Welcome Baby Abigail!

It's a girl!!! A healthy baby - our sweet baby Abigail. We chose Abigail because it is a Hebrew name which means "Father's Joy". We know that she will be a joy to both her father and I, but it is also our prayer that her life will be a Joy to our Heavenly Father.



Drew and I are so excited to have such a blessing in our lives and pray that we will be Godly parents. We have started reading, "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp which was given to us by the pastor at the church we are attending (and I highly recommend it for my friends with children). Reading through it makes me realize more and more the wonderful yet daunting responsibility we are taking on.

I have been feeling great and loving the energy that comes with the 2nd trimester. Baby Abigail is quite an active one - kicking away since 16 weeks! Drew can feel it from my tummy which is wonderful. I am 21 weeks! Over half way there! I have been doing my prenatal pilates (thanks Tamzen and Amy for the DVD's!) which is helping with some of the back aches I'm starting to experience. I have a feeling the aches have just begun....


Here are some more pictures of my growing belly:

On another note, we are LOVING our new home! After 2+ months here it is starting to feel like home! Drew and I still act like newlyweds - loving living together after our 7 months apart. I am so enjoying the slow paced "country" life. We spend much of our time on our front porch, eating breakfast or having chats. Drew's sister, Mary, came to visit this week and here we are enjoying some good 'ole Blue Bell Ice cream.



Even though we're in the country, there is never a lack of excitement! The elk have rubbed their velvet off so every so often now I'm interrupted from working in my office by the sound of antlers clanking together - only to go out and see the elk fighting with each other! They put on quite a show. Last week Drew and I were of course spending time on the porch and the Gemsbok (an African species) was chasing all of the big elk off in quite a frenzy. He patrolled the are by the house for hours with his sharp horns keeping the elk at bay! Here is the ferocious guy (click the picture to enlarge it). This is the view to the left of our front porch:



Then there is the hawk that has been diving in the much receded pond for anything he can find....he scored a few days ago with a tiny snake from the front yard! That's one thing I could have done without seeing!! Ah...the excitement of country life! Don't worry Rookie patrols the yard and keeps all of the fierce squirrels away:



We have found a church that we are loving, Grace Bible Church. They are so solid in their focus on studying God's word and are a wonderful community of believers. Since the first day we visited we have felt warmly accepted and have started making some wonderful friends there. We feel very blessed to be apart of a genuine group of believers.

We also explored the local Drive-in-movie this past week with Drew's sister, Mary, and it was a blast! Come visit us and we'll take you to Gatesville main attractive - the drive -in! We saw, My Sister's Keeper - quite a tear jerker.





Well that has been our past month or so. Now I'm off to more nursery ideas! My dear friend Amy came over today and we spent the morning concocting the most wonderful whimsical, outdoor inspired nursery! I can't wait to start working on it....I'll keep you updated with pictures!

We appreciate each of you & are so glad you're apart of our lives.
Love,
Jessica and Drew

First Trimester Pics :)

I think this is the ONLY time that women are proud of their big bellies! :) My creative sister made this cute collage for me - thanks Lauren!! I'm slightly apprehensive to share this as several have asked me if I'm having twins and continue to remark on how big my belly is....not completely appropriate comments for any pregnant woman!

Baby on board!

Move over Rookie....

We are so excited to announce that we are having a baby! We are looking forward to this new stage in our lives and this tiny blessing growing inside of me. I don't feel very tiny however! I am almost 13 weeks and our doctor says I'm very healthy and everything is going great. Drew was still in the academy for my first ultrasound, so my good friend Amy Busti went with me and we got to see the little one. It was so amazing! Drew and I went back this Monday to the doctor and heard the heart beating strong and clear. Only 6 more weeks until we find out what the sex is - it's going by so fast! I LOVE my doctor at Scott and White - Dr. Sulak. For those of you who have heard about it, she wrote the "worth the wait" abstinence curriculum for the Texas school districts. I am so glad that we were stationed close by and I was able to stay with her. My due date is Jan. 2nd which is great (deer season will almost be over for Drew :) and I don't have to endure this Texas heat with a big belly. We went kayaking today on the Colorado River and I thought I was going to die from the heat - I can't imagine being a lot further along in the summer.

