Parenting skills...

(Yes, the above photos is my four year old with a very real hammer and very sharp nails-some may think that's not the best afternoon activity for a four year old but he came up with the idea on his own and it has been occupying him for the better part of an hour-We are just testing out that tetanus vaccination.)

As of late I have been self-examining and questioning my parenting skills, or techniques rather. After Zane received his 5 vaccinations he also received 3 super awesome blue camo band-aids. The band-aids were so cool he didn't want to take them off. I don't really blame him, who really likes the feeling of an adhesive being ripped from your skin, I know I don't. I suggested that he get in the bath so that the warm water would loosen them up a little. He still protested. This was day two of the band-aids and I didn't think it was very sanitary for him to have those bacteria breeding grounds sitting so close to his injection sites. So I say to him, "Zane, we have to get those band-aids off or you might get and infection and they will have to cut off your leg". Really? To a four year old. I really didn't think much of what I said until, a few days later, he runs up to Lee and announces "Daddy I got my band-aids off so they won't have to cut off my leg!". Lovely.
I'm currently reading a book about effective ways to communicate with kids, I'm thinking the above scare tactic won't be on the list of suggestions.

what's on the menu?

Tate is a funny eater. He had terrible reflux and has enjoyed a 90% liquid diet up until a month or so ago. Although he frowned upon rice, apples, bananas, etc. he did however have a favorite solid which remains at the top of his list, paper! Ummm so yummy and non-digestible (is that a word?) paper (actually I'm not sure how easily digested paper is but I'm going out on a limb and thinking it probably isn't the most digestive friendly consumable or non-consumable for that matter).

We have just discovered another one of his pallets preferences, bubbles. He just can't get enough of them, possibly the effects of the bubbles will help the paper along.

One of these days I'll get this...,

Today I woke up with Tate, I changed his diaper and then laid on the floor as he played with various things on the floor, the empty diaper wipe tub, his cars and his blanket. He in his affectionate Tate way, came over every few minutes to snuggle up to me and then he was off again. After my grogginess finally wore off enough so that I could muster enough strength to drag myself off the floor, I got up and put Tate in his high chair to eat. Oatmeal mixed with apples and blueberries and bananas, yum. After about an hour of playtime I realized he was ready for his nap. I put him down and off to dreamland he went.
I grabbed a blanket and hit the couch. Everything was still and quiet. It wasn't long before I heard the little thump of Zane's feet hitting the floor, then the quick pitter-patter of him running into the living room. I invited him under my blanket to snuggle for a minute as I still wrestled with the idea that it was morning. Zane snuggled up to me and I enjoyed his closeness as I watched the sun and leaves' shadows dance on the blinds.
I started thinking about all the little moments that go un-noted. The little things that fill my day with joy, laughter, contentment, gratitude and a dose of frustration and craziness to add to the mix.
So, a blog I suppose is a great place to note all these sometimes mundane and sometimes amusing happenings.



Zane is now four. He can do anything now because he is four. You would think he was 18, which is actually the age he pretends, quite adamantly, that he is most of the time. We took him to Stone Mountain for his birthday, because he was four he was not afraid to ride the train (he had a small phobia of the train whistle from a steam engine parade we took him to when he was two), he was not afraid to ride the sky ride to the top of the mountain and he was not afraid to go on the ropes course-it's amazing what one day can do to a person- he walked with a new stride of confidence. Being four also has its trials, five shots at his well visit! On the way over he sat in his car seat, anxious and looking for a way out of his vaccinations. I began to explain to him again that the shot would be much more bearable than one of the nasty viruses he could get if he didn't gget the shots. He had a solution though, he reminded me that strawberries could fight the viruses instead because of the antioxidants, so maybe he could just eat more strawberries. I love his little problem solving skills! He did endure the shots and now has a lovely red rash to prove it. Zane is in the 81st percentile for height and 91st percentile for weight.
I chuckled at the questions they ask to see if they are on track. Can he count to 5? uh yeah. Does he know his shapes? Are you serious...Zane loves to learn, and apparently he now likes to mark his territory with his name writing skill. I lifted up the toilet seat to clean it and thought, how did hair get stuck there? Upon closer inspection I realized that Zane had written his name (in pencil) on the bottom of the seat, nice, at least it wasn't on the walls.


I find parenting two kids much more difficult than one for one simple reason. Sibling conflict. Yes, Tate is only 10 months old and yet they still manage to argue and fight. Tate is just as good at picking a fight as Zane. I can't wait until Tate is a little older and I can stop playing referee and let them duke it out, or at least make them do something silly until they are laughing and not fighting. I did get a bit of hope today as I heard a funny interaction. Tate went over to play with Zane (or take his toy, which is usually the case). Zane growled loudly at him- as I started to reprimand Zane for being rude- Tate growled right back at him. I laughed, Zane was caught off guard and laughed too.



Tate is, well, he has red hair. He is feisty, mischievous and has the cutest little devious smile I have ever seen. He "talks back", tells Zane where to put it, and he knows what he wants. I have a feeling he is going to make Zane seem like a breeze. That being said he is already an entertainer, very affectionate, and sympathetic. He's passionate- mad when he doesn't get what he wants but so sweet and loving when he is content and happy.
Tate is a great communicator. He says "mama", "da-da-" and occasional "daddy" and he calls for Zane when ever he is in a different room "aaaanne!". I swear he has said "I love you too" and "where are you" but that is disputable I suppose. :)
Tate is by far the hardest subject I have ever photographed, he is so busy doing something, that I generally get this shot- looking down or blurrrr, there he goes!

