Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a big deal in our house this year. Bell has been counting down the days for over a month and was beside herself with excitement when it finally arrived. She decided early on that she wanted to be Princess Dora. We found her costume and after we received it she informed me that she needed long black hair too. We found her a cheap wig at Target that quickly turned into a rats nest. Despite my best attempts the hair was simply out of control, but there was nothing to be done because Bella LOVED it! She also insisted that she be called Dora and not Bella while in costume. Gotta love that kid!! ;)

We started out our evening at our church's first annual Harvest Party. I was so impressed with how well it turned out. I ran a game and Bella hung out, going between different games and helping me out. We cut out of the party a little early because Bella really wanted to get some trick-or-treating in. We made it home just in time to stop by a few houses in the neighborhood. After the 4th house Bella declared that she was cold and ready to go home. I was more than happy to oblige! We came home and she showed Andy all of her candy. Piece. By. Piece.

Being the great parent I am, after we got home I realized that neither of us had eaten anything for dinner and that Bella was sustained by candy alone the entire night! She did eat a bowl of cereal before going to bed, so I guess it's not all that bad, right! ;P

Here are a few pictures from our fun...

Andy

He definitely keeps me on my toes, but when it comes down to it, he is such a wonderful husband and father. I am in quite the pathetic state right now and he is taking such great care of me. He is being kind and patient and not saying a word about my days consisting of moving from the bed to the couch. This morning he got up and made me toast so I didn't have to get out of bed. Bella of course thought it was cool that I got to eat my toast in bed so Andy made her some too and she joined me to eat toast and watch the morning news.

I'm already feeling bad about not being able to do much of anything around the house, and even though I can't wait to be feeling better and making my own toast, it's such a blessing to have a husband who is understanding and willing to take on extra responsibilities when I really need him to!

We have a heartbeat!!!

Here is the first picture of our precious baby...



It doesn't look like much more than a little worm right now, but we saw a nice strong heartbeat flickering on the screen.

Based on the babies measurments I am 6 weeks and 4 days. My due date is June 21st.

Thank you so much to all who have been praying for us and we ask that you continue to do so.

One step closer...

I had blood drawn this morning for my repeat Beta and just talked with the nurse. For comparison, my number on the 16th was 813. Today it was 22,000. She was more than pleased and said they don't usually see that high of a number. She then asked me if I had any history of multiples in my family and I of course said, "no". She said, "well then it just must be one really healthy one in there."

The first nurse I spoke with said my numbers should double approximately every 48 hours. I found an online calculator that determines the doubling time and mine doubled every 50 hours. According to the nurse I talked with today they are looking for a doubling rate of 60% every 48 hours. Either way I think I'm good! ;)

I checked out the charts again and my numbers put me between 6 and 8 weeks and the nurse gave me a gestation of 7 weeks 2 days, although I think it's more like 6 weeks.

I have an appt with my OB on Monday and will hopefully have some more definitive news to share them. I'm pretty sure we will have an ultrasound.

Please continue to pray for us.

I think I'm starting to get excited...

Because one just isn't enough!

Yes, that's right, I'm PREGNANT!

I tested on Monday and am still in complete shock. It makes no logical sense for me to be pregnant right now, but 3 home pregnancy tests and 1 blood test later, it seems to true. I had my blood drawn on Monday and the nurse called me on Tuesday with the results. My beta number was 813 which according to this chart puts me at about 5 weeks. If this is accurate then I was pregnant at my appointment with the RE a couple weeks ago, although it was too early to show up on the ultrasound or pregnancy test I had there.

As I mentioned before, this makes no logical sense. I have a chart that says I didn't ovulate and a Doctor who looks at my ovaries and said I hadn't ovulated and wasn't going to, yet I'm pregnant (obviously I HAD to ovulate at some point). We have no doubt that this is God working in our life...an answer to ours and so many others prayers.

I can't say that I know for sure this pregnancy will result in a baby in 9 months, but I can say that regardless of the outcome I know now that I (we) will be okay. I cannot even begin to express what I have learned and how I have grown in the last 2 years. God has used this time to show me things that I may have never been able to understand had I not walked through this valley. I have learned to put all of my trust in Him (as much as humanly possible) and to live in the present and appreciate the blessing I have in my life and not dwell on the one's I don't.

I have made a choice to enjoy and celebrate each day of this pregnancy. I know my heart is still guarded...I can feel it, but every once in a while I let myself be in the excitement of a new life being created...in the thoughts of a growing belly, first flutters, and ultimately welcoming a new son or daugther into our family next Summer.

We will have a repeat Beta done on Thursday and I will get the results on Friday. We are looking for my numbers to double every 48 hours from the last draw. If all looks well they will schedule me an ultrasound for 2 weeks from Friday. The nurse said by then we should be able to see a heartbeat, date the pregnancy and give me a due date.

Those of you who know me well, know that having NO idea when I got pregnant is completely crazy, but you know what...sometimes it's good not to know...not to be in control and to just trust that God is doing His work in our lives.

