Tate Farms & A Wedding

Well, we have had another busy couple of weeks which explains the delay in updating the blog. :) Monday, October 11 we decided it was time to visit the pumpkin patch so we could enjoy our pumpkins for a while before carving them. We went to Tate Farms (TateFarmsPumpkins.com) and had a GREAT time! Our pumpkin pictures look slightly different than last year though. Last year we were bundled up in our jackets, and this year it was 86 degrees the day we went to pick out our pumpkins. You can see that Dawson has pink cheeks in all the photos below. Tate Farms was amazing though. They had tons of slides of all sizes for children to play on, a big sand box, old tractor tires stacked about 14 feet tall for bigger kids to climb on, a corn box (like a sand box, but filled with corn), old farm equipment that had slides added to the slide for children to play on, swings, a petting zoo with puppies, bunnies, and goats, wooden cut-outs of Thomas the Tank Engine, Sir Topham Hat, Percy the Train, and James the Train, The Cat and the Hat, and a few others.
Dawson loved the entire experience. When we walked up Dawson just started running from one thing to the next. We enjoyed watching him run around, go down the slides, and climb like a big boy! At the end of our afternoon we went on the hay ride to the 60 acre pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. When we got back to the barn we put Dawson in the wheelbarrow with our pumpkins, and he thought it was hilarious. We had been talking to Dawson a lot about pumpkins before we went to Tate Farms, and the whole time we were there we would ask him, "Where is a pumpkin?" He would look at us and smile before pointing to at least three or four pumpkins. We now have the pumpkins sitting by our front door, and Dawson loves to go outside to look at them.
On Friday, we left to go out of town again. This time our trip was to Tennessee for the weekend. Two of our college friends got married. John's fraternity brother, Jeff, married my sorority sister, Amanda (AT). John was in the wedding as a groomsman, so we made it in town on Friday in time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Calhoun's on the River. Dawson got to stay with his Nana and Grandad (John's parents) on Friday evening while John and I were at the rehearsal.
On Saturday evening Dawson got to spend some time with his Lolly and Pop (my parents) during the wedding ceremony. They took him to the Wade Family Reunion, and I think he had a great time! After the reunion and wedding ceremony, I met up with my parents to get Dawson so he could come to the wedding reception which was held at Club LeConte in Downtown Knoxville. At first I wasn't sure how Dawson was going to do because it was a little fussy, but after the d.j. fired up the music and the lights and Dawson could be on the dance floor-he had a GREAT time! Dawson and I spent the majority of the reception dancing. If you've been around Dawson in the last several months, you know that dancing is one of his very, very favorite things to do. The wedding and reception were beautiful, and we had a wonderful time. It was also great to get to see friends that we rarely get to see! I wish I had gotten more pictures, but, like I said, we were on the dance floor! :)
On Sunday, our wonderful friends Josh and Cassandra came to Maryville to visit with us. I was so excited because this weekend was the first time I (FINALLY) got to meet their baby, Henry. He is almost 3 months old, but because they live in North Carolina and we live here in Alabama we're just now getting to meet him. He is adorable, of course, and we are so happy for our friends on their newest addition! I was excited for Dawson to meet Henry since they are future best friends and fraternity brothers (haha!). They didn't interact too much, but I have a feeling that once Henry becomes mobile that will change.
Before leaving town we paid a couple of quick visits to my family again, Jeannie, and Mamaw. The weekend was too short and so busy that we barely got to visit with anyone for very long, although we enjoyed the time we had.
Unfortunately since we got back home, things have been slightly less than pleasant. Dawson started running a fever which I initially blamed on the fact that he is cutting four molars (yes, all at one time). When it got over 101 degrees (he's never had a fever that high), he started refusing to eat (he NEVER does that), and he started acting lethargic (again-NEVER), we got worried and took him to the doctor. After a long week of being sick, basically not eating anything all week, and 2 visits to the doctor's office, we learned that Dawson has Pharyngitis (a throat infection with a rash). He is now on antibiotics, and we are hoping and praying that he starts to get better very soon! Dawson has only been sick a couple of times in his life and never this bad, so this had us pretty worried about him! On top of all that, John now has another sinus infection....for a family who doesn't get sick too often--October has not been our month! We're hoping that this weekend everyone can get some chicken noodle soup and rest and get to feeling better! :)

For now, enjoy the photos below...

Above: I think we picked out the cutest pumpkin on the farm!
Above: Our family at Club LeConte for the wedding reception.

Above: Dawson found an exercise trampoline

at Nana and Grandad's and thought he was

so big jumping on it. (He didn't actually jump, he

would just bend his knees to make himself go up

and down! He was so proud though!)

