Andrew's First Sled Ride or Jen Wipes Out :)

This started out as an innocent video capturing Andrew's first sled ride, but instead it highlighted my lack of coordination in snow :)

Christmas #4

Our last Christmas of the year was in Wisconsin with Kevin's family. I definitely got the white Christmas I was hoping for. Below is the thermometer showing one of the warmer temps we had that week :)

In case you can't tell, this is Andrew in his pack-n-play. We kept him well bundled so that he wouldn't get cold.Grandma and Grandpa were very proud to have all of their children and grandchildren in Wisconsin at the same time!
Abi is Andrew's cousin. She was born the same day that Andrew was. She was apparently a little more active during this photo shoot than Andrew, who looks a little tired to me!
All the grandkids: Andrew, Tycen, Callie, Eli, and Abi
Luckily, we were able to borrow Tycen's snow suit so that Andrew could go out again in the snow. If you look carefully, you can see tears in Andrews eyes. Apparently the stress of having to put on this many layers of clothing confirmed my suspicions that Andrew is a true Southern boy!!
I love how Kevin and I combined Andrew's Colts and Auburn gear to get enough layers of clothes on him for his first day in the snow.

Christmas #3

We were able to spend an unexpected Christmas with my family. My uncle Sam was married the weekend before Christmas and this gave us a great reason to go to Florida. Here we are in the reception hall at Spring Hill College.

Here is Andrew's car seat after the trip. We had a great idea to put his 'snacks' in the cup holder so that he could reach them. We thought he had done a great job putting them in his mouth, at least we did until we saw the car seat after taking him out :)
Andrew had a great time playing with not only his new toys, but his cousins Brycen and Blakes as well.

This gift bag contained Andrew's new Auburn skull cap. We were very excited about this since he needed a hat for his trip to Wisconsin!

I just really liked this picture of my nephew Brycen. He was the ring bearer for the wedding and did such a great job!!

Although the trip was pretty short, we were able to see all three sets of my grandparents as well as many of my aunts and uncles. My mom made her amazing seafood gumbo and, of course, we ate all weekend long!

Christmas #2

Andrew was able to spend time with his birthfamily for Christmas. Here he is with his uncle Lou...

and his aunt Nadine, grandpa Leo, aunt Julia, tummy mom Nila, and grandma Valentina.
This was the first visit we had with Andrew's birth family in our home and it went very well. They seemed so grateful and appreciative to us for opening up our home to them and it seemed to open new doors in our relationship with them as well. We had a great time together.

Christmas #1

We had a great time celebrating our first Christmas as a family. Here are some pictures of Andrew opening gifts:

Smiling :)

Waiting to hear back from Santa
Looking cute!!

What a Difference a Year Makes or Rantings of an Infertile Mom or Let Me Introduce You To My Friend, Carrie Jacobs

Ok, so I couldn't decide between which title to use, but in reality I will probably talk about each :) Many weeks ago, I was in my (seldom attended by me) women's Bible study. We were having a great time of praise and worship and playing was the song "Healer" by Kari Jobe. I noticed my friend, Carrie, worship with such fervor that it took my breath away. As I watched her on her knees with her hands raised in the air, I thought "I wonder why this song is so powerful to her" and then I remembered. You see, Carrie and I were acquaintances in our Sunday school class, but our hearts were knit together after she and her husband attended an infertility support group that Kevin and I were members of. This time last year we were both struggling. For some reason, Christmas is such a hard time for infertile couples. I remember sitting in our infertility group after church. We had just sang "A Baby Changes Everything" in service (yes, I know this song is about Jesus, but can we cut a little slack for the wanna-be mommies in the group please??) and afterwards met to give updates on where we were in our struggles. I so clearly remember both Carrie and I struggling during this meeting, wanting to have a baby so badly but knowing that we were waiting for God's plan to reveal itself. Little did we know that Kevin and I were about to adopt Andrew and that Carrie and Chad would be pregnant by the end of the year. So much has changed for many couples in the group. Beth and Jacob welcomed their twins Lilly Claire and Davis, Garren and Lyschel welcomed baby Blaire, Peter and Kathy are now fostering a beautiful six month old, Hannah, and, as I mentioned above, Carrie and Chad are also expecting!! There are also several couples who we continue to pray for who are still waiting for God to give them the desires of their heart. For them, I pray that the words of the song that was so moving for Carrie will bring them hope.

Healer - Kari Jobe

You hold my every moment

You calm my raging seas

You walk with me through fire

And heal all my disease

I trust in You

I trust in You

I believe You're my healer

I believe You are all I need

I believe You're my portion

I believe You're more than enough for me

Jesus, You're all I need

You hold my every moment

You calm my raging seas

You walk with me through fire

And heal all my disease

I trust in You

I trust in You

I believe You're my healer

I believe You are all I need

I believe You're my portion

I believe You're more than enough for me

Jesus, You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Warning!

Warning! Cheerios and a runny nose do not mix.