Infertility..

*** Welcome to INFERTILITY FRIDAY: Supporting a friend thru secondary infertility and beyond. If your new, catch up HERE! ***

Last Thursday was the day!! The day those tiny 2 little embryos would be re-united with their Mama.

It was going to happen at exactly 11 A.M on Thursday March 21st!

I refrained myself from jumping in the back seat like an excited little puppy and trusted them to fill me in one every.single.detail.

It would be a quick procedure... and be followed by a weekend of lots of rest!

The proud parents

After the procedure, they were handed their very first picture of their two babies...

Proud Mama M and her chick-lets

 Later that evening, I ran across the street and up her stairs to say Hi! There she was, resting in bed surrounded by magazines and books... with a big 'ol smile.

She had her babies and was as happy. Like any proud mom, she showed me their first pictures and we oohhed and ahhed over how cute they were...

And decided that the baby on the left was a girl because she blasted first... and we all know girls are quick like that ;)

And her twin was a boy!

We talked about where their crib would go and if they would have blonde hair like one of their sisters...

And we joked on how the family would finally cross over into the "large family" world.

Exactly where they were put in... 

As I was sitting up in her bedroom chatting with her, I got a text from Jason's step-mom asking how Michelle was doing. She too has been following her journey and praying for the best. I sent her this picture...

When I saw my Mother in Law the next day, she clapped her hands excitedly and said...

"I never knew twins from birth. It will be nice to see them grow up.."

They will get to know my Aunt Diana and soon realize that a trip to her house means lollipops and banana bread...

And that their close friends live right across the street in the Little Red House. They don't even have to knock to come in because they visit so often...

 Good 'ol crazy Cuncle Neal lives on the next block... The ever present good sport whenever the kids play ding dong ditch or leave food to rot on his front porch just for fun...

Their other friends in Alabama... the way older ones that come for the summer...

They are fun to hang out with too...

And we can't forget Cindy... Aunt Cindy who comes to visit at The Little Red House. She brings their friend Ashlyn to play and the moms all stay up late laughing and yelling at the kids to go outside. She is an expert in make-up and all things shiny. She is FUN!...

And last but not least Grandpa Dennis...

Yeah, He is great to have around when the ice cream man comes cause he will buy ice cream for the WHOLE BLOCK!!!

He is the Grandpa of my friends over in The Little Red House

Yup, We love these little babies already and know they are going to have a great life... We will be the family they don't have living here, with enough arms for hugs and kisses...

No matter when they come or how long we get to know them...

They ARE loved!

Theres a whole big world waiting for them here!!

So today... we wait to find out if she is pregnant.

And we CELEBRATE! We celebrate their LIFE Now and in the future...

** To be continued...**

Xoxo,

GiGI

Schooling With Little Ones... A Daily Lesson In Patience...

I often am asked... " how the heck do you homeschool with so many kids?" And I hear... " I could never homeschool, I just don't have the patience for it..."

Thanks exactly what came across my mind when I first heard the call to homeschool. In early 2008 as my kids were happily attending public school, I felt God leading me towards schooling them at home. I fought and fought and in the end, I'll give you two guesses who won?!

I don't fit the Homeschooling mold. I hate denim skirts, have acrylic nails and love me some make-up.

I also didn't have a stitch of patience.

I mean... when was I going to get my time?

 For the love of sweet corn, I needed

M-Y T-I-M-E.

But like water on a rock, God gently kept at me. Slow and steady won this race and when He kept on asking me if I could fulfill Deut 6: 6-9...

 My honest answer had to be No.

For me, if they continued to attend public school absolutely not. Fifth grade brought tons of homework and with an early rise, it was early to bed. Not to mention splitting myself 5 ways ( I only had 5 kids at the time) for the 3 hours they were home and awake was impossible..

Every Day as I gave God VERY GOOD reasons why homeschooling my own children would be an epic fail...

He kept nicely showing me this verse. I tripped over this verse, ate this verse, dreamt about this verse...

I couldn't get away from this darn verse!!!

And I didn't have one stitch of peace in my life till I waved my white flag and told God YES! I WILL homeschool... and prove how WRONG he was for asking me in the first place...

5 years have passed and I never ever have regretted my decision. I mean, I have plenty of days where I just KNOW God must be up in heaven laughing at me... But in the end, when I am beaten down without tears left to cry, he pours Grace right into me and I'm ready to go.

