We are over halfway there....

It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks we will have two tiny babies in our house. Due to expecting twins, everything seems to be happening at a much quicker pace than with Ella (or perhaps it is because we are chasing Ella around and older this time!) At our 18 week check up/ultrasound we found out that we are expecting two little boys. I'm excited and terrified by this all at the same time. I was one of three girls, but I will embrace the dirty, rough and tough going, loving boys that are on their way. Bill, of course, was too excited. Since that time (six weeks ago now) we have been coming up with a nursery theme, trying to find preemie clothes, saving money back (since the doctor also burst my bubble of working till the babies came), and trying the best we can to prepare Ella for what is to come. She loves to kiss my belly and talk to her brothers. She is very vocal in telling us that she is going to feed them, and hold them all by her very self. At this point we are on the countdown. Our hope, and the doctor's hope, is that we can make it to 36 weeks. So far things are going well. I feel huge, but the babies are growing, kicking (all the time), and other than being sore and sleepy from lack of sleep I have felt great. We can't wait till the next ultrasound to see how "big" our little guys are!

So you are expecting twins...you must be excited....

Since May (well actually since Ella was six months old) Bill and I have been trying to have another baby. We always wanted a big family, and with my history of fertility problems we knew that it could take work to get pregnant with baby number two. After a year or so of trying on our own it was back to the fertility specialist. Since May we (well mostly I) have dealt with oral hormones, injection medications and several IUIs (intrauterine insemination). In December my hope was running low and we were doing our best to put it in Gods hands. This month had good results. I had three follicles (eggs) that matured, which for me never happens. My day to take a pregnancy test was the 26th. Christmas morning came and Ella was done with her presents. I decided I couldn't wait any longer. Knowing I was a day early I decided that I needed to know one way or the other. So up to the potty I went, Bill had no clue, and the test was taken. To my surprise both lines were pink almost immediately. I was in disbelief and yelled down to Bill. We were both filled with excitement, joy and utter surprise. Four days later, two blood test later we knew that I was 100% pregnant and that all looked well. It was time to tell Ella...she squealed in excitement. Then we told our immediate family (we waited for everyone else because we needed to make sure the pregnancy was going well.) Everyone was overjoyed, as were we..

Then it was time for the 6 week visit and ultrasound. I looked in anticipation and saw a little peanut with a heart beating strong. When the doctor said, "on no" I asked if it was missing a limb. The doctor then informed us that there were two babies. Both healthy with strong heartbeats. We were in utter shock. Although we new multiples were a possibility due to the treatments, we also knew that with the medications I was taking the chance of twins was 3%...not high odds. We left the doctor in shock, and called our parents to let them know. They were shocked and full of excitement.

Over the next three weeks we worried about the chance of one twin not growing, and how healthy they would be if they make it to full term.

Once the 10 week check happened, and all was well we announced it to our friends and family. We were surrounded by love and joy for our new blessings.

The one question everyone asked me was, "are you so excited." I'm not sure my response was what most thought they would hear...my response...I'm not there yet, but I will be. I/we feel extremely blessed to be expecting. I have wanted a family, siblings for Ella, etc, however I'm still full of fear. To those who have been pregnant with singletons there are still fears, but they seem to be less. Hearing that there were two started the immediate fear of, how will I be able to carry two. I barley fit Ella, little alone two bitty ones. How can we afford two babies at once. Will I have to go back to work. What will happen if they are very early, or sick, or if one of them can't grow in a way they are supposed to. Will my c-section be different, will they have to go to the NICU, how will our time with Ella change. Bill thinks even further and he has worried about them going to different colleges and graduating on the same day.

I will be excited when both of my babies are here, healthy and safely in our arms. I am overjoyed, but terrified that I won't be able to keep them safely inside until they are ready to enter this world.

So far all is well, baby a and baby b are currently thriving and doing well. They are the size they should be with amazingly strong heart beats. So far so good...just a few more months to go and then the true joy and excitement of having two healthy and  beautiful blessings will be here.

