Live...Laugh...Love...with Casey and Amanda

I'm going to be open with you for a moment, and it may be a little raw because I haven't really had the chance to process all this just yet. Hopefully what I have felt prompted to say will shine through and help someone else despite my inadequacy. Long story short, my doctor is assuming I have just experienced an early miscarriage or what is generally called a "chemical pregnancy" which is our second loss. Because of my situation, my body thought it wasn't ready or safe to be pregnant right now and rejected the pregnancy the same day of implantation. Yes, I am grateful for my body, even if I deal with infertility, loss, and hormonal imbalance. However, that doesn't mean that it is easy knowing that one of the things I want most, children, happened and then "didn't happen." These pregnancies, these children represent hopes and dreams that will not come to light in this life. There is a grief in missing what was anxiously anticipated. A g...

Life has been rolling right along around here. As many of you probably heard there was an eclipse on August 21st. We were lucky enough to be in the path of totality. There was so much hype surrounding this event and I wasn't sure what to really expect. We had some family, Uncle Mont & Aunt Cindy, that came up with their daughter Amy, her boys, and their friends to watch the eclipse and we all had a good time playing games, flying helicopter toys, and having an eclipse party. But I can honestly say that it was kind of a spiritual experience. It was amazing to see and think about God's creations and how they all work together in perfect harmony. It was amazing to feel like you were witnessing something so special and powerful. Trust me, if you didn't see the eclipse in totality you don't have any idea what you missed. I would HIGHLY suggest it next time there is an eclipse. Although, we have been working with Aiden here and there since he was about one yea...

***Before you start I have a special request. Would you send up a prayer for a little boy named Jacob and his family. Prayer is so powerful and they could really use yours! Thanks!!*** Right about my last blog we had an important discussion with Declan's pediatrician. We'd been worried about Declan not hitting his physical milestones around the time that he should. The pediatrician referred Declan to a grant funded program that works with infants and toddlers experiencing delays. From there he was evaluated in every area of development by the program. Ultimately he was assessed as having several areas that needed to catch up and those delays were also going to postpone him eating solids. He was approved for the program and a wonderful physical therapist has been coming to our home to work with Declan every other week. HIS PROGRESS HAS BEEN AMAZING! Declan was finally able to sit up at eight months! Declan gets super grumpy having to do the exercises all the time but they...