And Then He Was Seven...

Dear Lincoln, 

How? How are you 7? I really can't believe my chunky, squishy little baby boy is 7! 

You grew A LOT this year- and lost your first tooth- three actually! I really thought you would lose your fourth one by your birthday but that thing is still hanging on for dear life. You won't touch it or let anyone else near it. (It makes me a little queasy to see it dangling, honestly.)

You spent the summer in the water, of course. We lasted ONE afternoon at the pool and you told me you were done with floaties. I worked with you for 15 minutes and then you spent the rest of the summer floatie-free. Even in Papa and Lala's super deep pool! You loved our time at Granny and Grandpa's running around in their backyard and wearing a wetsuit at the cold California beaches! You said you felt like Dash from the Incredibles and ran amongst the waves. Another summer trip was to Tennessee to see all the family there. You loved playing with your cousins!

In the fall we made the difficult decision to put you back through Kindergarten and it has been one of the best things for you! I walked into your parent teacher conference in October and your teacher said, "Well, you made the right decision!!!!" I cried, of course. It has been amazing to watch you absolutely THRIVE at school. You are reading like a champ and your confidence absolutely exploded. You are still the funniest kid ever. Constantly making us all laugh with your silly dances, jokes, poses, and just being you! You say the funniest things all time and I love it so much. You still ask for back scratches and snuggles every single day and always have a blanket. You hate waking up in the mornings (except weekends) and I still think you would crawl under my skin if you could. Close is never close enough! You did, however, inform me that you're too old to hold my hand in the parking lot but holding your wrist is okay. 

You have big feelings and are known to say "THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!" if something makes you mad, but we hear that it's the "BEST DAY" a lot, too. Your smile gets you in trouble and makes it hard for Dad and I to get on to you about anything. (You got this from your Papa Lamb) 

We love you so much, Linky, (Oh you told me you were too old to be called this, but I'm your mom and I can call you whatever I want.) You're my biggest encourager. Really. You tell me every single day that I'm the "best mom" and that you love me about fifty times a day. The sweetest boy!

Some of our favorite Lincoln quotes from this year: 

Emery (with her hair curled): Lincoln do I look different?

You: Yeah you look like John Cena as a girl.

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Telling me about music class at school:

"Yeah we listened to that Hallelujah song from Captain Underpants! It's by some guy named Doorknob or something..." (Handel)

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Granny told you to "look up to Heaven!" and you said, "Who is Kevin??"

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Does God watch us pee?

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Daddy and I pray that you'll always keep your eyes on the Lord and that you grow up to be a man of integrity. Happy 7th Birthday, bud.

I love you, Linky Doo!

Love, Mama 

Emery's Eighth

 

Eight... you're eight. It doesn't sound right at all. I swear it was just yesterday you were speaking in your little babble language and toddling around. 

You've grown so much this past year, Em. You have matured so much. You even lost your two front teeth which I was dreading. It changed your whole face! Oh and I guess I should clarify.. you didn't just "lose" them, you let daddy pull them out! You just passed one year of KidStrong and holy moly you have grown leaps and bounds from that. I am so thankful. Your self confidence exploded and I love watching you shine!!

You're so, so smart. You tell me a new fact almost every single day and most of the time you're teaching me. You've explained why elephants can't jump, how many times a human farts a day, on average, and how it's actually the boy seahorses that give birth. 

I love how much you love holidays, just like me. You make any day a party! Always down to dress up, decorate, and celebrate! You love routine, lists, memorizing just about anything you read, and keeping diaries. Oh and speaking of reading... you are still such a book worm. My little Matilda. You wowed the librarian when you completed the summer reading program in three weeks! You keep your room spotless more often than not, except for the pile of books and stuffed animals you keep in your bed. You got a Tamagotchi for Christmas and have not missed a single day of caring for it! I swear you're more responsible than me. You still mainly eat a diet of carbs and... carbs. A raw carrot every now and then but most of the time it's grilled cheese and pasta. Although you have added chicken nuggets back in! Progress! :) 

Your favorite thing is for family to all be together. I love how much you love all your cousins and how you call them your "Tennessee Cousins" and "California Cousins" and how much you enjoy being with them. You come ALIVE in the summer. You have been my little fish your whole life. You love being in the water and got really good as diving for "sinkies" in the pool. You tan just like your Lala and your hair bleaches blonde right in the front just how my did at your age. 

