Friday, December 10, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Waco Trip #3
The final stop for the day was one of the fire stations in Waco. John Linda, who we stayed with, is a fireman, and we literally got an inside look at the station and the trucks. We even got to take a short ride in one of the first responding vehicles. It was very, very cool. The kids even got plastic firemen hats.
Waco Trip #2
It's taken me waaaay too long to get this posted, but here it is. Finally.
Our second day in Waco, we were taken to the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus. It's a natural history/children's museum all rolled into one. Sorry for the lack of pics, but we were busy trying to keep up with the kids.
Our second day in Waco, we were taken to the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus. It's a natural history/children's museum all rolled into one. Sorry for the lack of pics, but we were busy trying to keep up with the kids.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Waco Trip #1
This past weekend, Dawna, the kids, and I headed up to Waco. My mentor was celebrating his 30th anniversary of ordination. Our very good friends, John and Carol Linda let us stay with them through the duration. We had an absolute blast!
We arrived Friday evening and immediately headed to Lion's Park in Waco. They have a kiddie park that our children absolutely loved. They wanted to ride everything over, and over, and over. Luckily, they had taken very good naps that day, or we would have had major melt down!!!
Enjoy the pics and video.
We arrived Friday evening and immediately headed to Lion's Park in Waco. They have a kiddie park that our children absolutely loved. They wanted to ride everything over, and over, and over. Luckily, they had taken very good naps that day, or we would have had major melt down!!!
Enjoy the pics and video.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Kiera's First Day of School
Today was Kiera's first day of school. She was pretty excited and all smiles to begin with.
Still smiling when we got into the truck.
Got to school, and the smile started disappearing. We could tell she was getting a little timid not knowing what to expect.
Got a little more so when we dropped her off outside her classroom.
It was really quiet at lunch with only two kids. Pretty strange feeling, but I know it will get worse (better?) as all the kids get into school.
Dawna was kind of freaking out waiting for the bus. She was hoping Kiera didn't miss the bus or somehow get overlooked. There was no problem. The bus arrived. Kiera was on it, but she had fallen asleep on the way home. Look closely, and you can see she isn't too happy here.
Dawna was obviously relieved.
We decided to celebrate and take Kiera out on her first day of school. Fortunately, we had been given a gift certificate, and that made the trip cost effective. Kiera really didn't talk much or have anything to say until she had drank a couple of cups of juice and eaten a salad and some rolls. Once the blood sugar was back up and she was fully hydrated, she started bouncing off the walls again. She didn't have must to tell about her classroom experience, but she did inform us that as the bus drove along, a branch hit inside the open windows.
"It was cool," Kiera said.
At least she's looking forward to school tomorrow, but she's trying to negotiate out of riding the bus.
Still smiling when we got into the truck.
Got to school, and the smile started disappearing. We could tell she was getting a little timid not knowing what to expect.
Got a little more so when we dropped her off outside her classroom.
It was really quiet at lunch with only two kids. Pretty strange feeling, but I know it will get worse (better?) as all the kids get into school.
Dawna was kind of freaking out waiting for the bus. She was hoping Kiera didn't miss the bus or somehow get overlooked. There was no problem. The bus arrived. Kiera was on it, but she had fallen asleep on the way home. Look closely, and you can see she isn't too happy here.
Dawna was obviously relieved.
We decided to celebrate and take Kiera out on her first day of school. Fortunately, we had been given a gift certificate, and that made the trip cost effective. Kiera really didn't talk much or have anything to say until she had drank a couple of cups of juice and eaten a salad and some rolls. Once the blood sugar was back up and she was fully hydrated, she started bouncing off the walls again. She didn't have must to tell about her classroom experience, but she did inform us that as the bus drove along, a branch hit inside the open windows.
"It was cool," Kiera said.
At least she's looking forward to school tomorrow, but she's trying to negotiate out of riding the bus.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Remembering Granny
I wracked my brain over and over again trying to come up with a story that I thought captured Granny’s person, and I kept coming time and again to this one. It seems that one night, some would-be robbers broke into Granny’s house. Of course, she didn’t hear them come in as she was in bed sleeping. They made their way through the house and into Granny’s bedroom. They flipped on the light waking Granny. She sat bolt upright in bed and yelled out, “You get the hell out of my house!” And they left! Those thieves learned something that those of us who are a part of this family and who married into this family came to understand really quickly–you don’t mess with Granny.
At her tallest, Granny was four feet eleven inches of pure dynamite. And I think the Lord intentionally left her fuse pretty short. She wasn’t afraid to go off when she felt like something wasn’t right or if you were getting on her nerves. This had both a positive and a negative aspect to it. Positively, you never had to worry where you stood with Granny. She would let you know regardless of your feelings. When my wife Dawna was pregnant with Kevin, Jr. I gained a few pounds. I called it sympathy weight gain, but in reality it was stress eating. Walked in to visit Granny shortly before Kevin was born, and Granny blurted out, “My, Kevin, you’ve put on some weight.”
