Getting Bigger!

This is baby Dawson at 12 weeks. Some days it seems this pregnancy is flying by and others it seems it is dragging. When I had this ultrasound last week, it was one of those days it seemed to be flying; just 4 weeks before the baby was as tiny as a pea and now he or she is the size of a large peach. Ultrasounds are so exciting and seeing those little arms and legs (which by the way I mostly saw long legs kicking around) and see that heartbeat is so special. I am going to try to post every now and then about my pregnancy (although it has been 3 1/2 months and I have only posted the announcement!) to keep in the scrapbook. Lane and Bo have their little baby books, but I guess this baby will be a little more high tech! The 2 pictures at the bottom are 8 week pictures..... (sorry they are rotated)

3D at 8 weeks:

The following info is for his/her scrapbook, so feel free to move along if bored and more to come in the next 5 months!)
I am 14 weeks along now and here is what is going on:

I felt you move at 13 weeks sitting in bible study and it wasn't really questionable, some may say it was early, but I have felt 2 other babies move in there and it was exactly the same! And now, you move every day, at first it was like little vibrations, but now at times it even feels like tiny tiny kicks!

I wore my first pair of maternity jeans last night ! (I think about an hour after I took a positive pregnancy test I started growing this time and adding numbers to the scale.....oh, well...)

I am feeling pretty good these days....had a rough month weeks 8-13, really nauseated and tierd (worse that with the first 2 I think), but it's over now I think and it is great to feel the signs that you are there by your kicks and not so much by my hormones!

Bo gets more excited about you every day...he has really taken to babies lately and I am so glad to hear him ask me every day something about you (Lane didn't need any time...she was excited and asking questions from day one).

More to come in a few weeks when we find out if you are XX or XY!

A Thanksgiving Hunt

You always hear that good ole saying "marriage is about compromise".....Rob and I celebrated 8 years of marriage on Tuesday, so he took me shopping and to dinner last night and I took him squirrel hunting this morning! Actually, we had a great hunt, and I loved enjoying a beautiful Thanksgiving morning, amongst a beautiful sunrise in the woods. We killed 5, but I will spare the dead squirrel pictures. This is his dog "BB" in action....

Hey Ema!

Lane woke up today and said "When do Mr. Kirk and Miss Emily get their baby?" And I answered her, "Today!" We are so excited that our friends have met their baby girl, and I want them to know that we are thinking of them. We talked about it this morning at breakfast and made a sign to show Ema that her new friends, Lane and Bo, send their love from far away! Hurry home, Ema Li Richardson!!

Blackmail!

Not much to add to this picture...boy in cute blue boxer briefs with girl in pink panties! Priceless.

Are they shaped like Rob Dawson or what!!

Best Friend "Betty"

I never want to forget Lane's "Betty." Everyone who knows our family knows Betty. She is a dollar store quality bear that Lane got when she was in the hospital the first time 3 years ago. (Actually Jan Jan had another bear just like Betty for some crazy reason, so we actually ended up with 2 of these look a like Betty bears), but I assure you, Lane know which one is which...one of them (the "real Betty") was left in the yard one day and one of Rob's dogs chewed a hole in her ear & the other one's bow in the neck is missing, so he it is now a "boy" and is usually shunned. Betty has often changed roles in our house, she used to be Lane's daughter and my granddaughter; most recently she is Lane's "cousin" and she has a bunny at home that his her mother. Lane plans birthday parties for her all the time, and we have one about everyother week! (And one day, we actually are going to have a real party for her!) She slept with Lane for about 2 or 3 years, but now sometimes sleeps in the area that Rob and I call the "Daycare" in Lane's room. This area has several doll beds, doll pillows and blankets, and multiple stuffed animals and babies. She reads to them and puts them to bed at night. In case you haven't figured it out, Betty is very "real" to us. When it is cold outside, Lane is sure that she has her blanket or jacket, when she rides in the car, Lane goes into hysterics if I start backing up without "buckling Betty!" Even Bo goes along with this craziness, he will say "Lane, don't forget Betty!" I hope I never see the day that we lose Betty; it will be a sad day at the Dawson house! (Yes, they have on matching dresses in this picture!)

