Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas Pics






Lelia's First Christmas Gift

Holiday Traditions



As many of you know this year has been a year of setting traditions for our family for the holidays to come. We really want our children to understand what Christmas is really about. In an attempt to have them "get it" we have decided to bake a birthday cake for Jesus each Christmas Eve to eat together on Christmas day.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Not Pregnant, Never Was??

Well, I fooled you and myself! On Wednesday night I thought I was beginning to miscarry our 3rd pregnancy and was devastated! Thursday morning went to the doctor's office to take blood to check on my pregnancy hormone levels to tell how far along I was and then they would bring me back in on Saturday to see if the levels had increased or decreased to tell us whether or not I was, in fact, miscarrying. When they got the tests back on Friday morning they found that I had absolutely no levels of the pregnancy hormone in my blood at all which could only mean one thing...I was not pregnant and I never was pregnant. I asked then about the two positive pregnancy tests I took and they said they couldn't explain that. I asked if that could have happened because I had just had a child 2 months earlier and the nurse said she had heard of that happening before but that it was HIGHLY uncommon?? So, much to our surprise and your's too I imagine, we won't be having a new little bundle to love come July.

How are we doing with this information? We are having mixed feelings right now. We are very sad to know that this little life we thought we were going to be welcoming into our family will not be joining us after all. We are working on changing gears so to speak because we were already planning for his / her arrival and getting very excited. We are adjusting to a new reality of staying parents of 2 for a little while longer. We are also a little relieved that we won't be moving so quickly up the ladder to being parents of 3...we were having a hard time swallowing that one. I am grateful that I will have a little more time to raise Lelia and Sedona before we start again with another newborn. I am hoping to start trying for number 3 in a few years time...we are aware, however, that sometimes God has other plans and we welcome any child He chooses to bless us with. I am also grateful that I won't be pregnant this summer because I haven't been "un-pregnant" since the summer we were married almost 3 years ago!

We are grateful for your love and support and ask for your continued prayers for our family. Suddenly, raising two kids 12 months apart doesn't seem like such a large task...I guess we have gotten a heavy dose of perspective the last month!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Big News

If any of you know us you know that every year right around this time we have a big announcement to make. Well, we thought this year would be different but we were shocked to find out that, yes, we are expecting our third child. We can not believe it! I have my first appointment on the 16th of December to see the heartbeat and find out the official due date. We ask for everyone's prayers for this little life God has chosen to bless us with. We are so excited to find out if it is another girl or a little boy...that won't be for a few months now. With love, great joy and a little fear, The Clarkes

Our Precious Little Sedona



Some new pictures of our newest addition to the family, Sedona Hope

Thanksgiving



This was our first Thanksgiving as a family with a child who was able to really appreciate a day being different than another. We began a tradition this year of eating chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast with our hands while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was so much fun. Lelia loved the pancakes (as you can see) and the parade was great too...she loves music and dancing. She also loved the meal and it turned out great! I had to take a picture of my turkey because it looked so good :) I mom did teach me not to toot my own horn, but I thought this one was worth it :)