Please continue to pray for us and our precious growing baby. We want this child with all of our heart and hope to have nothing but good news to share with you from now on.

"In love's service, only wounded soldiers can serve." Thorton Wilder

Post Secrets...

I am completly OBSESSED with this website! As someone who is very "psychological" as Andy puts it I cannot stay away from it. I of course love reading the postcards and imagining the person who sent them, but more than that I imagine how much better they feel after sending their postcard. I tell people all the time that the things we keep hidden have an incredible amount of control over us, and as soon as we make the choice not to hide them anymore they loose their power. I compare it to carrying a hundred pound weight that suddenly turns into a 5 pound weight. It's amazing how bound we can be by the skeletons in our closet.

I was a person who for a long time kept everything bottled up inside. I felt horrible for the "bad" things I did in my life and was completely terrified of people finding out that I wasn't necessarily the "good" girl they thought I was. And then something changed...I'm not sure exactly what it was but I began to realize that I wasn't defined by the poor choices I made in life, rather I was a person who was forgiven by God and that was all that mattered. Sometime along the way Andy came to the same conclusion (maybe even before I did) and we have made it a point to be as real as we can. We don't go around broadcasting all of the "bad" things we have done, but we don't hide them either and aren't afraid to share them with someone in a similar situation. It seems that by us taking that first step so many people have been able to open up and say, "me too!" Those two words are incredibly powerful to the person saying them and that is where the chains begin to loosen.

Anyways, I know that some of you will read this and think I am a complete quack and that's okay (I think it myself sometimes), but I know others will really identify with it.

We all make poor choices in life. None of us are perfect. Get rid of the chains!

Appt with the Reproductive Endocrinologist

Well, we finally did it. After almost 2 years of trying to get pregnant we admitted defeat and consulted with a fertility specialist. When I made the appt 2 months ago I was very reluctant but over the last couple months have warmed up to the idea. Today when I left felt a real sense of peace about it.

Dr. F took us both by surprise with his laid back demeanor. He was very relaxed and personable. He took plenty of time to listen to me ramble (you all know I did) and explained things in a way that we were both able to understand. After taking our history he asked me what I thought the problem was and I told him, "my eggs". He shook his head in agreement and said that I more than likely have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I have had doctors mention this as a possibility before, but today I received an official diagnosis thanks to an ultrasound that showed my ovaries covered in clusters of immature follicles.

He said that with the PCOS and endometriosis combined we have a very small chance of conceiving on our own. Obviously it is possible because I have been pregnant twice, but after rambling off statistics that I can't remember he said in the last 2 years of trying to conceive we have had maybe 5 actual chances of getting pregnant. Play those numbers out and it could take a very long time to acheive a pregnancy on our own.

With that he suggested that a combination of ovulation induction and IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) would give us the best chances of acheiving a pregnancy at this point. We agreed to give it a try and spent a good 30 minutes with the nurse explaining our treatment protocol.

In a nutshell this is how it looks...

* I started Provera tonight to induce my period.

*On day 2 of my period I will go in for baseline bloodwork.

*On day 2-6 I will take Clomid.

*Sometime between cycle day 6 and 10 I will go in for an HSG test.

*Cycle day 10 I will begin using an Ovulation Predictor Kit.

*Cyle day 12 I will go in for an ultrasound to check follicle numbers and size.

*As soon as I receive an LH surge on the OPK I will call the office and they will schedule the IUI within 24 hours.

*The actual IUI takes less than 30 minutes (5 minutes for the procedure and 15 minutes of lying down afterwards) and then I can resume my normal activities.

*At the time of the IUI they will wash the sperm and do a sperm analysis to rule out any male factor.

*And then we will wait for approximately 2 weeks for a Beta HCG test (blood pregnancy test).

So that about sums it up. Andy and I have put a lot of time, conversation and prayer into this and we really feel good about it. We feel like this is the road that God has put before us and we are excited to journey down it until we are shown differently.

I hesitated for a moment to share the details of our appt with everyone, but 2 things prompted me to do so. The first was a comment that Dr. F made to us. He said, "This is no different than any other medical condition. No one ever tells a person with a cancer to realax and see what happens and we shouldn't view this any differently." The other was a simple check in with the hubby. I asked him if he minded if I shared the details of our appt on my blog and he said, "not at all". I know this is virtually impossible for those who haven't gone through this or something similar to understand but sometimes this feels so isolating. It's somewhat of a taboo topic and according to Dr. F it is because people feel uncomfortable with anything to do with others sex lives so they just don't ask about it. I get that, but it doesn't make it any easier for those going through it. Anyways, I don't want this to sound like a pity party, just wanted to explain a little about why we chose to share so openly about our struggles to conceive another child.

Please keep us in your prayers over the next few months. We are excited but also realistic about what we are getting ourselves in to. My biggest concern is how the meds will affect my body considering how sensitive I am to most medication.

Check back for updates as I will try my best to post as things happen.

