Bring on Christmas!

I'm proud to say that we are all ready for Christmas! The tree and decorations have been up since Thanksgiving, the presents are all bought and now wrapped under the tree. Which is a good thing with all this snow we're getting. I wouldn't be able to go out shopping if I wanted to because I'm way too scared to drive in this stuff. Dawson doesn't seem to think much of the snow. He was mesmerized for a bit when it was coming down really hard but lost interest fast. It would be great to get pictures of him out there with his first snow but it's so cold I don't have the heart to throw him out there. So we've been staying warm inside watching Christmas movies. I would love to be doing some baking but didn't think ahead and get to the grocery store before the snow for ingredients, I'll have to wait for Chad to take me. Hope everyone is staying safe & warm! Dawson got an early Christmas present-his Bumbo seat. He's been trying so hard to sit up on his own we thought he would enjoy this. Besides the fact that he always swats his toys off and then can't reach them he loves to be able to sit up and hang out.

Here are some pictures of the snow at our house. It's been so windy that some spots are practically bare and others are really deep. Static electricity is so funny!!

Rainforest Jumperoo

Thank you cousin Aiden for letting me use your Rainforest Jumperoo! I'm still not tall enough to reach the ground and jump so I have to put a pillow under my feet but I'm having a lot of fun!!

Cute Pics!

Look how cute he is in his jeans and new Robeez shoes! Playing with Grandpa Gartner.Taking a ride on mommy. Okay, enough pictures mom! (I love his expression in this picture)

Dawson's New Best Friend

Dawson & Lexie have become best friends! Dawson just stares and watches her and she loves to cuddle with him. When he's napping on the floor Lexie will snuggle up next to him and share his pillow (or use him as a pillow). Dawson will try to pet Lexie and she's so patient and puts up with him being not so gentle or grabbing an ear.

Dawson's 4 Months Old!!

Dawson turned 4 Months old on Sunday, December 7th!! I know I say this every month, but I can't believe how fast the time goes. He's getting quite the personality already and is always full of smiles. He's gotten really good at rolling over both ways and when lying on his back he tries so hard to sit up (strong tummy muscles!). He's got a lot to say and sometimes the funny noises that come out even startle himself. The best part of him growing up is he really knows who his mommy and daddy are (well it at least seems like it). When Chad gets home from work Dawson turns to find him when he hears his voice then he'll smile and laugh, so cute!!

We've been taking pictures of Dawson in the same spot on his birthday every month, look how he's grown.

1 Month 2 Months 3 Months

4 Months

Elf Yourself Babies

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Elf Yourself!

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Our Cute Baby Boy

Dawson loves to fly! He gets laughing really hard when you move him around and bring him down for kisses. I love this picture of Chad & Dawson!

Dawson was standing on the couch against the arm and I was sitting on the floor. He felt like such a big boy looking down on me. You can't really see it in the picture but there was a constant string of drool hanging from his mouth. Maybe he's teething...?

I am thankful...

...for my family! We had such a fun long weekend. Having Chad off for 4 days with Dawson and I was so nice. Thanksgiving day was spent at home with just the 3 of us. We slept in, watched the Macy's parade and then football all day. In the meantime, Dawson and I decorated the Christmas tree. He loves it so much with all the lights and sparkly ornaments! I made us a Thanksgiving dinner but instead of doing a big turkey for just the 2 of us I made a turkey and stuffing meatloaf. Sounds a little different I know, but it was delicious!! I highly recommend going to rachaelray.com for the recipe. :) I strapped Dawson in the Baby Bjorn, that seemed to be the easiest way for him to "help" me decorate the tree.

Friday we braved the malls and did a little Christmas shopping. Nothing crazy early, Dawson woke up about 7:30 so we got there shortly after that. I'm not really sure why we decided to go on the busiest day of the year, I think part of it was the Holidays came so fast this year that I didn't feel ready for them or in the spirit yet. So I thought that would maybe help...and it did! Then to top it off we dropped Dawson off at Great Grandma Hope's and went to see the movie "Four Christmases".

Saturday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. My parents hosted and everything was wonderful and delicious as usual. Some of the family had not met Dawson in person yet so that was fun to see. It was really cute to watch the Great Grandma's with him, they love him so much and it was hilarious hearing them each "offer" to take Dawson while the other grabs a drink or snack. :) I love the picture below of them all!

Big Boy

I've discovered that Chad and I are on different pages when it comes to Dawson learning new things. Of course it's always exciting when Dawson starts doing something for the first time and I'm proud of him, but I want him to be my little baby that I can hold and cuddle forever. Chad on the other hand, can't wait for him to start crawling, walking, etc. This is what I came home to the other day...

Chad has gotten Dawson to be able to hold his own bottle on occassion and with a few failed attempts, stand up on his own against the ottoman... :( Don't they grow up fast enough on their own already?!

Our Weekend...

Aiden & Dawson "reading" together.

Dawson with cousin Aiden & Auntie Lynn. Dawson & Grandpa Gartner at Chihuahuas, I didn't realize they were directly under the "Bar" sign until I posted this picture. :) Happy Birthday Mom! She will not be happy about this picture being on here but if you have ever had a Chihuahuas margarita (notice the empty glass) you will understand!

We had a great weekend! Friday was our lazy night as usual. Now that Chad is working Friday's (which makes for 5 ten hour days!) he's exhausted when he gets home so we usually relax and watch a movie. Saturday was a busy day, it was my mom's birthday and we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Bennett family. At Johnny & Beth's we had a delicious dinner and it is always fun to watch Dawson with his cousin Aiden. At one point Aiden actually sat still long enough and they were both looking at books-so cute!!! Afterwards we went to Chihuahuas to celebrate with my mom and family. Dawson does great eating there because of the bright colors and ceiling fans that keep him occupied, not to mention getting passed around so everyone gets a chance to love him! :) On Sunday Chad was lucky enought to go to the Seahawks game with Big Jim, Shane & Nathan. The crazy boys left town at 6 in the morning so they could get down there to tailgate before the game. Dawson and I packed up and went over to Kate's house to hang out with her, Riley, Tara & Tyler.

Cutest Little Seahawks Fans

From left to right: Riley (7/24/08), Tyler (8/6/08), Dawson (8/7/08) & cousin Aiden (7/12/07)

The pictures above are from the weekend before last when we had some friends over to watch the Seahawks game. I couldn't resist posting them- they all looked so cute in their Seahawks gear!