Dear Lincoln,

I am so proud of the amazing boy you are becoming! You have been through a lot of changes in the past year and have had so much fun in the process. We lived in Woodland, CA for just under a year and we then moved to Greenville, South Carolina in September 2013 shortly after your 3rd birthday.

In July we celebrated Nana's 70th birthday and the 4th of July on our annual family trip to Myrtle Beach. You had such a great time playing with your cousins.

It was on this trip that daddy received a phone call from Shriner's Hospital in Greenville, SC which led to his accepting of a position and eventual move to South Carolina.

When we returned from Myrtle Beach we celebrated your 3rd birthday which  was so fun! We had a Woody themed Birthday party and you LOVED it! Grandma and Grandpa Freeman, Papa Reich, Aunt Nee Nee and GG came to the party as well as many friends and cousins. You are so loved!!! You loved your woody birthday cake and had lots of fun with your friends!!!

 

 

In September we moved across the country and you flew with Mommy and Grandma Freeman (Mac) while Daddy and Grandpa Freeman (Pa) drove the big truck from California to South Carolina. It took them about 4 days to get across the country and they stopped and visited some neat tourist sites on the way. We were so sad to leave GG, but we were excited for a new adventure.

We moved in to a nice neighborhood in Simpsonville, SC. Our house was in a cul-de-sac, and our neighbors were all very kind and friendly. You especially liked a little girl named Gracie who lived across the street from us. You two would play most days together and you both have matching Police cars that you drive around the neighborhood in together. Sometimes Gracie would hook up her little dog's leash to the back of your Jeep and take the doggie for a ride!  Mommy would sit and laugh and watch you two have so much fun!

In December we went home to Nevada for Cari and James wedding. It was so fun to spend Christmas with family and partake in the sealing of two very special people. You and Jame's little brother were the ring bearers.

 

In January we had snow in South Carolina. We did not expect to have snow, so it was really fun to go out and play and build snowmen and sled.

Lincoln and Gracie Jan. 2014

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You had surgery on your right leg in February 2014 to revise the amputation to make it more comfortable for you to wear a prosthesis. You did so well and the surgery went great! You were even able to come home the same day of surgery. Your leg was in a cast and had to heal over a period of 3 months before you could wear your leg again. You were such a happy boy even when you were unable to wear your leg. You scooted around and played on the floor and NEVER complained that you couldn't walk! You rode your Police Car around the cul-de-sac for hours at a time even in cold weather. I think driving the car helped you feel like you were still mobile! You are such a strong and happy little guy!

 By the end of May you had your new prosthesis and were ready to rock and roll! You get around now so well and can do anything you put your mind to!

I love your sense of humor and the way you make us laugh all the time. You are very observant and love to watch people and situations and then repeat what you saw or learned when you are at home. I will often find you playing in your playroom, dressed up as your teacher, reading stories for your animals or singing songs! You love to sing and for your 4th Birthday you got a Ukele. You hold it and strum it just right and you make such beautiful music with it! We love to hear you sing and play the guitar.

We took a family trip to Myrtle Beach in June, and stayed in a beach house for a week with all your cousins and Aunties and Papa. We had such a great time and you loved playing in the water and riding the waves on a boogie board. You were so brave in the ocean! We had such a great time with our family. You are so blessed to have so many family members who love and adore you!

On July 28, you turned 4 and we had your Birthday Party at the Fire Station! You loved this birthday party more than any you had previously! You got to ride in the fire engine, take a tour of the fire house and spray the big water hoses! You had lots of friends and your cousins, Hannah, Tacoma, Jonah and Micah and Auntie Dar there! You still talk about your party all the time and want to visit the fire station often!

You have made a lot of nice friends since we moved to South Carolina. You like to play with Rossi Reed, Haley Rogers, Lauren Hill, and Charlie and Tripp our new neighbors.


We had a new house built over the summer and you helped mom and dad pick out everything and really loved looking at houses with us! You even knew all the floor plan names and loved Gail and Phyllis-the realtors we worked with. You are so personable and every where we go people LOVE you Lincoln!

We moved into our new house in early September and you love our new neighborhood and have made friends with Charlie and Tripp in the neighborhood. You all have motorized cars and ride in the cul-de-sac and play work shop and have so much fun together!

Charlie and Lincoln Cruising

You also started Preschool this year at Immanuel Lutheran School and LOVE it! Your teacher is Mrs. Tharpe and Miss Jill is the assistant and you love them. You are always so excited to go to school and enjoy your time learning and playing with friends.

We are working on writing your letters and you don't love to do it yet, but you are getting better everyday and more tolerant of it!

We love you buddy and are sooooo grateful for the good, happy boy that you are! You light up our life and are so precious! 

For Halloween you were Kristoff from Frozen. Grandma hand made the costume for you because we couldn't find it anywhere. You  looked so cute and true to character.

This Christmas we stayed home in South Carolina and enjoyed the holidays as a small family. It was nice to have a quiet relaxing Christmas, but we did miss all our family in Reno. It was s o fun to see how excited you were this year. You asked Santa for a train set and were so surprised when he actually brought it for you! It was so fun to watch you enjoy the magic this year!

We look forward to a new year and watching you continue to grow and develop. You bring so much joy to our lives.

Christmas Card Picture 2014

Letters to Lincoln

I have found it difficult to keep up on this blog as much as I would like to because I am trying to live in the moment and savor my days with my little boy, and by the end of the day I am exhausted and not motivated to write, however it pains me to think I am letting each day pass by and I am not documenting as much as I would like to.  I am going to start writing you letters Lincoln, to tell you about the fun things (and sometimes not so fun things) we do each week. I think this will help me to take the time to write more often.

So here we go...

Dear Lincoln,

It has been a very full few months. Daddy accepted his first job out of school in Woodland, CA and we moved here in the middle of February. We really like it here and you have settled in nicely. You like our "new house," and still 3 months after moving in, you ask to always go to "new house" when we are out and about. We now live 10 minutes from your Great Grandma "GG" who you love and adore sooo much. She loves you so much too and you have so much fun when she is around. You love to "drive" her car and play in her yard, particularly the friendly forest.  She is your Pal and teaches you so many things!

We take a music class together each week on Wednesdays and you LOVE to sing. Your favorite songs are Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus and I am a Child of God. You sing lots of songs, but these seem to be your favs.
You love Woody from Toy Story and demanded we buy you pajamas so you could look just like him. You never want to take them off.

 We bought some Toy Story fabric to make you a woody blanket and you wanted to help mommy make it. You are such a big boy.

 We took a trip to Fairy Tale Town in Sacramento and you loved the  Mother Goose statue. You love to watch mother goose and you know all the rhymes.

 Of course you had to drive the tractor. You LOVE cars and any mode of transportation.

                                                   You and Megan riding in her cool car.

 You love to help Daddy mow the lawn, and your  lawn mower spouts out bubbles.

 You have discovered pockets and love to put your hands in them and look "cool like Daddy."

 I love when you dress up for church and like to look in the mirror and admire yourself!

                                                                   Cheese!!!

The past few days you have been making up songs to all the tunes you know and the songs usually involve cars and all the people's names you love. It is adorable.

You love to ask "Mom, what's this and where is so and so.." I love to answer your questions and you pick up on things so quickly.
I love you my smart amazing boy!