1. Did you know that I have been pregnant with Baby Joshua my entire life? We didn't actually realize it, but when I was pregnant with Grayson, I was, indeed, also pregnant with Joshua. Our wedding? Pregnant. College? Pregnant. Prom? Pregnant. First day of kindergarten? That's right, pregnant with Joshua.
2. When the Hawkins were here we took the boys to an indoor playground at the mall. It is called the "preschool" play area and has a sign with a big hand showing the height limit (3.5 feet) to play. Now, everyone get ready, because I am about to get on my SOAP BOX. The area was severely overcrowded due to VERY TALL "preschoolers". These kids weren't even close to the height limit and most of them were playing very rambunctiously. They were shoving the APPROPRIATELY SIZED children aside, taking over the equipment and being downright mean to them. I was upset about the safety issue as well as the fact that the little kids couldn't really play, but let me tell you what really makes me HOT. Most of these older kids were big enough that they had to duck under the height sign to enter the playground, and most were old enough to read, and could probably produce a discourse on the ethics of height-based exclusion rules. When their parents let them walk in to play and sat and watched them, I felt (feel) they are teaching their children that the rules don't apply to them. They probably do this because it's more convenient for them at the moment than saying "no". Horrors! Just what we need more of in the world- more children with entitlement/authority issues. Children that become adults.
The play area is obviously not supervised by any mall employee, so I was 5 minutes away from putting on a name tag so that people would think I work there, and weeding out the big kids. I could discuss this subject for many more paragraphs, but I'll step off the soap box for now.
3. This past weekend I had to ship my baby off to Texas. I had started having some serious contractions that the docs aren't comfortable with (very painful, 3-4 minutes apart) and I need to keep this baby in for at least another week (past the 35 week mark). So I can't care for G anymore, and Mom needs to be able to work some because she will be here so much this Spring as it is. So off he goes, breaking our hearts. I'm not sure how we're going to deal- especially Joe- Grayson and he are especially close right now. I think G will be fine because he loves his Gran and Poppy and Hank and Texas. We'll keep you updated.
And I'll stop the list there, because no one likes a whiner. Ha!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
For Those of You in the Know
This is one of the birthday presents I received from Joe a couple weeks ago.
Awesome!
Clear eyes, full hearts, my friends.
And nice job Joe!
Awesome!
Clear eyes, full hearts, my friends.
And nice job Joe!
I'll Have the Hawkerson, Please
We just wrapped up a week of Team Hawkerson splendor. There has not been such a week for TWO and a half years and THREE and a half babies. Oh, how things change. But, oh the joy!
Between naps, feedings, changes, tantrums, and "teachable moments" (not to mention the kids, those were just my issues) there was play time, games, laughter, hugs and kisses. If there hadn't been an invalid among the group (not to name any names, ASHLEIGH) there is no telling WHAT craziness could have happened.
As it were, we
(boys to the Air and Space Museum)
(TH favorite Chipotle)
(this is how G felt about getting off the carousel)
(Night out a Ray's the Steaks- thanks to Brian and Abby!)
Used some good, old fashioned teamwork
(Sara won this game for any of you Settlers' players out there)
(Oh the indescribable joy (!!!!!) the boys took the planter down!)
("Helping")
And, of course, wore matching T-shirts
(Ben, Allen, Nate, Sara, Ash, Gray, Joe)
Between naps, feedings, changes, tantrums, and "teachable moments" (not to mention the kids, those were just my issues) there was play time, games, laughter, hugs and kisses. If there hadn't been an invalid among the group (not to name any names, ASHLEIGH) there is no telling WHAT craziness could have happened.
As it were, we
Played in jammies
Went on a few outings
(boys to the Air and Space Museum)
(TH favorite Chipotle)
(this is how G felt about getting off the carousel)
(Night out a Ray's the Steaks- thanks to Brian and Abby!)Used some good, old fashioned teamwork
(Sara won this game for any of you Settlers' players out there)
(Oh the indescribable joy (!!!!!) the boys took the planter down!) 
("Helping")And, of course, wore matching T-shirts
(Ben, Allen, Nate, Sara, Ash, Gray, Joe)We love, love, love you guys. It was such a joy to have our boys together. Thanks for sacrificing so much to come and for taking care of us!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Man of the Year
Ya'll. My husband is always the man of my year, but this year he has outdone even himself.
Even in the best of times, although we don't always like to admit it, I can be slightly high maintenance. In a pregnancy year, you can forget it. It's over, done with, finished. I'm a mess. But then throw in a toddler (that doesn't eat or grow, and is frequently sick), full-time French, house remodeling, travel, shoveling foot after foot of snow all winter, the flu, and now, bed rest. And the guy is not only still standing, but has done it all gracefully, with a happy, well-loved wife and son to show for it.
I'm not saying this is an easy thing for him to do.
First of all, Joe is a (selfless) world-class worrier and it can overwhelm him. His thoughts are always filled with love and concern for his family and their well-being: the pregnancy and any discomfort associated with it, my state of mind, and G's intake of food (or lack thereof), health, development, and growth. However, instead of internalizing all these issues and letting them paralyze him, he gets busy serving his family, seeking the Lord's wisdom, and talking things out with me and others he trusts.
