McDougallAZ

Braelyn in 9 1/2 months and we are 10 weeks pregnant

2010-08-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

for those of you who haven't heard, shaun and i are expecting a baby....we are 10 weeks along which puts us due march 5, 2011..we are so excited and couldn't be happier...it is just so amazing seeing our baby on the ultrasound screen, knowing that i have a baby growing inside of me...it is going to be fun to see what this baby looks like...shaun and i couldn't be more excited about this journey in our life...
on another note, braelyn is now 9 1/2 months old...what a blessing she is...she has been the best baby ever....she is just so sweet and has such a wonderful personality...she is changing daily, and with each change she just gets cuter and cuter....her personality has really started to come out, and she is becoming a little girl, and not so much a baby anymore....
some of the things she is doing now...since the last post, she has had many firsts, which is so exciting..she is now crawling all over the place...she first crawled on june 30, when she was about 8 1/2 months old...and now she is pulling herself up on everything...she is eating lots of solid foods, she is miss independent, and wants to feed herself...we give her lots of pick up foods, cause she likes to do it by herself, love that....
she is babbling like crazy..saying so many things, of course we can't understand them all, but some of the ones that we do understand are ma ma ma, dada, and banana, which is "nana"....she is such happy and easy going baby...we love this little girl to pieces and couldn't be more blessed to have her in our life...not only is she a blessing to us, but to sooooo many other people around her...she just makes you smile when she smiles, cause her smile just lights up her entire face...such a sweet girl...

below i have attached the video of our 10 week ultrasound...so amazing as you can see the baby moving and waving to us on the ultrasound machine, and also some recent pictures of our sweet baby girl, braelyn joy:) enjoy!!!

Braelyn's changing daily

2010-04-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Since the last post, which has only been 15 days, Braelyn has done a few new things....to start out, she is now rolling from her tummy to her back in both directions...i can lay her on the floor in the living room, and she rolls all over it, she is usually on the other side of the room the next time i look at her:) We really have to keep our eyes on her at all times now....she is just a busy body:)

Braelyn has also gotten her first tooth....it popped through this past Friday, so April 23...we didn't even know that she was teething...she has been drooling like a faucet over the past few months, but nothing ever came of it, and she was also waking up in the middle of the night, often 2 times, which is not normal for her....So now looking back, it must have been because her tooth was starting to come through....
She is such a sweetheart....growing and changing daily....she is such a fun little girl....We are really starting to see her personality come out, which is the best...
Braelyn and i are heading to Michigan next week, to visit my family, so that should be fun....Shaun will be joining us too:) Should be a blast..It is Tulip Time, which is a festival that I have celebrated since i was a little kid....so it will be fun to bring Braelyn to it...I will post pictures when we get back...until then...
Melisa

Braelyn is 6 months old

2010-04-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it, it has been 6 months since Braelyn was born....she is just the sweetest little girl ever! She has the best disposition, and greatest personality, she is just a go with the flow kind of girl..my parents we hear this past week. Braelyn and I took my mom and dad to Disneyland, and she was such a trooper. We were there from 9am til about 8:30 pm...seemed like every time she fell asleep in the stroller, we would have to take her out to go on another ride, but she didn't care...she usually gave us a big smile when we picked her up, or she continued on sleeping....its so nice that we can take her wherever and whenever, and it doesn't even bother her...what a GOOD baby she is....

Braelyn has had a lot of "first's" since my last blog post (sorry for not blogging sooner)...where to begin..Braelyn is jabbering non-stop...most of the time when she has her fingers in her mouth, she is jabbering...she has also tried rice cereal, baby pears, baby sweet potatoes, baby carrots, baby peas and baby apples.....she is not so sure about this baby food stuff...she makes some very funny faces...in fact a week or so ago, she fell asleep in her high chair while i was cleaning up her food, sweet baby girl.

Braelyn is also loving her jumpy, is one of those exersaucer thing that she can jump in..she would spend hours in it if we let her...she really knows how to jump in it now, and just laughs and giggles while she is in it...

Braelyn has been rolling for her tummy to her back for a few months now, but in just the last week, she has now figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy, so she is really becoming mobile..it won't be long now, and i bet she will be crawling...its just crazy how fast they grow, but so fun watching them grow, cause you know as a parent that you are doing the right thing.....

