Labor Day & Bath Time Fun!

This week we were able to spend A LOT of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. The temperatures have been perfect for playing outside. On Saturday evening Dawson's Lolly, Pop, and Uncle Logan (my parents and brother) came down for a short visit. They stayed until Sunday afternoon, but their main reason for coming to visit was to bring an outside play set for Dawson. On Sunday morning John, Pop, and Uncle Logan assembled the play set in the back yard, and Dawson has been playing on it ever since! We had fun visiting with them the short time they were here, and we're so excited that the next time we see them will be in the Tampa Airport when we go on vacation next month!

On Monday we had our small group over for a Labor Day cookout! We grilled burgers and hot dogs and had some yummy sides and cookies. We were able to spend the entire evening outside. The guys played corn hole while the girls chatted and Dawson ran around playing in the backyard. When Dawson got worn out, we brought him inside and after a quick bath he fell quickly fell asleep. He played hard all day, so I know he was worn out; he slept 12 hours that night which is rare, but it was wonderful! After Dawson went to bed, we got out the tiki torches and continued our cookout in the backyard. We had a great time celebrating Labor Day, and it was nice for John to have a holiday off of work too!

On Tuesday Dawson and I had several of his friends over for our weekly playdate. This week his friend Hayden (23 months), Ethan (25 months), Austin (25 months), Norah (21 months), and Jonah (3 years) were all able to come and play! Dawson had a great time after he decided to venture off of my lap to play. He is in the process of cutting two more teeth, so he has been a little fussy and clingy. He had a great time with his friends, though. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of this playdate.

Wednesday morning Dawson and I went to storytime at the library, and he loved it as usual! He is always so entertained just watching the other kids. Now it seems like he is learning to sit while the librarian reads the story and then to stand up during the songs! It's funny because he knows exactly where we go when we go in the library to find the storytime room!

One other fun thing we've done several times this week has been FIZZY TUB COLORS! If you don't know about these, you're missing out! Dawson thinks these are the coolest! :) Basically you fill up the bath tub with water, as usual, and then drop one of the nickel-sized tablets in the water. They come in red, yellow, and blue, but you can also mix them to make different colors. I was able to take a some pictures of when we did the blue color and the orange color! He loves these right now!

Enjoy the pictures below...

Above: John & Dawson playing together in the

yard on Labor Day.

Above: Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got from
our Labor Day cookout. But as you can tell we had lots of
good food.

Above: Dawson new play set in our backyard.

Above: Dawson has learned to climb into chairs.

Here he is relaxing in the shade of his tree

in our backyard.

Above: On Saturday morning we let Dawson and Bentley

play in the cul-de-sac in front of our house. The both loved

running around!

Above: Dawson playing outside in his Tennessee shirt

before the first game on Saturday!

Above: Dawson eating breakfast in his pj's.

Above: So much fun!

Above: We threw the tub color in the water!

Above: Dawson in his blue bath!

Above: More of the blue bath.

Above: Sweet Dawson.

Above: Again.

Above: Dawson having fun in the tub!

Above: Dawson and Daddy made the tub orange! Go Vols!

