Beach Bums

Kiera is fascinated with the beach. In fact, she loves it...a lot. So, when we told her we were going to surprise Grandma for her birthday, Kiear asked, "Can we go to the beach?"

Grandma was such a good sport that she devoted part of her birthday surprise time to take her grandchildren to the beach.



The girls were pretty excited, but they did stop long enough for me to take one picture before running down to the beach.



No excitement on that face is there? Kaylee immediately started playing in the sand.



Unfortunately, I don't have any shots of us wading in the waves or building a sand castle. My dad took those shots. I couldn't exactly handle a camera and jumping with the girls in the Gulf of Mexico-at least not without damaging my camera.

We had a great day to play. It was cloudy with the threat of rain, so we didn't burn up. We did get chased out of the water by a rain storm, but that happened right at noon. We didn't have to fight the girls in getting them out of the water or off the beach!!!

We had a picnic lunch and then climbed an observation tower.



The girls enjoyed the view from up high. We all jumped into the Suburban and took off back to my parents home. Of course, the girls fell asleep. My parents ended up getting over 2 inches of rain while we were gone. Wish they could have sent some up to us in Cat Spring.

Oma's House

After the girls got up from their naps, we packed up the Suburban and headed to Oma's house. This was to be the first time that my grandmother would see Kevin Jr. I don't know, do you think she was happy?



Oma really enjoyed holding and talking to Kevin. She also enjoyed watching the girls play with all of her toys.





What was a little bit nostalgic, and revelatory as to my age, was the toys that the girls played with were the same toys that I used to play with as a child at Oma's.



I can't tell you how many times I played pinball on the little toy Kiera is holding in the above picture. It was something else to see my kids playing with this stuff.

After visiting and playing around, we packed everyone up and ate at Roland's Mexican Food in Robstown, TX. Dawna and I thought that our taste buds had gone to heaven. Yes, we have Mexican food restaurants around Cat Spring, but they aren't anything compared to San Antonio and South Texas. Rarely will you ever find a place that makes refried beans with real lard around here. Yes, I know the health risks are great eating that stuff, but IT TASTES SOOOO GOOOD!!!

We returned to Oma's house after eating and visited a while longer. Then we headed to Wal-Mart to replace a little girl's pair of shoes (see previous blog for explanation) so that we could go to the beach the following morning.

Warning: Serious Post!

I will get back to detailing our recent trip to South Texas post haste, but I had to write and process an event that took place today.

I performed my first funeral for a still-born child, and if I never have to do another one, I will rejoice.

It's not that I had a difficult time handling the service or anything. I mean, God has called me to be a pastor for a reason, and I could literally sense Him giving me the strength to preach and offer a word of hope for this family who lost their boy at 31 weeks. In fact, I consider it quite an honor that God would choose me to walk into a family's life, in one of the darkest moments possible, and have an opportunity to shine a little bit of God's light. It's a bit overwhelming.

But that's the professional side of me. There is a personal side as well. I don't know how many out there who read this blog have ever experienced seeing that tiny casket sitting at the front of a church or a funeral home, but it's sobering-to say the least. Every parent's worst nightmare is that something bad will happen to their child. When Dawna was pregnant with Kevin, Jr. I wrestled with worries constantly. Sure, I knew that we had been given a tremendous gift from God, but there is always that chance that something will happen. For this couple, it did. They still don't know why; which can be even more frustrating.

Just before the service began, the couple chose to have a Kenny Chesney song played that talked about a youngster being taken before it was time. As the song progressed and spoke about the dreams that a parent has for his/her child, I teared up. What a nightmare to have such a thing happen. As a parent, my heart strings were yanked on terribly, and I could only imagine what this couple sitting 20 feet away was going through. I hope and I pray that I never have to experience such a thing.

I will be taking this afternoon off. I'm going to spend it with my kids. I know it may sound trite, but any parent who is reading this blog today, if you have the opportunity to hug your kids today-do it. Cherish that moment. There are parents out there who would love to do the same thing, but they aren't getting the chance to do it. Even though those kids can test your patience, run you ragged, keep you awake at night, invent ways to push your buttons and shove on the boundaries, they are still precious gifts. Don't let seeing a children's casket remind you of that fact.

