Have you ever.....

pretended that you are part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?

This is something I like to do when I have "Music and the Spoken Word" on. You know... like Nora's Christmas when she starts singing the "Hallelujah Chorus". That could be me in my living room when Cole is gone and Dawsyn is the only one watching. Yes, she laughs at me! (She also laughs when I try to dance like the ladies on "Dancing with the Stars". She likes to dance with me though, don't let her fool you!)

When I was younger, I have to admit, I didn't love Mo Tab... Today, it is like a breath of fresh air. Yesterday they were singing a song "Old Time Religion" (something to that effect) I found myself wishing I knew the words so I could sing along. They all looked like they were having such a good time.

It has been a while since I have sung in a choir and with ward choir practice at 8:00 AM and a busy little Dawsyn girl... it will probably not happen for a while. I will keep pretending that I am part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday afternoons and get my singing fix that way!

Dawsyn - 9 months old

Again, I can't believe how time flies. My tiny baby is going to be one year old before I know it. (I had better get busy planning her birthday bash; I have a few things in mind.)
We went to the doctor the other day and she was 21.5 lbs (time for a new car seat!) Over 28 inches long. Both in the 90%. She got he flu shot which she hated. I think this was the worst she had cried out of all of the shots. I hated it too.
Dawsyn is learning to walk with her little stroller that she got for Christmas. She says Mama and D-D-D-Da and N-N-N-Na. She loves to laugh and dance. Whenever she hears any music, she will rock back and forth, or if she is standing, she will bounce up and down. She loves to play keep away. Especially when Mom or Dad is trying to get the batteries (for the remote) or bits of paper away from her. What a girl!
We went through a rough spell for a while. Dawsyn decided that she was going to wake up every two hours, or maybe some nights just have Mom hold her in the recliner to sleep. Dawsyn slept through the night at less than two months, so to go back to every two hours, it was ROUGH!! I finally was able to muster up enough courage to let her cry. The first night, she cried for 25 min with Cole or me checking on her every 10 min so she didn't think we had abandoned her. The second time, I kissed her forehead and laid her down and started singing to her. She was out until eight the next morning. So far, we have not had to fight too much and we are on our fourth night of sleeping throughout the night again. Thanks goodness, I thought I was going to go crazy. With either Cole or I needing to be up for work and not sleeping in the night and of course no nap during the day (she is definitely my child), we could not keep that up for long. It was hard to let her cry, I just wanted to get up and hold her, and it drove Cole crazy too. This sleeping through the night stuff... we can live with that!

Dawsyn's favorite spot to play is in the entertainment center. She loves to pull out all the movies and Cd's. The two doors are always open, usually with DVDs scattered across the floor.

Dawsyn loves her Daddy, when she hears the key turn in the lock, she knows who is coming. Once Cole walks in the door, her little face lights up and she usually lets out a squeal.
We enjoy her so much and are so grateful to have her. We want to spend all our time together, when I am not with her, I feel guilty. Even though I know she is just fine without me. That is what "we mothers" do right???

Christmas, Christmas Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas. Luckily, it was slow, Cole was able to spend most of the day with Dawsyn and I. Santa Claus made his way to our house, and we were all pleased with what he left for us. Cole, much-needed church clothes and shoes, desperately needed socks and make-up for me and my favorite, a jar lifter for canning. Yeah, I had enough of trying to get the bottles out of the canner with hot pads! See the pictures below for all of Dawsyn's loot! We were happy to spend Christmas Eve with the Douglas family and then have breakfast at Grandma Bulloch's. Grandma is quite the waitress, even at 91. I know that many walked away having eaten way more pancakes than they planned. No small pancake either, they were at least 6 or 7 inches in diameter. Grandma would just dump it on the closest plate. What a lady! Dawsyn and I had plans to travel to Koosharem for a couple of days. When we heard the stomach flu was going around up there, we decided to stay home. We missed Grandma and Grandpa T and all the aunts, uncles and cousins up there. We hope to join in the bowling next time we are up! It is hard to believe that it is over for another year. However, we look forward to many things in 2009. Mostly, Dawsyn's 1st birthday, maybe by then she will be a little more interested in unwrapping (she loved the wrapping paper once it was off). Maybe we will find the time for a family vacation this year? We hope you all had a merry and safe Christmas. Enjoy the pictures.

Presents ready to be opened. (notice the bottom of the tree is undecorated, Dawsyn's handiwork!)

Good ol' Santa!

Dawsyn waiting for Dad to get the camera on.

Eating candy out of Dad's sock.

Helping Dad unwrap.

Showing Mom the new dolly!

All the loot!

At Grandma Bulloch's after Breakfast.

Nap with Daddy while Mom talked with Grandma T