St. Louis Arch via the Metro

I'm backtracking a little with this post, but it's a worthy post...

After being here for two weeks, we decided to go to the Arch. Now, we were all tired and worn out from house hunting and just the hustle and bustle of arriving in a new town, but we (G and I) decided we could handle it! We hopped on the Metro (I do mean hopped on; it was pretty easy to figure out compared to trying to ride the train in Korea). It was about a 20 minute ride, stopping right at the arch. It was a nice day, but we just didn't take into consideration the tiredness of the kiddos! Stay tuned for the rest of the story...

Here we are boarding the metro

Baby J and Mama wearing their cool shades

Isn't this gorgeous?? I should be making money for this shot

G and the kids at the base of the Arch. This is about the time everyone started falling apart, and I do mean pretty much everyone! Jordan and Jannah got really upset because we decided not to go up to the top, due to the wait time. I got mad, because my oldest son would NOT cooperate for anymore pics. Greg, well he was just trying to stay calm...he had to try, since no one else was!

Most of us had regained our composure here...you might notice that Jordan isn't in the picture...he was still not so, um... happy.

baby J lost in the grass...have I mentioned how much we are all enjoying the grass?

After visiting the Arch, we decided to go downtown to eat. Even though everyone was tired, we had to eat supper! So, we found the Old Spaghetti Factory and put our name on the waiting list, and started waiting for 45 minutes to an hour. That's exactly what you should do when you have three tired kids and two worn out adults...don't you agree? So, guess what we did, we found something else to occupy their minds and ours too! We went on a carriage ride, all to the tune of 15 minutes for 45 dollars...we were desperate. No, seriously, it was fun and we all enjoyed it!

This was a view of the arch from the metro station, as we were waiting to go back home...with super sleepy kids, who all fell asleep within minutes of moving. The best part was getting them all off the train and to the car, as they were totally OUT!

Have I ever mentioned that I'm crazy about this man? By the way, Jannah was our photographer here, she'll be happy take your pics for you when you're ready, for a small fee!

Jordan's Big Day

Jordan and Michael (we call them Michael Jordan)

Upon moving here, I was in prayer about a preschool for Jordan. I really hoped to find a christian atmosphere with the option of 2 or 3 days. God's faithfulness has been so real to me recently. He has answered my prayers, again... exactly. Our church, First Baptist O'Fallon, has a super program, called Creation Kids. Jordan goes to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 930-230. He was excited to go today, and when I picked him up, he told me that he "really liked it!" I was so pleased and thankful all in one. I had worried about him adjusting and being away from me. I started to cry today; starting school, even preschool means my big boy is growing up, which means my time with him will be less! That's hard, but I know that this is what Jordan needs right now. His new buddy, Michael is in his class, so Jordan is really excited about school. Micheal's dad and Greg work together and we have spent some time with their family, they are already tight! Here are Jordan's first day shots!

"Funnest Day Ever"

These were the words from Jannah's mouth about her second day of 1st grade (the first day was all of 2 hours long, so she didn't have time to for much fun). At any rate, I still can't believe she's 6 years old and that she's a first grader; I suppose I will say that as every year passes. Why is it so hard to get a grip on time and accepts that time truly does fly by? Yesterday I was looking back in my scrapbooks, it seems like just yesterday she was a toddler; now she's a big girl who picks her own clothes out, brushes her own hair and makes her own bed! Before I start to cry, I should move on! She was happy as could be on her first day. She has already made a friend, Sophie. They sit next to each other in class, Jannah told me they didn't leave each other, they did everything together. Sophie's mom invited us to the park yesterday; turns out they live in our neighborhood (an answer to prayer) and they are a military family from Georgia! I know God "handpicked" Jannah and Sophie to be friends. Here are the first day shots... of my big girl, who had the funnest day ever.

Daddy's girl

I just love this girl...

O'Fallon at a glance...

Not only have we been unpacking, but we've been having FUN too!

There's a really nice park we visited with the Watts'. The main attraction for the kids was feeding the ducks, too bad it was sooo hot, or else we cold have stayed there all day!

