The Morgan Moments

Christmas Time is HERE!

2011-12-01T13:14:00.001-06:00

Helping Gramps and Gram decorate their tree in Houston

Keith found some mistletoe:)

Silly Jace the Elf wearing stockings

We found the perfect tree at Home Depot!

Time for some family tree decorating!

We love Auntie!!!

And our Tony and Bethany

All our "children" around the tree:)

Proudly wearing the BU football hat that Tony brought him- what a great big brother.

The STAR... the most important part.

It's Christmas time at the Morgans!

Dining table centerpiece

Book pages tree - isn't it so cute?

My favorite decoration- my yarn ball wreath. It took a while to wrap the balls, but so worth it I love it!

Flag Football

2011-12-01T12:48:00.001-06:00

This year at school Jace was able to play flag football with the 4th grade because there were not quite enough players. He now says "FOOTBALL is my favorite sport!!!"

Proudly wearing their awards!

The whole team...Thank you Coach Carl!

Sic 'Em Bears!

2011-12-01T12:36:00.001-06:00

I know this is SO LAST MONTH, but we had a lot of fun at BU homecoming this year and I wanted to post the pics.

Before the bonfire

In line for the Ferris wheel

Going up up up... I stay on the ground and take pics :)

Waiting for the PARADE

We love the Gibsons!

We LOVE cheering for our BEARS!!!

Fall Decor

2011-12-01T12:33:00.001-06:00

I love to decorate for fall. This year I had fun making wreaths and fun coffee table and couch table centerpieces.

I had so much fun making these yarn wreaths with felt flowers. I made lots of different ones with variety of colors.

Niagara Falls

2011-08-06T12:29:00.000-05:00

Niagara Falls was so fun and so amazing I thought it should be a separate post.

We have such a BIG God who made all of this!

We got to go on the Maid of the Mist boat ride... which was AWESOME! We got so close to the Falls.

Then, we went on the Cave of the Winds where you get to walk though a stairway right by the Falls- it was AWESOME too! Jace loved this one because he could lean over and get soaked!

We had to put these silly shoes on to go through the stairway.

Amazing views

We loved Niagara Falls!

More Summer Travels

2011-08-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

As if traveling to the other side of the world was not enough, we have been traveling the northeast for a family reunion. We have gotten to see so many fun things! We have had so much good family time together and are so thankful we got to reconnect with extended family.

St. Louis Gateway Arch... we got to go up inside it!

The Chicago beaches were beautiful, we wish we would have had more time there.

We did get to eat Chicago pizza though

Keith loved all the barns and fields all through Ohio.

Trip down my memory lane eating at Friendly's (My family grew up stopping here every vacation.)

Sleepy head

Niagara Fall!

Indonesia Trip

2011-08-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

I know it's been so long since I've posted. We've had a long summer with LOTS of traveling. We got to go as a family to Indonesia for Keith's elevate trip. Here are some pics...

We saw God do so many things! 70 people made decisions to follow Jesus!

Our family was definitely changed forever!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T11:47:00.000-05:00

We had a great Easter together. We had some sweet friends over (We love Jenny and Andria, but I forgot to take pics:( ) but it was a great time and a great meal.

Easter Family Pic

My Smokin' Hot husband smoking some meat on his Happy Anniversary gift:)

Then to Aunt Jeannie's and Uncle Fred's for more Easter fun.


What a cutie...

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

2011-03-30T10:27:00.002-05:00

It's BASEBALL time!!!

Jace has been really excited about baseball beginning. We have great coaches, both friends of ours so that is fun. Our team is a little rough, but we are getting to love on some kids who need it.

Here's the team line-up on opening day!

Everyone is ready for the game!

Jace playing short-stop- he was fabulous!

So cute

Sometimes the game can be a little boring when you're waiting for the action:)

He gets really nervous when he bats, but we will keep practicing.

Daddy had Jace practiced pitching yesterday afternoon in the backyard just in case... good thing because he was an ALL-STAR pitcher in the game last night. We still lost, but Jace played really well and he's having more fun.

Isn't he so cute? :)

Snow Pics... Finally

2011-02-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

I am way behind in updating. Here are some pics from our super fun SNOW DAY in WACO!

IT SNOWED!

Molly wasn't sure what to do with a white backyard at first.

She decided she loved easting the snow and kept stealing snowballs.

Snow Angel Jace

Snow ball fight... (yes he hit me after I snapped the pic)

More snowball fight...

Tony's gonna get you...

What a fun family time in the snow!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:26:00.000-06:00

So thankful for my MEN today! You are the loves of my life!

Sweet brothers and some Valentine cookie making!

I love my precious son! So thankful for these sweet man of God.

Christmas Time is here...

2010-12-03T11:27:00.000-06:00

I LOVE Christmas decorating time- it make a home so homey.

So Thankful...

2010-12-03T11:25:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was great! We had about 20 people at our house for Thanksgiving meal and family time. Here are a few pics of the day...

The set-up (I forgot to get a pic with everyone seated:(... )

My sweet Mighty Men!

We love our Ashley!

My Parents and Auntie Cassia

Our Favorite Tony and his friend (and ours too now) Daniel with baby Ethan.

Look at that happy boy on his first Thanksgiving.

We love us some Uncle Paul!

And Brother/Uncle Tony

Uncle Paul and Auntie Joanna

And our wonderful Lynsey, makes our family complete:)

Keith's family was there too, but they don't really like to be in pictures:)

It was a great day and we felt so FULL having our home so full of those we love.

Final Pics

2010-12-02T09:28:00.001-06:00

Our breakfast area finally... DONE! We got the tole floor finished and my sister made me curtains for my birthday. I LOVE it!!!

