9 Years together ...

9 Years ago two incredibly naive people walked into a church filled with family and friends eager to get married. Marriage, marriage is what brought us together that day! ;) (two points if you get the reference) However, we had NO clue what the road ahead would bring us. None!

As a single girl you dream your whole life possibly, of the day you will put on a white gown and have your father or someone walk you down an aisle so that you can meet your handsome groom at the end and be joined together in a union that will last until death do you part ...

That is the way it is supposed to be at least ... the death you do part statement. A lot of us look at marriages around us and we project that they are happy as they appear to be and some are, but I'd be willing to bet that many, sadly many are just faking it hoping they will make it. They aren't sure if they will make it to the end of the week much less the ends of their lives. Marriage takes hard work. Hard work by two messed up people whose lives have been joined by a vow and a mutual love for the other.

What is a vow? To me, the vow I made 9 years ago is what I leaned on when times got tough in our marriage. I won't bore you with the gory details of our "stuff" but there was a day when we could have thrown in the towel and said "I quit, I'm done". Honestly that day was more real and scary that I'd like to admit. However, the Lord kept reminding me of the fact that I made a vow not only to Jeremy, but to HIM. I stood before my family and my friends and I said that for better or WORSE I would honor, love and respect my husband. I hadn't done a very good job at that during the "worse" moments of my marriage. The Lord reminded me of so much that I felt walking out would be so dishonoring of Him and my vow to both my Lord and my husband. So you know what, we dug in our heals and we did some hard fighting. We had some amazing friends who stood in the trenches with us and were on their knees praying for us during that time.

So here we are 9 years later, a stronger couple than we could have ever imagined walking into that church in GA that hot Saturday in August. Our union is stronger than I ever dreamed it would be during our "worse" moments. I'm thankful for those who stood by us, fought with us, loved us and prayed with us through our hard times.

Jeremy, I love you more than I can express. The man you are today is a strong man. One who loves the Lord and his wife and family. One who puts his God first, wife second and family next. One who I'm proud to say wears my ring on his left hand. I'm proud of the family that God gave us. I look forward to many, many more years ahead. I look forward to wherever God will lead us together ... It's going to be amazing babe! I'm thankful I get to do this journey WITH you! Thanks for asking me to walk beside you through life! I'm thankful for the lessons we have learned since that hot day in August 2003! I LOVE YOU!

The grass is not greener on the other side of the street ... the grass is greener where it is water and fertilized. How are you watering and fertilizing your marriage?

Raising support ....

Raising support is not something I enjoy. I am blown away by friends of mine that do it for their lively hood. It scares me honestly. I have had to raise support several times for mission trips and it is always the part I dread the most yet it is always the first part of the life changing part of any trip I have been on. I say the first part because it is not just a thing I do to get to go, it is the first part of my trip. I'm still state side but the process of growing and God working in my life and heart begins here. I go on the trip to be used as a tool for God's purpose but every single time the trip is a tool used by God in my life. I know this time will be no different.

 When I first heard about this trip to Brazil my heart had this huge tug on it. I wasnt really sure why. Was it God telling me he wanted me to go or was my heart pulled because of the orphans that those on the trip would meet? I think the fact that I was adopted has placed a huge desire in my heart to care for orphans. Having four children of my own, I don't know how this desire will be fulfilled in my life. Until God is clear about what he desires from my family in this area, I know that I can help others in their journey. So when this trip came I knew that I could do something with what was welling up inside me ... To love on the least of these that many forget about. However, I was still unsure about whether this was the trip, or if this was the right time. Going without Jeremy was something I really didn't want to do. But this tug wouldn't leave me alone.

On faith I put down my deposit knowing God would clarify what he was asking of me. If he wanted me to go he would show me and would help me with the support raising that I really do not like.

We got home from vacation and I had a support check waiting in the mail from a friend from Atlanta. Then yesterday I received two more checks and with them a peace that yes God is asking me to go. I still have support to raise in order to go, but I have a peace that has calmed me that I can't explain.

I am looking forward with great expectation to what God will do in my life this trip and also how he will use me to love on the people of São Paulo, Brazil. I look forward to sharing more with you about this trip and how God works in and through me. I look forward to loving on the least of these in Brazil and I look forward to my God loving on me and my heart at the same time. To God be the glory!

