David Alexander

My friend Dana had her baby October 14th and she asked me to take a few pictures of her son.  I had so much fun!  Here are a few of my favorites:  

I love his sweet little face

 

Love baby feet!

 

I cut out his last name - this last one is my favorite

He's such a sweet lovable little guy ~so cuddly!  Thanks, Dana! 

Christmas with Brian's Grandparents

After my parents left our house, Brian and  I packed up and went to his parent's house so we could spend Christmas with his grandparents.  They are snowbirds and spend their winter in Florida so we always celebrate early - usually in October.  The party was held at Brian's parents' church.   I love their small, country church.  I love that everyone knows each other and it does have more of a family appeal.  I love our church and our small group, but I do wish  we knew more people.  I think we had about 25 people there.  It's so great hanging out with family!  We're so thankful!

Brian's grandparents front row;  Brian's Dad, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Elaine

 

Chris is missing :(        -thankfully he has a great girlfriend and friends in Houston

 

Brian playing with Tori

 

I just couldn't bring myself to do my hair so it went into a ponytail and thankfully tights are in style now.  My stomach is too tender for jeans, so I wore a sweater dress with tights. 

 

We had an unexpected surprise at our house Friday morning - Snow!

 We've been off work the past 5 days and it has been perfect!  This was a much needed break.  We've been going non-stop for the past several months.

quick update

Thanks for the e-mails and comments I've received.   I've been doing really well.  Obviously, I'm a little sore, but ibuprofen has been taking care of most of my pain.   My biggest concern with my surgery is that I have gained 6 pounds in 2 days and I haven't even eaten that much.   I thought everyone loses weight after surgery, not gains weight.  I have felt incredibly dehydrated and have been drinking 2 1/2-3 liters of water a day.  My hands are so swollen that I can't wear my wedding rings.  They look like chubby baby hands (cute on a baby, not cute on an adult).  And my stomach is swollen ~looks like I'm 3-4 months pregnant (also not cute unless you're pregnant). 

Thanks to my parents for coming down and for my mom making an awesome Thanksgiving dinner.  We had the best 2 days hanging out with them. 

Thanks Part 2~ Surgery update

Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family for praying for me.  I wasn't really scared of the surgery, but I was worried about getting anesthesia and not waking back up or waking up with a hysterectomy.  But thankfully I really did not have too much anxiety.   ~Praise the Lord! I definitely felt God's transcending peace.  I got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep the night before, and it would have been more, but I had to get up at 4:45 am.  My surgery went well and we got home about 12:30 yesterday.  My doctor was able to get most of the fibroid out, he knew he wouldn't be able to get it all, but he was really happy with how much he was able to remove. I also had severe cervical stenosis (narrowing of the cervix), which is probably 1/2 of my fertility issue, and thankfully he was able to dilate my cervix to a more normal measurement.  He then discovered I have endometriosis (often a  painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus- the endometrium- grows outside your uterus ~mayo clinic cite), which is probably the other 1/3 to 1/2 of my fertility issue.  Thankfully he was able to burn it off.   Unfortunately, all 3 have the possibility of coming back, but I'm not going to worry about that now.  And the last thing he found was that my fallopian tubes were blocked.  He could not flush them, but he think it was from all the swelling.  The surgeon is hopeful they will return to normal size and plans to re-check in a few weeks.  I'm really glad I had the surgery and my surgeon was able to help me out.  Another praise is -My parents are on their way down here and are spending the next two days with us.  I'm so thankful they're coming and saving me from riding in the car for 4 hours.  We had planned on going up yesterday and I thought I would just sleep in the car, but I couldn't even sleep from the hospital to our house (I have never been able to sleep in the car, but thought with all the meds that I would have been able to) and I felt pretty exhausted, so we decided it was better to stay home and let me rest.  That really was the best decision, I had a pattern of sleeping hard for an hour and then would get up for an hour and then go back to bed for an hour.

I woke up at 4:45 this morning in a lot of pain, so I took some pills and am waiting for them to kick in.  Talk about sore!  Ouch!   I have been able to  lie on  my back and sides and lie with my head elevated  a little bit, but I can't sit normally.   So, if you could continue to pray, that would be great ~especially pray that  I can go back to work on Monday.

Here are the sweet flowers and card Brian bought me the day before my surgery.   

 

So...Thanks so much for all the prayers!!!!!  I have the sweetest, most dear friends! 

Also, a big Thanks to My Love ~ Brian.  He has been so loving, wonderful, kind, helpful, attentive and serving.

I love you all!