This is the final China Cabinet, (minus the drawer pulls- I have to find the right size screws first.) Isn't it cute?

China Cabinet Redo Part 1

2010-11-12T12:44:00.001-06:00

So, now that I have done our table and chairs set successfully, I am trying to redo every piece of "plain wood" furniture we have. It's a cheap way to spice up our home and get "new" furniture and IT'S SO FUN!!!


Our China Cabinet needs some character..

After sanding and removing the doors from the top of the hutch I applied the first coat of farm red paint.

I can't wait to finish it up this weekend and reveal the final product next week!

DIY: CHAIRS and a Table

2010-10-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

I have had a magazine article saved for over a year now of an idea for redoing old chairs to have mix-matched chairs. I finally did it!

Before:

I found 6 chairs at Goodwill for $50 and a couple for free in a junk storage space at work.

They are finally all sanded and ready for painting.

My sweet hubby is a much better spray painter than me- He showed me how to slow down and spray evenly- I love when we work on projects together.

Here they are all finished! I chose 4 different fabrics and recovered the seat cushions.

Here is our new brightly colored dining table! I LOVE IT!!!

We decided while we were at it to go ahead and do our old set as well.

Before

And the after... I have wanted this set to be white for a long time- way cuter!

The almost finished result- just needs some roughing up and polyurethane. (We are in the midst of tiling the kitchen hence the ugly hardy board floor)

Look- I found this cute bench at Laverty's and had some left over material to recover it as well.

I love investing time and togetherness into family home-improvement projects!
Thanks to my wonderful hubby and son who helped me out this weekend.

One of our favorite places in Waco...

2010-10-06T13:21:00.002-05:00

We LOVE Cameron Park!

The first Friday of each month, Jace has an early release day at school. We knew just what to do with our afternoon- Hiking the trails at Cameron Park.

Tony and his friend Josh decided to come along.

Tony was a great tour guide and taught us all kinds of new and interesting facts.
Can you believe this view is in Waco?

AND...
This is what I looked like the day after our sweet little hike!

Apparently POISON SUMAC is very different looking than poison ivy and poison oak. I like to pick leaves and tear them while I walk sometimes- Guess what I picked on this hike?...

It's getting better thanks to Dr. Jon Osborne! Now I will know how to avoid Poison sumac as well.

It still makes for a great memory though.

Expo Booth

2010-09-27T09:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend Keith had a booth for his business at the Business Expo with the Hewitt Chamber of Commerce. This basically means that I had a FULL week or preparation for his booth:). It actually was fun though (once we got there). We enjoyed "doing" business together and being apart of a city function.

The handsome representatives of the Pressure Clean Solutions booth.

Gotta love those iphones:)

Jace getting fingerprinted- he will be so safe.

At the classic car show that was also apart of the Expo.

Whoops! Daddy set the ketchup and mustard in the chair and guess who sat down without looking. Good thing mom had packed the soccer uniform in the car:)

Jace being fitted for his new FREE bike helmet.

Thanks to our wonderful friend Ashley for hanging out with us and then manning the booth while we ran to Jace's soccer game. We love you, Ash!

I love you, my man! I'm glad I get to be right beside you learning how to make this work and watch our business grow. You are doing a fabulous job of being a business owner and Provider for our family. You are my HERO!

Grandparents Day

2010-09-23T10:24:00.002-05:00

Today was grandparents Day at WBA.

Grandmom and Jace enjoying a donut.

In Mrs. M's class looking at all of her special creatures.

The principal, Mrs. Moore presenting Jace his "Wisdom of Solomon" award for reading.

WOW! Look at that trophy!

Isn't he is so precious?!! I love that man!

Some Pics From Lately...

2010-09-15T09:35:00.001-05:00

Thought it was time to update with some recent pictures and events. Here is a glimpse at life at the Morgan home lately.

Jace is really enjoying Legos lately. He has put together so many awesome projects (and mostly by himself- he is getting so big).

Jace loves riding his scooter even in the rain.(Don't you love that he is wearing mom's rain boots?)

Jace loves his Uncle Paul! We had SO much fun with him at Schlitterbahn this weekend. Someone gave Keith 4 free tickets to Schlitterbahn earlier in the summer, so we knew that Uncle Paul would be the perfect addition to our trip. It was a blast! Thanks, brother for coming and for loving our son.

Tony taking Jace on his first big boy bike ride by himself.

Tony just finished the Mercy House and is living with us while he goes through the Day Elevate program at our church. We love that Tony is living in our home and a part of our lives. Jace loves having a new big brother. We love watching and being apart of God's story of redemption and healing in young men's lives like Tony! We can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

A constant source of strength

2010-09-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

"You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3

Infertility...and Admittance...

2010-09-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

The Lord has been doing some work in my heart and as a result, I feel that it is time to admit that we are indeed dealing with INFERTILITY. It is scary and hard to feel labeled, but in order for there to be real healing, there must be acknowledgment of a problem.

So, I am admitting... and I am asking the Lord to heal my heart first. I need Him to soften me and keep me soft in this process. Lately, I have felt my heart get hard and distrusting of His heart and goodness. I feel like I have a been in a season where I was grasping for truth from past experiences and knowledge, but I wasn't hearing fresh words from the Father's heart. I think I wasn't allowing my heart to get close enough to Him to let Him speak. I was trying to believe that He is good, but I wasn't letting Him hold me and show me His goodness.

