alison & josh & lincoln

2009 Christmas Update

2009-12-21T00:35:00.002-07:00

In April, we moved out to the country. We now live in Prunedale in the house that Josh spent most of his childhood in. We are about 15 minutes north of Salinas, where Josh’s parents live, and are situated on six beautiful acres surrounded by trees and hills to protect us from the cold Pacific air. Josh has done a fantastic job updating the house with fresh wall texture, paint, and bamboo flooring. We removed the carpet to discover beautiful hardwood floors that a friend of ours refinished to their original glory. In order to fit in, we lease out the pastures the neighbor’s horses and got baby chicks. Our chicks are now almost five months old and we had our first egg the other day. Josh plans to eat these eggs since we know they were humanely produced. They roam the backyard and sneak out to the driveway sometimes and they make the most ridiculous sounds. I love them!

Lincoln is a very silly guy! He has changed so much in the last year. He went from big baby to big boy. He still loves to change his clothes and wear his “Batman” costume. During the day he hangs out with lots of kids at Missy’s house, his new childcare. She is fantastic and is teaching him so much. He knows his letters, numbers, and sounds, among many other things. He learns so quickly! His language exploded this year. Last year, we noted that he was saying just “peesh” and a few other words but now it’s sentences like “[Uncle] Zach annoying me, Mom” and “Stop singing, Dad.” His communication skills are very good. He’s a social guy, too; Josh and I have met many new people because Lincoln pulls us up to them to introduce ourselves. We have so much fun with him and find ourselves falling more and more in love with him each day!

Josh and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this year in July. We are so blessed to have each other and to continue to grow in love. Sometimes it feels like four years is a long-time and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. And by the way, 2009 flew by with the blink of an eye, geez!

I have been incredibly busy for the last four months. I started going to California State University in Monterey Bay to complete my teaching credential in special education in the spring. I have one last semester with 11 credits to tackle. In addition, I’m working as a full-time special education teacher at a small high school in Marina. I teach in a special day class, which is a class for students whose skills are too low to be in regular classes. I love my job and my students but I don’t like homework! – Alison

I’m substitute teaching at local middle and high schools. I have learned a lot, and have received a lot of good responses from teachers, administrators, and students. I am planning to start my credential in the summer so I can teach high school English. I have also been working on my ordination and I’m trying to publish a manuscript I wrote on the Trinity. – Josh

If you want to keep up with us more throughout the year your best possible chances are by friending us on Facebook or texting us. We get horrible cell reception out here in the sticks!

We wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

With lots of love,

Josh, Alison, & Lincoln Gubser

it's been a looooong time

2009-12-14T22:27:00.002-07:00

Hi family and friends - I'm so sorry for my delinquency. I update facebook daily so you should join me there! It's easy to upload pics from my phone but not so easy to this site.

Quick update.

I am working at as a Special Ed teacher in Marina CA. I have one more semester of school.

Lincoln is fantastic and big. He's learning so much from his awesome child care lady, Missy!

Josh is substituting and making an impressive impact at all the schools he subs at. They all wish he had a teaching credential; which he will be pursuing next summer.

Thats all for now...more in Xmas letter later! next week.

night night!

pro-veggie bean video contest

2009-01-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

Vote for me in this contest!

Submit entry

Contest details

Merry Christmas from us!

2008-12-23T21:39:00.003-07:00

Behold the yearly Gubser update. Enjoy!
Winter 2008

Due to the nature of the current economy, my lack of Spanish-speaking skills, and my unwillingness to settle for a $10/hour job, I struggled to re-enter the workforce when we first moved here in May. So, I started substitute teaching at the end of the spring semester and realized how much I love being in the classroom. This fall semester brought me lots of experiences in a variety of elementary through middle school classrooms; thanks mostly to John and Marsha’s schools. After much thought and Josh’s encouragement I have decided to go back to school for a teaching credential in special education. I am very excited to start this spring and hope to finish (if I can manage) by fall of next year.

My extra-curricular activities have included conducting vegan culinary experiments with the abundance of veggies we were receiving from an organic farm, caring for our CRAZY adopted dog, Marley, and singing in our church’s community choir. I’ve recently revived my love for singing but I still do not have the courage to do a solo! Maybe that will be on 2009’s list of goals.

This year marks Lincoln’s second Christmas! He is very excited and pretty much knows what’s going on. I always swore I wouldn’t over do it with gifts for my children but both Josh and I are finding it very difficult to refrain from buying him a gaggle of gifts. To see his face light up at the sight of something new is pure awesomeness! However, even things like socks and shoes will no doubt be among his favorite gifts!

Lincoln is a 1 year 9 months old as of December 19. He is a full-fledged toddler with many silly quirks that endlessly entertain us. For example, the child loves shoes. All shoes! He especially prefers the glittery pink flats I wore to my wedding! He also is a fanatic of hats, scooters, and airplanes. He loves to change clothes many times during the day and play dress-up! Sometimes I think God blessed me with a boy with just enough typical femininity to satisfy my girly desires! Despite his feminine side he is quite an active, adventurous, and daring boy. He loves to climb new (and dangerous) playground equipment without properly notifying Josh or me and drive his Tow Mater truck off the ottoman. He loves to bang things, make guttural car and airplane noises, and throw and kick balls! The usual! Josh and I are eternally in love with him and are giddy at the sight of a new skill or the sound of a new word! “Peesh, peesh” = please.

Leaving construction in the dust, Josh has acquired a new “hobby” this year! A few months ago he bought a 1981 Peugeot 505. It’s not one of the more attractive vintage vehicles (Josh disagrees) but it is a diesel, therefore, making it possible to run it on B20. B20 is diesel fuel that is made from 20% vegetable oil. In 2009, he hopes to convert it to full-veggie power! Go VEGAN!

Currently, he’s working for the City of Monterey as a Recycling Technician. He is in charge of expanding the recycling program to the hotels, bars, and restaurants in Monterey. He’s done an amazing job even though he says, “it feels like sales sometimes.” 2009 may bring yet another career change for Josh. Ultimately, he’d be happiest as a college professor but that’s unfortunately not doable at this time in our lives. There are no universities around that offer PhDs in Theology or Philosophy. So…he may stay with the City in a different job or work for a non-profit in the environmental field. He will start substitute teaching part-time, also. Meanwhile, he continues to study and write theology in his minimal spare time and enjoys facilitating a conversation with our community group even if most of them think he’s crazy because his theological perspectives are atypical.
We love living near Josh’s family here in Salinas. It’s between Monterey and Santa Cruz about 20 minutes inland from Monterey Bay. It’s an amazingly beautiful area and I love that it NEVER snows!

With so much love from us we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday!

Alison, Josh, & Lincoln

november 2008

2008-11-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

asleep at the table!

thoughts of thanksgiving.

2008-11-27T09:25:00.003-07:00

wow....it has been way too long...again. the "ode to woad" entry needed to stay at the top for awhile! anyways, we are doing well. i'm writing today on Thanksgiving. here's what i'm thankful for:

-you
-God
-the Earth's beauty despite its current level of destruction.
-Lincoln
-Josh
-living in Salinas
-meeting tons of new friends (ok...tons is definitely an exxageration but several)
-my BFFs...Woadai, Goobies, Mom, Amanda,...
-my brother
-Josh's family
-my whole family!

the list could go on and on....

ode to woad

2008-10-01T14:50:00.002-06:00

i have a section in a college photo album devoted solely to woadi (anna). hahaha! it's easy to fall into old habits!

who wears the pants in this family?

2008-09-10T23:02:00.001-06:00

August/September pictures

2008-09-10T22:41:00.004-06:00

husband and baby enjoying Carmel sunset.

independence

independence AND dependence, respectively!

