"4" Aunt Erin

Hi Aunt Erin,

I wanted to share some pictures of me in my new 4-H t-shirt. Mom took these pictures of me on Monday... She and Dad say that I look really cute so thank you very much for my new t-shirt - they are proud for me to wear it!

Thanks again; see you in two weeks!
I love you,
Lawson

Fun in the Sun!

Yesterday was Lawson's first day to play outside in the water and he LOVED it! He was so cute and had so much fun!

He received a pool from Daddy Bell and Aunt Julie Anne for his birthday and after many huffs and puffs, we were able to get it blown up! Yes, we did try an air machine, but it didn't fit the "spout", so together we were able to get it blown up!

I was afraid the water was going to be too cold for him to enjoy, but thankfully the water out of the hose was somewhat warm and he didn't hesitate to play in the pool. But on another note - the water hose... he seemed to like it just as much if not better than the pool!

First time with the water hose...


The water hose in the pool...

Fun, Fun!

This water hose cart is pretty neat...

I think I can turn it...

Splashing the water!

Not thinking, I showed him how to take a drink out of the water hose... he loved it and the funny thing was after the very first drink he coughed and I came over immediately to check on him... well, following that episode he had to cough after every drink as he smiled so big at me! He thinks it's funny to "fake cough".

He just took a big gulp...

More to drink...

He frequently would stop and clap as if to say, "this is great!". : )

More clapping!

I am very thankful that he enjoyed the water as we are headed to the beach next week! I think he is going to have a blast!

Lawson's first field trip!

Yesterday was another first... Lawson's first field trip!

Lawson's new class does many neat things and yesterday was no exception.

The toddler class combined with the 2-year old class traveled to Wesselman Park here in Evansville for a morning full of outside play. It was a fun morning for most, but was very, very hot! My car said 96 when we left at 12:00 noon.

I was looking forward to the trip because Lawson LOVES to be outside and I just knew he would have a great time... wrong. He did pretty good for about the first 30 minutes and then the remaining 2 hours were pretty much full of tears and annoying moans and groans. I feel bad complaining, but it was just too hot and with him having just moved up, he is the youngest in his class, and he is still not fully balanced when walking and due to the unlevel ground at the park, he was on his bottom just as much, if not more than he was on his feet! He seemed to be frustrated. Oh, well... it was definitely an experience and I am glad we got to go and if nothing else, I got some cute pictures!

The field trip came to a close with a picnic lunch of which Lawson was not interested - I packed PBJs, which he typically loves, but I also brought a new snack along, Cheetos. So he had a few, maybe two, bites of his sandwich and once the Cheetos were introduced, no more PBJ... he had quite a few bites of Cheetos as he continued his "more" and "please" sign over and over again and then he did eat some go-gurt, thank goodness. And I must mention the insects... ugh. I was beginning to feel a little overtaken by them as we sat on the ground and swatted more gnats than I knew God created. Going to the park was a great idea and I truly appreciate their willingness to do fun things, but it was just too hot and Lawson was tired.

Below are a few pics from the morning... I am certain he was the DIRTIEST child there. I promise I didn't let him wallow in the dirt with the pigs, he just continued to find himself sitting rather than standing! : ) I wonder what the other moms were thinking of me as I just let my son sit and play in the dirt and then I let him eat a snack with dirty fingers, and then at one point in time he had a stick in his mouth... oh, well, he is just a boy!

Lawson and a friend

Peek-a-Boo!

Tic-Tac-Toe

The park was really nice and was designed so that handicap children can play. However, the new walker didn't do so well on the ramp, esp coming down.

Just a swingin'...

I was afraid he was going to fall asleep on the swing.

Digging in the dirt is fun, fun, fun!

Now I think I will sprinkle it everywhere!

You know the saying "it bit the dust"? Well, I think I have seen it in action. The circular brown spot on his head is dirt.

And on his bottom, too!

Time for a little snack - Teddy Grahams and ice water are great!

Taking a little break!

Hi Mom!

Down again... this time on my tummy!

Mr. Bragg, the bird-watcher... he LOVES birds!

We weren't in the car 5 minutes and he was out!

Sleepy, rosy-cheeked, dirty boy!
: )

Straight home, into the bath tub and off to bed!

Six Year Recap Clarification

Ok, so it has been brought to my attention that I listed inaccurate information regarding the location of us celebrating a few of our anniversaries... I would like to clarify myself.

You see, the two locations in which we lived prior to moving to Evansville frequently caused confusion when telling others where we lived.

For example, when we moved to North Dakota we lived in an apartment in MANDAN, however, when we spoke to friends and family not familiar with ND, they would say "what?", "where?", "that sounds like an 'out-in-the-boonies' kind of place!"... and then we would say, "never mind, it is the neighboring city to Bismarck, so just call it Bismarck." And that is what we did; it was just easier. Now when we were speaking to fellow North Dakotans, we would identify home as Mandan! And we loved it there, too, by the way! Our little 1200 sq ft apartment amidst the cold North was perfect!

Then there is the Indianapolis area. We technically lived in Westfield, Indiana, but, crazy enough, our address was Carmel, Indiana. This caused problems. When we first moved to Westfield, we would meet new people and they would asked where we lived and we said Westfield... no problems there. However, when we joined our church, when I was applying for jobs, and anywhere that we had to give an actual street address it said Carmel. Then people would say, "umm... I thought you just said you lived in Westfield...". So, it was a difficult explanation and depending on the situation we would use Westfield or Carmel and then on occasion we would explain the issue, which was simply a city line. Crazy! That is why I listed it as Indianapolis on the "recap". Don't want to confuse anyone!

Sooooo... for ease, and without much thought, I simply listed the location for our 2004 and 2005 anniversary as Bismarck and 2006 and 2007 as Indianapolis. I suppose the bottom line is that we were together and we were happy!