The Lord SPOKE again- a FRESH word, last weekend at our Elevate retreat. A lady came up to me and spoke that God had a word for me, she said, "Don't lose hope..." and she prayed for me. Then, I felt like the Lord reminded me of Hannah who poured out her heart to the Lord to the point of the priest thinking she was drunk. She didn't focus on what was wrong or why it wasn't happening, she just poured out her heart to her God. I felt the Lord draw my heart and He spoke, "Ask me, just pour your heart out before me..." My argument was...But, I am scared- it will hurt to ask- to let myself be soft again. He gently spoke, "Even if the answer is No at the end of the journey, you still win- you will have intimacy with ME. Just come to ME and ask."

So, I am beginning a new journey... a journey to healing of my heart and learning to ask my Father to heal my body and even to ask for a baby. It feels so vulnerable, but it is in the soft and vulnerable heart that the Lord can work. We don't have the option at this point financially to look at any other medical treatment, so I get to learn about the waiting and experiencing the Father's heart in the process. Who knows what He will do???

This book has been a great resource for us in the healing. It has some great words for keeping a strong marriage in the midst of infertility. We are learning that it is OUR struggle, not just mine. It can be a sweet time of intimacy in our marriage if we learn how to grieve together. I totally recommend this book to couples going through infertility.

2nd Grade

2010-08-19T08:51:00.004-05:00

Well, I can't believe that he is already in 2nd grade! He had a great first day of school.
He loves his teacher and his class. We are excited for a fabulous year ahead.
We are so thankful for this school and the precious people who are apart of our lives through it.

Isn't he cute in his new shoes and backpack- all ready for the first day.

He is so silly and CUTE!

We are excited about a great year with Mrs. M!

Happy Birthday to my boy!!!

2010-06-14T10:20:00.002-05:00

Look who's 7 years old?!!!

We go him a drum set for his birthday- he is so excited to learn!

Birthday breakfast at Cafe Cappuccino!

I love you, mighty man of God! So glad you are mine!

Our Camping Trip

2010-05-10T12:33:00.007-05:00

We went to Colorado Bend State Park to camp this weekend. It was the BEST Mother's Day ever! It was so good for just the three of us to get away and enjoy each other and nature.

We go the tent up- it was so easy! My strong Men are so wonderful.Isn't our site beautiful?
It was so relaxing to sit and look at the water and hear it rippling all night.

Roasting marshmallows for S'mores, of course, so yummy:)

Brushing our teeth before hittin' the sac.

Mom managed to make a great campfire breakfast...yum!

Playing in the springs.

My handsome fishermen- no fish, but lots of FUN and smiles.

Let's go find Gorman Falls.

Hiking and playing "Hot Lava" (we could only step on the rocks:)
We found this kind of creepy cave... but fun to explore.

Amazing Gorman Falls- it was beautiful and crazy that this was here down the trails.
My sweet, sweet boy... what a treasure you are.

They are great Buds and hikers:)

Sweet hiking time together.

Gotta to have time for a little frisbee and football toss... they are such great athletes.
More S'mores... of course

I love you, My Man! Thanks for a fantastic weekend... and LIFE! I am so blessed by you.

Keith's going to Elevate!!!

2010-04-29T14:48:00.002-05:00

So, we heard the news-- he's in!

Elevate is our church's discipleship training school. I went through it the year before Keith and I were married. It has been on his heart for several years, but for some reason, we both felt like this was the year. Not sure why, exactly because his business is really picking up, which is great, but it will be a lot to balance.

He will start the school in August. It is Monday and Thursday nights from 6-10 and lots of reading and verses to memorize. Hopefully I will get to go with him some to class as well. I am excited about what we will learn and how we will be stretched. Everyone talks (in our world) about "Elevate-grace". It's like you can't imagine how you will do it, but when you are in the middle of it- it's ok. I told Keith the other night that I want to take a snapshot of our life now as the "before". Just like you do before a big diet or something, because I can't wait to see what the "after" will look like. I know the Lord will do some major transformations in him and us as a family.

Ultimately, Keith would love to be involved in a bigger capacity at the Mercy House (the drug recovery home that he graduated from). This is the first step in the process, so we will see where the journey goes.

Please pray... He will need $2300 by August to start the school. Our God has always been PROVIDER- HE is Faithful!

Our Story... In honor of our 2 year anniversary...

2010-04-26T12:47:00.001-05:00

Our 2 year anniversary is today. I have been thinking back to all that the Lord did in bringing us together. Happy Anniversary, my husband- I am so glad to be yours!

Our Story

AnnaBeth: I grew up as the oldest of five, in a Christian family very much involved in the church. I choose to follow Jesus at a young age and continually learned more and more what surrender meant as I grew in the Lord. I went college at Baylor University, after being homeschooled from 6^th-12^th grades. I studied Elementary Education to become a teacher, but really I wanted to be a mom and/or go into the ministry. After finishing school, a teaching job was dropped in my lap. I loved kids and had been very involved with children’s ministries throughout my life, so it was a good fit. I enjoyed teaching, my heart for the poor and our city grew as I basically parented/taught these precious children in my Waco classroom. However, there was always a nagging pull in my heart to be married and have my own children to love and teach. The Lord met me so much during my years of singleness; I wouldn’t trade them for anything. It was in those dark, lonely times that I came to know the heart of Jesus as my intimate companion and true satisfaction. Through it all, I knew He had spoken that he would bring that husband that I had been writing and saving letters for since I was 8 years old. I could trust my good Father, that in His timing, he was coming.

