tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85312252024-02-18T21:13:37.317-06:00In God's Time...Not MineFor this child I have prayed - 1 Samuel 1:27Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-42606525240537387292012-06-13T11:59:00.001-05:002012-06-13T12:08:00.311-05:00Long needed update<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hey everyone! It has been WAY too long since I have updated my blog, shame on me! So much has happened in 2012, it's been a blur!</span><br />
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Ryan turned 2 in March and has the attitude to match it! :) He loves to watch Bubble Guppies, the Wiggles and Cars. He can count to 14, recognize numbers 1-9 and knows some of his letters! Just so I can remember he says Buzz Lightyear like "Baa-ito!"
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Brandon will be 4 in August and that is so hard to believe! It seems like only yesterday we saw the first glimpse of our cute little baby and now he is SO big! He had his last day of 3/4 preschool back in May. He will go to 4/5 preschool starting in September! He is a very fast runner & high jumper and loves to read books and watch Imagination Movers and Fresh Beat Band!
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Patrick and I are doing well. We had a whirlwind April and May with a lot of travel. We all went back to PA to visit my family for a week and the boys and I stayed an extra week while Patrick came back to work. We had a great time with family and then got to enjoy my mom for 2 more weeks since she flew home with me and the boys! We went with Patrick to a conference in Minneapolis and then just enjoyed some downtime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Patrick was the keynote speaker at a college conference at Mo Ranch in Texas so he was gone for 5 days and came home with a crazy bug bite on his leg! Ewww!
Patrick and Brandon took a long road trip to Kentucky for Patrick's annual family reunion in Salem, KY! Ryan traveled so poorly on our previous trip that we decided he and I would just stay home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And last, but certainly not least, Patrick and I are excited to announce that we will be having a baby girl in August!
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I am due August 29th which just happens to be the exact same day I was due with Maddie. This is my 5th pregnancy, the 3rd time with a baby girl and I have cannot even tell you how hard it has been to not worry about all the "what-ifs" given our track record. So far everything seems to be going well, I have been feeling as good as a pregnant mommy with 2 active little boys can feel! I haven't "seen" her since April 27th at about 22weeks so my OB will be doing another ultrasound at my next appointment at 33 weeks. They have been so great dealing with me as I have needed a lot of reassurance during this pregnancy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Baby girl doesn't have a name yet but I am hoping to narrow it down to 2 or 3 in the next few weeks. I have started nesting although, given what happened before, I never like to get too much out. I am 29 weeks today and my c-section has been scheduled for 39 weeks exactly so we only have 70 days to go!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, that is our 2012 so far in a nutshell! Thanks for continuing to check in with us, I know I am not the most consistent blogger!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQucqFX_RfOSiZF15gFCXtN44PDBb-szjbBWFvWiSpmihQ4d0JzhHs9KU53TgkhBlxwtNx7NzpOZQF9A1RmoCeawnXTRGWJivZGU5V-kPxHZarvCVet8NyNERb9B65eOeDf_9Vg/s144/Blog%252520signature.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></span></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-86012444985917530192011-12-13T16:03:00.001-06:002022-10-10T19:37:02.794-05:0023 Adult Truths<p><span class="Apple-style-span" >These made me laugh out loud so I thought I would share:</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">6. Was learning cursive really necessary? </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">10. Bad decisions make good stories. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said? </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters! </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">23. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important. </span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQucqFX_RfOSiZF15gFCXtN44PDBb-szjbBWFvWiSpmihQ4d0JzhHs9KU53TgkhBlxwtNx7NzpOZQF9A1RmoCeawnXTRGWJivZGU5V-kPxHZarvCVet8NyNERb9B65eOeDf_9Vg/s144/Blog%252520signature.jpg" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-68104955340874100922011-09-18T21:40:00.006-05:002022-10-10T19:36:56.268-05:00Guest post<font class="Apple-style-span">I just want to start with a huge thanks to Bonnie for letting me guest post on her blog. My name is Jen and I am the author of <a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/">In God's Time...Not Mine</a>.</font><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about a topic that is often considered taboo: pregnancy and infant loss. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month; October 15th is actually Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.<div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br />Here are some sobering statistics...<br />Every year in the United States:<br />* Approximately 2 million women will experience the loss of a pregnancy<br />* 154,051 children are born with birth defects<br />* 27,864 children will die before their first birthday<br /><br />I unfortunately know these statistics all too well...<br /><br />My story starts with my first pregnancy. My baby girl was born in August 2006. Her name was Madelyn Rose and she was born full-term after a very long labor that resulted in a c-section. Everything went from happy to absolutely devastating the moment she was born. She had very serious birth defects that were the result of a genetic condition called Pfeiffer Syndrome Type II. She was whisked away to the NICU while I was being sewn up. About 3 hours after her birth and a very negative CAT scan of her brain (she had very little brain tissue), my husband and I made the hardest decision of our lives and removed her from the ventilator. We took her back to our room and held her until she passed away the next morning.</font><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRNr_ExRyM0wWHktw200DKojo4vSGTwhNYm8VJoLDaUNznt-h_q7D3ZfSX_vHmtxECxo7cpPTJxz-12XUnAFUoPyqqRhS7xLhalY3qBN0Hr7TxdfY1KvjTpJ7q9e9apESPGUGYA/s1600/IMG_1294.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRNr_ExRyM0wWHktw200DKojo4vSGTwhNYm8VJoLDaUNznt-h_q7D3ZfSX_vHmtxECxo7cpPTJxz-12XUnAFUoPyqqRhS7xLhalY3qBN0Hr7TxdfY1KvjTpJ7q9e9apESPGUGYA/s320/IMG_1294.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653913319272903410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><br /></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span">It was a very hard recovery process both mentally and physically and a year later we found out that we were expecting another little one. Around 7 weeks I started spotting and went into my doctor's office "just to be safe". I had an ultrasound and there was no baby, just a mass of cells. The wind was knocked out of me and time just blurred together as we started talking about mutant cells, cancer and a D&C. I had my D&C on my husband's 29th birthday and waited anxiously for the results. They came back in a couple weeks as a Partial Molar Pregnancy where 2 sperm fertilized one egg at the exact same time. It results in 3 sets of genetic material, which is why the cells went crazy. I had to monitor my levels until they went to zero and then we had to wait 6 months from then to try to get pregnant again.</font></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /></font></div><font class="Apple-style-span">We started trying again for a few months but weren't able to get pregnant and it was starting to take its toll on me. There wasn't anything wrong with either of us and we were still within the normal time frame for the "average" couple to get pregnant but it was so overwhelming. We started to feel God's call to adopt. We both always <i>knew</i> that we would adopt, we knew before we got married that adoption would be part of our family plan. What we didn't know was the timing of <i>when</i> we would adopt. We thought it would be after we had our biological children, but God had other plans.<br /><br />In September 2009 we submitted our application to adopt a baby from South Korea. We were open to some minor medical conditions and only 6 months later we saw our handsome son's picture for the first time. B was perfectly healthy but had just recently healed from a broken arm so he was considered to have a special need. We just knew he was our son and, after waiting the obligatory 24 hours, we excitedly accepted the referral.<br /><br />The next few months were filled with a lot of preparation and paperwork and by early July 2009 we knew we were getting close! Early July was also the time where I started to feel a little off. I wasn't sure what was going on so I took a few pregnancy tests and they came back negative. I was a little late but we were trying to NOT get pregnant per the adoption agencies guidelines. The morning of July 9th I awoke early and couldn't get back to sleep. I slipped quietly out of the bedroom and took another pregnancy test. I kind of knew something was going on but was COMPLETELY shocked to see a faint 2nd line. I wish I could say I was overjoyed but my first reaction was fear.<br /><br />We weren't supposed to get pregnant while in process and our son wasn't home yet; I was worried they wouldn't let us adopt him. I ran downstairs and called my mom in tears. She was overjoyed and I remember telling her that I suspected we would get our long awaited travel call that day. I woke my husband up at that point and told him our news. He was still home at 9:30am when our phone rang and it was our social worker telling us our son would be escorted home to us in 3 days!