Another thing Braelyn has mastered is belly laughing...it is just the cutest thing in the world...it is so easy to make her smile, and now to make her laugh is just the greatest...

Overall, Braelyn is just the best thing that has ever happened to Shaun and i, as well as so many other people...she really is a joy in our lives...i just can't imagine life without her...when she wakes up in the morning, she gives you this big grin, and it just makes my day all the better...there is just nothing better than starting your day our with a big smile from your sweet baby girl...we love you Braelyn Joy....i will leave you with some recent pictures of her..enjoy!!!!!

Melisa

Christmas 2009--Braelyn is almost 3 months old!!

2010-01-05T13:52:00.001-08:00

Braelyn is almost 3 months old already...where has the time gone...she is such a huge blessing in our life...she is the best baby in the world....she is so happy, and now, as her parents, we are able to figure out her cries....its the best!!! she is really starting to talk to us, and she smiles all the time...she just melts your heart, and she has her daddy, as well as her mommy, wrapped around her little finger....along with all the smiles and talking, she is really starting to hold her head up well...i will post some pictures of our christmas blessing:) enjoy!

melisa

Braelyn Joy is 7 weeks old!!!!

2009-12-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting sooner, but it's been crazy around the McDougall household:) Braelyn Joy is 7 weeks old already. So hard to believe. Everyone says the time goes by so fast, but i didn't believe them. She is getting so big, you can definately tell she is gaining weight. Her cheeks are really filling out:) She is so cute, and such an amazingly good baby!!! She is now smiling and cooing at us, which really makes parenthood fun because she is starting to respond to us!!! She definately knows when i am in the room, cause when she hears my voice she looks for me and tries to find me:)
She is such a great baby! About a week ago, she started sleeping through the night!!! How nice for her mommy, lol. She usually goes to bed between 9 and 10 pm, and gets up at around 5 for another feeding, and then goes back to bed until about 8am or so. I do have to get up a couple times to put her pacifier back in her mouth, but thats not too bad at all. She has been such a blessing!! She has a such a great deameanor. So easy going, and just goes with the flow, which makes life so much easier. She will be 8 weeks next week, and goes to the doctor on Dec. 18 for her 2 month check-up, and shots, so i will post after that to let you know how much she weighs, and all the statistics from her 2 month appointment....until then, enjoy these pictures of her!!!!

Melisa

She made it!

2009-10-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Melisa and I met Braelyn tonight! We only had about an hour or so tonight with her, but we are hoping for more tomorrow. Everyone is healthy and we are still on track with the adoption! Lots of prayers please!

We will blog more after we get her :)!!!

Braelyn's due date is getting close:)

2009-09-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, Braelyn's room is DONE. I finished it last night. I put the finishing touches up, like her name above her bed, and the flower stickers around the room. It's so hard to believe that the time is getting very close now. We have waited so long for this moment to get here. We can't wait to finally meet her. We have been preparing for her for almost 7 months now, hard to believe. It will be great to finally see what she really looks like, and to be able to hold her in our arms. It is so amazing to think that she could be here in 3 1/2 weeks, that is, as long as she decides to come out on october 12. We are so excited and can not wait. We just continue to pray that everything continues to go smoothly, and that she is healthy. I have posted some pictures of the final touches i have put on her room. ENJOY:) Let me know what you think:)

The next time we blog, there should be pictures of Braelyn Joy:) Looking forward to sharing her with you soon! Until then.........

Melisa

Baby's Name and Nursery

2009-08-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well, with it being less than 2 months until our baby girl is born, I decided that now would be a good time to fill all of you in on what we have decided to name her...so the moment you have all been watiting for....her name is going to be Braelyn Joy.. Joy is after both my middle name, as well as my mom's middle name...so we will have 3 generations of Joy:) We can't not wait for her to get here....
On another note, my mom was out here July 18-25, and we were able to get the painting done in the nursery....it was great having her out here to help paint the room...the room is going to be so full of love! Along with the painting, Shaun and his dad put up the chair rail last weekend...the room is really coming together. There is just a few more thing that we need to get done in the room, but for the most part, it is almost complete....until next time:)

Melisa

ultrasound pictures of our baby girl!!!!

2009-06-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken so long to post the pictures of our baby girl....but here they are...the ultrasound pictures of baby girl McDougall!!!! We couldn't be more excited....I (Melisa) just got the bedding in the mail, and just fell in love with it! it's pink and brown, and from Gap, one of my favorite stores, as many of you know....and i have been buying some clothes too. I just can't help myself. There are so many cute clothes out there!!

