Supergirls!!!

Ah, a trip down memory lane. Today, Kiera came up to me with one of her brother's baby blankets. She put it around her neck and said, "I'm Supergirl. Help me tie this." I said, "Wait a minute." I went into our laundry room and came back with a clothes pen. Soon, Kiera had a cape draped around her neck held by a clothes pin--just like her dad did many years ago. Not to be outdone, Kaylee came up a few moments later with her brothers baby QUILT and wanted it around her neck. Knowing it was a little too heavy, I searched for a dish towel. I discovered quickly that they don't make dish towels as big as they did when I was a kid, so it was off to the closet for another blanket. Soon, Kaylee joined her sister in obtaining the rank of Supergirl!



God, how often did I do this as a kid and "fly"? Countless, and now my daughters (and probably later, my son) are doing the same thing. Priceless. Here's Kiera's "flight."



Not to be outdone, here's Kaylee's. Notice that Kaylee is still young in her training as Supergirl. She still has to flap her "wings."



Grandma and Grandpa are here for a visit right now. Since Nanaw died, Kiera has been pretty clingy. She hadn't seen Grandma and Grandpa since the funeral, and she's been concerned and wanting to see them very badly. She even wanted to phone them several times to see if they were o.k. Usually the first thing Kiera said after hi was, "Will you come see me at my house?"

Grandma and Grandpa couldn't resist their granddaughter, so they came up. We enjoyed an absolutely perfect afternoon, and look forward to the time together tomorrow as well.

An Evening at Fudruckers

This evening, we drove into Katy. One of my congregation members gave birth, and as customary, I went to welcome the new tyke on behalf of the church and give thanks to God with the family. I had called Dawna earlier and asked if she and the kids would like to go with me since it was late afternoon and the odds of me getting back before supper were not good. Dawna thought it would be a good idea.

We drove down to Katy to the hospital, and I made my visit. Afterwards, we debated where we should eat. Kiera chimed in that she wanted, "Cheese." That's code for cheese enchiladas. Dawna and I weren't exactly in the mood for Mexican, so we did some more thinking. The choice came down to Friday's or Fudruckers next to Katy Mills Mall. Both of us thought Fudruckers sounded really good, so Kiera was going to have to settle for a hamburger.

As luck would have it, it was raining when we pulled up to the restaurant. Now, try getting three kids, one being an infant, a juice bag, and a diaper bag all into a restaurant relatively dry with only one umbrella. Not easy, but finally managed.

Then ordering and finding a table was fun. It usually takes us five minutes just to get everyone settled into their seats, get drinks distributed, and make sure no one can touch anyone else. Finally, everyone was in place, including Kevin, Jr. this time. Yep, Kevin finally joined the rest of us at the table. Up until this evening, he had always been confined to his carrier, but since we got the new car seat, we knew that there would be a change.

We put Kevin in a high chair along with one of those things that go in high chairs/grocery carts to prevent kids from getting germs (yeah right!). It propped him up perfectly, and he really thought he was hot stuff! He played with a straw and ate french fry guts throughout the meal. Kiera polished off her entire hamburger and some french fries. Kaylee ate just a little of her chicken nuggets and fries, but she pigged out on her fruit cup.

Of course, Kiera had to go potty, so Dawna had to take her while I jumped into Dawna's chair to ensure that Kevin, Jr. would continue to receive his french fry guts. Then, when Dawna and Kiera got back, Kaylee said she had to go potty (yeah right!). But Dawna took her anyway: don't want to discourage potty training.

By the time we were finished, the rain had stopped, and we loaded up the Yukon with no trouble. I jumped into the driver's seat and thought about the days when it was just Dawna and I and how uneventful eating out used to be. Life is so much different, but it's so much better. I felt so blessed to be a father and a family man. I'm proud of my wife. I'm proud of my kids. Other folks may think eating out with a car-full is a chore, but it's a wonderful family adventure to me.

I Hate Shopping!!!

There was a day when Dawna and I were really, really pinching pennies. We would budget $250 per month for our credit card bill. That bill always consisted of our gas, groceries, and miscellaneous items like car maintenance, etc. If we went over, it wasn't by much. Can you imagine a $250 budget for gas and groceries?

