The Lincoln Family

2012-03-06T16:24:00.006-05:00

The last 48 hours have been unbelievable, to say the least. We're writing to give you an update on our lives, especially our son Kellon. It's a story full of highs and lows....let me begin.

Sunday morning: I have an orchestra rehearsal at the school for most of the day. My headache and achy throat are making this not fun, but oh well, we got through it. Lisa was going to take the kids to church, but decided against it due to Kellons' bad cold. It's really taken a hold of him at this point and he's now needing the nebulizer to help control the coughing.

Sunday evening: Lisa and I are both exhausted - her from having all three kids (one of them with a bad cold) for the entire day, and myself from struggling through that orchestra rehearsal. I had planned to meet Gabe Laramay to work on assembling and purchasing parts for a new computer I was planning to build. He texted. I texted. Meet in a few. No problem, except that when he arrives, he sits down at my computer and begins looking for parts...then Ryan Brink walks in the door with a new computer and monitor! Ryan and Gabe had organized donations from a bunch of people and together put together an incredible system for me to record this new album on. Unbelievable high. Full of gratitude.

As they were leaving, Gerald Ware pulls in our driveway to look at our car that would not start. Not sure why, so he was coming over to have a look. I went out with him and he asked me to jump in and try to start it. I sat in the car and put the key in the ignition. He stands ready at the gas cap to listen for the fuel pump...I turn the key....vroom!! The old girl fires up like a formula1 race car! I look at Gerald in disbelief, almost embarrased that I had interrupted his evening. Feeling the need to justify myself, I reassure him that this car did NOT start on Thursday, or Friday, or Saturday....to make sure we turned it off and started it again. We've been driving it ever since...which is good, because....

Sunday evening we are all exhausted and it seemed all five of us where fighting off some sort of sickness. Kellon was by far the worst among us. His cough was so gripping and violent it was painful to watch and listen. Lisa tried everything except voodoo to help him. Finally he's asleep and we begin to discuss the possibility of taking him to the doctor's the next day. "Let's wait and see in the morning" we say....little did we know.

Lisa and I left for work in the morning. Usually she gets a ride, but her "mother-spidey" senses are ultra-sensitive and she decided to drive herself "just in case" she needed to come home. I received a text mid-morning from Lisa stating that Kellon was in rough shape, and she was on her way back to Massena to take him to the doctor. Ok...good. He'll go to the doctor, they'll tell us to continue the nebulizer, give him some steroids and problem solved. Not exactly.

Lisa arrived at the doctor's office and Kellon was in tears because the poor kid couldn't breathe. I have never personally felt that feeling, but how scary it must be! The nurse urged Dr. Gupta to see him immediately. Dr. Gupta came into the office, took one look at Kellon and told Lisa to take him straight to the ER! Good thing it was across the street! Kellon is now in full tears, lacking oxygen (literally) and in distress.

I had just finished the second of four performances that day. Our select groups were "on tour" throughout the elementary schools, performing for them. I happened to check my phone out of boredom and noticed that I had not recognized the vibration when Lisa's text came in. I check it. "Dr. Gupta is sending us to the ER immediately. K is in rough shape." What?

I immediately dial Lisa and she is in the ER. She literally carried Kellon into the ER and walked right into the triage (past the front desk) and the look on her face must have been enough - the nurses jumped into action and immediately began to attend to Kellon. It was about this time that my phone call was going through to Lisa. "They're about to put an IV in Kellon, they're going to draw blood, they've already given him a nebulizer treatment, his oxygen is down to 93 and they're talking about keeping him overnight!" Things are serious now. I look around where I'm standing - there's 48 high schoolers in my care and they are currently at Trinity elementary school dancing around the room with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders to the music of the Jazz Band playing on the stage. They had no idea that leaving them had just become my number one priority. I arrange with Jon to leave immediately and off I go. I have 1hr and 40 minutes until the next performance. I need to go be with Kellon and Lisa!

When I arrive I heard Kellon scream - they were still finishing up drawing blood and taping down the IV that was already administered. Lisa appeared calm, in control. Not a surprise to me. It was at that moment as I looked in Lisa's motherly eyes and then into Kellon's gentle yet red and tear-filled eyes that I realized I had been so wrong and Lisa was so right. In our discussion the night before we weighed whether or not we should take him to the doctor’s. “He needs to fight through this and win. Steroids and antibiotics don’t make his body any stronger” I said, feeling manly and wanting to see him do just that. “Chris, he’s in pretty rough shape”, Lisa responded with a measured amount of Mama Bear ferocity. “Ok. Let’s’ see what tomorrow brings.” Now, as I’m standing there looking at my son in the ER, crying in pain, and Lisa’s gentle, non-condemning eyes, I’m very grateful that she followed her gut, drove herself and made the appointment.