Philippians 1:3  "I thank my God every time I remember all of you"

Thanks

Thank you for praying for Ashley today. Her surgery went well and she is resting.  She's a little sore and dizzy, but doing really well.   I'll let her explain all the details. She could tell people were praying for her because of the peace she felt before she went in and she slept fairly well last night.  We're delaying going to Indiana, so her parents are coming down - her mom is going to make a nice Thanksgiving meal here.  I'm sincerely thankful for all of her prayer warriors!

Brian

Hannah's Baptism

Our dear friends Matt and Sarah invited us to their church to watch Hannah's baptism.  Hannah was in a great mood, as always.  Matt and Sarah's parents, Chris and Amanda, and Todd and Kristin were also all there to help celebrate.  We're so thankful for Hannah's life and for her Godly parents.

 

Going Away Dinner

Tonight we had a going away party for Ryan and Erin.  They are packing up and moving to Nashville.  Ryan's job has been keeping him in Nashville on and off for the past several months, so they finally decided to make the move.  I'm disappointed I only got a few pictures and did not get any of Ryan or Erin.  We met at El Toro.  Great food!  Great time!  Great Friends!

Patrick going in for a kiss on Virginia

 

Amanda, Kristin, and Virginia

 

Apparently Ryan informed our waitress that Brian had never been to the restaurant, so they came over and sang Happy Birthday to him and put a sombrero on him.  He was thoroughly embarrassed and confused ~we kept thinking they had the wrong guy.

Adam cracks me up - his facial expression doesn't fit him giving Charlotte her bottle

Adam, Julia and Charlotte

Ryan and Erin ~  we wish you the best in Nashville!  Keep us updated and let us know if we can do anything to help you.  We're thankful for your friendship and the memories we've made! 

Patiently Waiting Foster Parents

I have known since I was 21 that I wanted to be a foster parent, but Brian took a little longer to come around.  He liked the idea of helping a child, but was concerned about getting too attached and then end up broken hearted.   We prayed about it for a while and slowly over about a 6 month period Brian really started thinking it was a good idea;  however, we both decided that we wanted to wait until we had a baby or two.  Unfortunately that hasn't happened, yet, so we decided,  "why not now?!"  So we started the class.   -To be honest, the classes were painful!!  Boring!  Lots of skits, which Brian and I never participated, skits just aren't our thing. - Our social worker was upfront and let us know that she probably won't have our paperwork done until at least February, which is disappointing, but we'll try and be patient.  And we have no idea how long after that until we get a child - We have mostly decided on 1 girl or a set of girl siblings less than 5.  Our biggest reason for a girl(s) is that we already have a pink bedroom ready.  We don't know what God has in store for us, but we're excited and know He won't give us anything we can't handle.  Our goal is to adopt, but that may take a while, and we may even have to give a child back to her family.   If we have to give a child back, our prayer is that we have made her feel loved and worthy, made her feel safe, showed her Jesus,  and gave her some stability while she was at our house.

  Luke 9:48  "Then Jesus said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

Ephesians 3:16-20

   "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Top 10 Things I Love About Kentucky

10.   The Flowers:  Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Dogwoods
9.  The Red River Gorge

8.  The Legacy Trail - 12 mile trail for walking, running or biking
7.   Horses - I love all the horses and the farms - just so gorgeous

6.  The Landscape - The rolling hills are so pretty
5.  The Weather -  I love how much warmer it is here than my home town in Indiana-we have at least 6 extra weeks of nice weather
4.  Accents - I love southern accents - I can't listen enough to someone with a southern accent
3.  The people - I love the south and the people here.  Southern Hospitality is a "real" thing - handshakes, smiles, "bless your heart,"...
2.  Our Friends --we love our small group and our bible study friends  - they really have become our extended family - so thankful for them!
 1.  Our Church-  I love what God is doing at Southland- we love worshipping, serving and learning

Fans

Love my Colts fans

Jesus Prom - 2010

Last night Southland hosted the 2010 Jesus Prom and the theme was The Triple Crown.  We had the best time!!  Brian and I were greeters and it was so much fun seeing everyone's faces as they got out of their vehicles.  The prommers were so excited and we could barely keep them still for a couple of minutes while we got name tags and bracelets on them.  Our favorite group that showed up were high school students with Down Syndrome and their dates (other high school students).  The dates were Awesome -we were happy to see not only girls, but also boys.  They were so encouraging, compassionate, sweet and loving.  Plus, they showed up in a limo.  How fun!!  Of course I kept tearing up the whole night.  I was so thankful for every woman that did not end her pregnancy when she was given a diagnosis of Down Syndrome or some other abnormality (I realize many of the mother's did not know their child would have a disability).  We had around 1500 prommers and just as many volunteers.   