Dad and I have been setting aside one on one time with you and Lincoln and I have really enjoyed it. One day you and I went to Target just us two and I got you your first Starbucks drink. You thought you were big time with that for sure!

I really love being your mom, Em. It is the most amazing, challenging, fun ride of my life! Sometimes I want to pull all my hair out and the next I'm sneaking in to check on you while you're sleeping just to see you one more time that day. You can push my buttons like nobody else, but most of time we are best buds. Watching you grow is truly bittersweet. One thing that always makes me laugh is that you can always tell when I've cleaned any room. You come in from school and run upstairs and I hear, "HEY MOM LOOKS GOOD UP HERE!! SO CLEANNNNN!" 

I want you to keep your goofy side forever, never stop singing in the shower, and always keep your eyes on Jesus. He has big plans for you and I am so excited to be right here to witness it all. You are AMAZING! 

Happy 8th, my Emery. I love you!

Mama

Happy SIXTH Birthday, Linc!

Lincoln Taylor! How in the world are you six?! Each year seems to be flying by faster and faster. 

You’ve had a wonderful year being five! This year was full of superheroes and Sonic the Hedgehog. You still love to run everywhere you go including running laps in the house. You always tell me you're going to run around to "get some energy." First it was Dash, then Flash, and now Sonic. Legos still play a huge role in your day to day life, whether it’s building something or just carrying all the tiny figures around. Black Panther was definitely your favorite superhero this year- you were so excited to wear the costume for Halloween and all the time around the house. 
Your dance moves really evolved this year. You busted out some breakdancing and even handstands on your knuckles! You make us laugh so much. Always have a “joke” to tell us or simply doing anything for a laugh. We love your free spirit and call you Forky often. When anyone tells you a joke you say, "ohhhhhhhh I get it......" and then repeat the joke super slowly. 
You’ve blossomed in Kindergarten this year! I was super nervous but you were confident and excited to start!! Of course I was the only one who cried that first morning of school. We were so thankful that you were put in the same class that Emery had for Kindergarten. You’ve made so many good friends and for once they're just yours and not one of Emery’s friends! Right before school started you decided you wanted spiky hair. I took you to DV8 and you were such a HAM! You were walking around doing finger guns and winking at everyone. We laughed so hard! 

You still love salad and meat of all kinds and still don’t have much of a sweet tooth. You love applesauce packets and at one point this year I couldn'tfind any so I substituted with Organic Applesauce and you could totally tell the difference and HATED it. Made me laugh!

You are still my sweet, cuddly, and sensitive kid. You ask for back scratches every single night and if you're ever sitting remotely close to me or dad on the couch. I love how you pray in third person because that’s how you hear me and Daddy pray for you. You’re always the one to initiate family hug every morning when Dad leaves for work and you love running down the sidewalk to wave as he drives away. 
I’ve loved watching how brave you’ve become at KidStrong. You run in full speed ahead and take each challenge head first. You made all the parents laugh one day when I got your attention to tell you to stop picking your nose and you turned and looked at me over your shoulder and mimed slowly putting your finger up to your nose. No embarrassment there bud, just always looking for the laugh! 

It's so crazy to watch you grow. You're my baby so every first is a last, too. But for now you still hug and kiss your mama so I'm holding on to each moment like that. I love how much you look like Daddy and all your freckles that pop up on your cheeks in the summer. 

Some funny quotes from this year: 

-After staring at my feet for a solid minute and you asked, “Mom how come your toes are always in the same spot?”

-Emery and I had been talking in the car for a solid 20 minutes about salvation, angels, heaven and hell, baptism, etc when Lincoln chimed in that he had a question. I couldn’t wait to hear what was on his heart after taking it all in…

Lincoln: Guys what if that ladder on top of that car fell off and hit us?????? 

