Mr. & Mrs. Jon Thompson

Lauren, one of my bestest friends got married and I had the honor of being her matron of honor (that makes me sound so old)! It was a great weekend filled with wedding festivities... the bachelorette party that Jen, another BFF and bridesmaid, so fantastically helped me with... an amazing bridesmaid brunch... rehearsal stuff... and a really great ceremony. Jon is such a great guy and it is obvious that God brought them together in His perfect plan. I don't have many pictures because I spent a good portion of the weekend with a baby strapped to me!

This mama of (soon-to-be) 5 knows how to make a baby happy!

That's one happy bride. :)

This picture is hilarious because it makes Jon look confused and Lauren look mad,
but it's the best I had of the two of them... love you guys!! :)

Birthday Surprise

So my darling hubby planned a fun birthday surprise for me this year... a nice dinner, just the three of us (love ya, Lincoln!) at one of my favorite restaurants, then we met up with some friends to go see the new Indiana Jones movie (great!) and then the next morning we took all the kids to the zoo to see the new KOALA exhibit!! I totally love koalas and Josh had heard they were coming... it was lots of fun even though they slept the whole time... they're still super cute! Happy 30th to me! :)

So many aunts, so little time

We were SO blessed when THREE of our aunts came to visit in the same week- there just wasn't enough time to enjoy them all. Aunt Laurie and Mickey from NY snuggled with Lincoln (and the other 2) as much as they could and took us shopping til we dropped... and Aunt Pat hung with us around the house, helping with the grind of cooking and cleaning and the every day stuff! We had such a great time with them and are so thankful they got to come!

Bike Parade

Winnie was here for a short visit before her family went camping... so we go to take her along to Emma's bike parade at school! All the kids decorated their bikes and then came out to show off their hard work to all the adoring fans. Reese and Winnie thought it was the coolest- and especially loved playing with the safety cones. ;)

Mother's Day!

Emma's class put on the sweetest program for all the mommies and each kiddo had made his/her mom a fun hat to wear while we watched. They sang funny songs and then invited us back to have cake and punch. It was adorable!

Check out those stylin' mamas!

Awww...

The joy of cupcakes

Mr. Reese after thoroughly demolishing his cupcake...

HICCUP

This is hilarious and it explains why his hiccups in utero felt so forceful...

Soooooo sleepy

Some sweet pics of Lincoln... this is what he does when he's not eating. :)

I Scream, You Scream...

So my computer game addict daughter was surfing the kid-friendly web and found this great recipe that we decided to try on this rainy day... it was super fun and worked really well!

Ice Cream in Two Bags

3/4 C milk (we used 1%, but 2% or whole would probably be better)

4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

handful of chocolate chips, chopped fruit, nuts, whatever

1/2 C kosher salt

3-4 C ice cubes

gallon baggie

quart baggie

heavy duty tape

In qt baggie, mix milk, sugar, vanilla, chips.

Seal with tape and place inside gallon baggie.

Pour ice cubes and salt around smaller baggie and seal large baggie with tape.

Put on your winter gloves and shake, shake, shake! Toss it back and forth and shake for about 5 minutes or until it looks thick enough to eat!

Baby Days

So our days are mostly consumed with our little newborn punkin... Emma cannot get enough of him and you can generally find her squeezing him, kissing him, begging to hold him. Reese had been ignoring him, but we had a breakthrough today when he asked to hold him! By the look on Lincoln's face, you can tell he was surprised too. :)
Here is another thing Emma dreamed up to do to her little brother- I cracked up when I turned around to find she had put her shoes on him. Poor kid doesn't know what's coming.
And my sister (Aunt Kara) lovin' on Lincoln... he's pretty snuggly.

Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

After a very uneventful and quick labor and delivery (thank the Lord!)...

Lincoln Samuel Nottingham

4/21/08

12:21 p.m.

9 pounds

22.75 inches

some dark hair... seems to look quite a bit like his older brother... very much loved by his older sister...  a sweet, precious baby boy!  :)

The Creation Museum

Josh sold a car to a staff member at the new Creation Museum in Kentucky and was then asked to come give a talk to all their staff members at their chapel.  They graciously gave us and some friends all free tickets to come see the museum.  We had totally been wanting to go check the place out, so we brought all five monkeys and they had a great time seeing all the displays about how God created the world.  It was a really cool experience and we only lost 2 children for a very short time.  ;)  Reese especially loved the "didas" (dinosaurs).  They are his ultimate fave right now.  I'd recommend going to see it...  

The Big Move to Fishers

We are in our new house and slowly getting settled in!   

A few pics... would you believe this house was one GIANT mass of white walls? 

Until our amazing friends did their magic! 

  We had such amazing helpers come over and paint endlessly for no reward other than some pizza and chinese takeout.  What wonderful friends we have!!!  

Kelly making the FIRST of many brushstrokes!

Sara, the trooper, ready to unscrew light covers  :)

Shanda, you are the bomb.

Me and my belly in all our glory.  

Being 8 months pregnant doesn't stop me from getting in on the fun!  :)

Baby Update

So I went to the doc and am already dilated 2.5 centimeters... so she went ahead and scheduled me for induction on April 21st (unless he decides to come earlier)!  I'd be worried he was coming any day, but I did this with Reese- I was dilated to 5.5 on the day I was induced and wasn't in labor.  Weird.  Anyway, we'll be welcoming baby Lincoln in 18 or less days! 

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Nottingham

What a big weekend! We started with the bachelorette party/shower for Sarah & bachelor party for Mark on Thursday... following by an evening of vomiting after I caught the stomach bug... then the rehearsal festivities on Friday (which I sadly had to miss while I recovered)... and then the wonderful wedding celebration of Mark & Sarah on Saturday. All of their hard work in a short time paid off- everything was beautiful- especially the bride! The flower girls were all completely speechless when they saw her. :) The kiddos all just looked precious in their special attire and did their duties without any major mishaps.

What a blessing to share in Mark & Sarah's blessed day!

Mrs. Nottingham-to-be
The super cool marquis in front of the Fountain Square Theater where they had their reception.
Reese, Lauren (Sarah's niece), Emma, Winnie, & Asher all looking totally dashing
The newly married Mr. & Mrs. Mark Nottingham!

Snow buddies

I am embarrassed to admit that these are pictures of Reese's FIRST time playing in the snow! As I try to figure it out... he was born in the winter, so a newborn is not usually found playing in snow... then last winter I suppose he was just always busy doing something better like sleeping or playing inside where it was warm... then this winter... well I've come to my senses. This adventurous little boy loved it- and his big sister showed him the ropes. :)

Smile!

Okay, Snow Angel Making 101... first you sit down...

Then you lay back and flail your arms...

Careful, Reese!

WE DID WHAT?!

So about a week and a half ago, Josh was checking out some foreclosure listings... and stumbled upon this monster of a house in Fishers that was a greater deal than we could pass up. 3500 square feet compared to our 2200. Ours is on the market and ready for a buyer since we are now the proud owners of two houses (again). :)

Anyone up for painting? There will be lots to do!

Fire Station

Let's be honest, Emma's field trip to the fire station was totally fun for her... but Reese was in heaven since fire trucks are one of his favorites. The kids had a great time getting a tour of the fire station and talking with the brave firemen. They also got to talk to a real policeman and ask him questions. Emma became a junior officer with a badge and all.
She might be able to START fires with that charm...

Everyone got a chance to SIT in a real firetruck... even little brothers like Reese. :)