First Sporting KC Game

The other night, a former Teach For America colleague who now works for Sporting Kansas City, took us to our first Sporting KC game. This friend, Peter got us a dinner at the buffet in the VIP section, took us out on the field and gave us free seats.  Dawson was quite intrigued by the whole event. When Sporting KC just missed a goal, the crowd belted out a loud cry of anguish, which caused Dawson to declare, "that scared me." He enjoyed clapping along with the crowd and impatiently asked us to go watch the "soccer ball game" or "baseball game" (he gets his sports mixed up).  I'm pretty sure Dawson's favorite part of the night was all the cheese in the buffet line.  My favorite part was when he wandered into a crowd of older, distinguished looking men who tried to strike up a conversation with Dawson, but he just stood in the circle of them shyly looking at his feet.  We found out later that group was a group of the owners of the soccer club.  I wish Dawson had smoozed them a little bit more. As you can tell from the pictures, Dawson was not in the mood to be looking at the camera. 

First Hike

About 12:30 last night, we got back from Estes Park, CO; finishing up our first full week family vacation.  All things considered (mainly that we have a toddler) it was a great week.  We had a good mixture of sight-seeing while also not pushing Dawson too hard and even sticking to his nap schedule.

The first morning in our secluded cabin just a few yards from the boundary of Rockies National Park, Erin needed to sleep in.  Our cabin was cozy but a bit small, so it was impossible to keep Dawson quiet enough to allow Erin to continue sleeping.  So after some encouragement, Dawson agreed to go on a walk with me.  Of course, I didn't have a camera (these pictures were from a later hike along  paved path) but I have some great memories.  I was really, really proud of my son on that hike.  The hike was almost two miles and it was along a rough path, up and down hills, over rocks and along a high ridge but Dawson strongly blazed through the path, speeding along ahead of me.  I did carry him down a steep hill and after he freaked out from a bug bite, but he walked almost the entire two miles.

At the start of the hike, some deer walked in front of us.  While Dawson was quite excited to see it, that reminder of the fact that we were in a national park had me keeping a look out for bears the rest of the trip.  I wasn't sure what I would've done had we come across a bear but considering how Dawson had been freaking out over the chipmunks outside our cabin, I kept my fears to myself.

My favorite moment was watching as a snowy peak rose up beyond Dawson's head as he crested the rise of a hill. I watched with pride as he hiked over the peak of that hill and kept moving deeper into the forest.  Dawson was alive with all the wonders of nature all around him.  At one point, I wanted to walk along a patch about 15 feet down the side of the ridge, but Dawson was worried that trail wouldn't take him back to mommy.

The hike did wear him out though, evidenced by the meltdown he had just before nap time. The next morning, I tried to convince him to go on a walk again but he must've remembered how intense that hike was because after about 20 feet up the first hill he announced, "Daddy, I don't want to go on a walk."  So we sat on a bench and spent the next half hour listening to the mountain wind, looking for more deer, tossing pine cones, talking about how God made the mountains and just hugging on each other.  That time was also sweet but his lack of desire to do the hike a second time confirmed just how special that first hike truly was.

"I ride tractor on"

"Dawson, do you wanna go with pappa on a tractor ride?", my dad asked Dawson when we were visiting them a few days ago.
Dawson gave no reply, because he didn't know what a tractor ride was. But after Pappa gave him said tractor ride, Dawson kept asking for another ride over and over and over. When Erin and I were in Chicago for a few days, leaving Dawson with Gammy and Pappa, he got his wish for lots of tractor rides.
But the way Dawson was asking to ride on the tractor was a bit odd and it took us a while to figure out what he was saying. The best we can decipher is that he was stating, "I ride tractor on." Since my dad would ask, "do you want to go on a tractor ride?", we assumed he was simply misplacing the on of the phrase "go on a tractor ride."
Whatever the reason, Dawson kept stating, "I ride tractor on", even as we drove by a John Deer dealership on our way home.

And in another funny turn of a phrase, Dawson was watching "Alvin and the Chipmonks" on they way home but he couldn't say the word chipmonk. The most common title he used was chickens, but the funniest title he used was monkey chips. That got a laugh out of Erin and me.

A "Choo Choo Chaine" evening

Like most boys his age, Dawson is obsessed with trains. He LOVES Thomas the Train, as well as Percy, James and the other inhabitants of the Island of Sodor. So last Friday night, we took Dawson to eat at Fritz's Restaurant in Crown Center Plaza. Fritz's is done in a train theme, complete with trains running near ceiling that bring the food. Dawson was in sensory overload. I'm quite surprised he was even able to finish his food, but he did.

After Fritz's, we walked through the City Link (glass walkways connecting the downtown buildings) over to Union Station. There, Dawson go to see more trains as well as ride the huge escalator. Not only were the trains perfect but the City Link was a toddler's dream, too - enclosed hallways in which Dawson could run as fast as he wanted, while being forced to go in a somewhat straight line. Or maybe it was a parent's dream way for their toddler to burn some energy. Either way, it was a great night.

Dawson's First Snow

Today was a snow day for Erin and for Dawson, the first day he's ever been bundled up and gone out to play in the snow.
As you can tell from the video, it will be awhile before he's taking over my job of shoveling the driveway.
Eventually Erin had to take him inside because he kept taking off his mittens. Oh, those dreaded boundaries and consequences.