Fast forward to today. We had to go shopping. A Sam's Club run was in order. Kaylee and Kevin, Jr. needed diapers. Kiera needed a new pair of tennis shoes. Jr. needed a new car seat. The dogs needed food. Here's the result:



What you are looking at is our attempt to stabilize the U.S. economy. It's nearly $500 worth of stuff back there. It's almost mind boggling remembering how we first started out. Of course, that was before three kids and three dogs. But you know what? Wouldn't trade it. Love it. Money is overrated. Family isn't. Remember that.

We bought Kiera's shoes at Academy. They have this neat little line of footprints on the floor that you can compare your child's foot to. We had Kiera measure, and (gulp!) she's out of the toddler shoes and into little kid's shoes. Size 12 to be exact. Of course, we bought 12 1/2 to be precise--need a little growing room. Unbelieveable how big she's gotten. Here's a pic of the shoes:



Kevin's car seat is the Eddie Baur edition without the Eddie Bauer name. It's pretty cool. Lots of gadgets and features. It's sooooooo much easier than Kiera and Kaylee's seats, especially for this big handed oaf.



Of course, we had to try Junior out in his seat. Poor guy. He fell asleep in his old car seat, and we just let him sleep there until he woke up. Immediately after his eyes popped open, we decided Junior had to try out his new toy. After initially fussing a bit, he settled down and enjoyed his brief time there.



We'll see how he likes it next time we travel.

Six Month Doctor's Appointment

Hooray!



Kevin had his six month doctor's appointment today, and he has officially caught up with his weight! He was directly proportionate to his height. Only one minor difficulty--it appears he has his mother's genes for height and weight: the 10th percentile. Oh well, kiss the NBA dreams bye-bye.

Here are the vitals:

Height: 25 1/4 inches
Weight: 14 lbs 12 oz.
Head circumference: 17 1/2 inches

Kevin has also cut two bottom, front teeth. If you look real closely, you can see them in the following pic:



The only hitch in the giddy-up was that doc took a look at Kevin's ears, and he had an ear infection in each one. Then she looked in Kiera's ears. Bingo! One there too. And just for good measure, Kaylee... Yep! One there too. Three kids. Three ear infections. I actually hit the trifecta. Should have bought a lottery ticket. All three kiddoes are on antibiotics right now, and we have to make sure we give the right kid the right amount since all the bottles look alike.

Kevin has developed a new way of moving around. He bounces his hind end up and down and tries to scoot on his back. Here's a little clip that has him attempting the maneuver.



I also shot this video of Kevin straining to get my camera. I thought it was kind of cute. Hope you enjoy as well.

Thank God. It rained!

We have been experiencing a severe drought here in East Texas. Many of the stock tanks are well below normal. We could probably use 10-15 inches of rain to help things out. Well, yesterday, we got a start. We had approximately 2.1 inches of rain. So, what did we do? Well, I allowed the girls to go outside and celebrate by running through the mud puddles. Let me emphasize that I was the one who allowed the activity. My wife doesn't do dirty stuff. But the girls sooooo loved it.



They splashed most of the evening going from puddle to puddle getting wetter and dirtier. I sat back and smiled through the whole ordeal. I was imagining what Dawna would say when she saw the girls.



Actually, I avoided that situation all together. I had the girls immediately come into the house, take off their shoes, and go straight to the bathroom. I had the girls undressed and in the tub before Dawna could see anything. Probably a good thing too; however I still have some photographic evidence. Here's a little something for Nona:

Remembering Nanaw

Here is the eulogy that I am doing for Nanaw's funeral. Thanks, everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

I first met Nanaw, or Betty to many of you, right at 16 years ago through an interesting turn of events. I had scheduled a trip home from college with a buddy of mine, but that unexpectedly fell through at the last moment. I was downtrodden because I wanted a home cooked meal and some time away from school. I called Dawna, whom I had met through my roommate, and had a poor me moment. Little did I expect, but Dawna invited me to come and spend the weekend with her and her family. That weekend, I first met Nanaw.

