Our family is growing by two feet

Well, our story is our story, that is for sure!  I'm gonna have to start at the beginning for you to understand why I'm blogging about our growing family...  Matt & I met at Camp Chula Vista in 1991.  I had a crush on Matt, but he was a little too cool for school back then.  8 years later, we were reintroduced by a mutal friend (thanks Matthew Grace)! From there, our love began to bloom.

We have been blessed to travel and spend a lot of time on the road with friends and family, exploring the Rocky Mountains and many white, sandy beaches. For many years, we assumed our life would consist of working hard so we could play hard.  Yet, one day Matt started asking me about babies.... then, two of my sisters conceived.  I knew then that I wanted a family, and we started trying ourselves.

The last four years were spent trying to conceive and plan for our future family.  It consisted of trying to sell our business, sell our house and move across the country.  We couldn't understand why these plans never fell in place, until we discovered we were finally pregnant.  Light Bulb!  God has a plan for us and we are not in control.  We can dream, plan, and work hard, but until God's plan intersects with ours we may not see certain things come to light.

Now, we are expecting our first son. We are so thrilled, and we think about him every day.  Planning for him is the most fun I have had in my life!  We have dreamed about our first child for years, and now we are so thankful to be living a dream come true.

We are very grateful for the support of our family and friends around us who have supported us through the years and we appreciate and love each one of you!  Thank you for stopping by our baby website to read our story and participate in our journey

My first trimester was typical with nausea and morning sickness, but like clockwork, it all improved at week 12.  Now, in my second trimester, I am loving pregnancy and tracking Rhett's growth.

Here are photos from our journey of pregnancy!  Enjoy and check back because I might just decide to write again!

In the comments below, tell me how you told your friends and family that you'd be parents soon.

Losing Those We Love

I have lost a handful of important people in my lifetime and experienced more than a handful of insufferable losses.  On November 24, 2012 I lost another friend, who many would consider too young to die.  The death of Charles P. Cooper IV (Proctor or Coop, as many of us knew him) has heightened my senses of these loved ones.  Though Coop and I were not currently a part of each other’s everyday lives, I find myself thinking of him daily.  These thoughts and memories lead me into my prayers for everyone who was a part of his everyday life.  They will continue living without him.  His wife and daughter, along with his unborn daughter due to join this world on Christmas Eve, will have to move forward living a life on this earth without the one person most important to them.  Though it sounds so insensitive, it is reality.  The road will be sad and happy, hard and fun.  Thankfully, time does heal, as cliché as it sounds.  I pray that all of those closest to Coop are able to find a way to keep him close, as I have found a way to hold my loved ones close to my heart and soul.

In my experience, reminiscing through conversations, experiences, and photos helps to enhance my dreams.  At night when I close my eyes, I find the chance to spend time with my loved ones once again.  If spending time with them in my dreams is all I get for now, I’ll take it because the sense of picking up where we left off is so consoling; we talk, laugh and experience things together that are possible on earth.  Though they are only dreams, it often feels so real and it helps me to never forget!  It comforts me and guides me through life.  My dreams are where I can bring these people back into my life, if only for a instant.

Since my thoughts are consumed by all of this, I will be gathering a few memories and favorite photos of the loved ones that visit me in my dreams...  Please tune in again to hear about Marcus Joseph Brown, Matthew Joseph McCurry, Patricia Louise Bird Freking (Memaw Pat), Henry Freking (Pops), Martha Louise Higdon Pollard (Granny), Alvin Byron Teel (Daddy T), Arvin James Pollard (Papaw), and more about Proctor!

How do you remember the loved ones you've lost? Tell me in the comments below.