A Door Wide Open

Revelation 3:7 These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open.

You might not have noticed but the frequency of my posts have slowed down recently. But there are good reasons, and I think nausea and exhaustion are two pretty good ones! Michel and I are so excited to announce that Wesley is going to be a big brother in November!

We had been praying about having another baby for a while, but since I was experiencing all the same fertility issues I had when we were trying to have Wes, we figured we would have to go back to our fertility doctor for treatments, and that was a daunting thought! I realize I have never written down the details of our fertility journey with Wes, but that is a much longer and much more involved post that might never get written!

But in February, Michael and I were at a point where we just weren't sure where the Lord was leading us...was our family complete with the three of us, should we wait and see what happens, should we seek treatment again?? We were just at a standstill, when at church one Sunday our pastor, who was teaching out of Revelation, came to Chapter 3 and Jesus' letter to the church in Philadelphia. And with verse 7, we just knew the Lord was speaking to us. "What he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open." We knew the Lord was telling us that His will would be done in our lives above all else. And if we sought treatment and another baby wasn't in His will, He would close that door and if His will was to expand our family, He would open it. And we knew we would be able to accept either outcome with the confidence that God is in ultimate control.

God's timing is always amazing and we were able to get a cancellation appointment for a consultation within a couple of weeks and were able to begin treatments right away. Fertility treatments are no walk in the park and are definitely not cheap, so after only a couple of office visits, I told Michael that after this cycle, I didn't think I wanted to keep trying. But miraculously I never got to that point, because God swung that door wide open and I was pregnant on our first cycle and with no fertility drugs! Needless to say we were in shock but so grateful for such a swift answer to our prayers.

I continued to see my fertility doctor every week for the first 13 weeks to monitor the baby and my hormone levels since I was on hormone supplements and fertility patients are considered 'high risk' in the first trimester. And each week I had an ultrasound, so here are the pictures of the baby growing each week:

5 weeks

7weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

This is the baby sucking it's thumb (I am destined to have a finger sucker and a thumb sucker!)

I "graduated" (I love that term!) from my fertility doctor last week and am now considered a normal pregnant person :) I got some of my energy back around 12 weeks and the rest is being sapped by my almost 2 year old. And the nausea is still hanging around a little, but I'm praying it will be gone soon. I didn't have a single day of nausea with Wes, so this has kind of thrown me for a loop. But we can't thank the Lord enough for the joy of this pregnancy and knowing 100% that He opened this door for us. And we are really looking forward to finding out if Wesley will have a little brother or sister! Thank you for all your prayers and your continued prayers for a safe and healthy pregnancy!

Like Father Like Son

Here's how Wes chose to spend a recent Saturday afternoon!

Only men find the joy in spending (lots!) of time washing their cars. But I do have to say, his wheels were sparkling once he was finished!

Easter Afternoon

Easter afternoon after nap, we headed over to Aunt Kathy's house to celebrate Easter with Mike's side of the family. We had a delicious dinner and a nice time visiting with all of our Aunts, Uncle's and cousins!

Wes getting a leg up on the egg hunt from his big cousins!

Trying to get a shot with Grandma Susie, but I think he was too busy making sure he got every bit of chocolate in his mouth to smile!

Squeezing in a little batting practice.

Thanks to all our family for delicious meals and good company :)

We don't use our front door very often, so we didn't realize Grandma Susie had left an Easter basket for Wes that morning! He was quite excited to continue celebrating!

That bunny was almost as heavy as Wes. Luckily daddy and mommy helped tackle that one :)

Check out all these fun treats from Grandma Susie and Auntie Jessica, was a blessed kid!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Easter Morning

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men clothed in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" Luke 24:1-6

On Easter morning we went to church and then went over to Grandma's house for brunch and lots of Easter fun!

Wes made a bee line for his Easter basket from Grammy after walking in the door.

Checking out all his goodies,

but wondering, "what the heck is this stuff?!?"

Easter basket grass, truly is a wonder!

Grammy the Easter bunny gave Wes a Pez dispenser. We have lots of those at home, but there's never been candy in one before! He thought that was pretty awesome.

And then he was off for an egg hunt!

Grammy hid lots of eggs!

I always remember the Easter bunny hiding eggs up the stair railing when I was a kid, so I love this picture!

And now to the good part :)

This is Wes' Easter basket from Michael and I. Wes had accidentally found that box of tractors a week before Easter and had a major meltdown over the fact that he couldn't open them. Obviously I need to find a better hiding spot! So I think he was so excited to see them again!

The "dump'um" (dump truck) is his favorite and is often asked for before going to bed. (One truck always goes ni-night with Wes!)

And here's what happens after eating the contents of a few eggs! Grammy did a great job of filling her eggs with toys, animals crackers and a few pieces of candy and marshmallows. I couldn't stop him from eating the marshmallows, they're his favorite!

On a side note, I made dessert for our Easter celebrations and decided to make a fresh strawberry pie to take in the afternoon and a Banberry Pie (Michael's favorite) to take to my mom's. This was my first time making crust from scratch in all it's butter and Crisco glory.

And my first time making the custard filling for the banana creme part. (Banberry is a banana creme pie with strawberries and glaze on top. Polly's Pies is the only place I know that makes one). I followed the recipe in my Joy of Cooking book for banana creme pie (I love that cookbook, it's so laden with details, it's almost impossible to screw up one of the recipes!)

And here is the finished product. I have to say, it was delicious, and Michael and everyone else agreed! Though it took quite a while, I have to say, this recipe is a keeper. Happy Easter!

(Easter afternoon pics to follow)

Good Friday

On Good Friday, Michael, Wes, Grandma and I went to the Good Friday communion service at Irvine Meadows. I always love the music at this service and of course I love taking communion in rememberence of Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross!

We sat in the grass section this year which was a good decision!

Good Friday Service last year.

Auntie Chrissy's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

I'm finally on to Easter photos!! On April 21st we went to Auntie Chrissy's house for her 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt. It was a great afternoon of visiting with friends, yummy food and of course lots of Easter fun!

The kids dyed Easter eggs.

Wes thought his hardboiled egg looked like a whiffle ball, luckily I convinced him not to throw it!

Then there was cookie decorating, Mimi (Cody's grandma) made her famous shortbread with lemon icing!

Then some of the mommies hid Easter Eggs while Auntie Chrissy read the kids a story about the true meaning of Easter, that Jesus died on the cross and rose again!

I helped hide eggs this year, and tried to find some creative spots! This is in honor of Wes' obsession with tractors.

And a few minutes later, the kids were off! It was so fun to see Wes go after the eggs this year. (last year he wasn't walking, so it wasn't much of a hunt for him, check out last years pictures here)

We checked out a few eggs, but we (meaning Mommy) decided we should have lunch first :)

A group shot! Not too bad kiddos!

Then we all had a delicious lunch. Egg shaped PB&J and fruit for the kids, salad and bread for the moms!

And for dessert....cake pops! I love cake pops, they are the perfect size for little kids!

Auntie Chrissy really outdid herself with all the details! Everything was just perfect, we love this tradition!!

Though Wes was still pretty wound up when we got home, he finally fell asleep for a little nap. And when he woke up, we checked out all the treats in those eggs!

Just a little sample of "tandy."

Thanks again for hosting a wonderful party Auntie Chrissy, same time next year!!