Update

Lincoln has now acquired two more signs: please and bath. He is such a sponge and it doesn't take long for him to catch on.

He also has a new word. As we drove up to my parents house last night, Lincoln said "Memer" My parents chose Memer and Gigi as their grandparent names. (My dad's name is Emerson, and his nephew Cason started calling him Memer and it stuck). Gigi on the other hand is much harder to say, so that will take a bit longer to master.

Hooray for Lincoln!

Wedding Bells

We spent the weekend in Tomball to celebrate Ryan's brother Dillon's wedding. They were married on Sunday Oct 19th. Dillon and Maria met in Plano in August 2006, when Dillon was in town visiting us. As they say, the rest is history. They will be living in their new home in Tomball. Maria was a beautiful bride and is a very sweet addition into the Blake family. On a selfish note, I am no longer the shortest person in the Blake family. Congratulations Dillon and Maria. Here are a few picture we took this weekend.

Lincoln primping with Great Grandma Fast before the wedding.

Lincoln sporting his tuxedo. He wasn't feeling the jacket.

Here we are with Ryan's other siblings and his parent.
Nathan, Morgan, Mike and Deanna
Another tuxedo shot.

A family shot

It's funny how being a Mom changes one's perspective on things. As I watched Dillon and Maria dance their first dance as husband and wife, I started bawling. This is not like me. Not because it was sweet, or sentimental or because of the song, but because my brain flashed forward 25 years and I caught a visual of Lincoln as a groom with his future wife. The thought of him getting married was too much for me. Just one more reminder to enjoy every second we have together. He's changing so quickly!

They put the "Sweet" in Sweetwater!

My brother-in-law Dillon got married this weekend (more on this later). We had a great weekend and got to catch up with Ryan's extended family. It was fun to see Ryan's cousin Jason, his wife Denise and their super cute kids Jaden (8) and Ryan (3 1/2). They live in Sweetwater, TX. We hadn't seen them since March. Denise is the best and I'm so lucky to have her as my cousin-in-law. They graciously sent us home with two HUGE bags, and I mean HUGE, filled to the brim, can't lift them myself, lawn size trashbags of PRECIOUS clothes. I didn't count, but there is easily 200+ pieces. There is even the pink polo shirt I've been dying for! Lincoln is the best dressed kid around in part because the Sweetwater Blakes. Thanks, we love them all.

Ryan, Jaden and Lincoln

Lincoln's Fall, Winter and Spring Wardrobe!

A Case of the Wiggles

Our morning at the Wiggly Play Center.

Sliding down with Auntie Holly

Auntie Holly gave me this shirt. Does it make me look tough?

Smiling for Mom

This isn't right.

This is wrong, too.

Great, now I'm too tired to drive it around.

We had a really fun time at the Wiggly Play Center in Frisco with Auntie Holly, Chance, Shannon and Brenden. We spent about an hour and half there and had a ball. Lincoln loved the slides, the bounce houses, playing with the balls, and most of all, watching the big kids. I got a glimpse of Lincoln in a few months. He is full of energy, fearless and 100% boy. End result? A super long afternoon nap.

Spooky Tree

Check out our spooky Halloween tree. We spray painted some branches black and added some Halloween ornaments from Hobby Lobby. It looks really festive on our kitchen table. Lincoln just stares at it!

What's Your Sign?

We have been working with Lincoln to learn a few signs. He has several that he uses regularly and does them spontaneously when he needs or wants something. It is really cute to watch and neat to know that he can communicate with us. Here are his signs:

• More
• Water
• Milk
• Eat
• Bib
• All done

He also combines them to say "more water" or "more millk". Here are the ones we're working on now:

• Love
• Cracker
• Please
• Thank you

Here is an update of his "words". Some are clearer than others, but he's really trying and it's super cute to hear.

• Mama
• Dada
• Bye Bye
• Night night
• Banana
• Puppy

Pumpkin Patch

We took Lincoln to the pumpkin patch today at Owen's Farm. It is a really neat place that I went to as a kid. It's funny to look out across the farm and see buildings across the street, but we roughed it for a few hours. We fed the animals, which Lincoln was not too fond of, though he liked petting them. We also went on a hay ride, and found plenty of places to take pictures. Here are some of our favorites.

Eating a little hay, just like a real farmer.

Lincoln ingored the requests to stay seated on the hay ride. He's a rebel!

Carousel

Such a big boy sitting all by himself.

Ryan and I took Lincoln to ride the carousel for the first time today. He did great and seemed to enjoy himself. The downside is, he knows what it is and will want to ride each time we go to the mall. It cost $2 to ride for about 3 minutes. It was worth every penny.

Say Cheese!

This summer, just for fun, we entered Lincoln in the Baby Dallas cover contest. He didn't win, but the magazine sent his picture to The Clutts Agency in Dallas. They requested another snapshot (the one we sent is the one at the top of my blog) and the next day they sent us to audition for a TV commercial. Didn't get that one either. It was a fun experience, though. Then, about 3 weeks ago I got a call from the Kim Dawson Agency, requesting an interview with Lincoln. We went a week ago last Friday and we got a packet/offer in the mail this weekend. You are looking at Kim Dawson's newest client. For print work (magazines, store sale fliers, catalogs) they use size 6-9 mo, 3T, 5T, 7 and 14 for boys, so Lincoln is in between the first two, so she said we won't have much opportunity for a while. We can do as much or as little as we want and we don't have to invest any of our own money. I think we'll give it a try and see what it is like. I can't see us doing more than 1-2 things per month, if we even have that many opportunities. Plus, it would only be an hour or less of "work" per gig. My little boy is just that, a little boy and I don't want to take anything away from him. We'll keep you updated on what happens next.

Numero Quatro

I got this in an email and thought it was fun, so I adapted it to my blog.
Four places I go regularly

• Wal Mart
• CVS
• Sonic
• Mom and Dad's house

Four places I love to eat

• III Forks
• JC's Burger House
• Chick Fil A
• Cinco de Mayo (in Hunstville)

Four people I talk to the most

• Ryan
• Shannon
• Megan B
• Holly

Four movies I could watch over and over

• Father of the Bride
• Office Space
• Footloose
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Four things I do EVERYDAY

• Change a diaper
• Drink Milk
• Use Burt's Bee's chapstick
• Read Money Saving Mom blog

Four TV shows I never miss

• The Office
• Grey's Anatomy
• Desperate Housewives
• American Idol

Four things people may not know about me

• I've been a passenger in 3 car accidents
• I taught aerobics at the Rec Center at A&M for 2.5 years
• I attended "Charm School"--whether it worked is debateable
• I am imobilizingly scared of other people throwing up

It's your turn. Copy this on your blog and send me the link!