My husband

This is one of my most romantic Charles memories. I drove up to find him riding up to me with a rose in his mouth. It was fresh picked and still had thorns, but he's still smiling!


This is where Charles spends A LOT of time. These books weren't set up for this picture! He usually has that many on his desk in use at one time!

Goofy Charles!





Charles and me dancing on the roof.


Family Football


Doing children's Church - He was the Big Bad Wolf








This was taken right after my hero killed a rattle snake!


Charles actually got to pull Jonathan out when he was born - amazing!




Charles letting me try out my new camera lens...

Charles and Kaitlin at the top of the double mountains


Charles helping with the balloons at J's birthday party


Charles and Jonathan

Charles getting to baptize Kaitlin in October

I am so proud of my husband. I am proud for so many reasons, but the particular reason that I am blogging about today is that he will be graduating in May. Since 2002, Charles has worked full time, gone to school full time and been a full time husband and dad! In that time he has made 2 B's (one in undergrad and one at Masters level). He has worked extra jobs from writing scripts and stocking at Wally world to teaching a Hebrew lab to help pay for gas on his commute to school. I can't even count the number of times he has seen the sun rise while studying or writing a paper - only to kiss us all good morning, take Kaitlin to school and start another day. There have been many times that he has set a timer for 30 minutes and given the kids his full attention until the timer went off. Believe me - he made up those 30 minutes in the wee hours of the morning, but we have always always been his top priority! He never turns anything in that is done with half effort! He gives everything in his life 100% - God, our church, his family, school.

Yesterday he was able to come home a little early, so he called me from the road and asked if I'd like to meet him for lunch in town. I gushed a mushy Yes! Then I got ready as quick as a wink and headed to town! When we got home I had an important assignment to finish. He took Jonathan outside to play kickball and then they practiced nun chucks together. This morning he got up early to take Kaitlin to a Daddy/Daughter breakfast before school. He does so much - yet he makes time everyday to do something special for us. This semester Charles has been such a help to me. He has done a lot of dishes and put away a lot of clothes and he is ever ready with words of encouragement. Every semester about this time Charles says, "I want to finish strong!" - and he always does. Now we are both saying - "we've got to finish strong."

I can't believe that he will have his Master of Divinity in a few short months! (For those of you who don't know - with theology degrees, a masters is 76 hours instead of 36). I truly know what people mean when they say, "The days were long, but the years were short."

Today is BEHIND day

I heard that snickering in the back. Not that kind of behind!

I am behind on dishes, laundry, reading, etc! (Way behind on etc) I have to read 42 billion pages most of which are on-line! I also have to write a discussion answering the following question in light of my own family through my great-grandparents:

As you reflect on your own families, what trends do you see, what similarities and differences do you see? What truly constitutes "a family"?

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, I'm thinking about it - I just thought I'd let some of you think about it as well.

Remember when it was just Charles going to school, and my main job was taking care of the kids? Ahhh, those were the days!

You can go back to snickering about the "behind statement" now if you'd like!

Make a great day!

Lunar Eclipse

I am just now getting around to posting these pictures from the lunar eclipse. The kids and I watched it wrapped up in blankets on the porch.

Mandy's I-do Re-do

My friend Mandy will be renewing her vows next November. Here are a few of the dresses I might possibly get to wear as I stand by her side. The ones on the far left are my favs. I just adore tea length fancy dresses, so this search has been really fun for me. You may see more.

Nobody Has Fever

Nobody had fever last night! Yay! Kait was sent off to school happy as a lark (except that I confiscated the 8 tubes of glittery lip gloss from her backpack). Jonathan is feeling much better (although I expect his cough to hang on for a while), and he had a good night! Insert a mental image of me doing the cabbage patch right here. We are on the right road now.

Also, Charles and I are half way through the semester. That is fantastic, but also a little overwhelming (for me at least). It is overwhelming, because that puts all of those projects that weren't due until later in the semester - DUE! I'm glad everyone is well, because I'm going to be doing more at the school - observations, practice assessments and that sort of thing.
Pray for Charles as he tries to finish strong! He graduates May 10th. It is unbelievable to me how fast these 3 years have gone! I hope my school passes by that quickly. After this semester, I still have another 3 semesters plus of undergrad and then my masters will be a minimum of 36 hours.

