Lincoln Life {7, 8, & 9 months}

Oh hey, y'all!

I'm months behind on Lincoln posts.

So here's a little post with 3 months in one.

Lincoln at 7 months...

 At 7 months, Mr. Lincoln, you are sweet & squishy & long & happy.

You are just getting started on solid food.

And you're not the biggest fan. We're taking the food train slow & slower. 

This mama is in no rush to grow you up.

You're crawling all over the house.

A common phrase around here is, "Who sees Lincoln??"

Your brothers & sister love that.

You're pulling up on anything on your level & grabbing anything in reach.

You still only have 2 teeth on the bottom.

You're sleeping like a champ. 10-11 hours at night, 3-4 naps a day.

You love to say da-da-da-da, clap your hands (just the cutest), & giggle at the silliest things.

I am still your favorite. By a land slide, baby.

We're just so glad you're ours!!

Lincoln at 8 months...

 Linc! You're 8 months old!

In honor of it being almost the fourth of July, you wore a little red, white & blue for your 8 month photos. You're just so patriotic.

At 8 months, you are in to everything.

You are crawling so fast & are pulling up on everything & cruising along furniture at an alarming rate.

I'm a little afraid of what your future movements will consist of.

You are just the cutest, funniest guy.

You're a hand clapping, high five-ing fool. And we all can't get enough of it.

When you smile, it's so big, you wrinkle up your nose.

You're starting to put things in your mouth a lot. Like legos & dog food & random leaves drug in the house on the bottom of dirty shoes. 

Such a glorious stage in life.

 You're starting to enjoy solid food a little more.

But you don't really have a favorite, unless it's something off my plate or the floor.

You love, love bath time. You crack me up with your crazy kicking legs & giant splashes & loud squeals you make in there. Like you splash so much, I get really wet. Such a cutie.

Your favorite word is still da-da-da. However, you broke out in some ma-ma-ma the other day.

It was an exciting moment. I've tried no less than 100 times since to get you to repeat it. You just look at me & smile. But I promise it happened!

You've been carted to the pool many times already this summer & your usual response is a little bit of fussiness at first, then before you know it, you're happily splashing & squealing.

And you're still sleeping so well. 10-12 hours a night & 3-4 naps a day.

You rock star baby. We love you so much.

Lincoln at 9 months...

Baby Linc. I just can't believe it. You've officially been here as long as it took to grow you.

Time is just nuts.

At your 9 month check up you weighed in at 20 lbs (70th%).

And you stood tall at 30 in (above 98th%).

You're kind of a big deal. 

You're wearing 6-12 month clothes, but pushing quickly into 12-18 months.

You're wearing size 4 diapers & are still rocking the bare feet.

This month you started dancing.

Like throwing hands in the air & shaking that booty kind of dancing.

And making your family laugh & smile & dance with you.

You're starting to work on your waving skills & your sister has you saying, "Heeyyyyy!" 

I mean, you're just too much.

You crawl so fast. And when someone calls your name, you crawl happily to them. I love this stage.

Before long, you'll be running from us!

You're doing even better with your eating.

Trying lots of new things, but you get tired of them pretty quickly.

You have 4 teeth on top trying their best to push through. Bless your baby gums.

So, we're soaking up the last of your gummy grins before they get taken over by cute little baby teeth.

You still love bath time, but have officially moved to crawling all over that tub like a wet little maniac.

You still laugh at the funniest things, like when we sing to you in really deep voices or when someone sneezes. It's so funny what you find funny.

We dedicated you at church a few Sundays ago.

The Lord gave Pastor Brad Psalm 84 for you.

It has become my prayer for you.

You are such a tremendous gift to our family Lincoln man.

I genuinely thank the Lord daily for your life & your love, I am your favorite after all.

You are one amazing guy & we're all better for knowing you!

"What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord… For the Lord is our sun & shield. He gives us grace & glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven's Armies, what joy for those who trust in You."

Psalm 84:5a, 11-12

Being Brave

Tucker pretends to be his daddy a lot.

He picked a really great guy to pretend to be like.

Tucker has a pretty strong shy streak these days.

He does not enjoy being watched or noticed if he's somewhere new or what he thinks is uncomfortable.

Like church, the grocery store, the playground, his grandparents' house…you know places he shouldn't be at ease. What?

Yeah. Sometimes it makes me a little nutty when he rudely tells people not to look at him or tries to pull up my shirt to hide under (not my most glorious moments in public- I did just have a 4th baby & don't really love showing off my muffin top to just anyone. I digress.).

All because someone said hi or they like his shoes or something.

But as much as it can make me crazy that my awesome little boy hides like a turtle when people come near, I've noticed it bothers him too.

That's a tough one to take as a mom.

To me he is the picture of God's most perfect handiwork.

He's funny, silly, talented, cute, so handsome, has awesome curls in his hair, my only brown headed one, & is a tremendous friend to his sister, brothers & his favorite buddies (most of the time).

Naturally, I think he should be confident & not suffer from being shy at all.

But that is not his reality right now. That is my big picture goal for him.

So for now, we talk about being brave.

I told him a story the other day about his greatest hero, his dad.

