A Heavy Heart...

As mothers, we are all thankful for our children. It doesn't take a national holiday for me to thank the Lord for my sweet Wyatt, and I know all the moms that are reading this feel the same way. We thank Him every day- and even though we are tired, stressed and have four loads of laundry to fold at any given time, nothing beats the proud swell that we feel each and every time we look at that sweet face, those precious hands and angelic baby toes that grew in us for nine months.

That is why I carry a huge burden for those suffering with infertility. My heart aches for my amazing and incredible friends who are trying, hoping and praying for their own miracle. I know several of my closest and dearest friends who are waiting on the Lord this holiday season... these women are inspirations to me and they would be the BEST moms. I have cried so many tears and shared many hugs of encouragement with them- but I know that as hard as it is- the LORD's timing is impeccable, and we must wait on Him.

That is why, this year, as I am thanking God for my son, my husband, my family, my job- I am committed to praying for these women and all the women who want nothing more than to be a mom but are suffering with infertility. I will petition the Lord in earnest asking Him to reveal Himself and His plan for these girls. As they take a break over the holidays from endless testing, shots and treatments to spend time with their husbands and to patiently seek God, I am praying.

Will you join me? You may not have a specific person to pray for- but let's lift all of these women up together. Thank God for all of your blessings, but remember those that are hurting as well. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer, and I know, I KNOW- that Jesus hears our requests.

To my sweet, precious friends- you know who you are-have FAITH beloved- the Lord our God will deliver you, the Lord our God will give you the desires of your heart.

" Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. " - Ephesians 3:20

16 Months!

Wyatt, you are 16 months old! What are you up to these days? As you can tell... you have a TON of hair! You are wearing a size 5 diaper and 18 month clothes. You weigh 23 pounds and are 30 inches long. We sing the Alphabet song together every morning. You hate the bath, and cry every night at bathtime. Mommy and Daddy hope you will grow out of this soon! You still love Sponge Bob, apple juice and your blankie. Sadie is your best friend, and you show your love by tackling her and yanking on her ears :)

Your favorite foods include: bananas, chicken, green beans, pasta... we are blessed with a wonderful eater.

You have learned sign language! Your favorite is to sign the word "MORE" so that we will fill up your plate at mealtime :)

You know most of your body parts, and you have starting speaking in phrases. You are quite a talker just like your mommy and daddy.

Your favorite things to say are: "Mommy, get down please" "Thank you!" "Banana Please!" "Juice", "Milk" "Bob Bob" "Sadie" "All done" "Bye Bye!" "Uh Oh" "Moon" "Bumble Bee" "More please!" "hello!" "belly" "nose" "mouth" "wyatt" "ganma" "mimi" "papa" "cookie" "kisses" "puppy"

You are a running, jumping, climbing, smiling little boy- and we are so thankful for it... we praise Jesus for a healthy, happy little guy.

You are the light of our lives, and we love you more and more each day!

San Diego -Part Two

The view at sunset from our hotel room

A cool building in Little Italy

The Hotel Del Coronado

Balboa Park Cathedral

Street Village in Old Towne


Sea Lions

Harbor Cruise



The Coronado Bridge at sunset

Another Catholic Church in Old Towne- I couldn't get enough of the architecture.

Dinner at Sally's Seafood

Cheers to Old Towne- Mark's favorite place in San Diego :)



Anthony's Fish Grotto- The World's BEST Clam Chowder

The Gas Lamp District - a very cool, trendy area full of restaurants and shops. So much fun at night!

The upper deck of the bus at The San Diego Zoo - the best part for Mark- the reptile house... YUCK!



Sky Lift at the Zoo

The San Diego skyline


Trolley tour

Happy Birthday to me! This Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake my sweet husband ordered for me was heaven on a plate :)


Birthday dinner at Candela's On The Bay. You can't tell from the picture but the view was spectacular.

My pan-seared Lemon Curry shrimp with Risotto- again, HEAVEN!!




The view from the balcony of our hotel room during the day

Birthday Margarita! YUM!

On Saturday, we woke up early and headed to breakfast and then on to the Zoo. I was amazed by the size and the vast array of animals- the Birmingham Zoo has lost several animals and exhibits over the past few years, so I was incredibly excited to actually get to see elephants, tigers and giraffes up close. The area we needed to cover in three hours was massive, so we opted to take a bus tour to see most of it. Mark and I got to sit on the top of the bus, and honestly, I almost thought that we were on an African safari. Very, very cool.


Another amazing adventure was the steamboat harbor tour we took around the bay at sunset. It was beautiful and very peaceful. I loved the Sea Lions. We also enjoyed Old Towne which is the oldest part of San Diego and resembles a Mexican village with Adobe architecture, a streetside farmers market and traditional Hispanic cuisine (delicious!)

Coronado and Pacific Beach were fun explorations as well. The pictures speak for themselves, but the best part about the week was spending some quality time with Mark. Marriage is a life-long work-in-progress, and I have learned the importance of investing in each other. After a child it is very difficult to put your marriage first and to make time for each other but it is imperative to a healthy home. I was ready to come home and see my sweet baby- in fact, I couldn't stand to be away from him one minute longer, but I feel Mark and I are better parents when we can take a breather once in a while :)

San Diego Part One

We are home! No time to download the hundreds of pictures we took with the piles of laundry and mountains of mail to go through... BUT I had to at least post about the first 24 hours. What an incredible trip... stay tuned for more...love you all!