He never promised it would be easy but the rewards would be endless. Since my decision, I had 2 pregnancies, 2 miscarriages and added 2 babies to our family... Challenging any type of schedule I ever tried to have.

But most of the days, we accomplish what needs to be done and call it a day.

Over the years, through some tough trial and error... I have become a little... and I stress little more seasoned... I have a 10th grader, 8th grader, 3rd grader, 1st grader, Kindergartener and a toddler... and for kicks... the baby! A very cute and noisy 7 month old....So for anyone out there that thinks they might be interested, wonders how I do it, wonder how YOU can ever do it or have done it...

This is for you!

1) School when is best for YOU... for us, that is mornings. I know that if the work is not done by lunchtime ( with the exception of reading) it just will not get done.

2) Plan plan plan. I will never ever win any type of organization award nor can I ever preach on the subject, but I DO know, when I take time to review the next days lessons the night before... The next day goes MUCH sooner. The key is, actually doing it... ( gulp)

3) Keep toddlers busy. My 2 year old KNOWS when I am craving silence to school and THAT'S when she screams the loudest. It must be some built in survival thing, but it gets me nuts QUICK... but thankfully, I have an ipad and usually with one swish of the finger, she can be tracing letters, singing and learning without even knowing it ( and being quiet too!!!)

4) Have the older kids help!! I am blessed enough to have teenage girls to help me out when the baby won't stop crying and i just HAVE to explain multiplication for the THIRD time to my daughter... since both teenage girls work independently at an online school, they take turns... whichever one is free at the time goes on baby duty and they switch with each other when necessary... its never really long. Just enough to get thru a lesson or two or finish explaining a new concept.

**But before you get too jealous of my current situation... remember, it took me a LONG time to get to this point and there was a time that I had 5 kids 9 and under.... so being able to breathe a bit is very well earned..**

5) If tears appear (and they will) just stop! Close the book, walk away and revisit at a later time. Someone or both of you are losing their patience and getting frustrated and a break is needed. Learning a new concept while damaging a relationship is just.not.worth.it. The world won't end. Take a recess, go out and play and continue on with the school day. Revisit THAT area tomorrow.

6) Last but never ever least... Never compare your behind the scenes to someones highlight reel...

We all have bad days, unfinished days, frustrated days and days they just KNOW they are not cut out for this... its NORMAL! Anyone who says its not either never honeschooled or is flat out lying.. I can't begin to tell you the times I have just cried to my husband about what a failure I was, only to have him gently remind me of MY mission statement for my kids... and then after falling asleep DURING in prayer, God pours his grace into me and I awaken with a fresh start.

If I wasn't homeschooling my children, I would be working... I would be challenged at something I don't normally do... so whats the difference?? Why would I pour myself into something... a career, promotion, raise, transfer... when I can do the same with my kids??? With a MUCH better eternal outcome. I see no better use of my time then to dedicate my life to future members of society.

So for all you moms out there that are feeling the call to homeschool but don't think you qualify??

 You don't qualify...

 None of us do. But God never calls the qualified... He qualifies the called.... and its through His grace and love do we ultimately see the light at the end of the tunnel...

Oh and P.s. I get plenty of my time... but since the relationship with my kids have grown so close, I often drag a few of them with me when its time to get my time.

Ironic huh??

XoXo,

GiGi

Christmas in March......

I love books. I love the smell of books. The feel of books. Turning the stiff new pages of the books. I can't get enough of BOOKS! Especially new ones. Bookstores make me giddy. Its no surprise that I have several bookshelves filled with books and some in the garage too....

And may even be adding a small bookshelf to the kitchen to catch all the overflow of the books from my other rooms...

As far back as I can remember, books have always been my thing. I was never super smart or nerdy... but I loved getting lost in the world of my books.

Im also a hater of change, which is why I have been unable to handle or accept switching over to online reading devices....

although, they are lovely little pieces of modern machinery... I just can't even think of not turning the literal PAGE of a book...

I know, I have to get with the times... but did I mention how long it took me to drop the 35 mm film??

Yeah, That's a whole OTHER blog post.