After the IV was in and the blood was drawn things started to calm down. His blood-oxygen levels were still not where we all wanted them to be, but they seemed to be improving to some degree. Neither Lisa or I wanted them to keep him overnight, and we actually began planning little subtle ways of reassuring the doctor that we would take good care of him and that he would sleep so much better in his own bed.

Concert time was approaching and Lisa had everything under control. Allie and Tayte were with Grandma Carol, so I went to Nightengale elementary – in the car that just came back to life just the night before. Lisa and I were still in constant contact via cell phone. After the concert I had a huge musical meeting, a trip to the Massena Police department to meet with the Chief of Police to outfit two of the cast members with police uniforms, then back for rehearsals and production meetings. Looming in the back of my mind was how we were going to handle the evening – Kellon was still in the hospital, the babysitter’s planned leaving time is coming up soon, and I still have a concert that evening.

It’s decided. They’re going to keep Kellon overnight. Ok. Lisa and I begin to fashion a plan of how we’re going to do this. “So, are you going to be the ‘stay-at-the-hospital’ person and I’m going to be the ‘stay-with-the-other-two’ person?” I ask Lisa. Yes. So, my Mom goes to the hospital to stay with Kellon so Lisa can come home and gather a few things. She and I are home for less than 30 minutes as she grabs things for her and Kellon and we prepare the two little ones for the trip to Daddy’s concert! I decided that even if I have to take Allie and Tayte on stage with me they will be with me that evening.

Lisa travels back to the hospital and off I go to fetch some nuggets for the munchkins and then to the school. The concert went extremely well, and my high-school kids were SO eager to help with Allie and Tayte. They did fine sitting on the side of the stage watching Daddy play and conduct his portion of the concert. As long as Tayte could see me, he was fine. They ended up being out way too late, but they had a fun experience and it was a viable solution to the troubling logistics.

Meanwhile, Lisa sends me a text and tells me that they’ve transferred Kellon to a room where he will stay for the night. My anxiety was running high as I realized that the most stressful part of the evening was thinking that Kellon was not going to be happy about not being allowed to go home. I call them to find out that Kellon is dazzling the nurses with his cuteness and his wit (“Do you have Italian food here?”!!) and the nurses are all to eager to reciprocate the exchanges. “He’s doing fine” Lisa tells me. Really?! Yup, that boy can be handed a lemon and make some delicious lemonade….

The difficult part for Kellon was that they decided to give him nebulizer albuterol treatments every two hours – even through the night. He was comfortable enough, however, that he didn’t really wake up too much in the night during the treatments. He was, not surprisingly, up at his usual 6:30 biological rooster time and ready for the day!

I was still not feeling well and my voice took a real beating the day prior. So, I decided to stay home with Allie and Tayte. It was an exciting moment when Lisa called mid-morning to say that they had begun the discharge process! They’d be home in an hour or two.

Things are not back up to full health here yet, but it’s definitely looking much better now! Kellon has some good meds, some extra health stuff from the Natural Way and we are thankful for health and strength.

Now for the rest of the week…(2-3 hour musical rehearsals, a late evening orchestra rehearsal Wednesday night, singing for the Massena Chamber of Commerce annual dinner on Thursday evening, a TV interview Thursday night and an all-day rehearsal on Saturday. Lisa, meanwhile, will have to work each day and then be at home with the kids by herself in the evenings- if you think it’s easy being at home with three kids by yourself, you should try it sometime!

I’m going to go look at my new computer. Lisa….she’s going to do whatever she wants!

We’ll see y’all in April.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!!

2011-02-13T21:03:00.004-05:00

For my Valentine, my wife of nearly 8 years, and my best friend...

"Never Give Up On Love"

Seven years, lots of cheers and some tears
Two young friends chasing dreams, fighting fears
Little boys, little girl, climbing years,
It's just like a dream...

But every fire left alone will grow cold,
And every day the mundane is getting old,
Through the grind there is something that I've gotta say.