-Oh I know why it's call a hair salon because you get your hair cut there an it's a salon. 

-While watching Peter Pan I asked you what would your happy thought be to fly and you responded, "Uh...flying."

-One morning I had to wake you up for school (which almost never happens) and you sleepily sat up and said, "Is there school today?" and I said yes and you said, "I just can't do the work today. I just can't do the work." 

Happy 6th Birthday, Lincoln. You are one of the best parts of my life. Dad and I hope and pray you grow up to be a Godly man full of integrity. I love you!!

Love, Mama

Seven Already?!

Hey there, big girl! 

Every year I can't believe you're older but every year here we are! You've grown so much this year, and we are so proud of you. Each new stage of your life is a new stage in my life, too. I guess that’s just how being the oldest child works. I’m still growing and learning how to be a parent to each new age you hit. After seven years we’re still figuring it out together, Em.

We started off 1st grade at home where you insisted on calling me Mrs. Barton and told me all about your mom at home. It made me laugh so hard! I was so proud of how well you took to it, but by January you were missing your friends and I was needing a break. Your reading level and love of reading absolutely EXPLODED this year!! We made you a goal for 2021- it was to read 21 chapter books during 2021... you crushed it in two months time. We quickly had to make another chart! I find you reading all the time and it truly warms my heart. 

You spent the summer yet again in the water... you are such a little fish. I really think that you are your happiest in the water of any kind.  

You seem so old these days... using words like, "literally", "obviously", and "seriously." I keep getting glimpses of teenage you. You are still a pretty picky eater but are usually a good sport about trying something new. You still love My Little Pony, Legos, and now Barbie and Nintendo Switch! You still play dress up but I can see it slowing down. You love making Lincoln play wedding with you and other fun pretend games like Hotel and Camping. And your number one love is still ART. You've always got some sort of art piece going on, and it still usually involves trash! Always at least one cardboard box exhibit in your room. You took an art class at a local art studio and absolutely loved it! You are constantly writing in journals I can't keep enough blank ones around for you to write in. You love mess! Water, mud, paint, anything! 

I see a lot of myself in you though we are different, too. You like to have all the information upfront and if something surprises you it can send you into a spiral. One thing I admire about you is that you can usually redirect yourself if we can sit and talk it through. You're working very hard to "roll with the punches" and work through change in a positive way. You're a little introverted extravert which reminds me of me. Sometimes you are a leader, loud, wild, take charge kind of girl and then other times you are shy, quiet, and reserved. You love to dance and be crazy and there's not much you are afraid of. You are such a FUN girl and are always up for an joke or any reason to laugh! You love playing outside with the neighbor kids riding your bike, scooter, rollerblades and skateboard. You're so brave with all of that!

You lost four teeth this year and are constantly wiggling your other teeth hoping they'll fall out too. One night, instead of just leaving your tooth under your pillow for the tooth fairy to easily find, you left a four part scavenger hunt with notes and clues. I was thankful you gave me a run through before you went to sleep...

I love you Emery Kate. You are the sweetest, most fun, and most helpful girl! You have the most amazing memory and I love watching you use that skill to memorize scripture. One day over the summer you learn the Fruit of the Spirit in about 15 minutes- it was amazing. Daddy and I know you are going to do great things. We pray you follow Jesus forever and ever! Shine your light, girl!! 

Love, Mom

 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln!

Holy moly that was a quick year! I really can’t believe how fast it went. And five? Five years old?! I think that's just nuts. 

I was really sad to see three-year-old Lincoln go, and I have to say the same for four-year-old Lincoln. You are the sweetest kid, bud. You're my cuddly, touchy feely kid. And you're still VERY ticklish. You come to me at least once a day, lift up your shirt and say, "scratch me?" If you’re sitting next to me you always have your little hand on my leg. I love when I tuck you in at night and you put both of your hands on either side of my face and give me a big smooch.

