Jiggle Jam!!

Yesterday the family celebrated Memorial Day weekend by spending the morning planting flowers and spending the afternoon at the first annual Jiggle Jam. Jiggle Jam is a 2-day music festival for kids - and while we spent some time enjoying the music, we also spent a lot of time enjoying the vendors, the food, and the fountain.

One of the "activity tents" had boats that kids could decorate and then float in little "lakes". Lincoln did a great job of decorating his boat, don't you think?

Of course, no summer event is complete without ice cream. I ordered a double cone of Sheridans thinking that we could all share. Lincoln is a true Hauner, though, and promptly confiscated the cone for himself.

Luckily Lincoln is learning to share, and as long as you ask him nicely he will let you take a bite of "his" cone.

We spent some time listening to the "Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players" (I highly recommend them if you are sick of kid's music), and then stopped by the Crown Center fountain for some water fun (no illegal fun here - the "fountain" is meant to be played in). We actually went by the fountain several times, but Lincoln was a little too wary of the water to actually get close. This photo shows the closest that he was willing to get to one of the water spouts. Soon after this photo was taken he was splashed by another kid and he decided he was done with the fountain.

A Word from the Wise

Lincoln has taken a renewed interest in books this week.  He is no longer content to sit quietly and listen to stories, but adamantly declares when it is "his turn" to read.  His favorite book to read to us is "Bear Hunt", which has an exciting ending involving....a bear.  Scott was able to catch one of his readings on film the other night.  Unfortunately, as you will see in the clip, his ability to turn pages has not quite caught up to his enthusiasm for reading.

Photographic Evidence

While I don't quite feel like a "doctor" yet, it's starting to sink in.  Yesterday was my graduation and "hooding".  There were five of us getting our Ph.Ds yesterday, and we were each accompanied by our advisor during the ceremony.  I carried my hood over my arm until I arrived on stage when my advisor, Mat Forstater (standing behind me) put it on me.  The other gentleman in the photo is the head of the School of Graduate Studies.  My dissertation title was "Poverty and the World Bank:  An examination of Economic Development Theory and Practice".

After the "hooding" I shook my Mat's hand and managed not to cry.  Here you can really see the hood.  There's a dark blue velvet lining that represents the doctor of philosophy (the "D" in Ph.D), and the yellow and blue chevrons are UMKC's colors.  Both the robe and hood were rentals so I didn't get to keep them :( .  If I decide to go into academia then I'll probably end up buying a set.
My parents, sister, and (of course!) Scott came to the ceremony.  I couldn't have done this without Scott's wonderful support all these years.  
Lincoln didn't attend the ceremony but he got to enjoy some cake that night.

A running post...

I ran the Lincoln Marathon today (I actually only did the 1/2 marathon), and we spent the weekend with Linda's parents.  It was a good race, a good weekend, and Lincoln got his second straight I-get-to-be-spoiled-by-Grandpa-and-Grandma weekend.  Everyone was happy.

I've run the 1/2 marathon in Lincoln for three years, and my times have not varied by more than 45 seconds in total.  After 13.1 miles of running, I can't believe I'm so consistent.

Here are some pictures from the weekend.  As you can see, we also squeezed in some time at the park, and Lincoln went down the slide all by himself (with Mom watching of course).

Linda's been so defensive lately...

So, in case you didn't know, Linda has been working on her PhD in Economics for about 8 years.

That journey ends today because...

Linda successfully defended her dissertation!!

She's now officially a "doctor".  She has to file some paperwork and it's all over.  What a relief.

We're very happy for her and proud of her.

Lincoln's First Run

Last weekend the Hauner/King clan participated in the Trolley Run. Scott, Tracy, Mike, Joni's brother Neil, and I all ran the regular Trolley run. Lincoln has "run" the the race last two years with me, but this year he entered on his own and did the Kid's Trolley Run. They even gave him a number! The "adult" race is 4 miles, but luckily they didn't make Lincoln run that far. Prior to the race, I gave him some advice on how to pace himself.

As you can see, he got a great start.  Even though it was cold that morning, he was a trooper and ran really fast.  It helped that he "carb loaded" prior to the race by eating an entire lemon poppyseed muffin.
At the finish line they gave him a blue ribbon.  Okay, this isn't *his* finish line, but it's a good photo!  His actual run was actually about 10 yards total.
I think that everyone that ran were happy with their finish times.  Hopefully this is the first of many Trolley Runs for Lincoln.

Day Labor

Scott had a lot of yard work to do this weekend, so he decided to hire some day labor to help out. As you can see, the guy we hired spent most of his day lazing by the tree with his "broken" mower.

Later the guy "supervised" while Scott mowed the side yard.

Check out Lincoln's awesome sun cap - Scott bought that for him last week. We had a great weekend with lots of nice weather. Later this week we'll post some photos from our yard.

