Dawson's First Smile

This morning at church Dawson smiled at Mommy for the first time!

When we got home I tried my best to get a picture of him smiling. It's not a great shot but you can tell he is happy! : )

Right: We also added a little Elvis lip!

Camp's Thanksgiving Feast

Today I got to share a Thanksgiving Feast with this turkey!

It was such a treat to spend this special time with my boy.

Just look at that ham! (yes, I'm talking about Camp, not the food!)

They sang a cute song about a turkey and then said the verse....

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...."

Psalm 107:1

Dawson was a good boy, too! This is what he did the entire time. : )

I'm so thankful for you, Camp! I love my little turkey!!

Dawson's 4 Week Check-Up

Can you believe this boy is ONE MONTH OLD!?

Where has the time gone. Please, please slow down.

On Tuesday I took Dawson to his 4 week check-up. I was expecting him to be somewhere around 9 lbs but boy was I thrown for a loop when they told me he was already 10 POUNDS! Which meant he had gained almost 2 lbs in two weeks. Oh my, I think we are going to have another big boy!

We did learn a couple things from this visit:

1. Dawson has thrush. For him it's not too terrible but because I'm breastfeeding it's excruciating for me. I have never experienced anything so horrible. A few times I have honestly felt like I've reached the point of passing out when I nurse. Everything I've read says it can hang around for a month or so, so lets just pray it evacuates soon! 
2. Dawson still looked a tad bit jaundice so Dr. Rule wanted to send us over to Rex to have blood work drawn. She wasn't too concerned but just wanted to make sure everything was working properly and that our sweet boy was okay. *We went that afternoon to have the blood work done and everything came out fine. His level was at an appropriate lever and our sweet boy was just fine!
3. Dawson has a big head. His head was measuring quite large for where it should be so she wants to see us back in two weeks to make sure it hasn't grown any larger. It measured a little over 38 centimeters, however, Camp's head measured at 39.9 centimeters at his 4 week visit. I'm thinking we're okay but we'll go back just to make sure.

Weight: 10 lbs (50%)
Height: 22.5 (80%)
Head Circ: 38 cm (85%)

Can I just say what a good baby Dawson is. He is so much more 'chill' than my other two babies were. We are enjoying him SO MUCH. Love this boy!

Dawson Rolled Over From Belly to Back

Guess who rolled over today!? What??? He is too little to do that already. What's going on?

I had laid Dawson on his belly to take a nap and walked to the other room. When I walked back in the room he was laying on his back.

He's only 4 weeks. Slow down baby boy!

Someone Was Taking Over the Bed This Morning

Guess Who Had a Daddy-Daughter Date Last Night

I love how excited she gets to go out with her daddy. She ALWAYS comes from the back of the house completely decked out!

They were going to grab a bite to eat and then go to the seminary to hear a speaker at the Center for Faith and Culture. I'm sure she is not a bit over dressed. ; )

Puppet Show Field Trip

Emma Claire's kindergarten class had a field trip to downtown Raleigh to see a live puppet show. She was beyond excited and it was well worth the $5!

I had forgotten my camera but I think my phone did a pretty good job taking pics! ; )

Left: Somehow Emma Claire's class pets, Chelsey and Chester raccoon, made it on stage at the show. The kids were so excited to see them there when we arrived.

They even got to go on stage and be a part of the show. Emma Claire was an Indian from the first Thanksgiving.

Little man was so good the whole time. He never even got out of his car seat.

Their first field trip = success!

Left to Right: Tyler Cox, Elijah Goodwin, Molly, Grady Upchurch, Bella, Emma Claire, and Nora.

Sweet Baby

I could just eat this sweetness up!!

Walk Away the Pounds

We like to start them exercising young! When I finish working out they like to take their turn, too. Emma Claire even did a whole 2 miles! ; )

A Sad Day

It was a sad day when RaRa had to leave to go back home. She had been here for 3 weeks helping out after baby Dawson was born and we really enjoyed having the extra hands around the house.

The good news is that she'll be back in 2 and a half weeks for Thanksgiving!

Cooking Dinner with RaRa

While RaRa was still here helping out, Benjamin and I decided to sneak out for a date night. Look at what fun they had while we were gone!  They each got to make their own dinner. : )

They each made:

1 ham cresent roll

1 cheese cresent roll

1 ham and cheese cresent roll

1 chocolate chip cresent roll

Actually sounds yummy, huh?! Just look at those plates. I think they enjoyed them!

Dawson's 1st Sunday at Church

It was Dawson's 1st Sunday at church and our own small group leader, Jake Mason, was preaching. What a treat!

Halloween 2012

Our neighborhood is PERFECT for trick-or-treating. There is not a ton of houses and it makes a complete circle for parents to just drop off kids and follow behind in the car.

This year mom bought the kids these fun dress up packs to use on their pumpkins. Much better than carving! ; )

Before everyone started arriving at our house we went out to make a loop and let them load up on treats!

It's so fun that some of the neighbors dress up, too!

When we made it back to our house look who was there to 'trick-or-treat'..... RaRa!

We love that we get to be home on Halloween night to welcome all the families that come by. It's a highlight for the kids. To be honest, they get more excited about sitting on the front porch handing out candy than trick-or-treating themselves. We even get to enjoy hot chocolate!

This Makes My Heart Melt

Dawson Fun Fact

Dawson's Eye Color:

Dawson's eyes haven't changed color yet, but they are the same color gray that Emma Claire and Camp's were in the beginning.

Maybe they're gonna be brown, too?! Who knows!