Happy Birthday, Andrew!

One year ago today, I became a Mom.

Our first family portrait

One year ago today, I learned what unconditional love truly was.

Holding Andrew for the first time

One year ago today, my heart became complete.

I have many wonderful memories of Andrew's first year. So many milestones -- from his first smile and his first tooth and his first steps, to watching him grow and change from a baby to a "big boy" right before our eyes. He's now walking and talking (although we haven't figured out how to translate the vast majority of what he says!). He loves Lance and me like we've never been loved before.

This past year was the best year of my life. It was also the hardest year of my life, losing my precious Daddy to cancer -- but I can truly say that my son is what got me through those rough months. Without him to cuddle with when I was literally doubled-over with grief, I do not know how I would've made it through. His arrival was perfectly-timed and a God-send in every possible way.

Andrew William, you are the joy of my life. It is an honor and a privilege to be your Momma. Your Daddy and I love you more than we can ever hope to express to you. Thank you for being such a sweet spirit, and for bringing heartfelt laughter and delight into our home. You are such a blessing to us!

To my loyal readers: please enjoy a sampling of my favorite shots from Andrew's recent one-year photo session!

His smile melts my heart!

This captures his sweet personality so perfectly!

Love that grin! He's one happy cake-eatin' boy!

Andrew, you are so very loved!

Kisses, my sweet sweet boy!

Cheese!

Our sweet (almost) birthday boy :)

We traveled to Nashville this past weekend to have Andrew's one-year photos taken by our amazing, fabulous, talented, wonderful (I could go on and on...) photographer, Shannon Payne (find her blog here). It was well worth the trip -- I honestly would've driven 12 more hours for her!

She's posted a few "teaser" shots on her website this morning, and they are all drool-worthy. I can't believe how well she managed to capture sweet A's personality.

We even took some smash-cake pics, which I hope turned out equally well. Hopefully it shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks before we get a link to view all of the photos. You better believe I'll be sharing them all as soon as I can!

I wanted to share these teasers with you here. Enjoy!

Isn't the Dr. Seuss shirt absolutely adorable?? Thank you, Etsy!

He loved loved LOVED the balloons!

Oh my goodness, I love that wittle face!

On Loving the Little Years

I am so thankful that a friend of mine, Laura, so highly recommended a new book to me. She quoted a few lines on her personal blog a few months ago and it completely intrigued me. I finally got around to ordering myself a copy.

I am oh-so-thankful that I did.

If you are the mother of a little one, or plan to become one some day, I implore you to read "Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches" by Rachel Jankovic (find it here). I have devoured it over the last two days, and am almost finished.

There have been several parts that have spoken directly to me, but I was reading today during my lunch hour and my heart strings were pulled so tightly that I had to share with you, my two very loyal readers :) (forgive the length, but I felt it needed to be shared in its entirety...)

The world has a very muddled perception of "self." They think and tell us to think that we are all little separate entities who might need to go off somewhere to get to know "ourselves," or that a mother needs to get back to her corporate job to be herself again. Marriages break up because people don't know who they are anymore. They need to find themselves.

But the Christian view of self is very different, and you need to make sure that it is the one you have. We are like characters in a story. Our essential self is not back in the intro, waiting to be rediscovered. Who you are is where you are. When you are married, your essential self is married. As the story grows, so does your character. Your children change you into a different person. If you suddenly panic because it all happened so fast and now you don't recognize yourself, what you need is not time alone. What you need is your people. Look out -- look at the people who made you what you are -- your husband and your children. Study them. They are you. If you want to know yourself, concentrate on them.

Those women who try to find themselves by stripping away the "others" will find that they are a very broken little thing. This will lead them to resent the people who they think made them that way. She may say, "I used to be so energetic, but all these people take, take, take from me and now I have no time to just be me!" And the world gathers around and comforts her and says she needs some time to follow her dreams.

But the Christian woman needs to see, "I used to be so boring! Now my character has some depth, some people to love, some hardships to bear. Now I have some material to work with." A Christian woman's view is always forward and never back. Your identity is to be found and resting in other people.

This was so profound to me. I never thought about the fact that as we grow and change, our true selves do too. We don't each have a previous, better version of ourselves that somehow gets forgotten in all the mess of living. That person no longer exists, and I for one am very thankful for that truth.

I am honored to be Lance's wife and Andrew's mother. Those roles make me my true self. The person I was before was fine and dandy -- but God knew this time and place would come, and that I would be fully me by being full in them (and in Him). I hope and pray that I will have the honor to be the mother to more children someday, and when that happens I will become an even greater version of myself because I will get to know myself as their mother too.

I am so grateful for this book, and can't wait to see what other lessons God will reveal to me through its pages.

Thanks Laura!

Thoughts on Life and Mommyhood

This may seem like a completely random and rambling post... but that's okay. The two of you who read this know me well enough to know that's just how I roll :)

- Everyone told me this would be the case, but I didn't realize how true it was: every single stage that Andrew has entered has been my "favorite." When he was still little, but just starting to look around and be aware and was becoming more interactive, I told someone that it was just "the best" age. She told me to wait until the next stage -- and that would be my favorite... until the next one. It's completely true. Every time Andrew grows and matures and explores and is able to do more things for himself, it overwhelms me how much I absolutely love him at that exact age. Until the next time I stop and realize how much I love this age too. Mommyhood gets better each and every day!

- How lucky are we to have so many friends who love our son as if he were family?!? We are blessed to have incredibly wonderful friends in our lives. Some with kids of their own, some who are using him as their "practice child" until the time comes for their own. We get together on Wednesday nights with two families, and every time Andrew sees each these people he lights up! And the feeling is mutual: those friends treat Andrew as if he was their own, and love him fully. It's amazing to watch. We have a fantastic Sunday School class, full of families around our age, several of whom have young children as well. Andrew loves seeing the other kids in the nursery on Sundays, and it's heartwarming to see so many people stop us at church to speak directly to Andrew and love on him.