Above: Dawson and Mommy at Club LeConte.

(There was so much going on at the reception that Dawson is

distracted in all of these pictures! haha)

Above: Our attempt at a family photo, meanwhile Dawson

cannot quit looking at John's orange vest. :)

Above: John with some of his fraternity brothers

at the wedding reception.

Above: Dawson sitting on Erin's lap. (He wasn't unhappy,

he just wouldn't sit still for the picture!) Someone told Erin

that her son (meaning Dawson) looked just like her...haha!

Above: Dawson with Grandad.

Above: Best friends and fraternity brothers, John and Josh,

with their boys, Dawson and Henry!

Above: Grandad got a bowl of grapes for Dawson, but all

Dawson wanted to do was share them with his Grandad!

Above: When we got to Tate Farms this is what

Dawson did...he took off running from one thing

to the next!

Above: Dawson and Daddy playing on one of the wooden

tractor cut-outs.

Above: More fun at Tate Farms.

Above: An old piece of farm equipment turned in to a slide!

Above: Dawson and Daddy preparing for

another slide!

Above: Dawson LOVED the goats.

Above: More fun with the goats in the petting zoo!

Above: Dawson petting a goat.

Above: When we made Dawson come out of the goat

pin, he just hadn't quiet had enough!

Above: Fun in the corn box!

Above: More fun in the corn box.

Above: Cooling off in the swing!

Above: Dawson examining some pumpkins

that had already been picked.

Above: He tries to climb on EVERYTHING!

Above: Pumpkins are not for climbing! :)

Above: Dawson has a recent interest in wheels.

He points them out on all his toys, cars, trucks, and

this old fashioned wagon!

Above: Farmer Dawson

Above: Mommy and Dawson on the hay ride.

Above: Farmer Dawson showing us some pumpkins.

Above: Dawson and Daddy on the hay ride.

He liked being on the hay ride so much he was

clapping!

Above: Dawson though the trains were cool!

(Notice the cotton field in the background)

Above: He started pointing out the mouth, nose, and eyes

on the trains (I think he's used to being quizzed). :)

Beach Vacation!

Last week, October 2-9, John, Dawson, and I took a vacation to Indian Shores, Florida. We flew down and met my parents and brother (Dawson's Pop, Lolly, and Uncle Logan) who had driven down from Tennessee. We all spent the week enjoying the beach together!
We had not flown with Dawson since last October when we went to the beach, and flying with a 16 month old is MUCH MUCH different than flying with the 4 month old we had last year! Since he's less than two he still got to ride on our lap. Overall he did GREAT. There were only a few times he got a little fussy. One of which was after we spent an hour sitting on the runway waiting to take off when we left Huntsville to fly to Atlanta. We had a fairly short layover in Atlanta before flying on to Tampa which was great. We were really thankful for all of the kind people on all of our flights who played peek-a-boo or waved and smiled at Dawson during the flight because it helped keep him entertained. He enjoyed being at the airport where he could look out the windows and see all the planes, but he didn't understand when I would tell him we were on a plane.
Dawson LOVED the beach...just like his Mommy! :) His favorite things to do on the beach included: running, chasing "ducks," playing in the sand, and waving to EVERYONE on the beach.
The majorty of his time was spent running. He constantly ran up and down the beach. As for chasing the "ducks"...the first day we took Dawson out to the beach he pointed to the sea gulls, cranes, and pelicans on the beach and started calling all of them ducks. We didn't really correct him because he was close and he was so sure of himself. So all week long he was chasing the ducks and managed to come VERY close to a few! He had fun playing in the sand with his shovels, especially when we would dig a hole for him so he could sit down in it and play. Dawson has started waving at everyone, and this was no different on the beach. John and I met a ton of new people because Dawson insisted on waving to everyone. When someone wouldn't wave back, Dawson would just get closer and closer to them until they couldn't ignore him anymore! Haha...our silly boy! John and I especially enjoyed just watching all of the fun Dawson had on the beach. The last time he was at the beach (last October) he was only 4.5 months old, so this year it was amazing to us to watch him explore the beach and love it!
Dawson also especially enjoyed all of the attention he got from his Lolly, Pop, and Uncle Logan while we were there. Dawson was constantly pointing out things for them to see with one of his new favorite words, "LOOK!" and pointing. I'm sure now that we're back home, Dawson is missing his grandparents and uncle!
We spent the days enjoying the beach, and in the evening we would usually go out to dinner and do some shopping or visit some tourist spots. While we were in Indian Shores we ate some yummy seafood (my favorite!!) at some fun restaurants like Bubba Gumps, Crabby Bills, and PJ's Oyster Bar. For the most part, Dawson ate off of the kid's menu, but he did really enjoy some fish (pollock) from Crabby Bill's!
Late one afternoon, John and I decided to walk Dawson down the road to the Seabird Sanctuary(www.SeabirdSanctuary.com). It is the largest wildbird hospital and sanctuary in the U.S. I remember visiting the bird sanctuary when my brother was little, and he loved it (and I was a little older, so I complained about the smell :) of the birds and fish). It was so fun to take Dawson though, especially since he loves the "ducks" so much! We lucked out and got there at feeding time for several different kinds of pelicans, so we got to watch them all get their fish. Dawson was in awe, pointing out all of the ducks. One of his favorite was a bird with one leg that was not in a cage, but just sitting on a bench. He kept pointing to it and signing "more" (there is a picture of this below).
Also, while we were at the beach the guys spent a lot of time fishing off the shore (and I spent a little time doing this, as well). Dad had the biggest catch off the shore when he caught a Spanish Mackerel which was pretty tasty. More than fishing off the shore, I enjoy throwing the net off the shore to catch the little bait fish. On Wednesday of our vacation, the guys (except Dawson) decided to go deep sea fishing. They caught a few fish and had a good time!
One evening Dawson got to stay with his Lolly and Pop for a few hours while John and I went on a movie date which was really nice! Other evenings we shopped at Tyrone Square Mall or visited the shops at John's Pass and saw the boats.
The only bad part of our trip was that John and I were sick for the beginning of it. When we left Huntsville, we thought our allergies were acting up since all of the cotton is in bloom and being harvested (yes, I never thought I would know this much-or anything-about cotton and harvesting it, but we live in Alabama so what can I say?!). Unfortunately though, on Monday we were filling a little rough, so we visited a doctor in Florida and got some medicine for our sinus infections. Thankfully we started filling better fairly quickly, and we had a wonderful time on our vacation nonetheless!
While we were gone Bentley had the luxury of staying at Maddy's Pet Resort where she got her own room (they don't do kennels) and was spoiled! The place we used to take her to daycare when John and I were both working full time, Maddy's Doggie Daycare, also does boarding so Bentley got to go on a little vacation of her own. We were excited to go pick her up when we got home though, and thankfully, she was excited to see us! I think she played the whole time she was on her "vacation" too because she's been sleeping A LOT since we picked her up!
We had a wonderful vacation, and we were so sad to come home. We're getting back in our normal routines, but we can't wait to go back to the beach again!!
I have posted some pictures below. Enjoy!