Birthday Surprise

It's hard to believe that my mom is 60 years old. It seems like just yesterday that she was helping me through my teenage years and offering up guidance and wisdom. Even though I might have entertained the thought that she (and dad) knew nothing, I really knew better. Those two have done more than their fair share in making me into the person I am today.

We wanted to do something special to help with celebrating this birthday for mom, so Dawna suggested a couple weeks ago that I take the day off on her birthday, drive down to Odem, and surprise mom. Working to keep things a surprise was most difficult; in fact, mom had her suspicions that something was up when I demanded to talk to dad without her on the phone. Oh well, it was still a good idea, and mom was extremely happy that we came down.

Kiera sang happy birthday to her, and shortly thereafter, she asked grandma if we could go to the beach. We then planned the weekend. We would go to my grandmother's home (Oma) in Robstown the first afternoon and then go to the beach the following morning. (The next couple of posts will detail these events.)

We called Oma and told her that we would be visiting that afternoon after the girls took their naps. She was very excited because she would be seeing Kevin, Jr. for the first time.

After we had lunch, the girls wanted to go outside and play. Their grandpa took them out into the back yard and did something with them that he used to do with me when I was their age: he dug a hole in the garden and let them play in it. What a sight that was!



Kaylee decided to get into the act.



Then Kiera broke out Grandma and Grandpa's horseshoe set.



All the work outside was sufficient enough to wear those two out so that we could head to Oma's house in the afternoon.

Internet's Finally Back

Last week on Tuesday night, our internet suddenly went out. We called our provider on Wednesday, and they told us the earliest they could have someone out was Monday. So....we went the entire weekend without internet access. Which, in all actuality wasn't a bad thing. We had an exciting weekend as we headed down to Odem to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday. So, I've got a lot to cover in the next couple of days.

With that being said, onto blogging!!!

Before we headed down to my parents, we were blessed with some rain. We desperately needed it. Ranchers around here were hurting badly as their hay fields weren't growing and winter is just around the corner. The rain we got will help hay tremendously, but we still need quite a bit to fill the ponds and stock tanks.

Kiera and Kaylee particularly enjoyed the fact that we had rain. After a couple of days of showers (and being penned up inside), they were ready to get out and play. Mom and Dad were only too happy to oblige (those of you who are parents will very much appreciate that last statement.).

The rain had left quite a few puddles in the streets of Cat Spring. I allowed the girls free reign to jump, splash and play around. This is one of the advantages of living in a small town--little traffic which makes splashing in puddles pretty safe and very fun.




During the fun, Kiera had a blow out. She had run her toes through her shoe before, but this time, the damage was permanant. Dawna and I knew that this meant a trip to Wal-Mart was in our future, but $5 shoes that last most of the summer are well worth it.

Country Life

This evening, we decided to take a walk around Cat Spring. Thunderstorms surrounded the area blocking out the sun, so the temperature was absolutely perfect. We started our jaunt intending to burn some calories and let the girls work off some excess energy.

We made it half way through our first lap around the town when we were met by some of our neighbors. "Come on and sit down and have some kolaches," they said to us.

There was no way we could turn down the offer. We headed to the couple's back yard, sat down, and enjoyed home made kolaches and lemonade. The girls played with a remote controlled car and noisemakers. They also got to go and see the couple's chickens at the chicken coup.

It really was an enjoyable evening; although we could have stood to burn more calories.

On our way back home, I turned to Dawna and said, "This is one of the reasons I moved us out into the country. Where else do you get invited in to spend the evening like that at the spur of the moment?"

Sometimes I think I'm living in Mayberry, and you know what? That's not such a bad thing at all.

The Old Grey Mare...

I always wondered how my hair would turn out.

My mom's dad had jet black hair well into his seventies.
My dad's dad went grey and bald much sooner.
My dad went grey in his late 30's and early 40's. (I am quite sure that my sister was responsible for most of that.)