The Busy Z's

Since we last updated our blog, we have done a lot! We have traveled to Tennessee to see family and go to my best friend's wedding, taken Dawson for his first hair cut, had friends over for a playdate, and spent a lot of time playing outside!
John's schedule has changed, so we are all trying to adapt to his new hours. Dawson and I have gotten in the habit of playing outside for at least an hour at the end of the day which helps the evening to go by faster without John here. Dawson L O V E S to be outside, so it's perfect for this time of evening because it isn't too hot and since he sometimes starts to get cranky near bedtime it helps this time of day be not so miserable for him. So, we have several pictures to share below of Dawson playing outside in the evening.
On Friday morning when John got off work we left to drive to Tennessee. My best friend, Lauren, was getting married on Saturday so we drove up for the wedding. Friday for lunch I attended her bridesmaids luncheon at Aubrey's (yum!), and then that evening was the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Copper Cellar (another yum!). I was so honored to be her Matron of Honor, and I had a wonderful time with all of the wedding festivities this weekend. Saturday we all spent the day getting pampered while we got our nails, hair, and make-up done before her wedding that evening. Everything was beautiful, and I had a great time being in her wedding and seeing all of our friends back in town!
On Friday between the wedding festivities we took Dawson to have his first hair cut! We had been planning the first hair cut to take place when we were in Tennessee so that we could take him to Johnnie's Barber Shop. This is where my Dad (Dawson's Pop) and his brothers have gotten their hair cut FOREVER! My brother, Logan, (Dawson's Uncle Logan) also got his first hair cut here when he was little. Anyways, I had been trying to work Dawson's first hair cut around a trip to Tennessee, so I was excited it worked out. Dawson didn't have a ton of hair, but he had enough that he was getting the rat tail look in the back according to John, although I described it as cute little curls! :) Needless to say, it was time to have it shaped up, so we took him to Johnnie's Barber Shop. As you can see in the photos below, yes, Johnnie is a she. She did a great job, and Dawson was pretty happy considering he was restricted to a seat rather than getting to run around. He looks like such a big boy (instead of a baby) now that his neckline has been shaped up and all those random, long baby hairs have been trimmed. He was so brave. I saved the hair for the baby book, of course! I still cannot get over how much older he looks with his hair shaped cut. He's our big boy now! :)
While we were in Tennessee we spent time visiting our parents (Dawson's Grandad & Nana and Lolly and Pop), Uncle Logan, Aunt Em, Cousin Drew, Dawson's Great Mamaw, Great Aunt Carolyn, my cousin, Susan, and second cousin, Christian. Dawson, of course, LOVED all of the attention he got from everyone! Now that we're home, he's probably wishing he were back in Tennessee so that he would have more than just me and John to play with!
We drove back home on Monday, and Tuesday I decided Dawson should have some of his friends over to enjoy some of the new toys his Lolly and Pop had sent back with him. So we had a Weeble Play Date! Dawson's Lolly and Pop sent us home with a ton of Weebles, and Dawson loves them. His friends Ethan and Austin (twins, 24 months old) came over to play, and they all enjoyed the Weebles! Dawson stayed pretty close to me, as usual, but he did play with his friends some while they were here. Even though he doesn't always interact with his friends a lot when they're here, I know it's good for him and that he enjoys being around other kids.
As you can tell, we've been the busy Z's (which is how we like it!). Enjoy the pictures below...

Above: This picture says "I'm serious

about football."
Above: Dawson thought it was hilarious that
he was inside the back door and I was outside.

Above: More playing outside.

Above: More playing outside.

Above: This is our tree named Dawson. The

other tree we planted in May is named Bentley

which I think may have been in another blog.

Anyways, Dawson LOVES to shake his tree

for some reason. We constantly tell him "no," but

apparently there is something SO fun about it that

he just can't resist.

Above: A plane flew over and Dawson put his

right arm up (as you can see) and said "up."

This is what he always does now when a plane

flies over.

Above: Just so hard to leave that tree alone!

Above: Some of the bridesmaids.

Left to Right: Rachel (bridesmaid), Lauren (bride!), and

me at Aubrey's for the bridesmaids luncheon.

Above: Dawson having his hair cut by Johnnie.

Above: Dawson having his hair cut by Johnnie.

Above: More hair cut....look at that face!

Above: Hair cut time!

Above: Getting your first hair cut is serious business.

Above: Close-up during hair cut!

Above: The sign where Dawson got his first hair cut!!

Above: Dawson and Lolly playing with the

Weebles!

Above: Dawson playing with his cute

horse! This thing is so funny!

Above: Some bridesmaids at the Rehearsal Dinner.

Left to Right: Me, Ashlee, and Erin. All Sigma Kappa

sisters. It was great to see them this weekend too!

Above: John and I at the Rehearsal Dinner.

Above: Me with the beautiful bride getting

ready before the wedding!

Above: John and I at the reception at

Crescent Bend in Knoxville.

Above: Dawson playing with his horse.

Above: Dawson with his Mommy and Great Mamaw!

Above: Dawson at the play group we had

at our house this week!

Above: Dawson at our play group!

