A Longing Fulfilled

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is the tree of life. -Proverbs 13:12

The day before we left for Colorado in early December I got a positive pregnancy test. It's funny how after you've had miscarriages you quickly turn your thoughts from "we're pregnant" to "I got a positive pregnancy test."
I knew that with this positive test there would be lots of appointments and decisions to be made. I decided that on our trip to Colorado that I would just relax,have fun, and not think about what was ahead.

On December 21st I was scheduled for my first sonogram. At only 6 weeks pregnant they would be able to tell me if it was a viable pregnancy. The morning of my sonogram I was filled with such anxiety....nervous about it being a viable pregnancy, nervous about it being in the "right" place, and nervous about starting my Lovenox injections and being on an anticoagulant.

Several months ago my step mom gave me a wonderful devotional called, "Jesus Calling." On the morning of my sonogram, I opened up this book and flipped to the page for December 21st. I read it and immediately felt as if the words jumped right of the page and were meant just for me.....ever have that happen? The words I read lifted my anxiety and gave me great peace! This is what I read.....

"My plan for your life is unfolding before you. Sometimes the road you are traveling seems blocked, or it opens up so painfully slowly that you must hold yourself back. Then, when the time is right, the way before you suddenly clears- through no effort of your own. What you have longed for and worked for I present to you freely, as pure gift. You feel awed by the ease with which I operate in the world, and you glimpse My Power and My Glory.

Do not fear your weakness, for it is the stage on which My Power and Glory perform most brilliantly. As you persevere along the path I have prepared for you, depending on My Strenght to sustain you, expect to see miracles~ and you will! " -from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I wish I could say that after this, my faith didn't faulter....but, that wouldn't be entirely true. I had some rough days where I really struggled. I still had fears and anxiety about the unknowns, but on these days I was always lead back to the words I read on December 21st. It has been a constant struggle with me and I have to make a daily effort to start every day off right in prayer- if I don't, it's not a pretty sight! I have felt God's hand in this entire situation and pregnancy even before making the decision to conceive again. He has guided my every step and it's the most amazing journey I've ever been on....and it's all documented through the keeping of several prayer journals dating all the way back to the month before Presley was conceived. He's had to change things in me and mold me in ways I didn't know needed molding. He has spoken to my heart over and over again and it brings me such joy! Even when I have doubted, He has brought me back. Just yesterday, He used my sweet 2 1/2 year old during our sonogram to show me that I need to continue on in hope....believing wholeheartedly in God's goodness. (the sweetest story that I hope to share one day) :) I am so excited about what the future holds for this little growing family of ours. :)

From Being Sick to.... "It's a Great Day"

The morning after our visit to the Stock Show and Rodeo Presley's fever was still really high so I took her to the dr. She really doesn't get sick that often. She has had the occasional runny nose, cough, and ear infection, but other than that she has only been sick with the stomach bug once. She has never had a fever over 100' so when her fever stayed at 103' I was a little nervous.....especially since she had just been sick a few weeks earlier right before Christmas. She ended up having strep throat and I just knew I was certain to get it. I used to get strep throat yearly when I was little and when I was teaching.....if you even mention the word "strep throat" I get it! At the Rodeo, before we realized Presley was running a fever, we let her drink out of our water bottle so I just knew I was going to get sick too. Fortunately, Joey and I have both escaped this nasty virus! Thanks be to God!

Our Doctor's appointment wasn't until 3:00 in the afternoon so Presley was exhausted by the time we left the office. Presley was, once again, pretty dramatic at the dr's office and so they gave her a Dora sticker to calm her down. Which, by the way, did not work. Does it ever? She gave a polite "sanks" when Dr R gave her the sticker, but there was NO joy or excitement about it. As we were driving home I gave Joey a call to let him know how Presley was doing. Right after I got off the phone with him I looked in the rear view mirror to see if Presley was sleeping, but all I saw was this....

I tried not to laugh because we have all had one of those days, but it was just too funny. I don't know why she put the sticker on her forehead, but I am pretty sure she has seen her cousin, Grant, do it a time or two. I took a picture of her and sent it to Joey ;o) There is one good thing about having strep throat! You recover quickly.....that antibiotic works wonders! The next morning when Presley woke up I experienced a very happy child. When I walked in her room I was greeted with an "I had a good night sweep! I don't have a temperature anymore. It's a great day, mommy!" For the rest of the afternoon she was back to her "normal self" and she reminded me quite often that "It's a great day."

I think we all need a little medicine that reminds us that "it's a great day!"

Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

A few weeks ago we took Presley to the Ft.Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. It was lots of fun and she really enjoyed it. She loves animals and  so she was in heaven! She loved the petting zoo and hugged on all of the animals. I've always thought to myself, "if I am ever unable to provide a sibling for Presley then I could probably just fill our lives with a ton of animals and she would be perfectly happy." Ha! I grew up loving animals and so did Joey so there's no question as to why she has this love for animals. Even as I write this post, Presley is playing in her room with Goose. She treats most animals as friends....real and stuffed!