With my first trimester almost behind me, I am starting to feel great. I was pretty tired which is aggravating when I'm used to being super productive! (my sister-in-law, Mandy, who helped me pack up and my mom who practically did all of my unpacking in our move 2 weeks ago know how unproductive and tired I was!) Thanks for your help - I couldn't have done it without you guys! Fortunately I didn't have any "morning sickness" - just some nausea...but that is starting to wane too. My growing appetite is not waning however! I am so surprised by how hungry I am!! I am trying to stay fit and exercise as well as eat healthy....

Thank you for celebrating in this good news with us! I am sure I was post more often now with news of the little one. We are thankful to the Lord for this incredible blessing and pray that we will be parents who are examples of Christ to our child.

Much Love,
Jessica & Drew

It's Official! He's a Game Warden

This post is 2 weeks late - but better late than never :) It's been a whirlwind moving, unpacking and getting settled in. Two weeks ago today Drew became an official Texas Game Warden! He has worked so hard and he is already such a wonderful warden. He comes home from work just grinning like a child in a toy store - he is absolutely loving his job!

The graduation was at the capitol and here is Governor Rick Perry pinning his badge on:


Drew had the honor of saying the invocation at graduation. It was such a great prayer that I wanted to share it with you all:

Father,

Thank you for seeing us safely through to this day. We are humbled by all that You have done for us in the past seven months and look forward to the time ahead as we prepare to begin our service. Thank you for the instruction and teaching that we have had during this period of our lives and for the time and effort given by all of those who have led us. We are also extremely grateful for our families. It is through their sacrifice and dedication that we are able to be here today. We also want to honor those who have served before us, especially those who have given their lives in this service. Help us to always remember them and honor them by the things we do, with the understanding that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

Psalm 104 says, “How many are Your works oh Lord. In wisdom You made them all. The Earth is full of Your creatures.”. Lord, for seven months we have been training our minds and bodies for this day and stand before You now, willing and ready to serve in the protection of Your creation.

We pray for several things today, Lord.
That you would watch over us as we serve through long days.
That you would guide us through the dark nights.
That you would protect us in times of danger.
That you would give us strength against our enemies and
Give us wisdom in making the many decisions that we will face.

May our integrity be beyond reproach and our behavior always without question.

Help us to remember that You are our fortress and strength and that through You we can never be shaken.

May we always strive to be, both servants and warriors, in the protection of Your creation and for the people and the state of Texas.

In Jesus name we pray,
Amen

The 54th Game Warden Class and supervisors:


Celebrating!


Drew's parents, brother - John Michael and grandparents were able to come and celebrate his graduation with us! To view all the pictures of this big day, click here:

Our New Home!

The countdown is on! Well, it's been for 7 months now...but our time apart is finally coming to a close! Drew has 1 week left in the academy. We have gotten to our explore our new area, Coryell Co. and we are so excited about moving there and seeing what God has in store for us. Some of the Game Wardens referred a place for us to rent - an awesome log cabin on a wild game ranch! We are both so excited about living there and really enjoy the landowners. I think it's going to be a great place for us. For family and friends who have been asking for it, below are some videos of the cabin and place. We are hoping to move in 1 1/2 weeks...which means I really should be packing right now :) I am looking forward to settling in and making this cabin our home.

Here's a video of the outside of the cabin...the lawn really needs work, so just ignore that :)



Look at the little elk that came up to the backyard - so cute!!



Last video - this is of inside the house for all family and friends who have wanted to see it. I can't wait to get in and make it our home. You can see it here on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6eomIMkM7Q

We feel so very blessed and thank the Lord for providing such a wonderful place to live and work!

Our new station!

As many of you know, we found out where Drew is stationed!! We are going to Coryell County which is west of Waco.



We drove through there this past weekend and the area is just beautiful - lots of character to the land. Rolling hills, creek bottoms with pecan trees, grassy field with big oaks trees. A beautiful mix between the post oak savannah area of Texas and the hill country. We will still be fairly close to our beloved hill country.

