Halloween 2008

Darren and Dakoda with cousins Will and Liam

Dakoda and his Pap (he was SO done with pictures!)

Dakoda and Mommy

Our jack-o-lanterns

North Carolina Trip

Last weekend, we took a trip to North Carolina and visited some of my family there. I had a great time seeing my Grandma, Aunt, and cousins, and Dakoda finally got to meet his two little cousins, Aiden and Will. Here are some pictures from our visit.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mommy's Little Monkey

While we were at Portrait Innovations, we had them take some pictures of Dakoda in his Halloween costume. He is the cutest little monkey in the world! (I'm not biased or anything)

Family Pictures - October 2008

We have had family pictures made every October, starting with our engagement pictures back in 2006. Normally my good friend Miranda takes them, but this year she was a little busy having a baby :) , so we had them done at Portrait Innovations.

It's A .......

GIRL!!! We are so excited to be expecting a little sister for Dakoda, and even more excited that she seems to be healthy! We are now halfway through the pregnancy, and time is flying by as the holiday season begins. I know that it won't be long until we meet our precious baby girl!

Pumpkin Patch

Today we visited the Fruit and Berry Patch in Knoxville. It was hotter than we expected for mid-October, but we had lots of fun anyway! We found our way through a corn maze, rode a tractor-pulled wagon out to the pumpkin patch, and Dakoda got to pick his very first pumpkin! Here are some pictures from our day.

For anyone who is wondering...

YES! Dakoda is still rear facing in his car seat in my new pictures, even though he is over 1 year and 20 lbs.
If you would like to know why, please visit this link:

http://forum. myspace. com/index. cfm?fuseaction=messageboard. viewThread&groupID=106059317&page=0&EntryID=68819533&CategoryID=0&get=1&adTopicId=23&lastpagesent=1&Mytoken=D8C8740C-CEDA-4CAA-87EEAA69C7C77EBB29753782

It is the story of a little boy named Joel who was forward facing in his car seat when the car hit a tree at 35 mph. Joel suffered from internal decapitation, meaning that his skull became detached from his body, and was only held on by skin. Luckily, he survived, but is wearing a halo and headed for some very intense physical therapy.

While state law only requires you to rear face your children until 1 year and 20 lbs, the American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends:

"Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 lb to decrease the risk of cervical spine injury in the event of a crash. Infants who weigh 20 lb before 1 year of age should ride rear facing in a convertible seat or infant seat approved for higher weights until at least 1 year of age. If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back."

For most convertible carseats, the weight limit for rear facing is between 30-35 lbs.

If you'd like more information or videos, just Google "extended rear facing" or look it up on Youtube. I'll go ahead and warn you, though, some of the videos are not for the faint of heart.

I don't mean to sound preachy or overbearing, this is just another subject about which I feel very strongly. I hope that I don't offend anyone, and that everyone realizes that I'm only posting this because I care. :)

Dakoda's first UT football game!

Last Saturday, we took Dakoda to his first UT football game. He loved it, especially the band! We were very happy (and surprised) with how well-behaved he was, considering that it was a night game and he was up wayyyy past his bedtime. We even got compliments from people sitting around us on his behavior! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little boy! Here are some pictures from his game-day experience.

Leaving to go pick up Daddy

Stuck in traffic, but still a happy boy!

Getting tired of the flashes...

Maybe not!

Finally made it to our seats!!

Watching the band

Running through the "T"

Love

This is a very random post, but something that Darren and I were discussing this morning, and I feel very strongly about.

I have always felt that Love is a choice or a commitment versus a feeling. I think the "feeling" that people commonly associate with "love" is merely infatuation, which is why so many people "fall out of love" with each other. I think our society is so hung up on "feeling good" that once that infatuation wears off, they go in search of that good feeling again, which is why so many marriages and relationships fail these days. I mean, you're obviously not going to feel "butterflies" for someone forever; eventually that feeling is going to lessen, or more likely, go away altogether. I don't think that means that you no longer "love" that person, just that the newness of the relationship has worn off, which is why it is so important to have more in common with someone than a superficial physical attraction. Love IS a choice, and it IS a commitment, one that you continue to make every single day of your life.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Playdough!

Dakoda has been getting bored with his toys lately, so this afternoon, I decided to try something new - homemade playdough! He didn't really know what to do with it, but I got some cute pictures!

Checking it out...

Going in for a closer look...

Am I supposed to eat it?

Handsome boy!