Charlotte's Baptism

Back in August we got to go to sweet little Charlotte Dodge's baptism.  We arrived in Dallas late Friday night and it was the coolest thing ever to see Cora explore Mim's house.  Her house is filled with all sorts of wonderful treasures and C was in heaven.  She was just running around like a crazy person and just couldn't decide what to do next.  Adventure overload.  

And of course, her and mim got along famously.

Saturday morning we headed to the baptism.  I was SO excited to see all of my dear Dallas friends and it ended up being quite the reunion since Charlotte is a pretty popular little lady.  This was the only picture I got of the actual baptism because I got to spend my time with the David and Laura's little one,

Miss Anna Therese.  She was absolutely killing me with cuteness.  She went through the entire contents of my purse about 12 times and was simply amazed.  She would inspect everything so carefully, even asking me what time it was every time she got to my phone.  We had a great time together.  

Cora spent most of her time outside the sanctuary with Michael (she has volume control issues) but her and Anna did get to play together a little bit.

The Dodge's had a lovely reception afterwards.  We enjoyed catching up with old friends.  We tried to get another picture of "the three" but this was the best we could do.  It was priceless to me to see them all playing together.    

Charlotte Rose was far more cooperative for our picture. 

She is something else.  Such a little angel!  Congratulations, Dodges on another beautiful blessing!!

Happy Birthday: Michael

Michael's birthday was way back on the 4th, but I have been putting it off because it is hard for me to put into words exactly how i feel about this guy.  

I guess I can just start at the beginning with what first attracted me to him.  His character was (and still is) unlike anyone I had ever met.  He is honest, kind, thoughtful and just an all around do-gooder.  I always make fun of him for being voted "Most Innocent" in high school, especially in situations where it is so blatantly obvious that he is such a better person than I could ever hope to be.  But even though I joke about it, I try to never forget how blessed I am to be with a true gentleman. 

I will never forget the morning of our engagement.  In true annoying girl fashion, I had JUST been giving him a hard time about what the heck was taking so long (not proud).  But in true awesome Michael fashion, he just let me go on and on while staying calm and keeping his cool. He still gave me the most perfectly wonderful, beautiful moment that I most certainly didn't deserve.  That is because he is selfless in every sense of the word.  Its really an amazing thing to witness on a daily basis and it makes me tear up just thinking about how good he is to me.  

Not only does he have all of the fabulous dreamy qualities, but he is also just a blast to be around.  He is always making me laugh.  I love all of our inside jokes.  I love all of his corny jokes.  I just love that I get to sit next to him on the couch and laugh at shows together.  I love that he is the guy I always get to dance with.  I truly enjoy his company, he is such a good BFF.  

It has been so cool to see him go from being a boyfriend, to fiancé, to husband and now to father.  He has been fantastic in all of these roles, especially the husband and father ones.  He works SO hard for us and is a great provider.  I admire his ambition and his drive.  He is always striving to be better and to do better.  Very inspiring.  And I just can't get enough of him with this little girl.  I always knew he would be a great father, but geez louise, I never expected him to be THIS good.  I can't wait to watch him with another sweet little girl.    

But most importantly, he is a true leader of our family.  He is a great example of faith and is always keeping us on track.  I have always admired the strength that he has in his own personal faith.  He is unwavering.  This is what he is most passionate about, which often leads to us having hours and hours of super long religious talks.  One of our favorite past times.  

So happy birthday, my dear Husband.  Thank you for EVERYTHING.  

Psalm 71

"Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress…On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength"

Here is where it becomes a lot more real.  We cannot wait to meet HER.

EVELYN CLARE PAWELEK

Both of our families were in College Station to move these little babies in for their freshman year . . . 

We decided to reveal our big secret to make the occasion even more special.  It was also my mom's birthday weekend, so up until the actually cutting of the cake we pretended that it was just for her birthday.  Right before we were all about to sing, we had to inform M.E. that it actually wasn't for her, but I don't think she minded too much, especially since we still gave her the honor of cutting in!

Dear sweet Evelyn, I hope that when you are old enough you take a moment to really savor the pure joy that you brought to all of these faces . . .

That was all because of you, my little love.  

Here are a couple of snapshots from my mom's birthday lunch the next day.  Of course we went to her favorite establishment, Fudruckers.  

Happy Birthday: Dave

Happy happy birthday to my amazing brother-in-law!! 

David was absolutely instrumental in getting Michael and I together.  The summer that we started dating, these two were just inseparable.  He was right by Michael's side every time we would "spontaneously" hang out.  We have so many hilarious memories from that summer that are so special to me!  

But with the end of summer, so came the end of getting to see Dave all the time as he headed back to the Colorado School of Mines.  We all miss David SO much when he has to go back so it is always extra special when we get to be with him.  

One thing I love about David is his spirit.  He is so. much. fun.  He lights up every room that he is in and is great at lifting people up.   

He is just one of those people that you always want to be around.  

But the thing I admire most about Dave is the heart that he has for his family.  He gets crazy excited every time we can all be together.  It genuinely makes him so happy.  It can be easy to take family for granted, but Dave is always reminding us just how great we have it.

