Family Pictures 2009

I have totally lost my drive to blog these days...hopefully it will return soon.

But, in the meantime, here are our newest pictures.

Trey - almost 5 years old

Miss Gillian - 4 months old

I love these babes.

Babes that I never thought I'd have.


I am blessed.

Merry Christmas!!

The Cunninghams

Monster Trucks!

This weekend was the Monster Truck Show...a place this city girl never thought she'd find herself, and then she had a son! :) It was a good time and the looks on Trey's face were worth it!

Here are a few pictures from the day!!
















Ramunition

















Trey, Daddy & BigFoot!















SnakeBite















SnakeBite's Fangs
















The Avenger

He wore his rain boots and rain coat and enjoyed jumping in the very muddy mudpuddles. You only live once, right?

Next weekend is the Antique Tractor Show...more pictures to follow I'm sure. Actually, we are surprising him with Thomas Live on Stage on Wednesday, I almost forgot! A busy month!

Two is company, three's a crowd.

Because of the circumstances of December 2007 Trey has been permanently camped out in our bed. And let me be the one to tell you, I permanently put him there. We had tried a few times to put him in his own bed, but the anxiety I felt was unbearable.

The ironic part of all of this is that I was the first person to tell anyone that children sleeping in their parent's bed was crazy. Yes, crazy. And here I am, 15 months into having a child sleeping in my bed.


It has become so convenient in so many ways. Because, just go ahead and try to put him in his bed. Yea, good luck with that. It's not pretty. And who do we have to blame for that? Huh? Who?

Yep...me.


But, you see, one thing I swore I would not let happen, is happening. I refuse to let this circumstance be a "crutch" for him. I refuse to let the abuse define who Trey is. And I as his mother need to stop. He is 4 years-old and needs to sleep in his own bed.

Frank and I need our bed back to ourselves. Yea, it's a king size bed, but not meant for 3 of us. We need a few hours in the evening to ourselves.

(The funny part of this picture is that Frank is all the way at the edge of his side of the bed. Trey is smack-dab next to him, with the entire king bed behind Trey. It really is craziness.)

So tonight is it! After some discussion and planning, Trey will be put in his bed tonight, SuperNanny style. I know it won't be easy, but it needs to be done. So, around 9 o'clock tonight, could ya say a little prayer for us. All three of us.

Flowers From My Boy

Spring is here...kinda. It was 70 degrees today, but it supposed to be 40 tomorrow. We took advantage of the nice weather and spent a little time outside today.

My sweet little guy was riding his new John Deere bike he got from his Grammy & Pappy.




Which he absolutely LOVES, by the way.

Well, he jumped off his bike and told me he'd be right back. He proceeded to run to the yard and came back with these:


What a sweet little guy. He then told me we could use these when Daddy and I get married. Hee, hee. I told him we already were and he said that no we aren't. I guess he wants to be there for the occasion! Love him.

The Best Week Ever!

Yep! The week of December 14th.

I've been told I should have played the lottery that week. Although, I've not ever played.

Remember back when we got the offer on the house? Our house that had been sitting on the market for over a year. Our house that had a ton of traffic through it, but had not had one offer. None. That was Wednesday, December 17th.

December 17th was also the day of Frank's Christmas party for work. And most of you know what happened last year. So needless-to-say, I was a little apprehensive. Everything went well and Trey had a blast.

Also, most of you know that I suffer from infertility. We tried for 5 years before finally doing our first attempt at in-vitro. We were given Trey through that attempt. Then in February 2008 we did our second attempt, which you can read about here.

On occasion I will have Frank get me a pregnancy test to take even if I'm a day late because, well, even after almost 10 years of infertility, the hope still remains. So, I'll take a test, it's negative, and I go on with my life.

(I'm sure you see where this is going...)

Well, the night of December 17th, I took a test. I left it in the bathroom, set the timer, got something to drink and just chilled. Frank and I don't even get excited, it's just like something I have to do. Well, I walked into the bathroom and sure enough...positive test. Frank's first words were, "I'll bring home another test tomorrow".

And sure enough...that one was positive too.

I called my reproductive endocrinologist and left a message for my IVF nurse. When she called me back her words were, "I have a message here that says you had a positive pregnancy test". I told her yes and I still don't think she believed me.

Let's be honest here. The odds of me getting pregnant on our own are like....nil, nada, not a chance. We always knew that with God, nothing is impossible and He has proved it in our lives.

We don't just do in-vitro...we do in-vitro with ICSI. Which means putting sperm & egg in the same place, letting them do their "thing", won't happen. They actually inject the sperm into the egg. So, God has once again shown His hand in our lives.

I am now 15 weeks along. I have been pretty sick. Not as sick as I was with Trey, but morning sickness is well, not fun. We are moved in, but with a few boxes still hanging around.

We are praising God for what we believe to be His blessings on us for being obedient to His will. The last year has not been easy for us, but we have earnestly sought out what HE wants us to do and how HE wanted us to handle everything. And He has poured out the blessing.