Now, for some, this might not have meant much, but you see, I’m a good Lutheran who at the time was studying to become a Lutheran pastor. Nanaw was a good Southern Baptist, and if you read the history books, Southern Baptists generally didn’t get along too well with Roman Catholics. Now, what does that have to do with me being Lutheran? Well, Lutherans are one step removed from Catholics, so I was a little worried.

However, my worry was all for naught. Nanaw and I got along pretty swimmingly when it came to discussing faith. We had several good conversations regarding things; however, I personally never failed to inject the fact that we Lutherans have a thing for alcoholic beverages–something good Baptists should consider at some time. Nanaw always laughed at my commentary, even when I tried to lead her down the road to temptation. She never gave in, though. She held tried and true to her convictions, here. Even toward the end when she was in pain and was taking ice chips, Nanaw remained firm.

I remember sitting at her bedside and watching my wife give Nanaw some ice chips. I didn’t think the ice was chipped up fine enough, so I told Nanaw that I was going to take that ice and put it in the blender and make it more fine. I then added, “And I might just add a little something to that ice so that by the time you finish it, you won’t be feeling any pain at all!”

Nanaw grinned and shook her head. “No, she said, “That’s all right.” Leave it to Nanaw to hold steadfast to her position.

That was one of the things about her, when Nanaw thought she was right about
something, she wasn’t budging. And she wasn’t afraid of telling you what she thought about it. From raising children, to how one should dress, to how someone should act in a given situation, Nanaw wasn’t going to hold back her opinion. In fact, sometimes she would flat out tell you that you should or shouldn’t be doing something.

When my son, Kevin, was born, he had a little case of jaundice. My wife and I were under strict doctor’s orders to take Kevin and put him in direct sunlight for 2 to 3 minutes at a stretch to help break down the jaundice. Well, many of you probably know the old wives tale about taking a kid outside and exposing him to the wind and sun. Well, Nanaw knew that tale very, very well.

In fact, when we first brought Kevin home, I immediately took him out for some sun exposure. Nanaw just happened to be outside at the time, and I could tell what was coming by the look on her face. So, I did the only thing I could think of at the time–I looked her square in the eye and said, “The doctor ordered it Nanaw, so don’t even start.”

Well, she didn’t start. At least with me. She proceeded to head in and start telling Linda and Dawna and anyone else who would listen that these new ways that they were raising kids were so different now and that no one would have ever done that in her day and time. Which, she was probably right about that, but it still didn’t stop us from following the doctor’s orders.

Nanaw, though came from the old school on such things. She believed in being pretty conservative, in politics, in religion, and in how family should work. That, of course, didn’t mean her life was perfect. She had her troubles in areas, but she had the perseverance to try to work through them to the best of her ability. Take for instance when her first husband, Arky, died. Nanaw entered into a very dark time in her life. She struggled with depression, but over time, she worked through those dark days and found quite a bit of joy.

Her great grandchildren especially brought her joy and happiness. She would do just about anything for those little kids. She even did the unthinkable–I don’t know where your mind has just gone at this point, but I’ll clear things up for you. Many of you probably don’t know this, but Nanaw was terrified of being in the water. You could no more get her in a swimming pool than you could get her to take a nip of brandy. But, one weekend, Dawna and I took the girls to visit Uncle Gardy in Houston. Nanaw was visiting too, and it just so happened that Gardy had a pool. Kiera loved being in the pool and swimming around in her little boat. Guess who threw caution in the wind and climbed in the pool with her great-granddaughter? That’s right, she did, and I’ve got the pictures to prove it. She did take some ribbing from various family members for attempting such a thing.

And speaking of ribbing, I’ve got to tell this one on her. On Nanaw’s birthday a couple of years ago, we all gathered at Linda’s house for a little party. We had a great meal, cooked by my mother-in-law, and followed it up with cake and other sweets. Nanaw had just been diagnosed with cancer, and she was feeling tired. She decided to leave a little early, so she got up and proceeded to tell her good-bye’s. She came up to me, and before she could say anything, I said, “I am sure glad you got to see me today.”

Nanaw laughed a little, smiled at me and said, “I sure am glad that I got to see you too, because every time I see you, you keep getting more handsome and better looking.” Nanaw could lay it on pretty thick sometimes.