Alyza and I visited an organic winery in Carmel Valley. Due to a power outtage we got a free sandwich for two and extra (really expensive) Malbec for free! Yes! Then to top it off we napped in the sun in Heller's sculpture garden. Talk about peaceful!

"wheeeeeeeeeee!" he loves swings. and i love his crazy hair!!!

early pianist & reader thanks to Grammies help.

brothers & babies

Baby needs some A/C!

Sunset at Carmel!!!! Que beautiful!

Monterey & Cousins

2008-09-10T22:31:00.003-06:00

Victoria (aka Toria) & Angelique (aka Ange)

"Ahhhhhh here comes the frigid water!"

Matt & Ange with the other girls in the background.

Matt came down with his little ladies in August to hang out with the family. We took a trip to Monterey Bay. The waves were small and the water was cold but we had a blast building sand castles and knocking them over. No pics of the castles cuz yours truly was too busy building!

let's get serious

2008-08-26T23:30:00.003-06:00

ok friends...summer's over and now it's time to get serious about our future. it's time to talk about voting. this november we have a chance to change the future or remain stagnant in our pile of crap called the "U.S." let's change things. you all know that i am not a political person but i can't stand what has happened to our country these past 8 years. i place the majority of the blame on our president. therefore, let's change things and get the repubs out of control.

if you are ok with the way things are going in our economy, etc than go ahead and vote for mccain. but, seriously, are you really ok with all of this shit?

it's time for OBAMA.

please register and vote for OBAMA!

peace.

summer in a photo.

2008-08-15T15:54:00.001-06:00

2008-08-11T16:40:00.001-06:00

FOR SALE

2006 Dodge Dakota

36k miles $10,000 firm

831.512.6166

The truck has 36k miles and runs perfectly. It still has the 80k mile warranty, but I don't know if its transferable or not. It has a tow package (though I haven't bought the hitch) and a spray on liner. KBB private seller price is 12060. It also has floor mats and two seat covers which I recently purchased. Below are the specs.

3,701 cc 3.7 liters V 6 front engine with 93 mm bore, 90.8 mm stroke, 9.7 compression ratio, overhead cam and two valves per cylinder EKG
Fuel economy EPA highway (mpg): 22 and EPA city (mpg): 16
Multi-point injection fuel system
22 gallon main unleaded fuel tank
Power: 157 kW , 210 HP SAE @ 5,200 rpm; 235 ft lb , 319 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
Rear-wheel ABS
3.21:1 axle ratio
Two disc brakes including two ventilated discs
Fullsize steel rim under body spare wheel
Wishbone front suspension independent with stabilizer bar and coil springs , beam rear suspension rigid with stabilizer bar and leaf springs

2
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 218.8, overall width (inches): 71.7, overall height (inches): 68.6, ground clearance (inches): 7.9, wheelbase (inches): 131.3, front track (inches): 62.8, rear track (inches): 62.9 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 44

Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (lbs) 6,010, curb weight (lbs) 4,261 and max payload (lbs) 1,700
12v power outlet: front and 1
Air conditioning
Fixed mast antenna
Audio system with AM/FM and CD player
Cargo area dimensions: length (inches): 78.8, front width (inches): 59.6, width between arches (inches): 45.2, height (inches): 17.6 and loading floor height (inches): 31.9
Cargo area light
Cargo capacity: all seats removed (cu ft): 30
Rear tailgate cargo doors
-
Clock
-
Delayed/fade courtesy lights
-
Front seats cup holders fixed
-
Door ajar warning
-
Door pockets/bins for driver seat, passenger seat and rear seats
-
Floor covering: carpet in load area
-
Driver front airbag intelligent , passenger front airbag with occupant sensors and occupant switch off intelligent
-
40/20/40 split driver, passenger and center seat
-
Height adjustable 3-point reel front seat belts on driver seat , height adjustable 3-point reel front seat belts on passenger seat , lap static front seat belts on center seat
-
Glove compartment
-
Two height adjustable head restraints on front seats
-
Internal dimensions: front headroom (inches): 39.6, rear headroom (inches): 36.5, front hip room (inches): 54.9, rear hip room (inches): 56.9, front leg room (inches): 41.9, rear leg room (inches): 32.1, front shoulder room (inches): 57.7 and rear shoulder room (inches): 57.4
-
Low fuel level warning
-
Low washer fluid level warning
-
Power steering
-
Front reading lights
-
Rear view mirror
-
Cloth seat upholstery with additional cloth
-
Seating: three seats
-
Four speaker(s)
-
Plastic steering wheel
-
Tachometer
-
Passenger vanity mirror
-
Ventilation system with recirculation setting

speechless.

2008-08-04T23:08:00.007-06:00

big sur & 17-mile drive in carmel

around here.

2008-08-04T22:48:00.002-06:00

My new hermit crab set-up. I got 3 since they are colony animals. One is named Hermione and the other two are yet to be named. Any suggestions? Lincoln and Archie are fascinated by them. The two of them are like peas-in-a-pod.

Head-banging on Dad! Maybe not such a good idea!

Our balcony. Lincoln has become clever and coerces me and Josh back to the door as if he wants in only to quickly sneak off to try to practice the stairs. Thankfully, we're still faster than him. However, he's getting very strong and I can only imagine what it will be like when he is an even heavier and stronger toddler. Oh man...terrible twos are coming! Yikes!

Peek-a-boo!

Enjoying Carmel

16 mos update!

2008-07-30T10:26:00.002-06:00

Quick update on the lad:

-16 mos old

-23.5 pounds

-32 1/8 inches

-head circumference is 18 3/4 inches

-16 teeth! (13 since January...only 4 more to go)

-uses sign language to communicate words such as please, hungry, thank you, more, dad, shoe, socks, lots of animals, etc...

-he's really goofy& clever

-wears cloth diapers

-grunts when we talk about peeing or pooping! hahaha!

-is obsessed with wearing his shoes specifically his Nikes. he wants them on as soon as he wakes up and we don't take them off until he's too groggy to care!

-eats lots of veggies and loves smoothies

-yes, he's vegetarian

-and still breastfeeding!

-he loves animals, flowers, birds, fish, and cars!

Josh and I are so in love with him. He's amazing and fascinates us everyday with his development, sense of humor, and kisses! He's precious!

even further south!

2008-07-24T16:51:00.003-06:00

After we (thankfully) left LA we drove down to San Diego to visit our friends. We went to dog beach, hung out with several AWESOME people, ate at some of our favorite restaurants, strolled around Balboa park, and stayed up too late! Lincoln was relentless with the pigeons (see above)!

It says "mom and dad love lincoln" but you know who destroyed mom!

yay dirt! and tall trees!

he is a professional cart pusher. the only items he intended to purchase were two boxes of cookies!

Down South!

2008-07-24T16:39:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we visited my brother in LA and my dad, Ashley, and Jordan who had flown in for a visit. We went out to eat several times and went to Venice beach on Sunday. (fyi...Venice beach = nasty)!

Buried alive!

The cutest man ever!

Wondering if the waves are worth it!