 

We had tuxes ready for the guys

 We had corsages ready for the ladies

The dance floor and the band

 

We had a dinner ready for the prommers

 

Hair and make-up stations

 

Picture station

 

Sweet Dana (Right) and her escort- I checked her in and instantly loved her

 

I loved this girl, she looked so pretty and her escort was so sweet and kind to her

One of the Best Nights of the Year!!!

Luke 14:12  "Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,  and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Beautiful Sight

Tonight we had a meeting for Jesus Prom and witnessed a beautiful moment.  At the end of the night, a sweet young man with Down Syndrome got up and sang "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me.  Of course I was crying and Brian was not.  While I was sitting there listening to him, I was thinking of his pure unashamed love for Jesus and picturing Jesus smiling and adoring him.   I loved his uninhibited spirit.  It made me want to be more like him.  It was just a sweet moment!  --Jesus Prom is Friday night and I can't wait!!!

Preparing for Christmas

I know it's early, but I'm getting so excited for Christmas.  I love making items, decorating, shopping, and cooking.  Today I was feeling crafty and wanted to make a wreath that I have been designing in my head.  It's not the traditional red and green we're used to.  I'm not sure if I'm finished with it, but I ran out of supplies, so it's done for now.   I feel like it needs a bow, but that may be too much.   It has clear lights on it, which gives it a nice glow, but you can't tell from the pictures. 

Congrats...

Todd and Kristin! We're thrilled to hear of your baby news!  Can't wait until the end of May to meet him/her.  --  For the record, I'm going to guess...a BOY

Check out these cute cupcakes Julia made to help celebrate the news

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."  1 Samuel 1:27

Top 10 Things I Love About Indiana

10. Corn Fields -- I love seeing corn fields everywhere -and the memories from childhood associated with running through corn fields
9.  Flatness  -- Never in a million years would I have guessed  I could miss flatness - we definitely miss driving on nice straight, flat roads 
8.  Snow --  Another thing I never thought I would miss - I really only miss it until January 1st- but it is really nice having snow at Christmas-  All of the winters we've had since we've been in Kentucky have been mostly rainy- don't get me wrong, it does snow some, but not like Indiana
7.  Thunderstorms --I love Storms !!  and  I love being able to sit on your front porch and watch a storm roll in - once again, don't get me wrong, Kentucky obviously has storms, but none have compared to some of the one's we've experienced in Indiana --also, odd - but I miss a good 'ole tornado watch or warning
6.  Sunsets - I love sitting on a front porch and watching the sunset
5.  IU Basketball --I have been a fan of not only basketball, but all things IU since before I was born.  I admit it, I miss Bobby Knight
4.  Friday Night Football Games  --I miss supporting my Lewis Cass Kings on Friday nights--I have also been a Kings fan since before I was born
3.  The Colts!!  No need to explain
2. I love this sign  - it reminds me that my parent's house is only 25 minutes away -- makes me smile every time I see it

and just in case one sign isn't enough, they have a second on the other side

1.  And obviously, the #1 thing I love about Indiana -- my family and friends --I'm so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life

Best Wishes Nikki and Justin

  We got to go back home and celebrate Nikki and Justin's wedding this past weekend. We had the best time.  Unfortunately, we were only in Indiana for about 16 hours and that includes sleeping.  We loved seeing everyone.    Every time we go home, it reminds me how much I love and miss everyone.  Here are some pictures from the evening.  

Pretty Sheri Girl and her precious daughter Addie --love these two so much

Brad and Drew --Drew really is Brad's Mini-Me

Sweet Kara and Shane - they got to enjoy an evening out without the babies

 

Cutie Brody was on the move, so I didn't get the clearest quality photo-he had the best time dancing - such a sweetie!

 Reagan just had a sucker (hence the blue lips) - she also loved dancing!

All my girls!!  Rachel (I actually just met her that night), Sheri (and Drew), Cheryl, Me, Kara, Julie, --Leah (and Brody), Laura, and Julie

 

Sheri and Me

 

The beautiful bride and me

 

Reminds me of an awkward family photo

 

Julie and Nikki

Cheryl and Nikki

The sweet little flower girl wanted in our picture

 

Us after the wedding

Best Wishes Nikki and Justin - Thanks for inviting us to celebrate your special day!  We wish you a lifetime of happiness