“Thanks, Granny, I love you too.” But she was right and I learned not to take such statements personally simply because of that negative aspect that came with that short fuse. You just didn’t want to get on Granny’s bad side. She might have only been four feet eleven inches tall, but she could give you a tongue lashing that would cut you down from six foot four to three foot six in a matter of seconds. Luckily, when I started dating, Dawna, I was warned right off the bat. I took Dawna’s warnings seriously, and I worked constantly to stay on her good side. I am sure I am not the only one here this morning who did the same. You didn’t want to light that fuse. If the tongue lashing didn’t take you out, she might have invited you to ride a long while she drove somewhere.
Yes, that was an experience that I was fortunate not to experience. I had heard too many stories and seen too much evidence to ever allow myself to step into 1978 Granada with Granny behind the wheel. I don’t know what Justin did to get invited on a ride, but I remember him having to go with her someplace one day. Justin walked in the door of Don and Linda’s house, and I asked him, “So, how was the ride with Granny.”
Now, mind you, Justin is a Marine. This guy was trained to do some incredible things that I don’t think I’d even consider doing in my dreams like repelling down cliffs and facing enemy bullets. He served time in Kuwait during Operation Iraqui Freedom. He learned combat techniques where he could kill a man with his bare hands. Yet, when I asked him that question about that car ride, he turned white as a sheet. His hands started shaking, and he looked like he was about to pass out. He made some type of comment about wanting to forgo that kind of experience ever again. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact she would slam the car into reverse and floor it heading out of her driveway. Oh, did I mention that she wouldn’t even check the rear view mirror while she did so? And that was just the beginning. You really don’t want to know the rest. How she ever made it back and forth from home to the Thrift Shop up here at church so many times without an accident is beyond many of us. She very likely had a guardian angel looking over her.
But you couldn’t tell her anything about her driving. She was fiercely independent, and she was going to drive and do as she pleased come hell or high water. She was so independent, she was bound and determined to do all her own house work well into her 90's. Broken hip? No problem. The trees need trimming, and the yard needs weeding, and she was going to do it. Fortunately, Emery and Don came along to hide all the clippers and the ladders. But there was no slowing her down. She was going to take care of herself, by God. Oh, and I remember the day Dawna’s other grandmother asked Granny if she would ever get married again. Granny looked her in the eye and said, “I had one old fart, why do I need another one for?” Yep, Granny enjoyed her independence. Even in the end, she was cussing nurses and family members alike because she wanted to go home and take care of herself.
Now, in some ways, I seem to have painted the picture of a hard, nosed, short Italian woman who didn’t cut anyone any slack or care about what anyone thought of her. In some ways, it’s the truth, but you also have to understand that Granny had a heart of gold. There were several things in her life that were very important to her that showed this beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Perhaps first and foremost on that list is her love of her family. God, she loved hanging out and being with them. Perhaps the happiest times of her life were spent at the 4th of July. I’m not sure there are words to convey the joy she felt being around all of her kinfolks, visiting, eating, and drinking. Such activity made her truly happy, and she really got happy after a malt beverage or two. This was evidenced by her willingness to jump out on the dance floor and dance with whoever came close. Didn’t matter: man or woman, sister or brother, young or old, give Granny a beer, and she’d dance your socks off. Granny would never miss a fourth of July. She had to be tied down with chains, so sick she couldn’t get out of the house, or literally dying before she’d miss. It was that important that she be with her family.
Granny was also thrilled that she was able to take care of her great grand children Matt and Katelyn. It’s not every great grandmother who gets to say such things.
And, of course, along with her family, was her love of her church family and the Thrift Shop ministry of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Granny was always talking about helping out and being part of the church. It was never far from her mind. Even in these last few months, when the nursing home nurses would come and take her to therapy, Granny would say, “I’m going to the thrift shop.” She took great pride in offering her services to God’s people in this manner.
And such ministry reminds me of Granny’s generous heart. For years, she lived on a meager Social Security Check buying groceries and medicine, paying her bills. God knows she didn’t have a lot of money, but when Christmas time rolled around, there was a gift for all of the grandkids and great-grand kids. How she managed, I’ll never know, but she was absolutely amazing. I am also reminded of her generosity and love of family every Christmas time when Dawna, the kids, and I decorate our Christmas tree. The tree is overloaded with many ornaments that Granny hand made. For years she would give a package full of them to her grandkids, and they are treasured keepsakes for us.
