Crazy Eights

Lincoln is eight weeks old today...I can hardly believe it! He is getting cuter and chubbier by the day. In celebration of his eight weeks of life, here are eight ways that Lincoln is the cutest baby of 2008.

1. Cutest While Sleeping

Lincoln gave me a present for this eight-week mark last night...HE SLEPT FOR 8 HOURS STRAIGHT!!! Please, Lincoln, let's make this a nightly habit!

2.Cutest in the Bouncy Seat

Nothing beats chilling in the bouncy seat after church--sometimes we wish they made those for grown-ups.

3. Cutest with a Silly Face

He must be thinking that mom is taking too many pictures again (or maybe that Daddy needs to take a shower....)

4. Cutest While Naked

Check out the chub (he loves to eat, if you couldn't guess.) Only at this age are fat rolls adorable!

5.Cutest with a Binky

Well, we think the baby is cute but the binky is pretty ugly. It's the only binky Lincoln will take so we are thrilled that he's finally accepted one (I've never had a baby who didn't take a pacifier and I was going CRAZY!) Micah calls the binky "the weirdo" and it has helped soothe our little guy many a time.

6. Cutest in Overalls

We do live in Kentucky after all (notice the bare feet).

7. Cutest in Beachwear

We love this surfer shirt...who cares that it is September and there's not an ocean for hundreds of miles?

8. Cutest in the Stroller

This was our first trip to the zoo. Lincoln LOVED it. Of course, he loves being outside most anytime.

9. Cutest in Church Gear

I know I said eight ways, but this picture was so cute I couldn't resist posting it.

We love you, Lincoln, and are so blessed to have you in our family!

Holiday World!

Thanks to our wonderful friend, Sandy, we got some free tickets to Holiday World so we headed out a couple of weekends ago. She hooked us up last year, too, so the kids knew exactly what rides to go to first. Holiday World is the greatest park for families--it is super clean and has tons of rides that the little ones can go on. It also has the Voyage, which is honestly the scariest roller coaster I've ever been on in my entire life (we didn't get to it this time; Darn.) We have a great time whenever we go, and we always like to take Uncle Michael with us! This year we tried out the water park which was fabulous. All in all, it was a terrific trip.

Kate and Dad at the Water Park

Kate enjoying the pool

Jonah went on so many slides we lost count (he even tackled some big ones...the kid is fearless when it comes to rides!)
Kate and Holidog
This was Jonah's favorite ride. Last year it was the log ride (you know, go down a steep hill and get spashed--he loved it!) This year he enjoyed being lifted up and then dropped, bouncing up and down along the way. Here's a more complete view of the ride.

Katie enjoying the kiddy rides.

This is what Lincoln did the whole time--stroller lounging. He was a real trooper, considering it was very loud and kind of hot. His favorite part was when I took him into the air conditioned nursing station...it was very quiet and cool inside. When he had a new diaper, a new outfit, and a full tummy, he looked up at me and SMILED! His first smile--and it was at a very worthy moment, too. Maybe next time he'll be big enough to try out a ride or two.

Rise All Loyal Cougars

As devoted alumni, Micah and I are already preparing our children for a future at BYU. And what is one of the greatest parts about the Brigham Young University experience? Why, football season, of course. Since we are so far away, we have to rely on the mercy of tv coverage to catch whatever game the pigskin gurus choose to broadcast. Luckily my parents have lots of extra satellite channels so we've been getting lucky lately. Last week we dressed the kids up for the Washington game (that was a nail-biter!) and I had fun taking pictures.

Lincoln at five weeks: Already true blue

Looks like Cougars really can climb trees!
We missed this weekend's game because we went to Holiday World instead (post to follow soon). But for those who don't know, BYU smashed UCLA, shutting them out at 59-0. Can you feel the Cougar Pride? We can hardly wait until they play Utah.

$2000 for a vacuum?