My mom is coming out July 17-25, and so we are going to be painting the baby's room...i can't wait! Her room is going to be so full of love! I will be sure to post some pictures after we get the babies room all ready...

We are still trying to come up with a name, but we will be sure to post it on here when we have a final name...until then:)

Melisa

Its a Girl!!!

2009-06-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

It is so exciting to blog about having a daughter! It is so weird to think that we will have a baby in just a few short months and all that comes with it! Melisa is going to be such an amazing mom and I have to live up to that :)
We are truly going to enjoy this gift that God is giving us and we are so thankful for her! We are leaning towards 2 names....Braelyn Joy or Brianna Joy....what do you think?
We really like both, so Im just not sure!

We will post some pics when we get the CD, but we should see 4D pictures!!! Very exciting!!
Hope everyone is great!

Mother's Day 2009!

2009-05-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

This mothers day has a special meaning! We did have a baby this year for about a month, but it sure felt special! I found myself praying for our little one that didn't make it, and also praying for our son/daughter to be that is due in October!!! The birth mom is doing well and she is keeping in touch with Melisa weekly! We will find out the sex of the baby in the next couple of weeks and I will post the big news once we find out!

We sure appreciate all the prayers and well wishes this year! We got a really special note from my cousin to Melisa that was amazing, it really was awesome!

Update!

2009-04-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have been on here! Things have been a little crazy! We are moved into our new home and it is great! Melisa is doing a great job making it feel like ours and the baby room is getting set up!
The adoption is coming together, I just mailed out the final documents for the certification in California, so we have to work with our lawyers in MI now to button everything up! So far so good! We are so blessed!
My job is going well, I am getting to know all of my new branches and enjoying it! I am going to start teaching at the University of Phoenix 1 class at a time in late May, I am excited and nervous about the time management issue, but I think I can figure it out....
We just got back from Florida with the Mersman's and had a great time! They have a time share in Orlando and the area was awesome, the weather was great and we really enjoyed the time with Wes and Luanne!
We are leaving on a 7 day Mexico cruise in just about a week, (as if we need another vacation, but Im not complaining!) we are going to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas! It will be a blast!
Hope everyone is doing well, this is our quick update, God Bless!

Closing!!!

2009-03-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

We just signed papers on our new place...I guess in California the loan has to be funded before it is officially closed, and we signed later in the day today, so it should be done tomorrow!!! We went into the place today and we are so excited!!! The painters come in on Thursday to remove all wall paper and work on the ceiling then next Monday we have new floors coming!!!

Also, the birth mom emailed today and she is a little earlier in her pregnancy than originally thought....her official due date is October 12!!!! And the heart beat today was 166!!! Please pray for her and the baby!!!

Baby McDougall?

2009-03-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well....we have gotten word that the birth parents want to give their child to us! It is so amazing how this process has worked so far! God has truly paved a clear path for us and we are walking down it! The baby is due sometime in September and we will know more in a couple of weeks! Thank you all for your prayers we really appreciate it! We are working on getting certified in California for an adoption and I have also found a lawyer in Holland to work with! It is all working out!
I will keep everyone updated on our blog and facebook!

Adoption Update

2009-03-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well.....Melisa and Leslie brought Caleb, Aubrey and Kylie out to Michigan this week to visit family! Melisa headed to Holland with her family and Leslie is enjoying time with the Storr's! On Thursday evening I found out that my cousin Lindsey spoke with her mom and she had a connection with a young couple in Michigan that are pregnant and were very interested in doing an adoption! Melisa quickly sent our adoption book to the prospective birth parents and they responded quickly that they would love to meet! Needless to say I was not planning on coming to Michigan this week, but once we found out they were interested in meeting us, I bought plane tickets for the next day! I surprised Melisa on Friday night and we met with the couple today! The meeting went well, they seem very educated and seem to know what they are looking for. We don't have a commitment right now, but we are going to start the process and pray that they choose us!
Just wanted to send a quick update and let everyone know what is going on! She is a couple months along and due in September, but that is all we know so far! Please pray that God will show us his path for us!
Hope everyone is good!

Its ours!

2009-02-25T20:09:00.000-08:00

We have heard that offer was excepted! We are going to be home owners in Yorba Linda! Melisa and I have lived in 6 places since we have been married and we are planning on this being a much longer term investment!