</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /></font></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2fEoRKjy9K1orEO2JPHTxLP-buWxTt6cgM-R0Y0P0Lyx2_MKSx_nBWgfipcsKwD4aRp-01rUq2hOBZljbXwmqWKyXV5SUjvG0G8OFQYFoZovWlNIpNpxUfAIxs7Z-1r-8QilMw/s1600/IMG_1733.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><font class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2fEoRKjy9K1orEO2JPHTxLP-buWxTt6cgM-R0Y0P0Lyx2_MKSx_nBWgfipcsKwD4aRp-01rUq2hOBZljbXwmqWKyXV5SUjvG0G8OFQYFoZovWlNIpNpxUfAIxs7Z-1r-8QilMw/s320/IMG_1733.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653913653600835330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px; "></font></a><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span">B came home on July 10th and our son, Ry, was born March 8th. They are a little over 18 months apart but arrived into our family only 8 months apart. It has been a wonderfully busy time and I wouldn't trade it for the world. My two little boys are my world and I love them both so much. For those who may be curious, I feel exactly the same about both boys regardless of how they became mine!</font></div></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /></font></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqTGHAOY1kuCmYX4Pqa8wsocB9wsXUWYymnR5sp-Sxu_phD2BeGRx08vSye8tVssTFfTpWmX_9ShkqolpuPwfRa3ZtssxoaIIYPUbwC_V5ux-Ivm53LAbik-CT53QpjGUhwbCnQ/s320/DSCN0897.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653913659982356962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; "><div><div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /><font class="Apple-style-span">When Ry was about a year old we decided to start trying to have another baby. I found out I was pregnant in July and immediately went to my OB to monitor my blood levels. They were good for a week and then just slowed down. I went in for an ultrasound and prayed for the best. It was almost surreal being back in that same room where we received the bad news about the molar pregnancy. The u/s tech started the exam and knew right away that something wasn't right. I should have been 6 weeks along and all she could see was an empty sac measuring 5 weeks, 2 days. Hoping for the best but honestly expecting the worst, I went home and waited.</font><br /><br /><font class="Apple-style-span">Four long days went by before I went back in for another ultrasound. It feels like I sat in that waiting room for 2 hours but it was probably only 5 minutes. Finally got called back, gowned up and laid down. Anxiously waiting for the results, praying repeatedly "Please God, please just let everything be ok. Please perform a miracle; please let my baby be ok!"</font></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><font class="Apple-style-span"><br /></font></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span"><font class="Apple-style-span">It wasn't. Nothing had changed and my D&C was scheduled for the next day. In my heart I just knew that the baby was a girl and my doctor confirmed that at my follow up appointment. She was healthy, genetically speaking, so I will never know why I lost her.<br /><br />Even today, my heart hurts for my 3 precious lost treasures: my precious Madelyn Rose, for the pregnancy that never was and for the baby girl who will never get to be born or grow up. When we started this journey to parenthood, I never realized how hard it would be. I knew women had miscarriages but I just didn't think it would happen to me.<br /><br />I have lost 3 babies but I cannot wallow in the past. I am choosing, instead, to focus on the future and on the family I have. If I never have any more children, I will be happy with my two boys. That being said, I do hope/pray that God will bless us again with a healthy pregnancy and baby. I also hope that God will bring us another little one through adoption as well.<br /><br />My plan sounds good but, as I have learned, it isn't up to me! It's all in <a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/">God's Time...Not Mine</a>!</font></font><div><div><p></p><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQucqFX_RfOSiZF15gFCXtN44PDBb-szjbBWFvWiSpmihQ4d0JzhHs9KU53TgkhBlxwtNx7NzpOZQF9A1RmoCeawnXTRGWJivZGU5V-kPxHZarvCVet8NyNERb9B65eOeDf_9Vg/s144/Blog%252520signature.jpg"></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-37932858342531142972011-08-17T10:50:00.008-05:002011-09-07T13:53:18.086-05:00Lots of updates<p>July 10th was a big anniversary for our family, Brandon has been home with us for 2 years! He loves singing and dancing and he has started making up stories, his imagination is just amazing. He will turn 3 tomorrow and we had his birthday party last night. He was a bit overwhelmed by all the attention but enjoyed his presents and playing with his friends. I also just signed him up for gymnastics and he starts preschool 2 times per week in September.</p><p>July 10 was also a big deal because it was the day I found out I was pregnant (#4)! Shocked but excited at the same time as we had just started trying. Because of my past pregnancy history I started going to get my levels checked right away. Things started off really well but, 2 weeks in, they sort of stopped. I went in for an ultrasound and they could only see an empty sac measuring 5 weeks 2 days but I <i>should </i>have been almost 6 weeks. So, we waited a few days and repeated the u/s but nothing had changed. We were devastated again and I was/am so mad that I have been pregnant 4 times but have only given birth to one healthy baby. The next day I had a D&C (again) and 2 weeks later we found out that, based on the chromosomal analysis, we were pregnant with a baby girl. Yes, I needed to know but I think I knew even before they told us the news. So, now I have 2 baby girls in heaven. Will I ever get to parent one here? No one knows the answer to that but I have to wonder. So, now we wait at least 2 months and then we can start trying. I am really trying to adjust my attitude and just focus on the future, no looking back. It works, most of the time. I have 2 healthy wonderful boys that need my attention, love and care here so I cannot wallow in "what ifs".</p><p>And, as most of my readers know, August is a another month of big anniversaries. My baby girl would have turned 5 on August 9th. I cannot believe that it has been 5 years. She would have been starting kindergarten tomorrow so that is really hard for me. I miss her terribly and think about her every day. August 10th was also the 5th anniversary of her passing which is always a hard day that was a little harder this year because Patrick was away at a conference in Florida. </p><p>On the baby note, I am now the proud aunt of a super handsome baby boy! My sister gave birth to my first nephew August 11th. Teagan James came into this world very dramatically but he and my sister are doing well now! I head home in 6 days with Mr Ryan to meet him and I cannot wait to snuggle him!</p><p>I will post more about B's 3rd birthday in a separate post! Look for that coming soon! I promise.<br /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-18703500447146482352011-06-30T22:07:00.004-05:002011-09-07T13:53:38.785-05:00It's been a while, sorry!<p>Wow, it's been a while since I have posted an update on the kids. Sorry, I really need to make more time to document their childhoods, they are growing up so fast!</p><p>Brandon is almost 3 (in August) and is so smart, funny, polite and helpful (most of the time)! We are currently trying to potty train him but that's isn't going so well.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJ1j9lwo2gNffzaowVEOwmY6Fi8CFPF4rH0cvGy7fIk4rpMzbYnBdRDgNTkU1_yxe32o6LaeEFCGDvAUxtpE70QtuwY9oNMOkmcJ_5gZixVpVzmwsQB5wfHyQIbrHWNaDrAVJxQ/s1600/DSCN2403.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJ1j9lwo2gNffzaowVEOwmY6Fi8CFPF4rH0cvGy7fIk4rpMzbYnBdRDgNTkU1_yxe32o6LaeEFCGDvAUxtpE70QtuwY9oNMOkmcJ_5gZixVpVzmwsQB5wfHyQIbrHWNaDrAVJxQ/s320/DSCN2403.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624217011756282722" /></a>Ryan is 15 months old and has really started to talk! He HATES to be told "No" and LOVES to be outside.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tzpK5lrjm5_4oKaO1MMFh_UrAgcLKUwZKsVba2BoSu6rbnMOv5bvAs9duhWUdMTyxihj0pbWb5A7b1cV77htV65DTMBl-Q_bJujCfpcvOlMaV1UdYYqMzNyUEiQt6ojC7oeaiQ/s1600/DSCN2404.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tzpK5lrjm5_4oKaO1MMFh_UrAgcLKUwZKsVba2BoSu6rbnMOv5bvAs9duhWUdMTyxihj0pbWb5A7b1cV77htV65DTMBl-Q_bJujCfpcvOlMaV1UdYYqMzNyUEiQt6ojC7oeaiQ/s320/DSCN2404.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624217005315463170" /></a><p>Here is a recent video I captured of Brandon "reading" one of his favorite books, "5 Little Monkeys"! Enjoy!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz3FUnsrTbVEolLnBgbG0MrJnqFV13Bk672KN04hAxaFFyPCL17zuyAveH1hU2OtDMRoHBGl1_bU-o' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p style="text-align: left;">I promise I will be better at updating my blog but, for now, I leave you with the pictures and video and I am going to bed. I need to get some rest before my Curves boot camp at 6am!</p><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-69816484061765222062011-03-08T22:17:00.005-06:002011-09-07T13:54:30.983-05:00The ABC's of me!<p>I am totally stealing this from my blog friend, <a href="http://taleoftwocoins.blogspot.com/">Jenny</a>!