6 months

Lincoln turned  a 1/2 year old on the 20th.  Today I took him to his 6 month well baby appointment.  He is doing great and weighed in at 20lbs.  Lincoln is starting to sit well independently, likes to coo and blow raspberries, and still enjoys the entertainment his big brother provides.  He likes to grab his toes and is constantly rolling over to his belly.  Here are a couple recent photos of the big guy....

Big 6 month old!

Cheese!

Brother Love

Brew at the Zoo

Last Saturday we took the boys to Brew at the Zoo at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.  We got there early for Hayden to see some of the animals before heading into the actual event.  He was excited for the bounce house and played there pretty much the whole time we were there.  He even got his face painted which was a first.  We were able to sample a few different beers and enjoyed the nice day outside.  It was pretty crowded and maneuvering the large stroller was difficult at times but overall it was a fun day.  Any place we can drink and bring the kids is cool with us.  :)  Here are some pics from the day.....

Cool dude at the zoo

Cool slide move

Nothing better than Babies and Beer!  :)

The Boys

Linc

Start em' young

Bat Hayden

Major Vaillant

Today Eric was officially promoted from Captain to Major in the U.S. Air Force.  Because he is currently working at a civilian location there was no formal promotion ceremony planned.  Eric said it was not a big deal but I felt he should be recognized for his hard work and dedication to our country and to our family.  I was able to find an outline for an Air Force promotion pin-on ceremony on-line so I edited it to include me and the boys.  Lincoln was the Presiding Officer, Administering the Oath was Hayden Vaillant, and I of course was wife and Commanding Officer.  :)  Hayden was very patient as I read the introduction and attention to orders.  Daddy showed him how to stand tall.  He then "pinned" the major symbol on Eric's shoulder.  Hayden then repeated the Oath of Office with Eric with right hand raised.  I was all choked up but got through the ceremony.  Eric was very surprised and appreciative of our little ceremony.  I was trying to capture photos as I went so here are a few.....

So proud of daddy

Major Pin On

Oath of Office

My hero

My man!  Too bad not in uniform.  :)

Hayden captured the last two photos.  We had to do duck faces with Lincoln.  :)

6 Years!

Mother's Day was extra special this year because it was also our 6 year Anniversary.  The time has definitely flown by since our wedding.  We've lived in 4 cities, had two boys, and had lots of new experiences.  Its been an adventure so far and the military definitely keeps us on our toes.  No matter where we end up or what life brings I know we always have each other.  I can't imagine life without E and am so blessed to have him as my husband and best friend.

Celebrating 6 years!

Boys Week

While mommy was away Eric kept the boys busy.  The Saturday I left, Hayden's school had their end of year picnic at a nearby park.  Hayden played for hours with friends while Lincoln chilled with daddy.  On Sunday, Eric took both boys to church and then headed to the Baltimore Zoo.  A few minutes after getting there, Eric realized he had forgotten to bring a bottle for Lincoln.  Hayden was pretty upset when they had to leave but daddy turned it into a mission to find a store that sold bottles in the city.  Eric said Hayden was a big help and Lincoln handled his bottle being a little late pretty well.  They found a Safeway, filled Lincoln's belly and then headed back to the zoo!  Eric never breaks a sweat.  Mommy would have been crying all the way home.  :)

On Monday, Hayden had school.  It was also parent/teacher conferences so Eric was able to chat with the teachers about how well he is doing.  He definitely makes daddy proud!  That afternoon he took them to the play place at the Colombia mall.  I came home that evening and was so happy to see all my boys.  The best part was knowing Eric still had off the entire week for vacation.

The rest of the week Eric took Hayden out daily for some sort of Adventure.  On Tuesday he took him to his gymnastics class, the book store, and McDonald's play place.  On Wednesday, Eric was the co-op parent at Hayden's school so he got to be in the classroom all morning.  They went to an indoor place called Play and Learn that afternoon since it was raining.  On Thursday they went to the Inner Harbor for the Aquarium, Paddle Boats, and Ice cream.  Mommy and Lincoln enjoyed some bonding time at home.  Being able to stay home and keep him on a good nap schedule gave us 3 nights in a row of him sleeping through the night.  On Friday, the boys did some yard work, including planting mommy a small herb garden.  It was a great week for all of us.  Here are some pics.....

Finally made it back to the zoo!

Thank you brother!

Happy boy!

Linc playing at the mall

Ice Cream after the Aquarium

Thumbs up for Paddle Boats

Bo steered while Daddy pedaled

Our little herb garden