updates I've gotten behind on...

so much has been going on, it's been hard to find time to blog it all. But today is a snow day (ice day), so now that every part of my house has been cleaned, laundry put away, 2 workouts completed...blog time has arrived!

1. For Xmas we got something I never thought I would get addicted to. I told Joe we would never get a video game system, but I caved and we got a Wii. I am in LOVE with this thing! Not only do we get the old school Nintendo games I grew up on like Mario Bros and Punch Out, but we also have Rock Band and Wii Fit. Both of which I am addicted to. Rock Band became a great pasttime during Xmas break at home with my parents and brother. Below you will see a video of dad singing Eye of the Tiger. Hang in there thru the end of it...it's worth it. :) And the Wii fit....I do it EVERY SINGLE DAY. It monitors my bmi and weight as well as has me set fitness goals for myself, not to mention the fun activities it has! I've lost over 8 pounds in 4 weeks and am on pace to get to my goal weight before my last IVF cycle. So exciting!

And here is our band....Me, Matt, Dad and Mom

2. Ever watch Dancing with the Stars? Or....ever heard of Dancing with the Stars? Well, Joe and I are the next stars! We are taking Ballroom Dancing lessons on Monday nights and having a great time! In fact, we are thinking abotu going to a dance on Saturday nite! The last 2 classes we have been working on the foxtrot. We have learned the basice steps, a variation called "conversation" and a variation called "the zigzag." On Monday there was a couple there who missed the first class. The woman was....well.....scary. She obviously had had plastic surgery on her face and chest. She had a Joan Rivers vibe going on. And she was wearing a see through shirt with a hot pink bra, and black TIGHT leggings. Yipes. So towards the end of class Joe and I were dancing in the circle and I noticed her watching us. We rounded the corner and she booked it towards us. i thought she was going to grab her husband, but nope...she was coming for mine! She grabbed Joe's arm and announced "We are switching partners!" The two of them were so clueless and she said "you two konw what you're doing...I've been watching you. Help us!" So we switched and helped them out for a few minutes. Class ended with a promise to trade again next week. When we told our mom's the story they both told me to watch out...and older woman is trying to steal my man. :) I prefer to think it's just the fact that the Varneys rock at the foxtrot. :)

3. In less than a week I am entering a new phase of life. A new decade. On Tuesday I will be 30! I am actually really looking forward to it too! I don't see it as a bad thing, although Joe says it means I have to act like an adult now. :) In honor of our birthdays and really, in honor of our marriage surviving the hell that was 2008, we are planning a peaceful, romantic, renewing week away in March. Some friends have graciously and generously helped us out with a place to stay in....wait for it.....HAWAII!!!! I have never been there and neither has Joe. We wanted to go somewhere amazing before we spend the next several years paying off IVF, and hopefully paying for baby stuff with the baby I WILL be pregnant with soon. So we have taken some of our savings and we bought our tickets last week. The whole week of Spring Break on the island of Molokai. More on that to come!

4. And just for you, Tanya, here's a pic of our new bed. We got a sleigh bed with our Xmas money. We've had my bed from pre-marriage the past 3 years, so now we have "our bed" instead of "my bed."

I love PROMETHEAN!

So I got this new toy at school. Shouldn't call it that...a new TEACHING TOOL! It didn't work initially(as technology tends to do), but it is up and running now and I am in LOVE with my Promethean Board!

This is new technology that allows you to do everything....EVERYTHING from a touch sensitive smart board. It's like a big blackberry. It has a stylus that looks like a marker and it's plugged into your laptop, the web, speakers, your ipod, a wii....you name it, you can hook it up to this sucker!

Here's what it looks like:

It is mounted to the wall and moves up and down. You can see the projector part is on the arm up above, so it moves with the board. It goes all the way down to 12 inches from the floor, perfect for my little guys to come work on!

Today was my first day with it up and running and my kids were in awe. We played games, drew pictures, moved blocks into graphs, all kinds of stuff! This thing will change teaching forever!! I can build a lesson on a flipchart (a slideshow, like powerpoint), but I never have to leave the board. everythign is accessible right there using my stylus. I can put in video links to the net, sounds, music, matching games, worksheets, books, you name it....it does it.

I went to training yesterday and my head is still spinning thru all the ideas from those 8 hours. Teaching is finally fun again! So glad that I am HAPPY AT SCHOOL!!!!!

Here's what it looks like in action:

I almost forgot!?!?

If you are a geek like me and want to see what this is all about, go to www.promethanplanent.com, or you can visit www.promethanlearning.com to try it out on your home computer and see what the software does.

a day in history

Today was such a special day. We were able to witness a moment in history. Sure, we've witnessed others...911 attacks, the challenger explosion, the fall of the Berlin Wall. But never have we had the anticipation and expectation of such an event.