I wondered which side of the family I would take after. Would my hair begin turning grey early? Would I stay dark headed well into my later years?

Well, I received the answer to these questions the other day when I got my hair cut. The barber took a pretty good chunck out of the side of my head, and the results of that swipe of the clippers fell right down in my lap. As I looked at the clump of hair, I realized that I would be very distinguished at an early age. Yes, the Haug hair trait has landed upon me.

Well, at least getting carded any place will be less and less of an issue.

Four Month Dr. Appointment

Today, Kevin, Jr. had his 4 month doctor's appointment. He's doing pretty well.

He was 23 1/2 inches long.
He weighed 10 lbs 12 oz.
His head measured 16 inches.

The trend charts showed that his weight was very below normal, but Dawna explained to the doctor how we began supplementing with formula three weeks ago because of a lack of milk production. She wasn't too concerned because Jr. continued to grow longer and he was right on target developmentally. If either of those things were lagging, Doc would have been worried.

Kevin tolerated his shots pretty well; however, he's been VERY cranky the rest of the day. He won't let us put him down because his legs hurt. Can't wait until tomorrow when he should be better.

A House Full

Today was an eventful day at the Haug household. After church, we were blessed to have a couple of gals from the congregation come and spend the day with us.

Katie (the tall one) and Molly (the short one) have both become part of our family in a real way. Each is the youngest child in their family, so they are enjoying having three younger sibilings. It's amazing the amount of stuff you can get done when all three kids are occupied!

There is only one downside: cooking for seven (well, actually six right now. Kevin, Jr. is still a little bit away from big people food). I have decided that if I ever had such a large family, I would have to take out loans just to feed everyone.

We really enjoy having the girls over. They are great with the kids, and the kids love them. Too bad school starts back up before the end of this month!

Four Months Old

Yes, it's hard to believe that four months ago this little tyke came into our lives. We are an extremely blessed family.

A couple of weeks ago, we began supplementing Kevin, Jr. with formula. Dawna wasn't quite producing enough milk for him, and the difference has been amazing. He has much more energy, is awake more often, and is filling out nicely. We'll know for sure how much next week when he has his four month doctor's appointment. I'm not sure he will ever be a "chunky-monkey" because he's pretty narrow hipped as far as things go, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Yesterday, I had him down doing "tummy time", and it was neat watching his progress. He was trying to turn himself over, but he hasn't quite figured that one out yet. He has figured out the mechanics for crawling. His arms and legs were working in concert pretty well. Thank God he hasn't figured out how to get his stomach up yet. I'm not ready for him to be mobile.

That's the interesting thing about parenting. With the eldest child, we were in a hurry to watch her turn over, crawl, and then walk. We encouraged her every step of the way in hopes that she would rapidly achieve these milestones. With Kaylee, we were a little more laid back. When she crawled, when she walked, it would be o.k. Now, it's like, "Take your time, Junior. We're in no hurry to have three mobile kids." When it does happen, that will add a totally new dimesion of chaos to our household.

Not to be outdone, when I was taking four month pictures of Junior, Kiera and Kaylee demanded to be photographed as well. After two pictures, they were satisfied.

It's amazing how grown up these two little ones are getting. Yesterday at swimming lessons, Kiera actually surprised us by swimming, surfacing for air, and then swimming some more. Not bad for a three year old. She also went off the diving board!!! Yes, she had a little help, but still--the diving board? Are you kidding me?

Remembering a Cousin

The final Sunday that we were on vacation in Arkansas, I got an email from one of my cousins in Seguin, TX. His mom had died from bi-lateral pneumonia. She was a member of the congregation that I served in Seguin, and because I was family, they wanted me to return and participate in her funeral. I gladly agreed.

I had gotten to know Eva Haug decently, but nowhere to the point that I wanted to. Her funeral made me wish I had taken more time to get to know this woman who married into our family. One story will illustrate this.