Dawson's 15 Month Update

This week was Dawson's 15 month check-up with the doctor. He now weighs 24 pounds and 8 ounces which puts him in the 50th percentile for weight. He is 2 feet 9 inches tall which puts him in the 90th percentile for height. Overall, his appointment was uneventful because he is doing everything he should be for this age, and I didn't have too many questions for the doctor. He did, however, have to get one shot while he was there. At his 18 month check-up he will have to get several shots, because I have postponed a lot of them until that time. Since he's not in daycare, his doctor has been great about letting us do the shots when we want, within reason, which makes me feel great because I've been reading about all of the risks which are reduced by waiting longer before getting the shots. Unfortunately, though, the shot he did have to get, the Tdap vaccine, gave him a nasty little site reaction, and we had to take him back to the doctor yesterday to have it looked at. I wasn't worried about this shot because he has had it before, and this was the last one in the series. I'm not sure why he had a site reaction to it this time, but he did. He's on some medicine now though to help it to go away. He had fun in the doctor's office though getting lots of attention from the doctors and nurses.
At 15 months he can successfully sort the square, circle, and triangle in his shape sorter with a tiny bit of help. He continues to LOVE to read, and he will bring you book after book to read to him. He loves for you to sit cross-legged on the floor and let him sit on your lap while you read to him. We're excited that library story time is starting back up after a month break, since he also enjoys having books read to him in a group setting.
We have been working on coloring with crayons, and Dawson now knows what to do to color on paper. He is not always interested in coloring though, and sometimes he enjoys carrying the crayons around more than actually coloring.
At 15 months, Dawson is also a great helper! :) He has seen me sweep and dust so much that any time he sees a broom he HAS to have it to push back and forth across the floor. He thinks it's the most fun! He also loves for you to give him a wash cloth or rag so he can go around the house "cleaning." He uses the cloths to wipe everything including his high chair, chairs, tables, walls, and Bentley! The whole time he is "sweeping" or "cleaning" he looks at us for praise. I love it! I hope he will always continue to be my little helper when it comes to cleaning, so I give him all the praise he wants! :)
Dawson continues to be a good eater, but does have a picky day here or there. In addition to oatmeal and pancakes which John and I are worn out on after making them all the time for the past several months, Dawson has finally decided that he will accept a couple of other foods for breakfast. He will eat Cheerios in milk now. He also now loves cinnamon raisin wheat toast which is nice because it's much easier than pancakes!
Fifteen months has proved to be a very affectionate age for Dawson. He loves to hug us, and he will just randomly quit playing to come give us a hug. He also loves to give kisses and blow kisses now too.
In addition to all of the words Dawson has been saying, he has now added "no" and "clock" to his vocabulary. He has also learned to shake his head no, which he thinks is hilarious.
Dawson is slowly transitioning from 2 naps to 1 a day. As Dawson's schedule changes, we're also preparing for John's schedule change this week. We are so excited to have weekends together as a family again. Dawson continues to bring us so much joy, and is a ton of fun at 15 months!
Enjoy the pictures below!

Above: Dawson in his playroom at 15 months old!

Above: Dawson and I decided to color on the driveway with
sidewalk chalk.

Above: This is some of Dawson's scribbling on the driveway.

Above: Dawson enjoyed running around with

the chalk in his hand more than actually

drawing with it.

Above: Dawson after he made his first mark

with the chalk. He was excited about it!

Above: Dawson's newest thing is that if you

ask him where planes fly he points up like this

and says "up."

Above: Dawson playing.

Above: Dawson wanted to get in his toy box to play. Daddy

decided to let him get in to play before bath time. :)

Above: Dawson LOVED being in the toy box.

Above: Time to get out and go to the bath tub!

Above: I got Dawson half way undressed to

get in the bath tub one night this week, and then

he took off. He found his pacifier which he's only

allowed to have when he's in the bed, and then he

hid in the laundry room (only for a few

seconds before I went in there).

When I walked in the laundry

room and saw him he pointed at me as if I were the one

in trouble! He's so funny!

Above: All of the flowers in our landscape have

been blooming beautifully all spring and summer.

We have enjoyed them all season, and John

has done a great job keeping the flowers blooming

and the grass looking good. We brought some of

our knock-out roses inside to enjoy yesterday, and

even Dawson loves looking at them.