9 Months!

Another month has quickly flown by!  We had Dawson's 9 month check-up yesterday :)  I don't know if I have mentioned it yet or not, but Dawson HATES the doctor.  When the doctor starts checking him out, just looking in his ears and stuff...nothing hurtful, Dawson SCREAMS hysterically!  We will have to get some pictures next time to explain what I mean.  Poor kid!

It's my 9 month birthday!

Yippee! (Clapping for himself!)

I love chillin' with my bear :)

Pictures are sooo much fun!

Will someone please get this fly off of my nose?!?

 Here are some Dawson updates in the past month:

• Weight: 19lbs. 12 oz.--37.25%
• Height: 27.5 inches -- 24.6% (However, they didn't measure him very accurately, so I remeasured him when we got home and he was 28 inches or a little longer)
• Can feed himself really well
• Waves bye-bye
• Gives kisses
• Great at giving high-5's
• When upset, he says "mom" (even though he doesn't know what he is saying, it still melts my heart)
• Loves to drop things and look for them
• Obsessed with standing up while holding on to something and is slowing starting to "cruise"
• Likes to walk while holding on to someone's hands
• Takes turns--(we give him something and he gives it back, this just keeps going)
• Loves to laugh, smile, and wrinkle his nose
• Has fun clapping his hands
• Starting to understand some signs- especially the sign for drink...he gets sooo excited for his sippy cup!

Also, last night we got to see some of our bestest friends!  They live in California, so we don't get to see them much, but LOVE it when we get to hang out with them!  Here are a few pictures of our time together.

Claira liked to do whatever Dawson did.  She kept saying "BABY!" all night.  I think they liked each other :)

Kisses from Claira :)

All of us!  We love the Altenhofens :)

Grandpa, Hobo Stew, Baby Elsa, & a Pumpkin Patch

This weekend was a full one for Mr. Dawson.  It started off on Friday by heading to Kansas City to pick up his Grandpa Viar (my dad) from the airport.  Saturday we headed to my family's cabin in Abilene for the annual Hobo Stew party! Dawson enjoyed being outside and seeing his family, but hated the flowers Grandma Engle had there (as seen in the video below)!

Daddy and Dawson pose in front of the cabin :)

There are those darn flowers!

 

The hobo stew!  Everyone brings a canned item and we throw it in the pot.  The soup always turns are really good somehow!

 

 

 

 

I love my aunt Ky!

Hey everybody!

I love my auntie Rach too :)

Everyone standing around getting ready to pray...big group!

Then on Sunday we got to meet some of our good friends' new little one....Elsa Joy!  She is soo beautiful :)  We love her already!  (Dawson wasn't able to meet her yet, but got to hang out with his buddy Marcus in the waiting room!)

Later in the day we got to go to Dawson's first pumpkin patch!!  He loved it :)

Goats scare me!

So do cows...

And corn tunnels...

Checking out the fire truck with grandpa

SLIDE!!!!!

I wish I could figure out how to turn this thing on!

Grandpa and I.....I made him be the lady...hehe :)

Getting taller!

I'm a pumpkin!

Our little family :)

Why do they keep making me do this??  Oh, I guess because I am a cute turkey!

Combines are cool!

Check out the sign...good thing mom and dad brought the "good" stroller.

Are we lost?!?

Family pic before we head home

Pumpkins are interesting

FUN!!

FINALLY heading home...I had a busy, but fun weekend!

Today (Sunday) is also Dawson's 9 MONTH birthday!  However, we have his doctor appointment tomorrow, so I will wait to post his 9 month update :)

Chewy Monster Cookies

I made these the other day.  They. Are. Awesome!  This recipes makes 3 dozen LARGE cookies (which I think if you are going to make MONSTER cookies, you might as well make them big, right?) or 6 dozen regular size cookies.  This recipe is also really easy to cut in half :)  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky, whichever you prefer)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup M&Ms

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.  
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and rolled oats in a seperate bowl.  Stir into the sugar mixture.  
4. Mix in chocolate chips and m&ms.
5. Roll into balls slightly larger than the size of a golf ball and place on the cookie sheet.  Smoosh down the top of the cookie a little bit.                                                                       
6. Bake for about 12 minutes (if you do the large size, 10-11 minutes if you make them smaller)   or until the edges are golden.  If you like them more chewy, take them out a bit before they look done.

And just because I love him, here are a couple pictures of my little sweetie!

D-man Loves to Laugh :)

We went back home to Abilene this weekend to help my mom with a yard sale (the weather was horrible for a yard sale, note the winter clothing that Dawson is in).  During some down time, my mom started playing with D-man and here is the tail end of the laughing that followed.  He thinks she is sooo silly :)