I watched the swearing in of our 44th president with 19 first graders today. Did they understand what was happening? Yes. And no. They know we have a new president today. They know his name is Barak Obama. But I'm sure they have no idea how important it was for them to see.

As we drove home from Lubbock yesterday, we listened to talk radio about the upcoming inauguration. While I am so excited about what is in store for our country, many are not. And I sympathize with their point of view, even though I don't share it. But despite which side you stand on, I hope that we all were moved and thankful that our country has reached this landmark. It's one I thought I would see in my lifetime, but not for a long, long time. Praise God for getting us here!

As I watched the oath being given, I couldn't help but tear up a little bit. My mom remembers the moonlanding and the assasination of Kennedy. My kiddos will remember this. It makes me so excited for them!!!

New News

We went to the doctor today to get the final word on my D&C results.
The doc said that they found nothing wrong with the fetal tissue, so the chromosome issue is a moot point now. He said recurring miscarriage is caused by one of 3 things:
1. Genetic problems (ruled out on both of us now)
2. A structural problem with the uterus (not me)
3. Antibodies are developed that "attack" the placenta

So...we are getting tested for the anibodies one. Doc says it is a small chance, but still a chance that that's what's going on. Good news is...we can do something about that one!!! Now, if they don't find that prognosis to be true, we have just been really REALLY unlucky and there is no explanation for back to back miscarriages. In either case, the recommendation is to go forward with the last FET when we're ready. (either on new meds for antibodies or buisness as usual).

The only other new info is....we were having a girl. That makes me sad to know the sex of the baby. Makes it more real. But it's kind of nice too. I was having a GIRL! I knew I was. :)

And final news...unrelated to babies. We bought a new bed today! It's our birthday gifts to eachother this year! A BLACK SLEIGH BED!!!! Hooray!!!

happy birthday

30 years ago today, my sweetheart entered the world...and thank God he did! I don't know what life would be like without that man in mine.

Last nite we went out with 10 or so of our best friends to celebrate and had so much fun wishing Jerry and Joe happiness in the next decade of life. 30 is a big milestone and we looking foward to a wonderful beginning to this next chapter.

So in honor of my hubby....here are 10 reasons I love him...(thought about putting 30, but that would be SO LONG!!)

1. He loves me even when I'm unlovable.

2. He makes me laugh every single day.

3. He prays for me and with me every night.

4. He can't sleep without me next to him.

5. He sings constantly, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the garage...always has a song.

6. He's goofy. REALLY goofy. :)

7. He loves kids as much as I do.

8. His family feels like they've always been mine.

9. He loves doing everything together...working out, cooking, cleaning, shopping...he knows everything is more fun if we're together.

10. He makes me want to be more than I am. Makes me better and stronger.

happy birthday, babe!

click click click...ZOOM!!

So there is so much to catch you up on since my last post. I have pictures and stories galore from Xmas and New Years, but there is somethiing that has to take precident right now.

Last Friday I got a call from the leader of my support group with interesting news....at the pregnancy center she volunteers with, an adoption had become available with a single black mother. Due date? Jan 30th!!! She called to see if we were interested. WHAT!!!!???!

The past several days have been full of questioning, waiting and praying. From what we found out, we decided this was not the baby for us (which is sad for so many reasons, one being the cost was about a 4th of what a regular adoption would cost us.) We found out the mother had not been drinking or doing drugs, but had been smoking the duration of the pregnancy. Mom wanted to abort the baby and her plan was twarted not once, but twice. Dad's in jail. Mom's plan is to leave the baby at the hospital to become a ward of the state. So, so sad.

I have so many things to work out about adoption, but knew what was important to me most.
1.Closed Adoption? check!
2.Affordable for us? check!
3.Baby not in danger from mother's habits? half a check (maybe....mother has not been doing prenatal care and smokes)
4. Are we ready? check (but maybe not 100% ready)
5.Biracial child? NO CHECK....this was a real sticky point for me. if we adopt, I want a biracial baby. Why, you may ask? I feel like there would always be an odd man out if we adopt a white or a black child. If adopted a white child, people would assume joe wasn't the father. If we adopt a black baby, people would assume I'm not the mother. I want our family to look and feel like our family. And this is a baby with both a black mother and a black father.

So while I have a huge heart for this unborn baby, I know it's not the baby we are meant to have. But these past 5 days have been amazing. Just the idea of this being possible has brought me new hope. That phone call from Carol felt like the call saying I was pregnant. I'm so excited that I can feel that way, even without a baby in my belly!!

So now that we have raced down THAT hill on the rollercoaster, we are beginning to click click click back up as another family we know is now considering adopting this child. While this has potential to be wonderful for them, and equal potential to be strange and awkward for me, it would be wonderful for this baby to be in a loving, christian home. I'm not sure how I feel about it all, and I'm not sure how they feel about it all. Not long to decide, so I guess we'll see!

So pray for this un-named baby to be and whoever it is that she ends up with. It's obvious God want this little guy around!