Ho Ho Ho...Merry Christmas

Christmas this year was so much fun. Ella was so excited about all of the decorations, cooking making, and most of all Santa. She has said every day since we put up the tree that Santa is her boy (Lisa calls Ella her best girl...so Ella felt Santa was her best boy ...and daddy of course.) Ella knew what she wanted...a Cinderella castle. This is her passion at the moment...all things princess. Ella's vocabulary is far beyond counting words at this point. She can have a full on conversation (we wish she would slow down this whole growing up thing!) Christmas Eve was spent with our church family, who we are blessed to have. Then home for cookies and watching the Polar Express, which Ella loved. We didn't think she would sleep that night, but we told her unless she went to sleep Santa couldn't come, so sleep she did. The next morning was filled with joy and excitement about opening her gifts. Being the mean mommy and daddy that we are her castle was hidden, and she was devastated when she thought Santa forgot, but then mommy found a note from Santa telling her to check her play room...I've never heard such a squeal of laughter. The next several hours were spent with loved ones, opening presents, eating. laughing and watching Ella have the most fun a 2 year old could have.

PUMPKINS!

LOVE that Ella's favorite past time is baking. As a young girl it was one of my favorite (and now fondest) time spent with my mom. Tonight we baked pumpkin shaped sugar cookies for our fall party. Here are a few pictures of how Ella "helped" me bake!

Fall has arrived!!!

It is official....summer is over and fall has arrived. Ella is so fun at 2 and 1/2 (which she often reminds us is her age.) Our summer ended with a bang as we spent a week on the beach in the Outer Banks with Lisa's dad and his girlfriend, Lisa's sisters and brother in law, and two of Lisa's best friends. Ella loved swimming in the pool at the house, looking for pretty shells on the beach, swimming in the ocean, going to see the dolphins and horses, and her most favorite activity (according to Ella of course) was going on the helicopter. With fall arriving it was time to decorate for Halloween...and Ella is all about it. She proclaimed early on she was going to be a witch for trick or treat, and that has not changed. It also allowed us a weekend to spend as a family. We decided to get away and spend a weekend in Amish Country. Ella got to drive a wagon pulled by a Clydesdale, go to an Amish Farm, and ride in a buggy for the first time. The leaves were all changing and it was beautiful out. The fall also brings on a busy schedule. We have Halloween, a wedding, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. We can't wait for each of these as Ella is so much fun, and enjoys things full force. Ella loves to sing, especially songs by Adele. She "reads" books to us, sings her abcs, and can count to 10 (or higher with help.) It's hard to believe that in a few months she will turn 3. Where does the time go?

Joplin

It’s 10:49 p.m. in Joplin. It is our last night here, and I’m currently wide awake wondering how I should explain to people the experience that I just shared with six amazing individuals. First I have to say, for those of you who plan to come and volunteer you will think that you will be the one helping/changing this town for the better. However, in reality, it will change you. Everyone has seen the pictures of the devastation that has occurred, I had the ability to see several after a friend went. They do no justice to what it actually looks like when you drive up upon the rubble and debris. My first thought was what did these people do to make Mother Nature so mad, but they are just people and we all make errors in life. No one deserves what these families have gone through. Yet their faith, in the volunteers, God, and themselves in nothing short of a small miracle. I can not even count on one hand how many homes were spray painted with the most beautiful words I have been witness to….”God saved us!” I will do no justice in this note to explain how filled I was with love from strangers who just lived through a horrific experience. Tears welled up in my eyes more than once, and I consider myself as a very strong individual. I hope, and pray, that after reading this some of you will have the desire to come and help. They need it badly and are so appreciative of it. I miss my family more than words could ever express, yet my heart is torn coming home as these people in this town need my help.