So, its no surprise that I passed my love of books onto my children. My oldest is very overprotective of her books. NO creasing the binding. NO bent corners and dont EVER...E-V-E-R borrow a book and return it in less shape....

Oh my word...

Last week, I placed a very large homeschooling book order AND Scholastic book order online and havent slept a wink since...

Ok, maybe a few winks but i can assure you that my new books consumed my thoughts.

Is that wrong? Don't judge k?

I tracked and tracked until the shipment day arrived....

And when they showed up on my lil front porch...

* OH GLORY *

New math books and writing books. Sight word Bingo and rhyming books...

ALL FOR ME!!!! MY KIDS!!

It was like Christmas in March!

My kids were super excited as well.... (until i open the books to begin school.)

I Also wanted to share with you some of my FAVORITE homeschooling treasures.

For Math we use HORIZONS Math. I have a K5 a 1st grader and a 3rd grader I'm using them for. I just adore the bright colors, the easy learning style and repetitive practice. New concepts don't overwhelm them and they quickly move onto something else to give them a break... but each concept is re-visited in other lessons to re-enforce learning. These books ALWAYS grace my school table

Another book I love is The " Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons." I have taught Molly how to read with this book, as well as Noah and I'm going through it with my Kindergartener right now. I pair this book up with the EXPLODE THE CODE series... ( once they get past lesson 20.) and they really take off with spelling and reading sight words. The funny sentences and pictures in the Explode the Code books really keeps them laughing....

We just started the Draw Right Now series. We will incorporate a bit of art with copywriting. Practicing penmanship is important, even in a computer dominated world. I don't focus on the Art aspect as they take creative art classes in their co-op and have for the last 2 years. But its fun to see them creat and learn at the same time. But the Draw Right Now series teaches them how to draw the picture correctly step by step. We are starting with Book 1 and might even continue with this thru the summer....

The kids take science in their co-op but we also do a bit at home as well. I use Alpha-Omega Life-packs Third Grade... enough to stimulate my 3rd grader but the 1st and k can still follow and learn as well. We just finished a series on the Body and yesterday we started Plants!! Its perfect since we are growing our own vegetable garden and they will be tending to it all spring and summer long. Yesterday we pulled up roots from the ground and placed them under the microscope to study them. We drew what we saw and We learned the uses for them and why they are important to the life of a plant. The experiments are easy to follow and we have most of the materials needed...

But those are my favorite books that we use. We have others that we use for Language arts and various books we read from for History, but they are not on my favorite list YET!! Im still nailing Down the PERFECT books for them...

What are your favorites? I love to discuss what other homeschoolers use and why.... helps me see things differently and explore ALL options...

XoXo,

GiGi

S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D

Whoever created the saying 

"I'm too blessed to be stressed" 

obviously has never ever tried to have an active blog with 7 kids! Especially being barely able to do the most basic computer functions!

And especially has never tried to re-do the blog to make it look semi-presentable with pictures that ACTUALLY fit... IF you know what Im sayin...

So please excuse my blessed mess while I adjust and tweak a few things around.

My awesome cousin and incredible hubby spent wing night helping me...

Well, actually, I cleaned up the kitchen and kept the wings coming and they worked behind their screens. Don't mind the mess on the counters. I won't lie... that's how it always looks. (Sometimes worse.) Keepin it real folks... Just keepin it REAL!.....

And tonight I will relax in my recliner and play around with my new domain while watching The Bible on DVR!

Our weekend was pretty low key which fit the weather perfectly. With constant rain, who wants to go out anyway???

Today Grandpa came to the rescue and took the kids (sand Penny and Caleb) to his house for the afternoon and then invited us over for dinner. SCORE!

Napping babies + quiet house = Time for Momma to catch up on her 25 page to-do list. One of them being my poor, neglected blog.

But Im excited for the finished product!... well, the FIRST finished product. The SECOND and final finished product will come later in the year... but Im still excited.

Maybe then will I be able to finally tackle Mt. Laundry and the Valley of the dirty dishes...

Just maybe...

How was your weekend??

XoXo,

GiGi

- XoXo GiGi

Morning Coffee On Main...

I love my city.

Its precious in every single way. 

I adore supporting the businesses Downtown...

And I Love showing friends and family WHY this City is so loved.