19 years brings a lot of change

2008-07-16T16:16:00.003-06:00

4th of July, 1989
Lake Pomme de Terre, Hermitage, MO
I'm 8 yrs old (2nd from right next to Cory, ahhhhh)

4th of July, 2008
Lake of the Ozarks, MO
I'm 27 and have a cute nino (2nd from right, 2nd row)

pomme 2008

2008-07-14T14:52:00.004-06:00

a couple of weeks ago, Lincoln and I flew with Cory to the great and humid state of Missouri! Josh wasn't able to go since he had to work the 4th of July event in Monterey. we visited our Meyerkord relatives in fully glory at Lake Pomme de Terre. we boated, jet-skied, wake-boarded, water skied, tubed, mega sliced, and swam. lincoln was really intrigued by all of this but couldn't help but fall asleep from the rocking boat. just below is a pic of him sleeping in his life jacket in the boat. when he was awake on the boat he wanted to watch whatever was going on but he didn't like the wind blowing in his face. i love being with family and was sad that josh wasn't there. lincoln walked down to the garage and waited at the closed door. when i caught up him he did the sign for dad and said "da" and pointed at the door. it was very adorable.

cousin tyler and lincoln with pudding lips!

uncle cory holding lincoln and watching cousins erika and tyler on the mega slice.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

2008-06-18T22:47:00.005-06:00

Having lived in San Diego, I thought I'd seen beaches. Nice with the beautiful view of the ocean. I seem to have forgotten that even better beaches do, in fact, exist. (Sorry, San Diego, oh and LA especially!). Josh said Carmel beach would be pretty but I underestimated his statement. As we drove down Ocean Ave towards the Pacific Ocean I suddenly realized why people think Carmel is sooooooooo special. I first noticed the ocean as it peaked th rough the tree-lined streets and bled into the sky. As we drove closer, the water be came teal as it approached the beach. The sand is white-ish (I think it's imported) and there are beautiful hillsides that frame this mile-long beach. It is quite captivating. Oh and just above the beach is a sandy area that overlooks the water and would be PERFECT for a wedding! or our vow renewal in a couple of decades! What captured me even more was that this is an international tourist spot...i can't believe we live 30 minutes from it! Wow! Not only is the ocean soooo close but when you are just seconds inland it feels like you are up in the Colorado mountains. Huge Pine trees line the streets and highways! What a great combo-pack!

This was our first official beach day and I think Lincoln has dedicated himself to beach living. I could tell he loves the feel of the sand against his feet just like I do! He even loved it so much that he was dipping his animal crackers in it! MMMMMMM!

Here are some pictures of our adventure today:

june pictures!

2008-06-13T17:46:00.002-06:00

peek-a-boo!

"help daddy"

sweaty baby!

jammin' with dad!

i love these men

quick doula update!

2008-06-13T17:32:00.002-06:00

i had my second client give birth last sunday. this is how much i dislike hospitals...the rn said to her "here's your pitocin shot" (post-birth after clamping the cord much sooner than client wished). client said "wait, what? why do i need that?" rn said "everyone gets one, if you had had an iv (client refused!) we would have given it to you and you wouldn't have even known." and "the doc ordered it." she also said that this was the only chance she had to get the pitocin, even if she does bleed. after being hassled into getting the unnecessary dose of pitocin for the off-chance that she bleeds out, my client and i were quite thrown off by this wretched rn. hospitals have procedures but everything is an option unless you are unconscious. most women are not unconscious after giving birth so why are they not informed that they are getting pitocin after delivery??? just because "everyone gets it" and "the doc ordered it" doesn't mean she can't refuse it. birth centers and home birth midwives have pitocin shots on hand to use WHEN NECESSARY! people...i plead to you...trust your body. don't take everything your doc or rn says as an absolute. while they may give you an impression that it is an absolute, 9 times out of 10 there is another, probably healthier, more personalized option. so many people say they hate doctors...then why trust them with the birth of another life. unless you have a high-risk pregnancy there is no need to be in a hospital. midwives are trained to allow the mother to do her body's work through labor, pushing and delivery. they are also trained to handle medical emergencies during labor and delivery JUST IN CASE. midwives do not assume that every birth will entail an emergency like hospitals do. hospitals are for the very sick and those in need of emergent care.

please rethink your trust in hospitals!

my new biz card

2008-05-21T22:54:00.004-06:00

my new biz card.

here's my current plan:

substitute teach when called
grow my doula biz (know any prego ladies in the monterey area?)

josh is working for the city of monterey as a recycling coordinator part-time and the other part-time he'll be working construction for a guy he knows from way-back-when.

lincoln is growing some teeth! today his gums were bleeding a little. darn molars!

gotta go make a lunch for tomorrow.

ciao for now

love you all!

life in salinas

2008-05-05T23:40:00.004-06:00

best smile yet!

learning sign language "light" (his favorite)

snoozers on the way here! ahhhhhh

how funny is it that the very next post i do is about living here in salinas?! apparently i was a major slacker on the blog posting last month. well, i won't sweat it. i'm glad april is over...it was a trying month. lots and lots of packing and waiting and waiting and waiting. our first closing date on our house was april 9th and we didn't end up actually closing til the 23rd. plus, i was living at a friend's house for the last 10 days i was in colorado while josh was setting up our humble abode here in salinas. (i was really glad not to be involved in that part!). the reason i stayed back in colorado was to attend a friend's birth as a doula. it was awesome. first time i'd seen a birth. i had my eyes closed at mine during the final push! it was awesome. i cried!

linkers and i got here a week ago. i'm feeling pretty settled but i don't think he is. the drive here was remarkably easy. we (meaning cory and i) just tried to give him a good break from the car seat every few hours. it worked until the final stretch when lincoln had had enough and so had we. i drove as fast as i could to get us here (read...speeding ticket).

anyways, then a day later lincoln developed a 100+ fever. we're pretty sure it's from teething. i think he's working on 4 teeth including 2 molars. the fever lasted two days and he's been uncharacteristically sensitive, whiny, and clingy since. the teeth have yet to pop through so we're definitely praying for that to happen soon. we want our carefree silly boy back!

our apartment complex is really nice. we have a large garage in which we store unpacked stuff so it doesn't clutter the apartment...so nice! there's a pool, hot tub, basketball court, playground, and volleyball court within steps of our steps! the stairs to our apartment (2nd floor) come off the large courtyard that is in the center of the complex. it's very nicely landscaped too. it's nice to take a break from home improvements!

i'm so glad that josh's parents are here. we have already spent lots of time with them and intend to continue to do so! i like having another place to go where you don't really have to ask if you can come over.

oh, i found an awesome coffee shop near our house. it's an all organic, fair trade, and local coffee shop. plus, they make a mexican mocha...meaning chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon! mmmmmmmmmmmm! love it!

driving 25 minutes to the nearest natural grocery store is a bit of an annoyance but in june we are gonna start getting an organic fruit/veggie box direct from a local organic farm. i'm excited to try all the new fruits and veggies we'll be getting. stay posted for recipes!

alright...well thats our last month in a nutshell. glad that we are settled...at least until we find a house!

oh and no jobs yet but i'm in the process of becoming a substitute teacher.

same phone numbers as of yet.

stay posted!

Weekend in Salinas

2008-04-04T22:18:00.003-06:00

i love my naked boy...the other day he slipped in his own pee. the diaper had been off a little too long...haha!

he loved the sand in santa cruz

"i love what you do for me...TOYOTA!"
josh and i jumping for joy that there is a city close to salinas that is way cooler and totally our style!

it had been at least a month since cory had seen lincoln. they had a heck of a time together!

lincoln and josh in love!

house update: currently we are closing on our house april 11th with the move-out date april 13th. i'll stay here in colorado for a couple more weeks until my doula client has her baby. josh will leave on the 13th, most likely, with all of our stuff packed into a budget truck and trek across colorado, utah, nevada and finally into the huge state of california. he'll be busy staying with his parents trying to find a job and an apartment! we'll begin looking for houses as soon as one of us has a job. wish us luck as we enter this huge transition.

we'll miss you colorado people!

My new favorite cookie recipe!