"Ehl-fint"

Dawson is slowly starting to learn his adoption story (which you can read yourself via the adoption tags on the other posts). Well, I shouldn't exaggerate, but he does like to listen to "Ehl-fint" music (the Seussical soundtrack on the ipod) and pulls both of the Horton Hears a Who ornaments off the tree- which is actually quite annoying. It shouldn't be too long before we're reading him that book, as we did the night he was born.

Here are some pictures of him decorating the tree, putting up the Horton ornament, kissing the Santa ornament and eating an ornament made of crayons.

"Gake"

Ideally, Erin would be able to stay home with Dawson full-time. Our world, however, is less-than-ideal, though close-to-ideal, since Erin is able to work only part-time and I'm home with Dawson half the afternoons she's at work. Honestly, I think Erin appreciates the chance to get out of the house and work. And, God has been faithful to provide for our family, as you can read here if you'd like.
So when neither of us are with Dawson, he goes to a home daycare run by a lady in our church, Sarah Armstrong. Sarah is a great person, good friend and leader in our church. On top of all that, she's not charging us a lot for the afternoons Dawson is over there.
I've come to the conclusion, though that even if we didn't need to take Dawson to Sarah's, we still would do so. For no other reason than so Dawsie could hang out with Gake.
Jake, as us adults call him, is Sarah's 2 1/2 year old son. Dawson loves Jake. Often when we're getting into the car, Dawson will ask "Gake?" Sarah's best friend, Katy who is also a part of our church, has a 1 1/2 year old son named Seth. Seth also comes to Sarah's sometimes, reuniting the "three amigo's" of the Trinity Family nursery.
There are some other kids at Sarah's daycare, including her 1 year old daughter, Callie. Dawson loves to hug Callie and Sarah wants Dawson to (eventually) date Callie. Dawson likes hugging all of the kids at Sarah's, as I witnessed the last time I picked him up.
For a kid, who for now anyway, is an only child, his friendship with "Gake" and his time at Sarah's are positive elements in his social development.

1st Bloodhound Football Game

A few weeks ago, Dawson got to experience his first Bloodhound football game at Fort Madison High School, his daddy's Alma-matter. As usual for these type of events / photo ops, dad was more excited than son. Dawson did however, clap along with the crowd a few times.

18 Months

Words:
Mom, Mama, Mommy
Dad, Daddy, Dah
baby
tractor
Dawson (Dawsie)
uh-oh
Shhh
Off
Mmm
Bite
drink (dink)
Mmmm
go
Hey
Ball
book (gook)
cracker (cacker)
truck (guck)
car
yay
baby
No, Nay, Nine
Yes - "Es"
Shoes
Bye bye
Choo choo
whee
peepee
poop
Hi
cow
Moo
dog (gog)
Oof (woof)
quack (cack)
nose
eyes
up
papa
phone
hot
cold
moon
something that sounds like "thank you"
Star
Car
Circle
and something that sounds like I love you

Knows many body parts: head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, belly, feet, hands, toes. he points to them when we ask, "Where is your...?"

Climbs on everything: chairs, back of the couch, bathtub,

Walks up and down stairs while holding a hand or the wall

LOVES to read with Mommy, Daddy, and even by himself. Sits for up to twenty minutes listening to books. And he knows if it is upside down and turns it around. He will sit and jabber as he turns the pages and now points to all kinds of things on the pages as we say them. For a long time he has shaken his finger when we read "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".

Dives onto his cow pillow at bed time.

When he wakes up happy, he loves to wrestle and play "BOOM" in his crib, our bed, or on the couch.

Loves to cuddle right when he wakes up.


Drags all of his wheeled toys out, one at a time and lines them up as if in a parade, then scoots them one by one a different direction. He still scoots with one leg underneath him when he plays.


He loves to be chased and tickled. It makes him laugh from his belly.
watches our mouths when we sing.


Sits in the refrigerator when it is open and likes to take all of the condiments out of the door.


Is learning that throwing toys results in toys being in time out. He likes to launch his big trucks and tractors down the steps. As soon as he does, Mommy or Daddy go down after it and put them up where he can see them, but out of his reach.

First Haircut

If you've met my son, you know that he has beautiful curly, blond hair. For almost 6 months, it has had generous curls, that kept getting fuller and more abundant as it grew. Needless to say, I couldn't cut it. I kept talking about it and lots and lots of people told me I shouldn't. It was a terrible thing to think about - losing my baby's curls felt like losing my baby. This was one milestone that I been putting off for a long time.
Then one day, before school started back up again, I called and made an appointment and decided that I just needed to go and do it. After all, his hair was starting to touch the bottom of his neck and his bangs were definitely hanging in his eyes. I could still wet it and gel it and make it look okay, but I definitely didn't want it to get to the afro stage. :)

So, we arrived at Shear Madness and Brandi brought my little baby to one of the fancy car chairs for his first ever haircut. She started by cutting of f a few curls and putting them in little keepsake baggies. I appreciate that now and know that I will treasure those baby locks in his baby book as he grows up.
As you can see, his curls are still there, just trimmed up and revealing a little boy where there was once a baby. It took me a few days to gt over the curls being gone. I couldn't even post a picture because it was so hard to let my "baby" go. I realized, however, that he is STILL the CUTEST boy on the planet, baby curls or not.