God really has layed out this path and it has been so clear! We are very thankful for that!

Thanks for all your prayers!

Baby update:

We are going to start trying again next month and keep trying until God blesses us with another! Please keep Melisa in your prayers... :)

Sure hope everyone is doing well!

Found a place!

2009-02-25T07:03:00.000-08:00

We just made a final offer on a condo here in Yorba Linda! We are very excited about finally getting in a place that is ours! Melisa is already thinking about changing the floors and the colors in the house, to make it "hers"! I am excited because she really does have great taste!
My job is going well, I am not exactly sure what I will be doing yet, but I am working on a few things during the transition, it is just great to see how many Chase branches we will have out here in just a month! Melisa has already been to Disneyland twice and I am sure with our new annual passes she will be many more times! She has taken her nieces and nephew and will probably do some one on one visits with each of them!
It was 75 yesterday!!!!

"Stimulus"

2009-02-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

I don't usually like to get political on this blog, but I have to say I am so disappointed in our government....This so called plan to stimulate the economy is now expensive enough to pay off 90% of the United States mortgages!!!! Is it just me or is this CRAZY!!!! Article, read this and see where some of this money is going....
I am not trying to pick one side or the other, especially since there are democrats and republicans who are voting for it and against it. I am just sick at the amount waste we are putting into this bill! I sure hope this is not going to be the "change" we will see over the next 4 years....

Big moving day....again!

2009-02-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well, we are having the movers here on Wednesday to pack us and they load on Thursday, we are staying the night in a hotel here in Chicago on Thursday night and then we are off on our 2nd cross country road trip! This time we are heading in West direction! I have to tell you Melisa and I are VERY excited to buy a home and settle down, but I wouldn't change any of our moves! We have met some awesome people and have really enjoyed each of our temporary homes!
We are staying with Robert and Leslie for a few weeks as we find a place to live...hope that comes together soon!
We will get our new address out as soon as we find a place!

A glimpse of paradise!

2009-02-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

The other day Melisa opened the front door to find a box sitting there! My Aunt Coila from Hawaii sent us flowers from the Islands! It is so nice to have these up in the house when outside it frigid! It was 10 today and a wopping 10 tomorrow!!! YIKES!
California here we come!
Coi thanks for thinking of us!

Back out West!

2009-01-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well what a whirl wind we have been on. Since we got married on Sept. 2, 2006 we have moved 5 times and we are about to add 1 more! My job has gone through a reorganization that was unexpected and my position is moving. We have been in the windy city for a short 4 months and we are heading to Southern California! It has been a long journey for me, leaving So. Cal 12 years ago and trying to get back ever since. Melisa is very excited to be in warmer weather and we are going to settle down...the moving has been fun but enough is enough.
Please pray for a smooth move and we will update soon!
Take care!

Trying to understand.....

2009-01-23T17:10:00.001-08:00

Well we are so sorry to report that we have lost the baby....Melisa has not been feeling well and we thought that was a great sign as her HCG levels were increasing, but today we found out that they didn't increase and they actually went down. We have a doctors appointment tomorrow, but the message was clear when she started cramping and bleeding with the HCG levels decreasing....unfortunately we lost the pregnancy.
Thank you for all your prayers, we are very excited that we were able to conceive and confident that God will bless us with a child someday.

Pregnant!

2009-01-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the photo of the test that Melisa came running out of the bathroom on Wednesday morning to tell me we were going to be parents!!! Too exciting!!!

We just spent the weekend up in Michigan telling Melisa's family and that was great...we got a ton of snow, but we made it home ok!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Baby McDougall!!!

2009-01-14T18:18:00.001-08:00

We are so incredibly blessed!!! We just found out this morning that we are going to be parents! The doctor hasn't nailed down a due date yet, but thinking mid September! We are both just thrilled!
It is very early in the pregnancy, but we are so excited about this new chapter in our lives!
Thank you to all our friends and family who have been so supportive down our path of fertility issues over the last 2 1/2 years....it has been quite a journey and it is starting to be clear on why we had to travel down that road. We will be posting more soon, about the pregnancy and some good news around my job!
Hope all is well, and God Bless!

