level. We went back out on the boat Sunday and did some swimming. Mom stayed behind to watch Lincoln so I could swim. We packed up camp Sunday afternoon and then headed back to Colorado after stopping at mom and dad's for a quick shower. It was a great weekend full of family and fun. Lincoln is a great camper. He loved staring up at the trees and he really liked being on the boat. His grandpa is super excited to take him fishing when he gets bigger.

Got Milk?

So before I start complaining I want to start by thanking God for our miraculous bodies. A women's body truly is miraculous in every way. We can grow another person inside of us. We can not only grow another person but we can sustain it's life inside and outside of the womb. Our body is all that baby needs for the full 40 weeks and it lives solely off of the umbilical cord and then once they are born our body can sustain them solely off of breast milk. I think the fact that our breast can make milk and feed our babies is amazing, but I also think it is a huge responsibility. Our babies depend entirely on us for survival. Lincoln has had nothing but breast milk in his 12 weeks of life. Granted sometimes Eli feeds him a bottle but even when he feeds him it is still milk that came from my breasts. It is amazing how personal we take comments about our milk. Eli grabbed a bottle out of the refrigerator the other night and he made a comment that there was only 4 and half ounces in the bottle and that he thought we were going to start giving him 5oz. I immediately got defensive and said, "Unless you can produce milk from your breasts then I guess that is all there is." Yes I said that. To him he was just asking a question, but to me he was insulting my ability to be a good mother and provide for my child. I am constantly wondering if I am making enough milk or how long I will be able to breast feed. I feel guilty if I drink too much coffee and not enough water. I feel guilty if I have a drink later than the 2 hour window before pumping. It is just a huge responsibility and it becomes overwhelming at times. We are constantly in demand. I can only be away from him for a total of 2 and half hours. I was talking to a close girlfriend of mine the other day who has a baby the same age as Lincoln and she made me feel a little less crazy. She was laying in bed the other morning while her baby cried and she was tyring to get him to go another half hour so they could keep their morning schedule and she could get to work on time. Her husband rolled over and asked her if she was really going to make the baby wait a half an hour to eat. She was totally hurt by this because to her it meant that her husband thought she was torturing their baby by making him wait a half hour to eat. Every time someone looks at you and says I think the baby is hungry you immediately get defensive and say no he's not! People of course do not say that to hurt me or to question my ability as a mother but that is how I take it. And from what I have heard so do most other mothers. I want to conclude by thanking our Heavenly Father for my milk!

Three Months Old

Our baby Lincoln is three months old. Wow how time flies. He is more amazing every day. I just can't get enough of him. I literally stare at him all day long and probably kiss him way more than any little boy would like to be kissed by his mom. I have to get the kisses in now before he is too "cool" to let his mommy kiss him. He has started "talking" a lot more and he still smiles a lot. I have tried laying him on his tummy to practice rolling over but he is not a fan of tummy time. He is still not a big fan of naps. I have learned that I have to let him fall asleep on his own. If I lay him down in his crib or pac n play for a nap he will just scream. He will literally cry for 45 mins. Now I just allow him to fall asleep in his bouncy seat or on our bed. He sleeps really well if he just moves into his nap after he is done playing. He is still wearing his size 1 diapers during the day and size 2 at night to help him sleep longer. I think we could move him up to a size 2 for the day as well. He has some chubby little legs. I am still feeding him every 3 hours but he has been sleeping through his 3am feeding pretty consistently now. He goes to bed around 9:30 and sleeps until around 6:30. This sleeping through the night thing is great! Eli is still giving him a bottle of pumped milk at 9. He is eating 6oz now so it is hard for me to keep up with him. I am also trying to pump extra so we can do an overnight trip for our anniversary. Our 4 year anniversary is on the 26th and my mom is going to come out so we can do dinner and stay at a bed and breakfast. Grandma will be his first ever babysitter!

We took him to Wash Park after Church for his birthday and then out to lunch at our favorite Mexican Restaurant La Fogata. We took lots of pictures at the park. It was a walk down memory lane for us because 4 years ago this month we were getting married there and now here we are walking through the park with our son. God is Great!

Check out the rest of the pictures at this link.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67914&l=c9023&id=1018812840

Mommy Time

I have had a lot of mommy time lately which has been nice. On Friday night Kari hosted a clothing swap party at her apartment. Each girl was to bring at least 5 items from her closet that she doesn't wear anymore. It could be clothes, purses, jewelry just anything that you thought someone else might like. It was a great way to clean out your closet and bring a few new things home. It was a nice ladies night out for me. On Saturday Lincoln and I went to a baby shower for our friend Kim. Kim and Matt had a baby girl named Lila Ann Farwell in April. They didn't find out the sex of the baby until the birth so they had the baby shower after she was born. Sunday we went to Church and then headed to Wash Park to take pictures in the flower garden but the flowers weren't in yet. On Monday night I had some more mommy time. I play on a our women's church softball team on Monday nights. Tuesday night I had yet another night out. I met some girl friends downtown to see Sex and the City. I was very excited to finally see it. It was good. I was shocked at some of the graphic scenes though because I have only ever watched the TBS reruns and they are not nearly as graphic as the true HBO ones. I am so lucky to have a husband that wants me to go out and have some me time. It is great to leave and know that Lincoln is in great hands with his daddy.

