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John Paul will be three tomorrow (August 12th), I thought I would just post pictures that recap these last years that have changed my life. John Paul made us parents, and I have not stopped learning since. I had no idea I could love a person like this. I am grateful for the joy and challenges that loving him brings. I am so grateful that we get to work out our salvation by living and loving with him! Happy Birthday, John Paul, my heart's delight!

Here is an unorganized array of pictures from his first three years- so hahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrd to find the best pictures- he's just so handsome. Sigh. You can also click on our fotki link to see a great many more pictures of him... and the rest of the Dawson crew. Thanks for visiting today. If you would, so a quick prayer for John Paul's 3rd year to be all God wants for him.

Flexibility...

... a trait that I use to posses, but no longer. I title this post as such because we are (after making certain observations throughout the week) hanging up the potty business for a little bit and will try again later. I will spare details -for your sake and for John Paul's dignity- but I will say that it's been helpful (after a few days of forgetting this detail) to ask GOD His opinion (having created the GI tract and John Paul as well, I figured He would know how the two will work the best). He has helped David and I to be at peace about the right steps to take in this direction. It's our first rodeo, ya know? Thought you might like to know.

Potty training: the mystery

Our precious John Paul is potty training. I won't drag you in to every detail nor will I address the number of successes and accidents that have come along. We are three days into potty training. Not really sure what to make of it except the following observations:

1)It does not bother him when he has an accident (he's even been caught jumping in it like a puddle) except when it "burned" because his bottom has a little rash.

2) He lets loose ( i.e. he saturates his diaper) when we do put a diaper on him to go daily Mass.

3) His successes are only after watching him like a dirty little hawk letting everything/everyone else go... and I should mention that his successes have only happened with David (never with me).

4) He is willing to sit on the potty if the following things have been said : If you tee tee in the potty you can play train games with Daddy on the computer

5) He is acting out like a mad-man. Could it be his only "thing" to control?

6) He will be 3 in two weeks. Is it still too soon?

7) If he reads this blog post many years from now, he will be very embarrassed. If you are reading this, I love you, my sweet sweet John Paul!

The Ultimate Grandparents Day!

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Jesus' grandparents - Joachim and Anne- who were Mary's mama and daddy. Thought you might like to know.

Family's in town!!

Sarah, Steven, Madeline (4), and Anna Kate (2) have been in town this week from Colorado! I have taken so few pictures, except today when they came to play at our house. We danced, painted, ate, swam, and made watermelon sorbethttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif. Sarah will certainly have a full scale blog post about their trip at some point : Check out her blog for more pictureshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif






And the dance party... or the lap-running... whatever you wish to call it.

Just a few months ago...

My sweet friend Kathleen McNally LeBlanc http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif took some pictures of Therese back in the fall. If I remember correctly, Therese was sitting up, but not crawling yet. I just received the disc, so I wanted you to see a few.

Thoughts this week:

Andrew Thomas -the baby we lost back in November- would have been due this week. Therese is 16 months, and John Paul will be 3 in less than a month. Rarely does a day go by that I don't think about him. We lost him very early and it was in prayer that I feel like he was a boy. As I was thinking about what this week would have held, I shared with David that I was still sad even though I am overjoyed about the gift we have in Jacob/Genevieve (coming late October). His response was, "Andrew gave his life so that this baby could live." How wonderful a thought. I truly think that Andrew is in Heaven praying our children through each day. I am so grateful for our children, and I just wanted to share with you a few pictures of the babies we have been fortunate enough to meet...





And one will pray we will be able to meet in 3 months...
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For those of you who have also lost a child (in any circumstance) there is a website for a church in NYC - The Church of the Holy Innocence- who has a "Book of Life." On their website, you can enter the name of the child/children you have lost and they will place his/her name in their Book of Life. They send you a certificate and each daily Mass is said for all the children in the Book of Life. It was a very healing detail of our story. I pray it can be for you as well.