- I had no idea I would have to start "disciplining" my child at 10 months! Andrew is such an incredibly laid-back, happy baby -- but I am seeing him start to push boundaries and feel out exactly what he can get away with. He has started throwing his food whenever he's not in the mood to eat. It can be five minutes into lunch or dinner, but if he's decided he's done, the peas and strawberries start flying! It usually only happens at home, but this past Sunday he started throwing his food while we were out at lunch with Lance's family. We've been working on telling him no with sign-language (which our babysitter, Granny, uses with him) and looking him directly in the eye and saying it very firmly -- but when he's on a roll, that doesn't matter. So after three or four handfulls of food went flying, we packed up his food and he went without the rest of his meal. He's also discovered a new "toy" at home -- the doorstops near the floor, which make a really fun sound when jiggled by a little baby hand :) There are two just inside our front door. The reason I don't like him playing with them is that he's managed to pull off the little rubber caps off of both of them, and Momma doesn't like to find her 10 month-old with windpipe-shaped anything in his mouth! He can be playing on the living room floor, with literally dozens and dozens of toys and books -- but if he remembers the doorstops, off he goes! He gets halfway across the floor in 0.5 seconds flat, and when I call out, "Andrew?" he turns, looks me straight in the eye, pauses and waits for me to say, "No, Andrew" -- then turns around and continues on to his goal while I follow after him to bring him back to the safe zone. The little (loveable) stinker!

- My sister Erica will be checked into the hospital tonight, followed by induction early tomorrow morning to give birth to her second son, Maddox. Lance, Andrew and I are driving to Dallas on Friday -- so we will get to meet our precious nephew when is only 1 day old! How special is that?? I am so in awe of my sister. She is such a calm, loving, fun Mom. She doesn't realize how much I have learned from watching her these past (almost) five years, as she has mothered her oldest son Quentin. I only hope I can be half the Mom she is. If Andrew turns out to be as sweet and fun-loving as Quentin is -- I will be one very happy Momma!

- I am getting so stinkin' excited about Andrew's upcoming birthday! On his actual birthday, we'll all be in Houston for a party with our Texas family and friends. We'll also be celebrating our nephew Quentin's 5th birthday, my cousin Aaron's 3rd birthday, my second cousin Joey's 10th birthday, and our new nephew Maddox's "coming out" to the family! It's going to be an incredible day. The week leading up to his birthday, Andrew will be in Houston for the week staying with his YaYa (my Mom), his Aunt Cynthia (my little sis), his GG Mary (my Grandma who now lives with my Mom) and his cousin Quentin (who will be coming down from Dallas for the week). It will be soooo hard to be away from our sweet boy for so long, but we know he's going to have an incredible time. We want to start this important tradition of having special time with my family every summer. The weekend after his birthday, we'll be having his big party here in Memphis. I've been working hard the last week on lots of party things: designing the invite, ordering decorations, deciding on the menu, and buying paper products and party favors. It's going to be a fun-filled day with our Memphis family and friends. I always thought we'd have a low-key first birthday for Andrew (I've never been big on kid parties for 1-, 2- or 3-year olds because I didn't think they needed a big to-do!) -- until I became a Mommy myself, and realized how many people we want to share the day with. That's a blessing -- and it's one to be celebrated and embraced!

That's all for today, folks. Can't wait to share pics with you after our Texas trek this weekend. Love you all!

10 Months Old

Yes, that's right -- I have a 10 month-old! Wow, where does the time go?!

Riding on his first rocking horse (pants-less!) on his 10-month birthday!

Here's an update on what's going on in Andrew's world these days:

Mornings: You are still such a happy boy in the mornings! We have some Momma/son alone time while Daddy gets ready for work and before it's time for me to leave, which is becoming one of my favorite times of day with you. After your morning bottle, we play on the floor and have some tickle-time. Your belly laughs are absolutely the best way to start the day!

Bedtime: Now that you're pulling up, you're having a hard time putting yourself to sleep. Everyone that I've asked says it's just a phase. We're hoping you'll go back to your easy-to-sleep ways very soon!

Naps: You're not a consistent napper, but on those days you really need one -- you always get a couple of good ones in :) Granny says you're sleeping well for her in the mornings. It's the afternoon nap that is a little troublesome for you.

Food: You are still such a great eater! Some of your new faves: corn, watermelon, Cheerios, vienna sausages and peas. You have a wonderful appetite and love to eat -- just like your Momma :)

Developmental Milestones & Firsts: You've had a very big couple of weeks! You are now crawling, pulling up and standing on your own! It seems like in the past two weeks you have grown leaps and bounds. You love to stand at your activity table and walk around it to play with every possible button. You have crawled halfway across our house to come find me when I went "missing" -- you love being in the same room as Momma and Daddy. A friend told me last night that you're starting to look less like a baby, and more like a little boy -- which is exciting and soooo sad all at once. Where did my baby boy go??

Favorite Toys: You still love books; now you love to pull them off of the shelves and go through the pages yourself. You're absolutely loving your activity table. Two new toys that you're starting to spend a lot of time with: a rocking horse (thanks cousin Quentin!) and a push toy that you're practicing walking with. But of course, the classics -- balls and trucks -- still rule.

Sizes: You are growing like a weed! You're wearing almost exclusively 18-month clothes now. Your 12-month wardrobe will soon be relegated to the tubs of clothes with your newborn stuff. That makes this Momma very sad.

Momma's Final Thoughts: You are the happiest, most joyful, most exuberant little boy I have ever been around! I am thrilled every day that I get to be your Momma. You make me laugh when I've had a tough day. I can't help but be overjoyed every second I'm around you. You make me want to be a better person, and I pray every single day that I will be the best Momma you could possibly deserve.

Kisses, my sweet sweet boy!

First Mother's Day

I recently got to celebrate my very first Mother's Day. Some say that last year I was already a Momma since I was pregnant with Andrew, but it didn't feel "real" until this year. Having my sweet baby boy to hold and cuddle and kiss -- that's what makes being a Momma so special.

And boy oh boy, did my boys do a great job of showering me with love on my special day! I was given a beautiful necklace with Andrew's name and birthstone (sending Lance links to things I loved payed off in the end, ha!).


Being a Momma has really put into perspective the wonderful job my own Mom did raising my sisters and me. I always knew how blessed I was to have had the parents I had, but now that I'm a parent too -- well, I have a whole new appreciation for everything both my Mom and Dad did for us growing up.