Uncertainty

2009-01-08T18:09:00.001-08:00

It is interesting that so many things in life feel uncertain.....I don't want to share all the details yet, but we are confident that God has a plan for us and we should have answers soon!
Unfortunately, the adoption is currently on hold because of things going on at work, we are hoping to get back into it ASAP when we know what is happening at work.
Hope everyone is well and know that we are doing well, but we are in a waiting period for a little while longer.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well...we made it to California! Only 2 hours late! We had a pretty uneventful trip and have really enjoyed time with friends and family out here! The weather has been good and we have eaten a tremendous amount of food!
I am reading a book that has been really good. The title is, "23 minutes in Hell" I know it sounds twisted or weird, but for those who are Christians it is a great book and those who are not I think would find value in it. It is about a man who based on his account went there and came back to write about it. Of course there are those who say he was dreaming or that he is crazy, but I have really enjoyed the book. It reminds me of 90 minutes in Heaven which was another great book....just thought I would share that I was reading a book because that doesn't happen all too often!
Hope everyone is having a great week!

The Reason for the Season!

2008-12-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
Melisa and I are sitting in the Chicago airport hoping that we are not to delayed tonight! I always enjoy a good time to sit and reflect what we are thankful for! We have had such a tremendous year, from moving from Phoenix to Prescott to Chicago! We can't make up our mind and who knows what God has in store for us next. There is some uncertanty at work, but we are keeping our heads high knowing that we are not in control and wherever we are we are thankful to have each other! I think all this moving has brought us closer to each other and it has been wonderful!
There are so many who are in tough positions this year whether the loss of a loved one or loss of a job....just know that we are praying for you!
Heres to a great 2009! Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas!

2008-12-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

We are heading out to warmer weather in just a week or so! It has been so cold here in the windy city, it was 16 yesterday.....as a high!!! People are not meant to live in that kind of cold! I always joke that it is -100 but it really felt that way yesterday, the winds make it bitter!
Tomorrow is Melisa's 28th b-day, we met her parents tonight for dinner, that was great!
Hope everyone is doing well!

Thanksgiving #2

2008-11-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

We just got back from the Mersman family Thanksgiving and we had an awesome time! I can honestly say that I am glad to be finished with all the over eating I did over the last two weekends, but it sure was great seeing everyone! We got to spend some time with our newest niece McKenzie which was great!

Here are some pictures of the event, we even got some great family shots to go up on our wall....

hope everyone had safe travels this very busy weekend!

Hope to see you all soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

2008! What a wonderful Thanksgiving! It has been a great reminder of what we are truly thankful for this year! We made it out to California for Aubrey's 4th birthday and the famous McDougall family Thanksgiving! And today we are with the Mersman's in West Michigan for their annual Thanksgiving!

I actually filled up my tank for $1.59 today, I almost wanted to take a picture of the gas station, too funny!

Here are some pictures of the events!

Land of Gracious Living!

2008-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long couple of days for a lot of my family in So Cal! They had to evacuate yesterday and have been allowed back in this afternoon, but there have been several homes around them that have been destroyed....it is so sad how many people lost their homes. There is one piece of positive news, there have been no reported deaths because of it, there have been 6 firefighters injured in YL so far. Please pray for them and their families! My Uncle and cousin are both firefighters in So Cal, but as of right now neither of them are fighting in these fires, but a lot of their friends are so your prayers would be greatly appreciated!
As I get pictures I will post them, it sounds like a lot of stores have been destroyed as well....

Adoption update #357

2008-11-08T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well now that we are living in Illinois we have to get re certified for adoption in this state. It wasn't a big surprise that Illinois makes it even more difficult to do a domestic adoption, gotta love all this government control! Melisa has found an agency and has already started the process, she has done some classes online and we have an orientation class next week Monday! So we could be re certified in just a month or so if we really focus on getting this done!
Melisa also had a doctors appointment to get a referral to a fertility doc....she found out she has to go from our Primary Care Physician then to a Gynecologist then to a fertility doc even though we did all this in Arizona! So that has been put on a short hold as well, but we might be going straight to invitro fertilization once we get to the fertility doc.
Just wanted to keep everyone up to date!
Hope everyone is doing great!

New President

2008-11-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I am sure a lot of you are waking up rather excited today, I am waking up nervous. I think I understand more why we want there to be a balance of power so we can keep things more towards the center.
I will be perfectly honest, I am going to support our new President and I will hope and pray that the upset Republicans will support our new President more than the Democrats did of our current President. I remember how upset many of us got when the Democrats literally threw Bush's name in the mud and you will not hear me doing that to Obama. I may disagree, but I want Americans to rise above ripping apart our leaders because it makes us feel better, thats not very American of us! We all want the best for this country, we are just divided on how we can achieve that goal.
I will pray for the leadership of our country....