This one's for the ladies

It's been awhile since our last post.  We've been busy with things.  Nothing special...just the day-to-day stuff that keeps you busy.  We're learning about the various plants/flowers that are coming up in our yard (we had no idea what Spring had in store for us because everything was dormant when we moved in).  We're also getting ready for the Trolley Run (Lincoln too) at the end of April.

Anyway, since it's been awhile, here's a quick picture to keep Lincoln's fan club occupied for a few days.  I'm not sure if a double-wide is in Lincoln's future, but lately, he loves to roam the house shirtless.

Easter Recap (Part 2)

Here are some more photos from our Easter adventure at Grandma and Grandpa King's.  Lincoln spent some time bonding with "the boys" out in the wilderness (actually, this is right in front of the house).  What is difficult to see in the photo is the massive dropoff into a ravine directly behind them... 

Lincoln also spent some time with grandma playing with the magnetic letters on the fridge...

To prove that she can be just as "exciting" as the boys, though, Grandma also helped Lincoln test-ride a 4-wheeler at Scott's uncle's house on Easter (note the cool sunglasses from "great aunt" Janice).

Of course, we can't forget the "money shot" from Easter!  Lincoln was a little confused during the Loup City Easter-Egg Hunt ("you *want* me to pick stuff off the ground and eat it?"), but he managed to find some eggs for his basket.

Easter Recap (Part 1)

We're finally getting around to posting photos from our Easter trip to Nebraska.  This first stage of the trip takes us to Linda's parents and then on to my Grandpa's.

Linda's Mom has a daycare and Lincoln was the hit of the party on Friday.  All the kids would swarm around him and want him to play with them.  Lincoln will have to get used to being popular...he probably won't be able to avoid it later in life.

At my Grandpa's house, Lincoln and Grandpa got to spend some quality time playing "This Little Piggy".  Also, Lincoln and his cousin Austyn got to hang out for a little while.

Waiting for an Easter post?

We've taken a bunch of pictures over our Easter holiday in Nebraska, but Lincoln would like us to wait until he finishes his delicious Burger King chocolate milkshake before we post them...

He'd also like us to remind you that chocolate milkshakes are reeeeaaaallly thick so it may take a while (but we're having lots of fun!!)

Lincoln's New Game

Lincoln has a new game.  It's a strange game, but he likes it.  

Here's a quick description -- Lincoln goes into our bedroom closet and we pass coins back-and-forth under the door.  Sometimes he uses his hand...sometimes his foot.  Sometimes the coins go under the door...sometimes through the door.

Here's a video of the action.  It's a little longer than usual, but I needed to give you a sense of the time spent playing this game.  These closet-playing sessions are not short.

Editors Note:  We accept the fact that we are opening ourselves up for jokes about Lincoln being "in the closet".  Just know that now that I've mentioned it they are no longer original or witty.

The Reveal!!

After many difficult weekends full of blood, sweat, and tears we have finally completed Lincoln's room (okay, there wasn't really any blood or tears and the sweat was mostly Scott's, but you get the idea). We're pretty happy with the result and are ready to begin redecorating other rooms in the house.

We painted the room a light beige with white trim. The grey square with the blue border in the corner is actually magnetic paint - we purchased some magnets so Lincoln can practice his letters and numbers. Scott painted frames on the other side of the window and included some pictures so Lincoln can always see Mommy and Daddy. On the opposite wall we put up some car and truck stickers above Lincoln's crib.



Last weekend was nice and warm and Scott took the opportunity to catch up on some lawn work. Lincoln loves to watch dad use his "mow mow", so when Scott went outside to work Lincoln took the opportunity to break out his own "mow mow". We're pretty impressed with Lincoln's work and we're hoping Lincoln will take over all lawn duties soon.

Time for painting

Our first project in the new house has been painting and decorating Lincoln's room.  We're not ready for the big reveal yet, but here's a preview.

As you can see Lincoln did his best to help (with paint brush, monster truck, and cracker in hand), but in the end Mom and Dad did most of the work.

A Day in the Life...

Lincoln and I spent some time together this weekend as Scott painted Lincoln's bedroom all by himself (he painted the walls and the trim!).  I decided to chronicle Lincoln's activities so that all of our readers could experience "a day in the life"...

We begin with a healthy breakfast of cereal and/or pancakes.

After breakfast, Lincoln likes to do some "light" reading.  As you can see from the "reject" pile on the floor, he has very high standards for his books.
After reading some of my Econ books, we head to the Kitchen where Lincoln helps me make lunch.
Finally, after all of that hard work Lincoln likes to settle down for a nice nap (Mommy and Daddy may take a short nap, too)!!

Just me and the TV

So tonight, it's just me and the TV.  Linda and Lincoln are both in bed, and I'm going to watch an old classic - True Romance.

It's Lincoln's normal bedtime, but Linda is not feeling well.  We've been passing colds (and now something resembling the flu) between us for weeks.  The typical progression is Lincoln gets sick, then Linda, then me.  We're  hoping our immune systems catch up with the bugs soon.