As I grew up and began to meet folks from all walks of life, I never knew that some people didn't talk to their Moms every day... or tell their deepest, darkest secrets to their Moms... or say "I love you" after every conversation with their parents. Those were things that I guess I took for granted. I always felt loved and special and nurtured. I cannot imagine going through life without the support of my parents. Having known several people who did not have the same kind of family life that I did, I am truly humbled to think how my life might be different had I been raised by another set of parents. Of course, God makes no mistakes, and knew exactly what He was doing when he matched us up :)

Today I am so thankful for the gift of being a Momma. I love Andrew more than words can express. And it gets better every single day! I figured since this is my own silly blog, I can honor Andrew in whatever way I wish -- so indulge me for a second as I "count down" a few of the things that I love about life with my baby boy:

M is for making me smile. No matter what kind of day I've had, the second I pick up Andrew from Granny's house -- my heart is completely melted! His face lights up when he sees me enter the room, he squeals with delight, then he raises his arms up to me and kicks his legs while I scoop him up into my arms. Those are the moments I live for :)

O is for observing the world through his eyes. It is truly a wonder to watch him discover something new every single day. I am in awe as his little mind figures something out for the first time. I get to appreciate the world in all its wonder all over again.

T is for trying new things. I admit that before I became a Momma, I had become very set in my ways. Lance and I had our routine and did the same things and went to the same places over and over again. When you become a parent, you're forced to enter a whole new world each and every day. I love every second of it!

H is for loving that boy with my whole heart. Before I became a parent, I heard people say that the love you feel for your children is one that cannot compare to anything else. I thought I knew what it would be like, since I was deeply in love with Lance. But the love that a parent has for a child is incomparable. Getting to hold Andrew for the very first time, I truly thought my heart would burst with love and pride. Each and every day, that feeling gets stronger and stronger. I don't understand how God does it, but my friends with multiple children say that somehow their hearts grew larger with each child, and that they were able to make enough room to love each of their children equally. I can't wait until God blesses us with another kiddo to love whole-heartedly!

E is for the excitement I feel about our future. I was definitely content with my life before I became a Momma, but always knew that I wanted to become a parent -- and when I thought about my future I always had a blurry vision of what it would be like for us. I can honestly say that I am thrilled beyond belief at what is ahead for our family, now that we've added Andrew to the mix. I know that God has some amazing adventures planned for us, and now I can't imagine anything but having our sweet boy next to us as we move through this big world together.

R is for really big belly laughs (okay, I know that was a stretch for "R" but I had to include my favorite Andrew thing). My boy is uber-ticklish, and my all-time favorite sound right now is hearing him giggle to near breathlessness as I tickle his little body. I could listen all day to those laughs!

There are dozens and dozens of things that I could say about my life as a Momma. I will just simply say that I am awed every single day by this amazing gift that God has given me! Andrew, your Momma loves you more than you'll ever know!

Kisses, my sweet sweet boy!

Favorite Things

Inspired by another blog, here are some "favorite things" I've loved recently:

We recently threw a party at our home in honor of Andrew's dedication on Easter Sunday. I had so much fun making the food and decorations. These two were a hit with all of the guests, and were super easy to make. They will definitely be on my list to make again when the occasion calls for it!

We've been trying to eat healthier at our house. This yummy site is my new favorite place to find meal inspirations for our busy, time-strapped family! As a matter of fact, I just printed out several recipes so I can add those ingredients to tonight's grocery shopping list.

During our family getaway to St. Louis this past weekend (pics to come soon!) we visited one of their many children's museums, The Magic House. They have a special area just for babies under 24 months old. Andrew had such a wonderful time playing in the bouncy balls, watching himself in the mirror, and "singing" along with the songs that played in each room.

I love love LOVE this necklace I discovered on etsy.com. This may or may not be making an appearance in someone's Mother's mailbox very shortly :)

I stumbled across this fabulous blog last week. Who doesn't love to cyber-stalk someone you've never met? :) I've loved reading the honest, sometimes laugh-out-loud posts. It's wonderful when someone shares their great and not-so-great parenting moments for other Mommas. Plus she's an uber-decorator which appeals to the decorator-wannabe in me. She's also the one who inspired this "favorite things" blog and I may or may not have borrowed the categories for my previous update on Andrew from her too. Thanks Katie!

That's all, folks! I hope that since I'm back on the blogging bandwagon, I'll keep this up. It's fun to think about the things I've loved and been inspired by recently.

Too Early?

Is it too early to start planning Andrew's first birthday party? :)

By the way, this is where I admit I've already been mentally planning this day for at least two months...

I love planning parties. Birthdays, baby/wedding showers, any excuse to put together a menu, make fun foods, get a group of people together that I love -- that's totally me. Add to that the fact that my first child is having his first birthday -- that's a combination made in heaven.

First step: theme. You can't throw the perfect kid's birthday party without a theme. I can't remember the last time I had a themed party... unless you count my 30th and I guess you could say those themes were "limo", "wine" and "pink" -- but that's for another post, ahem... :)

I started with the idea of doing a monkey theme. We call Andrew our little monkey, a lot of his clothes have monkeys on them, and to be honest, I think it's just cute. I found lots of fun things online that I thought would work great. I even designed the invite, and laid in wait until it was time to actually do something about it.

But then I was blog-browsing one day, and I found more inspiration online -- ladies and gentlemen, we have the perfect theme for Andrew's first birthday party:

Dr. Seuss
(applause! applause!)

The designer in me fell in love with the fun colors -- bright red and aqua, with a splash of yellow -- and I am a teacher's daughter, after all, so I love any kid's party theme that revolves around books and learning.

Let me tell you how stinkin' excited I am about this party! I wanted to share some things I've come across online that I'm admittedly "borrowing" from for Andrew's shindig. I'm planning to do most everything by hand -- invites, decorations, food, drinks, party favors, thank-you notes -- with the exception of Andrew's outfit (I can't sew, boo! But I'm sure you'll be glad once you see what I've chosen for him to wear!).

So enjoy this "sneak peek" of what's to come in a very short three months' time! (click each description to find it online)

cupcake toppers

decorations

table centerpieces

food table

straws

Andrew's outfit (sooo cute, right?)

Yes, I know I'm crazy. But my baby boy only turns one once, so I've gotta make it perfect!

Can't wait til your big day, Andrew! Kisses, my sweet sweet boy!

I'm Back!

So... Andrew's personal baby website expired -- but to be completely honest, I wasn't a pro at updating it. Since everyone is on Facebook I was not good at posting photos and things on multiple sites. A Momma's free time is valuable enough as it is! :)

I decided to come back here, where I started my blogging adventure years ago. This will be my blog to our sweet baby boy. A place where I can share what's going on in his big bad world... write notes to him... share favorite pics... and just love on him from afar. That's what Mommas are good at, right?