</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">A. Age: 34 (35 in 12 days)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">B. Bed size: Queen<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">C. Chore you dislike: Emptying the dishwasher, folding clothes<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">D. Dogs: Not really a dog person<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">E. Essential start to your day: I get up so early now because my son is a very early morning person. I guess I would have to say my essentials are my comfy couch, the Today show and a good cup of coffee<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">F. Favorite color: Red<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">G. Gold or silver: Silver<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">H. Height: 5'4<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I. Instruments you play(ed): Piano<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">J. Job title: Mom<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">K. Kids: 1 baby girl in heaven and 2 little boys here with me<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">L. Live: Nebraska<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">M. Mom’s name: Florence<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">N. Nicknames: Jen, Rosen, honey, mommy<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">O. Overnight hospital stays: Had eye surgery when I was 2.5 and have had 2 c-sections<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">P. Pet peeves: Clothes/things smelling like cigarette smoke, mean people<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Q. Quote from a movie: Because I can't think of another one..."Lieutenant Dan, ice cream!"<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">R. Righty or lefty: Right<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">S. Siblings: 1 sister, 2 years younger<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">T. Time you wake up: Whenever Ry does<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">U. Underwear: Yes<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">V. Vegetables you don’t like: Not a huge fan of peas, hate mushrooms, greens, lima beans<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">W.What makes you run late: My kids<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">X. X-rays you’ve had: Dental, wrist, back, knee, ankle, foot, HSG<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Y. Yummy food you make: Homemade lasagna, sauce and spaghetti noodles (oh and triple chocolate brownies)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Z. Zoo animal favorites: Penguins<br /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-41885395714915884302011-02-20T07:00:00.006-06:002011-09-07T13:55:01.594-05:00Please pray for an old friend of mine<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(62, 55, 51); font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; " >I have a friend from high school who desperately needs our prayers. K was pregnant with twin girls and not due until April 1st but had to deliver the girls early due to a very bad infection. After the twins were born healthy, K was diagnosed with influenza A which had infected her heart. She had to be transferred to a different hospital and is now on an ECMO machine that is working for her heart and lungs.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(62, 55, 51); font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; " >Would you please pray for complete healing for her heart and lungs? In addition to the twins just born, K and her husband also have 2 little girls at home. Would you please pray for K's family, especially her husband and the girls?</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" >Thank you so much,<br />Jen</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" >ps- Would you please pass along this prayer request if you have a prayer chain or something similar? She needs a lot of prayers right now.<br /></span></span></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-40690504182966691742011-02-12T22:25:00.005-06:002011-02-12T22:33:40.683-06:00Tastefully Simple<p>Did you know that I am a Tastefully Simple consultant? Those who know me best know that I LOVE all of our yummy, easy to prepare products!</p><p>I <i>just</i> got home from our regional conference in Kansas City and I am so excited to share all the new Spring/Summer products with you! If you want to party with me just pop me a message! The first week in March is the BEST time to hold a party because you can take advantage of 2 selling seasons. Yes, that's right. For one whole week you can purchase any of our going-away Fall/Winter line AND our brand new Spring/Summer products!</p><p>If you want more information about our easy to use, make-you-look-like-a-rock-star-chef products just check out my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.tastefullysimple.com/web/jmarshall">website</a> (click there or <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.tastefullysimple.com/web/jmarshall">here</a>) or email me at tastefullyjen(at)netzero(dot)net.</p><p>I had a blast at our conference but I am tired and going to sleep! Good night and happy shopping!</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-25463858489510742112011-02-02T18:31:00.004-06:002011-02-02T18:45:06.382-06:00Women of Faith<p>Have any of you ever gone to a Women of Faith conference? If so, you know how absolutely amazingly awesome it is, it's life changing!</p><p>I am so excited that the Women of Faith <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/2011-events/omaha/">Over the Top</a> conference is coming to Omaha in August! Yes, just an hour away from where I live! </p><p>I am going to organized a group of women like I do every year. If you are in the area and would like to join us, contact me! If you don't live near Omaha, you can click <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/2011-events/">here </a>to find a conference near you!</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-42829460137415321072011-01-27T21:51:00.010-06:002011-09-07T13:56:46.246-05:00Our Adoption Story<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">For those who have been around a while I apologize for the repeat. I am linking up with <a href="http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/">Kelly's Korner</a> and this weeks "Show us your life" is Tell Us Your Adoption Story. So here is mine.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">My story starts with my first pregnancy. My baby girl was born back in August 2006. Her name was Madelyn Rose and she was born full-term after a very long labor that resulted in a c-section. Everything went from happy to absolutely devastating the moment she was born. She had very serious birth defects which were the result of a genetic condition called Pfeiffer Syndrome Type II. She was whisked away to the NICU while I was being sewn up. About 3 hours after her birth and a very negative CAT scan of her brain (she had very little brain tissue), Patrick and I made the hardest decision of our lives and removed her from the ventilator. We took her back to our room and held her until she passed away the next morning.<br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J0hAInqfdknk2MKRhl5eCQLpfeolXmvN-KQcL6UPSVftNS4XEfvdLfyUu2WciR0N81XmRUSpYSO4lySFG2SS6wH3R1sXNQ6t1irk2tdIqq2nYgSCw2pCbGyhX6CVKck0lY2Qcw/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J0hAInqfdknk2MKRhl5eCQLpfeolXmvN-KQcL6UPSVftNS4XEfvdLfyUu2WciR0N81XmRUSpYSO4lySFG2SS6wH3R1sXNQ6t1irk2tdIqq2nYgSCw2pCbGyhX6CVKck0lY2Qcw/s320/IMG_1294.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567085231853403362" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J0hAInqfdknk2MKRhl5eCQLpfeolXmvN-KQcL6UPSVftNS4XEfvdLfyUu2WciR0N81XmRUSpYSO4lySFG2SS6wH3R1sXNQ6t1irk2tdIqq2nYgSCw2pCbGyhX6CVKck0lY2Qcw/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">It was a very hard recovery process both mentally and physically and a year later we found out that we were expecting another little one. Around 7 weeks I started spotting and went into my doctor's office "just to be safe". I had an ultrasound and they could see no baby, just a mass of cells. Again the wind was knocked out of me and time just blurred together as we started talking about mutant cells, cancer and a D&C. I had my D&C on Patrick's 29th birthday and waited anxiously for the results. They came back in a couple weeks as a Partial Molar Pregnancy which is where 2 sperm fertilized one egg at exactly the same time. It results in 3 sets of genetic material which is why the cells went crazy. I had to monitor my levels until they went to zero and then we had to wait 6 months from then to try to get pregnant again.<br /><br />We started trying again for a few months but weren't able to get pregnant and it was starting to take it's toll on me. There wasn't anything wrong with either of us and we were still within the normal time frame for the "average" couple to get pregnant but it was so overwhelming. We started to feel God's call to adopt. We both always <i>knew</i> that we would adopt, we knew before we got married that adoption would be part of our family plan. What we didn't know was the timing of <i>when</i> we would adopt. We thought it would be after we had our biological children, but God had other plans.<br /><br />So, in September 2009 we submitted our application to adopt a baby from South Korea. We were open to some minor medical conditions so only 6 months later we saw our handsome son's picture for the first time. B was perfectly healthy but had just recently healed from a broken arm so he was considered to have a special need. We just knew he was our son and, after waiting the obligatory 24 hours, we excitedly accepted the referral.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">The next few months were filled with a lot of preparation and paperwork and by early July 2009 we knew we were getting close! Early July was also the time where I started to feel a little off. I wasn't sure what was going on so I took a few pregnancy tests and they came back negative. I was a little late but we were trying to NOT get pregnant per the adoption agencies guidelines. The morning of July 9th I awoke early and couldn't get back to sleep. I slipped quietly out of the bedroom and took another pregnancy test. I sort of knew something was going on but was COMPLETELY shocked to see a faint 2nd line. I wish I could say I was overjoyed but my first reaction was fear.