Quote

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substance: If there is an reaction, both are transformed.” Carl Jung




Any thoughts?

Family!

We spent the weekend at Andy's grandma and grandpa's house celebraing Poppy's 76th birthday. Saturday night all of the cousins and their spouses got together for dinner which was really fun. It had been over 10 years since everyone had been together so it was pretty special. The same was true for Poppy's birthday party. All of the kids, grandkids and one special great grandchild were there. We had a really nice time visiting with everyone and catching up. Bella was beside herself with excitement over seeing her Grammy, Grandma and Auntie. She talked about them all the way there and all the way home. She's a lucky little girl to have a family who loves her so much.

I took a few pictures that of course I have to share. Enjoy...

Our beautiful Bella...

As heard in Sunday service...

Last Sunday while giving the message Pastor Art spoke of a childs enthusiasm for what they love as an example for how we should feel about serving others. He explained that his son is currently in graduate school for counseling and as part of his program is conducting research by talking with children. He was here last Wednesday night and was talking to a child and asked her how old she was. She told him she was 4. Then he asked her what she liked to do. She replied, "I LOVE to dance. I dance all the time!" He said, "Wow! And how long have you been dancing?" To which she emphatically replied, "FOR SEVEN YEARS!"

Why do I share this you ask??

Because it was Bella who has been dancing for seven of her 4 years! ;)

The first time I heard the story I didn't know it was her, but when Arts son told me that it was in fact Bella, I just smiled and said, "that sounds just like her!"

Suffering

So I want to try something new on my blog...

I'm going to post a quote and maybe a picture every so often. If it speaks to you in any way I'd love to hear about it!

"Measure your life by loss instead of gain
Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth
For love's strength standeth in love's sacrafice
And whosoever suffereth the most hath the most to give."
Hudson Taylor

A very Happy Birthday to our good friend Dan!

The big 3-0!

We hope you have a great day and most importantly that this new year (and decade for that matter) brings with it more blessings than you can imagine!

Have fun celebrating...that wife of yours better being doing something darn special! ;)

Andy, Donielle and Bella :)

A great season!

Of softball that is! We started out in mid May with a team of players who had either never played before or hadn't played in a looong time (15 years for me). Needless to say we were all a little rusty but we came together great and ended up placing 2nd in our division. Technically we tied for first but since the team we tied with beat us 1st place went to them. Anyways, after the regular season we were bumped up a division and played in a double elimination tournament. Our first lost was to another team from our church. On Sunday we met up with them again and this time were able to win the game. That win put us in 2nd place and left us with another game to play immediately follwing our first one. We played the only undefeated team left and beat them too! We were pumped by our win. Unfortunatly we had to play a THIRD game 5 minutes after the second and us old folks just couldn't hang for the third game in a row. We were beat and got beat! That loss ended the season for us with the 2nd place trophy and an exhausted Rock Solid team.

I am extremely glad that our season is over, but I had a great time playing. I played 2nd base and did surprisingly well. I come from a very athletic family and it appears that I just might have a little of it in me after all! ;)

Andy was asked to play on an A league team next year (just so you know it goes from A to H -- we were in the H league this year) which is quite a compliment. He said his lolyalties lie with us and that if our team plays again next year he wants to stick with us, but I kind of think it would be fun to watch him play in a division a little more suited for him. We'll see...

Labor Day Fun!

Yesterday we spent the Labor Day Holiday at Lake Tahoe with friends. We wakeboarded, swam, sunbathed and had a great time hanging out and enjoying such a beautiful place. We ended our day in Tahoe by having dinner on the lake which is always a treat!

It was also the last time we will see our friends Jeff and Amanda for a while. We met them less than a year ago, but they quickly became great friends. They are off to their new "home" in Denmark in a couple weeks. It was great to spend one last day with them!

Here are a few pictures...

Check this out...

You may have heard of it, it's called the "Gestation Project"...

You can read more about it on the website, but basically it's a streaming video of pictures taken during a woman's pregnancy (every couple days). It's pretty neat to watch her grow!

http://www.enjoyyourdigitallife.com/?p=8

Per my husbands request...

I am posting a picture of Jessica and I with Josh Blue...

But before you see the picture, it is important that I say that I am not usually one to have my picture taken with anyone even resembling a celebrity. I really see them as no different than myself and tend to think that it must get a little annoying to have random people constantly wanting to take a picture with you. I also worked in a restaurant during college that was frequented by "celebrities" and we were expected to do everything in our power to ensure that they had a comfortable, uniteruppted dining experience. I learned very quickly how to act completly neutral, as if I had no clue who they were (forget the 7 foot basketball player with legs so long that they didn't fit under the table, diamonds so big that I was blinded everytime I walked up to the table and women and men alike loosing their minds inside as the other employees made it clear they were not to even get close to the table).

Okay, now that I've given my disclaimer...enjoy the picture! ;)

On our own!