Election 2008

2008-11-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

I know that most of you agree that Wednesday November 5 will be a relief, either you will be happy or disappointed in the outcome but we will not have to endure the crazy adds or overwhelming negative responses from the media. I just recently saw a study done that showed how incredibly skewed the media has been in this election and it is frightening!
There are several people who read this blog that will vote for Obama and several who will vote for Mccain, and it shouldn't be a surprise to most that we are supporting Mccain/Palin. I think we need a change in Washington and that Obama has been successful in convincing many that he is that person to change Washington. If he wins on Tuesday I pray that you are all correct. Of course, my fear is how he will change Washington, but that is a pretty difficult discussion for some so I will not get into that.
Melisa and I are praying that God will give us the leader he wants in office and I truly believe that whoever gets to be our next President will have his blessing. Pray for our leaders as we go through this difficult transition!

Infertility

2008-10-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today i was visiting a friends blog and on it she had a video that really hit me...it was about what couples go through when they are dealing with infertility issues....Shaun and I are still trying to get pregnant but are not having any luck... we have heard that there are some great fertility doctors here in Naperville, IL, so i am looking forward to finding one that will be willing and able to help us out...the video is very touching and helps people who haven't gone through this issue, kind of understand where we are and how we are feeling inside...we would appreciate you keeping us in your prayers..we know that God will help us get through this time in our lives, as we know he has a great plan for Shaun and I...we so look forward to seeing what that may be...below is a link to the video that our friend posted...MelisaTears and Hope - the infertility awareness project

The Windy City

2008-10-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

So Melisa already found a job, she will be a nanny 3 days a week in Wheaton, IL about 15 minutes away! It doesn't take long for Melisa to win over a family with children, anyone would be lucky to have her as their nanny!
My job is going well, a lot different than my job in Arizona! I am really enjoying the people and the area is just beautiful right now. We are in the middle of the fall colors and wow, this is the part that I missed most in the midwest.

We sure are looking forward to enjoying the big city, I have already been downtown for work, but plan on going down there over a weekend soon so Melisa can do some shopping, if anyone out there wants to do some shopping you are more than welcome to come and stay at our house! Hope all is well!

We made it!

2008-10-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

We drove into Naperville late yesterday and the moving trucks came today! Wow, what a road trip....even with the long days we had a good time! We saw parts of Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Memphis, and St. Louis. We were in 9 states during our adventure to the windy city 4 of which I had never seen before! We do live in a beautiful country!
Well now the true work begins, we did some unloading today and Melisa is doing more of it the next couple of days while I go to work. My first day on the job is tomorrow, so wish Melisa luck as she makes this our new home!
I will post some pictures once I download some of them....hope everyone is doing well!

on the road again...

2008-09-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

well, we have hit the road to head to naperville, il...i am blogging in the car in arkansas on the way to memphis, tn...we should be in chicago by tuesday afternoon/evening...then the fun begins of unpacking everything....we have had great weather and very little traffic so far...
today we went to the oklahoma city bombing museum/memorial...that was so sad to see, but glad we were able to see it while we were in oklahoma city...what a tragedy that was...tonight when we get to memphis we are going to check out the elvis museum...and tomorrow we will head to st. louis, mo...we will keep you posted...until then
melisa

Moving....again......

2008-09-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

We are off to another adventure. We are moving with Chase to the windy city! We are going to be there by October 1. We definately feel that God is leading us back to the Midwest, we are not sure why, but understand that we have been very prayerful about this and off to Chicago we go! We will be living in Naperville, IL, a suburb of Chicago and it is a great place. The downtown is amazing and it is only 25 miles from downtown Chicago! The weather is going to be rough, but we have been through it before!
Our ultimate goal is to be out West where it is a little warmer, but feel that this in a weird way will get us closer to that final goal! Please pray that our move goes smoothly and that we have a safe trip across country. We leave this Friday and our driving through to Chicago!

Matt and Al's Wedding!

2008-09-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were in Detroit for Matt and Allison's wedding....it was a good old Eastern Michigan reunion! We had a great time and Melisa even got in a little dancing!

