God Works Miracles!

In May of this year Chris & I felt God leading us towards in vitro fertilization. We had first started thinking of IVF in early summer of 2009, but when we conceived in August that year without any fertility treatments or drugs we thought that was God's answer to our prayers for a family and put IVF behind us, or so we thought. After miscarrying last Fall I felt very closed to IVF. As we began to heal ever so slowly from the loss of our first pregnancy Chris would occasionally ask me if I'd thought of pursuing IVF at all. I felt very scared to pursue it, scared that it might not work, even more scared that it would work but end early just as our first pregnancy had. I just didn't feel ready or willing to go down that road at the time. In early spring of 2010 a special friend of mine (who is much like a mother figure to me) asked me some very point blank questions about where I was at with God and our infertility journey. These questions really stirred my soul and I couldn't stop thinking about them, all day long it seemed God was tapping, tapping, tapping... waiting for me to come to Him so He could show me what was being awakened deep inside my heart. This was the beginning of God opening me up to pursuing His plan for us. God truly met with Chris & I in very personal ways over the next few months as we prayed over pursuing IVF. We didn't want to race into it or go ahead of His plan for us. When I went to see our fertility doctor to let him know we'd like to pursue IVF we thought it'd take a few months before the process would really start. But from that day forward God started opening the doors left and right like you wouldn't believe! It was just one of the MANY ways He confirmed to us through out the IVF process that He was in control and that we needed to put our faith, hope and trust in Him, no matter the outcome.

In June we had our orientation at Genesis Fertility Clinic in Vancouver where they would over see the IVF process. The next few months were filled with appointments back and forth to Genesis. On August 10th we drove to Genesis for embryo transfer. The only thing I remember thinking was something my cousin told me she held to through out her IVF experience, "If God's will is for me to conceive, we have a 100% chance of this working, but if it's not His time, we have a 0% chance of this working". I felt such at peace knowing He was in control, that He had a plan for us, a plan to prosper us and not to harm us, a plan to give us a hope and a future! Yes, I really wanted the outcome to be a healthy pregnancy but I knew that if I wasn't pregnant it wouldn't change God's plan or His will for us. 

It would be two LONG weeks before we would know whether or not I was pregnant. Praise God, He knew what Chris & I needed during those two weeks of waiting! My brother and sister (Joel and Annie) came for almost that whole time, it sure did help having them with us to keep us busy and our minds off of dwelling on it all day long. The day before Joel and Annie left to go back home we found out we were expecting! Here are a couple pics just after I'd gotten the phone call that I was pregnant!

Joel and Amy

Annie and Amy

Here are a few pics of the AMAZING team of doctors and nurses at Genesis that took such wonderful care of us during the whole process! We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to know them and count them a part of God's plan to bless us with this miraculous little life! 

Dr. Taylor, Amy, Chris and Nurse Anna

Amy and Nurse Janice

Baby Taylor

We wanted to share a few photos of little baby Taylor!!!

 This is baby T at twenty weeks (the bottom picture is one of baby T's feet)

Here is baby T at nine weeks

 This is baby T at five days old, isn't that just incredible!!



You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
 Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you. 
Psalm 139:5, 6, 13-18

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

One of Chris' favorite cable channels is... are you ready for this? The Food Network! And one of his favorite shows is none other than Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. If you've never heard of the show allow me to explain via Wikipedia.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (aka Triple D) is a television program hosted by Guy Fieri in which he travels around the United States looking for the best drive-in restaurants, diners and dive bars. The program focuses on small independent eateries featuring traditional American-style cuisine (such as barbecue, smoked meat, hamburgers, deep fried food, steak, and bacon-and-egg breakfast), regional styles, or ethnic specialties. Most often, the restaurants that the show chooses use fresh ingredients, home-style recipes, and gourmet culinary approaches to what is usually considered non-gourmet food.

Chris makes me laugh when he is watching the show because he salivates over the mostly greasy food that is featured on each episode. Now do you see why Chris LOVES this show?!

A few weeks ago while in Seattle, we were excited to go to Voula's Offshore Cafe! This restaurant was featured on one of the first Triple D episodes. Boy oh boy... was the food ever tasty! If you're ever in the area we highly recommend this joint!

Chris and his food hero Guy

I got the smoked pork eggs benedict

Chris got the smoked salmon scramble

We loved this place... can't wait to go back!

Spring Visitors

My sister Beth and brother-in-law John, who are both school teachers, came to visit us for their week of spring break. Beth teaches elementary music and John high school Latin. Chris & I were SO excited about having them with us! Beth and I figure it had been almost 7 years since we’d gotten that much one on one quality time together and it was wonderful to say the least! I think the time together reminded us of why we’re so close. When we were much younger we’d wonder if our future husbands would get along. We hoped so because we both agreed it would be so cool to have tons of fun when the four of us got together… as you can tell by the pictures below that dream has come true! Our dear friends Jerry & Katie Isaak joined us for the Paralympic game, we all had so much fun! Thanks so much for coming to see us Beth & John! We love and miss you!

Norman

Meet Norman...

 Norman got on the train with his mom, sister, baby brother and his... potty. His sister carried the other half of the potty chair. Norman seemed to be very independent and caught up in his own little world as he chose a seat right across from me, a ways away from the rest of his family. I was surprised his mother was okay with him being so far out of her protective reach but she seemed to be totally at ease. Norman sang songs as he played with his spider man action figure. At one stop a woman entered the train looking for a seat. Norman’s mother yelled at him to pick up his potty so the woman could sit down... Norman obeyed quickly. The woman sat down ever so slowly as she stared at the potty now sitting in Norman's lap. Lynia (my sister-in-law) and I couldn’t stop smiling at the whole scenario being played out in front of us. I just wanted to hug little Norman and cheer for his lack of concern with what the rest of the world thought of him on the train with his potty. Go Norman go!!!

Vancouver 2010 - Men's Hockey USA vs. Switzerland

Chris & I enjoyed our second Olympic event this past Tuesday... Men's Hockey! It was such a great game! As you probably already know USA won Switzerland 3 to 1! Chris & I made the t-shirts we wore to show our support for the USA, we had a lot of fun making them together!

After the hockey game we joined the large crowds of people milling around the downtown Vancouver area sight seeing and visiting various Olympic related events. It was so fun to see so many people from all around the world so excited about the games! I've never seen Canadians more alive and excited then now! It makes me happy to see them going all out and celebrating their Canadian pride and spirit!

Vancouver 2010 - Men's Moguls

Wow.... what an AMAZING night last night was for men's mogul ski jumping! Chris & I are still pinching ourselves to make sure we were actually there live and in person and not just dreaming! We had such a fun day and got to share it with Jon (Chris' brother) and Lynia (our sister-in-law)! We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and felt so privileged to witness Alexandre Bilodeau (Canada) win the gold and Bryon Wilson (USA) win the bronze!

We got to stand right next to Bryon Wilson's family through the whole event so it was pretty special to experience and share in their excitement and joy all day/evening. Bryon's younger brother and five of his cousins had written WILSON across their chests and were walking around shirtless in the COLD for the better part of the afternoon... crazy boys. Sorry, didn't get a picture of that one:o)

The whole day was filled with excitement! I yelled so loud and so hard for Canada AND the USA that my head hurts today. Yesterday I realized that I'm a really lucky girl to get to cheer for two countries that I love and belong to... not very many people get to be dual citizens of two countries! Of course my heart swells with pride a little more for the red, white and blue:o)