Winter Begins

This evening, Lisa and I took an evening stroll through our back yard. We were in awe of the beautiful scenery in our one acre. The pine and fir trees were heavy with new, wet snow and the sky was aglow as it always is in winter when there is a blanket of white on the ground. Even in the darkness, it didn't seem dark. So, I guess winter is here. It's only November 27th, but it looks like I won't get to mow my lawn that one last time. And those leaves in our back lawn are going to have to stay where they are. Winter is here! I'm a four-season guy, and I always look forward to the next season. Most of all, though, I look forward to exploring the next season with my beautiful wife and amazing little boy.

Kellon Goes to A Hockey Game!

A friend of ours gave us tickets to go and see a Clarkson hockey game. Lisa and I took Kellon and he had a blast. It was actually his second Clarkson game this year, but he was much more into the game this time. Every time the crowd would cheer (or sometimes jeer) Kellon would clap his hands and yell in huge excitement. He made it through the whole game! It was good that we got seats right on the glass because he can stand up and we're not worrying about him falling down a few rows. He would stand at the glass and yell, and believe it or not he didn't jump at all when a couple players slammed the glass just inches in front of us. Lisa and I jumped, he just sat there. We got him some french fries, which he tore into. He love to dip! What a great night. Clarkson won 3-2.

Kellon's 2nd Birthday!

Kellon had a great party to celebrate turning 2 on November 12th! His grandparents and aunts and uncles that could make it came, and of course cousin Robbie. There was a pretty big Winnie the Pooh theme among the gifts, which thrilled Kellon! He also got a big track for racing cars down, and loves to play that with Mommy and Daddy or whomever will! Mommy made a drum cake, but Kellon mostly just ate the ice cream! He also really liked the balloons that Daddy got for him. All of our wonderful family that couldn't come either mailed or brought gifts by throughout the week. So Kellon got spoiled for a week straight! Hard to believe our baby is 2, but if you ask him, he'll tell you!

Kellon the Musician

Kellon, although he is only 2, is already starting to take an interest in music. His parents are obviously quite happy about this. The story goes like this:

We were given a "child's" drumset (the one in the picture) by some friends last spring. Kellon immediately took to that drumset and played it up to 2 full hours a day. He played it constantly. We actually were OK with the noise somewhat because we saw that he was really having a lot of fun.

I guess it was around his first birthday that Kellon really started playing the piano. He would sit on either my or Lisa's (or anyone, for that matter) knee and really plunk away. It was evident that he was really listening to what he was hearing, and focusing on the different sounds of the notes. This is really fun to watch!
Lisa and I decided to get him a little guitar for his birthday. He loves his guitar and he's so careful with it! He ALWAYS puts it away in the box that it came in.

Since Lisa and I were able to get a new computer a few months ago, I've been able to get back to doing some recording of some scratch songs here at home. Every time he hears one of my tunes come on he says "daddy's songs." He likes to play along with "daddy's songs" on the electronic drumset that I borrowed from my colleague at school. He actually keeps a semi-decent beat. I don't know much about how a two-year old should be playing drums, but Lisa and I are constantly impressed with how he keeps time and puts little beats together.

Don't worry though! It'll be at least another year before we officially start him with formal music lessons. I'm hopeful that he'll really be a good musician!

Fall Colors in Lake Placid

On Saturday, Oct. 6th, we took a trip to Lake Placid to view the fall colors. It was a great day! We arrived and took the Gondola up to the top of "Little Whiteface", then toured the beautiful downtown of Lake Placid. After meeting up with Chris's dad for a late lunch, we headed back for home.

Kellon had a great time in the gondola. We think he enjoyed the ride more than the view! Because the gondola is completely enclosed, he was able to walk around in the car without Mom and Dad getting too nervous. He had a great time. We had to watch him pretty close when we got to the top - for those of you that know Kellon, you know that he has no fear! He doesn't yet realize that he can't do "big jumps" off anything.

Kellon Mows the Lawn!

Kellon just loves to mow the lawn with Dad. He learned to say "tractor" very early this summer and from the first time I mowed this spring, he has asked to get on every time he sees it. It actually works out great because the mower has a great platform where he can stand right between my legs and he gets to "drive" and have a fun time. Of course, he does spend a considerable amount of time riding on my lap as well. It's a special time for us and I think we both love it.

