Healing Field

 
 
  
Sean and I visited the Healing Field tonight after dinner. It is a memorial containing 2,998 American flags that each represent a person that was killed in the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. Tied to each flag is a yellow ribbon with a person's name and how they were killed that day. It was amazing to see all of these flags lined up creating such a huge field of flags. It was so amazingly sad. I am so proud to be an American tonight. Praying for all of the families of the people who were killed in this terrible tragedy.

Epiphany.......CORRECT!

Well, yesterday marked the 1 week point since Chris had his epiphany that we would be getting a call about a baby within a week. He must have ESP because yesterday, at 4:15, WE GOT A CALL!!!!!!

First off, I want to clarify that just because we got a call, does not mean that we got a baby. I don't have every little detail to write at this point, but this is what I do have.

It is an unborn bi-racial child. The mother is healthy, has not done drugs, drank or smoked through her pregnancy at all (this is very good, and very uncommon) and it would be a baby from Cedar Rapids. Yup folks, that's all I know. Not a lot, but all good!

The Bethany Christian Services Director sounded very optimistic, she said that we are a PERFECT match for this birthmother and of the adoptive family profiles she's already seen, none of them fit the criteria of what the birthmother wanted in an adoptive family. From what's been told to us, we do fit her criteria and she fits ours. At this point, our profile is the only profile she will be looking at until she decides to go with us or not. The worst part about all of this is that we will have a small waiting period, the birthmother will not even be able to look at our profile for almost 2 weeks! It's a long complicated story that I can't really explain over a blog, but the shortened version is that this baby is not actually a baby from Bethany Christian Services, it's out of a much smaller agency in Cedar Rapids and so there is a bit of a waiting period to get all of our information transfered to this agency and then some schedule conflicts between the birthmother and her social worker have created more waiting in addition to that. Anyway, there's nothing we can do at this point, but wait.

So, now an even more intense waiting game begins than the one we had before. We are SO EXCITED and anxious and nervous! Please pray for this birthmother and her child. I know that if this doesn't go through, it wasn't meant to be. I am comfortable with that and am feeling very good about this situation...a mother's instinct maybe?! :) Ha. What's meant to happen will happen, but prayers during this part of the process will be much appreciated. I will update any time I have any more information!

God's Shouts

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, he speaks to us in our conscience, but he shouts to us in our pain." -C.S. Lewis

At church today, our pastor spoke about finding the joy in painful times. He talked about how spiritual growth comes from times of pain and God shouts to us during those times. We just have to listen. God shouts to us in those times, yet those are the times that it seems as though he's hardest to hear. That is because we're not listening. Many times, we do not allow ourselves to hear him in the times that we need him the most. This quote spoke to me today. It is so true!

I have had countless numbers of wonderful, happy times in my life. I have been so blessed. Yet, never did I hear God in any of those times. He was whispering and I was having too much fun to pay any attention. Although, my life has been so blessed, never have I been more blessed than when we began going through fertility problems. That blessing was greater than any other in my life, because that made me grow spiritually. That blessing led my to realize that I am not in control and that I had no choice but to hand all of that pain over to the Lord and let Him take control. He shouted to me during that time, and although it took a while for me to hear, by the time I was at my lowest low, I heard Him loud and clear. WHAT A BLESSING! Without experiencing that pain, I don't know how much farther I may have gone through life before realizing what was most important. Now, I can't imagine my life without Him. I wonder sometimes how I ever made it this far. I still stray and still struggle to hear God's shouts during tough times and I know I will always have to remind myself to stop and listen. I know that this walk is not easy and that there will be many bumps along the way and I may stray now and again, but I will never forget who to turn to during those times and I will always remember to remind myself to listen. No matter what happens during my walk through life, I will never stop reminding myself where it will lead me. I know that I can get through anything by listening to God who is always by my side.

"Life is but a speck compared to eternity." -Candi Stewart :)

Our walk of faith here on earth is meant to prepare us for eternity, though it will seem impossible at times, I will always try to remember that ALL things are possible with God and I will find joy in that, knowing that by serving God here, I will be rewarded beyond any words for eternity in Heaven!

