Out West

We flew over some snow-capped mountains.

We made it out to Scottsdale by way of Phoenix. The flight went pretty well. Lincoln didn't sleep at all, and we clearly missed a nap window, but he caught a second wind and actually wound up being a good little boy for the most part. He sat on Jenn's lap for about 3 minutes of the 4-hour flight, and in that time managed to have his diaper leak a bit and get Jenn's pants wet in a spot. This surprised neither of us.

Lincoln is pointing out Prickly Pears wherever he sees them.

This morning we went for a hike.

Lincoln was out.

The weather was perfect, and Lincoln rode very well in the pack. Grandpa Dave was able to join us as he made it back from his conference earlier than any of us expected. When we got back, Jenn went to some place around here with Auntie Haley and the two of them got pedicures and leg massages for $19. You read that right. Lincoln decided to stay up for the rest of the day after his 30 minute nap in the pack toward the end of the hike. We then went to the Scottsdale Train Park to give him something to do. It was at this train park that Lincoln decided to go down a slide without anyone helping him, and then it was on. He was on a mission. He climbed up and slid down and climbed up and slid down and climbed up and... you get the picture. I thought it was going to be torture to get him away from the slide, but as much as he enjoyed the slide, he enjoyed the swing about as much.

Here's some photos from the day before:

If Lincoln develops a gambling addiction, we'll be able to trace it to this event. He's been killing time on the Pachinko machine.

I got to thinking about something interesting while we were on our hike today. This was the first time I've been the primary Lincoln carrier while on our walks. In the past it's been Jenn who has worn the pack. So I had an extra 35 lbs. as I we hiked up and down the mountain out here in the desert. It reminded me of another guy who carried a heavy load on Good Friday. But Jesus carried his cross (more than 35 lbs.) after being beaten within an inch of His life. Today's hike was absolute pleasure, but it was, nonetheless, a good reminder of what Jesus did for me and for us. As this Good Friday comes to a close and we move toward Easter Sunday, don't miss the little reminders that the Holy Spirit has placed and will place in our lives that point to Jesus.