What's Happening?

Boy, have things been crazy around here lately.

My car is still in the shop...supposed to be done by Friday. So, we're praying that's the case.

My in-laws have been here visiting for the last week and have been a HUGE help. They helped us finish moving out of the apartment and cleaning it. They also pretty much unpacked my entire kitchen...which is AWESOME. And...since I was without a car, it was great to have them here for an extra car. Trey had a blast. He laughed so much and so hard this week. I am truly grateful for my inlaws.

Trey's 4th birthday was January 20th. We took him to Toys R Us and he got the royal treatment. He had money from my grandma to pick out whatever he wanted...so needless-to-say, he definitely enjoyed himself. He picked out two "Thomas" trains he wanted. I can't believe we paid $46 for 2 wooden trains. But, he loves them.

We haven't had his birthday party with family yet. We are to travel back to NE Ohio where our extended families live this weekend (hence, the need for my car to be done) for his party. He wanted a John Deere party (surprise, surprise) and we are having it at the Dairy Queen. He's really excited to see his cousins.

Well, I have lots more I want to blog about...in due time. Hopefully I will have pictures of the party to post next week.

Also...most importantly, could you please pray for my friend Melissa? She is finishing up her chemo for her bone marrow (stem cell) transplant. The actual transplant is Thursday. You can check out her blog here. Thanks so much.

While I've been gone...

Well, today is the first day I actually have internet access at home. The little bit I've been online has been from my families homes. So, I thought you like to see what I've been up to while I've been out...

My front bumper

Passenger side front bumper (excuse the green glove in the corner)

Passenger side front fender

Passenger side rear bumper/fender

Yep, you guessed. Trey and I went for a little "ride". We were on our way to my sister's house and hit a patch of snow. We hit a guard rail on the passenger's side first and then landed the driver's side in the ditch.

Praise God we are and were just fine. Trey wanted his Daddy (and I did too). A nice guy with a 4x4 Chevy pulled us out of the ditch and the State Highway Patrolman was really good to us.

Now we'll be taking it in for a little cosmetic work.

It's good to be back!!

Merry Christmas From My Family To Yours!

Merry Christmas to all!

Our prayer is that you all experience the

season for what is really to be celebrated!

God sent his son Jesus as the ultimate present.

God bless you and your family.

Family Pictures

I forced convinced Frank it was time to get family pictures taken again. It's been a while and Trey seems to be getting over his picture-taking issues. He (Frank) went along with it screaming happy as can be.


Well, I think they came out great!

Of course, I could definitely be a bit (ha!) thinner. :)

My little guy's 4 year pictures. He's the cutest ever!! I am not biased at all.

Mr. Stoic. He cracks me up!

This is my FAVORITE!! It captures his personality better than any picture he's ever taken. One of God's greatest gifts to me.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Things are crazy around here these days. But, I wanted to post a few pics of whats been happening around here.

Trey and I made a construction paper chain to count down the days until Christmas.

Trey + Scissors = Mess.

Trey and his Daddy at our friend Linn's house. Trey cheeesing, of course.

We got our family pictures taken on Monday. They came out soo good. Hope to get them posted soon.

Have a great rest of the week!!

Halloween!

This year was really fun with Trey. He was soo excited to carve a pumpkin. And of course, trick or treating was really fun! So here are a few pics from the week.

Trey the elephant.



At the nursing home trick or treating.



Optimus Prime.



The loot.

Blogging hiatus

Not that I blog all that often, but I'm going out of town for a few days.

I'll be traveling the 3.5 hours to spend a little quality time with these.

Don't miss me too much!

On a lighter note...

Two Saturdays a month Lowes has a kids clinic.

You can take your child and they create something with a hammer, nails, wood and even stickers sometimes. The kids get a Lowes apron, nametag, protective eye wear and patches for each project they complete. And it's all FREE!!

Trey has made a photo frame, spider, tape measure, fire engine, GMC truck...just to name a few. He loves it! And to be honest, Frank does too.

Daddy & Trey workin' hard.

Team Work!

The finished product...a firetruck! And two happy guys!

They love doing it and I love watching them. It's great father and son time. However, I have seen quite a few girls and mommies building stuff too!!

This coming Saturday, October 11th is the next one here at our Lowes.

It's a skeleton...

Pretty cool, huh?

Have any of you made anything at Lowes???

The Trial

At 9 o'clock in the morning, we will be heading to the courthouse.

Jury selection is first. Then the trial begins.

Finally, the time we have waited for, for nearly 10 months.

Please keep us in your prayers. The jury, the attorneys, the judge, the witnesses...the TRUTH.

That's all we want. The TRUTH.

We trust in our God. We are in his hands.

Go Buckeyes!

No, I'm not talking about the "real" nut buckeye...although seeing these make me hungry thinking of chocolate and peanut butter buckeyes.