Epiphany

Chris had an epiphany a couple of nights ago. He said that out of nowhere, he had an epiphany that Sean and I will get "the call" that we have a baby this week. I am not taking this epiphany too seriously, but Chris claims to be clairvoyant, so hopefully his claim is correct. I just wanted to document this epiphany so that if it does happen, I have proof for him when he says, "I knew it!"

Bode at the Play Area

 
 
 
  

I met Chris and Bode at the play area at the mall today. Bode was so fun to watch and he had such a great time! He just ran all over the place and kept falling and squeeling. He is hilarious! I just thought some of these pics were cute!

Blisters

After watching Rockstar: Supernova this evening I was getting up from the couch and my hand somehow brushed across my chest. That's all it took and I was like, "why is my hand wet?" I looked down at my blister filled chest and then to my arms. It almost made me sick! I have NEVER blistered like this before. Just brushing my hand across my chest popped about a hundred of them! YUCK! So now I am a peeling mess and look even scarier than I did the last couple of days. I think I may have done some serious damage! :(

Inspiration

As I have said before, my mother always says, "something good always comes from something bad." I have never seen a better example of this until reading a post on a website that a family friend wrote. This woman who wrote this and her husband just lost their 4 year old daughter and have such a strong faith! Every time I read on their website, I am so inspired to be a better Christian, to see the good in the bad, to sit back and enjoy this magnificent world that God has created! In her most recent post, she writes:

'Remember, He is near to you, too, you just need to take the time, get quiet and not be in control. (Let Him be in control.) I feel like God wants me to continue to tell you not to be too busy to hear His voice. Grief has forced me to become more introverted lately. I must have my time alone each day. This alone time gives me the opportunity to sit back and recognize God's work in my day. Do you think about how God works in your day? I think one of the keys to being in touch with God is having a childlike faith. Don't get bogged down by what you should know or what you should do, just let God guide you to where it is He wants to take you. It's not some overwhelmingly complicated relationship, rather it's simple. Let God lead you to turn on a Christian radio station, contact an old friend who comes to mind, listen to the passion He has placed in your hearts (whether it be as a parent, career related, or hobby). I think you will be amazed at how present He is in our moments.'

I love this! It's amazing to me that someone who is going through this tragic loss is so influential in leading me to take the right path for my life here on earth. I COMPLETELY agree with the fact that ones relationship with God isn't supposed to be complicated or overwhelming, but instead very simple. This was something that I really needed to read today and I wanted to share it with all of you in case you needed it as well!

Labor Day

 
 
 
  

Sean and I had a great day today. I was still not feeling well from my sunburn, so most of the day I layed around the house soaked in aloe. Late in the afternoon, Sean and I decided we wanted to get out and enjoy the day a bit. It was BEAUTIFUL out and we couldn't bare staying inside and missing out on it. We decided to go for a ride and made our way to Winterset to see some of the covered bridges. I had never seen any of them and Sean hadn't seen them for about 20 years. It was so beautiful driving on the hilly country roads in that area. The bridges were really cool to see also. The drive reminded me of Wisconsin when we go for our annual apple picking trip! We will definitely go back to the covered bridges in the fall when the leaves are turning! After driving around for a while, we decided to head home to grill and watch the Florida State ve. Miami game (for those of you who don't know, this is one of the BIGGEST games of the year in Sean's eyes as he is a HUGE Florida State Seminoles fan). As we were pulling into the parking lot at our apartment, we noticed a big bright rainbow! It was so beautiful and caught us off guard because there had been no rain in the area. The sky was mostly blue with a few clouds and this huge rainbow. It was a great end to the afternoon! Then, we had a great end to the evening as well because the Florida State Seminoles defeated the Miami Hurricanes! This is such a big deal for Seminole fams because this is the first time since 1998 that the Seminoles have beat the Hurricanes in Miami! They don't have a problem beating them at home, but in Miami, they have struggled for years! They hope to have broke the streak tonight! Sean is ecstatic and has a perma-smile! :) Ha.

Hope everyone had as relaxing and enjoyable of a weekend as we did!

Here come the Hawkeyes!!!!!

