upgrade.

Lincoln got a huge upgrade today.

 He went from the '10 Bouncer to the....

 '11 Jungle Jumperoo.  It's got a lot of add-ons that the previous addition lacked, namely:

-more colorful toys with lots more play options

-better songs, with lights added for a more entertaining effect

-and the ability to jump and stand all while sitting in a red swivel parrot seat. 

"Do I really get to keep this mommy??"  Yes, Linc, it's all yours buddy.

1. Lincoln's face when he first sat in his new jumperoo.

2. The plumber is here to fix the kitchen sink :)

3. Dinner tonight with my best girlies!!

sunday snugglin

Sundays are my favorite.

Yesterday Brett, me and Linc snuggled in bed after church and it was so fun.

Lincoln is at my favorite stage so far!!  He is laughing all the time and is so, so cute!!

He is getting so strong and holding his head up all by himself.

 I love his eyes looking up at mommy and her camera.

1. Lincoln!

2. Really yummy dinner!

3. A new tv!

A Good Laugh

With all this rain I was looking for a little pick-me-up today and decided to look at this lovely picture to get a good laugh...and it worked.  :)  We took this one night after a dinner on the cruise when we were all really hyper.  Everyones expressions absolutely crack me up.  Enjoy :) 

{we be cruisin'}

Last week we went on a fabulous cruise to the Caribbean with Brett's family!  It was such a wonderful trip filled with tons of fun memories.  Here are just a few of the highlights:

 Heading out....

 First family photo aboard the Carnival Dream.  I love Brett's face :)  What a cheeseball...

First day stop: Bahamas.  I loved the Bahamas!  So gorgeous.  We went to fabulous  beach and enjoyed crystal-clear waters and playing in the sand.  

Ah!  Look at that water...I want to go back!

 Racing into the ocean... 

The beach was right next to the resort Atlantis.  Such a cool place!

Formal night with the fam...

  Second stop: St. Thomas.  Loved it here too!

 Loved the side streets and markets....

 We found Hilary at Del Sol!

 

We went on an amazing two island adventure to snorkel.  The fish and coral was so beautiful!!  On the second island we saw tons of turtles, they were so cute and the water was so clear.  

Snorkeling!!

An everyday classic, games before dinner!

Brett and I played mini golf at sunset one of the nights...we both got a hole-in-one and tied in the end!

"Hot, hot, hot!" Dancing at dinner...

Stop Three: St. Martin.  We went to a fabulous beach and enjoyed a day in the sun and more playing in the water...

More beach fun....

Our waiter, Nenjah, gave Brett the best dancing award, a napkin shoe!!  Then he showed us more of his napkin folding skills and made a duck!  We loved Nenjah....

Fun day at sea going down the waterslides on the boat...so much fun!!

One of my favorite parts of being on a cruise was all the yummy food!!  So good...especially frozen yogurt whenever we wanted.

It was such a great trip!!  Thanks to the Mellors for taking us.  It was such a blast!!

1. Caribbean adventures.
2. Getting to be with family!
3. Relaxing without Lincoln, thanks for watching him mom!!

Missed You

So, I went on a cruise over my first mother's day and didn't have Lincoln with me.

I was so sad.  

Lincoln is literally my little buddy.  Obviously the cruise was way more fun without him-seriously who would take a 4 month old on a cruise?  We had a great time, but I truly missed my little pal.  We have so much fun together and I love him with all my heart.

Being a mom is so different than I thought it was going to be-and it's so much better than what I thought.

Yes, the crying, the screaming, the poopy diapers, the anxiety over schedules and nap times and ear infections-

all TOTALLY hard and all TOTALLY worth it.

I love being a mom.  Thinking about the fact that God gave us this sweet little boy brings me to tears.

Yesterday he laughed while I was getting him dressed cause I hit a tickley area on his legs and I started

to cry.  He is so precious and straight from heaven.  

I cried on our way home from Orlando on Saturday thinking that I was going to be able to see him soon.  

I came home and picked him up out of bed and I cried.  

I held him and kissed him and...well, he woke up and he wasn't very happy I woke him, but I couldn't wait.  

I love to see him smile.  

I love his sweet blue eyes and his blonde hair that grew so much while I was gone. 

 I love his big belly and his big head.  I love that he loves the bath and that he loves to splash around.  