Pray for Baby Maule!

2008-09-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to send a post to pray for our Cousins. Jennifer and Cheyne were expecting a baby and she went into premature labor today. They gave birth to a baby girl at 20 weeks, so the baby died. I am just sick about this, I am asking for everyones prayers for them.....I know God has his hands on them right now, we love you Jen and Cheyne!

2 Years!

2008-09-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

I heard from a friend that marriage gets better and better, I don't know if at the time I either understood or agreed. But it has been 2 years now for me and Melisa and I have a much greater understanding of that statement! How is it possible to love your wife more than you did on your wedding day, but I do! She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and through each challenged we have faced, she is so supportive and the rock I turn to!
So just a post to share with all those in a happy and loving marriage, I am blessed and wanted to share that!

Decisions decisions.....

2008-08-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

It seems that we are always in a position to be deciding on something that is life changing! I think that God is always testing us in ways that we will never really understand. We have some things going on that I will post about soon, but it is all good, just difficult decisions that I know will work out in the end!

Baby update......

2008-08-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

We met with Dr. Patel this morning and we discussed the options for eventually getting pregnant. We went down to see him expecting to set up IVF, in vitro fertlization, but the process is long and there are some real ethical and moral issues with IVF. Because we strongly believe that life begins at conception, we would require the doctor to only fertilize the embroys that we would be willing to carry to term. We are thinking the doctor will eventually pull 6 eggs and fertilize all of them and inject 2 at a time and pray they both make it....by making this decision we need to be prepared for 6 kids, but the likelyhood would be slim. For those of you who also feel the way we do about conception, the doctor actually offered to check the viable embryos for certain genetic abnormalities and we could "discard" or kill them.....very disturbing. This process has taught us a lot and helps me understand even more why education is so vital.
We have decided to try one more thing before IVF, Melisa is starting Metformin today and will be on it for the next 3 months, it will make her sick so please keep her in your prayers. This drug has been successful in helping patients with PCOS ovulate which inturn should help us get pregnant. It will require a lot of tests and patience. The doctor also told us to continue our weight loss because for every 10 pounds we loose it really increases our chances of conception especially with the PCOS.
So that is my long winded update, sorry for the drawn out explanation, hope everyone is well!

Camping Trip 2008! Mammoth, California!

2008-08-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

We went on our annual family camping trip to our usual camp site, Upper Soda Springs in Mammoth, California! We spent several days hiking, fishing and staying in tents. Most of the girls tolerate the tent camping because of the family time, but Melisa I think is one of the best up there! She loves the hiking and the outdoors, truly an outdoor kinda girl!

The picture with all the family is 25 of us standing/sitting in front of where my grandparents want to be burried, a little twisted, but a really awesome picture!

Melisa decided to lead a few on a dance party in the dirt! Too fun!!!!

Melisa got a Promotion!!!

2008-07-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Melisa is the newest Kindergarden teacher at the Prescott YMCA school! I am so proud of her, clearly her gift is working with Children and now she will be able to impact a lot of children to follow God and many other important life lessons that you learn in Kindergarden....of course I have no idea since I cannot imagine teaching a Kindergarden class for even 1 day! YIKES

I wanted to drop a note to everyone to let them know about her new role, please reach out and congratulate her if you get a chance!

Hope everyone is great!!!

Sedona!!! We went on some 4x4 trails with a Jeep!

2008-07-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

We went with Chris and Rachel to Sedona on Saturday and rented a Jeep to take down the "Broken Arrow" Jeep trail and "Soliders Pass"......they were awesome! Here are some pics of the trip! We also went to Jerome a little town built on the side of a mountain and had awesome hamburgers at the Haunted Hamburger!

Adoption update

2008-07-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

We have gotten word on the latest birth family to receive our book and they have chosen another family. Melisa and I are confident that God has just not matched us up with the family that he has chosen for us.
Melisa has just finished her latest round of tests to figure out if she actually has PCOS, we should find out in about 1 1/2 weeks. We are confident that we can concieve once we get these tests finished.
Please keep us in your prayers, we are slowly learning patience, it will happen in God's time!

Independence Weekend

2008-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

We had the whole family out here for the 4th weekend and we had a blast! The girls had some fun on Saturday night having a dance party in the living room. Caleb joined in the fun that night.

