After our Alabama trip in mid-July, we did a little more traveling the following weekend when we went to Asheville, North Carolina for the day to attend Henry's (adorable son of our friends Josh and Cassandra) second birthday party! Unfortunately it was John's weekend to work so he didn't get to come along, but my mom rode along with me to entertain the backseat boys and went to the mall during the party. Everything at the party was army themed, and tied together...everyone knows I love a good themed party! :) Dawson had fun running around, playing army men, wearing his army hat, and drinking from his canteen...AND doing the slip and slide about 4 times before it started thundering! Carter enjoyed being passed around and was perfectly content. It was great to see the Whites! For the ride back, I was so glad that my mom came along since it poured down rain, there was a wreck that backed up traffic, and Dawson and Carter were both crying (not the whole way...everything just happened at once). I'm not sure that Lolly will ever offer to go anywhere with us again, haha! (disclaimer-this makes my boys seem like they were bad, but in reality they were both just extremely tired and ready to be home and the "bad part" lasted only a short time of the total time in the car!).
Dawson, Carter, and I invited Lolly to come to the zoo with us one Tuesday, and we had a fun day seeing the animals and playing in the indoor (and air conditioned) mini-children's museum while we were there too!
I have been meaning to include this in previous posts but keep forgetting, about two months ago, John began taking classes to get his MBA. He's doing great, and he has already completed the first class receiving an A. Now he has almost finished the second class! He is also continuing to stay very busy with work, and has managed to squeeze in a few rounds of golf and taking the first of 5 golf lessons that we got him for Father's Day!
Speaking of golf, one of those rounds he managed to squeeze in was special because he and Grandad took Dawson to the golf course for the first time! Dawson thought it was so special, and I am told, he was such a good little golf buddy. He talked about it everyday for at least the next week! So, it's a good excuse for John to go golfing again soon since Dawson wants too! :) PS-I don't mind at all because I took my child who cannot yet object to the one store Dawson cannot stand-Hobby Lobby! So really it was a win-win!
We have also had lots of playdates in the second part of July. Dawson loved having Charlie over to play and both boys riding John Deeres around the backyard. Dawson was especially excited because Charlie agreed to be a passenger in the Gator...which Dawson has been wanting to have someone to ride with him! One of Dawson's favorites was getting to go swim with his friend Charlie in their neighborhood pool! He still talks about swimming in "Charlie's pool."
Another fun playdate we did was at Safety City in Knoxville. In June and July they open two days a week to the public and kids can ride bikes, scooters, or battery operated vehicles around this mini-Knoxville. (During the school year, they are not open to the public-unfortunately-as they have school groups come.) Dawson, of course, took his John Deere tractor and rode it all around Safety City while I (with Carter in the Moby wrap) tried to keep up with Dawson. His friends Jay and Wesley were there too! This was such a cool place with miniature buildings, stop lights, railroad crossing, etc. We will be going back next summer for sure. I only wish I had known about it earlier to take advantage of it all summer long!
Dawson also got to spend the night with Nana and Grandad. He came home talking about all the fun he had playing with playdough and "getting out all those toys!" So I know he had a fun time!
Carter has been really enjoying spending time in his exersaucer and his Bumbo seat lately, and he has gotten so strong that he can do it for long periods of time now! I'm so impressed with how well he can do both. In the Bumbo he doesn't get tired and lean to the side anymore after only 5 minutes. In the exersaucer he has figured out how to straighten his legs and make himself do little "jumps" in it to move around a little more. I think he's happy in the playroom now with more options of things to do other than just lay and be held.
We've also had the inflatable pool out in our backyard a couple of times which Dawson loves! I found a Cars themed slip-n-slide at Target and got it for Dawson. He loves it, but it makes John and I laugh because sometimes he will run down the whole thing forgetting to drop and slide! Haha! His favorite thing to do is lay down on it at the beginning and pull himself slowly on his tummy down the entire thing to the end.
In order to not spend every waking moment outside in the heat and mosquitoes I've been coming up with a few new things for Dawson to do that I call his "activity" for the day. He loves this and talks about "my activities." We've put pipe cleaners in a colander which I read builds fine motor skills. He was awesome at this and did it quickly, but was still willing to be entertained by this for at least 45 minutes the first time after I showed him how we could keep taking them back out and making it look different. We've also done "rubber band boards" (I'm not exactly sure what these are really called) to make lines and shapes which also builds fine motor skills, and he loves this too. Another activity he LOVES which I didn't expect him to enjoy quiet as much is looking for letters in magazines, having me cut them out, and him gluing them on a paper. This was our activity one day to find all the "D"'s and he surprised me by finding D's even in long paragraphs not just bold, big font titles and ads. The next day he asked what letter we were going to look for, so we did what he always calls "Carter's letter C." And we've also done A. I haven't gotten a picture of this yet, but I will have to because he enjoys it SO much! I was really surprised, but he will sit with me on the floor in the playroom for a long time looking at each page until he finds the letter we're looking for.
And now onto the most interesting part-the pictures!
Dawson and Charlie swimming!
Dawson cooling off in the pool!
Dawson doing his pipe cleaner activity
while Carter watches from the exersaucer.
Dawson was proud the first time
he got all the pipe cleaners in the
colander! He asked me to take a
picture of him with "my funny thing I made!"
Dawson on the slip-n-slide!
Slip-n-slide fun in our backyard!
Slip-n-slide action shot!
Dawson doing his rubber band board
activity. This was when he first
started and was just making lines
out of the rubber bands on the boards, but
later he figured out how to stretch one side
to make them into shapes.
Carter chilling beside us while
we did the rubber band activity board.
He doesn't mind being on his tummy
now that he can roll over when he wants, and
he can hold his head up so well.
Dawson and his Lolly brushing
goats in the petting zoo.
Dawson got to go on the carousel TWO times
when Lolly came to the zoo with us, and he
loved it! Lolly rode with him, and I stayed with
Carter.
Dawson making his own zoo in the kids
museum area of the Knoxville Zoo.
Dawson and Charlie riding John Deeres
in our backyard.
Dawson was thrilled to finally have a
passenger! Charlie held on with both
hands the entire time..smart decision!
Two cute, blonde boys!
Dawson wearing his camo hat
at Henry's Army-themed 2nd
birthday party.
During a visit to their great Mamaw's
house, I snapped a picture of the boys
with Mamaw. Dawson had fun, despite
the look on his face! :) He's in a stage
where whenever I take a picture he
gives me a cheesy grin or makes this
wide-eyed face...maybe candid shots are
a better option right now! :)
Dawson has also been really into
board games lately. He loves this
Curious George game. We've been
playing a lot of Don't Break the Ice
and Don't Spill the Beans too!
One evening when Dawson got out
of the bathtub, he wrapped this towel
around himself and ran into the living
room to show me...he said, "Look,
it's a Moby wrap!" I just thought it
was too funny, since he loves to
pretend he's wearing a Moby
to carry a baby in! He's been really interested
in the Moby and wanted in it one day. It is supposed
to go up to 35 pounds, which is exactly what he weighs.
I put him in it, and he hasn't asked again! His legs are so
long and he's so tall that it looked hilarious!
My sweet Carter tucked in his crib
for the night. Just thought he looked so sweet!
Safety City! Look at all the mini
buildings, lights, and the road!
Cute!
Safety City
Obeying the driving rules.
Driving by Alcoa.
Safety City.
Mine and Carter's reflection
in one of the buildings. We were
sweating to death in the Moby
at Safety City, but we still had fun!
More of Safety City...Tennessee
Theater and the Knoxville News
Sentinel Building.
Mini-Sun Sphere! Too cool!