We also had the privilege of meeting Drew's co-workers and Captain at a kid-fish event this past weekend. While Coryell is a single warden co (meaning Drew works by himself) these are his co-workers in surrounding counties. Everyone was so welcoming!

A great blessing is that it is only 45 minutes - 1 hour from where we are now and it's only 3 hours from each of our families. We were really nervous that we would be put on the border - which is pretty dangerous right now. My heart goes out to those wardens and their families that were placed there. We knew that God has a purpose for wherever we would be placed and could completely trust in His will. We are excited to discover what purpose He has for us in Coryell.

The main city in Coryell is Gatesville. Growing up in Huntsville, the prison capital of Texas, it seems like I can't get away from prison cities :)! The women's death row maximum security prison is in Gatesville!!



Here are a few other interesting facts:
Boasts the "last drive in movie theatre in Texas" and the largest spur collection in the world!



Part of the large Fort Hood base is in this county.
There are a 15 small towns throughout the county. You can click here for some interesting pics of them: http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/GatesvilleTexas.htm

We are in the midst of finding a place to live. Only 4 more weeks today until Drew graduates!! We cannot wait to live together again!

Thank you for all of your prayers, we'll keep you updated with pictures of our new county and new home.....once we find one :)

Dear Family & Friends,

It has been a while since I have written!

Drew and I are excited that our time apart is soon coming to a close. He has 2 1/2 more months left in the academy! Woo hoo! I can't WAIT to live with my husband again. We have wonderful times on the weekends, but it's still not the same. In early April we will be able to pick our top 3 choices for him to be stationed (doesn't mean that we'll get them) and late April we should know where we are going.

We have had a lot of change these past few months with moving, now moving again, living apart - a different season of our lives -- but the Lord has been very gracious and compassionate to us during this time. Time and time again, the Lord is reminding us to put out hope in Him - not our circumstances. Drew can't wait to be done with training and really start his job!

For our 4th anniversary (Jan. 22nd), our good friend Amy, took pictures of Drew and I -- she did an AWESOME job! You can check them out here:

Click on this link to see them all: Drew & Jessica's 4th Anniversary Pictures

As many of you know one of passions is nutrition & healthy eating. Some wonderful ladies, Lori Martin & Jacki Nyberg in Tallahassee taught me a lot (especially about the benefits of grinding your own grain) as did a wonderful nutritionist Krystal Gray. I believe and research shows so many illnesses and problems we experience can be helped or cured with eating whole foods & not processed foods. I LOVE experimenting in the kitchen and making healthy recipes. At the beginning of marriage and my experimentation things didn't always turn out ok...but Drew was always gracious!

Here's a compilation of some of my most recent creations:

Homemade Chicken pizza with fresh stone ground wheat

McDonald's Egg McMuffin has nothing on me! Fresh spelt biscuits with flax seeds, eggs and deer sausage


Yummy salad with roasted asparagus

I have learned so much and am continuing to learn a lot about nutrition -- if any of you have good books you'd like to recommend on nutrition, I'd love to read them. Luckily, Drew is as interested in healthy eating as I have become --- and he sure doesn't mind eating whatever I make (now that is)! I am SO excited about the yummy cake I made today that I had to share -- here is the receipe for anyone that wants to try it:

Carrot/Pineapple Cake

(I doubled this and it made 2 9" round cakes that I stacked and put icing inbetween)

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used fresh ground)
3/4 cup sugar (I used Sucanat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste - I like LOTS)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2/3 cup applesauce (I made mine with older apples I had in the fridge)
2 eggs (I used my mother-in-laws eggs from her chickens!)
1 cup finely shredded carrot
1/2 cup juice packed pineapple (with juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla

The cake is so healthy but it's the icing I used that KILLED it!

1 stick butter

1 pkg creme cheese

16 oz box of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

(I didn't make either of these recipes up, I found them online)

Well, I hope life is treating you and your family well. I encourage you as Drew and I are discovering more and more to rest your hope in Christ.

Much love,

Jessica