I couldn't have a post without a picture, so here's one from a few weeks ago when Everett stayed with us.  As you can see, the two boy's bath times overlapped by a few minutes.  

This is the censored version of the picture because the uncensored version isn't appropriate for young eyes.  We will, however, be keeping the uncensored picture to torture Everett with at his high school graduation (I doubt that Lincoln will be too thrilled this picture exists in 20 years either).

Good things...

They say good things come in small packages, but what do you think comes in a super-jumbo pack of diapers?  Three guesses...

It's Lincoln!  He's showing a smiling face after a tough week.  Lincoln, Scott, and I were all sick last week so we were a pretty sad household.  Scott and I took turns taking off work to watch Lincoln, and we all became *well* acquainted with the shows on the Noggin channel ("It's like preschool on TV!"). My favorite is "Lazytown", while Scott prefers "Little Bill".  Lincoln had a fever for most of the week and was pretty tired, but on Friday he recovered and we had a wonderful weekend.

"E" is for Everett

Mary and Randy both had to go out of town for work, so we got to spend some extra time with Everett for a couple of days.  It's a good thing he was here - as you can see in the picture Everett gave Lincoln an impromptu xylophone lesson.  Poor Everett didn't like the pack-n-play so we "had" to bring him into our bed last night...not only is Everett a big teddy bear, but he is also an effective heater!

Randy is picking up Everett tomorrow morning so the boys only have a few more hours of cousin-bonding.

Another Lazy Day Post

Scott and I both had the day off today for MLK day.  We took advantage of the vacation time by sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast.  Then we also took advantage of the fact that Lucy *was* working today and dropped Lincoln off so that we could have a "day date".  We had coffee on the Plaza, did a bit of shopping, and had lunch on 39th Street - all of the things that we haven't found the time to do since Lincoln reached official "toddler-hood".

This evening we spent some time playing one of Lincoln's new favorite games - climbing in his toddler rocker and rocking.  He may look like a little baby in this photo, but he wants us to assure you that he is indeed a big boy - and Cheetara agrees (notice how closely she watches him for any sign that he might come towards her with his "nice" petting hands).

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend we travelled to Lincoln to attend the wedding of my friend Jennifer.  All of my old college friends came to Lincoln for the celebration, so we got to see (and catch up with) a lot of people we haven't seen in a while.  We had hoped to use the weekend to introduce Lincoln to some people we hadn't seen since before he was born; unfortunately he came down with a cold and spent most of the weekend getting some TLC from my parents.

Here's the whole wedding party:  Jennifer and Christy are in the middle of the melee.

This is Jennifer with her attendants.   Rather than having traditional bridesmaids, Jennifer and Christy asked us to say a few words during the ceremony (no bridesmaid dress required - yay!!)  Carson, the little guy in the photo, is just a couple of months younger than Lincoln.  We shared a baby shower with his parents.
Kim, Jayne, and I were given the topic of "support".  Here we are practicing before the ceremony.  Don't worry - there were no antics during the actual ceremony... 

After-Christmas Post #2

We had a great time over Christmas. This year we spent Christmas at my parents', and on Christmas day Scott's parents came over for dinner and a visit.

It is a Hauner tradition to open gifts on Christmas eve, and this year was no different. After a Christmas-eve dinner of Chicken-noodle and potato soup, we settled into the living room to parse out gifts and begin the festivities.

Lincoln stole a peanut cluster before we could stop him. Don't worry - we didn't let him keep it! He had to go to bed before the gifts were all opened, but he didn't seem to mind much. He received some nice books, toys, and clothes - all in all he got pretty spoiled!

Mary and Randy also joined us for the holiday so my mom had two Grandbabies to spoil! Here she is with Everett and Lincoln.

My mom made turkey *and* ham for Christmas dinner, plus every side dish and desert we could hope for.  It was all delicious and I'm pretty sure I gained about five pounds that day.

On Christmas day, Lincoln wore his brand-new Christmas outfit (thanks Grandma!), and was extra-spoiled with *both* sets of grandparents. Here Scott's mom is reading him the book she brought him.

Overall we had a great Christmas and as always it was way too short. I'm already back at work and Scott's been spending some bonding time with Lincoln while Lucy is on vacation. See you all next year!!

After Christmas Post #1

Well, we're back from the holidays and here's the first of many pictures/videos that we've got to share.  I hope you all had a great time with family and friends.  I know we did.

Lincoln got some books for Christmas, and here's a video of him sitting down to enjoy one.  He's got a short attention span, so he generally only makes it through the first page or two (unless Mom or Dad is helping).

Daddy's little helper

This weekend we got our first real snow of the year, and Lincoln and I got a little father-son bonding time doing some household chores.

First, we shoveled snow off the driveway. Lincoln wouldn't keep his gloves on so his hands got cold, but it was otherwise a good outing.

Next, we swept the kitchen floor (Note Lincoln's little broom on the floor).

Finally, Lincoln picked up the magazines in the living room under the light of a half-moon.