More Wedding Pics

The whole family...not sure what Ellie Kate is looking at

My side of the family with the groom

This picture is so funny to me...Reverend Norris peeking out over the top of the cute couple

The couple with all the kids...I love how cute Samuel is with his arms around Ryan

Such a handsome/beautiful couple...I'm so happy for them!

Special Anniversary

2 years ago today I got my very first positive home pregnancy after an agonizing 2 week wait! I actually wasn't even sure it was positive and had to take it to Jeff to see if he really saw 2 lines as well. I took 4 more days of tests until my official blood work. What an exciting and scary time that was! Sometimes I look back and can't even believe I went through IVF (in vitro fertilization). I can't believe I gave myself shots everyday for 10 days and then had Jeff give me even bigger shots of progesterone for another 6 weeks! I can't believe my body created 14 eggs and we ended up only having 2 perfect embryos to transfer into my uterus. I can't believe that one of those implanted and became our precious Ellie Kate 9 months later. We are so grateful that the Lord created her from conception (with a little help from modern medicine) and that he knit her together to be our daughter.

A fun picture of our 2 embryos. I wish I knew which one was Ellie Kate!

Wedding Fun!

Congratulations to my brother, Ryan and his new bride Erin who finally tied the knot after nearly 7 years of dating!!! We are so excited for them and we had so much fun celebrating. Jeff actually officiated the ceremony which was really special and I was a bridesmaid. Samuel was one of the ring bearers and did a great job! He looked so handsome in his tux. It was a great weekend! My camera is broken again (I haven't even had it a year) so I stole these pics off facebook and someone else's camera. Hopefully I'll have more pics soon from my mom's camera.

Bridesmaids at the luncheon in our pink robes that Erin gave us

Samuel bugging the groom at the rehearsal

Ellie Kate playing with the flower girl at the rehearsal

The happy couple!

The List

I have seen this on a friends blog recently and it looked like fun! The ones in bold are the things that pertain to me. Get excited...now you get to read more random facts about me than you ever really cared to know:)

Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside the Great Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a roller coaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
Adopted an accent for an entire day
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing Friends
Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert”
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Eaten shark
Had a one-night stand
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
Wrote articles for a large publication
Lost over 100 lbs
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Petted a cockroach
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read the Iliad
Selected one important author who you missed school to read
Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Had to put someone you love in hospice care
Build your own PC from parts
Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
Had a booth in a street fair
Dyed your hair (highlights only)
Been a DJ
Shaved your head
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life

Friends

While we were out of town last week we got to see lots of friends which of course is always so fun! Several of my best college friends gave Ashlei a baby shower. We are so excited to celebrate the upcoming arrival of her little baby boy, Grady! After the shower, all of the husbands brought the kids over. None of us live in the same town so we never get to see each other's children except on blogs of course:). God has been so faithful to all of us the past 10 years or so that we have known each other. We have walked through a lot together...deaths of parents, weddings, births of children, miscarriages, adoption, and much more. I love them all dearly and thank the Lord for bringing each of them into my life.

Ashlei and I

Fun cups I made for the shower...gotta love blue and brown together:)

The girls and our kids...I think between all of us we have had 9 kids in less than 3 years!

Madeline Lovekamp and Ellie Kate....they are only about 8 weeks apart

Hudson, Samuel, and Rowen...our Ukrainian boys!

This past weekend I got to spend Friday night and Saturday with some friends I have known since childhood. These are girls I grew up playing Little House on the Prairie with, making our own soap operas, playing house, and just being girls together. I love that we are still friends and each one of them points me to Christ. It is so neat to see how the Lord has grown us, given us our own families and remained faithful to each of us through the years!

Carey, Jaillene, Dani, and me

And just for fun...here is my very first belly shot with this baby. I think I have definitely popped this week which is about 3-4 weeks earlier than I did with EK...YIKES! I can't believe I am 18 weeks tomorrow. I still battle fear and anxiety nearly every day especially as I continue to hear stories about and know personally people who have experienced a late loss. I know that the Lord is in control and I rely on His strength to help me give up my anxious thoughts and leave them at the foot of the Cross. We are set to have our big ultrasound on July 1. I am really excited to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl and have the long ultrasound. It is always so fun to see how the baby has grown!

Happy Father's Day!