 
 
 

We had a great time at the Iowa vs. Montana game on Saturday! It is such an exciting feeling being at the kickoff of the new season! Actually, it's exciting being at ANY Hawkeye game! Especially when we win! :) We had great seats and it was a GORGEOUS day! I will NEVER forget to put sunscreen on when I go to a football game on a sunny day again! I got FRIED!!!! I was soooo mad at myself...I went all summer without getting burnt (which is a huge accomplishment for a fair skinned person like me) and I wait until September to ruin it all! I am not kidding when I say I got REALLY burnt. I have felt sick since the game. My face didn't get burnt because I have SPF in my makeup, but my shoulders, arms and chest are dark red. I am getting blisters and soon will be peeling I'm sure! I learned a lesson, that's for sure! Well, I can say it was worth it. It was a great time cheering the Hawks to victory! 

GO HAWKS!

Well, tomorrow is the start of what could be a GREAT season for the Hawks! We, at the Peakin household are so excited for the season to start. We got a taste of some football excitement last night while watching the Clones go all the way to triple overtime where they finally defeated the Toledo Rockets! It was such and exciting game and I am not even a Cyclones fan! After getting so into that game, I can only imagine how excited I am going to get watching the Hawks play this year! Sean and I just got news that we got tickets to the first game (tomorrow) at Kinnick! We are so excited to cheer the Hawks to victory tomorrow! We are hoping it will not be as close of a game as the ISU game last night was...if so, that could be a bad sign for the Hawks! We are expecting a blowout, but will have fun despite the fact that it may not be that exciting of a game! Hopefully we'll be able to attend a couple more games this year that will possibly be a bit more exciting than we anticipate this one will be. :) It will just be exciting to be attending the game that will kickoff our season! GO HAWKS!!!!!!

A Fun Quiz

1. Grab the book nearest you, turn to page 18, line 4? Ha...page 18 is blank! I'll do page 19 instead..."We are told that 'love is a many splendored thing' and that 'love makes the world go round'." -The Five Love Languages
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch? The corner of my bed.
3. What's the last thing you watched on TV? College football!!!! HOORAY!! I LOVE fall!
4. Without looking, what time is it? 11:32
5. What time is it actually? 11:44
6. Except for the computer what can you hear? Cars driving down the street and the fan in my room.
7. When did you last step outside and what were you doing? It was around 6:30 and Sean and I were taking Bode to Red Robin for dinner and fun!
8. Before you started this survey what were you doing? Checking on Bode
9. What are you wearing? a tank top and pj shorts
10. Did you dream last night? can't remember
11. When did you last laugh? a couple of minutes ago at Sean
12. What's on the walls in the room you're in? a picture above our bed
13. Seen anything weird? ummmm...not lately.
14. What do you think of this quiz? I like it.
15. Last film or video seen? Night at the Roxbury
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight what's the first thing you'd do? Cry
17. Tell me something I don't know about yourself? I think most people who know me well know almost everything about me because I am pretty open. I really can't think of anything! Maybe (just like Cassie said) I know the alphabet backwards
18. If you could change one thing about the world regardless of politics what would it be? Wow, I don't know if I could pick one thing. I guess that it would be a safer place for everyone.
19. Do you like to dance? Yep
20. What comment would you like to make to George Bush? ummm...I don't know...I guess something that would show him that I am a big fan.
21. Your first child is a girl what do you name her? Ireland Amelia
22. Your first child is a boy what do you name him? Tate Oliver
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? It would be amazing, but I couldn't be that far from all of my family and friends, so no.
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates? "Come on in!"
25. Five people you want to do this quiz? Sara K, Mom, Brenda, Melissa, Chris

Bode the Comedian

 
 
 
 
Bode was hammin' it up yesterday while eating lunch. I took several pics that are all so funny! Here are just a few of him. He may be a comedian when he grows up! 

Something to Think About

As Henry Nouwen writes:

"Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism make me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy i spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me. . .As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain “hooked” to the world–trying, failing, and trying again. It is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart."

I stole this from someone's blog. I loved it! I needed to hear it! Thought some of you out there may like it as well.

Family Time!

 
 
 
Just a few pics of the family from this weekend. It was a great time celebrating Dad's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! 

The Kids

 
 
 
 
I just thought these were some really cute pictures of the kids! 

A Cousin's Love

 
Bode LOVED Lani this weekend!!! He could not get enough of her, and she loved him equally as much! I thought this picture of Lani and Bode was soooo sweet! 