You have the sweetest, gentlest heart and hate when there’s any conflict. Even if it’s the dog who is in trouble. You’ve told me many times, "Mom, talk nice to Ludo!" You love, love, LOVE your big sister and like to do just about everything she does; which comes in handy because she likes to do what she likes to do as well.  ;) 

We started off the year all about Mario. You wore your dad‘s red hat from when he was a kid the majority of the year and dressed up as Mario for Halloween. Your newest love however is all things superheroes. Batman is your favorite but you love them all. You carried around Lego Batman (about 1 inch tall) for weeks until he suddenly went missing. We searched EVERYWHERE for a whole month and finally found him deep in the couch. You still build with your Magnatiles daily but have added in Lego. You happily (most of the time) oblige to play "wedding" with Emery and love to play Nintendo Switch. Your favorite stuff animal is this tiny blue bunny that you insist is a superhero. Every night when I check on you before I go to bed you are snuggled up tight with him. He's the first thing you ask for when you're sad. You’re very shy around big groups of people but when it’s just us at home you are quite the performer and always have us laughing. You make me think so much of your Daddy and all the stories I've heard of him as a kid. You get embarrassed very easily and smack your hand to your forehead with a big, "Mooooooooooom" like you're 15. You love riding your scooter "Bluer" and playing outside, and always pick me flowers. Whenever I have on makeup or "real" clothes or jewelry or anything that's not sweats you say, "Oh mom I love your clothes/earrings/hair." Your favorite foods are salad, burgers, apples, and "meat" which is what you call chicken, steak, anything!! 

You make us all laugh so much, Linc. You recently discovered that you can control your eyebrows and it cracks us up. Your go-to when you fall down is a big thumbs up and "I'm good!!" You've got some pretty great dance moves... must be from the Barton side. :) You're my little buddy and you're always happy to tag along with whatever I'm doing. We laughed so hard last summer when you fell and got a bucket stuck on your head! You got up and popped the bucket off and had a huge smile!!

Some favorite quotes from this year:

Lincoln: My favorite thing in the whole world is hugging!

Me: Awww, Lincoln, hugging is your favorite??

Lincoln: Yep. And shaking my booty.

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"Mom, did you know you can put shoes on hands?"

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"Blinking is like sleeping but you open your eyes again."

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After slamming on my breaks and explaining that it was a new stop sign that wasn’t there before.. A couple days later I slammed on the brakes yet again when a light changed to red before I thought I could get through the intersection.

You: "Woah, Mom, is that red light new?!?!?"

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Seeing a giant inflatable turkey at Thanksgiving: "Woah look at that pumpkin chicken!"

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After I fixed you a bowl of cereal...

Lincoln: Does it have milk?

Me: Yep!

Lincoln: Yessss that’s fresh.

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Lincoln: Can you cut this in half?

Me: Why?

Lincoln: So I can eat it twice.

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And one just last night...

Emery: Tomorrow is Lincoln's birthday so he gets to choose everything about the day!

Lincoln: Yep and I'm going to choose to have dinosaurs be alive again!

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Happy 5th Birthday, Linky Doodle!! I love the way you talk about God and how you pray, and your dad and I are praying you continue to walk to Him for all your days. 

Love, Mom 

My Girl Is SIX!

Wow, girl, what a YEAR!

You graduated preschool and even (reluctantly) walked across the stage to get your diploma! Summer was a blast and just constant swimming! (Oh and that week with lice...)  I love watching you in the pool, Em. You're so confident and truly LOVE it. I learned a lot about Enneagrams this year and read somewhere you aren't supposed to "label" your children with them but OHHHH MY you are a ONE, my friend. This has actually been super helpful, even though we are opposites about a lot of things. I've learned a lot this year and now it all makes sense why we both love routine and are, well, the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. You love My Little Pony, Toy Story, LEGO Friends, Star Wars, and all the princesses. You still go into full character almost daily. It's usually the first thing you tell me in the morning- who you are that day. You suddenly have become a pretty picky eater, almost vegetarian except for bacon!

You continue to amaze us with your artwork! Constantly gluing, cutting, drawing, painting, CREATING things out of any and everything. You absolutely love mess- so unlike your brother.  Multiple times a week I find you digging through the recycling bin for "supplies." Once I absentmindedly called it trash to which you responded, "It's not trash, it's ART!!" And you were right, Em. You have the amazing ability to take anything- yes, even "trash" and make it art. 