I called my mom on Saturday morning to chat and the next thing I knew I was packing a suitcase for Bella and we were on our way to Susanville. We met my mom there, had lunch, loaded Bella up in her car and off she went to Grandma's! It worked out great for us since we had tickets to see the winner of Last Comic Standing, Josh Blue that night. We were able to go out without having to worry about getting home in a timely manner and had a great time at the show (he is *really* funny). After the show we hung out while Andy and Josh played table games at the casino. They both made a little money which made for an even better evening!

Here is a picture of Andy and I after the show...



Yesterday we were at church most of the day for our annual Baptism and BBQ. There were more than 100 people baptized which is absolutely amazing! It was so neat to see person after person climb into the pool. At one point a whole family was baptized together (Dad, Mom and Daughter) which of course brought tears to my eyes. One of our friends from our bible study was also baptized which was really special to see. After that we came home for a couple hours, rested a little and then headed out to play Softball. We won our first game which meant we had to play a second game an hour later. We were 1 player short both games and still managed to win! We were pretty excited but also completely exhausted!

Speaking of Softball, here is a picture of our team from last week...



Today we decided to stay at home and get a few things done around the house. We are getting a new receiver installed today from Dish Network so we can have DVR capabiities. We harldy watch any TV as it is so it will be intersting to see if this changes our television viewing habits?? We are going to go to the mall later to exchange a few things I bought for Andy and then have dinner. We are thinking of seeing Talledega Nights, but aren't sure yet. Regardless it will be nice to enjoy an evening out, just the two of us, not having to worry about getting home to our sweet little Bella.

Bella will come home tomorrow evening and it will be back to the grind for all of us. We love that little girl more than we ever imagined we would, but would be lying if we said it wasn't nice to have the occasional break and enjoy our time as husband and wife. Thankfully we still like eachother enough that we really enjoy our time together. ;)

That's all for now.

Where do I start??

Wow! It's been busy around here the last couple weeks! I'll probably forget something, but here goes...

We went to Andy's 10 year class reunion. We drove to Redding on Friday night, had lunch with my mom on Saturday, and hung out with our friends Chris and Sierra until reunion time on Saturday evening. Andy had a good time, but was a little dissapointed that more of his old high school friends weren't there. I actually had a pretty good time too. Thankfully we are good friends with one of Andy's high school class mates and his wife so Sierra and I were able to hang out most of the evening and not feel too out of place. We had to drive back Saturday night so I could be at church on Sunday morning for my class. Needless to say we were exhausted the next day but were able to spend some time with Andy's parents (they were here for a horse training seminar) which was really nice.

Here are a few pics from the class reunion...

Andy and his good friend Chris




Andy and I



Our good friends the O'Connells were here visiting last week. It's always a great time with them, but this trip was extra special because we got to finally meet the newest member of the family, Drew. I'm probably biased, but he is one of the cutest little boys I have ever seen. As always, their visit was too short, but now that it's our turn we hope to make it to one of our favorite places (So Cal) in the not too distant future.

Here is a picture of Bella and Kendra after Bella's party...




And one of Bella and baby Drew...



As I just metioned, Bella also celebrated her 4th birthday with a Dora Party. We started the festivities at our house with pizza, cake and gifts and then went down the street for an hour of bounce house fun. The kids had a lot of fun us big kids had a pretty good time too. By the time we made it home we were exhausted but it was well worth it!

Unfotunately I lost my USB cable and my camera card was full so I only got a couple pics on my camera. Thankfully Jessica filled in with her camera. Here are a few that I had on my camera (I got a new cable in case anyone was wondering).

Before everyone arrived...



A terribly cheesy smile...



After her party, hanging out in the Dora Treehouse that Kendra and Drew gave her and showing off the jewlery she got...



And a bonus picture of Bella and Lucy...



Life has been pretty crazy for us lately. We have had some great times, but hope to slow things down a bit here in the next few months.

Birthday's Everywhere!!!!!!

In the month of August we have already celebrated Bella's Birthday, Kendra's Birthday and Morgan's (Bella's neighbor friend) Birthday. Today we add to that list, Grammy's Birthday, Mike's Birthday and yes, you guess it...my birthday!

So, Happy Birthday to Mike and Grammy! I couldn't think of a better day to celebrate a birthday! ;) We hope that your day is wonderful and that this year brings with it many new blessings!

We love you guys!

Happy Birthday Kendra!

Kendra is 2!!!!!!

Bella and Kendra truely are kindred spirits...not only were they born on the same day, but also at the same time (2 years apart of course). Sure they have different aspects to their personalities, but they seem to be cut from the same mold. They have similar behaviors, ways of talking and even similar health issues (poor girls). It's amazing to me that I would find a friend who is more like me than anyone else on the this earth and that we would have children who are so similar. I can't wait to see what 20 years does to us and what we will be saying on the day that we celebrate a 24th and 22nd birthday!!!

We love you Miss Kendra and can't wait to see you next week!

Happy Birthday Isabella Grace!!

Today our beautiful little girl turns 4!