We will never, we will never,
We will never, we will never,
We will never, we will never,
We will never give up on love.

In fairy tales it's just wishing on a star,
But in real life there's no stronger without hard,
And only those that climb the mountain can enjoy the view,
I'm glad it's with you.

We will never, we will never,
We will never, we will never,
We will never, we will never,
We will never give up on love.

Just when I think there's nothing new,
I take some time and discover you,
You lean on me and I lean on you.
And together we will be true,
To the One who gave me you,
To the One who gave me you.

Hope all that listened enjoyed this tune. May you also never give up on love.

I love you, Lisa....Happy Birthday Valentine's Day!

p.s......for those that may not know, I'm currently working on a new record that will be released sometime this summer. "Never Give Up On Love" will be on it. Hope you enjoyed.

Kellon singing M-O-M-M-Y for Mother's Day

2010-05-11T13:00:00.003-04:00

Chris recorded Kellon singing this song for me for Mother's Day. This is a video clip of Kellon working on it in the studio. The song turned out fantastic, I'll treasure it forever!

2010-04-10T23:01:00.005-04:00

Tayte Samuel Lincoln

Born: April 9th, 2010 at 10:17am
8lbs 3oz, 20 1/2 inches long

The most beautiful family a man could ever have....breathtaking!

Kellon is such a great big brother!

Allie Grace giving her little brother a kiss...

The Babe and the Baby...

Stay tuned for more pictures and updates!

2010-03-11T21:55:00.002-05:00

Over February break we spent a night in Ottawa at a hotel that had an indoor waterpark! This was the picture of the kids trying on their swim gear.

We went to our favorite museum, enjoyed Winterlude's snowpark, relaxed at the hotel, and before going home went up the Peace tower in the Parliment Buildings for a great view of downtown Ottawa!

2010-03-11T21:41:00.001-05:00

Here are just a few snapshots of special moments of Christmas 2009...

2010-03-11T21:32:00.002-05:00

Kellon's 4th Birthday

Here's his cake to go along with the train theme...

And his BIG gift (literally!) - the bunk beds that Daddy MADE for him...aren't they incredible?

Happy Birthday Kellon, we love you!!

Cottage Days

2009-09-27T18:38:00.003-04:00

Here's some photos of our fun at "The Cottage." It's the place we've gone to for years with Lisa's extended family. Its a big lodge and there is about 50 people on the grounds for the week. We had a wonderful time!

Here Chris and Kellon are singing a song for Lisa's Grandmother, "Great Oma" (Dutch for Grandma)

Kellon and Allie hanging out with their cousin Jacob. He is so much fun!

The beautiful setting!

The growing Brink clan!

Allie's First Birthday

2009-09-27T18:13:00.006-04:00

We were at the cottage in Bancroft, Ontario for Allie's birthday, so we did a special dinner with family outside. You can see the sand and tents in the background!

YUM! Allie's first taste of cake!

Presents!

Allie got to have a second party when Chris' side of the family could all get together on Labor Day! So more cake, more attention, and more presents!

Happy 1st Birthday, gorgeous Allie Grace! You are such a blessing to our family!

2009-08-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

Had to add one more picture of Kellon enjoying Charleston Lake...priceless!

2009-08-17T22:21:00.002-04:00

Here's some pictures from our camping trip at Charleston Lake in Ontario with Lisa's family. We were truly "roughing it" in a tent, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and good family times.

Enjoying some Cheerios a little too early in the morning!

2009-07-22T08:42:00.004-04:00

July 4th Parade in Norwood! It was Kellon's first parade and at first he wasn't quite sure what to think. But he enjoyed it and especially loved the marching bands and the loud drums! Too bad it was so cold and rainy...

2009-07-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

This video is several weeks old now, but I love how Allie shows off her new skills in it: playing ball with Kellon, crawling, and standing holding on to furniture. Kellon is so proud of his little sister!!

Allie Grace...

2009-01-22T20:49:00.008-05:00

Allie Grace is now 5 months old. She's grown so much and we thought we might share some pictures...Lisa and I would like to thank our professional-camera-toting family: thanks Cheryl, Ryan, Kevin, Chad, and the rest of you who make Allie feel like a celebrity. I thought I would just post these pics in the blog instead of in a slideshow...

Reading at a young age...

Hanging out in the Jolly Jumper...

Bring on the food!

Brother and Sister...