I love his legs and that they are so tickley.  

I love the way he looks at Brett.  

I love the way he looks at me.  

I love that he is a 24/7 full time job.  

I love that I hate to be away from him.  

I love that he is ours forever.  

I love that God made families eternal so that we will never, ever lose him.  

I love the sacrifice it takes to be a mother, it makes me love my mother even more. 

It hurts my heart when people say that they are just a mother, because being a mother is the greatest, hardest, most rewarding job that there is and I'm very proud to 

be a mother.

(the movers)

A few weeks ago, my dad and brother Deven came down to Provo to help us move and it was much appreciated!!!  My dad brought down his big trailer and it only took 2 trips!!  Talk about muscle men :) 

 Pretty much everything we own right there...

 It was so great to have their help to move to our new place.  We are still setting up our apartment and with a week long cruise in the caribbean we are still a little set back, so pictures to come soon!!!

Thanks again dad and Dev!!!  You are so much appreciated :)

1. Muscle Men, dad, Brett and Dev :)

2. Smashburger after the move, yum!!!

3. A washer and dryer in the apartment, so nice!!

The Y

A couple of weeks ago, Lincoln mentioned that he really wanted to hike the Y. ;)  So, we went!  It was so fun to hear him ooo and ahh all the way to the top, he absolutely loved it!!

 He was so fascinated by the scenery and he really loves to be outside.

 Needless to say, I think the hike was a little harder for me than him. :)

1. Brett.  (I love him so much!!)

2. Lincoln (I love him so much too!!)

3. Family (Isn't it the best to have such a wonderful family?!?)

moving.

Well, you read the title right.  We. are. moving.  

Yes, we are leaving the cinder block walls of Wymount Terrace, BYU Student Family Housing, aka the rabbit hutches.  

We are sad but excited!  We found a cute place in Orem with 500 more square feet, a washer and dryer, air conditioning, and space for an actual kitchen table that's not in the kitchen, and only 20 dollars more a month. :)  

{Outside our front door of 302 Wymount Terrace}

 We have lived here since we got married in December 2008.  We have loved it.  For those that don't know about Wymount, it was built in the 50's.  Some of my favorite things are: 

The turquoise kitchen counter (seen above),

 the blue tiled bathroom, complete with handicapped bar in shower, and sink that stands alone (as in, NO counter).

 our cute bedroom,

 and our little office/nursery.  

 We really will miss it so much.  It is a pretty funny place to live, but we really have loved it.  One thing we won't miss is the heating.  My mom described the sound of our heating like this, "It's like camping in a windy canyon".  Yes, it is really, REALLY loud.  The tv has to be turned up when the air comes on, and if you're asleep when it turns on, you most definitely will wake up. 

Fairwell Wymount!!  We will enjoy our last week with you.  

Hello Orem :)  Pictures of new place coming soon, once we move in :)

1. Memories made here.

2. Our wonderful ward here.  It is unlike any other ward in the world.

3. Washer and dryer in our new apartment!  No more running to the laundry building with my cash card and buckets full of laundry on rainy, windy days. Yea!! 

Et cetera...

On Friday Katie graduated from BYU!!  It was so fun to see her since she has been away working in Chicago.  

 Lincoln was cold outside and hid in Grandpa's jacket.  

 After we went to Happy Sumo and enjoyed some delicious sushi.  I missed sushi so much when I was pregnant, it was a wonderful treat!

 Lincoln is getting so fun.  He is so much more interactive.  He loves his little play gyms and plays in them all the time.  

 Being a mom is the best!!!!

 Easter sunday we went to church with Brett's family and had a yummy lunch together before Katie, Steven and Bob left.  After lunch we headed to my parents and had a fun Easter dinner together with lots of my extended family.  I love weekends spent with our families!!  We are so blessed to be around our family and get to see them so often. 

 No idea what is happening...but I love this picture.

 (funny pic: Brett turned on espn and Lincoln immediately started to watch.... oh no, I can see a lifetime of espn ahead of me... :))

1. Aunt Holly's little outfits she sent for Lincoln, he loves them!  Probably not as much as I love them though :)  thanks so much!

2. Easter Sunday.

3. Getting to see Katie!!! 

4. Cruise next week!

5. Sweet little Lincoln.

6. Great weekend with family!