Blog Awards---

Someone gave my Blog an award. I cannot believe it.
I received an email from  my dear friend Sarah letting me know she appreciates my blog and has given me an award. I Love her so much and her friendship means a lot to me. Some people you become friends with and some you become Family. She is more a sister than a friend in this sense. This woman is really creative (should open her store the Byrd's Nest) and has the CUTEST Princess daughter whom Daniel shares her Birthday (they are a year apart). I could go on for this whole entry but I can't. There are so many other blogs I get inspiration from that choosing just 5 will be very hard!!


Now - the rules of the Sunshine award are that you have to award 5 other blogs. I don't mind doing this as I can share with you some lovely bloggers that I love to read on a regular basis.

Some of these will not know since I don't have their emails. (this only applies to one of them)

1.My Friend Michelle. I Love following her family she has two kids Brookston and Kaisley. I just love how willing they are to share their life with everyone. I just think their kids are so LUCKY and Blessed to have them as parents. She is another PAL mommy (Parenting after Loss) I love reading her Blog and if she gets multiple awards that's because she's that amazing.

2. It's So Very Cheri. Okay Sarah Got me hooked and actually Cheri is one of my known followers. (I have lots of folks reading stalking me. It just was one of those times I went clicking on a BLOG Button, went there, and almost instantly FELL in LOVE.
Another lesson in the you got a blog you need a button because you never know how people find you. Currently she's changed her website and is helping folks with changing over their links.
I am waiting for a button.

3. Kailah. She is an amazing mix of everything.  Life with her family, Real life tales of how Dave Ramsey changed their life. She is becoming more an advocate for ICAN...International Cesarean Awareness Network (okay if I got it wrong please let me know). I think she is expecting again and planning a VBAC (vaginal Birth after Cesarean) She should really after all of this think about becoming a Doula. I think she's be a great one and she'd be able to speak into other's lives.

4. The Hoover Household
I know what you're thinking. It's me right... NO it's a real family who just happen to share our last name.totally not related.
They are Church planters who are currently in Virginia who have 3 boys, one who has Autism. She recently wrote a bunch about being his mom and the struggles she faced. Like so many of my friends who like me share challenges and victories with our kids.
There has been more than a few gems of revelation on here. She is purely faith based and totally real.
Credit: Andrew for searching...


5. Erin and AL

These folks have been friends with us since like forever and Al was the Best Man in our wedding more than 12 years ago. She just shares life and that is worthy of attention. They have 2 beautiful daughters Samantha and Allysa (again if I got something wrong please accept my apologies and an instant EDIT). Again These people are more Family than they are friends and I LOVE reading what they are up to.I am praying for AL to get lots of generous Job offers that make more money and possibly either tele commuting or something of that fashion so he can spend time with his family. He is currently doing something called Team-In-Training.

If my friend Barbara is reading  I am working on your wedding photos (because I have been banging my head on my desk trying to fix your photos 2 photo programs later) You deserve the best and I will get you some soon to see on one of Andrew's Flash drives.
The pics from the ceremony need color help (we should have just changed the feature on our camera and just took black and white photographs)
And Yes we were standing in the vestibule when you came out of the closet Bride Room. You don't remember that although I'll never forget that moment.

Be blessed because I am

Milestone---Saying own name

After some Prompting this morning Jonathan sad his own name.
This originally caught me off guard, so I took the risk and asked him to do it again...
Me:Jonathan, Who is that(pointing to his picture)
Jonathan: (Grinning) Jonathan. Jonathan (seeing that mommy was in total disbelief)
Me: Yay  Jonathan Woo HOO (Hugs Jonathan)(mommy does happy dance and texts Andrew)
Jonathan: Big boy. (high fives mommy)

This might not be a big deal to anyone else but me and Andrew, but having had the struggle to get him to talk intelligibly this is a big deal. Told the teacher that he did this and she said they shout each other's names at school all the time.  We don't care, the fact is he did it for ME.

Way to GO Mr. Jonathan!!!!!!!!!!

Be blessed

Blessings FLOW- Major triggers

and so do tears...
I know we just observed Valentines day... but on the 28th of January I observed the 5th anniversary of "Saying Goodbye" to my baby Samuel who passed from this world at 7 weeks in utero into God's loving arms.
Funny how the very same day my next door neighbor gave birth to a daughter the very same day I had surgery to remove Samuel's remains.
A year later: After we went to that little girl's birthday party, we went and talked to a tree we had planted in honor of Samuel. At that very point we were within weeks of giving birth to Jonathan.
I have to recognize that without having lost Samuel I would not have had the hope to even keep trying to conceive. Jonathan was conceived 6 months after we lost Samuel (or 3 menstrual cycles).

Without having lost precious life, I would not have met the most amazing women. Some of whom have lost many of their babies anywhere from weeks after conception to delivering a full term baby who passed away before birth. These women have born incredible heartache, but yet a lot of them continued to press forward. Many of them went on to receive their blessings of their children. Any pregnancy after a loss makes for some really, really frayed nerves, some post traumatic stress, and eventually a really awesome redemption story (no matter how scary the story is). Any woman who's had a baby after a loss is a PAL mommy. I am also if you know me very partial to Pal babies and their mommies. :) They feel like my nieces and nephews.
You'll hear me say things like my kids are "Rainbow babies". Rainbows ALWAYS come after storms.
Without having had gone through incredible pain and heartache myself I would have never been able to understand other people's pain.\I wouldn't have the incredible friendships I will always cherish. And although may of us probably would never have had any thing in common, we were brought together by our heartache..
As I look at my 3 year old;who in a month will be 4 years old and look at my 18 month old... They both wouldn't be here if it were not for the giant window God opened in my heart through my losses.


The funny thing about my second loss was how in the midst of that unknowingly one of my friends' daughter Sam whom they were adopting was born the very same day I miscarried Hannah. (August 31,2007)
When Jeff (the dad) called to tell is the great news I cheered but also told him we had lost out baby.

I will leave you with a video I found... The link to their website is on the Right side and it is a flower that says: You are a Beautiful Mother"... Be Blessed and please if you are triggered by any or all of this please email me and we can talk. all I have is Love for anyone going through a loss of any kind. I hope I can bring my friendship and love to where you are. no matter where you might be.

Cardboard Testimonies

I love to read blogs...
This one I stumbled upon this morning on Kelly's Korner and it blessed me to no end. I know I as a rule try not to be overly "religious". As a rule I am not. I subscribe to the idea that Christianity is not about rules and regulations rather a relationship with a loving, LIVING creator.





What would YOURS say

Mine would read
Bitter, alone and angry over miscarriages and Infertility

Loving wife (12 Years) and Mom to 2 miracles (3 and 18 months)
God Redeemed

Jonathan's would read

Docs didn't think I would live
Special Needs

I'll be 4 in March! :)
Healthy!

Okay I'm a mess... but  that is okay.

Snow and other fun stuff (picture heavy)

These are Jonathan's teachers Ms. Kelly Ard and her assistant Mrs. Barbara Puckett. She had a Parent Teacher day last week. It was very good.
we love these folks who lovingly coach Jonathan into being all he can. He is making super progress with language and is almost able to peddle his tricycle at home. :)
It snowed here over the week end. So before it melted we headed outside and had some "snow time". Notice the trail of footprints. We notice how little they are.
He threw snowballs at mommy :)
We love hearing from you. Please keep them comments and mail coming.

Be blessed