Kellonisms

2008-12-07T21:48:00.003-05:00

Kellon said a few things over the last couple days that has wowed me, so I thought I would share them with you...

On Thursday night, I had my Winter Choral Concert at the high school. Kellon was excellent through the whole thing and Lisa - who braved into the concert with 2 kids by herself! - brought the little to my room after the concert was done. Everyone had left and it was just us in the room. Kellon walks toward me and says: "Good job teaching the kids Daddy." I looked at Lisa and the look on her face told me that she had not prompted him to say this. A few moments later we were walking hand-in-hand through the auditorium after shutting things off. As we walked he looked up at me and said "Good job on your concert Daddy." I was floored. These were completely unsolicited and unprompted comments that he was coming up with! All I could do is say "Thank You", give him a big hug, and try to gather my jaw from the ground. Now, he is our first child...but is that normal for a 3yr. old to say such things?

On a funnier note, I was shaving on Saturday and Kellon wanted to watch. He was watching everything. After, I put all the shaving cream on, I looked over at Kellon. He declares: "Daddy...you look like Jesus."

Kellonisms...funny, enlightening, and down right cute.

Kellon's "Lightning McQueen" Cake

2008-11-26T23:35:00.002-05:00

Lisa made a super-cool "Lightning McQueen" (from the Disney movie "Cars") cake. Here's a video of Kellon discovering that it is a cake of "Lightning McQueen." (just click to play.)

Kellon's Birthday Party

2008-11-26T22:38:00.008-05:00

On November 15th, we had a whirlwind day of birthday parties! Several of Kellon's friends arrived at 10am for a birthday bash. Later on that day, all the family came over for a party and the big unveiling of the new drumset. Here are a bunch of pictures from the day! (You can let the slide show play on its own or you can move through the pictures with the arrow keys at your own pace. Enjoy!)

Happy Birthday Kellon! We Love You!

Kellons New Drumset

2008-11-26T22:27:00.003-05:00

Kellon's grandparents bought Kellon a new drumset for his birthday. As you might have noticed from previous blog entries, Kellon has taken an interest in the drums since he received his first starter set over a year ago. We thought it might be time to upgrade to an official "real" drumset that is built for youngsters. This is a great little kit. He plays it daily and he can almost reach the kick drum pedal!

Special "Thank You" to the grandparents: Grandma Carol and Rich, Papa Dean and Ruth, Grandma Cindy and John, and Opa and Oma. Kellon will enjoy this drumset for many years to come.

Here's a video of the "unveiling" of his birthday present. I kept Kellon in the living room while everyone waited in the office, and, well...watch what happens! (click picture to play video file)

Happy Birthday Kellon! We all love you!

Halloween and the "Western-ers"...

2008-11-23T15:46:00.011-05:00

Lisa's brother (Jay) and sister-in-law (Shannon) were in town for a visit before leaving on their trip to Africa! They will be living and working in the country of Burkina Faso for 6 months. She is a nurse and he is an IT professional and they will be working with a hospital and other agencies. We're all proud of them and we are keeping them in our prayers. This is a great picture of them with Kellon and Allie.

Here's Jay and Shannon with Allie...

For Halloween, Kellon dressed up like a fireman. There was a very cool party down at the DOC for little kids. He had a blast going from game to game and snagging lots of candy along the way!

Here Kellon is standing inside a HUGE bubble! With the right amount of dishsoap and a hula-hoop, you too can have your very own life-size bubble!

What an arm! Special thanks to Heather Ramsdell and all who put this party on....it was a great night!

I just had to add at least one picture of our little girl!

Awesome Autumn

2008-11-22T21:39:00.008-05:00

It's been a while since we've updated our blog, and this is just the first of several entries we need to make. We've had a lot of exciting things happening lately, but we didn't want to leave out some cool events from the fall. So, here are some pictures from some events...

Here we are at the top of Mt. Azure. We took a hike with Lisa's family in late September and we had a great time! It was a bit of a task with two kids...I carried Kellon in a back carrier up and down and Lisa carried Allie both ways. Interesting!

Hey...when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!

Great picture of John Brink. Great man and a great father...

Of course, we had a lot of leaves from our big trees, and Kellon loved playing in them!

A little picture time before the real work of hauling the leaves to the back "40"....yuck!

If you know Kellon, you're probably laughing right now...his shirt says "Save Water, Drink Juice"!...