So I was super excited when my hubby told me that he was taking me out on Saturday morning for a breakfast date. It was last Monday night and we were up way past our bedtime. Hubby and I were reclined on the couch when he turned to me and asked me if I wanted to go to breakfast this Saturday at a little hotspot downtown.

Of course, I said YES!

And Saturday came and I didn't want to get out of bed. To make matters worse, it was COLD and rainy. Exactly the opposite of what I imagined. No cute sundress... or cute new rhinestone sandals I just bought...

Instead I reluctantly parted with my warm down duvet and picked out a warm winter cardigan.

Our reservation was for 9:30 a.m. so I decided to skip my morning coffee and try theirs... a BIG step for me since I'm a coffee SNOB! I only like ONE brand of coffee, from my coffee pot...

But, everybody deserves a fair chance....

I lined my eyes, dabbed some lipstick and bathed in perfume.

I was ready.

Main street was so quiet. We actually got FRONT street parking. Even the trees looked sleepy. Still recovering from a late night before.  

The hostess had our table ready. Right up front, by the window.  The music was soft and the coffee, freshly brewed.

The rain began to slow down and hubby and I began to chatter..

It was nice to get away. Leave our precious 7 kids safe in their home and venture out to re-connect.

We chatted about The 2 to 1 Conference coming up in three weeks.

We talked about the kids, work and our big DISNEY vacation we have planned for September...

o

And just enjoyed sitting across from one another...

Him and I...

Me and Him...

The way things started over 17 years ago.

I'm a HUGE advocate of date nights. Date days, date afternoons... Date anything.

When  our kids were little, escaping out of the house was hard and seldom done. Babysitters were rare, family wasn't always available and money was tight...

But I believe the older they get, the more date nights need to occur.

Life gets busier, kids get their own life and before long you have come full circle. Back to it being just 

Him and I.

Me and Him.

I don't want to stare across the table and see a stranger.

I want to see my friend. My best friend. The one I did life with...

And cried with...

and loved with...

Hubby and I sneak away as often as possible. Little lunch rendezvous, dinner dates and sometimes just a snack  meet-up around town. And its those times that are the most special to me. When I'm meeting him across the parking lot and he greets me with a smile...

And takes my hand.

And as our fingers touch, I am instantly reminded why I married this man...

In a world that's starving for every bit of your time...

You need to make time.

And I'm so glad we did. 

I will remember this morning as extra special. The quietness of Main Street.

 Our booth by the window and the rain gently beating against the pane...

And my handsome groom sitting across from me, sharing his grits!

Does it get better??

XoXo,

GiGi

An Early Morning Egg Hunt and a Vlog!!!

*** Welcome to INFERTILITY FRIDAY!! Supporting a friend thru secondary infertility and beyond. If your new, catch up HERE***

* A quick vlog the morning of!!!!*

"Your beautiful. Even without any make-up on, your the most beautiful woman to me."

waiting to go into the clinic

I stopped applying my lipstick and just listened. A part of me felt as if I shouldn't be here, like I was the 3rd wheel of a very intimate moment between husband and wife.

Here I was, sitting in the back of Michelle's mini-van at 6 in the morning, listening to her husband whisper sweet everythings into her ear.

The sun was still sleeping and even the nurses hadn't shown up to the fertility clinic yet...

But here we sat. Early. and I was privileged to tag along as Michelle and John took one step further to hold their baby!

Today was Egg retrieval day! It was finally here and Michelle was NERVOUS! The night before, we all gathered on her couch as we chatted her nerves away.

And today was the day!

I hardly slept the night before, I was SO anxious I would not hear my alarm and oversleep, that I woke up too early and I was half asleep...

But I applied double the make-up and wore a new cute outfit to counter-act the delirium.

Michelle wasn't allowed ANY products and as I was spraying perfume in the van, she mentioned she felt so B-L-A-H...

Thats when her husband chimed in and reminded her what his version of beauty was.

( Um please don't ask me WHY I was spraying perfume at 6 am... I hardly slept REMEMBER?!!)

In the elevator on the way up

Anyway, After cracking jokes in the waiting room and discussing how she can be the next octo-mom, she was quickly whisked away to the procedure room to start the process.

Nurse Lindsay said from start to finish it would take about 1.5 hours. Easy peasy. 20 minute prep, 20 minute procedure and about 20 minute recovery...

