Merry Christmas!

" For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
 and the government will be on his shoulders. 

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, 

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." 

Isaiah 9:5-7

Merry CHRISTmas from our home to yours!

Gona-what?!?

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, sho does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Phillipians 4:4-7

I'm thankful for friends who are helping me pull through.  I'm thankful for a tender and caring husband who is learning that just being there is enough.  I'm thankful for my mother and the words she speaks about God's goodness.  I'm thankful for doctors who are forging ahead, not dwelling on things that don't work and not wasting our money.  I'm thankful for all of my friends that are pregnant right now (which is a lot)...don't ever believe the lie that I am not happy for you...I am!  I'm thankful that my God is SOVEREIGN, GOOD, LOVING, and that His will is always PERFECT.

The reason I have been sharing our struggle with fertility is because of how blessed I have been by the wisdom, insight, and care from others.  It seems a little bit more normal then, not like the elephant in the room that no one is asking about.  Also I know people are interested...even if they do not admit it.  And finally, because when I hear, read, am invited in to share in others' struggles I am almost always blessed myself.  I could not go through this alone and if I did the pit would be beckoning me every step of the way.  You, friends, have pointed me to the  cross and for that I am so very thankful.

It's not an easy struggle...but the Lord gives life.  He alone creates children and I believe wholeheartedly in a God who incredibly Sovereign, even in things that do not seem to make sense.  Even if we are never able to have our own children.  Even if he takes Alex away. 

To give you a brief glimpse of where we are...clomid did not work.  Ovaries are still stubborn and unwilling to ovulate.  So we are moving on.  The greatest blessing this week was that we are not so far away from meeting our deductible so the next 4 cycles of treatment will be paid for 100%.  That is a huge blessing.  We're moving on to Gonadotraphins.  Here's to 2010:)  Cheers!

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Triplets!!

Happy Birthday to Luke, Kate and Jack!!

These lovely kiddos are turning 6 today!  And the best part about it, is that tomorrow we will see them in person.  I love these kiddos so much and so does Uncle Alex.

To Kate...the girl following right in my footsteps...I love your passion for art, for anything frilly, sparkly, or just plain outrageous, and your kindness:)  You are such a blessing!

To Jack...the boy who loves knowledge and learning, bashful and yet the life of the party, and the one who does a mean Michael Jackson performance...you make my heart skip a beat!

To Luke...the sweetest, most loving little boy...without you 'Black Eyed Peas' would just be a group, now it's a memory...the boy with mad ball skills...you make each day brighter!

I am so excited to see my brother and Jen's three amazing kids tomorrow...wishing you lots of laughter, love and joy today and the rest of your 6th year!

We love you!

Auntie Andie (dunner) and Uncle Alex

Latest Books Finished

In the past couple of months I have finished some really good books.  Here they are:

The American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee

How People Change by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp

Things Worth Remembering and Tender Grace by Jackina Stark

Food Matters by Mark Bittman

18 days ago...

18 days ago I turned 29, one year closer to 30.  18 days ago I didn't really think anything of it.  And then as I sat watching 'Julie and Julia' tonight, I realized she was like me when she decided to do the Julie/Julia project...29.  I am NOT going to work my way through Julia Child's "How to Master the Art of French Cooking" but I might buy it:)

During the movie, Alex turned to me and said..."Honey, remember when you were so passionate about food?"  Apparently my lack of inspiration in the past few weeks has showed! 

Yup...I remember.  I remember rushing around at all hours of the day to complete my baking masterpiece while trying to cook my way through Dorie Greenspan's cookbook with fellow bloggers.  I remember pulling my first turkey from the oven, being ecstatic opening any kind of food gift, and making a huge mess of the kitchen and just shrugging it off.  I remember loving every minute of it. Simple fascination...similar I guess to when I realized Alex was the one.

But that woman I was has been lost a little along the way. That joy for food...it's diminished a little.  And frankly, I don't like it one bit.  In 2005 I read Julie Powell's book...right when it was coming out...I was following her blog.  It was good, but the movie was so much better. 

Thank you Julie and Julia for reigniting a passion, a love for simple food that tastes absolutely delicious.  Maybe my 29th year won't be so bad after all.

A great post

I headed over to True Woman today because the title of a blog post caught my interest:

Should she be a doctor?

 

 The article pertained to whether a young woman should pursue a degree as a doctor if she also wanted to be a wife and mother.  As a woman who was in the midst of finishing my Master's and then stopped, I was curious what other women would say.  I chose my direction after a lot of prayer and ultimately I know for me, I'm right where I should be.  I really liked what they had to say!

14 days until christmas...

and I can't wait!  Waiting is not my strong suit. EVER.  I was that kid who hunted down presents and shook them to no end, anticipating what was inside:)  This season of Christmas, though, offers the best kind of waiting...if there is such a thing.  Waiting expectantly and full of hope for Jesus.

But waiting...for a baby, for Jesus, for God to act...is a charachter trait the Lord is building in me as we speak.  As I wait these next 14 days I hope my eyes are stayed on what is truly important this Christmas time...not the presents, cookies, quality time with family, Santa...but on the birth of a child who changed my life.  Without his birth, he couldn't have taken my wrath on calvary...and for the return of Jesus...for this I can wait.

Merry Christmas a few weeks early:)