Family Pictures 2012

 We went up the mountain to find some fall leaves to take some family pictures....we haven't done this for 2 years sadly. We found one spot, but the lighting just wasn't right, so we continued to drive over the mountain until we found it- the perfect spot. The sun didn't glare us out or make us squint, and the leaves were perfect. We had to chase 2 deer off because they were right in the spot when we saw it. We had so much fun doing this together. It was more than just pictures, we let Dawson play and we shook leaves all over him. Those are the pictures that always turn out- the ones where you are truly enjoying yourself and acting natural. 

 Dawson and his daddy! He truly loves his dad and wants to be just like him. We took several shots of Dawson rubbing his dad's beard, telling him secrets "you're fired" and laugh, and listening to his heart.

I have wanted pictures of Dawson and Andee in my tummy for awhile now, but everytime I had a chance for someone to do them I just wasn't feeling very pretty or picture worthy. We finally got some and I couldn't be more excited. Dawson found a TINY acorn and wanted to show Andee. He found leaves and showed her. He would talk to her and then in a tiny voice pretending to be Andee, "oh cool." Then he look at me and say, "Mom, she likes them!" It was so cute to watch and listen.

 This turned out so cute and yet I was just taking a break letting Dawson give leaves to Andee. He would set them on my tummy until he found the perfect one for her to keep.

 J.D. was shaking leaves on us and we were just laughing so hard at him trying to take a picture, hold his balance, and throw leaves at us. He's a pro photographer because he managed to snap this one!

 Dawson trying to catch the leaves falling from above. He was loving life!

 Now that we'd let Dawson play, he started to be a turkey about taking family pictures. We'd set the tripod up, and the timer. I would click the button and have to run clear down to get in position. Needless to say, it took about 15 tries to get Dawson to do what we wanted. He would be perfect, and then once I sat down he'd put a leaf on my head, or poke me with a stick, or put his chin down on the log. It was actually pretty funny. We finally got a couple that worked, but I'm suprised it didn't put me into labor all that running and getting up and down. Of course, Dawson thought it was hilarious!

 So.... after all that running we decided to let Dawson play photographer cuz he really is good at it. We set the camera so he could just keep clicking over and over...and that's exactly what he did. J.D. and I just stood down there talking, smiling, and doing our own thing while Dawson just kept pushing the button.

 Dawson has his father's photography skills- we couldn't believe all the amazing shots he got. These are just some of our favorites. When we looked through the pics later, Dawson took over 40 pictures of J.D. and I in just 3 minutes or so!

Afterwards we went to Todd's and ate dirt burgers and relaxed for a bit. We then drove around and looked for spike elk to fill J.D.'s tag. We saw plenty of deer, but no elk. Dawson even saw a couple bucks that J.D. and I had completely missed. 

We had an awesome day and it was so nice to spend together as a family. We are really excited to have Andee come and be able to have more days like this with her. Dawson really can't wait- every day he comes up to me or J.D. telling us how excited he is for her to come. It's so special and brings tears to my eyes because I can already see how amazing of a big brother he is going to be to Andee and how he will continue to make our life special with her here.