Frank & I went to the Ohio State football game this weekend. You know that if you're born in Ohio you are born a Buckeye. :)

We went with Richard & Jennifer, friends of ours from our previous church. It was good to spend some time with them...I've been missing close friends these days. No kids, either, just us 4 adults. I can't tell you the last time that's happened.

I'm sure some of you have seen this picture. They say it's proof that Jesus is a Buckeye fan. I'm not too sure about that...



"Jesus" is located in Monroe, Ohio, between Dayton and Cincinnati. A million dollars or so I hear...but don't get me started on that.

Just being at the "shoe" is an experience in itself. It's an awesome stadium. And we had been given an alumni's season tickets, so our seats were great! No nosebleed for us.



Being in a stadium with 102,000 other Buckeye fans was so cool. There is a little-bitty spot of maybe 100 seats for the opposing team, but I can't imagine sitting in THAT spot. It's not even like going to an NFL game. The city of Cincinnati isn't full of Bengals fans, that's for sure.



Here's the picture of us, sweating to death. We had a really good time. We walked forever to get to the stadium and got to spend time talking without interruption. It was good to spend time with my hubby...we need to do it more often.

Thanks for the tickets and good time, Rich & Jennifer.

Please Pray for my Pap...

**Update**
Pap came through the procedure well. Two places in his arteries are back to 100% working order. There are a few other areas of concern that will be dealt with later. Thanks for your prayers.


My grandfather is having femoral artery stents placed tomorrow. He has not been in the hospital since the 1950s. He is 75 years-old.

Please pray for the physicians and staff, that God would guide them.

Pray that the procedure would go smoothly as possible.

Please pray that he would not be anxious.

Pray for my grandma as she patiently waits. And for my Dad, aunt & uncles, as well.

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. ~Psalm 55:22

Siblings Part 1

I have a little brother. Okay, I have a younger brother. He is definitely taller than me. He is the youngest of the three of us. He's been that little pain in the butt brother, but has grown to be one of my closest friends. I'm really surprised at how close we are. Not because we didn't get along when we were younger, just we have different points of view on a lot of things.

All three of us are close as adults. We don't always agree on everything, but who does? We seem to agree to disagree, for the most part. When it comes down to it, if I needed something...he's there. And I hope he knows the same about me.

He just recently moved to Columbus, about an hour or more away. (Versus 2 minutes down the road.) We definitely want what's best for him. We miss him terribly. Yes, Rob, we really do.





Trey really misses his Uncle Rob. But he really enjoys playing Guitar Hero with him when he is here. Uncle Rob even gave him a guitar of his very own! They are best buds.




Well, little brother, we miss you now that you've moved to the "big city" (can you take me with you?). But, we definitely want you to be happy! Come and visit soon!

(Bump) ***God On The Mountain

This blog was originally posted August 13th, but the jib jabs took over. I didn't want anyone to miss it, so I bumped it up to today!

I started this blog for a few reasons, but one of them is so that our families could catch up with us online. Well, my mother-in-law, Rosella, has read some of my posts and sent us a very encouraging letter.

She told us of a book she was reading about Bill Gaither. In the book the song "God On The Mountain" by Tracy Dartt brought me to her mind and she wanted to share it. So, I wanted to share it with you...

God On The Mountain

Tracy Dartt

Life is easy when you're on the mountain

And you've got peace of mind like you've never known

But things change when you're down in the valley

Don't lose faith for you're never alone

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley

When things go wrong He'll make them right

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times

The God of the day is still God in the night

You talk of faith way up on the mountain

Talk comes so easy when life's at it's best

Now it's down in the valley's of trials and temptation

That's when your faith is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley

When things go wrong He'll make them right

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times

The God of the day is still God in the night

Thanks Rosella for thinking of us and sharing this with us. Thanks for your prayers and we are thankful for you!

When things go wrong He'll make them right...

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge, I will repay," say the Lord. ~Romans 12:19

PS. I'm learning about forgiveness. Great things! More on that soon...

Don't Laugh Too Hard!!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

My Blessings

Sweetness and orneriness personified!

Best friends and cousins.

These are my sister's babies and Trey.

Emerson, Aubreigh and AJ!

My sister Valerie and her kids came out last week for a visit. They live about 4 hours away. We miss them like crazy! Trey talks about Eme, Aubreigh & AJ almost daily. They really are his best friends. When they get together it's like they haven't missed a beat. You would think they live next door. Emerson & Aubreigh have taught him everything they know...which is scary. And if Trey & Aubreigh are missing at the same time, watch out, they are surely up to no good. AJ is Trey's only boy cousin, so he is definitely looking forward to teaching him all about cars, trucks & tractors!

I love these kids like they are my own. I was there when Em was born, on my way when Aubreigh was born, and just finished painting Valerie's toenails when she went into labor with AJ. I would do anything for them as if they were my own. Aunt Jocey loves you all!

So, this is a shout out to all the cousins out there!

Uncle Frankie, Aunt Jocey & Trey miss
everyone and hope to see you soon!

(And I'm sure you'll be hearing more about
my awesome sister later!)