The Rodeo

Mom and Lincoln at the Miss Clovis Rodeo Pageant
Miss Clovis Rodeo
Enjoying the parade (and the fingers)


Dad and Lincoln enjoying the parade

We went to the Clovis Rodeo Parade this weekend and had a great time (the Clovis Rodeo is one of the largest in the US). We took Lincoln, thinking he would love the horses but he could have cared less- he loved all the firetrucks that made loud noises! I guess he will fit right in with his two fireman uncles! Personally, I liked going to the Miss Clovis Rodeo Pageant- who would have thought you could have a beauty pageant on horses?? I made sure to tell Nathan at least a dozen times that I would like to live on a ranch and have one horse for every member of our family- can you say 4H club??
Also, today is Lincoln's seven month birthday, I feel like the months go by so quickly now. He is officially crawling and is so close to being able to pull himself up. Still no teeth. Growing well though, he last weighed in at 19lb 2oz and 27inches long. He is getting cuter and cuter everyday and cannot wait to see his cousins next weekend- Utah, here we come!!

How Time Flies!

Got this off my friend Elizabeth's blog and I thought it was pretty fun. Well, that and I have total writer's block today...

twenty years ago I...
1) was enjoying kindergarten
2) was falling in love with Chris Dierkman at the art easels (a crush that would last for the next seven years)
3) was bugging the heck out of my brothers

ten years ago I...
1) had just gotten my first job, as a lifeguard and snack stand waitress
2) was gearing up for my 16th birthday!!(dating, driving- could life get any better?)
3) was not playing any sports, for the first time in ten years- it only lasted for a year!

five years ago I...
1) was enjoying my senior year at BYU
2) took my senior trip to Washington D.C. and New York
3) decided to be teacher

three years ago I...
1) got married!
2) worried about money and how we would ever make it
3) got my first nephew and then adopted nine more shortly thereafter

one year ago I...
1) was pregnant...whew- glad that is over with!
2) was teaching in middle school
3) was tramping through the snow for Outdoor Ed!

so far this year I have...
1) moved to California
2) gotten a tax refund
3) fallen more in love with my little boy

yesterday I...
1) sat in a doctor's office for 3 hours waiting for the doctor to weigh and measure my son
2) came home in a very bad mood
3) took a trip to Goodwill, Michaels and Sonic all by myself- the first time I have been out of the house on my own in weeks

today I...
1) did the dishes
2) did pageant stuff
3) put my son down for a nap

tomorrow I will...
1) go to the Clovis Rodeo Queen competition
2) run errands
3) tell my husband that I love him

in the next year I may...
1) move out of my in-laws house :)
2) give up being the Vernon Hills Pageant Director :(
3) begin exercising again!

The Upset List

When I was in high school I used to tie myself up in knots over all the little things that upset me in life. It got so bad that I began having panic attacks and went to the doctor for some help. He told me to keep a list of all the things that were bugging me and writing it down really helped me get over it. So I am currently going through a bad bout of anxiety and I thought you all may be interested in my current "upset list" (yes- I realize I have a HUGE ego). A disclaimer- this is not meant to make anyone feel bad so please don't call me hysterically crying- MOM THIS MEANS YOU!!

I'm upset because:
1. I going to have to pay $4.00 a gallon for gas this summer
2. My son woke up last night at 3am and cried for an hour- what??
3. I miss our friends in Chicago and knowing that I could call Hilary and Laura and go to lunch and have an hour of adult conversation
4. I miss my parents
5. I'm saddened by the tv shows I've been seeing lately- do I have to be reminded that my son could be kidnapped and I could be raped at any time?
6. I go to Target and all I can buy is more tshirts and jeans when I want to buy all the frilly dresses and cute skirts
7. I want David Archuletta to win American Idol and I think David Cook is going to.
8. My teams ALWAYS lose- the past four NCAA Football and Basketball champions have been the team I rooted against and don't even get me started on the Super Bowl
9. I want white cabinets in my new kitchen and I have to have stained ones
10. Lincoln gets grumpy and gets a fever and I think- finally we're teething- and then NOTHING HAPPENS!!
11. I can't go to my cousins wedding this summer and I want to, mostly because I know this will be the last excuse to see my cousins and aunts and uncles for a very long time
12. I hate money and bills- and everything just keeps getting more expensive
13. I want to buy a home but we won't for another 3 or 4 years
14. Rascal Flatts didn't play the song I really wanted to hear (but still a great concert)
15. The Pottery Barn catalog gives me unrealistic expectations of what I want my home to look like

So if you have made it to the end of this truly depressing post I applaud your fortitude and ask you to forgive me my weak moments of ungratefulness. We do have a great life and are lucky to be healthy and happy. Thanks for letting me vent- now you can scroll down and read my other, much happier post about our lives lately. :)

Concerts, Sippy Cups and Yoga

I can now die a happy woman. For the past 8 years Rascal Flatts has been my favorite band, I own all their cds (except the latest one- birthday present??) and know every song they have ever released. So on Wednesday night I got to see them in concert for the first time and it was the most amazing moment of my life (besides marrying Nathan and having Lincoln). They gave a great performance and were actually really funny. They told jokes and did funny voices and Jay did a dead on impersonation of California girls. Unfortunately, we got all the way to the concert and realized we had forgotten the camera so I have no pictures to remember the night by but I have many great memories. Thank you sweetie for making my dream come true!


In another exciting first, Lincoln got his first sippy cup. It is probably a little young for him to use it but I wanted him to get used to it. He mostly chews on it. But he can hold it by himself and get it into his mouth so it's a start.

We have also been attempting mom and baby yoga (mostly when nobody is home) and it's kicking my trash- who would have ever thought stretching would hurt so much?? Lincoln likes laughing at the baby on the video so whatever keeps him entertained :)

Also, a birthday shout out to my cousin Chelsea- the big 25!! When I was younger I always loved Chelsea's birthday because it meant that we got to be the same age for four months. Chelsea will always be the most fashionable and crazy person I have ever known and the only relative I have ever called the cops on. Happy Birthday Chels!

A Devlin or a Bond??

I'm starting to think we will never know who Lincoln looks like- maybe he's just a really good mix. What's your vote??