General anesthesia would be administered.

So we waited. And waited and waited...

What seemed like forever and a day went by before the nurse came back for John..

" WAIT!! Can I come??"

Because no other procedures were going on that day, so I was allowed back there as well.

The nurse chatted as John and I walked into the back..

"Michelle did great, she was a bit nervous and didn't want the medicine we gave her... she tried to get out of it but she did good..."

I laughed... knowing Michelle, that translated to:

"Get the H&** away from me with your friggin meds and needles. I don't want your dang drugs!!!"

Yup, that sounds about right.

As she opened the door, there she lay, drugged out of her head, sleeping soundly. John went over to her and kissed her face. I, of course, started taking pictures.

Lindsay assured us everything looked perfect. It went beautifully and the Dr. was able to retrieve 12 eggs!!!

12!! So far, she beats octo-mom...SCORE!

The baby team. Nurse Lindsay and Dr.

John and I kept cracking jokes back and forth over Michelle as she lay, still out cold from the meds.

But pretty soon she woke up. And by up, I mean feisty.

"Why is your phone going off?"

"Wheres my hat! I need my hat on."

"How are my bangs?"

- " SHHH Michelle..."

Please comment on that hat she insisted on wearing please...

But she just kept on rambling...

" Put my HAT ON!"

"Did I shave?"

"GiGi, Did you shave??"

" SHUSH MICHELLE..."

" Who's next to me?"

"What is she here for? What is she having done?"

"MICHELLE...SHUT UP!"

" I feel like laughing.."

Oh God... Please don't let her start laughing.

How many drugs did they give her??

" I have to pee..."

Just lay there and smile Michelle...

Luckily, with each weird request, she began to regain consciousness and the Dr. was able to come over and congratulate her on the most perfect egg retrieval possible.

I bid them farewell and let them have their privacy as I headed home.

Sometimes 3 is a crowd.
It was time for them to have their moment.

I was honored to have been there on the day her babies would be conceived. The day those mass of cells would take their first journey towards LIFE...

The next day the phone rang... Out of the 12, 8 little babies were fertilized and were growing. Their journey would begin. Its going to be a tough road for them. Statistically, not all 8 will survive. They will continue to grow for a few days and they will be checked to see how they are doing.

In the meantime, Michelle continues shots. This time in her behind!

Getting ready to carry those babies.

We text back and forth and think and pray for those little babies fighting hard for life. As a mom, I just want to squeeze them and cuddle them. 

Im sure Michelle feels the same. A huge mommy-grin comes across her face whenever she talks to me about her babies...

The safest place for them to be is with their momma...

and in just a few days, that will happen...

And prayerfully,

in 9 months, they will meet.

And she will hold them...

And I will remember this day. The day their soul was formed!

If you can remember, please pray that those babies grow and enough remain to be implanted in Michelle and grow!

Thanks my friends...

XoXo,

GiGi

Children of The Corn.

Remember when I mentioned that we were planting our lil old garden from seed?? Well, somewhere between me stuffing my face with corned beef and the 70 degree day we had this past weekend, the seeds turned into sprouts and are outgrowing their little home.

They are currently on the landing of the stairway. 

Behind Faith they reside...

Surrounded by family and prayer!

*wink*

With bright sun and away from lil miss Penelope's prying hands.

For the record, I caught her plucking the thyme out leaf by leaf... This was AFTER she dumped her Rice Krispies. 

Yup, that's my P.!

The corn looks the cutest. All tall and strong. Ready to be rubbed with butter and roasted on my grill...

I know, I know... All in due time.

But Molly is excited and so am I. Especially since I bought one of every type of hot pepper to make our own HOT SAUCE!!! 

YEOW!

Tonight, we will be re-potting the pumpkins and corn into bigger pots so they have room to EXPAND!

I also just placed a HUGE online homeschooling order. I have been stalking the mail since. It should be arriving tomorrow... While I'm at co-op all day, and then having the in-laws over to dinner. You know, when I have NO time to sort thru them and roll around with them and smell their new smell. It wouldn't come TODAY, when I am HOME ALL DAY, doing nothing but schooling and cleaning...

But I am excited either way.

I'm also excited for tomorrow's infertility Friday post. Have you been following Michelle's journey?? Well you SHOULD!! If you need to catch up then start here!