It has been awesome to see this love of family translate into his roll as an uncle.  Cora was born during his spring break so it was a special treat that he was able to be there when she was born (maybe that was the real reason for her being a zillion days late).  I will never forget how upset he got when he had to leave her and go back to school later that week.  It brings tears to my eyes even now just thinking about it.  I think that was one of the first times that I realized how loved my daughter truly is by her family and how that love will form her and keep her comforted throughout her life.  

We have already asked Dave to be the godfather to our next little baby and of course he accepted whole-heartedly.  We feel so honored to have his example of faith and love for our children.  

Love you, Dave!

Home.

I am not very good at taking pictures when we are at home, but here is what I have from the summer ...

This is from our 5 minute trip to Lake Bryan.  It seemed like a good idea since C absolutely adores being outside, but she was just getting over a virus and there were ants all over the place so this was basically the extent of what we did.  

Still a sweet moment.  

Two weeks of our summer consisted of swimming lessons!  Cora was in the Starfish class (hehe) which basically meant that I carried her around in the water while she played with water toys.  Luckily, we got to be in the same class with our good friends, the Kalinas!  

Cora and Damien are olympic-bound.  They got a certificate and everything.

It was awesome to have this quality time with Katie before their little family made their big move to Fort Worth.  We are already missing them terribly! She was my first friend here in College Station and I am so grateful for her friendship.  She is a special gal! 

Bulverde Beach Trip

Back in July we took our final beach trip of the summer down to Port Aransas for the Bulverde beach trip.  It was much too short but we still had a great time!  We got there kind of late on Friday so we just spent our evening going from condo to condo, visiting and catching up with everyone.  I especially enjoyed hearing Geda tell us some grand stories.

Saturday morning we got up early to snap these family pictures, (taken by Casey)

I just love our family.  Cora took a pretty hefty nap after that.  We even managed to get her totally sun screened while she was still sleeping. 

She slept on the beach for a while, and I'm pretty sure Pops didn't mind. 

Once she finally woke up, she was all about playing with the girls.  It was so precious to watch them all together.  She just loved hanging out with all her cousins.  

We had such a great summer!!  Michael and I have always considered the beach to be a very special place for us, but it is a whole new world when you get to go with little ones.  It is so cool to experience it all over again through Cora's eyes.  And next year we will also be bringing a little 6 month old!! Double the fun! 

Happy Birthday: Mom

On Sunday we celebrated my mom's birthday here in College Station.  

Now that I am a mom, I have a whole new appreciation for everything this lady has done for me throughout my life.  There were so many times when I would be up with Cora in the middle of the night that my mind would wander to picturing my mom doing the same thing with me. What a special bond those little late night parties create between a child and their mother, even if the baby doesn't know it at the time.  

I know my mom looks back on those days with me as a baby fondly, but I am fairly certain that she does not share the same sentiments when it comes to my toddlerhood.  Rumor has it I was pretty terrible.  When I was a bit older, I found her numerous articles on the "strong-willed" child that she had saved and have heard many a horrifying story.  Even though we look back and laugh about it now, I am sure she was really struggling at the time!  But in true Mel fashion, she did all the research she could and was dedicated to doing every little thing for her difficult little girl.  I think my sisters would probably agree that we haven't always given our mom the smoothest road, but she has always been there for us no matter what.  Never giving up and rarely losing her temper.  I could learn a thing or two from her easy-going style.  

                               

One thing I really admire about my mom is that she applies this same dedication to her job as well.  Not only is she an incredible mom that was always super involved with us, she is also extremely hard-working and successful in her career.  She has a passion for education like I have never seen!  Even though it was short, I loved the time that we spent working in the same district.  I am sure we annoyed our husbands to no end when we would spend the better part of every night talking about anything and everything to do with school.  I also got a first-hand look at the amount of respect that her colleagues have for her and it would make me so proud to be her daughter.  

                                            

Although she is a true professional, she is not the most artistic person in the world (please see picture above). No offense madre, although she would probably be the first to tell you.  However, that never stopped her from doing little things like this to make us feel special.  Whether it was a note in our lunch, or a message on the mirror, she has always let us know how much she cares.  I remember one summer when I went off to Pennsylvania for ballet camp, my mom made me sign on power point (it must have just come out) that said, "Becky is a firecracker."  I loved it and had it hanging on my door all summer and in my room at home after that. I just thought it was so sweet, especially because she knows how much a love stuff like that.  

One thing that I hope to inherent from her in my own motherhood, is the way that she is so willing to hang in the wings, lending her support, while letting her children shine.  She has NEVER pressured me into a decision or given me any unwanted advice.  I have never come across anyone who is less judgmental.  She has always guided me, but never tried to take control.  She gave me the freedom to make my own mistakes, but was always there for me when I would fall.  I now know how hard it is to let go as a mother so I know how difficult it must have been for her, but she never let it show.  In this way, she has taught me what Jesus' love for us is all about.   I was honored to wear her dress on my wedding day.  

I am so excited for Cora to grow up with such a loving grandma.  I hope that inherits my mom's selfless ways.  I can just picture Cora getting all excited to go do science experiments at M.E.'s house (she is somewhat of a science nerd).  I know they will have countless adventures together. 

                                            

So, Happy Birthday, Mom, Mel, Melon, M.E., A-mi-mi.  We love you so very much and would be lost without you.