Bottomheavy....

Rob had a meeting at school Thursday night, so the kids and I were a little bored, so after I had loads of fun cleaning out their closets....we decided to put up our "kid" tree! I let them do all the work, without saying a word (except for the four ornaments seen near the top of the tree), nonetheless, guess where all the ornaments were.....about 50 ornaments all on the front bottom 2 feet of the tree! It was so cute. I waited until they went to bed to fix it!!

Tiger Fanatics!

We decided at the last minute to be one of those crazy 18,000 fans that could say they were there when the Tigers played in the game that lasted from Monday till Tuesday! We got home at 2:00 (yes, a.m,) and got about 4 hours of sleep before having to be at work at 7:00 on Tuesday...I will have to say it was worth it to see a crowd like that wild at 1:00 a.m.! It was also pretty cool to know that Cal's wife was in a half Memphis and 1/2 U Mass shirt since his daughter goes up there to school. Go tigers! Also, say a little prayer for Larry Finch, it has been so sad to listen to what a difficult time he is going through.

Here is the link to the awesome intro video that has a cool "Memphis Blues Theme" http://www.runningpony.com/uofmintro/

Come on tigers, I am up for another run in March!

High School Musical 3, the movie

Lane and I went to the movies a couple of weeks ago with some girlfriends (Amanda & Gracen, Amy & Abby, and Kate & Ella)...High School Musical 3, Prom night.....we have all been anxiously awaiting its release for a year! I think all of the mom's agreed that we were more excited than the girls!

Halloween

Once again, our Halloween was filled with lots of driving, and eating candy in the car! We made it to Munford, our church trunk-or-treat, Main Street, and the Links. Lane started out as the "Tooth Fairy", but by the end of the night, she was calling herself "Tinkerbell". Bo, of course, was Leonardo, the Ninja Turtle.
We got chased by the chainsaw men at Miss Summer's house!

Nanny made us Chili and hotdogs....

Baby "Mary Cairla" as Bo calls her!

Buss, Spidey, and Leonardo at the annual Naifeh party!

(Benjamin, Jonah, and Bo!)

Smores!

Yes, that is marshmallow on Bo's Jacket and he even had a graham cracker stuck to his jacket at one point!

Georgia is hiding that belly!! (but it was good to see that she has finally grown one!)

Rob, the firemaster!

We had a little campfire and let the kids do smores and play in the "Dora" tent. Lane has been asking to since she knew we had the adult Bonfire last week! Rob has much improved his fire skills and we were actually hot!! Bo literally had a graham cracker stuck to his jacket with a marshmallow. Brad, Georgia, and Addie came over, and when they left we put the kids to bed and Rob and I sat out by the fire and enjoyed the cool night!

Happy Birthday Baby Reagan!

I just had to share about the infamous "Baby Reagan" (our neice)! She will turn 1 on Nov. 20th, and I hope that one day we will drop the "baby" and start calling her "Reagan", but for now Lane talks about her ONLY cousin, "Baby Reagan" not just often but daily. Bo calls any baby he sees "Baby Reagan. " We do not go in a store without her trying to buy her things, "can we get this for baby Reagan??" She is the sweetest little baby ever, and we miss her sooo much, hint hint Jay Jay and Chele!!

These pictures are from the "American Girl Cafe" in Chicago when we went in the spring. We hope to make a return trip ASAP!

My Sweet Lane

Lane has really gotten my heart a couple of times lately and I want to remember her sweet innocence.....