Jamison looks like he's having a stand-off, he was thrilled to see the "duckies"

Obviously these geese/ducks get fed all of the time, they aren't at all afraid to get it right our of your hand, as Jordan found out

Coming from Korea, which did not offer much grass to run and play in, I appreciate more than ever fields of grass and farmland. The beauty of O'Fallon is that there's farmland and 1/2 mile later you're in the "city" where everything is. I love the combination :)

Just rockin' at Cracker Barrel after supper one night

Swinging at the park on Scott AFB, this is one of Jamison's favorite things to do!

Corn, anyone? Cornfields are EVERYWHERE; and it is soo yummy. We all think this is the best corn, I could eat it every day.

Can I just make an observation here? Look at these two pictures. Is it asking too much for everyone to cooperate for the camera at the same time? I've just about decided that I am going to have to accept that it's rare to get everyone to smile simultaneously, and that's hard for me. I love to take pictures, but I find myself getting mad with my subjects (aka, the kiddos) too often, all because I can't get the "perfect" shot. Last night, I read a friend's blog, Michele over at Wonderful World of the Wingertsahns, and she was talking about being stressed out; she saw a bumper sticker that said, TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED. I was encouraged to let this five word phrase be my new outlook, especially about the little things in life that I tend to get stressed out over...for example, getting that perfect shot! I think my husband will appreciate this, as well as my kiddos, and of course God.

4th of July

What fun we had. The day started with doing tye dye shirts, I think that shall become a family tradition! We grilled hot dogs for lunch and spent the day by the pool, it was super hot! For dinner, we all went out to our longtime friends, Troy and Pam's house. After a fine meal, we headed off to see the fireworks; while there we ate homemade ice cream that Mama had made, it was sooo good! Needless to say, we were all very tired after so much fun with family and friends.

Troy and Greg

my love and I

Shara and Pam

Jordan, Grandma and Jannah

Jordan with his sparkler; I remember loving these as a kid!

Jamison and Gamma; he was amazed at every firework he would point and say, "SKY"

Summer Lovin'

This is my attempt at catching up on not blogging for 2 months! Here are some pictures from seeing our family in Georgia!

my sweet boys

Jannah and Grandma

chillin' in the pool with Gamma

Grandma & the kiddos

cousins wearing make-up

Gampa and the J's by the pool

Jannah and Gamma (after getting her ears pierced...yes, she is thrilled to be wearing earrings!)

Jordan, Jamison and Drake (my nephew)

me, Mama and my sister, Lori

What's going on around here?

Well, that's a big question! Seems there's a little bit of everything going on. So here's the scoop on us: After a nice visit with our families, we made the journey to Illinois. We have been in O'Fallon Illinois for almost a month now. We did a marathon house search (looked at 15 in one day) and found a perfect home for us; we've been in the house for two weeks now. We are thrilled with our pick, there are many kids to play with and we have some very nice neighbors (some of whom are military as well). The kids are most excited about new friends, our neighborhood pool and the ice cream truck that comes around at about 7:30, EVERY night! Our days are filled with unpacking boxes, oh yes...fun times! We have already done some sightseeing and fun things, I will post pics and catch up later. We visited the First Baptist Church here in O'Fallon and we already like it, alot! It's a large church with many opportunities to be involved and again, it seems to be just what our family needs. I have prayed about some very specific things in regards to settling down here and God is faithfully answering them. There are several cities that make up the area, and they all run into each other. We have lots of shopping, parks to visit and restaurants in our area, not to mention all that there is to do in St. Louis. Want me to share a secret with you? I already like it here, my heart feels at home, and the area seems to be a perfect fit for our family. We have met new friends, ran into some old friends from previous bases and looking forward to some friends moving here in September. It seems like such a small military world now that "we" have been in for a while. Am I rambling? Sorry. Back to my point of the post...Greg is settling in at work, still trying to get processed in and all the paperwork finished. This is going to be a nice change of pace for him, not nearly as stressful, demanding and hectic as his job in Korea; we're both looking forward to this change. Jannah is going to be starting school August 14th, she is super excited. Jordan will be going to the preschool at our church 2 days a week, I think he's going to really like it...he's not sure about it right now. Jamison, well, he'll be stuck with me! And for me, I am doing well. Thank you again for all of the prayers. God is so good and I am thankful that He is my sustaining grace.

