The Much Needed Vacation

Okay. SO much to talk about that hasn't been mentioned yet on this blog. But either you guys have seen it on my facebook, read it in the papers, or heard it word of mouth, or maybe have no cue, but our family is about to make a HUGE move. Not huge in the part of distance or trekking across states, but huge in the sense of leaving behind a school system we love, a church we are passionate about, and some friends that have become close to our hearts (though they'll always be close...just not as close (distance) as we'd like!).
An opportunity was presented before Jason to take the head basketball coaching position at Bentonville High School a few weeks ago. After meeting with them and prayers on out part, he turned down the job. However, BHS contacted him again, this time making an offer hard to refuse on many facets. They said Jason was the coach they had in mind for their program and would work with our family to make it happen. And as of Friday morning, it has happened. Those that were around us during this time saw the agony and turmoil we muddled through - countless prayers and tears as we made this decision to leave behind something we've loved and head down new waters.
Here's the amazing part, though, folks: this move is going to enable me to stay home and raise baby Lincoln!!! This has been one of our prayers since we had the little guy - God is good. Simply said. We're planning on living in Siloam until we sell our house, so we could still be around for a while. So major changes in the McMahan family! But we're feeling good and confident about where God is leading us! This picture was taken Friday morning (on our way out of town for vacation) at the board meeting/press conference to accept the position. This whole process has moved FAST - in a matter of a week, Jason was approached and now he's the new head coach of BHS! How do we look in Black/Gold???? :)


In other news...WE'RE ON VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The little man all strapped in and ready to roll. Mama's in the next seat over, Aunt Amy in the back (3rd row), and Daddy and Uncle Nathan up front.


Quick stop in Crossett to visit Gran-Gran and Poppa...and eat some fried catfish.

Next stop? Biloxi!! Were we lost our money...oops. So I got little Lincoln on a slot to see if he was more lucky. :)

On one of our lunch stops, Lincoln lunged for a piece of fudge Jason bought, successful snatched it with his teeth and WOULD NOT LET GO! and yes, he got some in his mouth! oops.
This is what happens when mama turns her head - Jason feeds Lincoln coke! I guess we are on vacation.

And then, DESTIN!!!!!!!!


These shades never stay on for more than 2 seconds before he's examining ever intricacy of how they are made. Someone stopped us in Biloxi and said, "I've been watching you and your baby for the past while through different stores and I just had to tell you that I think he is the most observant baby I have ever seen!"
Yes, we know. :)
Nathan and Amy introduced us to this game. Me and dad won, thank you very much.

And then he crashed. So cute.
The newly-engaged couple.
So you might be wondering, "why are you writing this blog in the middle of the afternoon instead of being on the beach?" It's storming. Yeah for vacation. But we're here for 6 more days!!! I'll post pictures of our condo later - it's unbelievable! Gorgeous, huge, and beautiful view! The parentals really came through on this one (and we all have our own rooms and bathrooms!!!).

The Long Awaited Trip

It's finally here folks. The ten-day marathon trip to Destin begins tomorrow and we cannot wait to savor every tiny second of every moment. The food (considering we've both been on a diet for the past 2 months), the tennis (we stay at a racket club/condo thing), the sun, the sand, the water, the relaxation, Biloxi (a side note), family, soon-to-be family, games, relaxation, TCBY (oh yes - I am looking forward to this one), the amazing shopping Jason and I have so fervently been saving money for, relaxation, Lincoln's first beach experience, fish fry with Jason's family on our one-night stop, reading, music, relaxation...did I mention how much Jason and I NEED, CRAVE some relaxation???
Jason and I have recently been contemplating how much God has blessed us in our marriage and our family, and this trip could not have come at a better time and WHAT A BLESSING. This week has been anything but relaxing for Jason and I (I'll share at a later time), and we're ready to revel in the peace and grace of God. I cannot think of a better place to reconnect than in the magnificence of his creation. The ocean in the night has always given me an overwhelming sense of the power of my Savior. When I lived in California, there were many of nights I would spend just contemplating this magnificence - something so vast and powerful in sound, smell, sight...touch. There's something scary about the waters and all the sensations you take in when in the presence of the ocean in the nighttime, lighted only by the glow of the moon. But there's also something powerful and comforting, providing a mix that I could only ever explain as God.
So stay tuned...I'm taking my computer so I can post pictures along the way.

