Drum Roll Please ....

I was thinking my next post on here would be tomorrow. After all, we have just concluded several months of testing and had an appointment with a fertility specialist tomorrow at 9am. I thought by tomorrow evening we might could post on some type of plan for the coming months.

That was until today happened. Today, we found out we are PREGNANT!
Yes, 100% completely naturally we were given a miracle. We are ecstatic, and majorly shocked - this is after 5 1/2 years of trying to get pregnant.

This morning was pretty crazy. I took two tests at home and as soon as possible called the doctor's office. I'll have to admit I didn't quite comprehend or believe the first test, and immediately said "um, read this" and handed it to Thomas. (It was very hard to read, it simple said "pregnant.") =)
The doctor's office was great about getting me in today for blood work, and by this afternoon we had verification that we are pregnant!

It is still early, I'm just 5 weeks. So we have a long way to go...until Valentines Day to be exact.

This could have never happened outside of God's will. And we are also pretty sure our lifestyle changes helped make the difference.

We don't have a way to check on my health and if it improved. I was still having some slight pain from the endometriosis the last couple months, but not as bad. But today while we were at the fertility clinic doing the blood tests we asked for the results from the most recent semen analysis - and they drastically improved, more than even imaginable. Based on that alone, I would encourage every couple out there dealing with infertility to try shifting their diets to no processed foods, no dairy, no grains, and lots of raw fruits and vegetables.

Redirect to Another Site

I had a dream. It was vivid and exciting, and it involves a new blog.

As a result, the purpose of this post is to redirect you to a new blog address. I think you will be very happy with the changes.

There will be more information. There will be more topics covered, including: the ever important children, food, recipes, nutrition, exercise, projects, sewing, 30 day challenges, adoption, foster care, and so much more. And to make it even better - it will be organized by category so you can find what you are looking for!

There is much more to be done on it, but it is officially started.

So please, go take a peek and be sure to save it on your favorites.
GO HERE!!!

And just so you know, this website will be updated occasionally with information related to infertility and other things of the sort.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

4 Weeks, busy

No posts lately because we have a lot going on here. This is a quick run down of what the last few weekends have looked like - in the last four weeks we have made two trips to Orlando (once to see friends, and the second to see family and watch the space shuttle Atlantis launch), had grandparents visit for a few days, and provided respite care (aka babysitting) for another foster family. This weekend we are providing the babysitting for another foster family so they could make a trip over this holiday weekend.

One of our favorite things to do as a family is swim. Both children are great in the water. Jasper has absolutely no fear of nearly anything. And has completely fallen in love with the pool. Here is a quick video of his favorite activity - jumping in the water - he can do it for an hour straight with no breaks. Notice how great of a job he does swimming back up to the top.





On top of this, I'm dreaming up a new blog. So keep a lookout for a new and improved site.

In the meantime, here are some more photos of the children.

Petra loves to hold babies. The only problem is that the baby in our house is as big as she is. It didn't seem to matter much to either of them though.

A few moments of "playa" at Coco Beach, FL.

Gymnastics class - Petra on the beam and both of them working on their handstands.

Shuttle Atlantis launch.

In Kissimmee, Florida with family.

An increasingly not so rare moment, both the children quiet and "reading" to themselves.

Petra graduated to a toddler bed. Oh the thrills of being able to get up on your own.

This is not our toy. Just wanted to be sure everyone knew that. But its the neighbor's contraption and our children do love it. Petra thinks she is hot stuff in this jeep.

And....

Stopping

I am consistently awed by the joy and life our children bring to our home. Even through the tears and whining, which there is more than enough, in no time the sweet soft voice of my daughter quickly pierces my heart. Or the smiles and kisses from my son melt me.

Last night I struggled, tired and achy. The children whined and begged for my undivided attention. Sweet voices declared “hold me mommy” and echoed through our walls. I continuously struggle to find the best way to balance my work in the home, with the constant requests for love and attention. I can’t pour boiling water in the sink and hold a toddler. And I haven’t mastered one handed egg cracking skills. The kitchen needs to be cleaned, the dinner needs to be made, and my children need to be held, loved and instructed.

Do I stop? Do I set everything aside when he sweetly brings me a book to read to him? I find myself throughout the day telling myself to just stop. And I remind myself a few minutes delay in dinner is a small price to pay for the gifts of parenting. What I’ve realized is I’m still learning and will be a life-long leaner. I feel completely unprepared for balancing efficiency in my home with parenting our toddlers. I never seem to know when to stop and when not.