2008-04-04T22:16:00.001-06:00

I am a huge fan of thin chewy slightly over-baked cookies...I have found this recipe! Yay! Here it is...

Alison’s Vegan Chocolate Coconut Walnut Crisps

(adapted from Gale’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Crisps from Wholesome Sweetners Organic Light Brown Sugar pkg)

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
1 ½ cup organic brown sugar
1 tbsp egg replacer
¼ cup warm water
2 tsp organic/fair trade pure vanilla extract
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea or kosher salt
Dark Chocolate chips
Unsweetened Coconut
Walnuts or any nut of your choice

Method:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Put 2 cups of oats in food processor and process until finely ground and floury.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until soft and smooth.
Whisk together the egg replacer and water in a small bowl or measuring cup
Mix in the brown sugar into the butter followed by the egg replacer and vanilla until well blended.
In another bowl, stir together the ground and whole oats, baking soda and salt.
With the mixer at a low speed, add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well blended.
Add the chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts to desired amount making sure not to overload the dough with them.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the pan, leaving 2 to 3 inches between them, as they will spread.
Bake for at least 15 minutes or until slightly browned.
Let cool on parchment paper, then store in airtight container.
Made about 40 4-inch cookies

This is the vegan version…if you absolutely insist you can make them non-vegan by substituting the egg replacer and water for 2 ORGANIC, CAGE-FREE, VEG-FED eggs and the earth balance for 2 sticks of ORGANIC cow butter (blah!)

If you want more vegan ideas for baking and cooking…let me know! I’ve got lots up my sleeve!

i call this one "dat"

2008-03-24T09:12:00.002-06:00

lincoln is an official toddler!

2008-03-23T22:15:00.003-06:00

josh and i are in complete disbelief that lincoln is actually one year old! we are so excited for this next year. we absolutely love watching him discover life!

his official birthday was wed, march 19th. it was a pretty low key day. i treated myself to two new nursing bras and some tulips...hey, i deserve it...I pushed that 9 lb-er out without pain meds in 23 minutes after 12 hours of labor! that night we took him to Target to pick out a toy or two. however, he ended up being most interested in a lemon and the shopping cart. he liked to try to eat the lemon and carry it around or push the cart down the aisles. we realized we needed to make an executive decision for him. so we chose a car for him to ride on and push buttons, a drum/cymbal set, and a "mr mischief" t-shirt! he's figured out how to mount and dismount the car but not how to push himself forward.

yesterday we had a birthday party for him. tons of our friends who have loved on him for the past year showed up to celebrate! we had tons of fun eating cake and opening presents. here are some pics that our gracious friend, steph, took! (thanks steph)

lincoln's birthday cake

2008-03-23T22:08:00.003-06:00

so lincoln had a pink (unintentional) birthday cake yesterday. everyone seemed to love it so i wanted to include the recipe. it's a carrot cake recipe with no sugar. of course, the frosting has tons of sugar in it! (i colored it with blueberry juice)

here's the recipe:

Baby's First Birthday Cake (Carrot Cake)
(Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch square cake; adapted from "What to Expect")

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate (you may use slightly less)
1 1/2 cups raisins
Vegetable Spray/Shortening
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 Tbsp low sodium baking powder
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 9 inch square cake pans with waxed paper and spray the paper with vegetable spray/shortening.

1. Combine the carrots with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate in a medium size saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 15 to 20 mins. Puree in a blender of food processor until smooth.
3. Add the raisins and process until finely chopped. Let mixture cool.
4. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups juice concentrate, the oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; beat just until well mixed. Fold in the carrot puree and applesauce. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
5. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 mins. Cool briefly in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I substituted egg replacer for the eggs, of course! It's a really good recipe without frosting! Probably would be great for breakfast muffins! Hope you enjoy!

almost one!!!!

2008-03-10T14:01:00.003-06:00

lincoln will be one year old in 9 days. last year at this time i was begging for labor to start. he had a different plan. lincoln is walking really fast these days and has pretty much completely given up on crawling. walking's so much faster when you can do it well!

his favorite foods are any sort of round fruit or veggie...grapes, peas, and blueberries. josh made him vegan french toast and he loves that too!

i can't wait to see him stuff his cake all over his face. yay!

he's talking a lot. saying things like "dat" for that, "di" for this, "hat", "na" (haven't deciphered that one yet), "arts" for archie and any other animal, and "hi." these words are scattered among much babble!

his hair is growing like weeds and he, no doubt, has a mullet! heck yeah!

he is not sleepy through the night and he never has. he nurses every 2 - 3 hours in the night but thats ok cuz he's sleeping with us. we even got rid of his crib that he rarely used.

he has 8 teeth and is working on his two lower molars. another reason he loves frozen peas!

by far, my most favorite development is pointing. his hand is the cutest thing when he is pointing. unfortunately i don't have an pics of it. i wish i did cuz i'd put it inside a locket!

i'm extremely excited

2008-03-10T13:57:00.002-06:00

when we move to salinas i'm going to start a business. it's going to be called "nature's wisdom." it will be a doula service, and provide breastfeeding and childbirth education. i am not quite certified but working on those to get them done! check out my "logo." i'm super super excited! you all better be having some babies!

the gubser babies!

2008-02-13T20:21:00.003-07:00

my niece (one of them), angelique! she's ridiculously cute.

lincoln discovering spaghetti!

i'm all fired up!

2008-02-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

It's 4:25 am on my birthday and I can't sleep. Not because I'm excited about my birthday festivities but because of birth!

My brother's friend just had a baby yesterday. I'm all fired up because the hospital is more concerned about her changing rooms than breastfeeding. PEOPLE...IF YOU WANT SOMETHING AND THE HOSPITAL DOESN'T GIVE IT TO YOU...TAKE ACTION AND DO IT/GET IT YOURSELF. What I mean by that is demand what you want. You are in charge...not them. They may think they are in charge of you but you are in charge of what happens to you in a hospital whether or not you are giving birth. Don't give up your wishes and desires because it's not hospital procedure. If they give you a really hard time ask to speak to the charge nurse or someone else in charge of making decisions.

Remember...hospitals are a bureaucracy that has a bottom line...guess what...that bottom line is not your care. They are most concerned about being paid by insurance companies and the government that they lose sight of your care. That stress trickles down to everyone on staff. Procedures aren't done in order to save money or care isn't given because "INSURANCE DOESN'T COVER THAT." Or...a standard procedure is done in order to save time aka save $$$. Know your rights and that you have a choice to choose what is done to you in a hospital unless you are unconcious. If they say "we're going to start pitocin to speed things up." Ask "why is that necessary? What are the risks?" Believe me...there are plenty. You have the right to say "no" without providing any justification. Listen to your gut! If it's uneasy about something a doctor "suggests" then question it. Your gut is right!

People...I strongly encourage you to rethink your dependence on doctors. They can not give you advice on raising children because they have not studied it...so don't ask them. Ask an appropriate source (Xylem Family Resource). Doctors are trained ONLY to treat the sick and make them not sick. If you or your baby are well...there's no need to see a doc!

Watch this if you are EVER going to give birth or know someone who might!

Standing up to a powerful money hungry institution like a hospital sounds like a daunting task...might I suggest pre-natal care and birth at a birth center or at home. These are statiscally SAFER options and much more family and baby friendly. 1% of hospitals in Colorado are following the "Baby-Friendly Initiatives" set up by UNICEF. The closest "baby-friendly" hospital to Denver is in Louisville. Not sure you would want to get in the car and drive for 30-45 minutes while having contractions every 3-5 minutes!

Alright, friends. I hope that this has made you think a little bit about placing your life in the hands of a hospital. Wait a tick...a hospital doesn't even have hands...ow...good luck with that! Oh but a mid-wife has two compassionate, people-centered hands!

expect the unexpected from us!