We also celebrated Kylie's 1st birthday with Aunt Wisa and Uncle Shaun since we were not able to make it out to California the weekend before. We sure love those kids....they are a true gift from God.

On that Saturday morning Caleb and Aubrey, went with Uncle Shaun to the Prescott 4th of July parade, we walked with Chase bank, of course! Reagan did a good job playing Chase the dog as well! We had a blast that weekend!

Adoption update #2

2008-07-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

Melisa just got an email from Laura our counselor from our adoption agency, http://giftoflifeadoptions.com/ and they are sending out our "book" today to a potential birth mother. Basically what happens is they send out 2-3 books of different adoptive parents to the birth mother and they choose from there. We do not have any information on the birth family yet, but if we are selected then we will get more information and we will have the choice to say "yes" or "no" at that point.
We are pretty excited because this is the first time they have actually sent this to a birth mother that has agreed to do an adoption. Keep us and the birth family in your prayers!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take this opportunitiy to thank all those who are currently and have served our country! We owe you for your sacrifice and God bless you for what you have done.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th with family and friends!

Doctors Visit

2008-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

We met with Dr. Patel this morning in Scottsdale and we got some news. Dr. Patel thinks that Melisa might have PCOS, Polycystic ovary syndrome. www.pcosupport.org/
The Doc did an ultrasound and believes that she has this syndrome. There are several things we have to do in the next few weeks to determine with 100% certainty that this is what the issue has been.
We are both somewhat relieved that we now know what the issue might be and the Doctor feels really good that there are several options for us to conceive a child.
Please remember us in your prayers, we are learning patience through this and I know God will use us to help others in the future.
We are still actively pursuing the adoption and this process, our hope is to do both!
Hope everyone is well!

Say a Prayer

2008-06-25T19:19:00.001-07:00

We are going to visit a new fertility doctor this weekend! This is a very good doctor that is hard to get in for an appointment. They will hopefully give us some new options to help us get pregnant!
We know it will happen in God's time, but we are prayerful that this will happen with a little help from the doc.
Hope everyone is well!

We Found a Church in Prescott!

2008-06-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

God is good, it was about a month ago that Melisa and I brought Reagan (our dog) to the dog park here in Prescott. We had just visited a church in Prescott that we were not happy with and that was the 3rd church we had tried.
At the park we met a great couple Chris and Rachel who have two very large dogs, Damar and Guiness, they are Great Danes. We found out that they attend Prescott Heights Church:: Heights Church ::, and they loved it. Well we had the chance to attend the church today and we couldn't have been happier! We felt right at home as soon as we walked in! We are definately going to get involved!
Chris and Rachel are awesome people and we are blessed to have met them! We went to BW3's today and had lunch with them and played trivia and Texas Hold'em.....Clearly Rachel and Chris are better at the games than either myself or Melisa....but we had a blast!

Adoption Update

2008-06-19T18:34:00.001-07:00

We have recently gotten a response from our agency that there are some new girls that are early in their pregnancy and they might be a match for us. It is a while off though, before we hear anything. I am absolutely convinced that God is using this experience as a way to teach me patience. I have to admit most of my life I really did not let God teach me this, but as I am learning, this is out of my hands and he will decide when to make me and Melisa parents.
Please keep the process in your prayers, we are excited but I am really trying to learn patience through this!

Eastern Michigan University reunion!

2008-06-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

We were in Toledo, Ohio last night with some friends from EMU! It was so great catching up with everyone, we spent the evening barbequing and playing games outside, the weather was beautiful. Just about all of us are now married with Al and Matt tieing the knot in September! Starr and Rob have two little ones Aiden and Keelin, they are getting so big!

It is hard to remember what it was like living back on campus, but being together with everyone helps remind me!

Chris getts hitched!

2008-06-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Virginia on Thursday and it was HOT! Chris and Lindsey got married on Sat the 7th! The wedding was awesome, very hot but we all had a blast!

Lindsey was beautiful and Chris was looking pretty sharp!

Chris and Lindsey we pray for you to have a very blessed marriage together!

First Post-New Niece!

2008-06-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

We are in Michigan busy visiting with family and friends, enjoying our short trip.....we have a new niece, she was born on 6-7-08....our family is getting larger and larger! Mckenzie and Mom are doing great, Amanda and Michael are getting used to their new addition, but they both look like they have been doing it for a long time!

We took Granda Max over to meet her new Great Granddaughter last night and she was so happy!