So to start off today... Here's a few highlights of what's going on in Andrew's world these days. (FYI: I stole these "categories" from another Momma's blog)


Mornings: You are the happiest, happiest baby in the mornings! Which says a lot, since you're pretty stinkin' happy all day long. I absolutely love waking you up (at 6:00). After you've rubbed that sweet sleep away from your eyes, you give me the biggest grin and it's just what this tired Momma needs to get my day started!

Bedtime: We've gotten into a pretty predictable bedtime routine, and since you're following in your Momma's footsteps already, you love and thrive on a routine! You eat dinner at 6:30, followed by bathtime (every other night), then I lather you up with your sweet-smelling lotion, put you in your PJs, let you play with your toys for 15 minutes or so -- then it's off to bed at 7:30! We snuggle up in the rocking chair in your room, where you have a 4 oz bottle (which, to be honest, is more for routine's sake and not for nutrition... we'll be ending this feeding very soon, I think). As soon as you're done, you put your pacifier in your mouth, close your sweet little eyes, lay your head on my shoulder and it's a done deal, baby! I lay you down in your crib, wrap your arm around your giraffe, and kiss your head. Some nights you fight it for a few minutes, but most of the time you are out like a light. It's so much fun for Daddy and me to peek in your room throughout those first few hours. We never know what position you'll be snoring away in! You like to scoot around and sleep in some pretty funny poses, kiddo!

Naps: Oh... naps how I miss thee! Naps are not your friend these days. For some reason you've decided you're not a fan of daytime naps. I think you're too excited about everything going on around you that you don't want to miss a thing. Not that I blame you, kid, but we're working on it! Granny and I are going to try to come up with some solutions to try during the day when you're with her. If you don't get your naps at her house, you're one grumpy boy by the time Momma picks you up -- and I much more enjoy a happy Andrew than a sleepy grumpy one! But we've decided it's only fair that we've found a weakness in you since you are absolutely perfect in every other way :)

Food: Thankfully you are not a picky eater. You love fruits and veggies and meat. Your new fave finger foods are mandarin oranges, grapes (skin-free) and grape tomatoes (skin-free). You love to snack on mini vanilla wafers, animal crackers, yogurt meltaways and cereal puffs. In the next few days I'm going to start introducing a few newbies: cubed cheese, shredded chicken and macaroni and cheese. We've found a couple flavors of jarred baby food that you are not fond of, but when I've tried a second (or third) time to give it to you, you've eaten it right up. I pray you stay an adventurous eater like your Momma and Daddy!

Developmental Milestones & Firsts: Oh where to begin... You are waving "bye bye" and it's so stinkin' cute! You are getting up on your hands and knees and rocking... You are sooooo close to crawling across the floor! You love to roll all over the place. You could literally get around our entire house if you wanted to, but you seem content to stay in the room where Momma is (which I'm thankful for! I'm not yet coveting the phase where I have to chase you around the house!). Since your legs are so strong, and you've been supporting your weight since you were 2 months old, I wouldn't be surprised if you skip crawling altogether and just start walking one day very soon.

Favorite Toys: The stacking rainbow rings -- the same kind that Momma used to play with as a baby -- are your favorite toys right now. You love throwing them and chewing them and putting them on your feet. You love to read your cloth books, and roll your balls and play with your big toy truck (you love the sound it makes when you push it and it zooooooms across the floor!).

Sizes: You are a growin' boy indeed! In the last 6 weeks, you have started wearing and are about to outgrow 12-month clothes. You're already wearing a few 18-month onesies since you're so stinkin' tall (where did that gene come from, by the way??). Momma and Daddy need to have another garage sale soon so we can make money to fund a new wardrobe for our big boy!

Momma's Final Thoughts: In three short days you will be nine months old, and I must say that this Momma is in denial! How in the world has the last 3/4 of a year gone by so fast?? You have taught me so much in such a short time. You are such a happy boy that everywhere we go -- the grocery store, Target, church -- people stop me to ask, "Is he always like this?" I am one proud Momma when I get to tell them all, "Yes, always." I pray you never lose your sweet spirit!

Kisses, my sweet sweet boy!

Andrew's Website

Since I have such a terrible time keeping up with one blog, I know for certain I can't do two.

Now that Andrew has his own website - http://thewillisfamily.babywindow.com - and I have my own journal there, that'll be my outlet for the time being.

Hope you're able to visit there often to see updates as my pregnancy progresses. It's been so much fun so far!

-JessWill :)

It's a Boy!!

We are pleased to announce that we are expecting a son, Andrew William!

Andrew William Willis, due August 5

This was a long-awaited day, and we are thrilled and soooo blessed to know that he is healthy and doing well. He was wiggling around on the ultrasound - kicking his feet, flexing his arms - it was such a miracle to watch!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and happy thoughts. We cannot wait to meet our son and we are so glad he gets to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family - he will be truly blessed!!!

Love, JessWill :)

What'll It Be??

So... the official countdown has begun! Only two more weeks until we find out whether our precious baby is a boy or girl!!

Everyone keeps asking me if I have a "feeling" one way or the other. Nope, no mother's intuition yet for me.

It's not a surprise to most people who know me that I've always wanted to have a daughter, so I would be thrilled to hear "girl!" But I would be equally excited to have a son. I've watched my sister Erica raise her precious son Quentin, and have fallen head-over-heels in love with him! I love how much a little boy loooooves his Momma!

Whatever God has in store for us, we are just excited to finally know! I'm ready to start saying "he" or "she" instead of "it." We haven't bought any baby things yet (although we've received two precious baby gifts - thanks Erica/Joe and Allison/Justin!) so once we know one way or the other, we'll start seriously looking into baby furniture and bedding.

It will be such a momentous day for Lance and me! Up until now, December 2nd has been our most life-changing day so far (the day we found out we were pregnant!) but I have a feeling that the day we find out the sex of our first child, that will overtake the top of the list.

We know how truly blessed we are - except for some pretty rough morning sickness, this has been a trouble-free pregnancy so far! We know God has His hand in this and we are thankful each and every day for the gift of this baby. We try not to take it for granted, as we know many people who are struggling with fertility issues right now.

I'll be coming back to share the news as soon as we know! Please be in prayer for our precious baby until we get to see him or her on the ultrasound screen again in two short weeks!