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">We weren't supposed to get pregnant while in process and our son wasn't home yet, I was worried they wouldn't let us adopt him. I ran downstairs and called my mom in tears. She was overjoyed and I remember telling her that I suspected we would get our long awaited travel call that day. I'm pretty sure I woke P up at that point and told him our news. He was still home at 9:30am when our phone rang and it was our social worker telling us our son, B, would be escorted home to us in 3 days!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBERvL10wfeeNCYOqaZX9-HTMg0_u-58aZtKjR-nxd1z05gGUWvbi3KXeapDJD3AcFmrjWHatWehnhOiQ0d66nDMsXsHCrbayK0WIqo0iJil-BjotSlp0izL_uwYcr1NQGRshgA/s320/IMG_1733.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567085221096565730" /></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 16px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">Brandon came hom</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">e on July 10th and our</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "> son, Ryan, was born March 8th. They are a little over 18 months apart but arrived into our family only 8 months apart. It has been a wonderfully busy time and I wouldn't trade it for the world. My two little boys are my world and I love them both so much. For those who may be curious, I feel exactly the same about both boys regardless of how they became mine!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNUOOjoEROvr6pmqS4BbH4mCJ5s22libPo4c1Em2gL3XqTVngH2S0Kq1p7zr07bKT5FONkbp-8m-llrWGbuaFTycF_yXaw0GYRnSDKZYDkFC_BLfAmdejEhy_y1b-B1h-0LZWMg/s320/DSCN0897.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567085227685161730" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; color: rgb(59, 47, 31); line-height: 23px; ">What's next for our family? I am not exactly sure. I would love to get pregnant again but would also love to adopt. God hasn't revealed his plan for what's next just yet but I know that, whatever He wants for us, He will provide a way!<br /></span></div></span></span><div></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-30017325844658887932011-01-25T15:29:00.004-06:002011-01-25T15:33:40.497-06:00I Heart Faces - Innocent Wonder<div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">This is my first time entering a photo in the I Heart Faces challenge. When I saw the theme I immediately thought of this photo.</p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCe0rTbSQuEsyYoQ8x_xMHhcd1Nh-NWxW5-CmcXGbchRJ53mFao6aD6wpQuV3e8hLpJuYgjU_92gwnCnhxrE1Rmi5WimeWBLvjCzf1a1j4hc2O4UyXIYgUmIknwtDNdaNg8OB7zg/s1600/DSCN2341.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCe0rTbSQuEsyYoQ8x_xMHhcd1Nh-NWxW5-CmcXGbchRJ53mFao6aD6wpQuV3e8hLpJuYgjU_92gwnCnhxrE1Rmi5WimeWBLvjCzf1a1j4hc2O4UyXIYgUmIknwtDNdaNg8OB7zg/s400/DSCN2341.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566239131290276914" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCe0rTbSQuEsyYoQ8x_xMHhcd1Nh-NWxW5-CmcXGbchRJ53mFao6aD6wpQuV3e8hLpJuYgjU_92gwnCnhxrE1Rmi5WimeWBLvjCzf1a1j4hc2O4UyXIYgUmIknwtDNdaNg8OB7zg/s1600/DSCN2341.JPG"></a><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Click on their badge below to get more information!</p><center><a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/" mce_href="http://www.iheartfaces.com"><img src="http://www.iheartfaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/I_Heart_Faces_Photography_125.jpg" mce_src="http://www.iheartfaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/I_Heart_Faces_Photography_125.jpg" /></a></center><br /><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-73709003935727646132011-01-23T19:09:00.005-06:002011-01-23T19:31:43.272-06:00Anatomy of a one-sided snowball fight<div style="text-align: center;">Take one adorably bundled up 2 year old</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S8YVsDgTpI-GEPf2TLvIA7YKSRU7HvRK29kzT3s1pozeS8XhLCbk3jqcREUoq7EXZdPAdT2r6KY0h_RNJFaE6fLZiwgNBf1tNQI-0PKUpLGbHeNzSX0K0bvCG-Alpay6hrK6qw/s320/IMG_0359.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565554527270306450" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Add in a cute 10 month old brother on the inside of the window</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YarLHVilRDOiLe2wry9QfpGT_FMwZn-vle6sR7m1ozRrFnobeMaW01hQxU2Zt-6_OZjC2tU8n5ekMVcICa-B_qr2HKi2MrQ-g_tqvKeKSslXih38Jga6QxZmCXy_lDiQTMh_fQ/s320/IMG_0375.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565554528439247970" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A little scheming with Daddy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWceUeV7KVizyhOD_HwoZJ0mWSkcJaoqBpHXJhYO5Iip4YmwUAf_cGZ39XZ_EcK8yu-Ge1dpEzue_XRmGudY1f7qyN12SBmkTQCaJJ6nM_H26i2NRFvA9zALZDHasyHDIsayFrQ/s320/IMG_0363.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565554531949692354" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">And a quick snow ball making lesson</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t68fW6oghh23d97hCBeysqcPVZpTgcvXWhbOVwqqIeovQuUBd-7DgV3s0WSN4UD34jOaLFYZN3e5V7y2u9PUwWKzdmM-oYG2PoPnD4Hom9mU-3UcyZharJrtjrFP6upfV_2aNQ/s320/IMG_0367.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565554529891953426" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Look out Ryan, here it comes!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcXRDoqp0JXjMn-JQx32sg8qnYOi3OVet1ISGShRYpQ5vB_fU_5GQlSj_4LtmztnzTxqeQK0dF62PyEnthAANcRojGZfesQTXNaLaaFu4xI5XUjtCvj-zf0ndzDbgLNNdAS8fIg/s320/IMG_0425.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565555523202089202" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ready</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aydA122dXKioR2T3qQobV-1_yVhC0sI5IKDs0S9KS4jIb10FFQXuGQHkMPafq5r_T8qhmRC05RR88G2Zk2TvqteOJK8cTD94AEJS16_QeOqFKD7bVQr2mAZHM6TpMmTxXtYiRw/s320/IMG_0391.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565554536077391250" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Set</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih51hUvvcQjZOX8n8RKXvSNIuQIwHkTLqaX_p4y334F9A2ssxxV3EoW81cGKVk4PySwVN8QTeB3Sr7kcWj2cGmG_HwtclP6t7Bp7-s1xjLIHnPQcR9_sXSfXOU_rY9Bq9S_bSjxA/s320/IMG_0416.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565555503488454962" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Throw!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOrVJXr_FCOc-nO9-5zm85fPeJpIVD_V0ap8dx_u619iHO4o_wW_l7ELy8IU9ealsgs9z6R71lu-bBxHVV8ECn7ueNBozIERBrhycmLexJizTvT9qXH4-8G-Kj3qY7HmJNBq69A/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOrVJXr_FCOc-nO9-5zm85fPeJpIVD_V0ap8dx_u619iHO4o_wW_l7ELy8IU9ealsgs9z6R71lu-bBxHVV8ECn7ueNBozIERBrhycmLexJizTvT9qXH4-8G-Kj3qY7HmJNBq69A/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOrVJXr_FCOc-nO9-5zm85fPeJpIVD_V0ap8dx_u619iHO4o_wW_l7ELy8IU9ealsgs9z6R71lu-bBxHVV8ECn7ueNBozIERBrhycmLexJizTvT9qXH4-8G-Kj3qY7HmJNBq69A/s320/IMG_0431.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565555509101146146" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Good thing there's glass between us!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOrVJXr_FCOc-nO9-5zm85fPeJpIVD_V0ap8dx_u619iHO4o_wW_l7ELy8IU9ealsgs9z6R71lu-bBxHVV8ECn7ueNBozIERBrhycmLexJizTvT9qXH4-8G-Kj3qY7HmJNBq69A/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG"></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBE2O9YpzIu9EXj693nDcg314LSFoVHT4MziVO3XRiRwWmJNxeP92NxbFm-8nEi4nz6_EjD6lT1exwt3yT5Ko2ICG6Kwx8ltZus2xMZHddII7rJDdipviNKOOksx4fGrOLcNVGnA/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565555514772543778" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The final results is one very pleased 2-year old!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYtl0gsCabONPl07-8AR3BrgI_YRyAym0JkuJiO_5-ZayBWpu6pysGWH6SYjPMxuwVxKYyWjBxOCYdOXXJIesMS06oiyrDEHGF1wt3CK1yTHQ_OfQ0ezilR8kMBjhTyjcM9WMg/s320/IMG_0406.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565555523332671074" /></div><div><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-6140087598914136822011-01-19T18:43:00.005-06:002011-01-19T20:01:09.420-06:00Now for something completely different!I thought I would lighten it up on my blog and just answer some fun questions! So here you go!<br /><br /><b>Are you a morning or night person?</b><br />I am naturally a night person. I would rather be going to bed than getting up at 4am. Since having kids I guess I have become a morning person (Ry likes to get up at 5am)! Can't wait until they are teenagers so we can all sleep in until noon.<br /><br /><b>Which do you prefer, sweet or salty foods?<br /></b>I have an enormous sweet tooth! Although there is something to be said for the sweet salty foods like chocolate covered pretzels and the new M&M pretzel things!<br /><br /><b>Are you a collector of anything?<br /></b>I'm not a huge collector...the only thing I would say I collect are the JCPenney snow globes they give out on black Friday every year. I have one for every year back to 2001<br /><br /><b>If you could have any superpower, what would it be?<br /></b>I'm not sure if this counts as a superpower but I would love to be able to teleport so I could go home and see my family any time I wanted<br /><br /><b>What's your favorite color?<br /></b>I love the color red but I LOVE to wear black<div><br /></div><div><b>Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?</b></div><div>I'm not sure but I am definitely scared if there is</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you believe in ghosts?</b></div><div>Yes, although Patrick probably just cringed when I wrote that because he doesn't.