On Friday, I spent the majority of the day in a bit of a haze. Maybe because I was surviving on only a few precious hours of sleep or perhaps the exhaustion of a five hour flight and a two hour time difference had set in. The minute we landed in San Diego, however, my adrenaline kicked in and I quickly regained my energy. I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store. Only this candy store was huge... complete with sky scrapers, giant Naval vessels, a swanky downtown, the pacific ocean and tons of native Californians to feed my people-watching addiction. Nope, there was no way I was going to catch up on any rest when it was 75 degrees outside with no cloud in sight, much to my husband's dismay.
We set out towards the Gas Lamp District only a few blocks from our hotel. I knew I needed to save my appetite for my birthday dinner later that evening, but the small bag of pretzels I was given on the plane had long since abated my hunger, and I was starving. After surveying the area, we settled on an energetic Mexican Cafe complete with fake palm trees, a patio in the sun and a $5 Margarita.
After inhaling chicken tacos and a giant margarita, the sun dropped out of sight and took the warm temperature with it. Since I was freezing, and in my rush to get out the door I forgot a jacket, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
To celebrate my 27th birthday, Mark had made reservations at Candelas on Coronado, a breath-takingly beautiful restaurant complete with french-inspired decor and a killer view of the San Diego skyine. After an appetizer of pan-seared scallops, I enjoyed lemon curry shrimp... and the best part was the chocolate mousse topped with a raspberry sauce and a candle. It was the first dinner in a long time that Mark and I were able to enjoy uninterrupted conversation without having to refill sippy cups or pick up goldfish off the floor. :) It was romantic and beautiful, but somehow different from the days before we had Wyatt. The conversation always slipped back to "I wonder what he is doing now, " or "Isn't that the cutest when he does that?"
Of course we already missed our little monkey like crazy, and the week was just beginning.

We made it!!

Just a quick note to let you know that we are here- in beautiful San Diego - and it is incredible out here! I can't wait to fill you in on all we have been doing when we get home.

Mark got in around midnight on Thursday, and we both got a couple hours sleep before we had to take off for the airport. No time to wash his clothes, so we had to make a stop at Walmart to get him some undies on the way to the airport :).

Hope everyone is having a great week! Of course we are missing little guy like crazy, but I am taking full advantage of quality time with my husband.

Love,

Rachel

I thought it would never get here...

Well folks tomorrow is almost here! I can't believe that in just 24 hours I will be on the other side of the country celebrating my 27th birthday with a bowl of the world's best clam chowder in 75 degree sunshine.

Let's hope my husband makes it.

Ah, yes- my delightfully intelligent better-half decided earlier in the week to keep his "business" trip to South Dakota while still recovering from Pnuemonia. He just simply cannot stand to let all the Pheasants fly free or miss a chance to rub shoulders with advertisers. Against the advice of his doctor, his mother and his wife he decides to go anyways, convinced that flying back to Birmingham a mere 12 hours before we have to take off for San Diego will indeed give him plenty of leeway to get home, do laundry, repack and head back to the airport.

Lo and behold, a mechanical error arose- Mark is still in South Dakota. He has now missed his connection in Chicago and we are riding on a hope and a prayer that he gets in before our 6 a.m. 737 leaves the runway headed towards the West Coast.

I guess he will be wearing a lot of camo in San Diego. Just so you know... if I could have reached through the phone and strangled him- I probably would have :).

Quack Quack!

I had the cutest, most adorable little duckie in my house this weekend. Not only did he walk around shaking his tail feathers and showing off his cute little duck feet, he also smiled a smile that would melt your heart if you had the priviledge of handing out candy to this little one. He was a favorite in our neighborhood, and as the doors opened- the candy piled up by the fistfuls- I mean, who can resist this guy?!

He had a blast on his first trick-or-treating experience, and it was one of the best evenings I have had as a momma. His eyes were lit up all night, and he didn't care what went in his treat bag- the fact that someone had given him something and he got to ride around in his wagon all night was a BIG deal. I am so glad that he was feeling better and enjoyed his evening. I also am very appreciative of Mark's mom, who custom made Wyatt's costume and I was thrilled that Grandma and Aunt Stephy got to Trick-or-Treat with Mark, Wyatt and I.

I hope all of you had a wonderful time Saturday night!

p.s. In case you are wondering what in the heck I am wearing- it's a giant Woopie Cushion costume. Thanks to my sweet friend Laura, I was able to borrow it from her this weekend.

Here's a picture of her and I before she competed in the employee costume contest at the hospital :) You should have seen Mark's face when I walked into Sear's wearing this on Friday afternoon. He had no idea I was borrowing it, and he had dropped his car off to have the tires rotated and asked me to pick him up on my way home from work. I thought he was going to die of embarrassment. The look on his face (an everyone in the store) was priceless!