Secondly, as my Mom has always said, whatever Joe decides to do, he will work to be the absolute best at it. In the past this meant captain of the HS basketball team, valedictorian, Corps Commander and graduating with honors. More recently it means husband, father, and employee. As far as his career goes, I consider him wildly successful. Seriously. He is still in the early stages, but his co-workers love him, he is excellent at what he does and most important of all, he loves his job. On the father front, he did an excellent thing in passing on his personality genes to Grayson. The kid is sweet, laid back, and obedient. (We won't get in to what my genes would've done to the poor baby). Joe is the apple of Grayson's eye and his best buddy. As a husband he is funny, loving and constantly making sure that my needs are met. And don't just take it from me: our previous roommate Michelle (or Hawk for those of you who read the LPM blog), says that as soon as she gets engaged she will be sending her fiance to live-in with us for husband training with Joe. All of this to say, that in taking care of his family he works EXTRA hard. He doesn't just make sure things are checked off the list, or "good enough". He goes the extra mile to be the man God has called him to be. During a recent marriage mentoring session he told the engaged men that he doesn't consider his job done each day until Mama is happy and little boys are fast asleep. Wow.
I have to give credit where credit is due. First of all, the Lord continues to shape Joe into a man that will please Him. Clearly his parents have done a fantastic job and Grayson and I will always be indebted to them. However, there is a group of people that I have never thanked or expressed my personal belief in how important their influence was/is in his life: his maternal grandmother and aunts. Those Wootan women have set the example of hard work, leadership, how to treat people, and all out FUN. Texas summers for Joe and his cousins growing up meant adventure, laughter, good food and lots of manual labor- the perfect combination if you ask me. The boys that came out of those families are all as good as gold. So to Znobia, Charlotte, Cindy, and Zee- thank you and know that you are held in high esteem in this family.
I could go on and on with stories and examples of why Joe is always my Man of the Year, but I will cherish those for myself and leave you with some pictures.
Joe- you're my favorite and I am so lucky to be starting another year with you!
Even in the best of times, although we don't always like to admit it, I can be slightly high maintenance. In a pregnancy year, you can forget it. It's over, done with, finished. I'm a mess. But then throw in a toddler (that doesn't eat or grow, and is frequently sick), full-time French, house remodeling, travel, shoveling foot after foot of snow all winter, the flu, and now, bed rest. And the guy is not only still standing, but has done it all gracefully, with a happy, well-loved wife and son to show for it.
I'm not saying this is an easy thing for him to do.
First of all, Joe is a (selfless) world-class worrier and it can overwhelm him. His thoughts are always filled with love and concern for his family and their well-being: the pregnancy and any discomfort associated with it, my state of mind, and G's intake of food (or lack thereof), health, development, and growth. However, instead of internalizing all these issues and letting them paralyze him, he gets busy serving his family, seeking the Lord's wisdom, and talking things out with me and others he trusts.
Secondly, as my Mom has always said, whatever Joe decides to do, he will work to be the absolute best at it. In the past this meant captain of the HS basketball team, valedictorian, Corps Commander and graduating with honors. More recently it means husband, father, and employee. As far as his career goes, I consider him wildly successful. Seriously. He is still in the early stages, but his co-workers love him, he is excellent at what he does and most important of all, he loves his job. On the father front, he did an excellent thing in passing on his personality genes to Grayson. The kid is sweet, laid back, and obedient. (We won't get in to what my genes would've done to the poor baby). Joe is the apple of Grayson's eye and his best buddy. As a husband he is funny, loving and constantly making sure that my needs are met. And don't just take it from me: our previous roommate Michelle (or Hawk for those of you who read the LPM blog), says that as soon as she gets engaged she will be sending her fiance to live-in with us for husband training with Joe. All of this to say, that in taking care of his family he works EXTRA hard. He doesn't just make sure things are checked off the list, or "good enough". He goes the extra mile to be the man God has called him to be. During a recent marriage mentoring session he told the engaged men that he doesn't consider his job done each day until Mama is happy and little boys are fast asleep. Wow.
I have to give credit where credit is due. First of all, the Lord continues to shape Joe into a man that will please Him. Clearly his parents have done a fantastic job and Grayson and I will always be indebted to them. However, there is a group of people that I have never thanked or expressed my personal belief in how important their influence was/is in his life: his maternal grandmother and aunts. Those Wootan women have set the example of hard work, leadership, how to treat people, and all out FUN. Texas summers for Joe and his cousins growing up meant adventure, laughter, good food and lots of manual labor- the perfect combination if you ask me. The boys that came out of those families are all as good as gold. So to Znobia, Charlotte, Cindy, and Zee- thank you and know that you are held in high esteem in this family.
I could go on and on with stories and examples of why Joe is always my Man of the Year, but I will cherish those for myself and leave you with some pictures.
Joe- you're my favorite and I am so lucky to be starting another year with you!
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