Then co-op is tomorrow, after a long break.... And then DATE DAY with my man! He surprised me late Monday night and told me we are headed out THIS Saturday.... Gosh, I love that man!

My hubby... with much less facial hair!!

I'm also still bouncing off the walls with excitement over my last minute decision to attend 2 to 1!! An amazing weekend, with amazing mommy bloggers and NEW friends...

I'm excited.

Im hoping I don't scare too many people away. I never did fit into the "normal" homeschooling circle.

 I'm loud, bouncy and a bit nuts...

with acrylic french tip nails and short (er) skirts.

And don't forget the perfume..

My God... The perfume!!

But my heart lines up with Titus 2 like no other.

If they judge this book by its cover, their socks will be blown off.

Ha!

But I still have SO many things to prep for before I'm gone...

Busy busy busy we are... How 'bout you?

XoXo,

GiGi

Im Going... Are You???

Its late. Hubby just bought us tickets to the 2 to 1 Conference and my head is still spinning!!

Im so excited to meet some really sweet Bloggy friends that I have been conversing online with for MONTHS!!!

And some for years...

This April.

Titus 2:1...

How Ironic?

Titus 2... The chapter that has always struck me with such awe...

THIS is where my heart is...

This is where I belong.

And now I am going.

So, will I see you there?

Will I get to meet you? Let me know??

The hubby and #7 will be joining me.

In our big white van.

I'll be the one with the HUGE flower in my hair.

XOXO

GiGI

In Pictures...

This past weekend was one of those GOOD weekends. The kind where you collapse into bed utterly exhausted from the day but with great memories. The kids are sleeping soundly from all the excitement and your bed never felt so good.

That described this past weekend in a nutshell. Besides the weather being beyond gorgeous, I had lots of notes on my calendar...

So It would just be easier to share my weekend in pictures:

It started bright and early Saturday morning... and by early, I mean 5:30 A.M! I was so nervous I was going to miss my alarm and be late for Michelle's egg retrieval, that I woke up too early...

Singing the tune to "Puff The Magic Dragon..." Don't ask me why, but I was...

In the elevator at the crack of crack Saturday morning to go hunting for EGGS!

By the time I pulled back into the driveway, it seemed like HOURS had gone by, when actually it was barely 9 A.M!

Little did I know, my little cousin Tom had drove up from Atlanta and surprised me as I walked thru the door...

I had not seen him in over 5 years, so his face was nice to see. He graduates from Vet school this May and will practice in exotic animals...

Not cats and dogs... although he DID comment on Link the Cat...

Link is now on a STRICT regimen of diet and exercise

Sowing the Cuz the best of the city

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my City. For 9 years out of the almost 17 years of my marriage, I have called South Carolina my home and thats how it TRULY feels. I may have been born a full blooded NY'er, but my heart is fully for the south. I was SO happy to show him why I LOVE the area I live in...

We walked over the bridges and saw the Falls.

We let the kids run on the rocks by the rivers edge and play with the ducks...

It was quite a windy day, but just perfect out. Many city-dwellers also had the same idea...

My P. and I

Then we went to Red Robin for a late lunch. 

After we came home and put the babies down for a nap, we all reclined on the couches and relaxed a bit before round 3 started.

WING NIGHT!

For those of you that DON'T know, Wing night happens at my house every Saturday night. It was born about 2 years ago, when my cousin Neal was coming out of some very difficult times in his life. He worked a lot and just needed to blow off some steam.

We would gather around the table, discuss our week and hang out.

It immediately became a tradition and even has a small following on FB. Everyone knows WING NIGHT...

We crack jokes, tell stories about when we grew up and always... ALWAYS somehow ends up being a HUGE theology discussion. Its awesome. This past Saturday, the faith of Moses was studied, whether or not Lots wife really turned into a pillar of salt and the "violence" in the Old Testament,

In case anyone is wondering, My cousin is a Pastor and we never debate. We all would die for our faith and firmly believe... we just love to have our own study sessions.

Anywho... We ended WAY too late which resulted in oversleeping for church the next day...

**head hangs in shame**

But in my defense, I needed the sleep after being up for over 19 hours straight...

Upon waking to the sunshine, I brewed my coffee and sat outside in my screen porch to have some one on one...