I've been trying to figure out how to crochet a circle. I watched a demonstration on You Tube and tried to copy what I saw. I somehow made a little flower. I decided to tie it off and add it to the scarf I recently finished for Kaitlin (you know the scarf that started out as a blanket three years ago). I'll take some pictures to post later. (edited: picture added)

Update

12:45 (last night) Set up humidifier for coughing Charles and go to living room to try to sleep.
1:00 Jonathan wakes up coughing and gagging
Give Jonathan Benadryl
Try Vicks
Give him gatorade
make him into a blanket burrito b/c he's cold
Rub his back for the millionth time
2:00 Try to lay down in the recliner
Try to get comfortable this way and that way
3:00 Jonathan wakes back up
I realize that I haven't slept well for a week, and I just might be dillusional
I watch an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond - the one where they flash back to the wedding in Season 2.
6:45 The alarm is going off in the bedroom. Does Charles not know how to turn it off? Oh, there he goes.
6:50 He hit snooze, it's going off again
6:55 More alarm
7:00 He gets up. Phew.
7:05 Charles is in the shower and the alarm is going off. I go turn it off and crawl in bed.
7:10 Full sun, the kids are up. "Mom, can we have pudding for breakfast?" I say, "Sure" and roll over and go back to sleep.

Kaitlin certainly seems better this morning. Jonathan is still coughing and laying around.

Mandy Howe Photography

My wonderful friend, Mandy is really starting to take off with her photography business. She has grown so much as a photographer and continues to grow. If you follow photography blogs, you'll want to add her to your list.

Mandy Howe Photography Blog

If you don't already use bloglines (or something like it) to find out when all your favorite blogs are updated - you should. It is well worth it. So go add her right away, and if you live in the East Texas area, her contact information is on her blog. She's fantastic with children.

Also, you can see a photo shoot I did of her with her family (including the picture above) last summer here (family shots) and here (couple shots).

And defiantly check out the pictures she did for our family:

http://callmesupermom.blogspot.com/2007/08/terrific-new-family-pictures.html

http://callmesupermom.blogspot.com/2007/08/charles-and-lisa-dawn.html

http://callmesupermom.blogspot.com/2007/08/had-to-post-this-one.html

Don't Know Why I Love You, But I Do

I don't know why, but I have wanted these two things ever since I first laid eyes on them. My sister even blogged about the apple cozy a while back based on my love of its randomness. These things have no real purpose, but they bring me joy.

Update on the kids: Kaitlin is running fever now. Bless her heart - her head is killing her. She seems to have perked up in the last little bit. Jonathan did very well yesterday, but his fever and cough went back up at bed time. He slept with a humidifier last night and I tried putting Vick's on his feet and covering it with socks - I don't know if that did anything other than make me feel like I was doing something.

Charles still feels terrible. It just comes in spells for him. I'm doing a lot better today, and I hope to keep going in that direction.

Enjoy the owl and apple jacket!

Kaitlin woke up with a headache and a stomach ache. She is home from school, so she missed her pencil awards this morning for getting all A's on her report card. Oh by the way, Kait got all A's on her report card.
I had a really tough night with Jonathan the human helicopter in my bed, and I have felt terrible (my throat, my head, my cough), so I asked Charles to call Connie at the library and please let her know what was going on and that I couldn't come read to Kindergarten this morning (which I HATE missing!) He had to leave before 8 this morning for a hospital visit, so he was going to call on his way and let me try to go back to sleep while Jonathan was peaceful. I called to check on the person who was in the hospital and checked to make sure he had gotten hold of Connie. He said, "No, the number must have been wrong - it was a business." I said, "Was it LRC?" My scholar husband said, "Yes." HELLO! Librarial Resource Center. LRC is in big letters on the door. Who doesn't know LRC? So he never even called. I could have creamed him this morning. I couldn't reach him, so I'm blogging him.
I think this makes us even for when I wondered what they do with all the pimientos when they make olives stuffed with other things.
I'm sorry for two negative posts in a row, but maybe you got a big enough laugh out of Charles' goof up that it evened out! Pray for us to all get well. We've never all been sick this long. Yuck.

Confession

Jonathan has been sick since Sunday night...running fever only at night and coughing. During the day, he's usually ok (except for the nasty cough). Well yesterday he did well, slept through the night for the first time in a long while last night, had a good day today, was in a great mood.......so I decided to give in and say that he and Kait could go to Karate tonight.
All these two have talked about all week long is karate. That little guy has spent hours wearing his new boxing gloves and twirling his nun chucks and tonight was their first time to have uniforms. I thought I was just a sucker, but turns out I am also a terrible mother! Jonathan did well through my class (which is before theirs), but he didn't make it through his. He started crying about 15 minutes before it was over (just teared up holding his little silver nun chucks). By the time I got him home (an hour and 15 minute drive), he had 103.6 and says he "can't breathe". I suck.
He's had motrin, a bath and is now taking a dose of Bob the Builder. Tomorrow is pencil awards and my day to read in the library - so I will also suck by missing those things.
Man, I feel horrible. My poor little guy. I think I might feel better if someone kicked me right now!