Of course, I’ve been married to Dawna for fourteen years. I’ve known her for eighteen, and every Christmas, it seemed like Granny would say the same thing. During the family gathering, she’d say, “You know, I think this is going to be my last Christmas.” And every year, it wasn’t. Until this last year. I think most of us could see it coming, but we really didn’t want to. We didn’t want to acknowledge that this woman who overcame so much in her life was being overcome by old age and deteriorating health. But, alas, Granny had to travel down that road that we all must travel one day, and I know that I will miss her as will many of you. But I take comfort that I’ll get to see her again one day. Save a spot for me at the table Granny. Hope the food up there is as good as the cookin’ you served to me.
At her tallest, Granny was four feet eleven inches of pure dynamite. And I think the Lord intentionally left her fuse pretty short. She wasn’t afraid to go off when she felt like something wasn’t right or if you were getting on her nerves. This had both a positive and a negative aspect to it. Positively, you never had to worry where you stood with Granny. She would let you know regardless of your feelings. When my wife Dawna was pregnant with Kevin, Jr. I gained a few pounds. I called it sympathy weight gain, but in reality it was stress eating. Walked in to visit Granny shortly before Kevin was born, and Granny blurted out, “My, Kevin, you’ve put on some weight.”
“Thanks, Granny, I love you too.” But she was right and I learned not to take such statements personally simply because of that negative aspect that came with that short fuse. You just didn’t want to get on Granny’s bad side. She might have only been four feet eleven inches tall, but she could give you a tongue lashing that would cut you down from six foot four to three foot six in a matter of seconds. Luckily, when I started dating, Dawna, I was warned right off the bat. I took Dawna’s warnings seriously, and I worked constantly to stay on her good side. I am sure I am not the only one here this morning who did the same. You didn’t want to light that fuse. If the tongue lashing didn’t take you out, she might have invited you to ride a long while she drove somewhere.
Yes, that was an experience that I was fortunate not to experience. I had heard too many stories and seen too much evidence to ever allow myself to step into 1978 Granada with Granny behind the wheel. I don’t know what Justin did to get invited on a ride, but I remember him having to go with her someplace one day. Justin walked in the door of Don and Linda’s house, and I asked him, “So, how was the ride with Granny.”
Now, mind you, Justin is a Marine. This guy was trained to do some incredible things that I don’t think I’d even consider doing in my dreams like repelling down cliffs and facing enemy bullets. He served time in Kuwait during Operation Iraqui Freedom. He learned combat techniques where he could kill a man with his bare hands. Yet, when I asked him that question about that car ride, he turned white as a sheet. His hands started shaking, and he looked like he was about to pass out. He made some type of comment about wanting to forgo that kind of experience ever again. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact she would slam the car into reverse and floor it heading out of her driveway. Oh, did I mention that she wouldn’t even check the rear view mirror while she did so? And that was just the beginning. You really don’t want to know the rest. How she ever made it back and forth from home to the Thrift Shop up here at church so many times without an accident is beyond many of us. She very likely had a guardian angel looking over her.
But you couldn’t tell her anything about her driving. She was fiercely independent, and she was going to drive and do as she pleased come hell or high water. She was so independent, she was bound and determined to do all her own house work well into her 90's. Broken hip? No problem. The trees need trimming, and the yard needs weeding, and she was going to do it. Fortunately, Emery and Don came along to hide all the clippers and the ladders. But there was no slowing her down. She was going to take care of herself, by God. Oh, and I remember the day Dawna’s other grandmother asked Granny if she would ever get married again. Granny looked her in the eye and said, “I had one old fart, why do I need another one for?” Yep, Granny enjoyed her independence. Even in the end, she was cussing nurses and family members alike because she wanted to go home and take care of herself.
Now, in some ways, I seem to have painted the picture of a hard, nosed, short Italian woman who didn’t cut anyone any slack or care about what anyone thought of her. In some ways, it’s the truth, but you also have to understand that Granny had a heart of gold. There were several things in her life that were very important to her that showed this beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Perhaps first and foremost on that list is her love of her family. God, she loved hanging out and being with them. Perhaps the happiest times of her life were spent at the 4th of July. I’m not sure there are words to convey the joy she felt being around all of her kinfolks, visiting, eating, and drinking. Such activity made her truly happy, and she really got happy after a malt beverage or two. This was evidenced by her willingness to jump out on the dance floor and dance with whoever came close. Didn’t matter: man or woman, sister or brother, young or old, give Granny a beer, and she’d dance your socks off. Granny would never miss a fourth of July. She had to be tied down with chains, so sick she couldn’t get out of the house, or literally dying before she’d miss. It was that important that she be with her family.
Granny was also thrilled that she was able to take care of her great grand children Matt and Katelyn. It’s not every great grandmother who gets to say such things.