2008-01-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

hey friends - sorry it's been awhile since i updated the blog. life has been busy. here's an update on the gubser clan...

i am in the process of studying to become a lactation educator, then a doula, then a childbirth educator...i'm so excited to start my own business helping women who want a natural birth take on those hospital drug pushers! (note: if you truly want a natural birth...don't go to a hospital...have your babe at home or in a birth center)

the gubsers are packing up and shipping out to cali. we have decided that our next step is to move to salinas to live near josh's family. i'm so excited to live near family, be close to my bro who'll be in l.a., be 2 hours away from one of my bf's, alyza, and be within driving distance to san diego! we won't be able to buy a home of course but if our friend is correct we may be able to in 2 years when prices drop a predicted 40% more! wow! we'll see! we are going to put our house on the market march 1st hopefully (if we get all the work done that we have to do). We are really sad to be leaving all of our AWESOME friends that we have made in the past 2 years here.

josh is working for a remodeling company. they are awesome and have been really generous to us! we're very thankful for them plus josh has become increasingly handy around the house. very awesome!

now the long-awaited linkers update: this kid is AWESOME. we love him beyond belief. he is 10 months old and will be one year on march 19. so crazy! this month has been huge for him. he has taken his first steps and now takes about 5 or 6 without anyone in front of him enticing him. so cute. he said his first word "hey" to josh immediately after he said it. he also says "hi" and waves. waving started about 2 weeks ago and he hasn't stopped since. he loves to wave and it is often the first thing he does when he wakes up. he'll wave at cars, cats, products in the aisles at the store, random people, his reflection and, of course, us excessively! we love it. plus, clapping has made a come back. he took a month long sabbatical from it. he'll even clap when he's frustrated and wants to be picked up...it's actually quite funny! (sad, i know) in addition...he has gotten 3 teeth since xmas after taking a 3 month long sabbatical from that too. he's getting 2 more also. he'll soon have all 8 front teeth. you're probably wondering if he bites when he nurses...he only does that if he is really really upset so thankfully it doesn't happen very often. as far as solid food goes...he loves peas, cheerios (organic kind of course), multigrain squares, bread, apple sauce and pizza crust. he hardly lets me feed him though. he insists that he does it himself. a lot has changed for the little one. he's becoming a toddler. can't wait to see more and more of his personality beam from him! he's also going to miss his uncle cory who gives him a beat to dance to at every opportunity and holds him whenever he gets home from work. lincoln demands that he do it! cory is so in love with him too!

alright thats a good update for now! hope all is well with you my friends. keep in touch. i'm starting a daily lincoln-gram email which consists of a daily pic emailed to you if you are interested. let me know!

Lincoln's Christmas

2008-01-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Lincoln had a pretty uneventful Christmas! We were at my parents-in-law house in Salinas, CA. We had a great time being with family. Lincoln loved the bows the most. Before we opened gifts he kept stealing them off of the presents. I think he might have been overwhelmed by all the xmas gift opening action. Next year he'll totally be into it I'm sure! Here's some pics:

framboises

2008-01-01T22:45:00.001-07:00

pre-christmas pics!

2007-12-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

i know you are all feigning for some pics of lincoln since it's apparently been 20 days since i posted last. here's an update on the linkers...he's standing on his own after using help to get up for about 30-60 seconds. he can even bounce a little. we just got him some instruments and he's totally into the egg shakers and spoons! the other night all three of us had an instrument and we had a jam session! quite entertaining but probably very annoying for anyone listening! we need practice.

we are heading out to salinas, ca for xmas tomorrow bright and early. hope the snow doesn't cause any problems. i have never spent christmas with josh's or anyone else's family so i am very excited to do that.

here's some fun pics of this month!

Buckets of Fun!
Chubby usually runs very very quickly from Lincoln but this time they were a cohesive playing unit!
Stuffing his face with organic version of cheerios
screaming at me for the camera
attack of the baby!

we wish you all a very very very very very MERRY CHRISTmas. remember that this season isn't about buying and buying. think about it as giving and remember why we celebrate!

boxers. cats. cheerios...

2007-12-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

bath fun!

2007-12-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Lincoln normally takes a bath in a baby tub but since we were at Pomme he had to take his first bath alone in a big people tub. Josh couldn't get him to stay seated. He's so into standing now that he kept pullng himself up. I'm warning you...these pics are EXTREMELY CUTE!
"i'm thinking about it"
"must...stand....up"
"life is great when you can stand!"

family cuteness

2007-11-10T17:49:00.001-07:00

Dinner and a Murder party

2007-11-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

we celebrated one of our small group members's birthday last week. her name happens to be Alison also. Her parents hosted a dinner and a murder party. it took place in 1995 and was our 10 year high school reunion. it was fun and very silly. we all dressed up 80's to 90's-ish. Very silly. here's the group photo. more to come hopefully.

Halloween 2007!

2007-11-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Halloween was really fun this year. I taught my baby & me class and all the babies dressed up. Lincoln got a bit excited about his friend Ellie who was dressed in a sheep costume. As you may know, he loves to grab furry/hairy things and pull. So during picture time he grabbed her fuzzy head and yanked her towards him. She was not happy about that. But I have to admit, it was hilarious!

Then we had a trick or treat party and it was really fun. Lots of friends came over, some dressed up, we ate lots of candy and greeted lots of trick or treaters!

Lincoln was an adorable Charlie Brown, Josh was a creepy Uncle Rico, and I was a Hawaiian lady with Cory's coconut bra! Cory dressed up as Fanny a really large fat women.

2007-10-21T20:52:00.000-06:00

Once again...some pictures of the most amazing child I've ever known. He rocks our world. He is starting to really get going these days. Crawling's a little hap-hazard still but much more efficient. He's getting to the plant leaves now. Cory gave us a whole bunch of toys from his adolescent years (yes, my bro had toys during puberty!) and an awesome toy box, plus we got 2 trash bags full of toys from a guy Josh works with. We are stocked with more than we need. Lincoln's already got a huge set of mini legos to play with in several years! I love giving things with history to Lincoln. He really enjoyed playing with a beach ball today!
Lincoln loves his new mobility ability!
True vegetarian at heart aka animal lover!
Lincoln's best friend, Reed...we love him so much too!
First time on a playground swing...he laughed the whole time!
Daddy loves that little man who's going to grow up and be a big guy like him...wow, mindboggling! I now understand why moms still think of their kids as babies. Lincoln's not going to want me to squish him with kisses in 20 years but have no doubts, I will still do it! I love that little man sooooooooooooooooooooo much!

driving already & the pumpkin patch

2007-10-14T14:23:00.001-06:00

random pics of lincoln and friends!

2007-10-10T21:53:00.000-06:00

lincoln is a smidge away from crawling. he is now able to get on all fours and rock back and forth. when he moves he just swings his arm out and belly flops on the floor. he's getting there...probably this weekend or something. stay posted.

eating grass

2007-09-21T23:05:00.000-06:00

hot tubin' already

2007-09-21T15:23:00.000-06:00

hahah...lincoln's a fan of the hot tub already!

peaches, peaches, peaches, and some plums too!

2007-09-21T15:17:00.000-06:00

lincoln has spent the past two days discovering peaches. he hasn't eaten them yet but it's serious business when it comes to figuring out their slimy texture.

archie likes to help lincoln with his discoveries!