Neighbors

Can I just tell you how much I wish I lived next door to these people?

I have a Casie and Zelda shaped hole in my heart!
I miss you guys!

Jonathan Reading

A good song

I am currently enjoying "Song of Hope" by Robby Seay Band. Check it out.
Also, is anyone else trying to figure out how to get their kids to do things without having to nag all the time. Pick up this, pick up that. I'm so tired of asking people to clean up after themselves. I can't be alone here! I don't know whether the mess or the nagging is worse. Why is there toothpaste on the floor and on the back of your head? Why are there 8 pillows in the living room floor? Why is there a power ranger mask over the lamp? Why is your library book in the laundry basket? Did you even wear this? If not, then why am I washing it again? Why are there cheetos on the bottom of my feet now? What is this that is wet? Do you know where the trashcan is? Well now the dog has chewed it up, because you left it outside! I don't care if it was a craft - it is now a mess. It should not take an entire bottle of hand soap and 56 gallons of water to wash your hands!!!
Anyway, I really believe that if I can find more ways to encourage the kids (especially Kait) to do more without the nagging, it will do a lot to help our relationship in the future. I'm big on choosing my battles. I think I'm trying to re-evaluate some of the battles I have chosen. For one thing, my daughter is a pack rat - I'm pretty sure she always will be. My trash is her treasure. She will be great for the environment, I think.
Advice? Just identify with me? Ever find toothpaste on the back of your kids head?
I'm going to play "Song of Hope" again!

Can you believe I took no Valentine's pictures? I didn't even take a camera to Kaitlin's class party. I am so consumed with school right now - that I must be loosing my mind. Oh well! Kaitlin looked precious in her little red and white striped shirt with hearts. Kaitlin and Jonathan each woke up to Valentine's Present Joy. Kaitlin had a frog filled with goodies and a big pink castle balloon with a frog prince on one side (all puckered up) and a real prince on the other side. She has become a frog finatic lately, so it was just right for her. Jonathan got the biggest can of cheesey balls you've ever seen, and it was just right for him! Lots of love.


Several of my friends (most with more eloquent writing skills than myself) wrote blogs about the love in their life. Obviously, I didn't even blog on Valentine's Day!


However, I feel like I have to pay some sort of small tribute to all the love in my life (even if it is days later). I've decided to list a few things that make me feel loved:


1. When my husband turns up the music and asks me to dance in our living room - ah cheek to cheek - I love it.


2. The way Jonathan gets as close as possible when we read together. He will have his cheeck on my cheek or his arm around me - anything to get super close and snuggly! I love that.


3. The way Kaitlin still wants to crawl in my lap and tell me all her best secrets. I hope she always does that.

4. When I realize that my mom has just listened to me talk about nothing for 30 minutes. I'm so glad she bought a hands free attatchment for her phone.

5. When people leave me sweet blog comments. (hint hint...ha ha)





I hope that in some small way, everyday, I am showing the love of Christ to those around me. I am so dearly loved by God. I hope that I pour out on those around me. I hope I encourage you and show you grace and in general help you out whenever I can... because God has done that for me. Now that is love. I pray for love so big in me that it leaves no room for malice.
Oh, and don't you just adore the Valentine's card at the top! I found it online and just fell in love with it. Happy late Valentine's Day everyone.

Valentine's Banquet

I got tagged and P.S. We aren't moving

I actually got tagged to tell weird or unimportant things about myself (or something like that), but I've done something similar to that before, so I decided to start my own and tag everybody.

Start with "You know your house is a mess when...." and then finish it with something original. For example, I thought this statement in my bathroom this morning.

You know your house is a mess when your bathroom counter could be a picture in an Eye Spy book! (If you don't have kids, you may not get this one - believe me that means cluttered!)

Also, I just need to put this out there. WE ARE NOT MOVING!!! Man, rumors start quickly. Somehow a rumor has started that our family is moving. The rumor even grew a nose and a tail (details) when someone added that Charles has already put in applications at several churches so that we can move back to East Texas as soon as he graduates in May. WOW! I can't even figure out how this one got started except that I just went to East Texas for a lab (which I will be doing once a semester while I'm in school). So - no fear - we aren't going anywhere anytime soon!

Also again....we all started karate as a family last night. We are taking Kajukembo! Woo Hoo!