6 Months Old!

It is hard to believe that 6 months ago this little peanut came into our lives! It has been a wild six months.

Yesterday she had her 6 month appointment. She is definitely a peanut weighing in at 13 pounds and 6 ounces. She was 25 3/4 inches long. She is tall and lean. Remind you of anyone? :) Just like her daddy!

She looks just like Pace did and has a lot of the same GI issues that he had. I told the doctor that even though I have been down this road before that I feel like a first time mom again with her. She definitely keeps me on my toes. The doctor said that she will be one to beat to her own drum :) So far, very true!

She definitely LOVES to be held and with 10 arms and 5 people around here, she has been held a lot more than any of the other ones were. And yes, we pay for it .... nightly at about 5:30 pm until bedtime :) 

She is such a joy though. Her middle name of Joy really does fit her. She has huge smiles to give most of the time.

Happy 1/2 birthday little Keegan Joy! We love you so much and we can't imagine our family without you in it! Cannot wait to see what God does with your little life and how he grows you into the young woman he has created you to be!

A little sprouts update

Hey there long lost friend! Hope you all are doing great! Life has been busy since lately. I'm trying to do a better job of being present in my kids lives which means less computer time. Let's face it .... in 10 years it's not going to matter to them how many blogs I wrote about them, what will matter is how much time I invested in them. And as naps have just about gone away in our house - my computer time has lessened. I realized the other day that I have been bad about documenting things lately. I was looking over old posts and remembering the crazy things they said and did and think .... I've not blogged lately about anything that they have done. So here is a little catch up while they are each having a few quite minutes and Keegan naps :)

Ryan just finished 1st grade. He will be 8 in December! WOW! Right now he loves to read, I mean LOVES to read. He devours about a book every 2 days if not sooner. He loves football - GO DAWGS! I've trained him well :) He also loves legos and comes up with some very neat creations. For the last 2 to 3 months of school he got into writing stories. He has written about 20 so far that he keeps in a binder. There are a couple that melt my heart - One that he wrote about Keegan and her birth. That binder will definitely be saved!

Pace just finished kindergarten and turned 6 in May. He is amazing us at his wit and humor. He is definitely following suit with a second born/middle child characteristics. He loves to do most of the things his brother does but he still loves playing with Kennedy. There are days when I find him cooking with one hand and building legos or throwing a football with the other :)  He also enjoys writing stories and following in his big brothers steps.

Kennedy - Oh Kennedy - She is our spunky, drama llama :) Just kidding - well sorta :) She definitely keeps us on our toes. She is as sweet as pie but she sure knows how to pull all of our strings. She is probably closest to Pace and they have a fun relationship. Kennedy will be going to pre-k this year and she is so excited to get to go to school. She has been looking forward to this for a while .... it's all we hear about. She will be 4 in August and blows my mind at how advanced she is for her age. Girls just do things faster than boys!

Keegan - just turned 6 months old. She'll get her own post for that .... so I'll save what I'd write here for that!

That's a little catch up for the kids. Jeremy and I are just plugging along trying to be the best parents we can be and lead these 4 little ones to be the ones God created them to be. Life is never boring around here!

If you think about it pray for me ... I will be going to Brazil this fall with our church on a mission trip. I'm so excited about it! We will be working with a church that our church is partnering with for the long term ... this will be our first short term trip. We are going to be going into orphanages, which pulled at my heart strings when I first heard about the trip. God has not let go of my heart - having 4 kids and being adopted myself ... I cannot wait to go love on the least of these that many people forget about! If you want to hear more about my trip or support me financially - let me know!


 

My Triplets?

I once again found this GA sleeper that I put on both Pace and Kennedy. I get so many comments on how Keegan looks so much like them that I thought I would show just how much and how it can change from minute to minute. So obviously the top picture is Keegan in all 3 pics. The bottom picture is Pace on Top and Kennedy on bottom .... They could be triplets at this stage ....

 

Empty Promises ... A review

I was given the opportunity to review the book Empty Promises by Pete Wilson. After reading his previous book Plan B, I knew that I would enjoy his writing style. When I got the book, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Pete has a great way of communicating. I ready Pete's blog, not as often as I used to with 4 kids, but I always walk away challenged if I honestly reflect on what he is saying. This book is no different ....