Lincoln's developmental breakthrough

2007-09-19T22:59:00.000-06:00

Lincoln had an amazing developmental breakthrough this evening. I know that it's not really that exciting but to me it is so I have to post it! He was standing with the help of our friend Renee. He was leaning forward and got down on the floor on all fours into crawling position AND held it there for a minute or so. SO EXCITING (to me!) Here's some adorable pics of the amazing event. Yay!

p.s. lincoln loves bananas!

pause to love

2007-09-18T22:31:00.000-06:00

i just wanna pause for a moment and revel in the life that is mine. despite some ridiculously shitty things that have happened in the past year, my life is pretty freaking awesome. here's an update on the awesomeness of my life:

- my husband is the coolest and sexiest and i love him more everyday
- my baby is the most beautiful ever and i love him more everyday
- i (finally) have lots of colorado friends (again!) and love every one of them
- i am dedicating my life to loving all of you and because of that my life keeps getting better and better.
- colorado is a beautiful state and while i never thought i'd be back here raising a family i am finding that it is a wonderful place to be because of all the wonderful people in this state.
- i love being surrounded by those that i love in other states and countries. i've always wanted every single person i loved to be here with me but now i realize that i want them to geographically surround me. josh and i have stopped caring about money and we are going to live to love = which means travel to see all of you as much as possible.
- i feel closer to my in-laws and am so very thankful for them (guess what...i love them, too!)
- my relationship with my dad has improved ten fold. i'm so happy to have my dad back.

sounds like i'm in love with a lot of things, huh? well, it's true I am. ever since philip died i've been even more in tune with the necessity to love everybody and tell them that. so if i haven't told you that i love you...i do.

in honor of my mom (who died 1 year ago of uterine cancer) i'm going to get a tattoo. thats right folks...a tattoo. doesn't sound like sweet little alison? well think again. it's going to say "amor onmia vincit" (translation: love conquers all) and i'm gonna get it on my forearm in order to remind me that i NEED to love everyone i meet and foster the relationships i do have. my bro plans to get something similar to honor my mom too! he's an awesome guy and i think i'm in denial about him moving to l.a. in a few months.

forget all the b.s. that consumes your life and dedicate your time to what matters most...relationships. learn to love everyone!

love you.

what an amazing little boy!

2007-09-17T10:14:00.000-06:00

2007-09-17T10:09:00.000-06:00

lincoln's first venture into the world of solid foods was hilarious. quite entertaining. his tongue kept pushing the food out and i'm not sure any actually went down. we have it on video too but can't get the video uploader to work. his first meal consisted of homemade brown rice cereal and avocado. this first picture is priceless!

yesterday, lincoln even went "out to eat." uncle cory and i went to Namaste for some indian food and i brought lincoln's dinner. he ate really went and most of it went down this time! i don't think he's a big fan of avocado.

2007-09-17T10:06:00.000-06:00

need a baby fix?

2007-09-13T21:12:00.000-06:00

it's been awhile since i've posted about lincoln. lincoln will be 6 months old on the 19th. he has two teeth which are perfectly exhibited in the first picture. we are starting solid foods this weekend with homemade brown rice cereal and avocado! i'm nervous yet excited. watch for updates on that! should be funny!

bath time is now hilarious. he splashes for as long as we let him. we put a beach towel on the kitchen floor so we don't slip. these pics don't do justice.

here is a pic with him and archie. they are best friends. lincoln gets upset if he sees the cats and can't reach them. i have a hilarious video of lincoln doing mouth-to-mouth on archie but couldn't get the video posting thing to work. maybe i'll try again if you're lucky.

lincoln has reached another milestone of self-sufficiency. sippy cup all by himself...heck yeah, dinner's on the stove!

a plentiful harvest

2007-09-08T22:21:00.000-06:00

yesterday i ventured into my backyard to check the status of my garden and i came in with quite a plentiful harvest. 2 baskets of peaches, lots of little roma tomatoes, and, get this, an 18 inch zucchini. thats right 18 inches!
here's my proof.

a reflection on last week

2007-09-07T14:06:00.000-06:00

wow...last week was one of the most difficult weeks of my life second only to the week my mom passed away. as you probably know, josh's brother, philip, died in a fatal car accident last tuesday the 28th of august. this was a devastating blow to the gubser family even more so because it was intentional. he'd been drinking for more than 12 hours and his thoughts of failure were too strong and they took over. the three surviving brothers: zach, matt, & josh

although it was extremely devastating and still is it was also so beautiful. the way the whole family came together and was nurtured by john and marsha's (josh's parents) church community was incredible. we had more food than we knew what do to with. we had to borrow josh's grandma's fridge. (i think i regained the 5 lbs i've lost in the past 3 months). josh's mom, marsha

while healing is no where near complete but we got off on the right foot with all the love that enveloped us. thank you to all who sent prayers, cards, and flowers. God's grace has been shown to us. josh had the courage to get up and reminisce about his brother

josh's sis, chrissy

Philip Gubser

2007-08-30T22:26:00.001-06:00

Philip Nathaniel Gubser
September 10, 1983 to August 28, 2007

Here are the memorial details:

There will be a viewing at Struve and Laporte
Funeral Home in Salinas, CA Saturday September 1
from 12:00pm-3:00pm.

A memorial will be held at Harvestlands Foursquare
Church in Salinas, CA Sunday September 2 at 3:00PM.

Struve and Laporte Funeral Home
41 W. San Luis Street
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 424-0311
http://www.struveandlaporte.com/

the Harvestlands
327 Pajaro St
Salinas, CA 93902
(831)757-3677
http://www.harvestlands.org/index.php

A Loss

2007-08-28T09:40:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately, Philip died shortly after being admitted to the hospital. After receiving severe head trauma, he was admitted to a cat scan where his heart stopped, and he couldn't be revived. This fucking sucks.

please pray for the gubsers

2007-08-28T08:12:00.000-06:00

the gubsers are in the midst of a family crisis. josh's oldest brother and sister-in-law are getting a divorce, josh's uncle is refusing to see his own mother, and josh's younger brother just attempted suicide this morning. the lord stepped in and prompted him to call his ex-wife to tell her that he was going to committ suicide. she then called josh's parents to let them now and they called cali. highway patrol. in a matter of minutes he was in an accident. he's in the hospital in santa barbara unconscious right now. please please please pray for the gubsers that they heal from whatever is plaguing them and they open up to talk about it. please pray for a miracle for this family. pray that those who are not directly in a crisis be safe from one.

thank you for your prayers.

Meet the Simpson-Gubsers

2007-08-25T14:40:00.001-06:00

simpsonize yourself

CLE

2007-08-24T21:13:00.000-06:00

I'm going to become a certified lactation consultant and I'm sooooo excited. yay for breastfeeding women!

my angel

2007-08-24T11:52:00.001-06:00

just had to post this pic

polenta lasagna

2007-08-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

last night i was inspired to make a vegan polenta lasagna. polenta was on sale at king soopers so i thought i'd give it a shot. i've never ever made anything with polenta nor have i made lasagna. but i must say it was quite a success. here's what i did:

- saute slices of polenta, onions, and garlic (i did raw garlic and it was a wee bit strong). you could also saute any other veggie like zucchini, eggplant, etc...
- boil lasagna noodles
- heat spaghetti sauce
- layer lasagna noodles, spinach, sauce, onions, polenta, garlic, etc... in a glass pan
- bake in oven for 20 mins on 350 deg.

it was super simple. took a little bit longer than my normal dinner creations but was well worth it! and it's healthy too! yay!

here's josh enjoying my creation!

a look of pure mouthwatering satisfaction (this is his second dinner, hours later)

Lincoln can sit!