Daddy and Samuel

Daddy and Ellie Kate

Jeff, Big Papa, and Ellie Kate last summer

Samuel and Woody going fishing

Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful husband, dad, father-in-law, and grandfathers! The pictures above are some of my favorite of my children with Jeff and their granddads. I am so blessed to have a partner in parenting . Jeff is an amazing father! He is so good with our kids. I so appreciate the time he gives them and the sacrifices he makes as he gives up so many of his own desires for them. Both Samuel and Ellie Kate adore their daddy...for good reason! Jeff, I love you and am so happy to be in this journey together! Thanks for being such a great daddy!

Woody and Big Papa are amazing grandfathers. I am so thankful for the wonderful men in our lives! God has blessed our families in so many ways!!! Dad and Lanny...thank you for the role models you are to Jeff and I and our kids. Thank you for being Godly men who seek after the Lord and who led/lead your families well. We love y'all!!!

Here, There, and EVERYWHERE!

I'm exhausted. Why? you might ask. Well since May 2, we have been in our house for 5 days only. The other 30-40 something odd days we have been on our summer project in Florida and out of town. It has been crazy and it's only about to get crazier. Have I mentioned we put our house up for sale the day we left...May 2? We got an offer on it by May 30 and we are now closing on June 27. It all happened so fast which we are very thankful for especially in this market. Now you may be asking Why are Jeff and Rachel moving? Well, on April 28, we told our regional directors (bosses) that we were accepting the position to move to Alabama to lead the Crusade ministry there. It was a super hard decision because we absolutely love where we are now. I don't want to leave my friends and family, but we we are sure of the Lord's calling.

So, back to the move. Is this post even making sense?

Originally we weren't supposed to move until January, but now that our house sold it looks like we might go ahead and move to Alabama this summer...so that Samuel can start Kindergarten and not have to change schools in the middle of the year. I can't believe he is starting school. I feel very old (I have a 30th birthday looming ahead in 2 months).

So, last Thursday we left for Atlanta to spend a night with my family. Then we went to Birmingham so I could help throw a shower to my friend Ashlei who is having a baby in a few weeks. It was great fun! I will post pictures as soon as I have the time and energy. We went to Tuscaloosa to look for houses on Sunday and Monday and were supposed to come home Monday night. However, our plans changed and we went to Russellville to spend time with Jeff's parents and to see his granddad who is the hospital with pneumonia. He is 94 and very sick. Since we were already in Alabama, we decided to go down to T-town one more time before the drive back to Georgia. We got back at 12 am last night. Today and tomorrow, I am going to the lake to celebrate one of my childhood friends 30th birthdays. Next weekend my brother gets married...we start the festivities on Thursday.

When am I supposed to pack?

Since we don't have a house to move into as of yet, we will live with my parents for awhile...and move our stuff into storage.

Needless to say...I am exhausted.

16 Weeks

I had a doctors appointment yesterday which was really exciting since I had not been in 5 weeks because of summer project. I was really nervous at the same time. I was so scared we would not find a heartbeat. When the nurse was listening on the doppler, it took her awhile to find the heartbeat because the baby was moving around. She finally found it and it ranged between 150 and 160 beats per minute...which is exactly what Ellie Kate's always was. Anyway, my doctor is awesome and was able to give us a free ultrasound!!! It was amazing to see our little miracle moving around and so much bigger than last time! He/She was fully formed and we tried to find out the sex but couldn't get a really good look. The doctor took a guess, but we are going to wait until the official 20 week ultrasound to really start planning. The baby measured right on target and I had only gained a pound in 5 weeks! I've also started to feel regular movement and lots of little flutters! WooHoo! God is so good and I THINK I am finally starting to believe this pregnancy might make it. We are continuing to trust in our Father and praying that this one grows the full 9 months!

Here is a picture. You can see the spine at the top and the little leg hanging down on the left. Head is in the upper right. The baby was laying face down and sleeping on my placenta. Thanks for all your continued prayers for our family!

Happy To Be Home!

We are home from our summer project! It was a long drive...Ellie Kate is not what you would call a good traveler. Anything that ties her down makes Ellie Kate mad. But, we made it and both kids have been really happy to be back. They have played so well and are enjoying all the toys that seem like new since we didn't take many to the beach. Here are some recent pics!

Anna and Ellie Kate...Anna and her family shared a house with us. The girls got along well most of the time:)

One of our last meetings at Greek Summit

Enjoying the beautiful beach

Samuel's favorite thing was to dig huge holes in the sand

Ellie Kate enjoying a wagon ride at my grandparents house (we stopped there on our way home)

Samuel coaching Ellie Kate...it took awhile but she finally got up there!

Ellie Kate's first experience with trying to feed herself...once again Samuel coached her

She figured out licking it may just be the easier option