So yesterday this guy from Kirby knocked on my door offering to clean the carpet in one room in my house for free. I'm not stupid, I knew he was going to try and sell me a vacuum. But I thought, hey, let's go for it (my carpets all need a cleaning, why not get one for free). Of course, he said it would only take an hour, and two hours later I'm feeding the baby and he's still here, finally cleaning the carpet, and I'm really wanting this vacuum after seeing all the dirt that he found in my house. The thing is, the Kirby cost $2000, and there is no way in heck that I'm going to pay that for a vacuum, no matter how many amazing things it can do. It's funny to me though because a few months ago a few friends had nearly fallen for the Rainbow vacuum guy's pitch (well, one did and then returned it). This, too, is a super $2000 vacuum, and when they told me I couldn't believe that they'd even considered it and was kind of making fun of them. But now that I've seen the magic of the super vacuum I understand! Maybe one day I'll be rich and can afford something like that, but alas, I now have many other things I need to pay for first. I felt bad because the salesguy was new, and very nice, and didn't even pressure me that much so I think I had it easy. I just wish I could have helped him earn a little money for his time (sorry, Kirby guy--maybe you should try a new job!) And I wish I didn't know how much dirt my cruddy Hoover is NOT picking up every time I try to clean. I hear the Dyson is pretty good (and only $300) so maybe I'll put that on my Christmas wish list. Does this mean that I'm entering middle-age, when I'm asking for cleaning appliances for Christmas? My mother will be so proud.

Festival in the Heartland

Last Saturday was Festival Day! It was time for the local festival, complete with rides, a parade, and even fireworks. Because of baby Lincoln, we didn't try to brave free-ride night on Friday and instead waited until Saturday to enjoy the festivities. Lucky for us, the parade is very close to our house so we just walked down the street and found a good spot. The kids had fun sitting in their little chairs, catching candy and waving. Kate liked the "princesses" best (the local paegant queens), while Jonah said his favorite part was the guy dressed like the Sonic Hot Dog--mind you, the Hot Dog wasn't even part of the parade! It was kind of hot so Kate, Lincoln, and I left a little early. Both the kids ended up with plenty of candy and they had a great time.

What's a Kentucky parade without a tractor?

Here's our pint-sized Republican showing his support for Senator Mitch McConnell

Later that afternoon, my parents and Uncle Michael came down and we went to the festival at the park. We enjoyed looking at the booths, eating funnel cake, and getting some free stuff. The kids had fun on the ferris wheel, and then we headed to Chick-fil-A and enjoyed the air conditioning. After everyone had gone home and the kids had gone to bed, I watched some of the fireworks out our front window--it was a pretty good show! Next year we'll try and go when we can avoid the hot sun and enjoy the fireworks a little more close up.

Our Chubby Grunter

As of September 1st, Lincoln is offiically one month old. He has been a sweet little baby whose favorite pastime is grunting. Yes, those of you who have been around him know that this little guy doesn't like to keep quiet when he's awake. It's pretty funny in church actually--we like to think of it as adding a little background noise to sacrament meeting. Usually he isn't unhappy, he simply is making little grunting/grumbling sounds that are actually quite adorable in the right setting (a little embarrassing in others, i.e. a small Sunday School class when he is drawing snickers from everyone, thus diverting attention from the teacher!) I remember that Jonah used to grunt, but I don't remember it being this much. We didn't have a video camera when he was a newborn, so I can't even go back and check. But we love our little grunter

Actually, he's getting less little by the day. Lincoln weighed 7 lbs 5 oz (and was 19 in long) at birth. Like all babies, he lost a little bit of that in the hospital, and at a week old was 7 lbs 2 oz. We went to the doctor yesterday and he is now 10 lbs 3 oz, and 22 inches long. I'd say that gaining 3 pounds and growing 3 inches in less than a month was a big accomplishment! Amazingly, Jonah weighed this amount at 3 weeks! Yes, the Shirts family loves its chubby babies! Once we get this sleeping through the night thing down, life will be perfect.

Precious baby face
Do I really have to take a bath? (In reality, he loves baths--he's so relaxed he hardly grunts!)
Chillin' on Dad's lap
Gee, this bouncer is comfy!