Family Pictures

       As I mentioned previously, we finally got around to having professional pictures taken.  We just loved the photographer we picked.  She is so talented and did an amazing job capturing our family.  She took over 200 pictures, so narrowing them down was a very ardous task.  I still have to order the shots that I want.  Here are my favorites from the shoot.  Unfortunately, the quality doesn't translate well on blogger.  

Dawson's First Haircut

     Last week, Joey decided to take Dawson for his first haircut.  Dawson's hair had gotten so long and it was looking a little sloppy.  We decided that it was definitely time for a trim.  I let Joey take him alone because I thought it would be a great Dad/son activity.  Joey said he did great and sat in the chair like a big boy.  I love his new haircut!  His hair looks so much neater and he instantly looks like a toddler and not a baby.  

The before, as you can see it was looking pretty long.

The after.  He looks so much nicer!!!

New Year's Eve 2011

       For New Year's this year, we decided to have a little get together with some friends at our house.  I wanted it to be very low key and family friendly.  Everyone brought an appetizer and we had some awesome party food to munch on.  Since there were young kids, we decided to ring in the New Year with New York.  It worked perfectly, because 10:00 was not too far of a stretch for the kids to stay up.  The kids had a blast playing with each other and the adults seemed to have a great time to.  I think we started a great new tradition.

       We are looking forward to the new year.  This year brought many blessings like Dawson, however it also brought some serious health issues for loved ones.  We pray that this is a healthy and prosperous year for all.  Our family will be going through some big changes in the New Year, but I will save that for another post.  Happy New Year to all and may 2012 bring many blessings!

Ashlyn and Dawson were having a great time playing together.  I LOVE it!!!

Pretty Mama and baby

Ashlyn and her favorite cousin. Such pretty girls.

Dawson and Mama

The kids playing with each other

Brooke reading to Ella and Emma

The girls, don't we look festive?

Ashyln had a great time with the blower. 

Ashlyn loved the party!

Dawson 11 Months

         Last week, Dawson turned 11 months old!!!  In one short month, my baby will be a year old.  This year has just flown by.  I can't believe how fast he is growing. 

      Dawson is now walking pretty much all the time.  He was going back and forth between walking and crawling, but in the last few days he has decided he wants to be a big boy and walk now.  It is just the cutest thing to watch.  He gets the biggest smile on his face when he is walking.  He always seems very proud of himself. 

       Dawson continues to grow and learn new things each day.  He continues to explore and loves to get into things.  He gravitates towards all things that he can't play with: the toilet, camera, etc.  I have to keep such a careful eye on him.  He also prefers remotes, phones, keys, etc. to actual toys.  He got so many toys for Christmas so I hope he starts becoming more interested.  Ashlyn is starting to enjoy her brother more and more.  Before he was just too young to be much fun for her.  The older he gets, the more he is able to play with her.  She loves it.  She also loves protecting her brother and keeping him away from anything dangerous. 

       Dawson is still my little champ eater.  He just loves to eat and literally gets a huge grin on his face when he sees his food.  I pray he continues to be a good eater and loves fruits and vegetables.  His favorite foods are bananas, crackers, and cheese. 

      Dawson is now sleeping like a champ.  It took him such a long time to finally get into a good sleep pattern.  I am loving it!  He goes to bed around 8:00 and wakes up around 7:30 a.m.  (This will change when I go back to work).  Sleeping in has never felt so good!  He takes a two hour nap from 10:30-12:30, and then another hour nap from 3:30 to 4:30.  He's on a pretty good schedule and it seems to be working nicely for him. 

         We continue to enjoy our precious little man.  He is just so stinking cute and I literally want to eat him up!  He has a smile that can melt any heart.  He always acts a little shy towards new people, but he still gives them that awesome grin. 

There's that smile

He gets such a kick out of the fact that he is walking.

He still loves the lens cap.