At this point, I grinned a huge grin. I put my arm around Nanaw’s shoulders, and I said, “You know, I wish I could say the same to you, Nanaw. But every time I see you, you keep getting older and more wrinkly.”

There was a collective gasp in the room. I think everyone expected Nanaw to rip me a new one right then and there, but you know what happened? Nanaw threw her head back and laughed out loud. She hugged me and headed out the door, much to the amazement of everyone around. Apparently, she needed that laugh, and I’m glad I was able to supply it.

The thing about it, Nanaw is now not getting any older. She’s not getting more wrinkly. She’s no longer in pain and agony from her cancer. She’s no longer crying any tears of sadness. She’s with Jesus now. She’s got a new body, one that no longer hungers or thirsts or feels the scorching heat. God has wiped every tear from her eyes, and now she is truly experiencing joy that knows no end.

Last Thursday, Nanaw breathed her last, earthly breath. When she died, she opened her eyes, and tears came gushing forth. I have a theory as to why those tears flowed. I believe she stood at the feet of her creator, and He welcomed her home. She knew great joy at that moment, and her last earthly act was to shed the last tears she would shed for all eternity. We will miss you Nanaw, but we know that you are at peace; we know you are at rest; we know that you are with God, and for that reason, we rejoice.

New Braunfels Children's Museum

Yesterday, we took the kids to the New Braunfels Children's Museum. It's a little further drive than the San Antonio Children's Museum, but we didn't have to fight downtown traffic and bigger crowds. We've taken the girls several times to this place, the last time being when Kevin, Jr. was born. It was fun watching Kiera and Kaylee go and play at all the different exhibits. They started off outside with the huge water table and animal statues. In a rare moment, both girls climbed on one of the animals.



After going back inside, the girls found the bat cave. I hadn't looked inside before, but when I did, I found the bat wings. A couple of minutes later, I had a couple of little bats for children.



The girls especailly enjoyed the rocket ship and space center. They dressed up in uniforms and played around for quite a while.



They also enjoyed the computer room where there are digitally projected butterflies flying on one wall and falling rocks on the other. When you cast your shadow on the wall, the butterflies will land on you, or you can keep the rocks from falling. It's pretty neat, and you can see from the smiles that the girls thought it was cool.



Kevin, Jr. particularly got a kick out of the large fish tank and trying to catch the fish.



We finished our time at the museum and ate at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants: Adobe Cafe. Then, it was a trip to Wal Mart. We needed formula for Junior. We're having to stay in San Antonio an extra day or so because of the funeral, and we would have run out. We also needed to buy Kaylee some new shoes. Funny story on that one.

We got to New Braunfels a little before the museum opened, so we stopped by the courthouse to pick up an original copy of Kevin, Jr.'s birth certificate. While we were there Kaylee decided to take off her shoes while waiting in the car. We haven't figured out whether or not she threw one of her shoes out of the window, or she kicked it off next to the driver's side front door and when I opened it, it fell out. Regardless, there was only one shoe for two feet. Kaylee is now very happy with her new, pink shoes.

Another note of interest to some. Kevin, Jr. has been quite cranky for the past few days, and we discovered why yesterday. He broke his first tooth!!!! Bottom front. We'd been giving him Tylenol and Motrin daily, and we knew his gums were thick and bulging. Yesterday, Dawna stuck her finger in his mouth, and bingo, there was a tooth.

Somber Moment

Last night about 10 p.m., Nanaw (Dawna's grandmother) lost her battle with cancer. The funeral will be Monday morning at 11:00 a.m. I will be helping her pastor perform her funeral service, and in a later post, I'll post some of the remembrances that I'll use.

So far, the girls are handling things pretty well. Kiera has been "sad" most of the day because she won't be able to see Nanaw anymore. It has affected her behavior, but that's to be expected. Dawna is doing very well. She's grieving appropriately.

It's kind of a sobering moment in the midst of our vacation, but it was expected. We still took the girls to the Children's Museum in New Braunfels, and I'll have some pics of that later.

San Antonio Zoo

Today was one of those days that a parent lives for. I'm not saying it was a perfect day, but it was one of those days that I've dreamed about since becoming a dad. This morning, Dawna and I loaded up all the kiddoes and took them to the San Antonio Zoo. The weather was perfect, and the animals were all out. The girls were excited, and Kevin, Jr. didn't cry a lick as we celebrated his six month birthday.



