Seriously!

This little gal is two months old today. I absolutely cannot believe it. What a sweet girl we have. She has been a pretty good baby except for a little bit of waking up to much at night. She's never really fussy and when she is it is very easy to calm her down. Except for tonight because she got her shots today so she was a little harder to get her to quiet down. She has brought so much joy to our lives.

Lincoln loves Mercedes so much. He always wants to kiss her and hug her and generally just lay on her to talk to her. I have to keep reminding him that she is little and that he can't do stuff like that because he is too big. He is figuring out what is his vs. what is hers though. He goes around and says things like "Linkeyns chair" "Cedes swing" "Linkeyns boook". I wrote his name like that because it kind of sounds like that when he says it.

Like I said we went to the doctor today for Cedes' 2 month check up. She is doing pretty great. Here are her stats.
Height 23 3/8 inches 75-90%
Weight 10lbs 15oz 50%
Head 39.2cm 50-75%
She is a little longer than Linc was at this age, but skinnier and with a smaller head. We may have a taller little girl than a little boy. I hope he doesn't get a complex about it.

These pictures are from our barbecue on July 5th at Eric and Mandy's house. We had a fun time, but I will try to post about it soon. I still have a lot to post about.

The Water

Lincoln loves the water. He loves the boat in the water and he loves just being in the water. The sprinkler is not quite his fav, but maybe in time. Here are some pictures of him playing in the pool at my parents house with all the kids. Ian and Brody had already quit for the day when I got out my camera so you can imagine 7 kids in this tiny pool. Linc loved it.

Nauvoo

While in Iowa, we got the awesome opportunity to take a little trip to Nauvoo. We haven't been there since we got married in 2006, so it was really fun to go with our kids. We also weren't able to do a session in the temple when we were married so this time it was a priority. It was such a beautiful experience to be back in that place where my little family started. I love that we are a forever family and that I can have these two sweet kids and my wonderful husband with me after I die. Our picture at the top is at the temple.
The grandparents and Lincoln and Mercedes on the steps of the Nauvoo Temple.

Taking a break in the shade while touring some of the historic sites. It was so humid and hot, that as soon as you stepped out of the air conditioning you felt like you had a layer of sweat.

Linc at the hands on area.

Hailey and I were playing with some of the toys from the 1800s.

My dad on stilts. He did pretty good.

Mercedes and I had to take a couple of extra breaks because I was carrying her in the Moby wrap. It was so hot. All in all it was a fantastic trip and I hope next time we go that we will get to spend a little more time there.

The Zoo

While we were in Iowa we went to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. By far one of my all time favorite things to do when I go home. I don't know why but I do love to go. Here is my sweet little family in front of the lions by the gate of the zoo. A picture hotspot. What a handsome dude. Never looking at the camera though.

They were all trying to sit on this rhino. I love Lincoln's face in this one.

This gorilla was right next to the glass just staring at everyone walking by. So funny.

I know you can't tell in the picture, but that is a waterfall. They really liked touching the water running down the rock wall. It is tradition to take a picture by the lions right when you walk into the zoo, so this is a picture of all the kids we took except for Mercedes.

Ian and Linc were contained in a wagon so that they wouldn't run everywhere. The older kids liked to fight about who got to pull it. It was awesome.

Love this guy.

My cute little sisters. They were playing in the flowers and I thought it was cute that they were the same color as their shirts. They reallly do look like us don't they.

Mercedes was asleep in the stroller the whole time. Hence only one pic of her.

Pretty Girl

Well last Monday I got back from an 18 day trip to Iowa to visit my parents and my sister and her family. We had a lot of fun and I'm sure there will be posts throughout the next little while explaining the things we did. This is what Cedes got to do a lot of the time. Pose for pictures. My mom is very into pictures and so everytime she would pose Mercedes, I thought I would snap some pics. Here are some of the best ones that I got. I love when her eyes are staring straight at the camera.

This is my favorite dress of hers. It has a little hat with it that I didn't take to Iowa with me. So cute.

Haircut and a Birthday

I chopped my hair off a the beginning of June. I really wish I could have long hair, but it's really not for me. I've tried it several times and I'm sure I will again. It doesn't curl very well when it's long, so it just looks frizzy and it takes way to long to straighten it. So I decided to get it cut. A lot more manageable and it looks nice.

Here is a picture of me on my birthday. With Brody(Bubba) and Dylan. I was finally in Iowa for my birthday so my mom could make me a cake. I've been waiting for this for a long time. I love her cakes. It was delicious of course and very moist. Well we can all see how old I am so you can see I've made it to my "late" twenties. Time flies I guess.

Brother and Sister?

I love that they both like to sleep this way. I can't believe my girl is already 7 weeks old. She is starting to smile a lot more and coos at me. It is so fun to watch her personality start to develop. She still wakes up about every 2 to 3 hours at night, so I'm still a tired lady most of the time. She has given me about 2 6-hour breaks in the last few weeks. Other than that she is a great baby. She only cries when she is hungry or just wants to be loved. I'll post her 2 week stats and Linc's 2 year stats from a month ago.
Mercedes (3 weeks actually)
Height - 22 inches 95%
Weight - 8lbs 12oz 75%
Head - 37.8 cm 90%
As beautiful and perfect as ever.

Lincoln (2 years)
Height - 34 inches 25%
Weight - 24lbs 4oz 15%
Head - 48.8cm 30%
He's small but totally perfect in our eyes.