Deaconate Mass

A few weeks ago we went back to San Antonio to go to Michaels dad's (pops') Deaconate Blessing Mass.  It was to mark the official beginning of the candidacy of his Deaconate class.  

It was incredible.  Celebrated by the Bishop . . .

AND a couple of our most favorite priests, Fr. Jonathan. . .

And Father Jimmy . . .

We felt so proud to be there to witness the first official step to him saying "yes" to God's call.  

Michael and I are so inspired by him and cannot wait to see where this journey takes him.  

The Paweleks had a lovely celebration at their house afterwards which of course ended in a little girl dance party.  Cora just LOVES Taylor and Ella.  She was so excited to play with them. 

Cora took a special liking to her great grandpa that day.  It was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed.  He was just sitting on the side watching all the fun, when out of nowhere, she grabbed his hand to get him to come dance with her.  He got up and danced with her for a bit, which was absolutely adorable, then went back to his chair.  

But Cora would not stop.  She knew exactly who she wanted her dance partner to be and wouldn't settle for anyone else.  

precious.  

Happy Birthday: John

Happy Day, Johnny Boy!!

I wish I could remember why you are wearing my boots in this picture.  

There is so much that amazes me about John.  I have loved getting to watch him grow up since I have been around.  I have always been so proud to be associated with him.  

He is such a stand-up guy.  Of course all of the Pawelek brothers have this quality, but John is definitely a person all his own.  He has a gentle yet strong spirit, if that makes any sense.  Growing up as the youngest of five gives you a thick skin.  But John has this toughness paired with a wonderful sensitivity.   

I always admire the way he handles his friendships.  I am constantly amazed at the level of care he gives to his peers.  Of course I mostly just hear these stories from Judy, but he has such a nurturing way with all of the people he has relationships with.  He is a natural-born leader.  

                         

I especially love the relationship he has with Elizabeth.  Those two really are the best of friends.  I adore my sisters, but growing up I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.  Their's is the type of brother-sister relationship that I dreamed of.   

When thinking about this post, I asked Michael what his favorite quality is about John.  He quickly responded, "I think its pretty cool for someone as young as he is to have such a strong faith."  I absolutely agree.  Michael and I always talk about how impressed we are with John.  He is an inspiration to both of us.  He has a spiritual maturity that is unheard of.  

Even though he is a complete goofball, he has a wiseness about him.  He is incredibly introspective. 

And what could be sweeter than this . . .

I can't wait to see how the relationship between these two will unfold.  

John is so much younger than us so I know that Cora will of course always hold him to a higher esteem than her old parents that don't know what they are talking about.  I am so grateful.  I know that he will always lead her in the right direction.  

You are so special to us, John.  And now that I do have many brothers, I am over the moon that you are one of them.  We couldn't love you any more.  

Cora: 18 Month Update

Happy year and a half, baby girl!  Goodness gracious, you are so funny.  

You may be the world's pickiest eater and sleeping is certainly not your strong suit, but I spend half of every day just laughing all the things you say and do.  

You are also incredibly sweet.  I love the way you get SO excited in the evenings when your dad and I are both home.  Over and over you just say, "mommy and dada, mommy and dada, mommy and dada"

 

We spend a lot of time cuddling in the bed in your room.  You will say, "hand?" grab our hands, and pull us over there.  You can't pull the blankets up yet so you say "hap be, hap be, hap be" (help me) about a million times at super speed until we get you all covered up.  Then you let out a big sigh and say, "nigh, nigh."  You will put an arm around each of our necks and then make the most hilarious sounds to pretend you are sleeping.  Then you jump up and yell, "wake up, wake up, wake up!!"  Repeat 30 times.  

You LOVE milk.  Or as you call it, "my milk."  You ask for it about 50 times a day.  You will walk up to me with your little puppy dog eyes and say, "my milk peez mommy."  Unfortunately your doctor put you on a milk restriction, so i often have to say no.  

You are obsessed with all things Mickey, Pirates and Pocahontas.  Or as you would say in your fantastic little voice, "key, pireez and Poca-honas."  Whenever they come on you say, "look mommy, keeeeeey!!!" or "wow mommy, pireeez."  

You say "mommy" after almost everything you say to me.  It is outstanding.  When you wake up in the morning (usually in our bed) you say, "Oh, hi mommy."  I am about as far away as you can get from being a morning person, but this brings an instant smile to my face.  

You know what it sounds like when your daddy gets home and nothing makes you more excited.  When you hear the garage door, you run from wherever you are in the house screaming "dada home."

                                       

You are really big on puppies.  I often find you carrying around several of your stuffed puppies and you have recently starting feeding them your snacks and water.  Real puppies are a different story.  We take frequent trips to the puppy store and you are way more fond of the ones behind the glass than any one that we bring out for you to play with.  

                                         

But Lori is in her own category because for some reason, to you, she is a horse.  Whenever you see a horse you say, "Ree, Ree."  And if I ask you what Lori says you always say, "neigh."  I don't know. 

Your hair has gotten SO long and I am just dying to style it.  But this is the closest you have ever let me get.  It lasted about 6 seconds and I'm pretty sure your dad did it.  Much to my dismay, you are very good at saying, "no bow." 

Your number one most requested activity is "Ca-ree and kers."  Coloring and stickers.  

You love to play with your friends.  You aren't the best at sharing as of yet, but you mean well.  

I just love being with you.  My favorite part of the day is when I get to rock you to sleep for your nap.  You are so sweet and cuddly.  Sometimes it seems like forever that I just sit there holding you and staring at your perfect little face as you fall asleep.  I know that these moments have an expiration date so I try to treasure every second.  Of course today you cried for an hour until you  finally fell asleep, buuuut usually its heaven.  At least you always keep me guessing!  

There is a line from one of your favorite books right now that says it all,  "I love all that you will be, and everything you are."

*Thank you to Brie (PeePee) for all of the fantastic pictures!!

Gig Em Aggies

Its football season again!  And living in College Station means a lot of tailgating. Its like we get to have a mini family reunion every home game.  

Here are the pics from the Florida game.  Michael was out of town so we definitely missed him, but we still had a lot of fun!  C loved being outside all day!  And it was so cool to take her over to see the band and the calvary.