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ever been addicted to a video/computer game? Which one(s)? </b></div><div>Right now I love to play scrabble and angry birds. A few years ago I was obsessed with Dance Dance Revolution (and lost a lot of weight doing it) and then after that it was Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones</div><div><br /></div><div><b>You're given 1 million dollars, what do you spend it on? </b></div><div>I would pay off my house, Patrick's car and student loans and buy myself a minivan. Put some money into the kid's college funds and then give some to my family to help them</div><div><br /></div><div><b>List 1 thing you wish you could change about yourself</b></div><div>I wish I had more self-confidence and wasn't so hard on myself </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Any tattoos or piercings?</b></div><div>Just pierced ears. Although I would love to get my tongue pierced and get a tattoo. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What's the first thing you notice in the opposite sex?</b></div><div>Their teeth</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Are you mostly a clean or messy person?</b></div><div>I used to be a clean person but have learned to live in more of a mess since we have kids </div><div><br /></div><div><b>If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?</b></div><div>Within 30 minutes of my parents</div><div><br /></div><div><b>If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?</b></div><div>Hawaii or Italy</div><div><br /></div><div><b>List 5 goals on your life's to-do list</b></div><div>Graduate college (check)</div><div>Get married (check)</div><div>Have children (check)</div><div>Jump out of an airplane (check)</div><div>Run a marathon </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid</b></div><div>Having no adult responsibilities</div><div><br /><b>What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?</b></div><div>Take a nap </div><div><br /></div><div><b>If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?</b></div><div>1. To win a huge amount of $ in the lottery</div><div>2. That my kids will live a long healthy life and die of old age when they are 100</div><div>3. That my husband and I will live a long healthy life and die of old age when we are 100</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are still with me, thanks! Have a great night!</div><div><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-9801666926593852862011-01-15T10:11:00.010-06:002011-01-19T20:52:06.503-06:00Nostalgia**If you are visiting here from Comforted by God, welcome! And a big thanks to Carrie for highlighting my blog on hers. If you haven't read her blog, check it out <a href="http://comfortedbygod.blogspot.com/"><b>here</b></a>. She is a beautiful child of God and an amazing writer. I wish I could write the way she does.**<br /><div><p>For some reason Maddie has been on my mind so much lately. I thought I would re-tell her story through pictures, I hope you don't mind. If you want to read her whole story click <a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/2010/08/madelyn-rose.html">here</a>.</p><p><a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/2010/08/madelyn-rose.html"></a></p></div><div>The beginning: 12/27/05 - We're going to have a baby!</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qjzS4Mg216ius21novJdg0iXKNpcs3qZtU7nYoEsHelJyNG8wNY7fqRPk15P1Cb7RKh-ij5bquOoPF3tEj-zC-cL6GauYzooLBGZfcddM0cHzyvBDl-wGSubvVg4L4mmKRMlmg/s320/SlideShow1.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564093661142309762" /><div><br /><div>Starting to show! (I have a ton of pregnant belly pics but I will hold back and just post 2)</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTkZ-3l4Tg9FBZXF1KcotlMTXU3zXIeJA94HsyQmz-U8YXPdPbVz9K_-Auo9okaFnxEnygQCbLdrsYEhvvPSQX99Y4wp-Q9WiO_D5XmloUQte2WPhHBDFCBpbR5uc06GhkAk2WA/s320/SlideShow10.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564093663303845746" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Almost there (one week before she was born)</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bKa0N4k5bWcqj3_wjpv_IYZ6SRv3gwdtbrpTx1mQrGZnxogzIIHEJe7VuyDkJ7Bk0ynZq_D-QlMUvGMTqRHtgzKPNDdKfk68x2gCuYV0nkQFY-BK4S6_9Q8gvxPGhWzyP5rf0w/s320/SlideShow20.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564093666228204226" /></div><div><br /></div><div>In labor - look how excited we were. I'll call this picture the "before"</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvHLFtVo07gaQBYzrc6JZZ-eNKygwsvdEk44jDAAB-DOtoLscglq6NGhe0EDfApYcu-g_DKuKbL-y2YgYCHCIDDS2YeE2ZbxW1MTG9pDTNXuOyxUkKA7J0BLNOI54EshwNvZtdw/s320/SlideShow21_2.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564093674647158978" /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is in the NICU - my first time holding her. This is the "after"</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIF7aKd649gLc3ElGRUjfZLHXNcYJ_pDq5p3uwKoFMS2vL3rfLJOmoCuctfmKt6CUrqgZS4IVqW0kik6AE3zgYbuAhifZXoLXYgoQRZMIc7tF8x4ps4bQO8BWyZJCGyeyThim1lQ/s320/SlideShow25.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564093677361402418" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Our little peanut on her vent</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfElwtCRFuApVwAgdg18NGYSn2Gj0BOaarUbNBxxS6Fb00XDypz9qv3n7NHr4OaVr1pp0CM_GzPA8SQtmQhDrtnpyGbPsVYyhqiZJaexswR0Imeq2epncuuxfsly5JSB6WRnm2g/s320/SlideShow24.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564094578836348610" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Daddy holding her for the first time. This one just breaks my heart.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayqwooiMqexunUJ8DxYnXHUWWXVL61FsFdHowFEl03K6Y38iMGvrROPD8BOY2fbLXhy-BGVT7asuiPGBgWApM1lNhCTagtJ227MS_2O0k9MJt2iSRBizsENLFWhb-XW86xBI3iw/s1600/SlideShow24.JPG"></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XZSPh1eWx5fgcyqIBCCb_a6yBrTy9UoIwO3UugIKlsLbrI2C-HReJ1gB8tpGzC6vssjq1q155d6k-C3gGJRpQSJnbO9saZw1svvfuJ6707mByLfky-R8fWR7AxGsmsnDyoUvMg/s320/SlideShow26.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564094400132905778" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Soon after this picture was taken we removed her from the ventilator and took her back to our room where she lived through the night, saw the dawn of a new day and passed away in my arms only 14 hours after she was born. Again if you want to read the whole story go <a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/2010/08/madelyn-rose.html">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>2 years after we lost Madelyn we began the adoption of our son, B. The story of his adoption starts <a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-husband-doesnt-actually-think-i-will.html">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The day were got the long-awaited travel call that B was coming home we were surprised to find out that I was expecting. R's story starts <a href="http://ingodstimenotmine.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-been-long-time.html">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for visiting my blog!</div><div><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-42363536909179068592011-01-10T22:12:00.004-06:002011-01-10T22:15:55.399-06:00Designer Blogs<p>A while ago I won a free blog make over by Designer Blogs (Check them out <a href="http://www.designerblogs.com/">here</a>). They were so great to work with and I love my blog design! They are having a huge giveaway in celebration of their 2nd anniversary. If you have a blog you should go check them out!</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-92056618844065071182011-01-05T20:40:00.006-06:002011-01-05T21:26:39.490-06:00God Gave Us So Much by Lisa Tawn Bergren<div>I recently found out about this awesome program with WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group where, in exchange for an honest review, I get free copies of books! This is my first book review, so I hope I do it well!<div><br /></div><div>The first book I chose is actually 3 books in one...how great is that? <i>God Gave Us So Much</i> by Lisa Tawn Bergren is actually made up of 3 different books: <i>God Gave Us the World</i>, <i>God Gave Us Love</i> and <i>God Gave Us Heaven</i>. I really liked all 3 books, although I think my 2 year old is still a little young for the amount of words and details in each story. In each story a polar bear named Little Cub learns about God during conversations with her mother, grandpa, and father.</div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnjV1Iox76xo6UXgfuWeWyI0pBIrCwvUZBoHttrBEGS9PGfjcLSo1UP8_JQUbQ3eQR1IJx7EXUqeDhWw3zU11-phstImH2Ln3S5s2_gBZIvTqpAQjh6YKh5VgU7mlczA02tE-gw/s1600/god.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnjV1Iox76xo6UXgfuWeWyI0pBIrCwvUZBoHttrBEGS9PGfjcLSo1UP8_JQUbQ3eQR1IJx7EXUqeDhWw3zU11-phstImH2Ln3S5s2_gBZIvTqpAQjh6YKh5VgU7mlczA02tE-gw/s200/god.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558908914792647042" /></a><br /><br /><div>In <i>God Gave Us the World,</i> Little Cub learns that God created this great big world full of very different places, cultures, and people. She learns that God is able to do big things and that we should appreciate and take care of the world that God created.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <i>God Gave Us Love,</i> Little Cub learns that God created us to love one another, even when we don't always want to. Her grandpa teaches her about the different kinds of love that God gives us (between a husband and wife, friends, etc), and that by loving one another we are actually showing just how much God loves us. One of the best parts of this story is the explanation of "faith" her grandpa gives when she questions how we know God loves us when we can't see God.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <i>God Gave Us Heaven,</i> Little Cub learns from her father about how wonderful heaven will be. Her father uses a bridge (Jesus) metaphor to explain how we get from this world to heaven which is such a neat visual for little kids. This story handles what could be a very tender topic very well and thoughtfully.