Keith (written by AB): Keith grew up in a small Texas town, the youngest of two, with a devoted Christian mother and a father who wanted little to do with God, but loved his family. However, at the age of 10, Keith’s dad didn’t want to love his mom anymore and left. Keith was forced to grow up quick, with his sister being 8 years older; caring for his mom became his responsibility. He kind of raised himself hanging out with friends around town, and before his sophomore year of high school, his mom moved to Waco. He would then go hit the parties back in Comanche on the weekends and summers staying with his dad and stepmom. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend nursing school and became “the nurse with a mullet” at Providence hospital. He was a nurse at the hospital and various clinics for over 10 years.

Towards the end of his nursing career, struggling with major allergies, he tried some cough syrup with hydrocodone in it and got hooked. This began a long spiral downward of addiction to prescription drugs which eventually led to losing his nursing license, some serious infection and hospitalization, the loss of his first marriage, and eventually to harder street drugs. He tried many rehabs and would get out and begin to spiral down again. In one rehab, he met a girl, she got pregnant, they got married and Jace was born. This marriage was terrible, she was abusive and they were both drowning in drug addiction. A little over a year later, she left and went back to Oklahoma, his second marriage ended; leaving Jace in the custody of Keith’s parents. Keith tried to be a good dad, but was strung out most of the time and so deeply depressed. Long story short, he was facing prison with 2 drug charges, when one night, he just fell to his knees and begged God to show him that He was real and cared about him. He heard about the Mercy House at Antioch and the next morning went and interviewed. Upon being accepted to live in the house, he was given probation instead of prison- God had answered his prayer!

AB: After graduating from college, I was working in the college group of a local church. Then, they hired a new college minister, and simply put, he and I didn’t see eye-to-eye on some very foundational things; community, the nations, Holy Spirit, etc. So, after many discussions and my willingness to submit and just pray for and love the church, he asked me to leave. It was very painful to pour your life in a place and a group of students and then be essentially alone looking for a new place to plug in as a single. But, the Lord had great plans and called me almost immediately to Antioch. It was a healing place for me, so refreshing to experience the presence of God and His real truth. I could trust this place and these people- so healing.

As I said before, I have always had a heart for the poor, so one thing I loved about ACC was their huge heart and involvement with the poor. My roommates and I would go the “Friday Morning Breakfast” that happens early each Friday morning at the Lutheran church downtown to serve the homeless a hot b-fast. At the breakfast, I met some men that were in the Mercy House at ACC. I was so new that I didn’t know what that was, but was intrigued as these men shared their stories of how they were being freed from drugs and alcohol. Keith was not there for the first few months I spoke with these men, he actually had to do a few months in jail due to previous charges. Later I found out that they thought I was cool and told Keith as soon as he got out that he needed to meet me. So, I met Keith at the b-fast and then the feast and didn’t think anything of him, except, just as I said intrigued that God could heal and restore people. (There is a huge side story here of me coming to really know for the first time the Holy Spirit and all that He could and was doing.)

So, then maybe 2 months later, we were at a Feast volunteer party and Jace was there. I had seen Jace and “met” him, but not really interacted with him, he was almost 3 at the time. At this party, I played with Jace and he wet his pants, I took care of him, etc and I was like, oh no- I think I love this guy’s kid! I think I could like this guy!?? I went home and told one of my roommates that I might like this guy Keith from the MH. She said, and I quote, “AB- NO- that is so stupid- he has been married twice and was a drug addict and he has a kid- NO way!” So, I dropped it, I tried to make it go away and tell myself that it was stupid- I didn’t tell anyone about how I felt for 3-4 months. It was constantly in my mind and heart and I daily had to hand it to the Lord, but began to really just pray for Keith and his freedom and full restoration. We usually interacted somewhat weekly at the feast and sometimes at certain events Jace would be there and strangely, he and I had a connection, so we always played together. But, Keith was not allowed to really even talk to me alone much less date, so it wasn’t an option, just a place for me to meet with Jesus in my growing desire.

Eventually, I felt like I needed to let a few women that I trusted into my “secret” and gain wisdom and advice from others. Among those I knew I was to tell, was the director Dean Lessman and his wife, Sherri. It had begun feeling like I was hiding something from them because I had ended up in their lifegroup and Keith was in there as well and I didn’t want to distract him from his pursuit of Jesus and freedom. So, I will never forget what they said when I told them that I was interested in Keith and even told them I would leave the LG if they wanted me to; I just wanted what was best for Keith. Dean said, “We know that you like him- what you need to do is to pray into him what you want in a husband, and if he is the one, we support you all the way.” I felt so loved and supported and that is just what I did.

So, to spare you ALL of the details, eventually Keith graduated from the program and asked me out. (And FYI- my roommate from earlier- s he didn’t think it was stupid anymore) He was my fi rst kiss, which he finally got after several attempts, (which I didn’t know were attempts until he later told me:). We dated for about 2 months before he asked me to marry him. We had no money for a ring, which I was ok with. But, someone he knew as a nurse randomly gave him my beautiful ring for FREE. I am so silly- I took it to the jeweler to see if they could simplify it- to which she responded, “Girl- someone gave you this- put it on your finger and wear it proudly!” at the same time the Lord said to my heart, “You are worth it to me, I love to give lavishly!” So often, I l ook at my ring and the Lord reminds me that He is my provider and He loves to give lavishly. He showed us His lavishness over and over as our wedding came together because our community lovingly gave of themselves as an extension of our Father.

I often tell Jace that I fell in love with him before his Daddy. It’s sweet that he was so young; he doesn’t remember me not being in their life. I vowed to him as well as Keith on our wedding day that I was as committed to him as his mommy as I was to be a wife to his daddy. Jace still calls it “our” wedding, and I think he thinks that he and I got married too. We were married barely 2 weeks and Jace began to call me “Mom”. More than anything in our life, the Lord has shown Himself so much as our Rescuer and Provider. He rescued me from loneliness and provided more than I could ask for or imagine, rescued Keith from addiction and depression and has given him a business to run and use to hire men that are coming out of addiction as well, and Jace has been rescued from the same path.
He set these “lonelies” in a family. We got custody of Jace 1 year ago (another long story) and although there are little bumps with his birth mom every now and then, we are believing for her salvation.