2007-08-19T17:56:00.000-06:00

Lincoln's newest developmental task that he is working on is sitting. He's doing really well. In the past four days he's gone from sitting by himself for a few seconds to over a minute without toppling over. He's doing so well. And he is ridiculously cute.

bath time

2007-08-16T18:46:00.000-06:00

If you'll notice Lincoln has the world's smallest mohawk.

picnic at the park

2007-08-15T14:14:00.000-06:00

we packed a picnic lunch today knowing that we would be hungry after teaching baby & me class. we ended up at alamo placita park in denver at the intersection of (stupid) speer and emerson. it's beautiful and surrounded by flowers. lincoln discovered some flowers too. so cute! yay!

i'm 26 and one half

2007-08-15T14:12:00.000-06:00

hey who celebrates their half birthday? anyone? everyone right? well, apparently not. just me. therefore no one celebrated this weekend aug 12th with me. it's a good excuse to at least have a cake and a party. get with it, folks.

the most beautiful thing happened last night...

2007-08-09T10:04:00.000-06:00

lincoln had been asleep for several hours already when josh and i got ready for bed. josh is lying in bed barely alive and lincoln starts to get fidgety. it's time to feed him. so i feed him and then change him into his night-night clothes and a clean diaper. i pick him up to put him in his bassinet and he smiles at me. but at the same time as he is smiling his eyes are slowly closing. i kept telling him "i love you" in the quietest voice and he continued to smile as his eyes were closing. i can't tell you how beautiful it is to see my son fall asleep with a smile on his face. it reassures me that he is happy deep down inside and i haven't made any major parenting mistakes so far. i continued to kiss him and tell him i love him for several minutes before putting him down. he is amazing!

even better...lincoln just woke up (oh yeah 10am) and i asked josh "was that lincoln" after hearing a peep from the bedroom. he said "yeah, that was lincoln, he's laughing"

how awesome is it to go to sleep smiling and wake up laughing!

2007-08-06T09:42:00.000-06:00

my ladies!

2007-08-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

this weekend my two best friends ever were in town. anna came from eagle and alyza came from san fran. we went clubbing...no joke! friday night we went to cuba cuba at 12th and delaware in denver and had so much fun. anna met a guy and he wanted to take us dancing so sat night we went to la rumba at 12th and broadway. la rumba is a salsa club. again, it was a lot of fun. josh stayed home with the linkers! we also ate at vg burgers in boulder. it's a vegan burger joint and is worth it! lincoln loved alyza and anna. he had such a great weekend laughing at everything they did. he even tried a lemon.

Our 2nd anniversary

2007-07-22T13:53:00.000-06:00

We just got back from our first camping trip together. We had a great time and it reminded me how much I like camping. We went to Lathrop State Park outside of Walsenburg. It was kind of hilly and deserty not mountainous. Unfortunately, the campground is a little close to the highway and to our camping neighbors but it was fun nonetheless. We got rained out and came home a night early but thats ok because we then went out to dinner and watched 4 Lost episodes.

Here are some pictures of our adventures...

the best smile EVER!

2007-07-15T20:34:00.000-06:00

this week lincoln met his auntie woa-jinki (anna) and amanda. He was absolutely enamored with them. here are some pics of their interactions. cutest ever!

a visitor from the mount

2007-07-15T20:31:00.000-06:00

today and yesterday we here in suburbia have had visitors from the mountains. 2 elk have stopped by to grace us with there beautiful presence. however, they should go back to the mountains where they are supposed to live. here are some pics...

Vacations galore...

2007-07-09T16:06:00.000-06:00

We just got back from several vacations. In his short 3.5 months of life, Lincoln has visited 4 states and met a significant amount of family members. In the past 2 months we have traveled to San Antonio, TX; Salinas and San Diego, CA; St. Louis, Pomme De Terre Lake, and Kansas City, MO; and Mascoutah, IL. We are exhausted from traveling and glad to be home. However, we wish we could take all the special people we visited during this trips back here to Colorado with us!

Here are some pictures of our latest trip to Missouri...

Lincoln's Great-Grandmother Lorita Middendorff (my mom's mom). It's amazing how much she reminds me of my mom. It was awesome to hang out with her for the day! She loved Lincoln.

Lincoln's Grandfather Mike Meyerkord (my dad). He's doing well. Over 4 months sober and working towards a lifetime of sobriety. He was very excited to meet "the president." haha (we didn't name him after Abraham Lincoln)

My 2nd cousin's daughter Jordyn was fascinated with Lincoln. She's a year old.

Lincoln's first Lake Pomme de Terre swim. It didn't go so well. He hates that life jacket! Understandably so!

Me and Lincoln on my Aunt and Uncle's boat. He loved it when we were going fast but fussed almost every time we stopped. The kid likes to move!

more pictures

2007-06-21T13:55:00.000-06:00

Lincoln

2007-06-08T19:28:00.000-06:00

2007-06-08T19:24:00.000-06:00

Sticking it to the man

2007-06-08T19:08:00.000-06:00

My cousins, Tyler and Erika, Cory and I came up with a brillant way to "stick it to the man." We go to restaurants and consume as many free refills as possible. Two restaurants in San Antonio fell victim to our shenaniganry. Chili's and Houlihan's.

Chili's...we downed enough blackberry ice teas so that they equaled only $.52. Awesome...

then we went to Houlihan's the next day for flavored lemonades and teas. The price per tea was even better there because the waitress forgot to add a 4th drink on the check. $.48 each...Yes!

However, we learned our lesson...we can only "stick it to the man" once a week because it requires mass consumption of sugary drinks!

mother's day

2007-05-14T16:48:00.000-06:00

along with celebrating my first mother's day, my brother and i spent time in evergreen to celebrate and remember our mother's life. we lost our mother to uterine cancer last september. exactly 8 months ago yesterday. lots of tears were shed as we drove up to evergreen and talked about the death of our mother and how we wished it hadn't happened.

we sat on the rocks overlooking the dam at the lake in evergreen. there we talked about how much we missed our mom and prayed that she would be watching over us. we were thankful for the close family that she helped create. we tried not to dwell on the sadness of her death but the happiness of her existence and our memories of her.

then we spread some of her ashes from our urns. we hope to make it a regular practice to spread her ashes and remember her as we heal from the pain of her death.

it was a very cathartic experience. we hadn't realized how much we needed to do this. sharing our pain with each other and taking the time to cry and just be present with God. we both felt better afterwards. we were thankful for the time that just the two of us spent together in honor of our mother. although it is extremely sad that we couldn't celebrate her in person. we miss her.

we talked about our fears of spreading ashes and how cremation is weird to us. we respected our mother's wishes to be cremated. she said she didn't want to occupy earth's physical realm after her death. she felt it was unnecessary. then comes the reality that her body was burned and her ashes were sitting in our hands...weird. but as we talked we recognized that whenever anything is burned it to becomes ashes...identical to our mother's ashes therefore demonstrating our connection to the physical world.

we are so thankful for the time that we did have with our mother. we have yet to fully understand the full impact she had on us.

in honor of louise c. meyerkord
1954-2006
we love you, mom! miss you.

the journey from suburbia to the city

2007-05-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

2007-05-14T16:38:00.000-06:00

2007-05-14T16:34:00.000-06:00

2007-05-13T13:15:00.000-06:00

the cutest hand ever!

hand-eater #1

hand-eater #2

my first mojito (with steph)

joshi and me!

Life with Lincoln

2007-05-03T20:21:00.000-06:00

dinner at Watercourse with my family (free coconut cream pie...heck yeah!)

my hiking friend, chippy!

another friend from Chataqua, Stuffed Scrappy

my hubby and me

view from the top of the Flatirons in Boulder...amazing!

Life with Lincoln is great AND hard. he has been having lots of gas lately that wakes him up. we have to wiggle him around to get it out. on the upside, he smiles so much now and is talking (not english, though).