Visit From the Soldiers

2008-09-07T19:09:00.009-04:00

Today we had a great visit from my brother and his wife who are home from Iraq for a short two week leave. Jay and Amy arrived on US soil sometime around labor day (no, I don't think it's "classified" I just can't remember) and they'll be in town for just a couple more days.

Today we had a little party for them and it was a lot of fun. Quite a few friends and family from Massena came over to see them and wish them well.

Here are some pictures from the great party...

Sergeant First Class Jason Lehman and his lovely wife Sergeant Amy Lehman with Allie Grace Lincoln. They are currently deployed to Iraq with the US Army. Amy's a natural....

Allie Grace with her Aunt Jennifer.

Kellon and Robbie in their very brief moments of rest. They watched about 15 minutes of "Bob the Builder" and the rest of the time was spent screaming, running, and other general boy behavior. Like....

Driving the Gator that Grandma Cindy and John brought! They had a blast in that thing...

They had only a few mishaps with running into a few things....

The ladies "chatted"...and Kellon and Robby....

Did what boys do!

They jumped...

And screamed....

And had a blast! It was a great day to see some great people. We didn't get any pictures of the 20 or so folks at our house today, but it was a great time.

"Uncle" Jay and "Aunt" Amy: we love you guys and we wish you a safe and secure finish to your deployment. Regardless of your actual job descriptions (I don't even know what they are), you are still putting yourselves in harms way for our country. We're grateful to you both and look forward to your safe return. Love you both and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

A Sleeping Child

2008-09-04T21:29:00.007-04:00

Bedtime...it's such a special thing. We don't have a routine with Allie yet...she sleeps whenever she wants, and often! With Kellon, we have a fairly regular routine that includes running from the bathroom "all the way to his bed" after brushing his teeth, a story (often repeated...), prayer, and brief time of back-rubbing. Each night, I can't go to sleep until I check on him and touch his head. There's just something about a sleeping child!

Thought you might enjoy a few of these pics...

Allie enjoying some "siesta"...

This picture was taken in the pitch black with the flash. Kellon never even moved...He's cuddling with "Puppy" - his favorite.

Another picture taken in the dark. She didn't move either! She's not actually sucking her thumb...

Brother and Sister

2008-09-04T21:13:00.004-04:00

It has been so amazing to see Kellon and Allie together. We tried our best to prepare Kellon for a baby sister and it seems like he is adapting so well. He is already looking out for her and very concerned if she ever cries or even whimpers. He loves to cuddle with Allie and "give her squeezes" which is a term that we've long used with him. To watch him kiss her is a special thing - he's so gentle and something so very "big brotherish" about it. It's going to be fun to watch them as they both grow! Here are some more pictures....

Kellon loves to get close to Allie...

Kellon is so kind and compassionate towards Allie...He's even sharing! Here he's telling Allie that he wants her to have his new favorite car! (It's "Doc" from the movie "Cars".)

I think Allie really enjoyed the car...

Kellon's 2nd Memory Verse!

2008-08-22T22:20:00.002-04:00

Here's Kellon sharing his 2nd memory verse...his parents like this one!

Allie Grace Lincoln - She's HERE!

2008-08-17T00:05:00.003-04:00

We're proud to announce the birth of our beautiful daughter - Allie Grace. She was born at 2:33am on Saturday, August 16th. She weighed in at 6lbs 8oz and was 19in long. Lisa did a fantastic job of birthing this little girl - even going "au naturale" and not taking any pain medication or epidural.

Mommy and baby are doing great. Enjoy these early pictures. We'll upload more over the next several days...

Lisa and Allie Grace, just moments after she was born...

Two beautiful ladies...

Kellon meeting his little sister for the first time...he's SO good with her.

Mommy with her little girl...

Kellon holding Allie Grace...it's so cool to see how gentle and aware he is with her already.

Kellon giving kisses to Allie Grace.

Kellon with Allie Grace...I love this picture.

Allie's first visitors - Dale, Susie, and Danny.

Danny jumped right in...he's a natural.

Grandma Cindy and John stopped by for a visit...

Lisa's parents (Opa and Oma) stopped by with Cheryl, Ryan, Kevin, and Karen.

Mom and baby are doing really great. We're hoping that they'll both be able to come home by Monday morning. We're still waiting for visits from Grandma Carol, Grandpa Dean, Uncle JD, and a host of other family members and friends.

