Fun Weekend!

This weekend was busy and fun. Friday Mary Grace had a friend spend the night. I walked in the march of dimes Saturday morning with my sweet friend Mindy. It was fun to see so many people supporting such a great cause! Mary Grace finished up her soccer season with her last game. She had a great season and lots of fun. We finished the day with a birthday party for our nephew Ethan. Today is his eighth birthday. Happy birthday Ethan! Sunday we went to church, cleaned house and went to grandma's for dinner.

There was a great guest speaker at church Sunday. He is a writer and he shared something neat with us. He said when he gets stuck while writing he always asks the question what if. He said this gets him thinking. He also said this can work in our life. What if we adopt a child, what if we volunteer more, what if we move etc. The list could go on and on:) When he said this the first thought that I had was what if I trust God. I know that I love God and I long to glorify Him with my life but I did not realize how little I have trusted Him with everything. I know that sounds terrible. After thinking about this I really felt peace that I could trust God and that I do not need to worry about things I cannot control. God is so much bigger then our problems, our worries and I am learning it is through these things God teaches us and helps us to grow.

I will post some pictures soon!

Our new puppy!!!!Meet Lucy!

Here is our new Puppy named Lucy! This is an early birthday present for Mary Grace. Lucy came to us all of the way from a breeder in Missouri. She is a Cocker Spaniel and is the sweetest little puppy that loves to follow Mary Grace around. Here is a picture on the ride home. She has already brought lots of joy to our house.

spring break fun!

I know that when I last posted I shared about some hard times so I thought I would share some good times. Mary Grace had spring break this past week so here are a few of our adventures.

Sleeping late, Daddy's birthday, Aunt Jana's birthday, nice dinners, movies, shopping, pedicures with aunt Jana, a play and lunch with grandma, playing outside, planting flowers, getting rocking chairs, beautiful weather, baking cookies and just spending lots of time together! I am really going to miss having Mary Grace around the house this week as she will be back to school. Also I wanted to share something neat. This past week I read Psalm 23. It is an amazing

Psalm that I felt like God laid on my heart. At church today the worship leader shared this same Psalm and then sang a song about it. I felt overwhelmed with God's faithfulness to love and hold us when we are hurting. It reminds me that we will go through hard times but He will never leave us. I know that I do not deserve God's grace and love but He gives it and fills us up when feel empty. My prayer for myself and others is contentment in Christ alone.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23

Update on the waiting!

I thought I would update on this cycle of our fertility treatment. We found out on February 12 that we were finally pregnant. Yay we had three blood test and three home tests to prove it. My beta numbers were climbing as they were supposed to and life was great. I felt like a weight had been lifted and we were done with fertility treatments. This news was even more rewarding because I had responded really well to the medication we used this time but that led to ohss. My ovaries had been overstimulated. I got really sick and gained 20lbs from fluid. This was not enjoyable but it was worth it when we found out we were pregnant. This excitment was short lived as we found out our baby would not make it at our ultrasound before going to our ob. Our doctor told us we would miscarry. He said the good news was we got pregnant and now they know what medications work for us. I thought it was over then we got a call from a nurse who said my hcg was really high they wanted to do another ultrasound in a couple of days. This news gave us hope but that ultrasound did not give us better news. Although the pregnancy would not survive my body was trying to hang on to it. I chose a treatment called methotrexate. It is supposed to move things along. I am still waiting to miscarry but hopefully it will happen soon and we can start look forward to trying again. This news was really hard and I experienced frustration, sadness, and anger. I really felt like we had been through enough and the rollercoaster of emotions was not fun. Jon has been strong and has supported me so much!

I really prayed that God would show me what good there was in this situation. I did not want to be bitter and angry anymore. While praying about this I realized there is always good in every situation. I thought of Jon and Mary Grace. I thought of the unconditional love they have shown me. Even Mary Grace at the tender age of eight knew that I was sad and has been so sweet and loving. Jon and I have grown closer through this experience. I thought that is a good thing. We already had a great relaitonship but I have seen a side of him that I have never seen before. He has been patient, strong, reliable, supportive, loving, and he just really allowed me to fall apart.
I am so grateful that he is willing to go on this journey with me. I will updated again soon.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

waiting

I am learning that waiting is part of life we just cant avoid. I am also learning waiting is not fun but is when we learn so much. Our infertility journey has forced us to wait, wait and wait so more! While waiting I have learned what a precious husband I have, patience, contentment, I am not in control, God's perfect timing, always have faith, always have hope, and God's plan for our life is so much better then we could ever imagine. Mary Grace was such a surprise I never thought we would have trouble with having a second child. Through this experience God has shown me Mary Grace is a miracle. God has led us to fertility treatments. We did our first cycle of intrauterine insemination before Christmas and was not successful. We are in the middle of our second cycle. We added follistim injections this time. I had such a great response to the medication we almost cancelled due to so many follicules. We decided to move forward and are now in the two week wait to see if this is the month. While this wait has not been fun I know this season is temporary and we will get through it. I am thankful God has walked through this with us. He has opened doors, provided in amazing ways, and encourages us everyday!

Happy New Year!

The holiday season went by so fast! We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house with Jon's family this year. We had lots of food and lots of fun! We were in South Carolina with Dee's family for Christmas. We really enjoyed visiting family and friends, looking at Christmas lights, going to church, Christmas parties, and lots of yummy food! Christmas morning was really special. Poppi and Nana made a yummy breakfast! After breakfast we opened presents and enjoyed watching Mary Grace and her cousin Ella have fun with all of their new surprises! We are back in Arizona now and getting settled back in routines. I thought I would give an updated on our fertility treatment. We went through a cycle of intrauterine insemination before Christmas and was not successful. Our doctor told us that it takes an average of three cycles. I guess I was still hoping it work the first time. This was hard but we know God is in control and He has a great plan for our family. This infertility journey has been painful but has helped me realize that Mary Grace is our precious miracle. I am so thankful for Jon! He has been so supportive. He has loved me even when I have not been so lovable. I am also thankful for our family and friends of have loved on us during this time. The support of our family and friends has been so encouraging. We are planning to start a second cycle of intrauterine insemination with follistim at the end of the month. We will update again soon. Happy New Year!