Lincoln's going on his first plane ride in 2 weeks when we go to San Antonio for my cousin Tyler's graduation. Can't wait for them to meet him. Then we are going to Salinas in June for Josh's sister (8th) and brother's (12th) graduations. THEN...we are going to Missouri for the 4th of July. Pomme de Terre Lake...love it!

more pictures

2007-05-03T20:15:00.000-06:00

baby belly

holdin' his head up and gearin' up to crawl

he does not like the lilacs! hahahaha!

the hat dwarfs him!

reed and lincoln

the cutest babe EVER!

2007-04-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

the two chubbs!

lincoln will be 4 weeks old tomorrow

his new swing. he only likes it if he's sound asleep. otherwise, in our arms is his favorite place. such an angel!

yes!

lincoln is so amazing. he is still sleeping most of the time. he makes very sweet noises while he's sleeping but then he'll all of a sudden scream or grunt. he keeps us on our toes. i love holding him and watching him sleep. can't wait for him to start playing.

dental tidbit

2007-04-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

i went to the dentist on friday and it was great. she gave me a bit of flossing advice that i'd never heard before. we're all used to hearing that we need to "floss everyday" but she told me that we, specifically, need to floss BEFORE we brush. she said it is way more effective. give it a shot!

lincoln update

2007-04-04T20:42:00.000-06:00

whooo-eee we got a growing boy on our hands. lincoln and i had a post-natal appointment with my mid-wife on monday. he has gained 12 ounces in the past week, wow! additionally, i think he is still growing because he's getting more and more fussy and eating a lot. last night was difficult because he kept waking up and had some trouble getting back to sleep. i am so thankful for josh because i could not do this on my own. in the middle of the night it is very difficult. josh steps in just when i lose my will to stay awake.

still trying to figure out routines with him. everything is on his schedule; even my feeding times are dictated by his naps.

sounds difficult? yeah...but worth it. this little guy is so damn cute and loveable. josh and i are amazed that we created such an awesome thing. crazy!

the best things about not being pregnant...

2007-03-31T22:31:00.000-06:00

my feet are no longer swollen. i had forgotten how skinny they really are. i love them!

my wedding ring almost fits. i still have some finger chub to lose but it will be nice to wear it again. it's been several months now.

my shirts cover my belly! but unfortunately, i still have to wear maternity and stretchy pants.

i can stand for longer than 2 seconds without burning feet!

i'm useful around the house. granted, i got used to being waited on but i don't really have any excuses now except for when i'm nursing.

i can go on walks and do yoga. tonight i did a FitTV yoga workout. i'm gonna be sore in the morning. it felt really good to stretch and use my muscles for the first time in almost 2 weeks.

and best of all..........

I GET TO SLEEP ON MY BELLY!! never take for the granted the freedom to sleep on your belly. the last month or so of pregnancy i hated sleeping but now it is the most wonderful thing in the world (next to my new little bundle of cuteness, of course!)

here are some pics of me and lincoln:

new friends

2007-03-29T12:57:00.000-06:00

here are a couple of lincoln's new friends:

Everyone has been asking about the cats and how they are adjusting to Lincoln...I think Archie likes him. Lincoln was even blessed by a sneeze in the face this morning in bed.

Reed and Shannon have been eagerly waiting to meet Lincoln. We hope they grow up to become good friends. Now they just sit next to each other and sleep!

I LOVE HIS SQUISHY CHEEEEEEEEEEEKS. THEY ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOO KISSABLE!

Josh and I love his superman stretch!

Lincoln's debut

2007-03-22T21:20:00.000-06:00

Lincoln Emanuel Gubser was born Monday, March 19, 2007 at 10:33pm at home.

I was in labor from first indication to final push for 12 hours. not bad! time flies when you are in pain! I had an acupuncture appointment at the beginning and i think it helped move things along.

Details:

8 lbs. 15 oz.
21.5 inches long
some brownish reddish hair
dark blue eyes
and cuter that anything else in the world.

pictures

2007-03-22T21:17:00.000-06:00

What an awesome kid

2007-03-22T19:53:00.000-06:00

we love this new little bundle. josh and i are in total amazement. he is able to hold his head up and scratch me with his sharp finger nails.

i had my first indication of labor around 10:45am on Monday. I had just eaten breakfast with Alyza. she put fresh chiles in the eggs. i think that helped get it going. then...i had an acupuncture appointment. during the treatment i had 5 contractions within 45 minutes. the drive home was difficult because i had 3 contractions. i started keeping track of them at home around 2pm. my brother was concerned because he didn't realize that i was supposed to be in pain. haha! after hours of painful contractions (which remarkably flew by), i pushed for 23 minutes. it had to be quick because the mid-wife said his heartrate had plummeted to 60. it's supposed to be in the 100's. so i pushed and pushed and out he came. he was beautiful and fine. no signs of distress. just pink and slimy!

he is a very peaceful baby. the only time he cries is when his bowels are involved. diaper changes (except for the last one done by josh), gas, burps,... his cries begin with a very cute squeel. as long as he is comforted and covered he's happy! we love the variety of faces he makes. such a cuite!

i am doing well. in pain, of course, but getting better everyday. breastfeeding is challenging but going fine and will get better with time.

i am very impressed with josh and his parenting skills. he knows what the babe needs and does it without complaint. we are definitely a team! love him!

more pictures

2007-03-22T19:48:00.000-06:00

Actually, day 4

2007-03-17T19:40:00.000-06:00

i had a visit with my mid-wife today. it was a good visit and we discussed some options. here it is: we looked over my records from my ultrasound in november and it said that lincoln was probably conceived 4 days later than we originally thought, therefore, we changed the due date to 3/13/07 instead of the ninth which would make me only 4 days overdue as of today the 17th. this is significant because at 2 weeks overdue i have to get a biophysical workup that costs around $300 to determine the health of my baby, placenta and amount of amniotic fluid, etc. so i don't have to worry about that until the end of this coming week or beginning of next week. can't afford $300 at this point. so she suggested i get accupuncture to help induce labor. it worked for her sister so i'm excited and it is much cheaper at $20-35 a visit. pray and hope that it works! she didn't check me internally but did say that my fundal height is 40 cm which most women never get to (fundal height is, essentially, the size of the belly). she also estimated lincoln's weight at 7 lbs. i feel more positive after this visit today. i was really getting drained feeling like there was nothing i could do. hopefully the accupuncture will work!!!!!!

day

2007-03-17T10:51:00.000-06:00

New day...new attitude

2007-03-16T11:49:00.000-06:00

With encouragement from my bf Alyza, I am keeping all thoughts about this waiting period and the birth positive. Yesterday was kind of a crappy day and so I need to have an attitude change in order to remain sane!

Still, no baby but maybe this is just a big lesson in patience.

GET HIM OUT OF HERE

2007-03-15T10:41:00.000-06:00

Lincoln is SIX days late so far....ahhhhhhhhhhh. Get him out of here. It hurts. Waking up is excessively painful as well as walking, standing, and sitting. Spicy foods, pineapple, walking, eggplant parmesan...nothing has helped to get things going. What is he waiting for? Doesn't he know that I'm not an extended stay motel? Lease is up, buddy! Geez!

Of course, once he is born (if ever) this will all be out of mind, however, right now it's barely bearable. Hopefully, he's waiting for Alyza, who arrives this afternoon.

still waiting

2007-03-12T19:33:00.000-06:00

We are still waiting for Lincoln's arrival. He is 3 days overdue so far. Any guesses on when he might come? This is a pic of my outrageously huge belly. I can't believe it.