Truth be told, I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the reality of having a 4 year old. It sounds a bit cliche, but it really seems like yesterday that we laid eyes on her for the first time and spent those first few days and weeks falling in love with our baby girl. Now when I look at her all of the "baby" things seem to have quietly dissapeared and instead of my "baby", I see a little girl.

As we have watched her grow into the little girl she is, there is no denying that she is extremely strong willed and independent. While those characteristics sometimes cause distress in the McMinn household we are determined to foster them and help her to use them in a way that she can be proud of. I have no doubt that God made her the way He did for a very specific reason and it is my prayer that as her parents we foster those qualities and never do anything to make her feel like she needs to be anything other than the girl (and eventually woman) that God created her to be.

In addition to her strong character qualities there are other things about her that are just priceless. She has to be one of the friendliest and outgoing little girls I have ever met. I have shared this story with many of you, but on a regular basis she stands on the patio in the backyard waiting for people to walk by so she can say hi to them. If they don't respond the first time she will say, okay, yell, "I SAID HI!!" If the person walking by happens to engage her in conversation she will talk until I head outside to relieve the poor passer by of their obligation to stand there and talk to the cute little girl. Today she has told EVERYONE she has seen (stranger and friend) that it's her birthday and she is 4 now. As usual, some people think it's great and others act a bit annoyed that I let my child interrupt whatever it happend to be they were doing...even if it was as simple as walking down the sidewalk or standing in line...but I digress...

I could go on and on but at the risk of sounding like an overly doting mother, I will simply say that we couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl for our family. In the recent months as we have tried so hard to have another child, I have really began to realize what an incredible blessing she is in our life. Only now do I see how much I took for granted the time that I was pregnant with her and really, each and every day of the last 4 years. God gave us a good and perfect gift when he blessed us with Bella and I hope that she always knows that even if no one else on this earth loves her or supports her, there will be 2 people who will never give up on her, never stop loving her and never forget what an amazing gift we were given on that 6th day of August.

We love you Bella!!!

Like Father, Like Daughter...

We took the boat to the lake on Monday and Bella rode in her tube for the first time alone. Most 3 year olds would probably be a little scared, but not Bella. We taught her hand signals the day before and here she is giving her favorite one...



Here are a couple more...





And of course, here's where she gets it from (cause we all know it isn't me)...

"God doesn't care if you're late..."

"As long as you make it there safely" was what the Sparks Police Officer said to me after I told him I was on my way to work at the|rock church right down the street (he asked me where I was headed that I needed to be driving 55 in a 40 mph zone). After agreeing about his assesment of God wanting me safe and a brief conversation about my "unique" name he was kind enough to not give me a ticket and inform me that I really needed to watch my "need for speed" as they would be out every morning monitoring the stretch of road I drive on my way to work.

I can't tell you how relieved I was not to receive a speeding ticket. I'll admit that I'm a bit of a lead foot, especially around here. I blame it all on living in "Big City" California for so long...the flow of traffic is 80 mph and it is quite a task for me to slow myself down and drive in a place where most people go 5 mph BELOW the speed limit. Plus I think it's in my genes...my mom drives faster than I do sometimes! ;)

As I was leaving work, one of my co-workers reminded me of what the officer had said to me earilier in the day and then said, "I can't believe you actually used the God card." I replied, "you better believe I did and guess what...IT WORKED!" ;)

Happy 4th of July!

We hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating today. Andy has to work all day, so it's just Bella and I today. I have some work I have to get done and then we are going to go check out the town festivities. We will visit Andy for a while and maybe have lunch with him and then of course watch fireworks tonight. We have some sparklers for Bella to do tonight. It will be the first time she's used a sparkler so it will be interesting to see what she thinks. I of course will be sure to take pictures!

As most of you know today is bittersweet for our family. For years the 4th of July was a very special time for our family. All of our holidays were wonderful, but there was something about the 4th for us. I think it had a lot to do with my dad's love of fireworks and how cool Jason and I thought they were. It was always so exciting for us, whether we were setting them off on the street in front of our house or in a small town called Trout Lake with our friends Jim and Darlene. And then as fate would have it, 7 years ago today my brother and I stood in a hospital room with our arms around eachother as we watched Pop (for those of you who didn't know, we called my dad "Pop") leave this earth. All of sudden a day filled with such good memories and happy feelings was now tainted with an inescapable saddness. Time has been a friend to me. I am still sad, but it's not the unbearable weight that it once was. Today my saddness comes from the fact that my dad never saw me graduate from college, get married, or have a child. He would have been a great grandpa to Bella.

In October when I found out I was pregnat of course the first thing I did was calcualate my due date. You can imagine my surprise when I realized it was July 4! A day marked by the end of life would now be marked by the beginning also. The death of a grandfather and the birth of a grandchild. Although I realized the chances of actually delivering on my due date were slim, I really felt like God was giving our family a gift with this special date to hold on to. And then I miscarried. So many times I asked God, "WHY?" I simply didn't understand why he would allow this to happen. Not long after my m/c I was listening to my Jeremy Camp CD and the song, "I Still Believe" was on. The whole song is very special to me, but there is one part that has been stuck in my mind ever since. It says,

Though the questions still fog up my mind
With promises I still seem to bear
Even when answers slowly unwind
It's my heart I see you prepare

I now know that God is preparing my heart for something. I don't know what it is, but that's okay. It's not always easy, but ultimately I know that His ways are so much greater and that sometimes we have to trust that He knows what we cannot see.