Happy Father's Day

What a great and necessary day to honor my amazing husband and my phenomenal dad. I know I've mentioned this several times (probably to the point of annoying-ness) but for those of you that have never read my blog until now, MY HUSBAND IS AN INCREDIBLE FATHER! I try to do my best to tell him this on a regular basis, but I know I fall short of conveying my true feelings. And oh my gosh does Lincoln love his daddy! He even admits that Lincoln's already headed down a path toward being a full-out daddy's boy. :) Lincoln and I got up early this morning and put daddy's gift together (6:30am - Lincoln's choice of time). We were quiet and let daddy sleep in. Then we woke him up later with kisses and gifts. Here's Lincoln after the gifts were opened:

And then Lincoln thought it would be a good idea to eat the paper:

Then his party slowly started to deteriorate:

But mommy knows how to make it better:
Then we got dressed (in daddy's Air Jordan outfit), and headed to Mimi & Papa's for lunch (we all fell back asleep this morning, straight through our alarms for church! oops.)

Then we ended the day by all heading to the pool with Mimi, Amy, & Nathan...working on those tans, gearing up for Destin in FIVE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fun Day!

This morning Jason let me sleep in (which I did until 9:00), then Lincoln went down for his nap at 9:30 and yes, I took a nap, too. Pathetic. It was wonderful. We went out to eat at a local Mexican place for lunch and then came home for Lincoln to take nap #2 (this time I pulled weeds instead). I know, probably not sounding like a fun day at this point, but it got better.
After Lincoln woke up (and Jason), we went here:
And then after some time in the sun (preparation for our 10-day vacation NEXT WEEK!), the Mister ended the fun like this:

After nap #3, we did a family photo shoot with Jonathan Edward Photography. We got Lincoln all snazzy looking and I kept a bib on him until seconds before the first shot. It was all going great! Lincoln was in a good mood, the lighting outside was perfect, it was a little on the warm side, but the breeze added some relief...and then...it happened.

Lincoln ate grass before we could move a finger.

Do you know happens to dogs when they eat grass?

The same thing as what happens to babies.

They puke.

And puke.

And then when you think they're done...

They puke some more.

Except remember we had just began the family photo shoot.

So everyone looks at me, "Doesn't he have another shirt in the diaper bag??"

Crap.

His shirt was white and I'm just hoping photoshop can work magically. We'll see. Other than the puke fest (which is the most he's EVER puked in his little life, by the way), the shoot was awesome and I'm SO excited about some of the preliminaries we saw!!

Separation Anxiety

I've recently been getting the frequent question of: "So is Lincoln starting to experience separation anxiety yet?"
And each time I ponder the question and realize that my answer is always the same: "Um, no...".
And each time I answer the question, I can't help but think "wow - should he be crying every time dad and I leave him? Oh my gosh! Does this mean he doesn't care if we're even around? Even worse, does he care that we're even there with him? OH MY GOSH! My child doesn't scream when I leave!!!!"
Don't worry. I've been able to grasp my spiraling emotions before they disappear into sheer oblivion and I've realized none of the above are true. In fact, we're thrilled we can leave Lincoln with friends or relatives, in the nursery, and that he can be passed down the row at basketball games like he's a shiny new part on an assembly line - all without tears. Actually, he's probably got his pacifier stuck half-way in his mouth with a sheepish grin swiped across his face. He's well-adjusted, as I like to put it. Though I hate leaving him when I work, the socialization and skill building part of this aspect of being aorund 4 little kids everyday is thrilling to watch and very beneficial, I've come to realize.

Now on the other hand, I do have another child who has recently been expressing extreme separation anxiety and we cannot figure it out!
Enter...Mr. Bruce Wayne.
Yes. Bruce has recently been crazy clingy to me (only me) and it's SO strange! And it gets worse when Jason gets home...like he's in competition with Jason. It's hilarious. But the poor soul won't leave my side, follows me around the house when I'm doing chore stuff, waits for me outside the shower, and nudges his 80-pound body in-between mine and the couch when I'm watching TV.
Here's the proof:

He's just a big white ball of love, that Bruce Wayne.
For the record, I had a fantastic day shopping and playing with Lincoln today! Jason was at team camp all day so I got to hang out with the little mister. And yes, Lincoln took 3 naps and SO DID I. Fabulous.


