They're here!

5/24/12

Below is the email that went out to many (sorry if we missed you, many emails got bounced back because dad included too many photos):

Just wanted to send out a quick email to everyone that Emily Ryan and Evan Andrew made their entrance into the world at 6:31 and 6:32 yesterday morning.  After over a month of contractions, constant wondering, doctors visits, and trips to the hospital the little munchkins came quickly.  Jacqueline and I went to bed on Saturday night around 10:30 but we noticed the dog followed us into the bedroom and slept on the floor next to Jacqueline.  The dog hadn't slept in our bedroom since she was only a few months old. J and I both noticed it but didn't think too much of it.  Around 2:30 yesterday morning J woke me up to let me know she was uncomfortable and couldn't sleep.  She wanted to make sure I knew she was getting in the shower so I didn't freak if I woke up and she wasn't in bed.  On Friday night I had woken up twice having dreamed that her water broke only to find her not in bed.  Both times I had a solid two seconds of panic then realized it was a dream and J was only making one of the twelve required pregnant lady trips to pee in the middle of the night.

After J got out of the shower, not exactly sure how long it was because I feel back asleep (resting up to be the best dad in the world of course), she was not feeling any better.  We called our doula to ask for her opinion on what J was feeling and she suggested calling the doctor.  After all the recent trips to the doctor and hospital for nothing J wanted to make sure this was the real deal.  The doc said we should come in and get checked out, as they have instructed every time we call.  We got in the car about 4:20 and were at the hospital by 4:40.  It took them about 10 minutes to get J checked in.  She was having contractions every three minutes and they were more intense than any she had experienced up to that point.  She kept telling me she felt the need to push.  I disagreed with her because we were still in the waiting room.  At 4:55 she was holding my shoulder while I expertly coached her through a contraction (read - deer in headlights) when there was splashing sound and she informed me that was her water breaking.  I looked over my shoulder at the guy behind the desk who looked and then went back to his computer screen.  I thought we had just jumped to the front of the line; I was wrong.


At 5:20 we were finally called back to a room.  J was checked out by a nurse who let us know she was 5 cm dilated from the 1.5cm we had stayed at for 4 weeks and that we were going be moving things along because Emily had pooped already (gentlemen there is a fancy term for the first BMs of a child's life but I wasn't going to explain it or try to spell it).  By 5:45 we were in a prep room and they were working fast to get the OR ready.  At 6:00 they wheeled J back to the room to get her set.  At 6:15 they came to bring me back to the OR.  I was not even in the OR long enough to let anything sink in because Emily was out and crying 15 minutes later and Evan was soon to follow.  Yesterday the two of them got to meet mom and dad, the grandparents, and an aunt and uncle.  It was a big day for all to say the least.


Now the stuff that everyone has stayed tuned for: Emily Ryan was 4 lbs 6 oz and 17 inches long and Evan Andrew was 4 lbs 10 oz and 17.7 inches long.  All are healthy and doing well.  Emily and Evan are breathing on their own and doing well.  Evan did need to get an IV so they could give him a sugar solution to regulate his blood sugar but if all goes well that should be taken out today.  J is doing great.  She is healing well from the surgery and loves to get out of bed despite the pain because it means a wheelchair ride to hold the bundles of joy.  And now for the best stuff - pictures (my apologies to the previous title holders, there are now a new cutest baby girl and baby boy in Chicago - nay the world).


Ryan and Jacqueline (Dad and Mom)

Big Changes

5/24/12

It has been a long time since this has been updated...so here goes.

Very little remains the same since the last post.  I graduated from NIU with my Masters in May of 2011 and now work for KPMG in the Chicago office.  Jacqueline, Maggie (the beast which we added to the family in April of 2011, pic below), and I moved to the north side of Chicago in October last year.  It was at that same time that Jacqueline got pregnant.  We quickly found out it was twins.  We are updating this site now because the twins are here! Most of you already knew they were here so this blog will be for updates from time to time and of course pictures.  I will break the posts today to try to make them an easier read. I will post the arrival story and then give a brief update on where we are at currently.