Lately we've been raking our leaves, loading them into a large trailer, and using the tractor to haul the trailer to the back edge of our lawn. Kellon has really enjoyed being outside, "raking the leaves" ("I do it!", "I help"), riding in the trailer or driving the tractor with Daddy or Mommy.

He's growing up fast!

Sad Dad

Sad day...My beautiful and gorgeous wife, and my super-cool, awesome little boy just left. :-( They're off to a family wedding in Ancaster, Ontario, near Toronto. I know, I know... some of you think that a guy should be happy he gets the whole house to himself, to do whatever he wants, etc. I'm just not. I miss my little boy and my amazing wife. Wow, they've only been gone for 4 hours!

I know they will have a fantastic time. They will have a great opportunity to visit with lots of extended family and have a relaxing time. Kellon will be able to play with some of his "cousins" that he hasn't seen since August at the cottage. All in all, it's OK, I just don't like it right now.

Kellon Pics...

Here are some pictures from our time at the cottage. Kellon LOVED the swing. He would stay on that thing for 20 to 30 minutes at a time! He also loved the slide on the little kiddie playground. He had such a great time. Lots of friends to play with, always something going on. Enjoy the pictures....

Also, we went to Lake Placid on Saturday to visit Whiteface Mountain and check out the fabulous fall foliage. It was a great day despite being rainy at times. We do have some pictures and we'll do a post on that event in the near future.

Finally, for those who would like to post a comment (by clicking on "comments" beneath this text), you will need to create a Google account if you don't have one. It's remarkably easy and you can do it in less than 90 seconds. Just follow the directions after clicking on "comments." Have fun! Hope to hear from you all...

Some Pictures...

Here are some pictures from Chad and Melanie's wedding in August.

What We Did This Summer

This past summer we took several family vacations - it sure is great to be a teacher! In early July, we went with Lisa's parents to our favorite camping spot: Charleston Lake. We were only there for four days, but we had a blast. Then in August we spent a week at a cottage in Bancroft, Ontario, as is the tradition among Lisa's extended family. Kellon had a great time at both vacations, but he really loved the cottage. There were lots of relatives to play with him and he and Jasper became really good friends. This picture to the left is him running down to the private beach, which he did whenever he got the chance. The cottage also had a swingset / playground area, complete with a very large sandbox. He loved the swing! We had a great time and we're looking forward to next year.

Kellon at Melanie's Wedding

What a gorgeous little boy...well, at least his Mom and Dad think so! This picture was taken by his Aunt Cheryl after his Aunt Melanie's wedding. He was the ring bearer in the wedding and he did a great job. Lisa walked him down the aisle when she walked in (she was the Matron of Honor). He did a great job and even stayed in the room for the whole ceremony. Everyone was commenting on how cool he looked, which I don't think he minded one bit.

It's hard to believe that he'll be 2 years old in just six weeks. We're so blessed by Kellon everyday. He's learning new words all the time. This morning Kellon was in bed with us, and he and I had a conversation about going to church and playing the drums. It's amazing to us how much he's talking and understanding.

Yesterday, Kellon was at his Oma and Opa's house (Lisa's parents) and ended up pulling a microwave cart over onto himself. It was quite traumatic apparently and he has quite a bruise on his lower front gums. I'm just glad he didn't knock out his two front bottom teeth. So, today he's a bit grumpy and is having some trouble chewing. Boys will be boys!

New Computer = Leap into 21st Century

Well, we've finally done it. The Lincoln's went out and purchased a brand-spanking new computer! We figured it was about time to make the leap into the new millennium, so we went to the mecca - aka Wal-Mart - and made the largest of our collective Wal-Mart purchases. It was actually funny in a way of sorts how it happened. Lisa and I had been discussing purchasing a new computer for a long time, but they cost money! So, we had been trying to nurse my very old machine as long as we could. When I say very old machine, I mean, a 1999 P2, 433mhz with a whopping 256M of RAM. The best part: Window98 ORIGINAL edition!

So, we found one at Wal-Mart for a really great price, discussed it, and purchased it, all within 30 minutes. If anyone is interested in specs, you can follow this link and click on "Specifications." Overall a great purchase....and I might be getting used to Vista!