Lisa and I are very excited that Allie Grace is so healthy and strong! More pictures and posts to come...

Kellon's first memory verse

2008-07-18T22:39:00.002-04:00

We are pretty proud of Kellon's first Bible memory verse! (Genesis 1:1)

Lehmans Visit

2008-07-18T10:32:00.011-04:00

Matt, Tasha and the boys came for a great visit in the middle of June. We thought we would post some pictures from that visit. Kellon had a great time having his cousins here. He really looks up to Chandler and Chase. They stayed with us for about a week and it seemed so short. We're really looking forward to their return to the northeast - hopefully in just a few months!

So we decided to post some pictures and make some comments...This first picture is of the boys getting cozy on the couch and watching some TV.

Here the boys are having too much fun on the gator at Grandma Cindy's. I can't help but comment on this one: Charlie is driving and definitely looking for the next thing to run into; Kellon is the passenger and he's trying to determine if he should get off now; and Chase is giving Charlie an earful on how to drive. What a great picture!

Here's Kellon teaching Charlie how to rock out.

More jammin'.

The boys loved to ride in the trailer behind the tractor...Lots of fun.

Notice who's driving this time! It was so funny, Chandler could barely reach the pedals, he had to almost lie down to drive it. BUT, he also had to keep pressure on the seat to keep the safety trigger from stalling the machine. It was probably harder for him to drive it than anyone....a lot of skill to be able to pull that off!

Chandler must be a nice big brother because his younger siblings aren't worried at all that he's at the wheel!

I think this picture says a lot about these boys. Chase is relaxing but he's VERY aware of everything going on around him. Kellon is attached to his ball and sitting forward - because he hardly every relaxes. Chandler is being his goofy self....and Charlie....well, he's a cautious happy.

WHAT A GREAT VISIT from the Lehmans! We thoroughly enjoyed having them here and the only bad thing was that they only stayed for one week. If you notice, there are no pictures of the adults: we were too busy having fun watching the kids!

We love you Matt, Tasha, Chase, Chandler, and Charlie. We're praying the God directs every step of this next season and that your transition back to the northeast will be smooth and quick!

Kellon Drumming - June 2008

2008-07-17T12:55:00.002-04:00

We shot these videos after my concert this spring. Kellon really wanted to go up and play the drums. Nearly everyone had gone and we let him sit down and play. He's just wearing a t-shirt because it was incredibly hot and sweaty in the auditorium that evening.

If you really listen to his playing, you can hear two beats: a "hip-hop" beat and a straight beat. Click on the picture to play the video. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed the videos!

The Tulip Festival and Ottawa Trip

2008-05-28T21:59:00.014-04:00

Each year, Ottawa holds the "Tulip Festival." Lisa, Kellon and I went up for a Saturday to enjoy the tulips and have a fun day. Lisa's sister, Melanie, and her husband Chad, were arriving later that evening in Ottawa so we decided to make a day of it. This first picture is relatively early on in the day. The tulips were really amazing and we enjoyed our walk through the sprawling display. The weather dudes forecasted some rain but we didn't receive any until later that afternoon. Kellon really enjoyed being on our "trip" and he had a great time with Aunt Cheryl, who spent most of the day with us. After seeing the festival, we picked up Cheryl, got a sausage from the famous sausage vendor across from the Parliament buildings and visited Andrew Hayden Park, flew a kite, and then visited the Museum of Nature. The rest of the pics show you a bit of the fun we had that day. Best of all, we picked up Mel and Chad at the airport later that evening. Fun day...

Kellon having fun on the sidewalk. This picture just looks cool to me.

Posing for the Camera!

On the slide with Aunt Cheryl (the headless lady...) at Andrew Hayden park. The park was Cheryl's idea and he really loved it. He love that slide. He must have gone up and down that thing dozens of times before we had to peel him away. We bought him a kite and that finally got him interested in something else!

At the museum of nature...showing the T-Rex who's boss....

After the Museum of Nature, we went to Wakefield, Quebec. It's a really cool town outside of Ottawa only 15 minutes or so. Lisa and I have been her before and we remembered this really cool covered bridge. So we stopped by. Kellon got to throw rocks into the water with some strangers...he loved it. Here's Kellon and I going for a stroll in this cool bridge.

I just love this picture...

All of us on our special day...