And, of course, along with her family, was her love of her church family and the Thrift Shop ministry of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Granny was always talking about helping out and being part of the church. It was never far from her mind. Even in these last few months, when the nursing home nurses would come and take her to therapy, Granny would say, “I’m going to the thrift shop.” She took great pride in offering her services to God’s people in this manner.
And such ministry reminds me of Granny’s generous heart. For years, she lived on a meager Social Security Check buying groceries and medicine, paying her bills. God knows she didn’t have a lot of money, but when Christmas time rolled around, there was a gift for all of the grandkids and great-grand kids. How she managed, I’ll never know, but she was absolutely amazing. I am also reminded of her generosity and love of family every Christmas time when Dawna, the kids, and I decorate our Christmas tree. The tree is overloaded with many ornaments that Granny hand made. For years she would give a package full of them to her grandkids, and they are treasured keepsakes for us.
Of course, I’ve been married to Dawna for fourteen years. I’ve known her for eighteen, and every Christmas, it seemed like Granny would say the same thing. During the family gathering, she’d say, “You know, I think this is going to be my last Christmas.” And every year, it wasn’t. Until this last year. I think most of us could see it coming, but we really didn’t want to. We didn’t want to acknowledge that this woman who overcame so much in her life was being overcome by old age and deteriorating health. But, alas, Granny had to travel down that road that we all must travel one day, and I know that I will miss her as will many of you. But I take comfort that I’ll get to see her again one day. Save a spot for me at the table Granny. Hope the food up there is as good as the cookin’ you served to me.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Trip to the Houston Zoo
Kiera's been begging to go to the Houston Zoo, so this being a weekend free of church and other obligations, we headed to the big city.
Of course, we checked out how much things would cost us ahead of time online, and we almost choked on the price of $43 for our family. However, after browsing around a bit, we decided to become Houston Zoo members for $80 for the family. This includes 1 year of unlimited usage, and we figured that if we went just two times, we'd recoup our money.
The day was pretty nice for early June, and we discovered the zoo had a special dinosaur exhibit. It was $2 per person, but the kids loved it and went through it twice!
Hermann park also had a train ride, and of course, we took that too. After the ride around the park, we decided we'd make it a habit of heading downtown to the park as well as the zoo. There were playscapes galore as well as a water park, plenty of shade, picnic tables, and free parking. Needless to say, we will get our money's worth out of that zoo membership.
Of course, we checked out how much things would cost us ahead of time online, and we almost choked on the price of $43 for our family. However, after browsing around a bit, we decided to become Houston Zoo members for $80 for the family. This includes 1 year of unlimited usage, and we figured that if we went just two times, we'd recoup our money.
The day was pretty nice for early June, and we discovered the zoo had a special dinosaur exhibit. It was $2 per person, but the kids loved it and went through it twice!
Hermann park also had a train ride, and of course, we took that too. After the ride around the park, we decided we'd make it a habit of heading downtown to the park as well as the zoo. There were playscapes galore as well as a water park, plenty of shade, picnic tables, and free parking. Needless to say, we will get our money's worth out of that zoo membership.
Monday, May 31, 2010
End of School
The end of school is here. It went by extremely quick. Here's a few shots of Splash Day.
Here's a shot of Kaylee's class at the end of school program.
And, of course, pre-k graduation.
Here's a couple of vids of the kids' classes singing.
Here's a shot of Kaylee's class at the end of school program.
And, of course, pre-k graduation.
Here's a couple of vids of the kids' classes singing.
Friday, May 21, 2010
First Tooth is Out!
Kiera really, really wanted this tooth to come out, and I don't think she would have gone to school if it wasn't out. She wanted to use her tooth for show and tell.
I confess, I'm a little squeamish when it comes to yanking these things out, so I was going to let Dawna handle the duties. However, Dawna couldn't get a hold of the tooth, so I pulled out (pun intended) one of my Dad's tricks.
I took a strand of dental floss, tied a hog noose on the tooth, and yanked. It popped right out. Kiera didn't cry or anything. She flinched a bit, but I know it hurt just slightly. However, that hurt was overcome immediately with the excitement that she now held the tooth in her hand.
Off to show and tell! Now, for my family and friends...the "Tooth Fairy" may be hitting some of you up for a loan. Do you realize how many teeth three kids have?
I confess, I'm a little squeamish when it comes to yanking these things out, so I was going to let Dawna handle the duties. However, Dawna couldn't get a hold of the tooth, so I pulled out (pun intended) one of my Dad's tricks.
I took a strand of dental floss, tied a hog noose on the tooth, and yanked. It popped right out. Kiera didn't cry or anything. She flinched a bit, but I know it hurt just slightly. However, that hurt was overcome immediately with the excitement that she now held the tooth in her hand.
Off to show and tell! Now, for my family and friends...the "Tooth Fairy" may be hitting some of you up for a loan. Do you realize how many teeth three kids have?
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