"I am Speed!"

"Let's Go Fly a Kite!"

We flew kites the weekend of my birthday party. It was my first time to fly a kite, and I loved it! The weather was perfect, and living in the country made it even better! I had a Lightning McQueen kite; Brady had an Elmo kite, and Aunt Becky and Gigi had a Mickey Mouse kite. They flew high for a long time with only a couple of crashes. Actually, they flew longer than our attention spans could handle. We ended up attaching the handle of the kite to the car door handle and played chase in the street. There are just a few trees in our "neighborhood" (if you can call it that) right around our neighbor's house. Of course, our kites had to find those trees, and we made some amazing rescues. It was very windy, so when we let go they flew very quickly on their own! Living in the country is great, because you can sit in the street with no worries! Isn't this a great picture of my daddy?! What a perfect day!

Fun with Brady

Brady, Kara, and Aaron came to Sparta for the weekend of my birthday party. We had a wonderful time together! Brady will be turning two in May, and he is growing and changing so fast. We played really well together. Brady gave me my first t-ball set!! We didn't quite get the concept but we both had a wonderful time knocking the ball around with the bat. Brady helped me paint my first masterpiece on my new easel. We went to the Chattanooga Aquarium the day after my birthday party. Brady and I enjoyed seeing the big fish, but our favorite part was running up and down the long ramps in the aquarium. Our fun-filled weekend caught up with us, and we got very tired. We decided to take a break and try to nap in one of the fish alcoves. We had an awesome time with the Contis! We love you guys and hope you'll come back to play again real soon!

Happy Birthday!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had my 3rd birthday party at the Cookeville Children's Museum! 14 of my little friends came (along with several of my grown-up friends), and we partied hard for 2 hours. It was great to have the whole place to ourselves. Conductor Jack came to the party and led us in lots of singing and dancing. In past times when listening to Conductor Jack, I usually sit quietly in the back row in mommy's lap. But, this time, I knew the party was all about me, and I was up front and center the whole time - lovin' every minute of it! The weather was beautiful, so we played on the playground. I was very excited about my train cupcakes, and they tasted just as delicious as I thought they would. It was an awesome party, and I think everyone had lots of fun! Thank you to all my friends and family who helped make this day so special. And a very special thanks to my friend Matt who took fantastic - very professional - pictures of the party.

a few more pictures from my party

Cheese! Conductor Jack singing "The Wheels on the Bus" - one of my favorites dancing with my friends even the big kids had fun playing

Update

gonna check into advertising for Osh Kosh.....maybe I could get some discounts :)

in need of a haircut

sooooo sweet!!!! **a little update:

**The past few months have been slow on the picture taking and posting. I promise that March will be better. These pictures were taken for my birthday party invitation. My birthday party is next weekend, and I am getting very excited about it. Conductor Jack will be there, and we are going to have train cupcakes! :) I have been looking forward to shopping for my party favors. I keep asking if I'm going to get to play with them at my house right after we get them.

**We have been sick the past two weeks and are greatly looking forward to March and the arrival of spring time!

**I am still going to school on Monday and Wednesday mornings and have been doing really great the past couple of months. Therefore, I am going to stay at school tomorrow through nap time. This is a big deal that we have been working up to for a long time. I'll let you know how it goes.

**We are still enjoying Bible study in Sparta on Tuesday mornings and Community Bible Study in Cookeville on Thursday mornings. Friday mornings usually involve the Cookeville Childrens Museum with my best buddy, Avery, or weekend getaways.

**I'm still excited about my new baby, and yes, the name is still "Jesus."

**I'm talking in sentences most of the time now, and I've become very bossy. This past week my favorite words have been "terrible" and "awful." (I guess they're indicative of our two weeks of illness, but I really like the dramatic effect they produce.) A few other phrases I use frequently are: "I'm not very happy about this." and "I need you to behave. Will you do that for me?"

A Christmas Surprise

I don't really understand it all yet. When you ask me if it is a boy or girl, I'll change my answer each time. However, when asked, I'm always quick to tell you that the baby's name is "Baby Jesus." This was my first Christmas to begin to understand the Christmas story. Hearing this news right before Christmas really has challenged (or some might say confused) my young, brilliant mind. Stay tuned over the next year for all the many ways "Dawson's Days" will be changing!

Chattanooga Aquarium

Joe, Becky, Daddy, Mommy, and I had a blast at the Chattanooga Aquarium on Saturday! Joe bought us a family and guest membership, so we plan to go frequently in the next year. When you come visit, maybe you can go with me! :) (Thanks Joe!)

Watching the sea otters was my favorite part.

There were sturgeons swimming in a pond, and they let us pet them with two fingers. I didn't actually pet them, but I did give it a whole-hearted attempt.

trapped in the cage with a shark! oooohhhhh nooooo!

exhausted and trying to re-energize with a yummy lunch at Big River

Look! I am taller than a penguin!

smiling with the penguin statue....

The real penguins didn't cooperate for our photo session.

The butterfly garden was beautiful, hot, and misty.

baby alligators

As if we had not already had enough fun, we went to the playground on the river. I loved this short blue crooked slide. Everytime I got to the top, I'd say "Cheese!" and ask someone to take my picture. It was the end of the day, and I had finally gotten the hang of that.

Probably is one of my favorite words right now. It's "probably" time for a haircut! :)

Thanks Joe and Aunt Becky for a "goodtastic" day!

New Cars

On a cold, snowy day, when the boredom with Christmas toys was starting to set in, I happened to notice a big brown truck pull up in front of my house. I watched the man walk across the yard and drop a package on my front porch. This was especially exciting because I've been wondering how packages suddenly appear at my house. I ran downstairs and was thrilled to find a package with my name on it. (Yes. I do recognize my name.) It was 5 "Cars" figurines - including Sally - which I've been asking for! I had a wonderful time watching the Cars movie and playing with them the rest of the snowy afternoon. Thank you so much Gigi! I love you! :)