Until next time...
-JessWill :)

It's Official!

Yep, we're pregnant! God has truly blessed us - and we are counting down the days until we meet our son/daughter this summer. Our official due date is August 5th.

Today is day one of my second trimester. I honestly can't believe how fast it's gone already! I hope and pray that over these next few months, I am able to stop and be truly thankful every step of the way for this miracle of life that God has blessed us with!

So here's our pregnancy story, for those who need a way to kill 10 minutes :)

Lance and I began trying for a baby this past October. At the end of the first month, I was completely crushed when it became obvious that we weren't pregnant. I was really surprised at how upset I was - everybody told us that we needed to mentally prepare ourselves for at least a year's worth of trying, and I truly thought I was prepared for anything - but I guess my heart wasn't quite that stoic! So we pressed on - to November.

We traveled to Houston for Thanksgiving - and in the craziness and business of the week, it never dawned on me that I had missed having my "friend" visit. It was only once we got back to Memphis and were back in our routines that I started to add things up in my head. I had been a few days late in October, so I honestly thought it was the same that time too. On my weekly grocery run one night, I grabbed a pregnancy test and to be honest, I wanted to take it so I could mark the possibility off of my list (I was afraid of getting my hopes up again!).

To my complete awe and wonder, it came back positive! I took the second test in the box, and - of course - the results were inconclusive. The lines never appeared at all - it was a dud :( I wanted so badly to run to Walgreens to buy another set of tests, but knew Lance was on his way home for dinner. It had never occurred to me that I would be taking a pregnancy test without Lance knowing about it - we have shared every second of the journey together, and I just never pictured it that way!

I quickly finished dinner, and stashed the positive test under my napkin on the table. When Lance walked in the door, the table was set and dinner was waiting for him.

As a little side note here: growing up in our family, we had a dinner ritual where each person had to share "the three most exciting things" that happened to them that day. Yes, it's as fun as it sounds :) I have gotten Lance to indulge me every now and then in this little game, and thought that night would be the perfect day to play it again.

So I asked him about his top three. He got to number two, and as soon as he was finished - I interrupted him and said "Can I do your number three for you?" He was really confused but graciously obliged. I pulled out the test and held it up for him to see. The next few moments were among the most precious of my entire life!

It took him a second to register what I was showing/telling him - but once he realized our news, he broke down and cried the happiest tears! We hugged and cried and prayed together - it was such a wonderful moment, one that we'll never forget :)

I told him, through my tears, that I really needed - for my own sanity - to confirm the results by buying another box of tests, but that I would wait til dinner was finished. He looked at me and said, "Our dinner can wait - let's go to Walgreens right now!" What a fun trip to the store - the fastest I think we've ever had :)

I chose a different kind of test that allowed no room for misinterpretation - it either said "pregnant" or "not pregnant" in the results window. Let me tell you - both of them showed "pregnant" within 10 seconds! There was no doubt in our minds that we were pregnant! We both were still in awe and shock - our lives would never be the same! And the fact that it had happened so quickly - well, we are humbled once again by God's perfect timing and His reminder that it's not about what we want, but what He wants for us.

I went to my Ob-Gyn the next morning to take a confirmation test - and I was surprised to find out that it was a blood test. I honestly thought I'd be peeing on a stick (sorry, TMI!) and they'd tell me right away. But they said the results would take 2-3 days to come in. This was a Thursday morning, so all day I was sick to my stomach with the thought that we might have to wait until the following Monday to get our news confirmed!

I actually called my doc's office the next day and left a message on the nurses' line - asking them to please PLEASE get back with me that day, if at all possible, because the wait was killing me. Within the hour, my fabulous nurse had called me back with the wonderful news: I was pregnant!

Thus began the most exciting, nerve-racking, humbling, emotional, blessed journey that Lance and I have had as a couple!

We both knew that we wanted to wait a while to share this news with people, because of some family history on my side of miscarriages. So we waited until my first ultrasound on December 22nd - the week of Christmas, how perfect is that?? We asked the ultrasound tech to make extra copies of the baby's picture for us, so we could put together our surprise. We hadn't sent out Christmas cards yet, so we took full advantage. We printed off our own homemade cards - the outside read "Merry Christmas from the Willises" - and the inside "from all three of us!" with the baby's ultrasound photo.

Since we knew we wouldn't be seeing my family at Christmas, we decided to FedEx them theirs. My Mom, Dad, sister and Grandmother each got their own. We called them Christmas Eve morning and asked them to open the cards. It was wonderful to hear the shrieks of happiness! I hated that I wasn't there to tell them in person, but we're still so thankful to have shared our wonderful news at such a perfect time of year.

Lance's parents and brother were coming over for dinner on Christmas Eve, which was the perfect setting to tell them the news. Before we sat down to dinner, we passed out their cards and asked them to open them. It was so priceless - Martha, Lance's Mom, opened hers right away and began screaming! Bill, Lance's Dad, couldn't get his envelope open. Lance reached over and ripped it open for him, so he could catch up. It was such a memorable time for our family - Bill cried, Martha hugged me, and poor Reed - I think he was a little overwhelmed by it all :)

We shared the news on Christmas day with Lance's extended family, who was gathered at his parents' house for lunch. I had told my extended family the previous night on the phone, as they all gathered at my aunt's house for dinner.

The ultrasound at the top of the page was taken this past Tuesday - at almost 12 weeks. It was truly amazing to see our baby yet another time! (Lance wasn't there for this one, because I didn't realize I'd be having another ultrasound - everything I'd read said it would be a boring check-up and no reason for the Daddy to come - I really hate he missed it!) And it actually looked like a baby this time, not a little alien :) When the tech put the sensor on my stomach, we saw the baby kicking and punching and doing flips. Since I still can't feel the movements, it was a little surreal - but to see that beautiful heartbeat and get to witness God's greatest miracle up close, it was a wonderful wonderful day.

We've now shared our news with everybody, and are very blessed to have so many fabulous people in our lives to take this incredible journey with. We can't wait to fill you all in with more Baby Willis news as it happens. I go back to the doctor in a month, and our BIG appointment (finding out the sex) will be in six weeks. We can't wait :)

If you are reading this blog, I know you are a dear friend or family member to us - and I just want to thank each of you for being such a great support system for us. Lance and I are truly blessed!

Til next time,
-JessWill :)

Tagged!