So, as for our new journey I will use an excerpt from my blog…

It's obviously been hard to lose 2 pregnancies and to only have bad news every time a doctor looks at my reproductive system. I have held to and believed to the core of me as the psalmist said, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD." Psalm 112:7. Even in the face of lots of "bad news", I know that my God is BIG and so good, He does have plans for our good, even if that is through pain. I have experienced so much of God's heart in this whole journey and I know there is more to come. I LOVE the heart of God for adoption. I love that God is establishing in my heart that HE IS GOOD! He really does give us the medicine of JOY in the midst of pain.

There is fear of the unknown, fear of Keith's past records, fear of fostering and then losing the baby before adoption, but in the midst of all the fear and questions, in my heart there is hope in God. He is not bound to those things He is limitless, so why would I limit Him in my fears? I know the Lord has promised us more children and I'm not sure how He will do it.

I love that God is bigger than our wants and our disappointments. I love that if I put my hope in anything else, no matter how good, I will be disappointed. I love that hope in God will never disappoint me (Isaiah 49:23).

So, here we go, another unknown adventure... maybe God will heal my womb and allow space for a baby to grow, or maybe He will give us a baby that needs to be healed and a home to grow in, maybe both, but we want to be willing ultimately to meet God in all of this, whatever the outcome.

As of now, I am unable to carry a baby and we have been turned down for adoption due to Keith’s record, but we are still believing God for a miracle- we have seen His hand and His face through each step of our journey thus far.

So, there is a taste of our story… our God is a faithful Rescuer and Provider! There will be so much more to testify of His goodness- we can be sure!

Thanks for sharing this season of our life with us.

A broken plant and a broken heart

2010-04-21T10:27:00.004-05:00

Yesterday evening Jace was playing in the front yard with his soccer ball... need I say more.?:)

I hear "Mom, I'm so sorry...I'm so so sorry." I walk outside and he is trying to hold the pieces of the pot together. It was the "textbook moment"- do I value my child or the plant more? He didn't deliberately do anything and he wasn't disobeying. It was just a plain and simple accident. So, I said that it was ok- it's just a plant and I knew it was an accident. He hugged me and then ran upstairs and brought back a handful of his money. My sweet boy. He tried to "pay" me for the plant. I told him he could keep his money it was just an accident and I was glad he was ok- it was just a plant. He just grabbed hold of me and cried, "Mom, I'm so sorry- I know it was special to you and you wanted to see what it looked like and so did I." He cried and cried.
I just held him and assured him that it really was ok- and then we tried to fix it with a rubber band and a new pot.

The most precious part however, was to see the healing happening in our son's broken heart. He cried out of sorrow- he has NEVER cried from sorrow before. This is something we have prayed over him for years for the Lord to soften his heart and him to connect with the emotions of others and how his actions make others feel. It was precious to see the healing taking place. Maybe this is now our prophetic plant that will be "healed" and grow strong just as our son is healed and grows strong. It was a precious experience.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T13:28:00.003-05:00

We had a sweet time as a family reading and discussing the true meaning of Easter and how Jesus came for us and all that means for our lives. It is fun to watch our little man grow in his knowledge and desire for more of Jesus.
We don't like the whole Easter bunny thing, but we still have fun with eggs and hiding them.

Jace and his good friend, Tashi, had a blast dyeing eggs.

He is ready to find all those eggs- aren't they so handsome?
There were some pretty tricky hiding places...

His basket was so full he had to carry it in his arms:)

Daddy and Jace topped the day off with homemade salsa--yummy!

Spring Break!

2010-03-15T11:14:00.005-05:00

Last week was Jace's spring break and my sweet boss let me have the week off too! It was so fun to be together. I decided that I would leave an"Adventure Coupon" on Jace's night stand for him to find each morning and find out what adventure each day would hold. It was great fun!
We went BOWLING:

Daddy is the champion bowler, of course!

Exploring a CAVERN:
It was AWESOME! So crazy that this beautiful creation is right under I35.

And ICE SKATING: (but ended up just watching it was really crowded and he wasn't quite ready to try) We had lots of fun in our hotel room playing with his new helicopter toy and reading stories.THE Ft Worth Science and History MUSEUM and the IMAX about Sharks:

We had a blast and learned a lot of new things too- it's a great museum.

HIKING and tracking DINOSAURS:
THE ZOO: (pics soon to come)

Then, Thursday, he said, can I have a coupon tomorrow that says we stay home all day! So, we had some sweet home time together on Friday!

It was a great time as a family and a break from the "real world" for a little bit.

Fun at the beach, of sorts???

2010-03-05T08:43:00.004-06:00

All the christian schools in the area get out of school 2 extra days before spring break so all the teachers can go to a conference. So, for Jace that means coming to work with mom for those 2 days, but he made the most of it and found himself a beach or the world's largest sandbox to play in.I work at Campus Realtors right by Baylor University and right outside my office, Baylor has bought up all the land and torn down the buildings and parking lots and filled it with sand. Who knows what they will do with the land, but for now, Jace knows what to do with it:)

Isn't he cute with his little Tubberware sand castles???

Help My Friends Adopt!

2010-03-04T09:11:00.009-06:00

We are living a small part of the journey of infertility in our lives and the desire for a baby. We are still believing God for healing of my womb or the ability to adopt. Being in this journey gives us understanding, empathy, and faith for others in this place. My friends have been on this journey a lot longer BUT their time has finally come and they are about to adopt their first little one!
We are so excited for them!