It's getting indisputable...

lashes- so glad he got the dark long lashes. :)

We have been trying to determine what color Tate's hair will be...I have thought that it has had a red haze and that it was going to eventually be pretty red, he has the complexion for it. Lee, however thought that I was crazy...Lee is starting to see it my way now, as he usually does. ;)

Pumpkins and baby smiles! (Well it actually posted in baby smiles then pumkin patch, ugh)

These are the smiles I get every time Tate gets a diaper change, this one happened to be on the front seat of our car and the camera was handy. :)

Zane thought the pumpkin patch was pretty cool, Tate was not so impressed! ;)

We ventured off to the pumpkin patch for the weekend, it was pretty fun. I'm still not quite sure why people fork out .17 cents a lb for a pumpkin when they can get one the same size at BJ's for $4.99???

And, could someone please teach me how to blog! My goodness, I can't get the hang of posting in backwards order so that my pics follow a storyline and I can't seem to move them around once I have uploaded them! This is why I am not a blogger!

Back to blogging...

Aye! I need to blog more than facebook. I really should get into the habit of jotting down what happens in our lives. So now I am going to be in catch up mode. (We will see how long it lasts!)


So, we have a new baby! (As if the world didn't know that already). We even managed to come up with a name. I'm not sure we can have any more kids, they may end up without names, well boys anyway. I think we will have an easier time naming a girl. Let's hope! We had a list of names for Tate and spent the better part of the nine months going back and forth, pulling them out of hats, etc. Brandon wasn't even on the list until we came up with it. All I know is that Tate went absolutely crazy inside me when Brandon came out of my mouth,, so there it was. If he doesn't like his name I will tell him it's his own fault. :)

Tate is an awesome baby and Zane LOVES him. He always asks if we can take Tate with us when we are getting ready to go. If Tate is crying he is right there telling him "it's ok, Tate it's ok".

The other day I asked Zane where Tate was before he came to our family. I had not had the "preexistence discussion" with him before so this was all Zane. His reply was that Tate was at church. hmmm...ok "What was he doing at church" I then asked..."praying" was his reply...I think, after analyzing this a bit, he got it as close to correct as anyone else could Tate was indeed talking with Heavenly Father at his house. Kids really do get it.

Zane is so smart. The pediatrician says my issue with him when school starts is that he will be bored! He is not quite 3.5 yrs old and he has all of this letters down, the majority of the sounds that go along with them and is getting the concept of putting the sounds together to sound out small words. He can also write a handful of letters.

Now for the updated pics and such...I had so many other little things to catch up on but now I don't remember what....

Brandon "Tate" Dawkins
6 lb 13 oz
21.5 in

Loyal ( a really old post that didn't get posted)

We have been trying to decide a name for this new baby, at first we were thinking "Bryson" and then we decided to look at other options, we came up with one other option but have been keeping it from everyone. Zane apparently picked up on this. We were at my parents house eating ice cream cones at their table and my mom decided to be tricky and ask Zane what the baby's name was going to be (when I ask him he always says one of the two names). I just smiled, I didn't tell him not to tell, just smiled and watched what his response was going to be (expecting him to say "bryson" and hoping he didn't say our secret name). He looked at me like what am I suppose to do and didn't say a word. This went on for a few minutes, then they started guessing names and he just responded "no". Then there was a pause in the conversation, he was eating his icecream, I was laughing that he was so ingeniuously loyale, my dad was fixing him another icecream cone to try to bribe him into telling him the name. Then he says, "how about we name the baby...brown!" and he just started laughing and then started spurting off all these random object names. He thought he was hillarious, so did I. My mom continued to ask him throughout our visit what the baby's name was and he continued to say random names.
I was telling Jen this so yesterday she and Zane were playing checkers, I was in the kitchen but caught him looking at me funny, it was the same "what should I do?" look, I said, "you just aksed him what the baby's name was didn't you?" She said yes, but she also included in her petition that I had told her that he could tell her. He kept silent her first attempt and changed the subject on her next attempt when it was just the two of them playing trucks in the basement he changed the subject. He has yet to reveal the name, I think it is hillarious and incredibly astute of him. :)

Zane is now totally into the imgagination stage, one of my favorites! The other day I had to open the door to let out the alligators that were on the celing and all the "other" animals in the house. The other night he came into our bedroom eating a granola bar, he said that ducks were following him. I said "well you still need to eat that in the kitchen" he said, "but the ducks are following me!" I replied that he should "tell the ducks to leave him alone". So, he turned around told the ducks to leave him alone and went back into the kitchen. Sometimes, his imaginiation also affects what I can do, I wanted to leave the bathroom but he informed me that there were a lot of trees and I couldn't leave. I said I would just walk around them, he said there were too many, I said OK, I will walk through them. Nope, not an option. So finally I say "well, I need to get out, will you please cut down the trees for me?" He says yep and proceeds to use his saw (finger) to saw down the trees, and at last I left the bathroom.