{our big news}

Jason comes from a family of six and I am the 4th of five children. We both loved growing up in large families. When we talked about our future and children we both agreed that we would have a BIG family. When we found out that Bubba's illness was genetic and that there was a 25% chance that any future children will also have TTD I was heart broken. We prayed, fasted, and put our trust in the Lord when it came time to decide whether or not we should have another child. There were several promptings that there was another special child waiting to come to us. Despite these feelings I had a hard time taking the LEAP of faith. Then while in prayer asking the same question yet AGAIN I received the same feeling but this time it was more like a slap up side the head. Almost if God were saying "don't you trust me?" At this point Jason and I decided that it was time to have another baby. My entire pregnancy I was at peace and calm about our decision. God blessed me with an overwhelming feeling of love and peace. I can't even begin to describe it, but it was amazing. After our sweet little Regan was born Jason and I would occasionally visit the question... "do you think our family is complete?" We prayed and took our time making this very important decision. We both felt good and at peace with the thought that our family was complete. We knew that if we had any more children, more likely than not they would also have TTD just as bad as Bubba if not worse. So, we made our decision permanent. We both agreed that maybe if the right time and promptings came to us we might adopt and expand our family that way. I am grateful for the peace that I have been blessed with about not being able to have any more babies of my own. I was afraid that when I held my friend's little ones I would get jealous or long for that feeling again but that has not been the case. When I get the chance to hold these sweet little babies I am beyond excited for their mommies. Trust me, I don't miss a chance to "steal" a baby when even I can. I LOVE those sweet cuddles BUT I don't long for them or miss them. I am happy with my little family. Shoot, we say that Bubba's care is that of about four children so in theory we really do have five! wink!

Along with children a constant topic of discussion in our home is that of a family dog. Jason has wanted a dog for.... well, pretty much our almost 12 years of marriage. We were excited about the idea of getting a seizure dog and we were bummed when we found out that they didn't want to work with him because Bubba can't be involved in the training. Then Jason started doing research to find out what kind of dogs we could train ourselves. We knew that IF and when the day came we wanted to be prepared. We prayed, I PRAYED about this one. Let's face it, we all know that if we got a dog most it would fall on Mommy. Well, one day we decided hey let's just go and LOOK at the dogs at this adoption, rescue place. Man, what was I thinking.... just look REALLY!!!! I thought we would go in and tell them what we were looking for, give them our number, and then get a call one day to come and meet it. Ok, so you all know how this story is going to end. We walked in and told them our needs and what we were looking for. Then she said "STANLEY... oh he would be PERFECT for you family!!!!!" Before I even realized what was going on she we were playing with Stanley in a little play area. Bubba loved him, of course he loves and dog. The tricky part is Regan, she has a fear of jumpy dogs. Well, sweet Stanley was not jumpy one bit. He showered us all with kisses and was sweet as can be. Jason and Regan were ready to get him right there on the spot. I told them that we needed to talk about it first. So, here we all sat in the mall having a family council. "who will walk him.... Regan you have to keep your room clean and toys off the floor..... " Everyone agreed to do their part, we voted, and then headed back to get our Stanley. On the way home he just sat on my lap happy as can be! I looked over and I swear I saw a tear in Jason's eye. He might not fess up to it but the little boy in him came out loud and clear and I think he was happier than anyone else. Stanley is fitting in well. I am sure there was some type of abuse in his past so we are taking it slow. He is GREAT with children, only whimpered 5 minutes when we locked up in the kitchen the first night, and we are still yet to hear him bark. He isn't the most handsome dog but that is one of the things I love most about him. We tend to like the "under dog" around here. We tend to see beauty where others might not. We love our new addition, our family is getting bigger by the day! Wish me luck!