The fortune cookie on the front says "The truth about You, Your Desires, and the Lies You're Believing." Before I opened the book I wondered what lies that I'm believing that this book might help open my eyes on, expose in my life. I had no clue that this was a book on idols .... and how those idols affect our lives. Pete defines an empty promise as A promise that is either not going to be carried out, worthless or meaningless. I've had several empty promises given to me and if I'm honest I've dealt a few empty promises as well. I really wasn't expecting to read about the empty promises that idols produce in our lives.

Pete points out that we are a people wired to worship. The question he asks is Who or what do we worship? He defines idolatry as looking to something (or someone) that does not have God's power to give me what only God has the power and authority to give. We buy into empty promises when we "feel a God-given appetite and try to fill it with something that isn't God."

I appreciate Pete's honesty as he writes and his ability to dive into a difficult topic and cause the reader to ponder his/her own life. I know that I finished this book way too quickly. I want to re-read and pause and really reflect on the questions it asked. I want to ask God to point out areas in my life where I have allowed idols to take his place. Where I have believed empty promises ... I want to work through these areas.

I willy highly recommend this book to anyone that will listen. I believe the truths inside this book can help unlock the damage that believing in empty promises has accomplished and help the reader move past and find a deeper relationship with the one who never breaks a promise!

4 Months Old & an update

Keegan turned 4 months this past weekend. It is hard to believe that 4 months have passed since we went to deliver her. So much has happened since she joined our family. The blog has been unusually quiet. I've been busy being a mom to 4 kids. I think we are finally settling into a routine where I can hopefully pick back up journaling about our lives .... for the 2 of you that read this still :)

At 4 months Keegan really lives up to her middle name of Joy. She is such a little joy. She is always smiling - well most of the day - she does have her witching hour like all babies do. It is so fun to watch the older three interact with her and love on her. She is laughing and just taking in the world around her. However, what is funny today and draws out cackles will not tomorrow. Makes for funny times as the kids try to get her to laugh at them. I've got to pull out the video camera more often!

Yesterday, we took her for her 4 month check up. For the most part she is healthy. A week and a half ago she had two episodes that scared me to pieces. I rushed off to the Pediatrician with her only to walk out and find a new one. Yesterday, was our new appointment with a new pediatrician, who did not treat me like an idiot. He asked tons of questions and really listened to Jeremy and I. We both felt validated and understood the path that he was asking us to take with her.

Next Monday she will see a neurologist and have an EEG and depending on the results of that she will have either a MRI or a cat scan. This will determine whether or not she had a seizure or this was just a reflux type situation. Our prayers are that this was just a reflux episode and not a seizure of any type. She has not had another episode so we are thankful for that. We would appreciate your prayers for her that this is nothing serious.

For fun I thought I'd throw up the stats of all 4 of them at 4 months. It helps me remember the other 3 and also is just fun for me to see the differences in our kids. Keegan definitely is our little peanut!

KEEGAN
Height: 25 inches
Weight: 12 pounds

RYAN (at 4 months)
Height: 25 1/2 inches
Weight: 13 pounds 11 ounces

PACE (at 4 months)
Height: 25 1/2 Inches
Weight: 14 pounds 13 ounces

KENNEDY (at 4 months)
Height: 24 1/2 inches
Weight: 13 pounds 5 ounces

2 Months Old!

Keegan is now 2 months old! So hard to believe that my baby is getting so big! I took her in for her two month appointment today and here are her stats ...

Weight: 9 Pounds 14 Ounces
Length: 22 6/8"

Just for fun a comparison with her siblings:

Ryan @ 2 months:

Weight: 13 pounds 11 ounces

Height: 25 inches

Pace @ 2 months:

Weight 13 Pounds 11 ounces

Height: 24 inches

Kennedy @ 2 months :

Weight: 11 Pounds 12 ounces

Height: 24 3/4 inches

She's a bit on the shorter side compared to the other 3. I thought she would be close to Ryan but looking at his 2 month stats ... I guess not :) She's perfect though! We love her so much and can't imagine our lives without her!

Happy 2 months baby girl! You have completed our family and we are so thankful for you!

It's been a while ...