I am in Deuteronomy. Moses is just about to see Joshua and Caleb off into the promised Land. I LOVE re-reading the Old Testament and seeing Gods hand in all that was done...

I underlined some key verses and was reminded on how God never leaves me... EVER!

Then we took the kids to Lowes to pick up more seed packets. Ours are growing so beautifully. I will show you this week how much they sprouted since we planted them. But we needed some more squash and peppers to add to the group.

Then we ate some hot dogs real quick before heading to Grandpas house for a ST. PATRICKS DAY FEAST!

I have never had Corned beef and cabbage before (crazy I KNOW!!) so I was really excited to try.

It was DELICIOUS and I ate ALL my T-W-O plate fulls like a good girl.

The kids ran all around the yard and Caleb cried a LOT! He is teething so bad... poor thing.

Babys never get a break.

But now everyone is sleeping and I am watching the Bible series. I just LOVE this show. What a great testimony for so many people.

I know some are not happy about it, but I just wish they would be happy. Everyone complains that this world is so evil...

So FINALLY Hollywood puts out this Bible mini-series. Its not perfect but God can STILL use it for HIS good.

Isn't this what your constantly crying about???

So just be happy and WATCH IT!

Its amazing...

And thats exactly what Im going to do..

What did YOU do this weekend??

XoXo,

GiGI

When Rivers Flow Thru The Desert...

*** Welcome to INFERTILITY FRIDAY- Supporting a friend thru secondary infertility and beyond. If your new, catch up HERE***

Nurse Cindy injecting the timed HCG-3/14/13

" I will make rivers flow on Barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs..."

Isaiah 41:18

Dawn, my cousin-in-love, first introduced me to this verse back in the winter of 2010. A few months earlier, their ENTIRE extended family began the migration process out of Pennsylvania. All for different reasons, and with those reasons came many struggles. Adversity struck on every corner, but their faith never wavered. They held on to Jesus for dear life and weathered the storm. Now, Three years later, they are able to see how GOD created Streams of life in their Desert.... even though during the storm they often wondered:

"WHY GOD?"

I think she tweeted the verse, and after I saw it, I highlighted and starred it in my bible to forever remember. I was born and raised in the church, and thru all my years studying the bible, this verse never stood out as it did THAT particular day.

Today, that verse remains on the forefront of my life. When new challenges are put before me and all I want to do is run away, I remind GOD that he PROMISED to make rivers flow....

Three years ago (almost to the day.) Two acquaintances met on the playground of my local Zoo. I was pregnant with my little miracle Penelope and she was just coming out of a devastating loss. Looking back on that sunny southern day, we never were to guess that she was stepping into her Desert.

A place where her hopes would shrivel up and her dream would die. A place only "others" are supposed to go to....

3/2010 meeting after MANY years...

This Saturday marks the halfway point of Michelle's IVF journey.

IVF

The "thing" she always thought she would NEVER ever be able to do. Financially it was laughable. Emotionally it was too draining and spiritually.... well, it requires the faith of someone MUCH more faithful than her.... or so she thought.

Nurse Cindy mixing her 49th injection since 3/1/13

But God made a way. Each and every time.

" Is anything too hard for The Lord?" Genesis 18:14

This Saturday, early in the morning, I will accompany her to her retrieval. I have joked around and called her the great egg layer... but for 20 minutes THIS Saturday, the Dr will perform another miracle of science. They will retrieve eggs from Michelle's ovaries and immediately they will begin the process of the Invetro Fertilization...

A few days later, she will have them transferred back into her, into their home where they will grow....

Such a miraculous process getting some help by modern science.

I'm aware of the huge controversy surrounding IVF and I'm not here debating what is right or wrong...

Nor do I care too.

In Michelle's case, God has made himself clear and evident with each and every step... Just like science has helped SUSTAIN life and HEAL life that would have otherwise prematurely died due to illness... It is helping to CREATE life. 

Lord knows we NEED medicine. If not for science, I would have died months ago, leaving 7 kids motherless...

I'm so excited to have seen FIRSTHAND how God has made a way, when there seemed like no other way. How He has sent angels along her path to remind her that He was STILL with her...

And I know one day, she will share this journey with her child and he will wrap her arms around his mother and say...

"Thank You mom... Thank You for never giving up on me."

XoXo,

GiGi