Monday, December 12, 2011

Butler weekend extravaganza!!!

It's was that time of year again when we have our Ornament Party with our Butler crew!  It has gone from a one night event to a weekend extravaganza :)  Cannot believe that we have kept the tradition going for 10 years!! The fun started the weekend before Thanksgiving with a Butler game on that Saturday against Louisville.  Unfortunately, the Bulldogs just couldn't pull out a win, but I think fun was had by all that attended.  Next stop...our place for dinner, a craft, book exchange for the kids and ornaments for the adults.  So there are 7 couples, 14 kids (ages 5-1) plus 2 due in January...yep that 's a little bit of chaos!  Actually though they are all for the most part at an age where they don't require our attention so it was pretty nice this year :)  We had a great time!  On Sunday, we had brunch at the Burnett's to end the weekend.  What an awesome weekend to spend with such great friends that we just don't see as often as we would like to.  So glad we are all committed to keeping the tradition going!

The kiddos (minus 2 this year)
If only you could see the parents on the other side trying to get all the kids to look :)

The mommas
(wish we would have taken one more when Lisa got there )

The dads :)

Weekend Getaway

It's hard to believe that back in June, Jeremy and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.  What's even harder to believe is that we have been together for 15 years total!  Since we were unable to get away this summer, we decided to take a quick weekend getaway to Chicago in early November.  We drove up on a Friday night and stayed through Sunday just a block off of Michigan Ave.  Lucky for us it was actually pretty pleasant weather!  We enjoyed sleeping in, meals out, a little shopping, and just being able to enjoy our time together.  On Saturday afternoon we bought tickets for the architectural boat tour which was really cool and we would highly recommend.  It was neat to learn how long some of the buildings had actually been in the city and then to just learn some of the historical background of Chicago.  

On the boat tour

City skyline (looking from Lake Michigan)

On our way out of town we stopped at Sprinkles cupcakes...yummmmmmy!!!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

happy halloween from our little zoo friends :)

Our halloween trick-or-treating came in two parts!  Since our parents live just far enough away we decided to visit their homes on Halloween Eve and then do our neighborhood treating on Halloween.  So glad we did it that way!!  Our little hippo and lion we troopers being in their costumes two nights in a row.  Hippo loved walking from house to house and getting candy and even went back to one house three times...oops!  The lion held tightly to his wrapped chocolate bar and managed to suck on it enough to get the chocolate out and all over himself :) Fun night! 

Trick-or-treating at Mamaw and Papaw's house
I'll help you lion!
What? You think we are cute??
Trick-or-treating at Mimi and Ceta's house
love this hippo!!
and yes, I love the lion too :)
Happy Halloween!!

A pumpkin birthday party!

The big 1st birthday party was great fun!  We had a pumpkin theme and no I did not go over board with the pumpkin stuff :)  It was great to celebrate Theo with family and few close friends.  As most one year olds get, Theo was over the presents after the first couple.  As we sang "Happy Birthday" to him, his little eyes were so big and I can only imagine what he was thinking.  But he wasted no time digging into the pumpkin cupcake!  He LOVED it and devoured the entire thing :)  What a fun evening filled with great memories!  Love you Theo!!!

Opening presents!!
As soon as we pulled this fleece blanket out of the bag from great grandma, Theo laid his head right down...priceless photo!
Clothes!
A musical ring stacker and it lights up :)
Why are all these people singing to me???
Make a wish Theo!
Icing first of course :)


That was so good!!
The cutest mess I've ever seen :)
The cake pop pumpkin patch 
Silly birthday boy!
Love that little tongue!
Love you Theo!

Theo turns ONE!!!!

On October 28th, 2011 at 5:17am, we were overjoyed to meet Theodore Cain! While the beginning was a little rough for the little guy and us, you would never know it now by looking at him :)  At his one year appointment he weighed in at 22 lbs 13 oz and was 29 3/4 inches long.  He has started walking, loves to eat, is figuring out how to work toys and loves the book "Goodnight Moon".  Theo is the happiest little boy :)  He loves to be tickled (especially by Maryn) and thankfully is a snuggler.  What a joy and a blessing his little life is!  Happy Birthday Theo!!