WOW! I can't believe it's been a month since I last blogged! I haven't been spending much time on the computer lately. Life has just been too busy to spend time doing something that won't matter in a few years. :)

Keegan is 8 weeks old. Next week she will be 2 months old. It seems like she should be older than she is. She has definitely been a different baby than the other three. Love her dearly, but she is a handful at night - Or has been. Thankfully, the last 2 nights she has slept through the night and that has been wonderful. Though I still wake, waiting on her to wake up :) I think we are finally turning a corner and the reflux medication seems to be working. It's nice to have a happy baby. It's also nice to not have her in pain!

Ryan, Pace, and Kennedy all 3 swoon over her. Especially, Kennedy. I'm not exactly sure what Keegan thinks of her though. Kennedy is learning to dial it down a notch or three so I think that will help as well. Both of the boys are such big helpers and they just love her to pieces. I cannot wait to see her as she begins to interact with them more.

It is still hard for me to believe that I am old enough to have 4 kids. I was talking to my grandfather on the phone yesterday and he told me that he was turning 90 this year ... that just doesn't seem possible. I still feel like he should be in his 60's allowing me to stand beside him as he drove his red mustang convertible around the neighborhood. My grandmother has alzheimers and is going downhill. I hate that disease as much as I hate cancer. My grandmother has always been so busy and vibrant. These days she is not so much anymore. Yesterday, I saw a different side of my grandfather as I believe he is realizing his wife of 68 years is no longer really there. I have so many memories of my grandparents, it's so hard to see them sick and hurting.

Memories ... I hope we are creating the kinds of memories that our 4 kids will look back on and know that they were loved, cherished, and cared for and a home that they will want to return to. A home that is full of love and fun moments. A home that is a safe haven for them and a place that is a retreat for them in hard times. SO please excuse the blog if it is quiet .... we are busy making memories. I'll get on here and blog about it from time to time ... but the last thing I want my kids to think about when they think of me is a mom who valued her computer time more than she valued time with them!

Have a great day!

Keegan's Story

I haven't blogged much lately ... Today Keegan is 4 weeks old! It doesn't really seem possible. The last 4 weeks though they seemed to move slowly b/c of lack of sleep - they really have flown by. I look down at my little peanut and realize that all too soon she will be running around playing with the other 3.

Some people have asked about her birth story so I thought I'd blog about it ... that way I can have it written and others who want to know, can know. :)

Tuesday the 20th we got to the high risk doctor at 8:15 for the amnio. They estimated her to be 8 pounds 8 ounces and for her belly to be the size of a 41.5 week gestation baby. After being monitored we left and Jeremy wanted to get a hair cut. So we ran a few errands and had lunch with the kids and Jojo before going to my regular OB appointment at 2. She hadn't gotten the results of the amnio yet but said they would call to let us know whether or not to come to the hospital at 10pm or not. We went home and waited .... and waited .... and waited ... and finally went to dinner with the family one last kids night at Chickfila as a family of 5 - we hoped :). We hadn't heard before dinner so we thought we would have a message at home when we got done with dinner. We didn't. We were unsure at this point what to do as the OB office was closed and the high risk drs office had closed early. We decided that we would just show up at 10pm and if they sent us home they sent us home.

The drive to the hospital was quiet. I'm not sure either of us knew what to think. When we got to the hospital they told us to have a seat - our room was not ready as they had a few women come in at the same time. So we waited in the waiting room with about 10 young men/women who looked to be in high school. It seemed that they thought this was a game. They were in and out of the girls room who was in labor and finally they were kicked out because she was getting an epidural. I felt a little sad for them - all too soon they would realize that this was no game - and this was not going to be as easy as they thought it would be.

A few more women came in and had to wait with us in the waiting room. Finally at 12 we were taken to our "birthing suite". I was beginning to get nervous ... just thinking that this was really about to begin ... I was going to meet my baby girl soon. I was thinking about how I was going to be a mom to 4 - how the older 3 would react to a new baby in the house. Would Jeremy and I ever get a moment to ourselves again? And then just as these things were flooding my mind - a peace came over me as Jeremiah 29:11 came rushing to the front of all my questions/thoughts/feelings. He planned this, he had this and he had us in his hands - I didn't need to worry.

