Sun River Part 2

Oops, I totally typed all this out and then lost it. >:(

This post goes with the pictures posted below! We had the privilege of going to Sun River last weekend for Christian's brother Levi's surprise 30th birthday party. We stayed in the most beautiful home with Levi's friends and family. His wife, Tiffany, had been planning this surprise for MONTHS and it was a huge success! Got some good games in, walks, and a few good drinks, too :)
Christian was also featured on Sean Hannity on Monday, November 15th. President George W. Bush was on doing an interview about his new book, and Christian was asked to go to New York to attend the taping. They did a special clip on Christian running with Bush (back in 2006), and a few other pictures. Bush wrote about us in his new book! (page 370 if anyone cares to look--there is also a pic!) Anyway, I wasn't able to go to the taping of the show because of the kids, but fortunately Christian's brother Levi was able to go. They had a blast, and Christian promised to take me back to NYC someday!
I've been thinking a lot this week about how thankful and grateful I am for my healthy, beautiful kids. I talked with a young mother in our office last week who had lost a son only an hour after he was born to spina bifida, and I found myself feeling great sorrow for her. As we talked, she held her second son, a 5 week old little boy (and a miracle). I then started thinking about how fortunate and blessed we were to have Brynne be born completely healthy and perfect after a series of discussions about how she might NOT be. There was serious concern for spina bifida, which was ruled out by ultrasound, but then there were concerns for Trisomy 18, which would have been fatal, then a malformed head, a cyst in her brain...the list goes on. This morning in church the opportunity was given to share in front of the congregation things that you are thankful for. It was a very casual, open mic time. I found myself squiggling in my seat and wanting so much to go up and say how thankful I am for my beautiful and healthy babies. They are sooo precious to me and God has laid that on my heart a lot lately. As I was considering it, Christian came walking down the aisle to the front of the church, holding Brynnie (he had been out walking her in the lobby and had not been next to me for about 25 minutes). He immediately explained how my pregnancy had been complicated and how we were given the choice to terminate it ("bail out" was the correct phrase used), and that I had quickly said that that was not an option for us. He talked about how thankful he was that we had let God lead us, that we had kept her, and thankful that she was healthy and precious and ours. I was struck with the sense that our story needed to be shared one way or another, and if I wasn't going to do it, God would put it on Christian's heart to do it! It was a really special moment to me to see him up there with our little baby girl, as healthy and as sweet as can be.
Anyway, it was really neat and my heart is feeling very full with love for my family, and love for God. I have found that I need to be more thankful and content for the gifts I have been given. We have two wonderful children and a happy marriage...a beautiful home being built for us by wonderful and caring people. I need to be reminded of the big picture very often lately and am trying to focus more on that and not so much on the details. As I learned from the young mother in our office last week, there is always someone watching and learning from us, whether we know it or not. So I am really working on being more positive and having a more thankful heart! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. :)

Sun River