Grandpa's Birthday / Update on my Grandpa! :D

On Monday we celebrated my Grandpa's 84th birthday!


Opening the cards


Katelyn showing off her reading skills!


Grandpa opening his gift


My family got him Filet Mignon! Mmmmmm!


Cake time!


Katelyn and Grandpa!



Happy 84th birthday Grandpa! We wish you many many more!


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It's been about three months since my grandfather had two heart attacks, emergency open heart surgery and a quadruple bypass. He had congestive heart failure the following week. 

This photo was taken recently- you would never know that the past few months were so crazy for him- while we did have a rough patch a few weeks ago my grandpa is healing very well and his old cheery self again. He still has off days but on the whole he has been feeling well.

We are so happy that my grandpa is on the mend. He has been through a lot- he beat cancer, has had diabetes for as long as I can remember and started dialysis a while back. 

Thank you so so so much for all of your prayers. My family and I can not thank you all enough. 

Love, Rebecca

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Matt Turns 13!

Yet another one of my little baby siblings has entered the teenage years. It's such an exciting moment to celebrate! 

Mom made Matthew an ice-cream cake

Matt blowing out the candles...

Opening awesome presents! 

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Here is an old photo of dorky little me holding Matt when he was a newborn. Has it really been 13 years? 

It is so exciting to watch all my little siblings grow up and see how their personalities and talents blossom. 

Love a proud big sister, Rebecca

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Thoughts on Motherhood II

With Mother's day having come and gone I've had a lot of mixed emotions.

I do feel a bit of sadness and envy.

 I am jealous of some couples' ability to start their family in an almost "care-free" manner- just a natural step in their relationship. The married couples I know are head-over-heels for each other and can't wait to share their overflowing love with all their precious little ones.  When I say "care-free" I'm referring to some couples' ability to get pregnant without much concern or troubles. 

 If you have been readers of my blog for a while now you know that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and Hashimoto's disease. PCOS affects the ability to get pregnant and stay pregnant, while Hashimoto's brings increased risk of miscarriages to the table. Justin and I have not pursued starting a family yet, but with my new little niece or nephew arriving in December the topic has come up again for us. 

In August we will have been married for 4 years. I will be 27 next year. The thoughts of starting a family are becoming more prominent. 

BUT- I'm scared.

Trying to start a family is going to be an exhausting and emotional journey for us. It's kinda hard to go into that knowing that I will probably have trouble getting pregnant, and then have trouble staying pregnant. I honestly have no interest in spending years with the emotional distress of not being able to get pregnant, and then spend months of worry if my body will carry a pregnancy full-term if I was ever fortunate enough to get pregnant. I know miscarriage is a common thing, but if getting pregnant was such a hard thing to accomplish in the first place-imagine just how awful it would be to lose the baby afterwards. And with knowing full well that I do have an increased risk of miscarriage the guilt I would feel if I lost my baby would be guilt-ridden. A common thought I struggle with is "Can I truly pursue pregnancy knowing that my body could very well kill my child?" 

 I do know several women who have had troubles with pregnancy and they are a HUGE encouragement to me. I love them all. I grieved with them during their miscarriages, and rejoiced with them when they FINALLY brought home that precious little one.

If you were blessed with easy conceptions and good pregnancies take a moment and just thank the Lord- and say a little prayer for your sisters who aren't so fortunate.

 I know motherhood is a rough task and all of you ladies are AMAZING. I'm thankful for my mom, for my mother-in-law and all the other ladies in my life who have loved me in a motherly way. As the oldest child on 8 kids I have seen how demanding motherhood is and I have a great appreciation for the sacrifices so many people have made.

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I absolutely do not think that fertility issues or miscarriage are shameful. I know some people think it should be hush-hush and not talked about. But honestly that is kind of dumb. I've been scolded by some ladies for talking about my health problems. I don't think I should be embarrassed- so I won't be. I have found so many amazing women because I've talked about my PCOS and Hashimoto's. 

If you are struggling with similiar problems- please know you aren't alone. 

Love, 

Rebecca

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Sarah's Birthday!

Caleb being a ham...

Collin being Collin...

My mom made a delicious lunch for Sarah's birthday. She had tried a new lasagna recipe and it was amazing!

Sarah opening her gifts.

My brother Brandon and his girlfriend Maggie gave Sarah a gift card for a massage. Ooooooh!

Justin and I gave Sarah an 8x10 print from her wedding.

My mom and dad put together an album of all the wedding pictures.

Sarah's Cake

Blowing out the candles!


A great big Happy Birthday to Sarah! She is such a sweet girl and an awesome sister-in-law!

Love, Rebecca

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Talent Shout-Out! Jeremiah

Today I wanted to give a shout-out to my little brother Jeremiah. He is 14, tall, very smart and has an impressive creative streak. 

This is one of my favorite digital art drawings he has done.

I also really love this one too. 

Jeremiah is also making comic strips with colored pencils and some are quite cute!

More of Jeremiah's art work can be found here

He has also been dabbling in animation and stop motion. Jeremiah has been using Lego to create short little stories. 

I love seeing all the little things his mind comes up with. I hope Jeremiah continues to pursue his creative talents and to blow us away with what he can do! 

Love, Rebecca

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I'm Going to be an Aunt!

A couple weeks ago my little brother Collin called me up and asked if he and Sarah could visit us that night. During their visit they spilled the beans that Sarah was expecting. They hadn't told my parents yet and were waiting for the perfect moment.

Thus followed the two longest weeks of my life as I kept my excitement a secret. 

This past Sunday was Sarah's birthday- and while opening gifts she pulled out some baby clothes- much to my parent's surprise. 

*the clothes are "neutral" according to my brother Collin lol. They don't know the baby's gender yet.

I'm very excited for my brother and his wife- and especially for my mom! She has been dying to be a grandma. Please pray Sarah has a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery in December. 

Christmas is going to be busy this year!

Love, Rebecca

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Why Mr. Spider? Why?

So I was lying in my bed yesterday morning- minding my own business when my legs started feeling  itchy all of the sudden. Since we get spiders in the apartment around this time of year that was my first thought- I ripped off my blankets and checked the bed. Didn't see anything unusual.

HOWEVER

A few hours later I discovered a dead spider at the foot of the bed...

( my feelings about  this discovery)

 I noticed my left knee (that had been very itchy for awhile now) was very red and hot to the touch.

 So long story short I think I might have been bit. I took some benadryl and put antibiotic cream on my knee. It's still itchy but the redness went down. 

Now I feel paranoid and my whole body itches like mad. UGH

I HATE SPIDERS IN MY HOUSE. STAY OUTSIDE PLEASE. 

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