The first day of school is here! The issue of letting him ride the bus in the mornings was a tough one, but was made much easier when we found out that Mr. Gibson is Dawson's bus driver. Mr. Gibson was my high school English teacher, and is known to most as "Coach Gibson". He has retired from teaching and asked if he could drive a bus this year. The younger kids will sit at the front and the older ones at the back, so I'm sure he will watch out for them! Dawson and Noah, his best friend and neighbor, will be together on the bus and they are in the same class, so he won't be alone. I didn't get a chance to get many pics at home so I met the school bus at school to get some "gotta have" first day of school pics.
You have to enlarge this picture below to see Dawson's true expression! "Mom, enough with the pictures, can I puh-lease just go in to school now???"

Many of the other parents walked their child into the school. I think Dawson was heartbroken that I didn't walk him into school- can't you tell! There were no tears shed by either of us, it's hard to get upset when he's that excited to go!

Fun at the Beach

We have had a very busy last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago we drove to Gulf Shores, AL for a family vacation and to attend my cousin, Scott's wedding on the beach. We had a great time and the boys did excellent traveling in the car (thanks to portable DVD players!). We stayed in a condo that had a big waterslide and a lazy river. The boys loved it! We went to the beach a couple days. One day there were storms headed our direction which, thankfully, passed over but the water was pretty rough. We met up with my cousins and their kids at the beach. Dawson enjoyed having someone his age to play with. We also walked along the beach at night "crab hunting". I think Wade probably enjoyed that more than the boys but they did have a good time. We drove home all day Sunday, got home at 9:30 and then had to get up Monday morning for Vacation Bible School. I felt pretty unorganized Mon. morning but the kids had a blast, that's all that counts. I don't have pictures from the wedding because I forgot my camera. It was beautiful and the boys had the best entertainment during the wedding.......sand!

Dawson and I on the Ferris Wheel at the Wharf in AL. He wasn't too sure about it at first, but he was much better by the end of the ride.

Jackson, on the other hand, did great on the Ferris Wheel!
Dawson and cousin, Jory, playing at the beach

Wade and Lance buried Dawson. He managed a smile for the picture!
Dawson on his 200th time down the water slide!!! He put the goggles on after his eyes burned so bad the first day. He fell asleep with a cool washcloth over his eyes the first day! Dawson wore the floaties for my peace of mind because there was a current in the water, but he is doing great swimming. He swam the length of the pool the other day without stopping. I think his floatie days are done.

I love this picture of Jackson because he has been making this face so much lately when he gets excited. He's so cute!
Dawson and Jory


Dawson wanted frog legs so bad when we stopped at Lamberts on our way to AL. The waitress was so nice to bring us a kid size portion so we didn't have to pay $14.99 for him! He said they taste like chicken, go figure!


Dawson got to hold an alligator at Alligator Alley. We also got to watch the gators and crocs get fed...whole chickens!
They found something they both enjoyed doing and they played together!

Brody's big heart

I wanted to share Brody's story with all of you. Brody's mom, Melissa, is a friend of mine from work. Brody was born 6 wks early and was home for one week before he was hospitalized at Children's Mercy in KC. He was in the hospital for 3 1/2 wks and then was home for a month before he ended up back at Children's Mercy. Brody was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition and they are still in the process of ruling out genetic disorders. They transferred him to the Children's Hospital in St. Louis where his heart has been deteriorating and he got placed on the heart transplant list. Guess what?! Brody got a new heart yesterday!! Two weeks was all Brody had to wait for a new heart. So far he is doing good. Melissa's biggest prayer request right now is for the family of the heart donor. That would be so hard to lose a child so young. You can read more about Brody at his website, www.caringbridge.org/visit/brodytucker There is going to be a benefit concert and silent auction at Whiskey Tango in Grain Valley on Sun, August 5th. Doors open at 2:00, the auction starts at 3:00 and the concert starts at 4:00. The cost is $10 at the door. Please pray for the Tucker family as Brody recovers.