At the NICU about 6 hours after being born
One year later!
Opening birthday presents from Mommy, Daddy and Maryn
Is she seriously going to help me?  I got this :)
Yay...a car ramp and garage!
He loved pounding on the boxes as much as tearing off the wrapping paper :)

when the world says it is impossible...

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

It's hard to believe that seven years ago, Jeremy and I began our journey of starting a family.  In that seven years I would have never imagined the roller coaster of emotions that was awaiting us.  Many of you have been on that journey with us.  You have shared in our waiting, cried and questioned with us, spent hours in prayer, supported us, loved us, and celebrated with us. You have reminded us often that God is a loving and faithful God, even when situations seem to prove that wrong.  
As I take time to reflect on those years, I can understand clearly the verse above.  We planned the course that we thought was best and while you can plan all you want, the Lord determines the way that plan carries out.  At the time, we did not understand why becoming pregnant was not happening for us...it was happening for those around us.  As you tend to think, what had we done to deserve this?  But it was nothing we had done...God had a different plan for us.  One that opened our hearts to adoption, clearly God planned for Maryn and Theo to be our children.  That while at the time I couldn't not become pregnant, two amazing women would be carrying the children that we would love and adore from the moment we set eyes on them.  
Through those years, our hearts and minds have be opened to His will and while you may not understand, He is a faithful and trustworthy God.  We have been blessed to have hearts that are sensitive to situations and to have met and shared with other families that want to adopt or have struggled with infertility.  We had become content and fulfilled with knowing that this was the path God intended for us to take in growing our family.

But as the title of this entry says, "when the world says it is impossible...", we were quickly reminded that with God all this are possible.  In late May we were shocked, overwhelmed and thrilled to discover that we were pregnant!  After multiple pregnancy tests and blood work to confirm, it wasn't until the first ultrasound with such a tiny image and the sound of a beating heart that we could truly believe it was true.  What a miracle!  I still think it took awhile to really sink in and for us to truly grasp this precious gift that God had given us. Some of our greatest joy came in sharing the news with family and friends...their reactions were priceless :)  It was a rough summer with me being sick most of the time, but thank goodness for family and friends that helped out whenever needed.
I am now 30 weeks along and due January 14th, 2012.  Everything is going well and we are so excited to meet our little BOY in January!  While we still are not sure what Maryn thinks about all this and what she really understands, she does keep talking about her new baby brother.  It has also provided some great opportunities for us to talk about her and Theo's birth story.  And while Theo has no idea what is going on, having a brother just 15 months apart in age is sure to be lots of fun :)
Our lives are about to change in a big way and while we are a little overwhelmed at times by that thought, we could not be more excited and thankful for this precious gift. As we move through this final trimester, we would truly covet your prayers for our family, a safe delivery and healthy baby.  As we fully know, God is faithful, trustworthy, loving and the giver of all perfect gifts...and with prayer all things all possible!

Our precious baby boy in late August!!!

Definitely showing a baby bump in August :)

Just this past weekend...30 weeks

Sunday, October 30, 2011

A trip to the pumpkin patch!

The day after we got back from Florida, we bundled up and headed to the pumpkin patch at Stuckey Farm.  While there weren't too many pumpkins left in the patch we were able to find the perfect ones for Maryn and Theo.  They loved the wagon ride, helping pick Mommy and Daddy's pumpkins and of course slurping up an apple cider slushie :)

 She was so excited to ride on the wagon!

 Not sure Theo knew what to think of it...

 the kiddos pumpkins...luckily found toward the edge 
so we didn't have to venture too far into the mud

 Theo's pumpkin!

 Searching the patch for just the right one 

 Ready to drive :)

 Maryn's pumpkin!

 Our perfect little pumpkin :)

What a fun morning!