10 Years Ago...

I married the man of my dreams. Little did I know, I would love him stronger and deeper today than I did back then. Oh, I loved him 10 years ago, in fact I was smitten with him, I really thought he was perfect! The beautiful thing about it is that I know now he's not perfect (neither am I), but I love him just as he is. I'm amazed every day at our relationship and how God has made our marriage so strong and how He has taught us how to love each other in a selfless manner.

Here's our love story: Greg was stationed at Moody AFB in Valdosta Georgia back in 1997-1999. While there, he attended the church that my family attended (the same one I grew up in). We were both in the college/singles singles group, and were around each other in a group setting all the time. As time passed, I found that I was drawn to him. He was a godly man, one who trusted God and followed him; he was a kind and generous man; he was a leader and very compassionate. To top it off, I thought he was a hottie! We started spending more time together, but we we were still just friends. In October of 1998, I started praying that God might have a future for Greg and I, or that he would take away the feelings for him that had found their way into my heart. As a couple of months passed, I was sure that he was the one for me; but Greg had obviously not gotten that message! In February of 99, Greg shared with me that in June, he would be moving to Spokane Washington. I was so sad, I was starting to believe that nothing was going to happen, and I would have to settle for a friendship with the man that I wanted to marry. I was falling for him more and more. I wanted to believe that he was falling for me to, due to the amount of time we were spending together, even though we were just friends! In April, after being at Greg's house, with some other friends, he called me as I was heading home; it wasn't uncommon, we talked all the time. After being on the phone for a few minutes, he said he wanted to ask me to pray about something. I said okay. The words that came out of his mouth shocked me....he said we should pray about what the Lord might have for US. Us, he really used that word. I told him of course I would pray; little did we know, for the last 6 or so months, we had separately been seeking God's plan and praying for wisdom concerning us. So, the next weekend, we had our first date. Finally, it was just he and I; it was a great night, and I must say that I KNEW he was the one for me. From then on, we were together every day, and we spent a lot of time talking about us and our desires for the future. Four weeks after Greg asked me to pray about our future, he proposed to me; my answer was YES! We dated for a short time, but we both knew the outcome, because we had already been friends for a year and we had been praying about it long before Greg had mentioned it to me. Greg has always said his big hang up was our age difference...he's 11 1/2 years older than me...that seemed like a lot when he was 32 and me 20 (our ages when we married). In June, Greg left GA to go to Washington, he would be stationed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane. While he was getting settled, I was planning the wedding and counting down the days until I would see him again. On July 24th, 1999 we said I do; I thought our wedding day was perfect and beautiful. Greg surprised me with a cruise to the Bahamas for our honeymoon, after a one night stay in a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine that I had always thought was a romantic place. Eight days after we married, we made the move to Spokane WA. Greg had already been living there, so he had our first home set up for us. I think the best thing for us is that we were in a new place, just the two of us. We learned to rely on each other and establish a friendship that has turned into best friends with one another.

Thank you to my dear husband for 10 sweet years, I love you more than words can say, and look forward to growing old with you. Thank you for your commitment to me and our family, you are my knight in shining armor.

Heaven

Heaven, let me tell you about the last week in my life and why I start out with the word heaven.