Please read their story here: www.2theleast.blogspot.com/
and help support them by buying a t-shirt!

Sweet Moments...

2010-03-02T08:43:00.002-06:00

MORE SNOW!!!
Jace is making a snow angel in what is left of the "BIG Snow" the morning after.
He was actually sick the day it snowed, but was feeling better the next morning,
so got a little snow-play in before school.
How sweet to lay on Daddy's chest and listen to him read a story- I LOVE moments like these...

Aren't they so sweet? They are BEST BUDS!

Gotta love fun in the tub! Somebody wants to join in:).

I treasure all the sweet moments with my MEN!

Bike Rides and Basketball

2010-02-22T11:07:00.000-06:00

We have finally accomplished one of our BIGGEST tasks- JACE CAN RIDE HIS BIKE!

It has been a challenge for all involved and still not every ride is a smooth one, but he is getting it! We are working on overcoming fear and facing challenges head-on!
It's been a growing time for Jace and Mom:)

Jace chose to throw away his training wheels - which actually made it so much easier.

Getting the helmet all secured, isn't he a cutie?

Daddy was demonstrating to help him feel more comfortable.

Jace has grown so much in playing basketball and being a team player. It has been fun to watch his confidence blossom as he gets more comfortable in playing with his team.

We LOVE cheering our BIG MAN on!

We are so THANKFUL for this precious team! They are such sweet boys.

My Loves...

2010-02-18T09:23:00.001-06:00

I always make a heart-shaped pancake breakfast for my Valentines!

I am so thankful to be loved by these two Mighty Men of God! We are so blessed.

Texas Snow!

2010-02-18T09:15:00.000-06:00

It was a small amount for most of the world, but so fun for us to play in the SNOW!

We even built a tiny snowman

Our lots of Christmases...

2009-12-30T11:16:00.000-06:00

Triebel Christmas at Gramps and Grams:

Auntie Rebekah and Auntie Cassia- We love you!

Look at those sleepy eyes, Santa.
Love you Auntie Jo and Uncle Paul!

Are you excited, Daddy?!

Daddy loves figuring out how to put together new model cars:)

Yea! More candy!

Morgan Christmas at Papa and Grandmom's:

"What is it???"

"Thank you Papa for my fishing pole!"

Sweet cousins

Uncle Fred got the biggest coffee mug ever!

And our family:

Soft and cozy, new Christmas PJs!

Santa came!

Trying out the new SCOOTER!

Lynsey and Daddy showing off their stockings!

Jacer and his stocking

Yea! shampoo, are you trying to tell me something?

Perfume!... now really, what are you trying to say?:)

Yea!!!

Lynsey sportin' the new jacket and Christmas pjs

Cool guys trying out the new Toy Story 3-D wii game, Thanks, Lynsey!

Christmas cookies and a Gingerbread house...

2009-12-30T08:48:00.000-06:00

These are a couple of my most favorite things to do at Christmas time, especially with my boy!

Look at the delicious cookies!He was so proud of his beautiful tree.

Mom had too much fun decorating after J got tired of it.

He is so particular- they have to look and be just right.

We had a blast making our gingerbread house, although
I think J ate more icing than went on the house, or at least tried:)

He is so proud of his work!What a team!

The finishing touches are the most important parts

Tada! Our final product... The 2009 Morgan Gingerbread house!

Some Cute Christmas Pics

2009-12-08T13:52:00.000-06:00

Aren't they sweet pals? They are tired out from playing so hard together all day!

Look at my sweet, precious boy, we actually got a good smile out of him!

Thanks to our wonderful friend, Maddi, we got some really good Christmas pics.
Your Christmas cards will be coming soon!

The BearBills Staff Dance

2009-12-02T13:27:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

God is still good!

2009-11-06T12:02:00.000-06:00

So, we heard back- Keith's background was not cleared for foster/adoption, at least through this agency. So, we are disappointed, sad, but still believing that our God is faithful and good and it is His story. We are expectant to see how He will overcome and bring us the other children that He has promised. God is the God of restoration- He will reign even over the past and what the state says. Keep believing with us for His provision!

The Background Checks Have Been Sent ...

2009-11-03T14:57:00.001-06:00

We submitted our background checks for the foster to adopt agency. Pray for God's plan. Pray for us to clearly know God's direction. Pray for Keith to be cleared for the next step.

Jesus is our Hope!

A New Journey is beginning....

2009-10-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

So, we have officially decided to start the application process for fostering to adopt. I am not sure how to feel- I'm excited, almost the way I felt the first time I found out I was pregnant. There is fear of the unknown, fear of Keith's past records, fear of fostering and then losing the baby before adoption, but in the midst of all the fear and questions, in my heart there is hope in God. He is not bound to those things He is limitless, so why would I limit Him in my fears? I know the Lord has promised us more children and I'm not sure how He will do it.

It's obviously been hard to lose 2 pregnancies and to only have bad news every time a doctor looks at my reproductive system. I have held to and believed to the core of me as the psalmist said, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD." Psalm 112:7. Even in the face of lots of "bad news", I know that my God is BIG and so good, He does have plans for our good, even if that is through pain. I have experienced so much of God's heart in this whole journey and I know there is more to come. I LOVE the heart of God for adoption. I love that God is establishing in my heart that HE IS GOOD! He really does give us the medicine of JOY in the midst of pain.

I love that God is bigger than our wants and our disappointments. I love that if I put my hope in anything else, no matter how good, I will be disappointed. I love that hope in God will never disappoint me (Isaiah 49:23).