Above: Dawson sitting in a beach chair under

the umbrella!
Above: Snack time at Huntsville International
Airport before boarding our plane.

Above: Dawson and Daddy watching the

Tennessee game while we waited on our plane.

Above: Not a very good picture, but I had to share it because...

On our first flight we were on the first row behind Business Class

(1st class) with this tiny curtain separting us. All Dawson wanted

to do was lift up this little curtain...I bet the people who booked

Business Class for this flight didn't expect to have a curious toddler

on the other side of that curtain! :)

Above: Snack-time on the beach.

Above: Dawson watching Daddy throw the net and

Uncle Logan fish.

Above: This is what the fish we caught in

the net for bait look like.

Above: Dawson exploring the beach with his shovel.

Above: Dawson playing on the beach with Pop.

Above: Leaning on Pop.

Above: More fun with Pop.

Above: Dawson walking with Pop on the beach.

Above: My beach boy!

Above: Dawson and Daddy playing in the sand!

Above: More fun.

Above: Dawson chasing a few of the ducks.

Above: Running on the beach.

Above: Weird arms at Bubba Gumps.

Above: John and Dawson at John's Pass.

Above: Dawson and Mommy in front of the Pirate Ship

at John's Pass.

Above: Dawson loved looking at the boats.

Above: John's Pass.

Above: On the balcony of our condo.

Above: On the balcony of the condo.

Above: Dawson and Pop!

Above: Dawson in the ocean with his shovel.

(His swim shorts say "speedo" on the bottom if

you can't read it)

Above: Our beach boy!

Above: Dawson and I at the Seabird Sanctuary.

Above: Dawson saw the first bird (pictured below with one leg)

and started signing "more" to us!

Above: Dawson LOVED this bird!

Above: We were trying to capture a picture

of Dawson's wind-blown hair...but it's hard to see

in the picture.

Above: Walking on the beach one evening.

Above: Dawson and Daddy walking to the Pier.

Above: "Which way should I run next?"

Above: Action shot!

Above: I wish we were still there!

Above: Dawson's first day on the beach!

I may have a few more pictures of our vacation to share later this week after getting them from Lolly and Pop's camera! I hope you enjoyed these!