Now, to my precious MANDAN friend, Tammy, I certainly want to express my sincere apology for the confusion! I so miss your sense of humor! And you know what else came to my mind on the whole 'confusion of where you are living'... do you remember the "we lived in Manhattan" story??? and my response of "riding horses in Manhattan - what???" City names can cause lots of problems when telling others where you live! HA HA HA!!!

Love you all in Mandan and Bismarck, too!!! : ) Tell your husband and kids hello!

Visiting the Sinclairs

While we were in Martin visiting for Father's Day, we had the opportunity to visit with our friends, Ben and Leslie Sinclair and their children.

Miss Mary Kate and Mr. Grant were as cute as pie and Lawson enjoyed playing with them on the lawn mower. I don't know what it is about lawn mowers, but he loves them! We can't get into or out of the car without stopping in the garage to touch the lawn mower, and if not, you have a big fit on your hands!

We were happy to see them and enjoyed watching the children play!

Ben and Grant, Russ and Lawson...

Lawson and Mary Kate attempting to crawl onto the lawn mower...

Lawson and Mary Kate...

Mary Kate is sharing her lawn mower safety tips with Lawson

Pretty Mary Kate!

The intense lawn mower discussion

Friends...

Happy Father's Day and Happy Anniversary

What a special day. Today is Father's Day and is also our sixth wedding anniversary! What better way to celebrate your husband than to celebrate him as both husband and father! And that is what we have done today.

We spent the weekend in Martin so that we could visit with and celebrate our "family fathers"! We began the day visiting with both of our dads, allowing Lawson to be with both grandfathers, Daddy Bell and Granddad. We had the opportunity to celebrate with both of them this weekend... we went out to dinner last night with my dad, Julie Anne, Mama B, and Daddy Denton to the Country Corner in Dresden and then we had lunch with Mr. Richard, Mrs. Jane, and Granny today at Boyette's at Reelfoot Lake. We were also at Grandmother and Granddaddy's yesterday morning after breakfast to play and visit, which was a lot of fun!

We ended the day here at home... Lawson gave Russ his Father's day gift, a little gift bag full of goodies from school and a new self-propelled lawn mower. I am not sure who loves it more - Lawson or Russ. : ) Lawson doesn't realize the work that lies ahead in about 12 years. : )

Husbands and fathers have a very special role in the family household. Russ does a fabulous job in both departments and I am very thankful and proud to be his wife and am so happy that he is fathering our children. Russ loves me and Lawson very much. His heart is precious and extremely unselfish, placing us before himself. He is very patient and calm and isn't easily angered. He works hard at his job to provide for our family, but does a fabulous job of balancing "life" and "work". He is very helpful around the house, often causing me to feel guilty for not having done something that he is doing, but he is always happy to help and never complains. He can fix and do anything, is one heck of a clothes-folder, and can take care of a lawn like no one I know. And most importantly, he is a Christian man who loves our God and serves Him each day, setting a wonderful example for our son and the world around us. I love you, Russ, and look forward to the wonderful times ahead; you are the best! Happy Anniversary, Russ, and Happy Father's Day to Russ and both of our fathers and grandfathers! We love you.

A quick little six year recap:

06/21/03 - Married in Martin, TN

06/21/04 - Bismarck, ND

06/21/05 - Bismarck, ND

06/21/06 - Indianapolis, IN

06/21/07 - Indianapolis, IN

06/21/08 - Evansville, IN

06/21/09 - Evansville, IN

Lots of fun and lots of memories over the past six years... God is good.

Happy Birthday, Russ!

Today is Russ' 29th birthday! Yes, I am 9 days older than him - poor guy, he married an old woman! :)

We celebrated by going to Outback for dinner and we all enjoyed it very much! Lawson and I gave Russ a new cabinet for the garage to store his shooting supplies in so that he can stay organized. He was very excited and hopefully it is going to serve its purpose very well!

The Great American Cookie Cakes are a favorite!

A skeet-shooting birthday cookie!

Happy Birthday, Russ!

Movin' on Up...

Today Lawson "moved on up"! He graduated from the Infant room to the Toddler room... this is great and means he is developing as he should, however it brings mixed emotions to me.

It seems like just yesterday that I was returning to school and leaving him as a 12-week old baby. It was so difficult for me to leave him and I will forever be grateful for his infant room teachers, especially Mrs. Mandy. She was so sweet and understanding during the transition of me going back to school. I am sure they never expected to get such OCD parents like Russ and me... we appreciate their patience with us! :) Ha! He has had an awesome experience in the infant room and has learned, grown, and developed so well, thanks to his amazing teachers - Mrs. Mandy, Miss Amber, Miss Sarah, and Miss Amanda, along with the many other hands who have cared for him! Their love and care for him exceeded our expectations and we appreciate them very much!

First day of school with Mrs. Mandy

August 4, 2008

Movin' on up to the Toddler Room

Lawson with Mrs. Mandy

June 19, 2009

Moving to the Toddler room is exciting, though. His new teachers are great and he will begin to learn and develop so much more being around the older boys and girls. Just like when I left him in the Infant room, he jumped right down today and took off like it was just another day on the job! It was a great feeling to leave him happy!

In the Toddler room, his day at school will look much different! He will eat his lunch and snacks at the table rather than in a high-chair, he will wear shoes each day, he will be napping on a cot, he will play outside or in the gym twice a day, and he will occasionally go on field trips! However, much like the Infant room, he will continue to do activities and crafts and most importantly, he will still receive top-notch care and love! We are looking forward to watching our little guy grow and develop with his new teachers and friends in the Toddler room! We are praying for no biting!!

Lawson with his new teachers, Mrs. Lisa and Miss Jamie

Lawson eating snack with his new friends