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T19:49:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Today was a great day. We went to church in the morning, then Kellon and I took Lisa out to lunch. After lunch, we came home and Kellon had some time in the swing. We also took some pictures. But, we missed the window for Kellon's nap, so Kellon stayed up and mowed the lawn with Dad.

We wish a very happy Mother's Day to all the Moms in our lives. Hope you had a special day!

(Lisa at 26 weeks!)

Kellon, Mommy, and the little girl...

Kellon LOVES his swing!

Kellon and Music

2008-04-30T19:57:00.002-04:00

As many of you speculated before Kellon was even born, he definitely has an affinity towards music. It's been really fascinating and even nostalgic for me (Dad) to watch this unfold. We've "caught" him before listening to music while he was sitting at the computer desk and he would close his eyes and sway with the music. Lisa and I just stood there, trying to conceal our presence, and watched him enjoy the music. I can tell you that I know what he's feeling. There's a cool feeling that us musicians have when we really sit and enjoy - or engage - in music. It washes over your whole body and it's not about ears anymore, it's about the moment and the song. It's about connecting with the rhythm, harmony, and melody. It's engaging in the music even when just listening. I can tell that Kellon already has this. Even in the way we can be anywhere and when a song or music begins playing he'll stop - almost the way a dog does when it stops and the ears perk up - and look for the source of the music.

Tonight, I wanted to show Lisa the new home audio system that Joe and Elaine Cardinal gave to us. I installed it last night and stayed up way too late enjoying some U2 video from their Elevation Tour DVD. So, after dinner I turned U2 back on and started with "Bullet the Blue Sky." I turned it up a bit and Kellon had to get his drum sticks and play along. The whole time this was on, he just stood about five feet away from the TV locked on the images and the music. I next - and who wouldn't be moved by this - played "Where The Streets Have No Name." If you've never seen this tune on this dvd, it's incredible to watch. Kellon was in absolute awe. He stood motionless in front of the television completely focused and engaged in what was going on. He totally forgot that we were there and probably even where he was. I managed to finally think to get the camera and I took some footage of him standing in front of U2. Check it out:

Of course, Lisa and I are doing everything we can to foster this love, appreciation, and talent for music. Kellon loves to play the drums and has actually really wowed us with some of his abilities (see previous blog of Kellon playing drums). He has a drums set at home and loves to play often. He also loves to play our piano, and I can't pull out my guitar without him pulling out his. He will often come over and give me his little guitar and say "Daddy play" and then walk over to his drumset so we can jam together.

Such special times...

Videos from the Children's Museum

2008-04-20T22:19:00.002-04:00

For fun, I decided to post a couple more videos from our trip to Ottawa. This first one is of Kellon walking through the museum and stopping by at "The Post Office."

And here's a video of Kellon working the Canadarm simulation in the SPACE exhibit. Check out how much he is concentrating!

Happy Birthday Chad

2008-04-20T21:14:00.002-04:00

Here's a Happy Birthday wish for our brother-in-law out West! Chad, we hope you had a great birthday, and we're all looking forward to your visit in a few weeks!

Kellon's Trip to Ottawa

2008-04-18T23:38:00.010-04:00

Lisa and I took Kellon to Ottawa today to spend a day specifically on him and enjoy the capital city. We took Kellon to the Children's Museum in the Museum of Civilization. He had a lot of fun and never slowed even once. He would run from activity to activity. It's really funny how things that we think he'll be really be interested in, he's not always intrigued with, but some things we think he'll find boring have his attention until we're bored and pull him off! It was so fun just to see him enjoy the museum. Here are some more pictures from the museum:

Kellon "de-boarding" a Pakistani bus.

Kellon checking some tools at the "Construction Exhibit."

Mopping the deck!

Checking out the fruit stand in "India."

And here's a cool little video of Kellon pulling a toy puppy in the museum. Click on the video to play it...

After the museum we went to Parliament Hill, got a couple of hot dogs from a sidewalk vendor, and sat on a blanket on the hill. It was such a nice day. Kellon had a lot of fun running about and coming back to the blanket for bites of his hot dog. What a great time!

Working with Daddy

2008-03-23T20:57:00.004-04:00

As part of Lisa's birthday present, I decided to build her some pantry shelves in one of our long kitchen cupboards. I told her I would do this two year ago, but that's not what this blog is about..... Kellon saw me working and he had to take part. He immediately went and got his drill from his toy tool set, and started to "help" me with the building. He was really into it. He would hand me tools I needed and such - what a team! I think he enjoyed the thought of building them for Mommy. We don't have a picture of this, but to "test" the bottom shelf I put Kellon up on the shelf in the cupboard and he thought that was really funny. After all was said and done, however, I think he was slightly disappointed to see that his favorite hiding spot was now filled with canned goods and hardwood. He's a great helper, and I'm sure he'll be helping Daddy for many years to come!

