I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone!

After eight straight days of rain, the sun has finally come back to Middle Tennessee and has brought fall with it! We are excited...fall is our favorite season!

Dawson loves spending time outside, and so we ventured out to tend to some fall flowers.
Is he not the cutest little bloom you've ever seen?
He is mastering walking up and down steps all by himself, and will refuse to take your hand if its offered. Such a big boy!
According to Dawson, these are called "roashes." :)
He loves to water the plants...and himself...and his mama...

Happy Fall!

Fall-Out-Yo'-Chair Friday

"Yeah...I'm sorry...that's just as low as my sellers can go. They've made a great counter-offer....I'm sure we can make this work."


I personally think that the red stilettos go amazingly well with the camo shorts.

Days of Discovery

We spent some time with Megan and Vance this past weekend at The Discovery Center. It's a huge children's museum and activity place - they have everything from aquariums to a real fire engine to a huge slide. They also have a play place designed especially for toddlers, which is where we spent most of our time.

There is a huge tree in the center of the toddler area that you can climb in...
...can you spot Vance? :)
I was proud to see this sign hanging in the play place...
...the Junior League of Murfreesboro raised money to help build it!
"Man, I look good."
Dawson loved pretending to work the register at the mini-Kroger store...
"Clean-up on Aisle 11, please, clean-up on Aisle 11."
Vance and Dawson also decided to get a jump-start on their high school garage band...

...and then took a break in the kids' kitchen.

"Ok, so...you want an omelette? Maybe some pancakes or something? Or maybe Ramen noodles. You pick."

After leaving the Discovery Center, we grabbed some salads at Ahart's Pizza Garden, where we discovered Dawson's new affinity for cheesing for the camera.

And again the next day...


Think he'll remember the little people when he goes to Hollywood?

First Week Down, 18 More Years to Go

And y'all have got to tell me it gets easier - otherwise, I may need to consider a sedative.

Dawson started Mom's Day Out this week. There is a great program at our church, and he'll be going every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 - 2.

It's still hard for me to believe that he's big enough to go to "school"...and this is just the beginning! Heaven help me when he goes to Harvard.

Until then, he's totally set with his lunchbox and nap mat - both gifts from his Gran and Papa.
He loved the mat so much that when we first got it, he insisted upon sitting on it to eat breakfast.

First big boy lunch! PB & J, fruit snacks and a chocolate-chip cookie...
...which, I'm told, he's eaten completely and then starts pilfering his classmate's lunchboxes. Nice.

Dawson's First Day!


"Let's go, Mama..."


Strapped in and ready to go...
"I'll let you get me out and go willingly for ONE MIIIILLLLLION DOLLARS."

This is Dawson and his teacher, Mrs. Angela, at the open house. Mrs. Angela has taught pre-school, 2nd, 3rd and 5th grades and has 4 kids of her own, so I think she's what we would call "highly-qualified." I'm so thankful that she's Dawson's first teacher. She said that he's a very sweet boy and is compassionate towards the other kids.

What more could I ask for?

Fall-Out-Yo'-Chair Friday

Dawson's Good Housekeeping Tip #426:



Your coffeemaker can also moonlight as a caddy for your cleaning supplies.

Watch out, Martha. There's a new sheriff in town.

Traditions and Toys

We love when our family gets to come visit, and last weekend we were excited to spend time with Gran, Papa, Uncle Brandon, Uncle J, Aunt K, Zoey and G-Pa the Great!

It's become a tradition now that when they're here, we eat dinner at Miller's Grocery in Christiana. It's an old train depot-turned-grocery-turned-restaurant that features old-fashioned, Southern food (fried catfish, meatloaf, corn nuggets, frog legs and Mississippi Mud), and live bluegrass music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sheer. Happiness.

Zoey and Dawson were a little too excited about the music to eat.
Zoey was very ladylike and clapped along...
...while her alter-ego insisted upon becoming a table dancer. His mom was thrilled. Our waitresses comment was, "He's just so expressive!!" Uh-huh. That's the word.

Two of my favorite men...
We all had a good time. I hope we can do it again soon, seeing as how The Zohan is D-Word's favorite toy.

Until she comes back, he'll have to make do with the super-duper, handy-dandy, steal-of-a-deal $3 good-as-new portable snack stand that his daddy got him from the flea market.

No, I don't usually support the buying of toys at the flea market.

Seeing as how the word flea is involved.

But it was a hit. Especially after it was cleaned, Lysoled and disinfected.
You can pretend to grind ice to make slushies, fix snacks like pretzels and candy, and run a wee business with the built-in cash register!
"May I take your order?"
"I'll get that for you in just a second...I like to have a clean work space."
"Let me just grind the ice for you...did you say blueberry or cherry?"
"We take Visa, cash, debit or Goldfish."

"Thank you, Daddy...I love it!"

A little entrepreneur after his own heart.

It Only Took 26 Years For Me to Learn This

I wish I had something funny to say or tell you about, but right now, the best I can tell you is to have some tissue handy.

I am blessed enough to be a part of a womens' Bible study group that meets once a month. There are about 15 women in this group, all of which are Christians, moms and beautiful.

We're also a pretty honest group.

We've cracked up, shared stories, cried and learned with each other - even though, in reality, we don't know each other that well. Most of us go to different churches and work at different places, so God, our faith and our kids are what makes us similar.

We do a different study each semester, and right now we're doing Power of a Praying Parent.

If you are a parent, or want to be, or ever have been, you need to read this book.

It will make you think of your children differently, and of yourself as a parent differently.

And - most importantly - it will make you think of God differently.

Ever since Dawson was born, I have been overwhelmed at the amount of love I have for him. Even when he empties my wallet and hides my bank card in the bathroom cabinet, or when he shakes his juice cup so hard it sprays white grape stickiness all over my dress, I love that little boy more than myself.

Which is how God feels about me.

And you.

If I would have never had Dawson, I would have never fully understood that. But I did and now - finally - I do.

Which brings me to the Kleenex part.

There are parents who are losing children. Have lost them. Know they're going to lose them very soon. And they need your prayers.

Parents like The Maxeys. I can't even begin to tell you about their story or their faith because it's unbelievable. So please read it if you can, and pray for them as you do.


Parents like my aunt and uncle, who lost their baby daughter. It's hard for me to even wrap my mind around.

So when I'm at Bible study next time, thinking of asking the ladies to pray for me that I would have patience, I'll be asking them to pray for the parents that wish they had a child to test it.

And - no matter what you're doing today - do it knowing that there is an amazing Heavenly Father who loves you more than you can ever comprehend.

And still would even if you hid His bank card.