So, here we go, another unknown adventure... maybe God will heal my womb and allow space for a baby to grow, or maybe He will give us a baby that needs to be healed and a home to grow in, maybe both, but we want to be willing ultimately to meet God in all of this, whatever the outcome.

The Cockrell Butterfly Museum

2009-09-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

What a fun place to go! We had a blast and learned so much about different butterflies and insects. Some of the butterflies even landed on us."Look on my finger"

My sister had a butterfly crawl all the way up to her neck.

Isn't it beautiful?

Good gifts from God

2009-09-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

My sweet, diligent-working husband has been driving his Papa's little farm truck that was given to him when he died, an '87 Chevy S10. We have been humbled, but he has been faithful to thank God for it and His provision. We have been praying for a way to get him a better truck that can handle all his equipment, etc. This weekend a man from church came over to our house and said he wanted to speak to Keith. He proceeded to tell him that the Lord put it on his heart to GIVE him his truck! Here is the picture of our new gift from our faithful Father.

First Week of 1st Grade!

2009-08-21T21:32:00.001-05:00

He got in the car after the first day at his new school and proclaimed, "My new school is great! I love it there!" We are very excited about this place. It feels like one big family. We really feel this will be such a positive place of growth for our sweet Jace.

This is my precious BIG, grown-up 1st grader. Isn't he so handsome in his chapel uniform?

Some more first day of school pics- he is so precious! I love my boy.

Some Summer Fun!

2009-08-21T21:07:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful summer, in spite of me having to work, which was different. We found lots of little pockets of time for some great family fun. Can't believe it's already back to school time.

Here are a few of our fun summer memories...
Molly LOVES the sprinkler... so does Jace!

She really wants to take part in the pizza party, poor Molly :(

Jace and Evan at the lake house- what a fun July 4th!

Jace grew his very own, very tall sunflower this summer!

We LOVE the lake- we found a great hobby for Molly--SWIMMING!

Happy Birthday to our BIG 6yr old!!!

2009-06-15T20:03:00.001-05:00

Daddy and Jace celebrating his big day!

Jace and his impressive dodgeball skills at his party!

A good 'ol Texas Roadhouse Birthday! YEEHAW!

Jace: The Big Graduate!

2009-06-05T15:02:00.000-05:00

We are so proud to announce that our little Jace graduated from Kindergarten!

Isn't he so cute?

Sweet Moments

2009-04-27T19:55:00.000-05:00

Or not so sweet... this is a sweet shot of my nasty poison ivy that swelled all over my face and body:(

I love these guys- and their sweet "guy time". Aren't they cute?

Happy Anniversary Baby! It's been a LONG year.
I am so thankful to be married to you and to learn all that we get to learn together.
Thank you for loving me and being patient with me. I love you.

Our Soccer Star

2009-04-26T21:38:00.001-05:00

Jace's first soccer game was on Saturday and he was a natural. He scored 3 goals! (Even though they don't keep score yet, we did:) It was so fun to watch him play.

A few more vacation pics...

2009-03-14T09:44:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a huge, smelly camel stick its head into your car window? Weird! It was a little invasive, but made for lots of laughs.If it wasn't for his big horns, I think he would have climbed right in.
We got to go to this FUN indoor waterpark the day it started raining.

It was so much fun!

I love you family. It was so fun to be with you this week.

I am glad you are mine!

Our Spring Break Vacation

2009-03-14T09:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some fun pics of our vacation to Lake Palestine!

We hiked some nature trails

At the drive-through Safari this Emu really liked Keith and kept coming through his window. It was funny to see Keith cringe:)

Jace got to feed this cute kangaroo. They are so interesting looking.

Keith taught Jace and me how to shoot a bow and arrow.

We were pretty good, I might add:)

Family Funtimes

2009-02-11T08:01:00.000-06:00

We are so proud of you Jacer!

Sweet Daddy moments

We love you, Auntie!

Jace and Ellia had lots of laughs and fun on the stairs.

We love our sweet friend, Ellia.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! We are so glad you were born:) Look at that handsome "young" guy!

When Jace takes a bath, Molly always wants to join, so occasionally we let her.

The "New"s

2009-01-27T09:27:00.000-06:00

Finally, I am posting these. I kept meaning to share the pics of some new things that have happened lately.

We have a HOUSE!!!

We need to take some better pics, but here is us moving in. We are SO thankful that the Lord has given us this wonderful house. We have SO MUCH SPACE! We love it.

For Christmas, since we now have a house with a backyard. We got Jace a puppy.

Welcome to the family, Molly!

Look at our Dance!!!

2008-12-20T22:29:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Fun Family Times

2008-12-12T21:31:00.001-06:00

Wow! What a great arch they built.

We are learning to write braille.

Look at our new weathermen!

A tornado!

The trains were our favorite part of the Mayborn museum.

Our Christmas Tree!!!

Look at us in our school uniforms!

Aren't we cute little sheep with a handsome shepherd?

Uterus Update

2008-12-02T12:18:00.000-06:00

So, gonna get my uterus filled up with water Thursday to see what shape it is. I will let you know when I know. Sounds like fun, huh? Anyone want to join? ;)

What am I THANKFUL for?

2008-11-21T09:50:00.000-06:00

Jesus- Thank you for Your unending grace, unconditional love and forgiveness. My life is YOURS!
Keith- I am so thankful he is willing to press in even when it's hard- it will be worth it! I love you, baby!
Jace- I couldn't ask for a better son. I enjoy watching him learn and love his school and life.
Friends- Thank you for loving us, counseling us, speaking into our lives, laughing with and at us, accepting us- What would we do without our friends?!!!
Family- We love all of you
Church- We feel so knit into to our community, so thankful to be known and to know others, and to be apart of the movement of God.
Shelter- Really! Our home is tiny, but it is home and we are thankful:)
Provision- Wow- Lord, you neve cease to amaze us at your faithful provision. We trust you!
School- It is a blessing to work at this school.