How when he was a little boy he would hide his face in his Mimi & Papa's legs or shoulders.

How his uncle teased him about not knowing what he looked like unless he could see the back of his head...

"Dad used to be shy like me?"

And it hit me. "Yes. He did. But, God made him so brave.

And he's making you brave too."

I'm learning that being a mom is so much more about letting God work in my heart, than me trying to figure out how to change my kids.

Letting go & trusting God to work on the big stuff.

And isn't being brave what life's all about?

I have to be brave every morning when I climb out of bed & step into my generally messy kitchen to make breakfast for my tiny tribe, because every day holds something new & usually challenging.

Life is about trusting God when we really don't want to do something or are afraid of what's staring us in the face.

That never changes.

So Tucker & I have decided to be a little bit braver each day.
It's hard work for both of us.
Him tolerating being told he has cool shoes, me remembering God is in control of everything, if I let Him.
And together I think our bigger picture will be even better than what we could ever imagine.
God is good. I'm loving today with my shy guy & excitedly looking to all God has in store for him as he grows.
Even when my muffin top is showing.

Show Hope

I am a selfish person.

I like things to be the way I want them.

I get frustrated if things don't go my way.

I pray about that...a lot.

But praying about it has brought the realization that getting over selfishness requires not being so concerned over me & where I'm stuck, but instead acting on opportunities to serve & give to those who are not able to be selfish.

It is teaching me how tremendously blessed I am & how my selfishness is pretty ridiculous.

And at the same time, learning it really has nothing, at all, to do with me.

It's about Him.

What it does have to do with is others.

Show Hope is serving others. The least of others.

Babies & children who have nothing.

No mom to tuck them in bed at night.

No dad to sing a sweet song in their ear.

No mom to worry over clothes that are getting too small,

or whether they'd rather have pink or purple pajamas.

No one to kiss a boo-boo.

Or to tell them how much they love them.

Show Hope is changing lives.

They are loving the broken & poor.

They are telling them of their only real Father, who treasures them.

And they need some help.

They are building medical facilities alongside orphanages in China.

And they need supplies.

Stuff we take for granted everyday.

Like footie pajamas.

In learning to deal with selfishness (& so much more, really), giving is one way I can overcome myself.

And, thanks to Show Hope, a certain little girl is learning early on in life, what her mama is still learning everyday...

it's not about us.

There are many others who need help, & we can help them, if we are willing.

Thanks to Show Hope, she knows words like orphan & adopt.

And I like that...a lot.

If you want to help out, click here for more information.

Then you can get crazy at Target too.

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25:40

Samaritan's Purse {OCC}

Samaritan's Purse is so cool.

They make you feel like you can really help people in need.

And the Christmas boxes are awesome.

They have a list on their website of great ideas of what to give.

And it makes little 3 year old girls begin to understand there's a world out there that's not like hers.

And she can serve them.

We made cards, wrote notes, & sent a family picture with our gifts.

She watched the videos on the website about where these boxes go & got excited to see kids like her, receiving special boxes like the ones we packed.

She noticed they were dirty. She noticed it made me cry.

She noticed.

And...maybe in the next few years, he'll notice too.

And...maybe they'll grow up knowing that serving others & showing Jesus' love however they can, is what our life is all about.

Thanks Samaritan's Purse. You bless so many, especially the ones who get to give.

Several churches in our area are collecting boxes THIS week!

You have until the 22nd (next Monday-the day after Mitchel's birthday!) to get them dropped off.

If you want to that is:)...

What gave my heart breath today...

"So much of what we do feels thankless, unappreciated, unseen.

But God sees.

And he esteems most what is done away from the eyes of others.

He LOVES hidden, secret, small places.

He does his best work there- in the home, in the womb, and in the heart.

Every choice you make to love, to serve, to offer, to sacrifice, God sees and is so very pleased.

You are joining him in the amazing work of bringing forth life every time you say yes because it is the loving thing to do.

Every single time we choose to put our children first, before our needs and our wants, before our dreams and our desires, before our rights and what we deserve, a little bit of our selfishness dies and a little more holiness takes root in our hearts.

When you cry out to God in the midst of weariness and loneliness and sorrow for the strength to love, for the wisdom to discipline well, for the grace to respond with patience, for the help to soothe the ache in your heart, he deepens his presence in your soul and changes you ever more into the woman you desire to be...

This mothering we are called to is an amazing honor.

God has invited us to join him in the holy work of bringing forth life in others."

From: You Are Captivating: Celebrating a Mother's Heart

by, Stasi Eldredge

Isn't it amazing when you sit down in a quiet place to read a book, that you can find Jesus?

Isn't it amazing to read your heart's worries & struggles on the pages before you?

I love that the Lord speaks to us in all sorts of ways.

He spoke to me today through Stasi Eldredge & it felt good.

Reading those words gave wind to the sails of my "job."

One I would not trade for the world, but so often feels burdensome.

Burdensome because of the worries over not being good enough or not doing enough.

But HE SEES.

He knows my heart & loves that all I really want to do is bless Him through my passionate love & devotion to my precious kids & husband.

I needn't say anymore.

I pray the Lord is speaking to your heart today too.