Lexington

I came across this tonight and just had to share. I miss Lexington so much and really hope I can move back there someday.

America's Coolest Small Towns

I miss fall in Virginia...

Hail Thee Festival Day...er, Weekend!

I am so excited about this fall! It's too hot here in the summer to get out and do much, but now that the weather is cooling off, it's fun to be outside again. (And by "cooling off", I mean temps in the 80s)


Saturday, the whole fam went to McKinney for their Oktoberfest celebration. We listened to some fun music, had some nice brats and kraut and wandered around and looked at all the booths. Lawson loved the petting zoo...

Today, Lawson and I headed down to the Greek Food Festival of Dallas. One of my students is Greek-American and told me about this. It was awesome! It was more kid-friendly than the Oktoberfest and we had such a good time! We had a gyro for lunch and a baklava sundae for dessert... YUM! We got to tour the gorgeous Orthodox church sanctuary with its stunning artwork. Even Lawson could appreciate that. He kept pointing around and saying "wow!"

Lawson's favorite part was the dancing. My student was in the group and it was fun to see her do her thing outside of school. Lawson kept asking if he could dance on the stage with the big kids!

Happy Birthday!

Two years ago today, Lawson entered my life and changed almost every facet of it. He's such a sweet boy and I love him more than I ever thought I could. Here's a quick look back over the last year of his life:

Lawson's Second Year

We had a small birthday party with just immediate family, but I went nuts decorating his cake. It was a lot of hard work, but I'm mostly happy with how it turned out.

The highlight presents included this super-fun bus with all kinds of fun activities on it. There's even a steering wheel/gear shift/ignition key on the "inside". He loves it!

He also loves this beautiful stool handmade by Grandpa:

Studio Portraits

On Friday, we took Lawson to JCPenney for some professional pics...hoping we could capture those awesome Lawson expressions that we just can't seem to do as amateurs. I feel less bad about my photography skills since even the pros can't get him to ham it up. He makes the cutest little faces at home, but as soon as a camera is in front of him, he freezes.

Fortunately, we did get some cute shots. Here are a handful of the best:

This shot is quinessential Lawson... Too bad he was running away from the camera and is a little far away. It's still my favorite.

Birthday Boy, Part I

Lawson's 2nd birthday is Monday, so Brad came into town for a few days this week to celebrate with him. We opened presents yesterday and it was so much fun!


He's already really good at hitting the ball off his new t-ball stand.

He loves his new collection of Matchbox and Tonka cars!

We found this awesome remote-controlled train for our little train enthusiast. It just might drive me straight to the assylum, but Lawson's in love... Here's a little video of him playing.

Lawson's Choo-Choo

Lawson's been really interested in my camera in these last few months, so I jumped at this toy when we saw it. It's like the old-fashioned View Finders that I had as a kid, but the pictures are on the inside of this camera. They change when you press the shutter button - it's so cute! Lawson has been carrying this around whispering "chicka chicka" since he got it!

Goodbye, Pepper...

In February 1991, my parents brought home a little black poodle/sheltie mix puppy as a surprise. My sister and I had always been told we couldn't have a pet because of Dad's allergies, but suddenly, at the age of 15, I had a puppy! She was teeny tiny and crazy-energetic and we all learned what it meant to care for and train a dog.


Pepper has been a part of our family for almost 19 years, but her health has been deteriorating for the last several months. Poor old girl lived a very very long life, full of treats, toys and adventures, but we made the decision that it was time for her to be put to sleep. My parents took her in on Friday morning and now our sweet little doggie is gone. She's been in the family for over half of my life and we're all feeling the loss. Lawson and Pepper have just recently started to bond and he's a little confused about where the doggie went.


Lawson was more than happy to share his chips with Pepper...

One last hug before D-Day...

"Care"

During the spring semester, my friend, Jill, watched Lawson on Fridays while I taught. Lawson was always sad to see me go, but happy to spend time with Jill's kids, Claire (4) and Collin (18 mo). The kids came over the other night to play while their parents went to dinner and we had such a good time! Claire is a little mother-hen, and seems to think Lawson is her charge - she's hilarious. Lawson is enamored of everything she says and does.


He's been asking for "Care" for days! He wouldn't mind seeing "Coen" either!

Labor Day

I'm almost a week late on these, but as they say....better late than never. On Labor Day, Mary Beth, Lawson and I spent the afternoon at Mom and Dad's house, playing in the backyard.

And it's always fun to cool off with a nice cold popsicle...

Later, we went inside for more eats and Lawson fell in love with Pringles potato chips! He kept asking for "more chips peese".

Backyard Fun...

Playland slide + swimming pool = Best. Idea. Ever.

Lawson, Grandma and Pepper...

A Good Day

Lawson had a great day at school yesterday! His teachers said it's the best day he's had since he started. He played more and actually ran around and laughed and stuff. All things he does at home, but he hasn't been doing there. And the big news is, he came home with this certificate:

There's a kid-sized potty in the restroom in the room and they've been letting the kids see it and sit on it if they want to. Last week, Lawson asked to sit on the potty, but he didn't do anything. Yesterday, he pooped and peed! They're not pushing potty training, just giving the kids the opportunity if they want to. I think it's a great idea. Apparently, the boys in the class are doing really well and group-think is taking over... they want to do it because the other boys are doing it. They're even doing better than the girls, which is surprising (for the uninitiated: girls are generally easier to potty train). I know it'll be a while before he's fully trained, but I love the fact that he's showing an interest already!

Swing Time!

For some reason, Lawson has NOT enjoyed the swings at playgrounds. Never has. But this weekend, at a playground we don't often go to, he spotted this big swing and climbed right in. It was a hit!

He even got in a regular swing (although it helped he was on Grandma's lap!)

Maybe we're beginning to conquer this fear. That would be so nice!