It's a boy!!!  WE are having a boy!  We are pretty excited about our new arrival.  I have had some complications with the pregnancy but so far so good.  I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa and some restrictions have been put in place, but otherwise no bed rest so I am still working Fulltime.  Riley is very happy it is a boy.  He was feeling very out numbered and was praying to heavenly father every night for it to be a brother.  It should be a very long summer being pregnant in the wilds of Florida, HOT!!! 

 17 1/2 weeks pregnant!

Baby Boy!  20 weeks...

Lots of stuff has gone on since my last post.  Riley was babtized in May, the kids spent the summer in Iowa with the Dad and the granparents.  Brian and I went to Georgia on vacation in August.  We got a new minivan.  lol- my poor car was sooo ready to bite the dust.  But it held on for a year and half and still had some life in it but we needed to buy something a little bigger, since our family is expanding.  We are expecting our 1st child together in September of 2013.  We are very excited. 

finding family...

My 21 yr old sister, Stephanie. Me, 31 yrs old. Trish, my bio mom. Ashley, 29 yrs old and Kristy, 35 yrs old sisters.





This last Sunday, April 1st to be exact I had the opportunity to meet my biological mom and my 3 sisters. We met up in Daytona Beach and had lunch together and just enjoyed each others company and the beach... I am so grateful that they were able to all come and visit and I hope to be able to continue being a part of their lives and having a relationship with them.

Late Honeymoon!

St. Augustine Beach, in front of our hotel.
At the top of the Anastasia Lighthouse, 219 steps later!
On the Pier in St. Augustine!
Anastasia Lighthouse from our cruise boat through the channel!


Brian and I got a chance to sneak away for our honeymoon last week, since my kiddos were in Iowa for Christmas Break. WE went back to St. Augustine, where Brian proposed and stayed in a hotel on the beach. 3 days of taking in the sites, walking on the beach (day and night) and playing in the waves! WE had a wonderful time and it was a great way for us to reconnect and take time for us as a couple! I love my husband!

I am Thankful!!!

I have so many things to be thankful for this year. It truly has been a wonderful year with a lot going on. So let's start off with just a few of my favorite things. I am thankful for my bio-grandmother and bio-sister being able to find me this summer. It has defiantly completed a chapter in my life that I was unsure would ever be solved. Now, I am excited to finally be able to meet these new people in my life in person! I am thankful for my children, and how they push me to be a better mom. I am thankful to my mom and dad and sister that I left back in Iowa and Minnesota! They are my support team and I love them very much! I am thankful for the new family that I married into. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for such a loving husband who makes me feel special even when I don't deserve it!!! I am mostly thankful to my heavenly father who made this all possible. Who continues to push me and hopefully one day I will do his plan some justice!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Busch Gardens...

I love how Riley is totally ignoring me to check out the map!
Just part of the family, monkey all the way!
Family photo for Fall...


The month of October was pretty busy for us! We are all about adventures down here! Since Brian works for Sea World we get access to the other parks, so we went to Busch Gardens for the day. Pretty awesome!!! Mckenzie is definitely my thrill seeker and would get very frustrated that she was to small to go on the roller coasters. Riley, on the other hand preferred the ground! I'm hoping one day he'll enjoy them! We got to see lots of cool animals too!

Camping in the wild...

The springs... about 72 degrees all the time! Crystal clear and gorgeous!

The coolest old tree we saw... They get so big!
The kids, all ready for the night.... guess they won't get lost!
The springs...


LOL- ok, when I imagine camping in the wilds of Florida, I imagine the swamps, tangling with alligators and maybe a bear or two! We took an adventure to the wild side in the Ocala National Forest last month. We stayed at the Salt Springs which was a gorgeous park. We didn't see any alligators but we did get a chance to see some wild turkeys and buzzards. Almost feed my kids to the buzzards but the biggest mosquitos you have ever seen got to them first, and well me too!