</div><div><br /></div><div>In each of these stories, there is room for more details of God and the bible to be added. They are very "open," and do a great job talking about God's creativity and imagination. They don't just tell kids exactly how God is with no room for further discussion. Instead, they invite kids to think for themselves about what God is like. In my opinion that makes them a great starting point for me to talk to my children about God. I cannot wait until my son gets just a little older and can really start to understand this book (again, it is a bit above a 2 year old's comprehension level). This is definitely a book that will stay in our library for a very long time!<br /><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-14276971479812662282010-12-31T21:58:00.005-06:002011-01-10T09:47:40.668-06:002010 recap<p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre">T</span>his year has gone by so quickly! I just want to take a minute to remember all the good things that happened in 2010:</p><p>My cousin, Amy, came to stay with us for 3 short months (Jan - Mar) to help out during the end of my pregnancy and then after Ryan was born</p><p>Ryan came screaming into the world on March 8th (and hasn't stopped since)!</p><p>My mom was able to be here for Ryan's birth</p><p>I turned 34 in March</p><p>Brandon's adoption was finalized in April!</p><p>We took our first road trip to Kentucky with both boys in May and they got to meet our awesome family at Patrick's family reunion</p><p>We celebrated Brandon's first gotcha day on July 10th</p><p>We took our first plane trip with both boys at the end of July to see my family in PA</p><p>Both boys saw the ocean/spent time on the beach in August in Ocean City, NJ</p><p>Brandon turned 2 in August</p><p>Patrick turned 32 in October</p><p>Brandon took 2nd place in his age division at our town's Halloween costume contest</p><p>Patrick flew to Pensacola on Oct 31st and then he and my mother-in-love made the long 2-day drive back here</p><p>My MIL moved half-way across the country to be closer to us and her grandsons (ok I know it's mostly the grandson's)!</p><p>We had a great Thanksgiving with the Elliott family (and the Elliott family's aunt/sister's family)</p><p>We flew back to PA with both boys at the beginning of Dec and the boys and I were able to spend 2 weeks with my family! (unfortunately Patrick had to fly home after only 3 days due to a death in the church).</p><p>Had an awesome Christmas with my MIL and the boys</p><p>Just had a great dinner and fellowship time with our friends, Val and Jim and my MIL to celebrate the New Year!</p><p>Whew, that seems like a lot in one year, but it was great! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us in 2011, maybe another little blessing...we'll see!</p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-15849392357907216802010-12-25T10:54:00.007-06:002011-01-10T21:29:18.013-06:00Christmas morning (in pictures)!<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHUm_Wa6RY82Uzhq6F2D6WxxiLrXse4J1RpZMg-OHMZRMfLKl31KNIbEXx0JHzOo458kOWNVzZofG0ghAz4e0tX80BLqCkBG-RUtJ4O9xnO5k8Ds7cvc5-5FeXLPMHxyQ47qJmg/s1600/100_0200.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHUm_Wa6RY82Uzhq6F2D6WxxiLrXse4J1RpZMg-OHMZRMfLKl31KNIbEXx0JHzOo458kOWNVzZofG0ghAz4e0tX80BLqCkBG-RUtJ4O9xnO5k8Ds7cvc5-5FeXLPMHxyQ47qJmg/s200/100_0200.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554666736084090466" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp12YAG9A8FXc8n3ifDmdz67e5eLPpXjTqXsdHykNPa5iBw1n2TCJz5ZG65LH_D9a0RtUqWFhWq0K0avTaf8gLgjYdMHD4ZzJiGWYcWgoSex9DP5OPgn3jippeFP7uQSjI5lMmA/s200/100_0197.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554666723867376834" /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitB2d3Y-qCVmXxkXflpQ1_hz0U0qLyNrQCAXv4x_044zRn36zl5LNBhr1SVdFwsw9zUhwZdotDdm-n4N-pzAbE8LzsAUOt0vGfRzxL6Aua-9g4OjNS1M1UhJsaaHRZM8HVTfFjng/s1600/100_0191.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitB2d3Y-qCVmXxkXflpQ1_hz0U0qLyNrQCAXv4x_044zRn36zl5LNBhr1SVdFwsw9zUhwZdotDdm-n4N-pzAbE8LzsAUOt0vGfRzxL6Aua-9g4OjNS1M1UhJsaaHRZM8HVTfFjng/s200/100_0191.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554666686997506498" /></a> </div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMjOGSOYPSY464Y6zB8tPrjOHZDfhDuaygpAVRAGbmQyu4ffLy73NiZfaJCmat8NLc46kUiBcBlLKmtqtMDrqdWuXklWQn18qnP_XJXcMtINZCNKQqtAFJ_rG8KzZJk4s2AkAdg/s200/100_0132.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554665685391338914" /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vXTCZMeEM4M9TzN6egrrZ0yPiFk7EB64mlfertmdCKeMdbrCYCpuORJ8SvzCFuU31epQUJ4detoU3Qob9res2FD5FP0sy1h7lYtxB4Tm_Oy1gnaPnXuFUvmPmGndy5o_hQNITQ/s1600/100_0151.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vXTCZMeEM4M9TzN6egrrZ0yPiFk7EB64mlfertmdCKeMdbrCYCpuORJ8SvzCFuU31epQUJ4detoU3Qob9res2FD5FP0sy1h7lYtxB4Tm_Oy1gnaPnXuFUvmPmGndy5o_hQNITQ/s200/100_0151.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554665688354280290" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiai3BO5HPuVMTqHuNfclzuze3qcFiMqUCWF7n0yYa-QeRP-faWZsjsnmzwZCxKmLmwno6JDr4lfs-ni4wkU__1N1iv4fKs5gFgP-8YawEtyJNcs6StryoaYcWYArLv58lxf4My0g/s200/100_0124.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554665680992382834" /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCzAfX5puMcNPDO2XuM7368TYuol4ksn4pKacg7fi2g31LaKV8OLadstIyV0LfAcT_W5acyuIZZzeTDMqR81u7SfRGdWw48xBIZTfQoZHw0pKFIVRGJrvossfhg3vjCn_EqzTYQ/s200/100_0216.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554666677286738434" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1dmZZw-WRjXso8PHrsCe6H0a8jdx-AYuTcHA4CRq-v_awEgKH7fui4KYqlFHZsQqkVOl4AXuG7JKtZyaLMK1B_Ymfnh9PUpBVnS9lY3UpOjz50pA5xmTWRpFqrv6_pEfyrmdxQ/s200/100_0202.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554665669521553202" /></div><br /><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-55813828133715659162010-12-24T22:48:00.004-06:002010-12-24T22:51:15.701-06:00Merry Christmas<div>The boys are both sleeping, less than 2 hours until Christmas! It will be Brandon's 2nd Christmas with us and Ryan's 1st! I am excited to see B open all his presents tomorrow! Ryan will probably not get it too much but I'm sure all the paper and excitement will make him happy!</div><div><br /></div><div>MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFhGZLghHNv2nP8qFFTe8CYVkdbGL6hlDMKyNGKkrmV4tKIsyPRf2zUdI6znPOJiCG0mYh-_6Zr8d_xhy-wmODDx-hOHlVirCA1cuC_-ODDIOhQYFD27Dq3J-tTyU4tgJBa-QLA/s1600/scan0009.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFhGZLghHNv2nP8qFFTe8CYVkdbGL6hlDMKyNGKkrmV4tKIsyPRf2zUdI6znPOJiCG0mYh-_6Zr8d_xhy-wmODDx-hOHlVirCA1cuC_-ODDIOhQYFD27Dq3J-tTyU4tgJBa-QLA/s200/scan0009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554477336920408690" /></a><br /><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-8958582366934846572010-12-04T16:40:00.003-06:002011-09-07T13:55:51.532-05:00Check out my new pictures!<p>I am doing something for the first time. It's been 4 years since my baby girl died and I have never posted a full facial picture of her on my blog. Why? Well I guess I just wasn't ready to share her. I was also afraid someone would be shocked by her deformities and say something awful. So, please don't. She is my beautiful girl and I just wanted to share her with you.</p><p>Love,</p><p>Jen</p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-14629131414378684032010-11-23T08:50:00.006-06:002010-11-23T19:21:35.492-06:00It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I LOVE Christmas!</span></span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 22px; ">I always dreamed of sending Christmas cards with my children's pictures on them. When I was pregnant with Maddie I couldn't wait to send our first photo card. The Christmas after she was born and died I didn't send out any Christmas cards because I was *supposed* to be sending a card with her beautiful picture on it and I couldn't, it just didn't feel *right*. (I actually didn't send any for the next 2 years either)</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-size: small;">Last Christmas I finally got my wish and was so excited to send our first family photo </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 22px; font-size: small; ">Christmas</span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-size: small;"> card. I cannot wait to order our cards for this year with pictures of both of our boys!</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Needless to say I was so excited when my blog-friend Adrienne posted on her blog that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Shutterfly</span> is giving 50 free cards away to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bloggers</span>! You can sign up <a href="http://bit.ly/sfly2010">here</a>. They are such awesome cards, so many good ones to pick from, I am having a hard time narrowing it down! Look at all the cute holiday cards <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards">here</a>!</span></span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-size: small;">I love their Christmas photo cards, they are so unique and different from the ones I was looking at in the stores, check them out </span></span><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards" style="line-height: 22px; font-size: small; font-family: arial; ">here</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >.</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; "> also LOVE their custom wall <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars">calendars</a>. S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; ">hh...don't tell anyone because they may be on Santa's list for the grandparents.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And, although we aren't having a big Christmas or New Year's Eve party, how cute are these holiday </span></span><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-invitations" style="font-size: small; font-family: arial; ">invitations</a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">?</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></span></div><div><o:p></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is so much more on their website so check it out!