So today, a day filled with some of my best childhood memories is also a day filled with saddness from the loss of my dad and now for the first time, the loss of our very much wanted baby. As I was thinking about it last night, I thought, "well at least I get it all over with in one day." ;)

With that, today is going to be a happy day for us. Bella and I are going to put on our red, white and blue and we are going to celebrate a day that for so many years brought me more joy and fun than any child could have ever hoped for. Those memories are ones I will never forget and there are the ones I'm going to choose to fill my day with.

Where have I been???

In consideration of everyone's time, I'm going to use bullet format to answer my question...

-- My cousin Brad was married on June 24th in Mt. Shasta. Bella and I spent 5 days at my mom's preparing for the wedding and visiting with family. The wedding turned out absolutely beautiful and we had a really nice visit. Congraulations to Brad and Dee! May you have many years of happiness!!

--We came home from Grandma's with a little something extra!

Meet Lucy...



My mom and Mike found her in their garage, stuck in the back of a drawer in a large tool chest. They have no idea how she got there, but after hearing something for 2 days they decided to investigate and were shocked to find a baby kitten. Bella of course took to her immediately and my adament refusal to bring home a kitten was slowly broken with comments like, "Look mom, she loves me so much". What can I say, I'm a sucker!!

So far she has been a wonderful kitty. She tolerates Bella's constant desire to hold her and take her everyone she goes. She has been litter box trained from the moment we brought her home and is already starting to plump up and look like a healthy kitten should.

--Last Saturday we attended Andy's cousins wedding. It was another beautiful wedding. We had a really nice time seeing our family and were sad to have to leave so soon. Bella had a great time dancing the night away and Andy even busted a few moves that I didn't know he was capable of. ;) Here is a cute picture of Andy chasing Bella around the dance floor...



--My "part time" job has quickly become much more than that. I've spent appx. 30 hours a week doing my job and still have things that need to be done. Andy has also been working a lot and so in the few moments we have together we have been trying to come up with a plan of how to both work jobs that are quite demanding and still maintain our home and most importantly be good parents to Bella and good spouses to eachother. It's not an easy task but I'm confident that we will figure it all out. Like Andy said, "there has to be a way because there is no doubt that we are both exactly where God wants us to be". I couldn't agree more!

--Yesterday we spent the first part of the day at church and then came home and got some housework done. In the evening we had friends over for Margaritas and a BBQ. We had a great time and are so blessed to have such great friends.

--Today I spent most of the day cleaning and catching up on laundry while Andy slaved away outside. He did some serious weed control and our back yard is looking quite nice again. We are going to take it easy this evening and enjoy some family time.

--For those who may have tried to call us the past few days, our phone has been out of commission. I came home on Thursday to find that our phone had no dial tone. The repair man finally came out today and was able to fix it quickly...evidentally they had been out doing some work on Thursday and unknowingly disconnected our service. Everyone knows that I'm a phone talker, but I have to admit that it was kind of nice not to hear our phone ring for 4 full days! ;P

June 20, 2006

It is my pleasure to welcome Andrew Ryan to the world. He was born today at 2:05 p.m., weighing in a 8 lbs. 11 oz and 20 inches long.

I will post a picture of him for all to see as soon as I get a close up of him!

Dan, Jessica and Kendra...

We are so happy that Drew is finally here, safe and sound! We can't wait to see more pictures and more than anything, can't wait to meet the newest member of the family. You guys have done a fabulous job with Kendra and we know you will do the same with Drew! I can't believe little Miss Kendra is a big sister!!!

We love you guys!

Andy, Donielle and Bella

Happy Father's Day!

What a weekend of celebrating we've had...yesterday our anniversary and today, Father's Day!

Not having my dad here on earth to celebrate today is of course a bit sad, but mostly today has been filled with incredible joy when I see what a wonderful father my daughter has. Andy is everything that I am not when it comes to being a parent. He is like a big kid and one of the coolest dads I know. He takes time to play with Bella, reads to her every night before she goes to bed and most importantly isn't afraid to tell her just how much he loves her. He hugs her and kisses her and gives her the love that every daughter needs from her father. Seeing all of this warms my heart in a way I simply cannot describe.

I know that much of the father Andy is comes from the father that he had, so with that, I say a heartfelt thank you to Gary, for showing my husband what it means to be a dad. Without your example he would not be the man (father and husband) he is today!

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there and to those of you who don't have a dad to celebrate, regardless of the reason, hang in there and know you are not alone.

Happy Anniversary to us!!