I got this from Alyson's blog. Feel free to post on your own blog!

1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
I try to be early early EARLY everywhere I go! I actually hate arriving on time - I have some anxiety about this - I'm working on it :)

2. What is your middle name?
Legally it's Andrews, but I'll always claim Leigh - I love it

3. What are the last 4 digits of your cell phone?
6270

4. How big is your bed?
queen

5. What are you allergic to?
According to my allergist - every pollen, pet and grass under the sun. But I have no symptoms so that's good :)

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Take my vitamins, brush my teeth, then shower

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?
hmm... this one's hard... probably The Cosby Show

8. Will you, or did you go to your 10-year class reunion?
Yes, I did. I was one of the three planners, actually. It was LOTS of hard work but it paid off - it was a very fun weekend :)

9. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?
umm... sure

10. What in your opinion is the great invention (you know, since sliced bread)?
Cell phones. I honestly don't know how we used to survive without them!

-JessWill

A Wonderful Year Ahead

Hello, 2010! We are thrilled beyond belief that the beginning of the new year is finally here. God has so many wonderful things planned for our family in 2010, and we are ready to meet them head-on :)

We had a very blessed Christmas here in Memphis with Lance's family. Lance, his parents, his brother and I all went to the Christmas Eve service at Bellevue together, then everyone came back to our house for dinner. I cooked an untraditional lasagna meal, which was nice considering all of the turkey and ham we would eat over the next week!

Lance and I drove down to his parents' house after they left, to stay the night. It is a tradition for us to be there on Christmas morning to do our family gift exchange before the day begins.

The extended family - aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc. - all came to his parents' house for Christmas lunch. It was nice to see a few out-of-town faces and to have (almost) the whole family together. I missed being with my family that day, but it helped to be surrounded by lots of other people who we love and love us :)

On Christmas evening, Lance and I finally headed home. His mom had sent us off with tons of yummy leftovers - but after a day of eating so much holiday food, that was the last thing we wanted to have for dinner. So we followed in the footsteps of my favorite Christmas movie - A Christmas Story - and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. My very first time in a restaurant on Christmas. It was kind of fun!

New Year's Eve was a blast - Lance and I went to a party at our good friend Hang's house. We got to meet several of her friends, which was great. She made lots of yummy food, and we played Wii and laughed a lot. We didn't quite make it to midnight, but it was so much fun and I'm so glad we went. What a great way to ring in the new year!

Lance is back to working his long hours - til about 7:30 every weekday (except Fridays, woohoo!) and a full day on Saturdays. It's always a hard transition for us to make as a couple at the beginning of every year, but I'm trying to take advantage of some "me" time and also spend some quality time with my girlfriends.

We have a fun-filled weekend ahead - Mom, both sisters and two dear friends are coming to Memphis for a girls' trip! We have a few outings planned to see friends and Lance's family, and for them to join us for church on Sunday - then the rest of the weekend will be completely up to us! We can do as much or as little as we want. My sweetheart is graciously giving up his bed Saturday night so all of us girls can have a true Girls' Night In! Thanks, honey, for being so understanding.

I hope each of you had a very blessed Christmas and New Year - and that your 2010 will be a blessing to your families!

-JessWill :)

Favorite Time of Year

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, and this year's has not disappointed! We are only two weeks in, but we've had so many wonderful things happen to us as a family. I know I won't be able to share everything here, but we can't wait to fill you in as soon as we can :)

Lance and I spent Thanksgiving in Houston with my parents, sisters, bro-in-law and nephew. It was fantastic! It is rare for everybody to be "home" at my parents' all at once, and we enjoyed every second of it. On Thanksgiving day, my parents hosted both sides of their families for the holiday meal. It was so much fun getting to spend time with all of our aunts/uncles and cousins. Joe, my bro-in-law, brought his Xbox so the little ones were entertained playing Beatles RockBand. We all enjoyed some very yummy food, and had lots of laughs together as a family.

Friday morning, we celebrated Christmas a little early - since we won't be back with my fam for the holiday. Quentin had such a great time opening his presents! Watching him is always my favorite part - Christmas is so different when there is a little one involved. You get to see it all through their eyes :)

It was hard for Lance and me to come back to the "real world" after Thanksgiving, but I must admit it was nice to be back in a routine again. Sleeping in, napping, having happy hour every evening on the porch - don't get me wrong, I loved everything we got to spoil ourselves with in Houston! - but as someone who craves consistency, I loved being back in our own bed again.

This past week was super busy, which seems to be the norm these days for us. Lance and his brother went to another Tigers basketball game Monday night, while I grocery shopped and got us somewhat unpacked from our trip. Then Lance volunteered at Starry Nights at Shelby Farms Tuesday night, while I had a last-minute happy hour with one of my all-time favorite friends, Hang. Wednesday was a great date-night at home - I made pasta and salad, which Lance and I got to enjoy together once he was finally home from work. Thursday was supposed to be Bunko night for me, but I was feeling pretty awful that day at work - stomach stuff, bad headache - so I opted out and spent the night resting on the couch. Thank God for such a wonderful husband who waited on me hand and foot. I am so spoiled!

Friday night was another date-night for us - but a real one this time! As one of our Christmas presents to each other, we had tickets to see Jackson Browne in concert at the Orpheum. Beforehand, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner out. If you haven't eaten at Flight downtown yet (Main and Monroe) you are missing out! Lance and I both agree it is one of the best meals we have ever eaten in Memphis.

Saturday night was our Annual Christmas Party at home. The biggest treat is that my little sis Cynthia got to come in from Birmingham for the shindig. Lance and I got up super early that day, to put the tree up and finish getting the house ready for our guests. After Cynthia arrived, we enjoyed watching some football before everybody else arrived. It was wonderful having some of our dearest friends join us in celebration of the season. We had yummy BBQ, a gift exchange - and then we played a VERY fun Pictionary/telephone game (will explain another time). It was a blast, and we are both very grateful for all of the amazing people in our lives.

Sunday morning was the first Sunday for Crossroads to meet in our new/temporary home, the Cordova Community Center. We really missed our Sunday School group - it was so nice to see everyone again after being out of town two weekends in a row. The new meeting space is big and comfy. I think it's going to be a wonderful place for our church to grow and make new relationships with folks in the community.

We got to meet up with Lance's parents and bro for our usual Sunday afternoon lunch, and we were also joined by his aunt and uncle who were in from out of town. We haven't seen them both since our wedding! So that was a nice treat.