They had an incredibly hard time finding a vein for the IV. They tried 5 different times digging to find the vein all to go up against a valve each time. I tried to get them to use a smaller gauge needle as this wasn't my first rodeo and I knew what was used before - my veins are small. Finally, they decided to use a smaller one and the 6th time was a charm. But, I felt like a pin cushion by this point :)

I was hooked up to all the fluids and the next waiting game began. I was already having contractions about 3 minutes apart by the time they kick started them. I was dilated to a 3 at this point. They told us to get rest - Jeremy had no problem falling asleep. It was not as easy for me. Even though I felt a great peace, I was too excited to sleep. At 7 am my doctor came in and told me that she had a c-section and a hysterectomy to do and then she felt I would be ready to push by lunch time.

She was right - though she wasn't quite done with her other patients :) It was time to push and she got there just in time. My epidural wasn't quite working as it should :) So I felt more than I wanted to. I don't know how those of you that don't get one do it! I had a bit of my epi working and I know I wouldn't have made it with nothing - I have a very low tolerance for pain. I remember telling them I couldn't do it. Jeremy, looked at me and said "honey, you don't have a choice, she is RIGHT there." Some how I mustered up the strength and 2 pushes later she was out. They laid her on my chest and I remember thinking what a small almost 9 pound baby she was :) I couldn't tell who she looked like and all I wanted to do was hold this little bundle of Joy!

After a few minutes they took her to check her out and all I could do was ask a million times if she was ok. The best part of all of this was we had our ipod playing in the background with some music. We had started it earlier and right as she came out the the song, How Great is Our God, started playing. It was a beautiful reminder to us that God was in the middle of this birth and that he was taking care of all of us. Also she was his creation and that we celebrated as we held our new addition to our family!

She was 7 pounds 1 ounce and perfectly healthy. They tested her sugar levels due to my gestational diabetes. Her first stick was fine and they tested her 5 more times and each stick was fine. It confirmed all our thoughts that I really was just borderline and didn't really have GD. Though it was better safe than sorry!

We are adjusting well to being a family of 6 ... dare I say having 4 kids is really no different than having 3 or 2? The newborn stage is always the hardest but at least I have a beautiful reason to get up at 3 or 4 in the morning :) Right now she is giving me about 5 or 6 hours of sleep at night so we are thankful for that!

I look forward to seeing how God will use this little life to bring him glory! She's yours Lord - we are thankful that you are allowing us the privilege of raising her!

Christmas Cards

Thank you all for the Christmas cards that we received. We continued our tradition of praying over each family that sent us a card. It was a priceless moment this year as the kids really got into this and prayed what was on their minds - sometimes funny moments and sometimes sad moments - but they prayed and it was a moment we treasured each day!

You are probably wondering where our Christmas cards were ... well, we had a baby :) We will be sending out birth announcements soon. We did send out a very small number ... mostly ones we could hand deliver and save on postage. So if you didn't get one, know we were/are thinking of you and you will be receiving a birth announcement soon.

If we sent out Christmas cards ... this is the picture we would have sent you :) Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy 2012 to you and yours!

Life with 4!

Life has definitely been interesting with 4! I guess it has only been so crazy because we were in and out of the hospital twice. We both felt like we hadn't given the attention that 1, 2, and 3 needed while we had to take care of 4 and make sure she was ok. The first week was hard because of this.

Keegan is home now but we face feeding challenges. She lost a lot of weight in the beginning and so we are trying to get her back up to her birth weight.

In the hospital her liver and thyroid tests came back elevated but the doctor said he wasn't concerned about them. Her body is still trying to adjust to being outside the womb and all those are still regulating. He said they just were not elevated enough to cause him to probe further. That was a relief to us. We were discharged about 32 hours after we were admitted, her jaundice levels had come down dramatically during that time. They wanted them to be under 15 to send us home and she was 10! We are so thankful for all your prayers!

The craziness of the holidays have died down and we are slowly getting into a pattern that works for us. The older 3 just love having a baby in the house and are super helpful with her. We will see how long it takes the newness to wear off :) School starts back this week so we will see how I do getting the boys to school on time :)

It's a crazy life but I wouldn't trade any of it ... It's amazing to see a new life come into the world and the fact that God chose Jeremy and I to parent these 4 continues to amaze me. I am beyond blessed with these little lives and I pray that we do our part to raise them to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and with all their strength!

Happy New Year to you all!