Category — Picture Pefect

A couple of weeks ago Laurel (Eilas Photography) came out to our house to take pictures of Thomas (and the rest of us)! She took our family picture about a year ago and we LOVED them. So, we’re so excited to have her chronicle Thomas’ first year. I tried to pick a couple of my favorites to put on the blog but I couldn’t so here are 10 or so of my favorites!

Love, love, love them! (The pictures and my boys!)

First Bath

First Snow

First Walk

Thomas Earl Dixon was born January 29, 2011 at 11:50 am. He weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 21 inches long. He is a very prompt little man – being born on his due date.

I woke up several times Saturday morning beginning about 4:30 and thought I might be having contractions.  I wasn’t sure – I thought that maybe I was imagining them since I wanted to go into labor so bad. But they were real! Will woke up about 7:30 am and we ate breakfast together on the couch and watched some cartoons. Around 8 I told Bill that I was having contractions pretty regularly and he made me start timing them – they were 4 to 5 minutes apart. Bill jumped up and took a shower, packed his hospital bag and loaded up the car. I put Will in the bathtub (Bill watched & washed him) and got in the shower – I didn’t want to go to the hospital with greasy hair

We dropped Will off at his friends Javen & Liam’s house and headed to the hospital. We got to the hospital at 9:50 and Thomas was born at 11:50. Once again I didn’t want Bill to call our families until we were admitted because I just knew it was false labor and once again I was wrong.

Will is a very proud big brother! He brought me some flowers at the hospital and he keeps calling himself a “big boy” now. Most of our family was able to come and see Thomas on the day he was born – he is a very loved little boy.

Will just wants to “touch his nose” all the time. It absolutely melts my heart when I am holding Thomas and Will crawls up beside me and says right in Thomas’ face, “What doin’ brother?” I. Die.

God has really shown me His faithfulness and attention to detail – even to things that in the grand scheme of life are small. At what I had hoped would be my last prenatal doctor’s appointment my doctor encouraged me to go ahead and schedule an induction for the next week. Being induced was something that I really did not want to do, my doctor knew and understood this, but she still thought it best not to go any longer. The induction was scheduled for Tuesday, February 1. I literally had everyone I know praying that I would go into labor over the weekend so I could avoid the induction. Prayer is powerful!! I went into labor less than 24 hours after my last prenatal appointment. Thank you Jesus! I have also been praying that the adjustment for Will would be smooth and not too traumatizing. So far, I couldn’t ask for it to be better. Of course he doesn’t understand why Mommy has to be with Thomas so much, why we didn’t all go to church together today, and is trying to stretch his boundaries but overall he is gentle with Thomas and isn’t throwing huge tantrums (yet).

I am loving my house full of boys! Of course, we’ve had lots of help these first weeks – ask again in a couple of weeks and I will probably be too tired to respond

Happy Birthday Thomas! We love you so much!

Will is loving all this “now!” He constantly wants to go outside and play. In fact, this morning at 5 a.m. I heard a little voice saying, “I ready to play in the (s)now now!” (Thankfully he went back to sleep for a couple of hours.) We got between 3 and 4 inches of snow here and that is enough for me (especially this late in pregnancy!)

Bundled up and ready to go play.

Throwing snowballs.

We now have a pumpkin full of snow in our freezer

We had a wonderful time with our family in Chattanooga this year. Will and I stayed an entire week – and Bill stayed almost that long with just a couple of work days in the middle of the week. Will got to do so many fun things with his grandparents, plus 4 Christmas parties and now we are all exhausted So, get ready for about a million Christmas pictures!

We started our week of celebrating at our house December18. Will really enjoyed opening presents this year.

His “big” gift was an easel with dry erase/chalkboard.

Digging deep in his stocking.

Helping Daddy open his present.

Notice he wouldn’t put the dry erase marker down.

Our second celebration was with the entire Dixon family at Grandmama and Daddy Bill’s house. They always have the best food (at least it’s my favorite) and everyone has a great time.

At first all Will wanted to do was eat his cookie! Then, he got around to opening presents.

Aubrey and Aunt Karen checking out a new toy.

New books from Grandmama and Daddy Bill.

Will spent Sunday through Tuesday at Nonny and PawPaw’s house. He had a great time and got to do tons of fun things with his cousins Aubrey and Greyson.

Wearing PawPaw’s fire hat that was “big and heavy.”

Will, Greyson and Aubrey on the fire truck.

Paw Paw and his 3 little firefighters.

Will also got to see the Christmas lights at Rock City.

Cousins acting silly.

Giving Rocky a “high five.”

Aubrey, Paw Paw, Greyson, Will & Nonny

Tuesday night we took the Polar Express to the North Pole. Will really likes trains and was so excited to get to “touch it” and ride a real train.

Papa, Will & Honey

Will and Mommy in front of the train.

Will ready to “ride the train” in his hat, scarf & train vest.

Looking out the window at Christmas lights and on the look out for Santa.

Excited to see Santa on the Polar Express.

Sisters.

On Wednesday we celebrated with the Henderson Family. Almost everyone was able to come this year and it was so much fun! And holy smokes, the great-grandkids (and there will be at least 3 more next year!) We played “Jingo” for our gift card exchange and it was really fun.

I have 1 picture of the night. Will and Zoie playing in the kitchen and reading books. (She is going to be a great big sister!)

On Thursday we celebrated with Bill’s family. It is always fun when all 3 cousins are together (if not a bit chaotic!) Will was definitely a toddler this day – he didn’t want anyone else to play with his presents.

He couldn’t wait to start opening presents!

He loves his garage from Nonny and Paw Paw.

Aubrey opening a present.

Greyson surveying the living room.

Cousins playing with Greyson’s garage.

Christmas Eve we went to the service at my parent’s church and Will behaved so well! During the reading of the Christmas story Will kept saying “No room, no room.” It was so cute. Then we went to Dana’s house to eat pizza and play games.

Christmas morning (Saturday) we celebrated with my family. And we had a white Christmas!

Will unpacking another stocking.

Bill was super excited about his gingerbread man.

Will coloring with his new markers.

Dana was super excited about her embroidery machine (and so am I!)

Will acting like a cheeser and looking at some more new books.

Will loved running around in the snow!

Will even went sledding. He went a little bit by himself and then down the big hill with Daddy and “Psst.”

We ended the week with a few more pictures with Santa then Bill and I headed back to Nashville. Will stayed for a few more days full of fun including Playworld Down Under and the Creative Discovery Museum. Hope everyone else had as good of a Christmas as we did and Happy New Year!

On Friday, before Halloween, our MOPS group went trick-or-treating at NHC Place Nursing H0me. It was a lot of fun to see how much the residents enjoyed seeing all the kids dressed up. The residents were sitting in a big circle in their living room and the kids went around to each person and got a piece of candy. Will went to the man with the suckers several times! Will dressed up as a scarecrow and was the cutest scarecrow I’ve ever seen

Will getting ANOTHER sucker.

Can you see the crow on his hat? I cut it using my Sihouette machine and hot glued it to his hat!

Heidi reading a fall book to all the kids.

Will eating a sucker and listening to the story.

Scarecrow Will and Farmer Mom