We have lots more coming up in the next few weeks, right up until Christmas. Lance and I are both extremely blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to spend time with, especially this time of year. We are thrilled for what God has planned for us as a family next year, and can't wait to take that journey with each of you :)

Love always,

-JessWill :)

Another Great Week

I know I haven't written at all about our cooking adventure... turns out there's nothing exciting or entertaining about cooking at all :) I did start off taking pictures of our first few recipes - but even those aren't exciting!

Mundane, ordinary family stuff is what our days are filled with lately - although I must say our lives are anything but boring. We've had soooo much going on - that I'm trying to remember in the midst of it all how blessed we are to be so busy and have such amazing people to spend time with :)

I won't try to play catch-up for the last few months - or we'd be here a while! - but Lance and I did have a great week.

I started off the week having dinner with an old coworker of mine, Diana. A group of girls who work or have worked at Disciple try to get together for Girls Night Out every few months. This time it was just her and me - and it was a blast catching up! She has two young daughters, and it was so much fun hearing about the goings-on of their family. It made me miss her even more...

Tuesday night, Lance and I met with our church's fellow Harvest Joy Festival committee members to hammer out the final details. We only have two weeks to go - and there's a lot left to do! I must say: Lance and I have loved working with these awesome people. It's been a great way for us to jump feet-first into Crossroads, and really give of our time and energy to this awesome church home that we've found (I was even lucky enough to get to name the festival and design the logo! fun fun!). I am really hoping that the event will be a great way for people in the neighborhood - and especially those looking for a church home - to get to know our church.

Thursday night I got to spend the evening with one of my dearest friends, Hang. She was sweet enough to cook dinner for both of us, and she and I got to hang out at her home and laugh and catch up. It had been way too long since the two of us had been able to spend time face-to-face, so it was a real treat for me. I love my Hang!

Lance didn't mind my being away for the evening - he got to spend time doing one of his favorite things: watching baseball. His Mets had an awful season, so I think he's enjoyed watching the game again (he was basically on strike for the last two months!).

Friday night Lance and I got to host a long-awaited Game Night at our house. We had so much fun with the Strawns and the Grears! Jason and Kristin even brought along baby Nate, so I got to do some cuddling with him (baby fever, hello!). We played a new game that my friend Dave from Texas suggested, which turned out to be a huge hit. We decided that we need to play it at our annual Christmas party, when we have more folks there (I won't get into the details of what it was, but it's best played with more players). We ended the evening with a game of Apples to Apples, which was really fun too. Lance and I loved having our friends over - we don't get to do that often enough - so it was a treat for us both.

Saturday morning, I joined some of the ladies from Crossroads for a brunch at a local catering shop. It was a really exciting event for me - I've been looking for ways to really get to know some of the women at church, and it did not disappoint! Our table was full of ladies from all walks of life and all ages. We had a blast laughing and sharing stories with each other. The food was amazing too. Vicki, Pastor Rob's wife, led us all in a mini-devotional after we ate. She stressed the fact that God knows each of us by name - and that our names are no mistake. She had a special treat for each one of the attendees: she gave us a picture frame that held a print-out of our name, the meaning of our name, and a Bible verse that goes along with it. It was such a special take-along for me to remember this amazing day.

Saturday night, Lance and I attended the wedding of a former youth friend of mine from Covenant. I met and worked with Leigha when she was 16, so to get to see her as a beautiful 24 year-old reciting her marriage vows was a real gift to me. I have kept up with her and her sister, Caitlin, through the years. It's amazing when I see how God has worked in each of their lives, as they matured from high school girls to young ladies to Godly women. It was such a blessing to me to be able to share in such a special day. And Lance was such a good sport! We even got to share a slow dance or two (in-between my dancing the Macarena, Electric Slide and all those other dances Lance wouldn't be caught dead doing!).

Sunday morning was our weekly Sunday School and church service at Crossroads. We love love love our Sunday School group - especially our leaders, Aronda and John. They have done such a wonderful job of making each person feel welcome and a part of the group from day one. We are really looking forward to the cookout that they are hosting for all of us this Friday night.

As a last-minute addition to our weekend schedule, Lance signed us up to attend one of Crossroads' Family Prayer Fellowships at the home of one of the church families on Sunday night. To be honest, I was not feeling very sociable. I really wanted to stay home and rest after such a busy week! But I am so thankful that he felt led for us to go. We got to know some really amazing people - faces that we see every Sunday but hadn't gotten the chance to really meet yet. The fact that so many people would gather to lift up Crossroads and pray for our leaders as a group - it was so moving. I am thrilled that Lance and I have found such a wonderful place to call home - and it's exciting to think where Crossroads will be in two months... six months... a year... There are so many changes on the horizon, but it is very cool to think that we will be a part of helping make the big transitions that are to come.

See? Nothing really exciting or out-of-the-ordinary to report - but our lives are so full of wonderful people and good times. Seeing all of these things listed just reminds me yet again that Lance and I are truly blessed!

I hope each of you has a great week, and I hope to be able to post some pictures soon.

Until next time...
-JessWill :)

Recipe Inspiration

Hello blog readers ~ it's been a long time!

I won't make any excuses. I really have missed sharing our lives with you. Somehow the everyday, hum-drum stuff that Lance and I do doesn't seem like it's interesting enough to share, but I've realized that we live such blessed lives and that we should feel happy to share our laughter and triumphs and even our mundane stories with everyone that we love :)

The project that Lance and I will begin next week has been inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia". We both love to cook, and have always had more fun when we can share the experience together. After seeing the commercial for this movie over and over again, we decided that it would be so much fun for us to try our own cooking experiment. So we spent last Sunday at the bookstore, picking out a cookbook that we both loved - and starting next week, we will cook every single recipe in the book, from start to finish! And it's an American Heart Association cookbook, so we are happy about the fact that every meal we are making is healthy and good for us.

We are both very excited about it! We've gotten stuck in a rut at dinner - we always seem to cook the same meals over and over again - so we hope that this project will help us try some new flavor combinations and introduce some new regulars into our dinner routine.

