Vegas baby!

Luke, Carol, Rick, and I went to Vegas last weekend (thurs-Sunday) for Ramsey and Heather Strubes wedding! We stayed at THe Hotel in Mandalay Bay. It was fabulous! However, Luke and I had a hard time recovering from the time change, late nights...etc! When we go on vacation, we don't like to sit around and rest...we like to go and 'see and do'. We gambled a little but not much. We shopped, walked around other holets, visited with our friends, hung out by the gorgeous pool/beach at hotel, ate out, saw a concert and enjoyed all the wedding festivities! We even got to relax at the spa, swedish massages and sugar scrub! The wedding and reception were beautiful and extremely fun! The reception was in the foundation room at Mandalay Bay over looking the entire Vegas strip! One of the most unique receptions! I'll post pics soon!

janjan, Lucy Burrows, papaw, and Grammy stayed home with the babies and Hannah! also, Hannah spent the night with the Fites! We are so thankful for our babysitters so we could enjoy some time away!

We are looking forward to another vegas trip in February for a dealers convention! Yay!

Crawling babies...and pulling up

Ella is 100% crawling everywhere! Jake is pushing up on all fours and rocking, it won't be long for him. (I want him to stay 'put' actually but it probably won't happen). Our life is extremely busy ..even more so now! I can't leave them alone (on the floor) for 2 seconds! No more 'pallet' time. I am researching baby gates and trying to figure out what we can do to insure their safety, and my sanity. Hannah has really been good about making sure we dont drop little things on the floor, like hair clips, or bands, etc.
I have more help help now, and i am so thankful! Ms Lupe helps us three days a week. I am able to pick Hannah up from school, attend field trips, lunch dates with hubby, grocery shop, SHOP etc. Papaw williams helps a lot in the evenings before Luke gets home and Janjan comes one or two days a week. Then, Carol, Rick and Katie and keres help on the weekends. Also, Lucy, Gran, Papa, Sara, BB, Jessica, and Audra are great help too! I am feeling a lot less overwhelmed! The babies can stick to their routine since I have someone helping every day during the week. It makes a huge difference! ;).
Baby Gray Dudley was born on Oct. 8. I visited them in Plano on Tuesday, without kiddos, and I made a few stops along the way! It was so nice! Thank you, lupe!
Luke and I are headed to Vegas next Thursday for Ramsey and Heathers wedding! I am soooo excited! I will be very ready to come home but we all need a little break!

Baptism

The baby baptism was beautiful! We welcomed 24 family members and friends to witness the baptism. Then, everyone came over for a picnic lunch/reception on our back porch!  Luke wrote a testimonial titled "Growing in Faith through Miracles."  Brother Chuck read the testimonial before the baptism.  I don't think there was a 'dry eye' in the church.  It was extremely powerful and described our spiritual growth over the past few years.  I wanted to share....

"I can still remember walking into my first off-season workout at Texas A&M in the spring of 1999.  As I was standing there with the other freshman, there was no lack of self confidence – until the Strength & Conditioning Coach came in and turned our world upside down.  He proceeded to tell us that he was getting ready to break us down – physically tear our bodies down to a point where they had never been – and rebuild us into Championship Caliber athletes.  He told us it would only work if we were committed to the program and for us to believe that there was a method to his madness.  I have thought much about Coach Clark’s words over the past year.

A year ago, I thought I had the bull called “Life” by the horns.  Tasa and I had just received news that we were expecting triplets.  I had it all - a beautiful wife, a lovely daughter, a stable job – a now triplets.  Talk about a Grand Slam.  We had it all under control – An All-American life in the beginning stages.

But on October 21, 2011, we quickly learned we weren’t in control.  It was during a routine visit to the doctor in Dallas that we discovered our babies were in jeopardy.  Tasa was beginning to show signs of labor, and the babies were only 18 weeks along.  If they were born, they would not be viable.  The doctor was very frank with us, the odds were not good.  Only a 5% chance we could make it to a gestational age where the babies would have a chance.

Talk about being “broke down.”  I can remember looking out the window up to the heavens and thinking, “This isn’t how I had it planned.”  Then it dawned on me – we weren’t in control.  It was not our fault, it wasn’t anything we did – it was God’s will – part of His plan.  We prayed in the hospital that night for grace and peace in the days to come.  And, we prayed for a miracle if it was in His will.

Two days later, at home, Tasa went into labor.  We rushed to the hospital, and 30 minutes after we arrived, the doctor came to tell me that Andrew had been born.  She then told me that only Andrew had been born, and that Ella and Jake still looked good.  Could it be?  Was it possible?  Then I could hear the words in my head – “Do you still have no faith?  With God all things are possible.”

This was the point where I began to feel myself being “rebuilt in Faith.”  I found comfort and peace when I relinquished control and gave it up to God.  We fell on Jesus, and he caught us.

Over the next 4 months, Tasa and I felt the presence of Angels around us.  She was on complete bed rest, and I was attempting to play Mom.  But our friends, family, and church family – our God sent Angels - were never far away.  As our faith grew, our anxious feeling began to subside.  We believed God had a plan, and wherever it took us, we were going to be OK.

At one point during a visit with our doctor, he told us that there was no medical reason why Tasa was still pregnant.  He went on to say that he wasn’t our Pastor, but he could be after witnessing the miracle that we were living.

So it was on February 10, 2011 that our miracles arrived.  We have been blessed beyond belief, and we are so thankful to God.  Not only are we thankful for our precious babies, but we are thankful to Him for spiritually rebuilding us through our ordeal – our off-season workout.  Once we committed to the program and believed there was a method to the madness, He allowed us to grow exponentially in Faith.  And for that, we will forever be grateful."