Chad's 30!!!

It's Chad's 30th birthday today! It's driving me crazy that we can't really do much to celebrate because of the turnaround he's been working. To make sure he got a cake on his birthday I took this yummy cheesecake to work for him to have with his buddies... Dawson's checking out Daddy's present before I wrap it...but shhh-he's not home to open it yet.

Lucky Me...

...to have such a wonderful husband. For our 2 year anniversary yesterday he had these beautiful flowers delivered.

Since we technically already celebrated with our weekend in Seattle, we stayed home and I made cheese fondue with dippers, steak and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. Delicious!

Fun in the Sun

On our beautiful sunny Monday we had Kate & Riley, Lynn & Aiden and Andrea & Braxton & Adelle over for a play date. It was wonderful getting to throw a blanket outside and enjoy the warm sunshine while the little ones stripped down and showed off their rolls!

Adelle & Riley

Dawson was more interested in crawling around finding dandelions than playing with his friends. There he goes on the look out.

Andrea entertained Braxton, Aiden & Adelle with bubbles.

Adelle sharing her crackers with Dawson, so sweet.

Braxton filling up the gas tank before mowing the lawn. :)

Dawson & Riley inside cooling off.

Can't wait for more sunny days to play!

Celebrating 2 Years

April 28th is Chad and my 2nd wedding anniversary! We have had a fun filled couple years and now watching him as a "daddy" my love for him has grown even stronger. Since Chad's turnaround for work starts today and he'll be working at least 21 days straight, we celebrated by spending last weekend in Seattle. I'm not ready to leave Dawson overnight yet, so it wasn't a very romantic getaway but it was really special to spend uninterrupted time as a family. I used Hotwire for the first time to book our hotel (the website that guarantees the area and star rating for a lower price because you don't get the hotel name until you book). We ended up at the Silver Cloud Hotel and I was very impressed! It was hilarious watching Dawson when we first got to the hotel room, he was crawling around like crazy checking everything out then rolling all over the king size bed (don't worry, we took off the comforter immediately!). After getting settled we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...YUM!!

I promise I didn't intentionally pack us color coordinating outfits.

After dinner we packed up our cheesecake and headed back to the hotel to go swimming.

This was Dawson's first time in a pool. We thought he would love it since he loves taking baths...but not so much, he really didn't know what to think. In his defense the water was a little chilly and his daddy splashed him.

We started our next day by walking along the waterfront and then went to the Seattle Aquarium. Dawson really seemed to be having fun, he'd follow the fish as they swam by and was full of smiles. When I saw this picture I realized my little baby is growing up. :(

Dawson was trying to figure out what kind of fish were swimming all around him.

Taking a ride on a whale.

Next stop was Pike Place Market, a delicious lunch at Pike's Pub and then back home.

It's amazing how one night away can refresh you and make you love and appreciate your family that much more!

Peas...Everywhere!!

The Hunt Is On...

After Chad made us a delicious breakfast Easter morning, it was time for Dawson to find his Easter basket.

Chad helped lead Dawson in the right direction. Getting closer... He found it! (the Easter Bunny hid it in my closet, one of Dawson's new favorite places to play) Dawson got a big blow up duck to take baths in and a new binky holder which has become a favorite teether. The Easter Bunny didn't forget about me either...chocolate!

Of course Dawson was more interested in the Easter grass.

Johnny & Beth had all the family over for a terrific dinner of ham, au gratin potatoes (my favorite!), pasta salad & lots of fruit. Then I got to hide eggs outside in the rain for the little ones to go on an Easter egg hunt.

Aiden did great finding eggs!

Dawson with his Easter baskets from Grandpa & Grandma Gartner (lots of fun books to read & bubbles) and Grandpa & Grandma Bennett (toys, frog & pants).

Happy Easter

When we went to Haggen's today the Easter Bunny was there! Dawson was not too sure of him at first but after playing with his paw he let me hand him over so I could get a picture. Unfortunately Dawson was too interested in the bunny and all the people in Haggen's so I couldn't get his attention long enough for him to look at me...in all five pictures. So here's the best one, I promise he was smiling at the camera before he turned his head real quick. We'll try better next year. :)

8 Months Old!!!

Can you believe it?! Where does the time go? Well as I've said, Dawson has become SO busy this month. He is a master crawler and he's not afraid to try pulling himself up on anything, which sometimes isn't always a good thing. Poor boy has had a lot of falls. Still no "mama" yet :( but he's constantly saying "dada" and "b's". He gives kisses (so sweet!), usually with a big open mouth so it's very wet but I'll take what I can get.

Here is Dawson's 8 month picture.

Love that it was sunny enough for him to wear shorts & a short sleeve! Caught him in the act of saying "b". Dawson's new favorite toy...a 2 liter filled with popcorn kernels. Thanks Holly & Jeff for the idea! He bats at it and chases it as it rolls away.

Looking forward to seeing what milestones my sweet boy will accomplish in the following month!

Ahh...Sunshine!

It's amazing how good a little sunshine can make you feel. We really needed it! Chad, Dawson and I spent the first half of Sunday walking around and playing in Fairhaven. We still had to bundle up a bit but the warmth of the sunshine and needing sunglasses was wonderful.

We started out by getting lunch at the train in Fairhaven...and sitting outside!

Couldn't resist stopping for a mini photo shoot behind Skylarks...

After Fairhaven we headed to Johnny & Beth's to barbeque and celebrate Johnny's birthday (he turns 51 today).

We made him a sign to hang in his new shop with Dawson & Aiden's handprints. Dawson has had a lot of first's lately! This was his first time in the grass. It was the cutest thing ever. He loved it. He was feeling it and pulling it, crawling all over the place. As you'll see, he was so fascinated with the grass that he wouldn't even look at us for the pictures.

How cute is my sweet baby?!

Dawson and Aiden took a ride in the wagon together. Now I just wish this sunshine would stick around!!!