Day 1-We started out at 8 a.m. trying to leave, but we had a delay. As we began to back out another member drove up and advised that the van we were driving had experienced problems the day before. The engine light was one and the car was jerking as gears shifted. After a lot of looking into things, we decided (with the approval of Pastor Dave) to go on a leap of faith and a prayer that we would make it to our destination safely. (We did!!!) After a rocky start we made great time as we went towards Joplin. After several hours in the van we drove to the arch in St. Louis. We rode in the very small and claustrophobic pods to the top. One of the group members faced fears of confinement and heights to go up with us, we were very proud of her. After our pit stop we finished our trip and arrived at the home of Karolyn Schroage. I had made a connection with her through a member of our church, who worked at a Women’s Clinic similar to one in the Dayton area. Karolyn had offered her home to us, instead of staying in a crowded church, and we gladly accepted. We were warmly greeted by Karolyn and brought into her home. What a huge blessing it was that we were the only group in the home, we had shelter and air condition to come back to, and a warm and caring individual who was very concerned about our well being. We learned that Karolyn and her husband had been missionaries and that they spent 20 years in Kenya. After a long trip we were ready for bed, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind raced with what the next day would bring and how God would use me in this town.



Day 2-We started out at College Heights Church. Two of our team members were sent to get diapers from another church and bring them back to College Heights, which is a main distribution center in Joplin. The boys, headed to the ware house. Due to my background the members had me work registering victims in order for them to get items. The first day was slower than others had been, but I still spent three hours hugging individuals, praying with them, and attempting to uplift their spirit in any way possible. Lunch was provided by the church and we were thankful for the nourishment. After working with College Heights we headed to MSSU to work with the Americorps group. Two of our team members had experienced the devastation, but for five of us it was the first time. We were driving through a neighborhood and before our eyes it changed it to miles of nothing. Nothing, but large amounts of rubble. I didn’t know how to feel. I couldn’t imagine how anyone had survived. Homes were leveled to the ground and I could not figure out where people had been that they were able to live. The team got quite and took in the sight that was in front of us. At this site we worked in three different yards, in 97 degree heat. We took pride in getting the yards cleaned up and finding small treasures that the storm left behind. A glass jar, full of flour that was intact….a picture frame with the grandkids smiling faces in it……a gold watch, etc. How is it that homes could be totally gone, but these items remained, totally unscathed. It brought me back to the storms hitting our home, and my small family holding hands in the basement and praying that we would all be ok. Seeing these homes made me want to hug and kiss my husband and baby till my lips couldn’t handle kissing them anymore. More small blessings came by way of the Salvation Army and their refrigerated truck….it was full of Klondike bars, bananas, and best of all ICE COLD GATORADE…..we had water that was cold, and some luke warm Gatorade, but in this heat that ice cream and cold beverage was enough that we were able to work for over three hours in the blazing sun lifting, digging, and being hit with dust due to high winds. The end of our day with Americorp allowed us an opportunity to meet a world Jambalaya making champion and learn how to make a huge batch of rice. We finished with Americorp and headed to Life Choices, and clinic for individuals who need medical assistance and sometimes a little guidance. Karolyn is the executive director and she needed some help with medical supplies. We loaded the van with gloves and antibacterial hand soap and moved it to the storage area. When we finished our task at the clinic we drove some supplies to a local nursing home. We were hot, covered in dust and dirt, exhausted and most of all excited about how much our small team accomplished in such a short amount of time.



Day 3- Our entire day was spent working with College Heights. Everyone, except myself, went to work in the warehouse. I spent the day registering victims. I had a hard time keeping my emotions in check listening to the stories of survival and true strength. Their lives were destroyed, but their spirits remained. I was honored by meeting a lady who was lucky enough to have a small basements. We had found out many didn’t due to the expensive cost of digging for them. She had befriended her younger neighbors and spoke of how she sat in her basement worrying that they wouldn’t make it out. She and her husband were trapped in the basement, and he had a gash on his leg, but they managed to dig out of the rubble and see the devastation before them. Without thinking the husband ran, injured, to the neighbors house and helped save them from a home that was crushing into them. She held on to me as she spoke, and for the first time tears came out of my eyes. This lady’s home and her young neighbor were in the Joplin story featured in People Magazine. We prayed, hugged, and held hands as I walked her around to help get supplies. That same day I also met a woman who was stronger than the rest, because she survived not just one, but two natural disasters. She told me how she had survived Katrina, but had lost everything and how she was restarting all over again in Joplin and now again she is without. She told me that those objects were nothing, but her life and the lives of her loved ones were everything, and they had all survived. These two women’s faces will never leave me. I wear the weight of their loss, and love for others in my heart, and can only pray that I can be as strong as they both are. That night brought us time for fun and rest. We spent time sharing a good Italian meal and watching the new X-Men movie.