One of her bedtime prayers last week:

Dear God, Thank you for the beautiful flowers you made, thank you for the beautiful trees you made, thank you for the animals you made, thank you for the baby animals you made, thank you for the barns you made, thank you for the cotton, thank you for the meat, thank you for the milk, thank you for the things we need, and for the people, and for the mommies and daddies, and for the little kids, and thank you for the whole universe." (yes, I went downstairs and wrote it down so I wouldn't forget it!)....by the way, this doesn't top her prayer last year that went like this.....(we were having sloppy joes for dinner)....Dear God, um, please, um I don't like this food momma made tonight, um, so please, um, reach down and take it off my plate!"

Here was a conversation between she and Bo on Saturday after they had watched "All Dogs Go to Heaven" that Ellie and Boo gave them for Halloween:

Lane:"I already knew dogs went to heaven, just like my fishy went to heaven."

Bo: "Lane, what's heaven?"

Lane: "It's where you go when you die."

Bo: "Who is Die?"

Lane: "No, you know, like when you get to be a great grandpa, Bo, then you will go to heaven......I hope mommy never goes to heaven."

I started out laughing at their conversation, but at the end, I was fighting back my tears.........

Defending my vote!

For some reason I am feeling compelled to "defend my vote" or really just tell everyone who will be getting my vote for President. I am voting for Senator Obama, and I am clearly in the minority of my circle of friends, co-workers, and just in general in the state of Tennesee. I just want to say that I entered the early season most definitely undecided, having never been much of a political person! I have prayed earnestly, watched and read earnestly, and as this same process has lead many to their vote for McCain, it has lead me in the opposite direction. I feel certain we all reach our decision in the same way; it is based on values, beliefs, and sometimes just a gut feeling. I think it is good to as our minister, Mat, puts it, "wrestle with the issues." I consider myself to be very open minded and can see both sides of most issues. I AM pro-life, and disagree with my candidate on this issue and even some others. Simply stated, I have a big heart for the poor, abused, and underpriveledged children and families. I want to see this country get to a point where there is less poverty, less racism (both ways), more equality, and a bigger spirit of love, unity, and giving. I am not sure this is possible, but I have hope that maybe in my children or grandchildren's lifetime, it can happen. There are many things that I like about him, but in a nutshell, I have hope that he can reform some things that are dear to my heart. I have heard lots of people say that there is "something I just don't like about him", well, "there is just something I like about him". I simply want to let it be know that I have put much prayer, thought, and Christian values into my decision as I am sure most people have......and also let it be known that I love my McCain supporting friends dearly! There, done, I have let it be known who I am voting for!

Atoka Elementary Fall Carnival

We spent Saturday at Rob's school carnival, and it was so much fun! There were more bouncies than spacewalk owns!, tons of carnival games, entertainment with lots of different musicians, a big silent auction, food, and most importantly cotton candy! The kids mostly went from bouncy house to bouncy house, so that is most of our pictures. I don't know many folks down there yet, but we did run into a few we knew- the Zurhellen's, Gigi and Memaw, and most importantly, "Ms. Shawn", Lane's teacher:)

Pumpkin Carving

The kids went on a school field trip to the pumpkin patch the other day and we had a night of pumpkin art! Well, most of the pumpkin pictures are of Lane, because Bo did not want to have much to do with his hands in that "messy stuff"! Rob (and Bo's) is "Leonardo" the ninja turtle and the girls is "just a pumpkin" with lipstick!

A Weekend Away at the Four Seasons

Rob and I spent the first weekend of this year's fall break in St. Louis. The weekend before was NaCoMe, so we needed an adult weekend! Most of these picture are of our room, because we may never stay anywhere like this again! The hotel was the highlight of the trip.... because that is all we did! I had done some research on the food network and Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels and $40 a day and we found all of the well kept secret restaurants! We slept a lot, Rob watched football while I laid out at the pool and enjoyed the spa, and we went to dinner everynight. I now have a new concept of vacation! (by the way, the chocolates and sparkling water were what they sent up to our room, because I had mentioned that we were celebrating an early anniversary!)