We went from exhibit to exhibit, and the girls enjoyed themselves immensely. I had flashbacks to my childhood when Kiera would look at an animal for five seconds and then say, "I want to see something else." She'll learn patience one of these days.



The girls probably had the most fun at a section of the zoo especially set aside for kids six and under. They wanted to stay there a long time playing with all the things the zoo had available, and they weren't too keen on leaving. Fortunately, the petting zoo was next on the agenda. The girls had a great time feeding, petting, and brushing the goats.



From time to time, especially when we were between exhibits, Kiera would get bored, and she would say, "I want to ride the train now." Since the first time we rode the Brackenridge Park Train and ate popcorn during the ride, Kiera's been hooked. The day would not have been complete without another ride.

We bought tickets, popcorn, a Coke, and prepared to take a ride. Earlier, we had called Nona and asked if she would meet us for lunch. She agreed to meet us in front of the depot. It just so happened that she arrived right before the train was about to depart. She was able to purchase a ticket and ride with us--the icing on the cake for the girls.



It's amazing what goes through your mind when you do things with your kids that your parents did with you. I remember trips to Brackenridge Park with my parents when I was a kid, and the memories are very fond ones. Perhaps one day, Kiera, Kaylee, and Kevin will be able to one day do the same with their children. Knowing that I am working on leaving a legacy with my children inspires me. Even though the economy is in the tank, the stock market continues to head south, and presidential candidates lie and demean one another, when I am doing these things with my kids, everything is right with the world. There are the things that we worry about, and then there are the important things. Today was a reminder about which we should really focus on.

Bouncy Play Park

Today, I took the girls to Inflatable Wonderland at Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio. Kiera affectionately refers to it as the bouncy play park. The "Wonderland" is a converted movie theater where they arranged about 10 inflatable bounce castles from various themes.



The girls did much better this go round than they did the last time we went. Last time, Kaylee spent most of her time attached to my leg, scared of all the slides. This time, she actually went down the slides including the largest one.



Kiera really enjoyed the big slide as well. She went down it 20-25 times because it was, "really fast."



It was rare that the two would actually stay on the same bounce/slide together, so the next video is precious--in more ways than one.



Tomorrow, we'll be taking the girls and Kevin, Jr. to the zoo, so I hope to have some pictures and videos to post tomorrow.

Nanaw is still hanging on. In my non-medical opinion, she could last 24 to 72 hours, but you never know during these situations. The girls have been handling things pretty well. They do get a little freaked out at times, but things don't seem to bother them too much. I know better than to believe that they "don't get it." Kids are very perceptive, and I know that they are aware of things, but to what extent, who really knows?

Finally, a Lazy Friday

It seems like ages since we've had a Friday just to hang around at the house. The day started out just like any other day, except we knew a surprise was coming for the kids. To keep them occupied until their surprise arrived, we broke out several of their toys that they don't get to play with much. Kevin, Jr. was awfully impressed with the girls' hopscotch mat. He enjoyed rolling around on it.



The kids were playing so well that we actually got a chance to do some cleaning around the house as well. In the process of cleaning, we graduated Kevin from his baby swing to his jumparoo. As you can see, the results were great.



This was quite a change from Kevin being in his swing. That wasn't very pleasant. I guess he never quite felt comfortable in the swing because after a few minutes, it was yelling and screaming city!

After the girls took their nap, the surprise arrived. Grandma and Grandpa came up for the evening and will stay until tomorrow morning. We didn't tell the girls they were coming, and I wish I had the camera to record their faces when they saw who was here!

They spent the afternoon making cookies, playing on the playground, and jumping on the trampoline. They were completely worn out, so they should sleep very well tonight.

The next few days will probably be sober ones for us. We received a phone call today that Dawna's grandmother probably has 24-48 hours to live. We do not wish to see her go; however, she will soon be rid of her pain and suffering. Cancer is such a nasty thing.

Don't want to leave everyone with the downer news, so I'll post one more clip of Kevin playing peek-a-boo. It's quite cute.