Semester End

It has been a long time! So much has happened, yet it all seems to be routine. We have almost completed our first semester free from UPS! Ryan is loving working for NIU and will finish his master's degree in May 2011. Our plan is to have begun the CPA exams at that point and hopefully move to where he finds a job. (We are not sure where that will be, but we are willing to go where ever God is leading.)

I have almost been in my job for a year now! I can't believe how quickly time flies! I love what I do; meeting new people and seeing them succeed is the best. I will not pretend that it is all roses however. There have been struggles, which I try not to get me down. Recently it has been worse than normal and I am not sure why. Some of it is definitely the attitudes and stress levels of everyone in the office, but I also can't rule myself and how I feel out of the mix. I have been stressed about lots of things in my life and I can't quite seem to get a firm grip on them or let go completely so that I don't have anxiety. This is not like me! I typically can let go.

Please pray for me, that I would be still and listen to God's voice and that I would take care of myself, mind, body and soul! I need to find a stress-reliever, like working out that I love to do! What that is, I don't know yet. God has me in a "holding" pattern and I haven't figured out what he is teaching me. Pray also that I would love others, EVEN WHEN IT'S HARD! I know he is teaching me about this with work. I have some ideas about what I want to do this summer, but I am not sure how to pull it off yet. Pray for creative clarity! :)

I don't get to keep in touch with friends as much as I would like, but know that I love you all and miss seeing you!

Yay Ryan

Just wanted to write and let everyone know that Ryan got offered the graduate assistant ship for this upcoming Spring! We are so excited, but don' t know much details. I know that he will be working 20 hours at NIU like I did and school will be paid for!!! I am so proud of Ryan and what he is accomplishing during his time at Northern. Thanks and praise go to God as well for providing for us, again and again!

Yay!!!

Food and Finances

I am trying a new "diet" out. My body has been out-of-control recently, with gaining and losing weight plus mood swings and just feeling really tired ALL the time and personally, I am sick of feeling less than great! So I bought a new book, Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels, yes the Biggest Loser trainer and I love it!

The diet talks about getting rid of all the JUNK that we eat as Americans and getting back to nutrition our bodies recognize. I am amazed at all the bad things that go into our food nowadays and that Americans are okay to just take what is given to us. No wonder people are so overweight and struggle so much with medical bills. I don't have much to complain about, but I am one of those people that can't lose the last 15 pounds and I have several hormone imbalances that throw my system out of whack. I want to change that by changing what I eat!

So today I went to Trader Joe's for the selection of organic veggies and meats available there. Plus I am trying to cut out the high fructose corn syrup and other preservatives we eat daily. Ryan is skeptical about the change, but trying his best to be supportive. I hope that he will see the benefits to changing his diet too. I care about health and well-being like he cares for living debt free. Where I would be okay if we took out money for a car, he would not - that's cheating to him and "unhealthy" for our family; which is exactly how I feel about ingesting all the stuff that normal Americans do all the time. If you eat those foods, you are being unhealthy for yourself and your family. I hope that we can support each other in what we are passionate about and be better for it!

Wish us luck in finding a common ground to thrive on and pray for the strength to resist the temptations of the world. Pray that this would be a beginning to changing our family legacy for food and finances; that Ryan and I would compliment each other's passions and grow through the process.

Holy Is He

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord Almighty!