What a great helper!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-23T20:20:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter! The Lincoln's had a very relaxing Easter Sunday. We went to church and then went to Guy's Diner for lunch. This picture is Kellon's outfit for Easter. He enjoyed wearing it. After his nap we hid a bunch of Easter eggs with jelly beans and stickers in them. He really got a kick out of looking for them and we enjoyed "hiding" them.....in plain sight!

Enjoy the short video clip. Just click on it and listen to Kellon's funny exclamation of "oh my goodness!"

Christmas 2007

2008-03-23T19:48:00.011-04:00

Well, it's March and we're just getting around to posting some pictures from our family Christmas. This was the first Christmas that Kellon could really get involved with what was going on and he sure did! He had such a great time opening gifts, and between his birthday in November and Christmas, he really got the hang of ripping off that wrapping paper. We had a great Christmas at home on Christmas morning. We prayed before we went downstairs to try and teach Kellon that Christmas was about more than gifts and lights. Kellon received loads of gifts. Enjoy the pictures!

He was quite excited to see the tree in the morning!

Ripping into gifts!

Opening gifts with Mommy and Daddy.

Exhausted from opening all those gifts...time to watch Veggie Tales!

New Baby Lincoln!

2008-02-21T22:24:00.005-05:00

We wanted to share the latest photos of our "new" baby. New Baby Lincoln will be arriving sometime around the 20th of August, and the little one was kind enough to give us a wave in the picture! Throughout the entire sonogram the baby was moving a lot and it is good to hear the doctor say "healthy baby". For those who are aware, and for those who might not be, Lisa did have some trouble in the beginning of this pregnancy. We had a bit of a scare when she was 9 weeks but thankfully the doctor was able to ascertain the problem and as of now (14 weeks), both the baby and Lisa are doing great! We're very thankful. We've also attached two other pictures from the sonogram.

Kellon Drumming

2008-01-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

At my high school choral concert this past December, Lisa and Kellon came dressed up and enjoyed the evening. We bought Kellon his tuxedo after his Aunt Melanie asked him to be a ring bearer in her wedding this past August. He still (barely!) fit into it. Before the concert, Kellon encouraged all the students with a virbrant "Good Luck!" which drew much praise. During the concert, Lisa had to remind him that he was an audience member, not a performer because he kept joining in with the choral songs. After the concert, we brought Kellon up to the stage and let him play the drumset. He had a fabulous time, and as you can tell in the video, there is no lack of enthusiasm! He talked about this for weeks. Everytime we drove up to the school he's say: "I wanna go concert, play drums!"

He seems to enjoy the stage quite a bit. The other day, Lisa and Kellon stopped into the school. I took Kellon out the stage because I had to check and make sure all the lights were off. Before I dimmed the lights, Kellon walked downstage center, right in front of the "audience" (the room was empty at the time), stood upright, held out his hand, and belted out the theme song to "Veggie Tales." Lisa and I just stood there with our mouths open...we couldn't believe what we were seeing! We never taught him to do this.

Christmas with Grandma Cindy

2008-01-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

On Friday, Dec. 21st, we traveled to Grandma Cindy's house for a Christmas get-together. It was a lot of fun. Kellon had a great time opening gifts and he and Robbie enjoyed wrestling by the Christmas tree. Jay and Amy were here as well and it was great for Kellon to be able to see them. As you can tell by the pictures, Kellon was the recipient of many gifts, and he enjoyed playing with every one of them! His "big" gifts were a Tonka truck from Grandma Cindy, and a "laptop" from Uncle Jim and Aunt Jennifer.

Winter Begins

2007-11-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-11-25T20:40:00.001-05:00

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!

2007-11-24T13:16:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-24T12:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-19T22:34:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-10-31T15:43:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-19T00:16:00.000-04:00

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...

2007-10-07T19:59:00.000-04:00

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...

2007-10-04T23:26:00.000-04:00

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

What We Did This Summer

2007-09-30T21:35:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-30T16:59:00.001-04:00

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

2007-09-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

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!