Day 4-This was our last day to work, so we wanted to spend it working as hard as we could. We decided to spend the entire day with the Americorp group. We were taken to a site and began going through the debris. This site was so different in that the debris was so small it was hard to get through it. Our group found pictures, a butt of a gun, and a diploma. The family came to the site and were grateful and full of sadness over the site of their home, and the loss of several treasured family items. A group leader came by and was looking for a few people to help at another site, cleaning up tree debris so a house could be demolished. We agreed to go. We spent time moving heavy branches that our sawyer cut for us. One of the team members got a piece of saw dust in her eye, which meant she and I had to head back earlier than the rest so she could see a medic and they could get it out. After the week we had it was time for us to spend time as a team. We bought stuff to make ice cream sundaes and ordered pizzas. We laughed, played cards and listened to music preparing for our long trip home. That night as I laid down to sleep I could hardly believe the week I had and how Joplin had changed me.

Now that we are home people keep asking me how my experience was, how was Joplin, etc. I don’t know how to answer. It was life changing, heart breaking, and something I will never forget. There has not been a day that has gone by since we have returned that my mind doesn’t think of the time I spent in Joplin. I was lead to go and help, and I’m forever grateful to my husband, and church family who support me in going. I have a blessed life, and am thankful for the life God has given me.

Life is ever moving...

I just noticed that I haven't updated since March. Im lacking in my blogging duties it would seem. Life for us is ever moving, and usually at a fast pace. Ella has taken to being two with great pride. She no longer wants help from her mommy and daddy. She counts to 20 (usually all correct), can somewhat say her ABCs, and knows what she wants and when she wants it. Ella is currently in LOVE with the movie tangled. She has a play frying pan and will point it at us saying, "who are you, how did you find me." It took us a while to realize she was repeating the movie and pretending to be Rapunzel. This weekend we had 3 and 1/2 inches cut from her hair. It made her look so much older. Mommy cried a bit, and Ella proclaimed that she was beautiful.

Ella loves to dance, and insist we, and her toys dance with her. She is a fish and would spend hours in her play pool if we would allow her. She recently got to ride "fair rides." We never thought we would get her off of them.

We experienced the first bad storm since moving in our home. Living in Xenia we knew that bad storms were prone to hit near us (see tornado of 1974...EF5 hit Xenia)....but thankfully until this year we hadn't had to deal with anything too bad. On Monday the 23rd Lisa's sister, Lori, came to visit. The first of the storms hit and we spent some time in the basement as the sirens blared. Thankfully there were no tornados and no damage. On the 25th that changed. The tornado's had hit Joplin, MO and we knew what was coming. While at Kroger the first storm came throug, quick siren, then we quickly checked out and got hom. As soon as we hit our door the storm really began. The sirens went off, we flew to the basement and huddle together. As the hail began to hit we held hands, kept Ella happy, and prayed that nothing worse would occur. Thankfully no major tornado hit, but we weren't without damage. We need a new roof, and siding, and our cars need repairs, but we got out safe and sound.

It was during this time I began to think of the people of Joplin, and how many of them had been in their basements, holding hands and praying, and didn't make it. Or lost everything that they owned. I realized I needed to help. I have quickly put together a team to go to Joplin and help. There are no words for the anxiety Im feeling knowing Im leaving Ella for five days to face destruction that will beyond belief. I want to be able to tell her about it, and hope that she has a heart and spirit of helping others.

Ella loves like no other. She is known as the "mommy" in the nursery at church. She is bossy, but kind. She would share her last nickle with you (how many kids are willing to do that?) We are truly blessed and thankful each day that we have her and that we are able to provide for her.