Six years ago, at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon I became Mrs. Andrew McMinn! It was one of the best days of my life, everything I dreamed of (except for those awful orange walls at the reception site) and six years later I am happy to report that being husband and wife has come quite naturally to us. We have had our hard times, but in the whole scope of things, I thought we would have to work a whole lot harder in order to have a healthy marriage. Of course part of this is due to a husband who although stubborn at times, eventually comes around and does his best to be a great husband. But more than anything I think it's has to do with my dashing beauty and irrisistable wit!! Okay, that's a joke, but one that Andy will appreciate when he reads this! ;P

So, here's to you, Mr. Andrew McMinn! Thanks for never leaving my side, for putting up with my craziness, for supporting me and encouraging me to never give up. And more than anything, thank you for showing me how to strive to be a better person today than I was yesterday. You are a true gift to me and I look forward to spending many, many more years with you!!

Stepping it up a notch!

Unfotunately my body is being somewhat resistant to the acupuncture and natropathic treatments I am currently doing. Things are definitely improving, but much slower than we had hoped. It's really no surprise, as my body seems to have a mind of it's own (for example my bizzare reactions to almost every OTC and prescription medication out there).

After a long discussion about my progress (or lack there of) last week, Dr. F decided to start a more agressive treatment plan. She added a Chinese Herbal tincture to my daily regimn that is supposed to support the acupuncture and also changed my acupuncture treatments.

My previous acupuncture simply involved needles being put into various points on my body. Today things got interesting...

Not only did she use a variety of different points, she also put several needles in my head and face to address my increasing frequency of headaches and full blown migraines. Along with that she drilled 2 needles in each side of my abdomen. She put the needles in so deep that I had to close my eyes because I started to feel queazy when I realized how little of the very long needles were exposed. After she was done she attached electordes to both needles and turned up the frequency as high as I could handle it. If that wasn't enough she also put a needle in the middle of my stomach, put a paper around it on my stomach, set a Moxa (chinese herb that smells exactly like marijuana) over the needle and lit it on fire. At that point she turned the lights off and left me with a burning herb on my stomach and electric shocks pulsing through my abdomen for 30 mintues. After the intial shock of it all wore off it wasn't that bad, but I have to admit that it's was a bit nerve wracking at first.

This is my new treatment plan for now. Hopefully it works because I'm afraid of what might be next! ;)

And so the balancing act begins...

For the first time since becoming a mom I am working outside of the home, albeit part time, it's still proving to be quite an adjustment for us.

We have been moved into our offices for about 2 weeks now and I have been actually going to work (before I did everything from home) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. My goal is to work 2 days a week at the office and do the rest at home, but right now I am so incredibly busy I'm not even close to getting everything done in 3 days, let alone 2.

I had a great routine down for getting everything done and all of a sudden I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. I feel rushed from the second I wake up in the morning until the minute I drop into bed at night completly exhausted. The good thing is that I am really enjoying my job. It is by far one of the most challenging and emotionally draining (I'm mostly referring to the counseling aspect of my job) things I have done in a long time, but even with that I am so happy to have this opportunity. I by no means feel like I made a mistake in taking the job, just that I need to figure out how to balance being at work 2-3 days a week and continue to maintain a household. I really think I will be able to figure it all out, it's just going to take a little time. Thankfully Andy is willing to help out in some of the areas that I'm slacking in which takes some of the pressure off, but truth be told, he has virtually no free time with his current work schedule.

We both feel like we are exactly where God wants us to be, but also are very aware of how important it is to keep our focus on our family and especially on our precious little Bella.

My hat goes off to all the women who do this full or part time. It's not easy, but I think with a little work we will find a way to make it work well for our family!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

We hope you had a great day today and that this year is filled with many great things!!!

Love,

Andy, Donielle and Bella :)

Our beautiful Princess Mulan...

Bella had her dance recital yesterday. She was dressed up as Princess Mulan and danced to the song, "Cups and Saucers". She did a really good job (much better than her recital in December) and was so excited to be on stage. We took Morgan and Luke with us to watch her which of course she was absolutely thrilled with. The lighting was weird so none of my pictures turned out of her actually dancing, but I got some cute before and afters (we also video taped it).

Here she is...

Two Peas in a Pod...

i took these pictures of Andy and Bella playing their racing game...

Here they are in action...





And finally a break to smile for the camera...

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Andy turned 28 today...for a few short months we will be the same age and then once again I will be the "older woman"! ;)

We didn't do anything overly exciting, but had an nice day none-the-less. We went to church this morning, relaxed at home a little and then went to see X-Men, which by the way is an excellent movie! We have the other 2 and really like them and the third was as good, if not better than the first two. One little note for those of you who might go see it...make sure you stay through the end of the credits for a clip that you don't want to miss...

After the movie we had dinner at Macaroni grill, stopped by Starbucks and got a Java Chip to share and are now back home.

Bella and I made Andy a card and got him a book and a couple CD's. He's been wanting TiVo for quite some time now, so we are going to pick that up this week for him too.

