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?