Happy Thanksgiving!

We...as a nation...are so blessed in so many ways. We...as a family...are unbelievably blessed as well. I pray our lives would be characterized by gratitude for all that God has given us...no matter what our circumstances may be. I have a long way to go.

Thank you, Lord, so much...for our sweet family and wonderful friends. Thanks for our home and all that you have given us. Thank you most of all for the incredible gift of Jesus. Thanks that you made a way for us to be called your children when you sent your Son to take our place on that cross and make us right with you. May we all understand the significance of that gift even more this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I love you.

Welcome Noel Isaac Pelton!

Our sweet little nephew was born last night, and both he and his mommy are doing well. Jeff, Brandon's brother, and Julia welcomed their second child into the world at a little after midnight Atlanta time. We are so excited he's here...and hope it won't be too long before we get to meet him. It is so hard sometimes living across the country from our family.

Check out their blog for more pictures of this sweet little thing.

GREAT JOB, Julia! We're really excited for you guys...and so grateful to God for the precious gifts that He has given to the world in your children. :-)

We love you!

Check this out!

We know some seriously gifted people.  PLEASE check out this video that some of our Cru students made.  They made it to promote Denver Christmas Conference...a week long, life-changing conference over Christmas break.  God has done unbelievable things in my life and in countless others through this event.  This year's conference will be my thirteenth.

Watch this video.  I guarantee you'll laugh plenty, and the more people that watch, the more votes they get for the video.  It is a contest, and there is money involved.  And we all know how much college students need money.

Scrapbook Pages

We've been home a lot, and Brandon is going to bed super early. So, I have had some time to do some pages for the scrapbooks that I will probably never complete.  I probably should have been cleaning or something, but this was more fun.  Also, for the last two nights, Caleb has gone to sleep without crying...and he has stayed in his bed!  This is quite out of the pattern of the last several weeks.  So, I am elated.  

One advantage of digital scrapbooking is that while no one besides family really ever looks at scrapbooks, these pages can be more easily shared...over the internet, in digital picture frames, etc.  I do have a goal to print them in a photobook eventually, but I have yet to even print a single page.  

Our Medical Updates

BRANDON UPDATE: 

Brandon's surgery went well yesterday.  We had some wonderful friends from church switch off babysitting our little man, and I got to spend most of the day at the hospital with him.  He was nauseous and dizzy from the anesthesia for a while yesterday, but he is doing better in that department.  Now, he is just really sore and has to sleep a lot.  Being immobile for long periods of time is not at good for preventing blood clots, so please do keep praying.  He hasn't been able to walk around as much as we thought he would. 

I don't think the doctor prepared us that well for how much he would need to recover from his surgery.  I had another impression entirely.  He will be out of commission for a while, I think.  

MANDY UPDATE: 

I think I had mentioned that I was supposed to go in for some fertility tests this week.  I cancelled them, and I am going to start in January.  Our insurance deductible is really high, and mine hasn't been touched this year.  So, I am going to wait a few weeks to allow the costs to go to my 2009 deductible...which will hopefully be finished off by the costs of pregnancy.  Si Dios quiere...  

Thanks for the notes, emails, texts, comments and calls.  We love our friends.

Brandon's Surgery

Right now, I am in the hospital waiting room, and Brandon is in surgery.  He is doing well, and he should be out in an hour or so.  Please pray he won't have any more blood clots as a result of the surgery.  We don't like blood clots.  As we were praying last night, Brandon thanked God again for the hernia...because he wouldn't have gone to the doctor about the pain in the leg. That pain turned out to be the blood clot, and we are so grateful that he went in for the hernia. We'll also be really grateful it's gone. 

We took some pictures on our computer while we were waiting. It was strange seeing him lying there in a hospital gown hooked up to an iv.  Thanks, Lord, so much for our good health. 

A Trip to the Zoo

Brandon's mom, Hope, has been in town since Thursday.  We have loved having her visit, and we will be sad when she leaves.  She is always so fun and easy to be around.  

Although we have read countless books about all kinds of animals, Caleb had never seen so many of them in real life.  So, we decided to spend Saturday afternoon at the El Paso zoo.  

My mom loves elephants, and so Caleb has a rocking elephant, an elephant pillow, and several elephant toys and books.  But, no scaled down model can prepare you for seeing the pure immensity of an elephant in real life.  

This was his reaction:

The sea lions were a fun surprise.  

And I really liked this guy. 

We were so impressed with the zoo, and it won't be long before we are back again. 

My Doctor's Appointment

I went to the doctor today to talk to her about my infertility.  We are going to start tests next week...a progesterone test to see if I am ovulating...and a few others. It was harder than I expected to sit there and discuss this with her.  I guess it was because it makes the problem more real. 

The Lord gave us an incredible child two years ago, and I believe he will bless us with another one again.  I am not exactly sure how He will do that...whether through getting pregnant or adoption...both wonderful options.  But, God is helping me to trust Him, and I am grateful for the opportunity to walk with Him on this journey.  

We really do appreciate your prayers.  Thanks, friends.  We love you. 

And as fears have risen in my heart, the Lord has continually been blessing me with amazing views of the moon and planets...our lovely sunsets...autumn...etc.  And, He keeps reminding me that He who created all this created me too...and He has our lives in His hands.  Thanks, Lord.