I love how much you love numbers, knowing what time it is, and being right. ;) You have the best memory and can recall the tiniest of details. You do things on your own time and can’t be forced into ANYTHING. This year you said you were simply done with sleeping in pull ups and then just never wore one again- and never had an accident! You also told us one day walking out of church that “today was the perfect day” to learn how to ride with no training wheels. And you did just that! You had the best attitude and said “I just have to dust myself off and try again!” when you fell. Kindergarten was your favorite and you did so well. I cried the most about you not being able to go back, but you were just fine- and excited that you get to go to First Grade. Your favorite thing is the whole family being together.

I love the serious face you make when pretending and playing dress up, how you can memorize scripture, how sweet you are with Lincoln (most of the time) and how responsible you are. More often than not on school mornings you would be in the car, all buckled and ready to go, waiting on ME to grab that second cup of coffee on the way out the door. You always wake up and are ready to go at 6am on the dot, and don't slow down until bedtime. 

I loved watching you make your own friends this year, even going to your first birthday party where I didn't know anyone! You absolutely loved it even though you ate too much chocolate cake which later came back up that afternoon. You went on to tell this story to strangers in Target, neighbors, hairstylists, people on the street, etc. And that leads me to the next thing I love about you.. your honesty. You tell the absolute truth most of the time, always factual and point blank. You enjoy doing the right thing the right way. I hope this sticks around for the teenaged years... a mom can dream! 

Your dad and I love you, Emery, and pray that you keep following Jesus forever and ever! 

Love you so big!

Love, Mom

Linc is F O U R!

Dear Linc,

Four?! Really? That can't be right... You had quite the year, bud. We finally got you out of diapers and potty trained over the summer and then moved into a big boy bed in the fall! This summer it was all about the pool, again. You've proven to be part fish just like Em. Every time you jumped in you'd say, "Canon FALLLLLLLLLLL!" You also dropped your nap this year. It was definitely an adjustment at first but we both got used to it and now you love have rest time with your tablet. 

Rescue Bots and Toy Story are your favorite things. You love your Magna Tiles and play with them every single day. Some of the things you build with them really amaze me! You started preschool this year and I was just so sure you were going to have a hard time being away from me but the very first day you told me goodbye and went right to playing! You didn't cry once for school drop off. You absolutely loved it which made me so sad with this whole quarantine that's going on now.

You're still my sweet little shy guy. Always hugging, snuggling, and telling almost everyone you encounter that you love them! You get your feelings hurt really easily- especially by Emery :)

Some funny things you say that I don't want to forget:

When I say, "No way!" you (and your sister) say, "Yes-a-way!" 

Asking all of us, "How'd you sweep??" (sleep)

When telling us something, "A-tully..."
After you tell me you love me and I say it back you always say, "Mooooom you're supposed to say 'I love you, TOO!! Not just, 'I love you.'"
You think "naked" is the same as "Lincoln" and often yell "I'M LINCOLN!" meaning, you're naked.

You truly believe that a kiss can make any hurt better. You'll fall hard and cry and run to me and ask for a kiss and just like that you're back to playing! (And sometimes you just kiss it yourself.) You're constantly running everywhere you go- like Dash from The Incredibles. You earned the name "No Butt Barton" this year because your pants never stay up and your little booty is always showing. You are my touchy feely kid... ask me all day long to "scratch you" which means a back scratch, arm tickles, and even belly rubs! :) You took approximately 364 baths this year. You'll often come down the stairs with a huge bucket of toys and tell me you want to take a bath. You stay in there for at least an hour. You love books and often sneak out of your room after bedtime to get books from the hallway and take them back to your bed. In the car you ask for the "rock and roll" song (Glory to God) and nod your head and pump your first the whole time. So funny!! You tell me that I'm the "bestest" girl in the whole world. 

I love you, Lincoln. I'm a little sad to see three year old you go... but I have a feeling four year old you will be pretty great, too. I can't wait to see who you grow up to be. Keep your eyes on Jesus <3

Love,
Mama