I am truly blessed. God has given grace, mercy, and peace to me through his son, Jesus Christ, but because he loves me so much, he looks on me with love and continues to bless beyond what I deserve.
Life is crazy right now; some days I wake up in a fog and can't remember what day it is. (Seriously, that happened both Sat. and Sunday this weekend. And the worst part about it is, I wake up at 3:15am and think, "Ryan is late getting up!" So I start talking, asking what time his alarm is set for...and that's when his reply is, "I don't work until 8am." Whoops!)
Other days, I'm so exhausted mentally from work that I just sit and stare, but through all this, I find myself unable to contain a smile - I am joyful.
Ryan and I are being taught a lot about living for Christ right now. Not all of it is easy to learn - there is a lot of pride being beaten out of us! We looked at a house last weekend, which was super exciting to dream about our own space, but God knew to whisper to me to guard my heart. We got pre-approved for a loan, yay we can be trusted, and geared up to look. We had our eyes on a place not far from us now, but in the end, God told us NO as we walked around inside. The house needed a bunch of work and we decided that it wouldn't be intelligent to buy something and not have the money to fix things when they broke.
God has blessed us with humble quarters and has given me an attitude of thankfulness for them. We may be cramped, but we are free to save and make wise decisions about our financial future, with Christ's guidance.
In Youth Group, tons of things are changing, which is stressful. But I love serving there more than ever! I am totally filled by the energy in that place. The students are amazing; It's funny how God has refreshed my joy in that ministry, all I had to do was ask. He is so Holy!
My job is tough and I am being pulled in so many directions, but I smile and laugh all the time. It is such a wonderful feeling to enjoy where God has placed me right now.
I honestly can say that my joy and positive attitude are because Christ is my Lord, my King, my Rock, my Strength, my Salvation, my Peace, my Giver of Life! Thank you, Thank you!

Times are hard, but Christ calls us to, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
- Matthew 11:29-30

27...28...what does life have in store?

Ryan and I are turning one year older in a couple of days. Birthdays are one of my favorite holidays...well other people's birthdays are anyway. My family always held great gatherings that celebrated the person's life and as I get older, I try to create that feeling for other people I love and cherish in my life. It's strange to have birthdays away from my family because it always feels different, not that I don't enjoy the day and who I'm with or what I am doing, its just hard to give up the feeling of being surrounded by EVERYONE in your family. This is one of those life changes that I struggle with sometimes. It's been 9 years away from Louisville and each birthday just doesn't feel the same as when you are surrounded by all the people you grew up with, but I have a wonderful husband who knows me better than anyone and always tries to create that feeling for me.

This year August has come too fast! It does not feel like my birthday should be one day away! I can't believe I will be 27...I am not where I thought I would be in life, with 2 kids, a house, the dream of a 4-runner and all the other wants I had at 20, but I wouldn't trade how life is going and what I am learning! Not to say that I don't want those things, I do, but I have enjoyed the process of struggling and getting to hold onto my husband and to God through the rough patches. Ryan and I may be busy and not get to see too much of each other, with working 10 hour days, 3am wake-up calls, homework, and many other things going on, but we do stop to check on each other and talk. I love how we stay on the same page and that God guides each of us to the same spot individually. It's so amazing to see Him work in our lives.

What are my prayers for this next year?

That we would be healthy and God would care for our bodies as we are faithful in caring for them. I have begun to pray for discipline in losing a few pounds and eating healthy to prepare my body for pregnancy. Not that we are trying yet, but I just want to create the best possible environment within my body for when that day comes.

I am praying for my job, that I would work for Christ every day and treat all people I come in contact with, enjoyable or not, with love and respect. And that I would not continue the cycle of gossip that is present in this world!

I am praying that I will be a better friend, sister and daughter. That I would remember to take time to call, write notes, listen, pray, hangout and be involved in the lives of the people that mean so much to me.

I praise God for the provisions he gives us daily and continue to pray that I would use them wisely. I pray that I would be a wife that creates an environment of safety, love, comfort, and warmth for my husband and all that come into our home. I also pray that I would be a faithful steward of the money that we have been blessed with.

Pray that Ryan would hold steadfast in his job at UPS with the hope that January will bring a new chapter in his career as a student. I am so proud of his diligence and passion about accounting and finance. It brings a smile to my face to know that he loves what he is studying! I am blessed as a wife!

Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported us along the way! We are so blessed to have you in our lives. I can't wait to see what 27 and 28 has to offer Ryan and me!