We've decided that since the cookbook is divided into categories (appetizer, soups, salad, chicken, pork, etc.) it would be best to go a different route than literally first to last. We'll begin with the first recipe in each category, going from front to back, then start over again at the front. This will keep things interesting - and also keep us from having soup three weeks in a row :)

We figure we'll average maybe three recipes from this cookbook a week, and in-between we'll stick to our tried-and-true family recipes. Some of these new recipes call for some pretty unique and not-so-frugal ingredients, so we think it's best to spread them out.

Our official first meal will be next Monday. I can't wait to share with each of you how the first meal goes! I'm going to try to make a habit of documenting some of the meals through pictures so you can see how everything turns out - or doesn't turn out, which I assume will happen at least a few times! Lance and I have pledged to each other to try every single meal, no matter what - I'll even eat mushrooms and peas, and Lance has promised to try peppers and onions.

This will be a fun experiment and we can't wait to do this together. I have the most wonderful husband who happens to also be my best friend, and it's a true blessing to get to share our lives with each of you through this blog.

Love to you all!

-JessWill :)

Tagged!

I was tagged by Carrie today, so here ya go:

8 things I'm passionate about:
my marriage, my family, my friends, my faith, justice, world peace (read: no more war!), education, travel

8 things I want to do before dying:
be a Mother, be a Grandmother, raise children who are faithful and productive members of society, stand in the Sistine Chapel again, go on a vacation (to anywhere) with my entire family, travel to every state in the U.S., take lots of roadtrips with my girlfriends, learn to speak a foreign language

8 things I often say:
"I love you", "Yall", "You ROCK!", "Seriously??", "Marvelous!", "I miss you", "Are you KIDDING me??", "Duh!"

8 books I have read lately:
Salem Falls, The Pact, Vanishing Acts, Skinny Dip, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Nineteen Minutes, Change of Heart, Plain Truth

8 Movies I have seen 8x or more:
Pretty Woman, When Harry Met Sally, Princess Bride, Love Actually, Father of the Bride, Sleepless in Seattle, Parenthood, Center Stage

8 people I am tagging: If you read this, you are tagged!

Until next time...
-JessWill :)

God's Powerful Touch

We have had quite an interesting week in the Willis house! All is well now, but we had a couple of scary days. But God is good and we are aware and in awe of His hand in all of it.

Let me start at the beginning...

Last Sunday, I got back home from a weekend trip to Birmingham where I had joined my little sis Cynthia for a college campus visit. When I left Memphis on Friday, Lance was suffering from a bad cold/cough. He had actually missed work on Thursday because of it... but was feeling a bit better. When I arrived home on Sunday afternoon, he looked (for lack of a better word) awful. He said he had basically been in bed all weekend, trying to recover from whatever he had. We both knew that there was no way the meds they had given him at the minor med clinic on Thursday were working - so I told Lance he needed to go back and see what else they could give him. Thankfully the clinic was open late on Sundays... so Lance went, hoping for some more medicine for his sore throat.

As we know now... this was God's way of getting Lance to see a doctor. I received a call from him saying that the doctor needed me to come pick him up immediately and get him to an ER. His blood pressure was extremely high - dangerously high - and the doctors were very concerned that he could have a stroke. I got there as fast as I could, and we made it to the ER in record time.

Thankfully, there was only one other person in the waiting room - and we were able to be seen very quickly. Lance was immediately put on an intraveous medicine to get his blood pressure down. The nurse quickly guesstimated that the reason his blood pressure had gotten so dangerously high was because he had been taking over-the-counter decongestant. He said for someone who already has high blood pressure (which Lance had been told before; he had just never seen a doctor for treatment) that kind of medicine could literally kill you. He said that Lance can never take it again. It was obvious how serious the nurse was... and I think Lance was surprised because obviously he had never been told of the potential combination before. The doctors also told Lance that he had pneumonia, on top of everything else. They poked and prodded him, took lots of blood, and got him chock full of meds.

Lance was treated and given several prescriptions - and we were released in about 5 hours. The doctor told us in no uncertain terms, before letting him go home, that if his blood pressure went above 160/100 we were to come back immediately to the ER. I dropped Lance off at home, went to Walgreens to get his meds, then came home to get some rest. We both rested the next day, and made an appointment with a doctor to get some long-term treatment for his blood pressure. Lance felt good.

We had been told to keep monitoring Lance's blood pressure ourselves, so about 2:30 that afternoon, we went up to a local grocery store's pharmacy to have it taken. We were both completely shocked that the number was almost where it had been at the clinic the day before. We immediately ran home to pack a bag (I was convinced they would keep him overnight this time) and were back in the ER again. This time, we had to wait about 30 minutes before being taken back. They "upgraded" him to a Major ER bed, where the most serious cases are seen. He was plugged up to lots of machines and they drew more blood (poor guy... he has bruises up his arms and in his hands from all the bloodwork this week!). The doctor who came to see us said that he thought it would be best to keep Lance overnight so they could continue to give him meds... but when we told him that we already had an appointment set up for the next morning with a doctor who would be giving him long-term treatment, he called her and they agreed to let him go with the explicit instructions to report to her first thing in the morning. So once again, we found ourselves leaving the ER (after about 4.5 hours) and heading home.

We went to the doctor Tuesday morning - where they did an EKG, took more blood, did a urine test, etc. The doctor is doing a full work-up to monitor his health for any other problems. She adjusted his ER meds a bit, and added one more blood pressure pill to his regimen. She also gave us a recommendation for a blood pressure cuff that we could keep at home, and gave him instructions to keep a record of his blood pressure every couple of hours - at least for the time being.

This wonderful doctor is intent on closely monitoring him and keeping him as healthy as possible. We have faith that all is well now... luckily (as all of his doctors said) he is an otherwise very healthy, young guy - and with lifestyle and dietary changes, it's possible that someday he could be off blood pressure meds entirely.

He has already completely changed his eating habits - I think we've eaten more fruit this past week than either one of us had eaten in a couple of months! I'm so proud of him for taking this seriously and keeping an eye on things.

This was certainly a wake-up call to both of us... it's amazing how easy it is to take your body for granted and think "Oh, someday I'll get in shape". We've both discovered that now is the time to get started. I think overall, this will be a blessing for us both.

We realize how scary this could have been... without God's powerful touch, this could have turned out very differently. God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him... and we give thanks to Him for our blessings!

And this experience has also made us realize how many amazing people we have in our lives. We received countless emails and phonecalls from friends and family, telling us of prayers they had lifted up in Lance's name. Every single prayer was felt - and we are so thankful for each and every one of them.

-JessWill