There was also a huge carnival at the Rodeo, but the noise and lights were a bit overwhelming for Presley....sensory overload. She wasn't too interested in riding any rides except for the train and carousel. At the end of the day we decided to take her on the big Ferris Wheel. It was her first time to ride one and she loved it! However, by the end of the ride we realized that she was running a fever so we headed home.

New Year's Day

On New Year's Day we spent the afternoon celebrating Christmas at Sara's house. We also celebrated my birthday and my brother in law's birthday. The kids enjoyed their 3rd round of opening up gifts. Presley made out with a new wardrobe complete with the cutest little hat made with extra love by Aunt Sara. Presley LOVES dressing up....this being completely opposite of me! She adores her new hat and wears it everywhere. We get so many compliments on it and because of this, Joey already has plans to put Sara to work making money. ;o) We had a great Christmas and New Years celebrating with our families.

Christmas 2011

 This Christmas we stayed here in Dallas and spent the day with Joey's family. We also acted as the local pet shelter for family members ;o) It was lots of fun having Sadie and Chrystal dog join us for the week....Presley especially liked it. I wish I could say Goose was more than thrilled to have company, but he ended up staying in our room for the good part of the week. ;o( I think he was more jealous than anything. Let's just say, Joey fell in love with a four-legged red headed beauty. ha! Christmas morning was really quiet. It was just me, Presley, and Joey so it was nice to have a bit of family time together. Presley was excited about opening gifts this year and loved unwrapping all of them by herself. I must admit, I allowed for lots of practice the 24 days before Christmas by doing a book advent with her.....an idea I got off pinterest. She was a pro at unwrapping gifts by the time Christmas Day rolled around. It was also nice to do an advent where I didn't have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff. It's amazing how many books you can collect over a period of time when you are teaching....but I'm not complaining ;o) I LOVE children's books! In the afternoon we headed to Joey's folk's house and had a delicious dinner! Presley was thrilled to see her cousin, Cooper. They had fun opening up more gifts and playing with play-dough.

Presley's favorite gift was her little jumper's trampoline. I know, the excitement is written all over her face. ;o) She tells me that she doesn't want to take pictures anymore and this is pretty much her way of making that very clear. If she sees the camera out she automatically frowns for the rest of the day....or until I put the camera away.

Hello Kitty is our newest obsession....we have it all, folks ;o) 

Presley was scared of dolls for the longest time, but just within the past few months she has become very interested in babies and baby dolls. She treats them as if they are her own. ;o) 

Playing play-dough and fun games with Cooper.

Colorado Winter

This is going to be about 4 post in one....sorry! A few weeks ago we went to Broomfield, Colorado to visit my Grandparents. The weather was very nice...cold and sunny. :o) It snowed a lot a few days before we got there so there was still a lot of snow on the ground. The first day we were there we headed up to the mountains in Estes Park where we did some sledding. We went in the middle of the week so it was not busy at all....only one other family there who had a little boy Presley's age and a 5 month old.

On Thursday, my dad and Jean came in town so we just hung out at home and played in the snow in the backyard. Joey had lots of fun making Presley a snow slide, and Nana Jean had lots of fun making snow angels. lol.

Friday, we headed up to Keystone to do some tubing. However, once we got there we were told that the tubing area was not recommended for children under 4. I was so looking forward to tubing because this place looked unbelievably awesome! Take a look here!!! How fun does that look! AND you don't even have to carry your tube to the top of the hill ;o) Anyhow, we were a little disappointed at first, but then I gave my friend, Melissa a call who lives about 15 minutes from Keystone in Breckenridge. So, we headed over to her new house. We had a great time walking around town and eating lunch with Meese and Carl. Melissa took us to the local sledding hill in town and it was lots of fun! It was a much faster hill than the one in Estes so Presley had to ride down with Joey the whole time. After a little sledding, we headed over to the gondola in town and rode to the top of the mountain. Presley wasn't too sure of the gondola at first, but she loved it once she got used to it. We went to the ski area, had a snack, and watched the local skiers. We also showed Presley all of the little kids in ski school. She was so fascinated and couldn't stop talking about it.

On Saturday, my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Vaughn came up from the farm to visit and celebrate my Grandparent's anniversary. Their anniversary was the day before and everyone went out to lunch to celebrate their 66 years of marriage! What an amazing example they are!
Presley dressed up my grandma's glass dog and then took pictures of it with my iphone....crazy girl! Presley showing off her iphone skills My grandpa loves braiding little girl's hair ;o)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year! My dad and Jean came up from San Antonio on Tuesday and spent the week with us. We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house for the first time ever and my sisters, step-mom, and I made all of the food.We also tried our hand in making the gravy for the first time this year and it turned out very well.... thanks to Elizabeth! ;o) It was great to have dinner at our house because it allowed for the kids to have plenty of room to run around and play outside while we (the ladies) got everything ready. We have been in this house for about a month now and it is absolutley wonderful having an acre of land to run around on. There is just something about living on a piece of land that is good for the soul.

During the week, we took my dad and Jean for a walk to feed the miniature burros that live down the street from us. Jean fell in love with these little guys and is determined to have one. I am quite certain that my dad will allow this dream of hers to come true.......one day! ;-) Lol.
Here is a quick clip of the little cutie patuties.......now who could resist such a cute little face?