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; ">I c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 22px; ">an't wait to decide and see the finished product! I'll let you know which ones I pick!</span></div><div><div><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-89784794748285281822010-10-04T21:02:00.003-05:002010-10-04T21:07:59.010-05:00Fun pictures I've edited<p>I do not claim to be a professional but I have been having fun on picnik.com!</p>Enjoy my work!<div><br /></div><div>Ryan hanging out at the shore - July 2010</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQONEtD6w7-zjf9Pr6RaP2Zz1rORpaTQZZcwX-9D0IVdoHsevFXQeRylwlJ1rlBJhyyw_h8JbEh7ittvUN7vnyPHY3dwDQkxjU-xqLzltiskhHcV-zLGW4RqBcvvUkm25QYx0RvA/s1600/Ryan+July+2010+-+At+the+shore.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 163px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQONEtD6w7-zjf9Pr6RaP2Zz1rORpaTQZZcwX-9D0IVdoHsevFXQeRylwlJ1rlBJhyyw_h8JbEh7ittvUN7vnyPHY3dwDQkxjU-xqLzltiskhHcV-zLGW4RqBcvvUkm25QYx0RvA/s200/Ryan+July+2010+-+At+the+shore.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377313731370482" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQONEtD6w7-zjf9Pr6RaP2Zz1rORpaTQZZcwX-9D0IVdoHsevFXQeRylwlJ1rlBJhyyw_h8JbEh7ittvUN7vnyPHY3dwDQkxjU-xqLzltiskhHcV-zLGW4RqBcvvUkm25QYx0RvA/s1600/Ryan+July+2010+-+At+the+shore.jpg"></a>Froggy Ryan (1 month old)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_I5jVzYPZ_LPajX7FPR4GaUGRMFdoZqvhQntpwLawNTyobhQ9hPp2u-tPAsGvgZPIbys7PL_CxxJfoCgy18PcFPdHQVMy-eJzKFEEyR7XfTaLmY8ZclanPjNkS4FwiNNiKrt1A/s1600/Ryan+1+month+old.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_I5jVzYPZ_LPajX7FPR4GaUGRMFdoZqvhQntpwLawNTyobhQ9hPp2u-tPAsGvgZPIbys7PL_CxxJfoCgy18PcFPdHQVMy-eJzKFEEyR7XfTaLmY8ZclanPjNkS4FwiNNiKrt1A/s200/Ryan+1+month+old.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377313146235922" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_I5jVzYPZ_LPajX7FPR4GaUGRMFdoZqvhQntpwLawNTyobhQ9hPp2u-tPAsGvgZPIbys7PL_CxxJfoCgy18PcFPdHQVMy-eJzKFEEyR7XfTaLmY8ZclanPjNkS4FwiNNiKrt1A/s1600/Ryan+1+month+old.jpg"></a>Mommy & Ryan at Women of Faith<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnH_B4o94d6ClKn-q_gGURvRWZk2O4DPYmZAdr3ePHucZEji0HZLeyT6duUTsBUIivJxAcxpJmnBTOKdKigCed7bdk-L22FwO9kofpq5olXD3tjC21uIS9DwfeZO7-JzfHKsH6Mg/s1600/Mommy+and+Ryan+at+WOF.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnH_B4o94d6ClKn-q_gGURvRWZk2O4DPYmZAdr3ePHucZEji0HZLeyT6duUTsBUIivJxAcxpJmnBTOKdKigCed7bdk-L22FwO9kofpq5olXD3tjC21uIS9DwfeZO7-JzfHKsH6Mg/s200/Mommy+and+Ryan+at+WOF.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377130452229394" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnH_B4o94d6ClKn-q_gGURvRWZk2O4DPYmZAdr3ePHucZEji0HZLeyT6duUTsBUIivJxAcxpJmnBTOKdKigCed7bdk-L22FwO9kofpq5olXD3tjC21uIS9DwfeZO7-JzfHKsH6Mg/s1600/Mommy+and+Ryan+at+WOF.jpg"></a>Brandon's first glimpse of the ocean<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLqnBA2t3IyKGHGur_GG27tbwS2vL1MbztCbnE5gXTWDYEf05V_xPhhl_SXuGy2SbN4-dI1eI1wFu5FJscsW-V0Jp6jTHEgFbm9zPUZEnJvhhcEyvoYhumnfnqJRPcXO1Q5wIbQ/s1600/First+look+at+the+ocean.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLqnBA2t3IyKGHGur_GG27tbwS2vL1MbztCbnE5gXTWDYEf05V_xPhhl_SXuGy2SbN4-dI1eI1wFu5FJscsW-V0Jp6jTHEgFbm9zPUZEnJvhhcEyvoYhumnfnqJRPcXO1Q5wIbQ/s200/First+look+at+the+ocean.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377127950393330" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLqnBA2t3IyKGHGur_GG27tbwS2vL1MbztCbnE5gXTWDYEf05V_xPhhl_SXuGy2SbN4-dI1eI1wFu5FJscsW-V0Jp6jTHEgFbm9zPUZEnJvhhcEyvoYhumnfnqJRPcXO1Q5wIbQ/s1600/First+look+at+the+ocean.jpg"></a>Cowboy Brandon<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZcpUacb_UgRx8DX2hyKWO-HP6PuqnG-BjAt-cwoHjajsaF2fnNYidd6CZB0DfpK_kogWt0vt9bC__mkrv1KMmvX5d4M_20WayLCqvtBtAui1dsoIn1pRavxM8JxnxiHHKQmXag/s1600/Cowboy+Brandon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZcpUacb_UgRx8DX2hyKWO-HP6PuqnG-BjAt-cwoHjajsaF2fnNYidd6CZB0DfpK_kogWt0vt9bC__mkrv1KMmvX5d4M_20WayLCqvtBtAui1dsoIn1pRavxM8JxnxiHHKQmXag/s200/Cowboy+Brandon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377129868522690" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZcpUacb_UgRx8DX2hyKWO-HP6PuqnG-BjAt-cwoHjajsaF2fnNYidd6CZB0DfpK_kogWt0vt9bC__mkrv1KMmvX5d4M_20WayLCqvtBtAui1dsoIn1pRavxM8JxnxiHHKQmXag/s1600/Cowboy+Brandon.jpg"></a>Brandon's 2nd Birthday party (Elmo theme)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwVAXSVrhf7cieG2mLySvkhCH4IFmYlIx4xYZ5iYkE6TpgjrgAg_1NOg95hwKKthMPklWPqcW-GosbfpWEomMIBuGy-HavvKL3CmiNr5COC8gq1q6a1p9J3YqGqlY4tpO6iXgYA/s1600/Brandon's+Elmo+Birthday.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwVAXSVrhf7cieG2mLySvkhCH4IFmYlIx4xYZ5iYkE6TpgjrgAg_1NOg95hwKKthMPklWPqcW-GosbfpWEomMIBuGy-HavvKL3CmiNr5COC8gq1q6a1p9J3YqGqlY4tpO6iXgYA/s200/Brandon's+Elmo+Birthday.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377124793386722" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwVAXSVrhf7cieG2mLySvkhCH4IFmYlIx4xYZ5iYkE6TpgjrgAg_1NOg95hwKKthMPklWPqcW-GosbfpWEomMIBuGy-HavvKL3CmiNr5COC8gq1q6a1p9J3YqGqlY4tpO6iXgYA/s1600/Brandon's+Elmo+Birthday.jpg"></a>Brandon on his 2nd birthday<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pH6WtrVdzyQnnec9FiYEmYDrL4VjMXn5VhHBo3lcekOV54gg-V6AgT_BmB7gS646kWtyR8PrdpKdPCj9swvI-yxyH00TTL6DKiBmid-88IO9_ymrvCzLyUJ5npPwdHg6qIMMUQ/s1600/Brandon+Birthday+donut.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 146px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pH6WtrVdzyQnnec9FiYEmYDrL4VjMXn5VhHBo3lcekOV54gg-V6AgT_BmB7gS646kWtyR8PrdpKdPCj9swvI-yxyH00TTL6DKiBmid-88IO9_ymrvCzLyUJ5npPwdHg6qIMMUQ/s200/Brandon+Birthday+donut.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524377119082903730" /></a><p><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-36655073304170333162010-09-19T22:24:00.009-05:002010-10-04T21:21:27.487-05:00Sorry I've been quiet, here are some pictures!I know I haven't been around much but I've been a little busy with 2 little boys!<br />Here are some pictures from our recent photo shoot!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLM7YDRRtJg868YwfOElxe7ngl4_gjlnbxEBOHtA91ZU5B4pqBC3cuhHqPpifejK7Rfnc33p-xHFHcVidYzWdN1Z1BUBox7GU5-36wVY-L6OrZzAcFPGRVtZxiFSyQCZ9x1-amgQ/s1600/P27.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLM7YDRRtJg868YwfOElxe7ngl4_gjlnbxEBOHtA91ZU5B4pqBC3cuhHqPpifejK7Rfnc33p-xHFHcVidYzWdN1Z1BUBox7GU5-36wVY-L6OrZzAcFPGRVtZxiFSyQCZ9x1-amgQ/s200/P27.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518835828591024866" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyClJXL69GrixGHa2XcYnNx_h7iHwPKbxOtifRE9OL7_NYEkc9GmUKX5cr0g4HqmhFHUgUAK6u4ekCi9FSOaMbklwiAcpmOoCcPngHC06Zc_oD5i-gVt7SHzhE0qgHkFMZUwBR_Q/s1600/E13.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyClJXL69GrixGHa2XcYnNx_h7iHwPKbxOtifRE9OL7_NYEkc9GmUKX5cr0g4HqmhFHUgUAK6u4ekCi9FSOaMbklwiAcpmOoCcPngHC06Zc_oD5i-gVt7SHzhE0qgHkFMZUwBR_Q/s200/E13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518835192294366706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutdloAE3m0b16BA6rz5Yw6G4_534AV_oTKvrHXsVbKI0P4oGYdXmUQymexqLZujSIhIJhcDFiBAIRZM9SSy89ZT_l-w_dmMwGpadVF46XZuBm3mHTwteTml5IVXZi6B4KYlexwg/s1600/P25.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutdloAE3m0b16BA6rz5Yw6G4_534AV_oTKvrHXsVbKI0P4oGYdXmUQymexqLZujSIhIJhcDFiBAIRZM9SSy89ZT_l-w_dmMwGpadVF46XZuBm3mHTwteTml5IVXZi6B4KYlexwg/s200/P25.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518835159683394770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1itZDTQLydxuxj_YBcu3aUBo6pe0o56tXd56Kmocd_FdUkQWuWxRa1gSDxDPPmk0aYi432cqw50gRvZH5yRndPuSGc5KuNB0l5Ae5K6aqtvRinSz8jCJAk4Wsp9r_fLtcQ3mPg/s1600/P23.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1itZDTQLydxuxj_YBcu3aUBo6pe0o56tXd56Kmocd_FdUkQWuWxRa1gSDxDPPmk0aYi432cqw50gRvZH5yRndPuSGc5KuNB0l5Ae5K6aqtvRinSz8jCJAk4Wsp9r_fLtcQ3mPg/s200/P23.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518835152728181426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsBJsGfZfP4yBQkyZmymiT_F61h15DJgon4TrEPPKQQ_iJLgQNxioQkKze4RNHYLMReNbyxUyl3rjLzhp6fQvxXa63lOwGxGAfzwYifwYJl4WoxlDgYTPyPlkjQyaKsFBCJUb7Q/s1600/P15.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsBJsGfZfP4yBQkyZmymiT_F61h15DJgon4TrEPPKQQ_iJLgQNxioQkKze4RNHYLMReNbyxUyl3rjLzhp6fQvxXa63lOwGxGAfzwYifwYJl4WoxlDgYTPyPlkjQyaKsFBCJUb7Q/s200/P15.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518833515718814770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqMX0q6RutpAaFsXM4R37Um4ON_spIn-6eCWMTmQR1iFtdF9-YoJpr_CFo_YHbkThz7de09JLPx5DCrymrkNVHlZaOjLTaJtQ95bc8tFveeMWwVcsK06WP9th-TUEpVZfqmNJKQ/s1600/P11.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqMX0q6RutpAaFsXM4R37Um4ON_spIn-6eCWMTmQR1iFtdF9-YoJpr_CFo_YHbkThz7de09JLPx5DCrymrkNVHlZaOjLTaJtQ95bc8tFveeMWwVcsK06WP9th-TUEpVZfqmNJKQ/s200/P11.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518833504719613154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJowRTu7Nwthlpa5TnGv8rmoUKX2xgFs7eSDXpVbc6N-apnIfR0U_2DNd6aPU6ntPkXqo-V7F6yzf7B-ngqo_WtwCx2U-lyWxJGqxlg5cT_ay6TciiUKfIoN0ba7cQs6LykVSc0A/s1600/P9.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJowRTu7Nwthlpa5TnGv8rmoUKX2xgFs7eSDXpVbc6N-apnIfR0U_2DNd6aPU6ntPkXqo-V7F6yzf7B-ngqo_WtwCx2U-lyWxJGqxlg5cT_ay6TciiUKfIoN0ba7cQs6LykVSc0A/s200/P9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518833499724916034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7G5kvMESWpWXju8Qi_d5x2m4_w1SaBN63WWh-ZCyF_dRV8Ev4ynMxak8wj7yP1BQVyXGj2r6v-1MfJJpqwJbqh9WfMc1CfYBLxaSzWGb21NZAP6pKk-xGZ7E-n5hUyfGajoAcA/s1600/P6.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7G5kvMESWpWXju8Qi_d5x2m4_w1SaBN63WWh-ZCyF_dRV8Ev4ynMxak8wj7yP1BQVyXGj2r6v-1MfJJpqwJbqh9WfMc1CfYBLxaSzWGb21NZAP6pKk-xGZ7E-n5hUyfGajoAcA/s200/P6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518833488629955042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRMm9G4O4MAV7ta4ulSyMIMt3A-M2mETBpY_oRnjH9Kd4qhwWPABh1C8g11m_2plLJ0mpJHlwcBwtCFo9l_1e_OBRRC4PBx85cRYIQ1Hav4e1BTbZE3KNR08sC3FxaEBT5nF_rQ/s1600/P4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRMm9G4O4MAV7ta4ulSyMIMt3A-M2mETBpY_oRnjH9Kd4qhwWPABh1C8g11m_2plLJ0mpJHlwcBwtCFo9l_1e_OBRRC4PBx85cRYIQ1Hav4e1BTbZE3KNR08sC3FxaEBT5nF_rQ/s200/P4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518833476293586802" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="border:0;" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-25365000957868144792010-08-12T21:41:00.006-05:002012-08-09T23:35:46.525-05:00Madelyn RoseI just realized that I never told the full story of my first-born baby girl, Madelyn Rose. It all started in December of 2005 when I found out I was pregnant, we were going to be parents! We were beyond excited as were all our family and friends. This baby was going to be the 1st grandchild on both sides of our family and both our mom's were so ready to be grandmoms (well a Nonna and a Mimi but you get the picture).<br />
