Still Waiting... {A Surrogacy Update}

Lots of people have asked where we are with Round 2 of this whole surrogacy journey, and I guess the best answer is we still haven't started yet!  Man, this waiting thing is hard, and patience has never been a strong trait of mine!

However, Natalie and I did get to go visit with our doctor Tuesday morning, so we have a very rough timeline, and it looks like it we'll be doing another transfer sometime in December.  Dr. Milory is taking the month of October off and we are doing some extra steps and testing beforehand, so we'll have to practice a little patience and lean into God.  Probably the point, huh?

We were/are a little bummed for the long wait, but I also know that it will go quickly.  On the bright side, I've always been pregnant in that season (McKenzie born in August, Micah in October) so all my old maternity clothes will be perfect.  haha!

Ironically, our grow group met tonight and we've been studying the book of James this summer, and tonight we were in chapter 4 where it says "You do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, IF THE LORD WILLS, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:14-15, ESV, emphasis mine).

So, my update is this:  Lord willing, I'll be getting pregnant with Adam & Natalie's twins in December!

Anyway, that's the latest...  thankful for your continued thoughts and prayers!!!

Book Review: The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper

The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper by Karen Poth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We LOVE the Veggie Tales at our house. The kids love the hilarity of talking vegetables and wonder at how they can get so much accomplished without arms. Even Kenzie (who just turned 2) claps her hands enthusiastically and can sing parts of the theme song. So, since they love the shows and movies so much, I knew they would love some of the books. So far, I haven't been disappointed in any of the Veggie Tales brand of books, and we especially love the VeggieTales Bible Storybook: With Scripture from the NIRV.

This particular edition is of the "I Can Read!" line of books that uses short, simple sentences to help kids learn to read. This one is Level 1 so geared towards 4-8 year olds, but even younger kids will appreciate the story and illustrations. Older kids will get a lot more out of it and realize how silly it is to lose our temper. Micah (who is almost 4) asked me a lot of questions about why Bob (the infamous tomato) was upset and he caught on right away that they mysterious "masked door slammer" wasn't who the detectives (Larry & Bob) thought he was.

If your family likes Veggie Tales as much as we do, check this out!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: "Love, Skip, Jump"

Love, Skip, Jump: Start Living the Adventure of Yes by Shelene Bryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was crying in the first 10 pages. This book is just a wonderful, beautiful work of art filled with stories about what saying "Yes" to God can look like. Shelene Bryan starts off with comparing the Kingdom of God to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and I was HOOKED. She's brilliantly creative and honest as she shares with us how she learned to broaden her vision of the world and her place in it as a child of God.

Intrigued by the title? I was! In a nutshell, here's what it's about...

LOVE - God loves us in such a grand way that if we had even a slight understanding of it, it would change everything.

"Gratitude for such amazing, undeserved love will compel us to give of ourselves and our treasure. His inexplicable love toward us will become the motivation for all we do." (xviii)

"The fact that such a majestic God does not treat us like ants to be crushed is wonderful and phenomenal all at the same time." (32)

SKIP - the attitude of self-denial in order to give to someone else.

JUMP - the action of doing something... the adventure!

"If you are not using your God-given gifts to help others, you've got to expend some energy to get moving. You have got to jump." (43)

I truly believe (and have experienced it in my own life) that following God is an ADVENTURE, so I loved that Shelene's subtitle is "Start Living the Adventure of Yes," and I'm so thankful she shared some of her adventures with us! Drawing on her experiences from travelling all over the world, witnessing God's amazing direction and provision, and allowing herself to get a little uncomfortable for the advancement of God's kingdom, Shelene inspires us all to do love, skip, jump in ways we maybe never thought we could or would! I highly recommend this one!

View all my reviews

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”