Here are some cute pictures from the weekend.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67813&l=2758c&id=1018812840

Memorial Weekend

We had a really nice holiday weekend. I drove down to Castle Rock on Friday to pick up my brothers dogs from Anna's parents house, so he could visit with them over the weekend. I had a nice visit with Ken and Judy. They had some presents for Lincoln and were really excited to meet him. Anthony, Mom and Dad arrived Friday night. We spent the evening in the garage listening to the Rockies game. Saturday morning Dad, Anth, Eli and Shawn went golfing. Mom, Lincoln and I did some grocery shopping and got things ready for the BBQ. Liz and Gabe arrived around noon for us to meet Parker, born March 11th. We got to spend some time with them before everyone else arrived. Everyone else started showing up around 2. We had a really great turn out. Carl and Denise were there until around 10pm and the guys stayed up until after midnight. I went to bed around 10 because Lincoln has not been sleeping well at all. Sunday morning we went to Church. Jerry Selby did Lincolns dedication at Church. The congregation prayed for him and for Eli and I. After Church we did our last shopping trip to the Sports Authority before I lost my discount. We were all very tired when we got back home so we laid around and watched a movie. Monday morning we went to Mimi's Cafe for brunch and then mom, dad and Anth headed home. It was a great weekend full of family and friends.
Jerry Selby, Me, Lincoln and Eli at his dedication

Uncle Anthony and Lincoln

Dad, Mom and Brother

Lincoln (March 8th) Parker (March 11th)

Play Dates

Little Lincoln is so popular already! He has had several play dates. The girls from work that were pregnant at the same time as me came over for a visit on the 14th. Jennifer had Graham on March 11th and Brie had Logan on March 13th. Tawnya also brought her little boy Remington who is 7 months old. It was nice to talk to other new moms and see how different the boys are.

Lincoln, Graham and Logan

Lincoln had another play date on the 21st with Trey. Trey was born exactly one month before Lincoln. His mom Angie and I were in birthing class together. Eli and I hit it off with she and her husband Casey. They live near us in Frederick. We spent the day together talking about being Baby Wise. Angie was a professional photographer before she became a pharmaceutical rep. She took a bunch of cute pictures of the boys. She is one of those girls that you feel like you have known forever. They have a scale so I was able to weigh Lincoln before his 3pm feeding and then after to see how much he had eaten. He ate 3.85 oz and weighed 12lbs 3oz with his clothes on.

Lincoln (March 8th) and Trey (February 8th)

First time at the Zoo and a Fair

We had a really busy and fun weekend. On Friday Lincoln had his first trip to the zoo. I met Stacy, Deb, Kelly and the kids there around 11. We got our tickets and then found a nice grassy shaded area to feed the kids. We laughed and said that we basically paid $12 to go to the park because we were there for about an hour and a half before we actually started walking around the zoo. Stacy and I's boys are too young to really enjoy the zoo, but we enjoyed the nice weather and just being outside. I don't remember the last time I have been to the zoo. On Saturday we went to the Erie fair with Chris, Libby and the boys. We sat on the patio and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant there. I ran into an old friend from high school at the Fair. We went and found some shade so I could feed Lincoln and there was another couple and their baby sitting there. The lady looked up at me and said "Melissa Kerr." She recognized my voice. It was Lauren Wiens that I ran track with. She has a 9 month old daughter. They live in Erie so we exchanged phone numbers. We came home and took a nice cold family shower and then put in a movie. Sunday morning we woke up to a bunch of hot air balloons surrounding our house. Eli of course ran outside with his camera. We went to Church and then headed down town to the "Glass House." Eli's boss Mike owns a condo on the 23rd floor of this amazing building called the glass house. He wanted Eli to take pictures so he can rent it out for the presidential convention. It actually made me dizzy to look out. We went to Rock Bottom for lunch and then headed home to do some yard work. I am so happy that the nice weather is here. Everyone in the neighborhood is out and about. We had a few people walk by on Sunday and say "Did you guys have a baby?"
All of this fun stuff and I don't have any pictures to share from the zoo or the fair.

My First Mothers Day

We spent mothers day weekend in Nebraska. My cousin Kristin graduated from high school on mothers day so we went back to be part of that. We arrived on Saturday morning and spent the day with my parents. Saturday night we met family at the Rocket for pizza. Lincoln had a rough time at the Rocket because it was so loud and I think he was worn out from the traveling. Sunday morning we got the house ready for Kristin's graduation party. We took a walk over to my aunt Marlyn's so we could get a 4 generation picture taken with my grandma. We left Lincoln and dad there to visit while we went to graduation. Dad had called dibs on babysitting Lincoln during the ceremony. It was really hot out and we didn't think he needed all of that sun. He got to spend some quality time with his grandpa, aunt Marlyn and great grandma. After graduation we had a party at mom and dads for her. It was great to spend mothers day with my mom. We got each of the grandma's aquamarine earrings which is Lincoln's birth stone for mothers day. They both loved them. I got a beautiful card from my parents and one from Eli. I had a ring designed for mothers day but it's not in yet. I will be sure to post a picture of it when I get it.
Great Grandma, Grandpa, Mommy and Me

He is wearing his "I love Mommy" shirt

Me and my boys

She did it! Kristin and her Grandma