Deb Haug, who also married into the family told the following story about her son, Oni:

One day, Oni (who was a teenager, if I recall correctly) was down the road playing basketball with his girlfriend. His girlfriend had an annoying little sister who made a pest of herself the entire time Oni and his girlfriend were trying to play. Oni became frustrated at this little "brat" and took actions into his own hands. He mooned her ( ! ).

Later that afternoon, Deb and Mike received a phone call from the little girl's mother. She was not happy with Oni's behavior in the least. She demanded an apology and discipline of Oni.

Deb and Mike obliged. They made Oni go down the street and apologize, and they grounded him.

In the evening, Deb and Mike went over to Eva and Lawrence's house (they lived right behind them). Deb "made the mistake" of telling Eva what Oni had done.

In a few minutes, Eva saw Oni headed over to her house to join the party. To quote Deb, "I looked over and saw that Eva had that twinkle in her eye, and I knew something bad was going to happen. She looked over at Lawrence, and I became even more worried when I saw that Lawrence had that same twinkle."

The result of that twinkle was thus--Oni walked into the house, and just as he entered the room, Lawrence and Eva mooned him! ( ! ) ( ! )

Deb said that Oni couldn't get out of the house fast enough facing his 68 year old grandparents' backsides!

Everyone at the funeral had a good laugh, including yours truly.

Take it or leave it, this is my family.

Arkansas Vacation

Last week, my family and I traveled to Arkansas to visit my grandmother and grandfather who live in Bella Vista. Some might question our sanity in taking three children all under the age of four for a 12 hour car ride, but there are times when you throw caution into the wind.

My 92 year old grandmother is not doing so great. She's very weak, and has been on a downward trajectory for quite some time. After a recent visit from my aunt, we thought it best to get up there while she was still living and at least able to talk with us. Luckily, my parents made the journey up there with us. Thank God I bought that Yukon XL. All of us and our luggage fit without incident.

We actually broke the trip up into two parts. We left last Wednesday and drove to Palestine (that's Texas, y'all). After spending the night in a Super 8 Motel, we drove steadily and arrived in Bella Vista about 4 p.m. We first checked into the townhome we rented.

A little side note here: if you are traveling with children and are staying in a particular place for any length of time, do not, and I repeat, do not rent a hotel room. Get a vacation home or condo. It makes life soooo much easier!!

The next morning, my sister flew in with her two kids. My family and hers stayed in the townhome while mom and dad stayed with my grandparents. It worked out very nicely because the kids could take their naps, etc. in the townhome, and it didn't overtax my grandparents. Furthermore, because of the work of an aunt of mine, my grandparent's basement was transformed into a playroom for the kids. Whenever they had too much excess energy, down to the basement we went. They played down there and made sugar cookies with my mom. All in all the trip was a blast, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to see my grandparents before the inevitable happens.

Grandma Grote.


Grandpa Grote and my sister, Laura.
Kiera, Kaylee, and my niece, Payton on the townhome's balcony.
Townhome balcony view.
Making sugar cookies.

Two worn out Kevins.

Kevin, Jr.'s Baptism

It's been a long while since I've updated this thing. Life flies by way too fast. I've got a lot to cover, so hopefully in the next couple of days, I'll have some regular entries. I'll start off with a very important day in our lives.


On July 20th, we had Kevin, Jr. baptized. Our good friends Dave and Angie Wendell and Darrell and Traci Owens were his God-parents. Unfortunately, Darrell and Traci couldn't make the day because of illness in the family, but a whole host of other folks turned out for the event.


































Special thanks goes out to Rev. Paul Krupicka who baptized Kevin. Paul is my mentor and advisor. As I told my congregation, if they are looking for someone to blame--blame him. (Strange enough, the church clapped for Paul. Go figure.)



We finished the day off with a great pot luck provided by the congregation. Man, they put on a spread. I, of course, had to contribute by smoking a brisket. Hate to brag (well, not really) but my brisket along with another member's pork loin stole the show. It was just awesome to have the church do this for us one more time.
















This place has been absolutely wonderful to my family and I. They have welcomed us tremendously and supported us in a way that I could not have ever expected. I hope the Good Lord sees fit to keep us here for a while.