Those are just a few.

The Sad News

2008-10-23T09:25:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you have heard by now, but we had an ectopic pregnancy. My fallopian tube was 5x normal size which is why I was in so much intense pain. It was actually the same size as my uterus, if that means anything to you. They got me into surgery as soon as they could to remove the blood and tissue. Thankfully, the hormone level had already dropped significantly, which means they baby was not living, they just had to remove the leftover that wouldn't pass on it's own. That would have been even harder emotionally on me if they had to "abort" the pregnancy.

So, I am recovering. The Lord was so near, I have NEVER felt His peace like I did that day. I told Keith later, I had to face all of my worst fears in pregnancy, but we made it to the other side and God is still so good. I felt His grace and peace like it was something tangible to hold on to. You really can't imagine the grace that comes when you need it. I am so thankful for all of our friends and family who have shown so much love and support.

The saddest part was telling Jace yesterday. We told him that the baby tried to grow in the wrong place and so it died. He cried and said, "I wanted the baby to come on my birthday." (We were due a couple days before his b-day) We all cried, but we have had good talks about how we will ask God to heal mom's body and give us another baby. He said, "I am glad I was in the sac and not the tube." We told him we were so thankful to have him. He said, "Mom, did the devil make the baby stay in the tube?" Wow! What do you say? We said, I don't know maybe or maybe God wanted us to know that He loves us and that we can still know how good He is even when we lose something we really wanted and loved.

Whatever the reason we are committed to standing on God's goodness and love for us. We will choose not to blame or question His goodness. We have hurt and grieved, yes, but oh how real the peace of God can be in this desert place.

A Double Uterus? What?!!

2008-10-20T20:39:00.000-05:00

So, This weekend we spent most of our Saturday at the ER because I woke up with lots of extreme pain in my right lower abdomen. We still don't exactly know why I have the pain, but we found out in an ultra sound that I have a didelphic uterus. This means I actually have 2 uteruses (or whatever the plural is of that).

What does this mean? Well, it puts me at a much higher risk for miscarriage and if the pregnancy progresses I will most likely have pre-term labor, like 33-34 wks. So, the baby is in the right side and we will find out at our appt tomorrow whether or not the pregnancy is progressing. And hopefully find out what the pain is and resolve that somehow.

We are trusting God with however long He wants this little life to live. It is a rough journey, but so good to be in yet another place of knowing what God says and not what I feel as reality. HE IS GOOD!

We will keep you updated- and we appreciate your prayers!

Guess What???

2008-10-12T15:19:00.001-05:00

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!

Cute Story:

A couple of weeks ago, Jace and I were laying in his bed, waiting on Daddy to come to pray for the night. Jace was looking at all the pictues on his wall above his bed and saying Hi to everyone in the pictures, "Hi Gram, Hi Gramps", etc. Then, he put his hand on my belly and said, "Hi, sister!" I was a little shocked. We have talked about wanting a baby, so he is used to us talking about it. But we didn't think we were already. Anyway, yesterday, we found out it is true. He is a little prophet. We'll see about the "sister" part?!

Tying Shoes!

2008-10-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

So, I have been kind of avoiding teaching Jace to learn to tie his shoes. I can be so impatient with little things that take lots of practice to learn. But, my smart, independent son keeps wanting to learn so badly. So, today, as we watched Maddi and Megan play soccer, Jace and I practiced shoe tying. And... HE DID IT! He can now tie his own shoes! It's a benchmark moment! I am so proud of you, my Jacer!

Titus 2:11-14

2008-09-25T07:59:00.000-05:00

At lifegroup last night, we discussed this passage. It was so good and challenging to me as we "un-packed" the profound truths and power in it.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

I am so thankful for the grace of God and how He is revealing about what grace really is. Grace =Power! The power to say no- the power to live in the fullness of who God is and what is His reality. Nothing comes from me- only His grace allows me to experience any goodness and freedom. I can't muster up grace or right living, then it becomes pride. Jesus wants to place His grace within us, as His nourishment if you will that all we would live off would be His grace. And then, only then will we be truly free.

Oh Jesus- come with your grace that is power- that you may make me into a pure bride for Yourself.

I just thought the world should know...

2008-09-23T15:53:00.001-05:00

a few of the reasons why I love and respect my husband.

- He loves Jesus!

- He chooses freedom from his past everyday!

- He cries so easily!

- He is such a great Daddy!

- He perserveres in his business: fruit or not!

- He listens!

- He loves me and is so willing to learn how to love better!

- He is SO HOTT!

I'm so glad you are mine, My Love!

Yea Kindergarten!

2008-09-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

Alot has changed from the first few weeks of school when mostly we heard, "Kindergarten takes 30 hours!" to now hearing little color songs, days of the week and months songs, and new Bible verses. It has been a blast watching my sweet boy grow up this year as he goes to kindergarten. He loves school and is learning so much. We are constantly building and spelling words on our refrigerator door with letter magnets and getting early morning wake-ups to little notes. Like this Saturday when I got woken up at 7 am by a sweet kiss and a notepad in my face that said, "mom liks to wos dis." So cute! I love that he is learning!

I'm Blogging Again!

2008-09-23T12:47:00.001-05:00

Ok- so I finally sat down and created a new updated blog. I will try my best to keep this updated.