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My pregnancy was uneventful and I enjoyed every minute of it. We had an ultrasound early on to help confirm the due date and then 2 more at 13 and 16 weeks pregnant. Everything looked great so there was no reason to have another ultrasound. On August 8th we had dinner with good friends and I wasn't feeling well. I was so uncomfortable and went home and took a nice warm bath. I went to bed that night and was excited when I slept for 1.5 hours straight (by this point I was getting up every hour). When I stood up to walk to the bathroom my water broke. It was so loud that Patrick heard it! We went to enough of the birthing classes (yes, we dropped out after the first 2) to know that if my water breaks we just head to the hospital. I was only 37 weeks and 1 day along so we weren't really prepared and ran around throwing stuff into a bag! We arrived around 3:00am and immediately went up to L&D and got hooked up to all the monitors. The baby looked good and the contractions were coming along.<br />
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They weren't really painful so by 8:00am we started an IV of pitocin which increased my pain so much that by about 11 or so I was ready for the epidural! After that was placed things didn't really progress any quicker and I think I ended up stalling at 7cm dilated. Around 4 or 5 they did an ultrasound to find out why I wasn't progressing and that's when they first told us there was swelling in our baby's head. I started to freak out but my OB said that it could just be because the baby couldn't fit out and had been pressing on the bone for too long. He said we could continue for a while but he was pretty sure I needed a c-section. So, we decided to just go ahead with the surgery and within an hour I was being prepped and taking into the OR.<br />
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As soon as I was told I needed a c-section I started to panic a bit. I just wanted everything to be ok with my baby and was starting to worry that something was wrong. The surgery began and it all seemed normal. I have watched enough labor and delivery shows on TV to sort of know what to expect. All of a sudden a haunting silence came over the entire OR and someone said that she was born but nothing else. There was no cry, no words. Patrick stood up to see her and he was pushed back down. I'm not sure exactly what happened after that. I know I was just crying out "she's not crying, why isn't she crying?". Crying out over and over again. Patrick told me that eventually he was brought over to where she was and was told that she was very deformed. He told them he didn't care, she was his daughter and he wanted to see her now.<br />
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He left the OR and followed her to the NICU while I was mercifully sedated for the remainder of the surgery. I woke up in recovery with Patrick in front of me, crying and telling me that our daughter was very sick. I asked to see her and they told me I had to wait, that I could see her after I calmed down and my blood pressure was better. Um, no...there would be no waiting for anything so they wheeled me down to the NICU and I was able to see my precious Madelyn Rose. She was on a ventilator and her face was very deformed. Her eyes were protruding out of the sockets, she had swelling in her cheeks and the top of her head was very elongated but she was MINE. My beautiful, first-born, much loved, very desired baby girl. Born Aug 9, 2006 at 6:11pm: 7lbs, 13oz.<br />
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I'm not sure the exact order but, at some point they said they wanted to take her for a CAT scan of her brain. Before they took her away Patrick baptized her (he's a pastor) and prayed over her. They took her down for the test and we went to a room to wait. While we waited a few doctors came in including a geneticist to tell us their suspicions about her condition. He was fairly certain that Maddie had a very rare condition called Pfeiffers Syndrome Type II. He said that it happened when she was conceived and it was just a random thing, nothing I did or didn't do caused it. He also said that words that I pray I never have to hear again, her condition was "not compatible with life". Those words are the most haunting words a mother could ever hear about her child's condition.<br />
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After she came back from her CAT scan we were told that it showed very little brain tissue and her prognosis was grave. We decided to remove her breathing tube and just enjoy any time we could with her. She actually cried a little when the tube came out and that was the BEST sound I have ever heard. We took her back to our room about 9pm and just took in our baby girl. A photographer from Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep came a little before midnight and gave us the most amazing gift, pictures of our new family of 3.<br />
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There were many times during the night that Maddie would quit breathing and I would put my hand on her chest and rub her and call out her name. The nurses kept telling me to get some sleep but I didn't want to miss a minute of time with her still with us.<br />
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She survived the night and saw the sun come up on a new day. At some point during the night I actually started to think that maybe she would survive (remember I had been up for over 30 hours by this point so I was a bit delirious) and we would get to take her home. After shift change, my new nurse wanted me to take a sponge bath and had a NICU nurse come in to hold Maddie while I did so. It was during this time that Maddie stopped breathing for the last time. The nurse brought her over and said that she had taken her last breath about 10 seconds earlier and her heart was still beating. I took her and held her tightly. We got Patrick and he and I just held her and each other until she was gone. It was very peaceful. <br />
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I have so much guilt that I wasn't holding her when she took her last breath, even now 4 years later. I held her all night long and the 10 minutes I wasn't is when it happened. It still hurts so bad that I wasn't the one holding her at that moment. As I type these words I just can't believe how torn apart I still feel. I really hope that I can eventually move past it and forgive myself.<br />
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After that things really get blurry. They took her away to be cleaned up, get foot/hand prints as well as have blood and photos taken to document her condition in case the suspected diagnosis was proven wrong and they would need to figure something else out. After all that was done we were able to see her again.<br />
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I was in the hospital for 3 days and came home without my little girl. The funeral director actually came when we were ready to be discharged and he walked out with her one way while we walked out the other. On one hand it made me feel better that we were leaving at the same time but, on the other hand it completely stunk that she wasn't leaving the hospital with us.<br />
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The next few days were filled with lots of phone calls and lots of family flying into town, making arrangements for her memorial service and cremation and a lot of tears. The pastor from my home church in PA flew all the way out here for her service and he was a great source of comfort for me. Her memorial service was beautiful but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted her, here, with me. <br />
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I had a lot of anger and was very bitter for a long time, I was supposed to have my baby with me, I was supposed to be a mother, she was supposed to LIVE. I had a perfect pregnancy, we were going to be great parents, what did I do wrong to deserve this? These were all the thoughts that ran through my head on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. I have reconciled most of them at this point and although I wish she was here and miss her so much, I am in a much better place and finally able to talk about it without completely breaking down.<br />
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If you are still with me then thank you for listening to her story. I know I am missing many details but I hope I have remembered the important ones. I know I am not the best writer but I hope that I have honored her memory with my telling of her story.<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531225.post-45502303933429224492010-08-10T15:19:00.002-05:002010-08-10T15:22:59.861-05:004 years<p>4 years ago today I held my baby girl as she quietly slipped from this world to the next.</p><p>I sit here snuggling with Ryan wondering about and missing her so much.</p><p> </p><p><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" align="left" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd23/digiscrapper219/Designer%20Blogs/Gods%20Time/sig.png" /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07139695500514926130noreply@blogger.com1