Stay tuned.

Bedtime?? What?!?

So tonight was a late one. I met my friend Jody up at the gym to work out while Jason played basketball pick-up games and let Lincoln ride along in the ole' faithful jogging stroller...which he LOVES by the way.
Then we watched daddy work some of his magic on the court (he's still got it people!). Then Jason watched him at the gym while I met my supervisor for supervision at the coffee shop from 9:00-10:00pm. So none of us got home till around 10:00 - like I said, late night for the Link Man.
But I, the good mother, knew this and was prepared - Lincoln got in a 2.5 hour nap late in the afternoon and was geared up to make it a late night.
And what a good mood this little sucker was in all night! After playing and talking and jumping and throwing, I thought he'd crash right there in the gym from exhaustion. But he made it to the house and crashed around ten in his crib when daddy got him home. Usually, this means he's out till morning - especially going to bed that late.
You see, one of my favorite things to do is watch this little angel sleeping...so after he was snoozing for some time, I crept in his room to get my fix of the peaceful coos around 11:30pm and was greeted with this:




Yes, my friends, this is what we call Lincoln's COBRA POSE. And he was full-fledged in it. With a huge smile spread across his face. I just started laughing and reached for my camera because I was fully expecting a sleeping baby. He wasn't even making any noises - just wide awake, getting some midnight playtime in, apparently.
So, being the good mother that I am (ha), I got him up for half an hour and we played. Yes. Me, Lincoln, and Bruce Wayne.

Let the Good Times Roll...and roll and roll.

Today marks the beginning of "summer" for us as it is officially the first full week school-free. As most of you know, I usually don't talk about my work on this blog, and that's for a couple of reasons. One being that my job requires high confidentiality (like, if I told you something, I might have to kill ya - or just lose my licence, I guess), so the crazy madness I deal with day in/out (that would actually make terrific blog posts!) is just well, none of your business quite frankly. :) And the other reason, why talk about work on your blog? Yeah - enough said.
But today marks the start of my job taking a shift for the next three months, and in the past it's been a rather slow-paced, relaxing shift...like people put their troubles on hold for the summer months (only to resume full force in August), but nonetheless, the break is much needed and anticipated. Time to breathe.
And as I was setting in the shifting routines of summer today, I realized there is much to look forward to this summer...

*** 10-day trip to Destin

*** and finally, getting to indulge in Chris Martin madness
***My baby sister's wedding!!! Which includes lots of parties!!!



*** Relaxed work schedule which means more time with ever-so-funny Mr. Lincoln. Delicious.

Oh the Feelings of Accomplishments

The biggest accomplishment of them all - SCHOOL'S OFFICIALLY OVER. Yes, since I still work within a school district, this is just as exciting as it was 10 years ago. However, I found myself with back-to-back sessions all day Friday, only to be able to leave my office (which is in the school) at 5:30pm. As I walked to my car, I fathomed the tragedy before me - my car was the only car in the entire parking lot.
But long day Friday ended with me getting to spend the evening with my newly-engaged sister, Amy. We haven't had a chance to hang out, just the 2 of us (well, Lincoln came along), in a long time and it was refreshing, relaxing, and something we need to do more often.
Then on to Saturday: accomplishment #2...wedding dress? check. Bridesmaid dresses? check. Invitations? check. Programs? check. Wedding colors? check. Song I'm suppose to sing at my sister's wedding? um, we still have a negative on that one people (suggestions welcome!).
And of course, pictures of all the festivities today checking off our lists? um, of course, CHECK.

Starting the dress search...
The sisters.

Searching for dresses calls for a LONG day. So Kristen thought it would be fun to try some on and pose all model-esque??? Yeah. Obviously this is why neither of us will be seen on the next season of ANTM.

Then on for the second half of the Saturday...Jason and I accomplished working out which involved running while pushing Lincoln, then we decided to work in the flower beds while Lincoln played on his blanket in the yard (he LOVES the outdoors), which then resulted in me trading in the shovel for my camera to capture the sweet baby and his daddy:

Getting dark...time to go in :)