The evening we spent together - resting in chairs outside in the fresh air, reading books, tending plants, and watching a movie with popcorn. I headed to bed tired and exhausted. Rest was all I wanted. A break from the crying, tears and persistent requests a mommy gets. I quietly lay in bed and think about everything I failed to get done. And then in a hushed tone, my husband says “what a wonderful evening,” and I pause and push everything on my to-do list aside to appreciate the evening and gifts from God that I had missed.

Speaking words of encouragement

"When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger." Ephesians 4:29 (NCV)

I couldn't let the night go without posting about this ... one of the areas I feel like I really struggle is speaking words of love and encouragement to my children. Mothers have the incredible responsibility of speaking words that will build our children. And this is a very insightful reminder from one of my favorite bloggers.

"Just for today:
Couldn’t all the words out of my mouth only be the strengthening words? Words that nourish their bones and muscle their hearts.
What if I tried to change nothing in children but I focused on only this: Let the tongue speak only the words that make souls stronger. "

Please go to her post to read.

Welcome to St. George Island

Definitely one of my favorite things about Florida is the beautiful beaches. Last weekend we headed to St. George Island with some friends and had such a wonderful time. It was very overcast and a little chilly, but it was still really great. I think I would prefer it a little cool, rather than too hot. I only wish it was closer. It takes about 2 hours to get to this beach from our house.

It was the very first time the children enjoyed the beach. At first, Jasper didn't like the sand at all. He kept trying to lift his feet up, then realizing it wouldn't work because he would then fall it, he gave up. But it was mere minutes before they were both off playing and happy. Most likely due to the fact that they had their favorite playmate of all time - Kacy. They looove her and ask for her all the time.

So it was a little cool, and it is April. But that didn't stop us from have a great time. Petra and Jasper both loved the water. Petra wanted to stay in it continously, and we had to make her get out because she was shivering and turning blue. We laughed so hard when she would scream at the water in excitement. It was also very funny to hear her screaming in glee "I'm swimming, I'm swimming" as she sat on her hands and knees and the waves crashed around her. Jasper was his normal self, completely unfrightened by anything and would head out head deep in the water if we let him. After a swim, I had to wrap them up tight in a towel until they warmed up.

Kacy helped the children dig for sand fleas; thomas showed them a crab; and we even saw a few dolphins. All of us are looking forward to our next beach trip. I think Petra asked to go back every day this week, many, many times each day. And before it was all over, Thomas hit the water deep with a fishing pole in hand. And was a little disappointed as he watched spanish feed about 30 yards away from the end of his line. He just couldn't get out far enough. Every time I turned to look at him, he had inched out further and further. By the end he was chest high in the water.

Today, its a week later. Work has been busy. Life has been busy. But all in all I'm very blessed. Our family continously has a wonderful time together. My children love each other and we all cherish our time together. Today, was another great and busy day. We spent about the day in Marianna, FL, a little over an hour's drive away, promoting foster care and adoption at festival. When I do these things, I often don't have my children with me. But today, I realized how great it is when they are there. Many people can't imagine what its like to have a foster child or to adopt a child. There always seems to be a general thought that your own biological children are somehow better. I've seen it over and over again in people I meet. But seeing our family gives many a better understanding that it is love that makes a family, and not blood.

In fact, I had a perfect example of this today. I've been around one woman weekly who told me just 4 months ago that her and her husband would never adopt ... this was in shocked response to my acknowledgement to her that Petra was adopted. Between then and now, I've met her husband, and they've met and spent time with our children. Today, she told me they were considering fostering and adopting. And I know that seeing the smiles on my children faces, and even the crying, helped provide a clearer understanding that adopted children are themselves amazing.

Easter 2010

We had a fabulous Easter day with friends. We dyed Easter eggs this year for the first time. And they even had their first easter egg hunt ... although there was not much enthusiasm for the hunt. Thomas said it was because I didn't put good candy in the eggs. Instead, I stuffed sugar cereal in them that I bummed off a friend. I had meant to do organic cookies and had left them at home. But regardless, Petra would shake each one to see if there was anything in it and stop to eat it.

And my absolute favorite part of Easter was watching Petra in her first church performance. She "sang" with the other children. We have a video, we hope to share it with each of you at some point.