On June 22, I went for a routine 26 week OB appointment while here in Georgia (I had planned on seeing the doctor a couple of times, due to the length of time we would be in GA, before heading to Illinois). During my visit, I told the doctor that I was a little concerned, because I felt like my baby wasn't very active. Seconds later, he put the doppler on my stomach to hear the heartbeat, and after a few minutes of trying, he didn't find one. Of course, I was scared to death, and I know that at 26 weeks, that's just not normal or okay. He walks me down the hall to have an ultrasound, I am alone and scared, and in my heart, I know this isn't good. I start praying for peace and strength, because I know that I'm about to face something really difficult, that I could never face without my God. The tech performed the ultrasound, and within less than a minute, she says she will be back with the doctor. Again, I am in tears and crying out to God for help. My doctor walks in and tells me that my baby is no longer living; she has been dead for 2-3 weeks. I was in shock, and beside myself with sorrow and agony and so many questions. I wanted him to be wrong; not my baby, she was okay just four weeks ago. More than anything, I ached for my husband (who was thousands of miles away) to be by my side; I can't go through this without him, we are one.
My mom was called; she and my dad came to me very quickly. They were the first ones that I shared this difficult news with; I'm so thankful they were there to hold me, and cry with me. The doctor discussed some things with us, and then we left. It was so strange, because my world had been rocked with such sad news, but the sun was still shining, and other people were going about with their daily lives and routines.
I called Greg, he was just starting his Tuesday morning, it was 6:00 am; he had been for a run and was so chipper. I wished so badly that I didn't have to tell him that our baby girl had passed away. In our 10 years of marriage, this is the most tragic time we've shared. Greg was in just as much shock as I was. There we sat on the phone separated by such a distance, but grieving together. Greg told me we needed to contact the American Red Cross; in situations like these, the process of getting home would be expedited with their help. My mom started making phone calls, and I prayed. We needed to be together, and the sooner, the better. Within a few hours, Greg was notified of his flight time, which was Tuesday night 6:00 pm. He had a few hours to get things taken care of in Korea, before he would board the bus to head to the airport. Things moved so quickly, for that I was and am still thankful.
From the time he arrived home, until now, it has been so crazy; the last week seems like a blur to both of us. We have walked down a path that neither one of us planned to take, but God was not surprised. I find comfort and hope in Him. He has given us a peace, and even though we don't understand why our baby never lived in this world, we trust him and we believe that "in all things, God works for the good of those who love him." Romans 8:28
On Thursday, June 25, we went to the hospital so that I could be induced. I had at this point cried and prayed, and knew that God would get me through this time, I certainly didn't have it in myself to get through this. Greg was by my side through it all. On June 26th, 18 hours after being induced, our baby girl, Josianne Gabrielle entered this world. It was so sad. She should have cried, but she didn't. She should have been bigger, instead, she was so tiny and fragile. She should have been alive, but she wasn't. We held her and cried over her. We were in shock, but at the same time, we knew this was real. The time in the hospital was not easy, in fact, many tears were shed there. And when I was released, sadness hit me hard that I was leaving the hospital, without Josianne. No mama plans to have her baby and then leave without her.
I should share with you that there were so many prayers on our behalf and we knew it. Although this journey is not easy, God's strength has made it possible and has given both Greg and I the courage to face each new day. I like Psalm 147:3, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Indeed, He is healing us.
Greg and I chose to have a very private memorial service for Josianne. Her body was precious to us and we wanted to take care of her with dignity, love and respect. On June 29th, we buried our sweet Josianne. My childhood pastor, who actually married us, officiated the service. It was so sweet and we were very encouraged. Josianne is in heaven and we will see her again. Yes, there will be days ahead that I miss her and mourn her loss. I'll think about what she might have looked like. I will always wish I could have known her and watched her grow up with her sister and brothers. But, I will always know that she's in a glorious place and that I will be with her and know her in that perfect place, where there's no pain or tears...Heaven.

My dear family and friends, thank you for your words of encouragement and for your prayers and the tears you have shed with me. I love you all, and I want you to know that God will carry us through this valley. "Be strong and take courage, do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord, your God is with you, where ever you go." Joshua 1:9

An Update

Just two weeks ago we said goodbye to Korea and after a long, long flight, we said hello to America. It was a bittersweet day, and I do miss Korea; but, we are having fun and adjusting to life. We have seen lots of family and friends, spent time in the pool, ate out at some of the places we missed, I have shopped, the kids have enjoyed the yard and VBS...we are busy! I'll blog more later, but I figured I should post something so that you all would know we made it to the US and we are doing well! Greg will be leaving Korea in 2 weeks, and then we will make our way to Illinois; not long after we get settled, we'll be having #4...looking forward to the new chapter in our lives and the plans God has for us in IL!!!