If the weather is decent we are going to do some wakeboarding tomorrow, if not we will probably hang out at the house and work on our landscaping.

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend!

Congratulations Captain Morgan!!!

The newest member of the family is offically a college graduate!

Job well done Morgan! Enjoy these next few weeks of life in between graduation and the start of your new "career". We hope that this new job proves to be a great opportunity for you and Meagan! We love you guys and are very happy for you!

Love,

Andy, Donielle and Bella

Name your addiction!

I heard about this study on the radio this morning and looked it up when I got home. Here's what it says...

"According to a survey by Websense Inc., a provider of employee Internet-management software, 52% of managers and employees would rather give up coffee than their ability to cruise the Web for personal reasons at work. Forty-four percent favor the taste of java over Web surfing."

I knew my answer instantly which on I would choose...I'd give up the coffee in a heartbeat over the internet (this is probably so easy for me to say because I've recently stopped drinking coffee and after the initial shock to my body, I haven't missed it all that much).

So, what's your answer??

Coffee?

or

Internet?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there! Now that I'm a mother myself I understand what an honor it is to be called "mom". We all do the best we can and love our kids more than words can express...enjoy celebrating yourself and the wonderful blessing that it is to be called "Mom".

For those who today brings sadness and grief over lost mothers or children or for those who yearn to be a mother themselves, I want you to know that you aren't forgotten on this day. Be good to yourselves...

And a special thank you to 3 people...first my mom, who just might be the best mom in the world and who taught me what it means to love my children unconditionally (the greatest gift you could give a child), to my mother-in-law who has a very special place in my heart. I couldn't ask for a better "in-law"...and for my precious little girl, who has allowed me the blessing of being called "mom".

Just for Mom's!

Last night Bella's preschool had a Mother's Day Celebration for the kids and their moms! It was so cute to see all the little ones hanging out with their moms. They started off the evening by singing a Mother's Day song they had been practicing all week and then delivered hand painted flower pots that they made filled with all kinds of goodies for us. Bella's pot was so pretty (she really did a nice job painting it) and we had fun planting a Snapdragon in it. After they were done singing we ate our dinner and then the kids played for a while. I'm really glad we decided to go because it was fun to hang out with everyone for a while and get to know a few other "moms" from preschool.

Here is a picture of Bella and the pot she made for me. The smile is a bit cheesy, but it's the only one I got...

My little gardener...

Bella has found a little corner on the side of the house that she has claimed as her "garden". This is a picture of her doing some gardening...

Isn't my husband cool!!!

We went out on the boat on Monday and I was able to snap a few pictures of Andy doing his thing on the wakeboard...

Garage Sale season is officially here...

How do I know??? I rolled out of bed at 6:00 a.m and am leaving the house in about 5 minutes! I NEVER get out of bed that early unless I'm garage saling or shopping Black Friday! ;)

Today may be one of the best sales of the year. It's the community wide sale in the "rich" neighborhoods. They all get together, put out their professionally made signs (I'm not joking) and set up on their gigantic drive ways. I'm on the hunt for a patio set...wish me luck!

A fresh perspective...

In my car, on the way to pick up Bella from preschool, it hit me...I need to be content with the life I have! Content with the wonderful husband and incredibly beautiful daughter that the Lord has blessed me with. I HAVE A CHILD! So many women don't. I always said that the one thing I wanted to do in life was experience being pregnant, giving birth and raising a child. I've done the first 2 parts and am doing the last part right now. I have such a blessed and joyous life and I want to live each day in that truth. I want to be happy, really happy with the life I have and if the Lord chooses to bless us with another child, then great, but if not, I want to okay with that too. I don't want to live each day in the hope of what may be, but instead in the joy of what is. I want to be a whole person. A whole mother, a whole wife, a whole woman. I want to offer all that I am to the people I love. I can only do this if I let go of my own desires and accept God's plan for my life.

Do I still want another baby? Yes. Desperately. Is it hard not to let it consume me? Unbelievably hard. Will I always have such an optimistic point of view? No way! There will still be days that I find myself unable to escape the cloud above my head, but instead of succumbing to it, I hope to rise above it, look around and rest in the assurance that I have a really, really fabulous life!

Happy Birthday Meagan!!

We hope your day is wondeful and that this year brings with it many new and exciting blessings for you!!

We love you!!

Pet Peeve

It absolutely sends me into a frenzy when people post signs and then don't come back and remove them. The two that get me the most are garage sale signs and election signs. I always fantasize about collecting all the signs (especially for garage sales since the address is on them) and taking them to the persons house and leaving them at their front door, or better yet, hanging them all over the front of their house! With election ones I want to take them to the persons house and cover their front yard in their "vote for me" signs.

This isn't just something that I occasionally think about either, I literally obsess over it. Take for example the orange garage sale signs currently up on the way into our development. The sale was this past Saturday and I swear my blood pressure rises everytime I drive by those stupid signs!!!

Does this bother anyone else or am I really just a nut case??? ;)