Fun with Kyle

Most of my posts are about Zola, and I understand that is why I mostly started this blog to let you in our story with her. I think so often that somehow how children get put before our spouses. It is hard, when our lives pretty much revolve around when they eat, when they sleep, what they are going to do, etc. In those times of focusing on children, we can't leave behind our spouse. So today's post is about mostly about Kyle, the love of my life and truly my best friend.

Lately, Kyle has been working a lot in the evenings. He comes home for dinner, bath time, and bed time... the best part of the day with miss Zola is bath time. ;)  We clean up and then he works until pretty late in the night. I am not complaining about having a hard working husband who provides for our families need by any means, but I have began to miss our evenings together.

When Kyle and I were getting married at one of my showers, everyone was asked to give a piece of marital wisdom. I will never forget what my mother in law said, "Always go to bed together." Now to be honest, I thought why does that really matter? People don't go to bed at the same time all the time. Maybe they work different shifts, or one is a night owl, etc. I have to say though, sometimes when Kyle and I are getting ready for bed we have the most fun of the day. 99% of time we do go to bed together, but these last few weeks have been a little different because of his work schedule. However, on Wednesday he was able to finish up at a decent hour. We laughed so hard that night, I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard ;) Today, I can't tell you a single thing we were laughing about, but I can tell you enjoyed I every second of it.

I get it, it's hard to always be having fun with your spouse. You have duties, whether they are outside the home, inside the home, extracurricular activities with kids, but don't forget to have fun with your spouse. The nights we laugh so hard or stay up late talking about Zola, what God is stirring in our hearts, or about our future I will never forget. I am thankful that I heard those words "Always go to bed together."

Take the time to truly enjoy your spouse this weekend, have fun! Everyone has a different definition of fun, but be intentional and do it. You won't regret it, and it will feel good to enjoy each other and to have those memories.

Somber Heart

October 15th is pregnancy loss awareness day. I've seen it here and there on my facebook newsfeed today, and it is such a sombering reminder what today is all about.

Kyle and I struggled with never becoming pregnant, and that was hard. The wait was hard, the negative tests were difficult, and seeing "everyone else" pregnant seemed to be the hardest. It is something we will never experience, but we have grieved that time in our lives. Many people have asked us about our story, and I have said more than once that God knew what He was doing and blessed us by that part of it. I cannot begin to fathom the feelings of losing a child I was carrying, or had just birthed.

I have actually thought about it often. I know miscarriages are "common" but just because they are common, doesn't mean they are any less painful. I'm sure there are many women I know that have had a miscarriage, or sadly more than one, but I cannot relate. I have no idea what they are feeling, all I can do is pray for them, and be a shoulder to cry on if they need it.

Thankfully isn't the right word when I think that I will never have to experience a miscarriage. There is a special bond between that baby and their mother. The mothers and fathers that have lost a baby will have an even bigger family in heaven. That is something I will not experience on this side or the other side of heaven. Am I thankful that God has spared Kyle and I of this type of loss, yes I am. However, there is a part of me that will never experience the joy of the mothers and fathers meeting their child(ren) for the first time in heaven. I can't think of a better place to meet someone.

Today, I am saddened for my family, friends, and acquaintances who have had this type of loss in their lives. I am also incredibly proud of and joyous for them, because someday, they will meet the rest of their family.

We have a 1 year old?!

It's been awhile, but I have been trying to enjoy every second with our sweet Zola. I also try to enjoy my time with Kyle in the evenings, so I've let this slide a bit.

Just wanted to let you all know she is doing just wonderfully. She is still a great eater, a great sleeper, and just a great girl. She has Kyle and I laughing every day at her fun personality, and she has us amazed at what and how well she is doing.

The main event since the last post was her first birthday!! It was such an exciting time for our family, to celebrate this little girl we had waited for over 2 years to bring home. We were so blessed on Sunday by all the love and support by family and friends. She had a party of course, and she did so well. I really need to upload some pictures, because she really got into her cake ;)

The night before her birthday, I asked Kyle if I could put her to bed. I usually let Kyle do it because he is gone during the day, but I was a little emotional that evening. As I was just looking into her eyes, I started to cry. The past 2 months went so quickly and I felt like I missed so much! You always hear the 1st year goes by so quickly, but we only had 2 months of it. Then I reminded myself, Megan, you got all of her firsts so far! We were able to see her first rolling over, her sitting up, her first army crawl, her first real crawl, her first pulling herself up, and the list goes on.

After my sentimental moment with her, it was time for our prayers. I always try to mention Zola's birth father and mother, but that night it was a big focus. I prayed especially for her birth father, as he was not only mourning the loss of his daughter, but his wife. I can't imagine the pain he was probably dealing with this past week. He is a brave and courageous man, and we are so thankful for the decision he made and that Zola gets to be part of our family. I truly hope and pray he is proud of his decision and has a sense of peace that she is being taken care of.

To say we are blessed by Zola is a true understatement. I am so thankful God put it in our hearts to adopt long before we were even married. I am thankful we couldn't have biological kiddos, and I am ever so grateful that God brought us our sweet and loveable Zola.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most people reading this aren't adopted, but if you are a  Christian, you are. I challenge you to remind yourself to be thankful and proud that Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to be adopted. He was brave and courageous and now we get to be part of God's forever family.