Sean with the kids

 
 
 
Sean had just about as much fun playing with the kids as the kids had I think. They had scooter and bike races, played horsey, watched sports, played Bag-O, and many other games. Here are a couple of cute pics of them! 

Tooshy pics!

 
 
This is Bode's cute tooshy! I know that many of you may have thought it was Chris's (because he tends to like to show it off now and again!), though similar, Bode's is a bit smaller in scale...and maybe a little less hairy. He's definitely not shy about his tooshy...he may be following in Chris's footsteps! 

Dirty Toes

 
Scroll down and see the pictures of the beautiful pedicure I gave Lani a few days ago...here were what her toes looked like on Saturday, just a week and a half after the peducure! 

Our Weekend

We have had a wonderful weekend so far. We came to Muscatine on Friday night and will be heading back home tomorrow (Sunday). My dad's birthday was today and we all just hung out and played outside with the kids. To me, the best times are times spent with family. I have taken many pictures which I will post when I get home tomorrow. It's not very often that our whole family is together with Mom, Dad, Cassie, Paul, Brigg, Nalani, Chris, Brenda, Bode, Sean and I, so I cherish the moments that we are able to spend time together without someone being absent. This time though, I almost feel as though someone is absent...I feel as though our baby is absent. Our baby is on my mind almost all of the time and when we get together with my family or Sean's family, I think about it even more. I am so excited to introduce our child to our family. It will be so blessed to have 2 Nanas and 2 Papas that are so loving and excited to welcome it. As if that isn't enough, it will also have 4 Aunts and 4 Uncles that are equally as excited. Tonight I am going to bed feeling extremely blessed and extremely excited to show our baby more love than it could imagine. I cannot imagine the love that I will feel when I see our baby for the first time. I have so much love in my heart for it already, as I know that it is somewhere out there. It's so unbelievable how I can feel this much love for my unborn child without even carrying it myself, but I can't imagine feeling anything less because to me, I AM carrying it, I am carrying it in my heart and I feel it there every moment of everyday!

My Husband :)

 
Here I am, as usual, on the computer while Sean is sound asleep. This is the story of my life! At least Sean is sleeping...he is an insomniac BAD! He will probably be up in a few hours, and I will have just been sleeping for a short while. I am a night person...Sean is not. Sean is a morning person...I am not. We are so different is so many ways, but yet I know we were meant for one another. I am so blessed to have such an AMAZING husband. I can't imagine any other man in this world being more perfect for me. Yes, we have our arguments and disagreements, but in the end, I know that without him, I wouldn't be complete. In our day to day life, I know I can tend to take him for granted, but then there are those times that I look at him and for no reason at all I get butterflies...STILL! Sean is an AMAZING husband and I know he'll be an unbelievable father. I can't wait for what is to come for our future together! I love this man so much! 

Beach Boys

 
 
 
  
Melissa and I took the boys to Raccoon River Beach today. We had a picnic lunch first and then put the boys in their swim diapers and headed to the sprinkler area. It was really fun for the kids. It's a little cemented area that has sprinklers on about 6 foot poles and then holes in the ground that shoot out water randomly. Bode had fun watching all of the excitement and Landon had fun playing in the midst of it all. It was so cute! Afer doing that for a little while, we headed down to the beach. Bode LOVED the sand and we spent a lot of time in the water too. Landon ran around and joined in on all of the excitement with all of the other kids at the beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL day...perfect for an activity like this. Man am I going to miss summer! We had a great afternoon and then headed home. I gave Bode a bath and then let him play for a little while longer before I put him down for his afternoon nap. He was still asleep when Brenda got home and didn't wake up until the evening. He must have gotten really worn out! It was a great day! I can't wait until I have my baby that I can experience things like this with. :)

Unexciting

Well, another weeekend has flown by. Friday night we went to Chris and Brenda's house and hung out and played games. Then Saturday we rested all day and then I went back to Chris and Brenda's again for a "girl's night". It was so much fun, but ended up being an extremely late night. Today, Sean and I had lunch with Sean's parents and then went to Colo and hung out with them for a while before we headed to Knutson's in Nevada to set up the Peakin Salon and do some hair. Afterwords the Knutsons fed us yummy burgers and we all just hung out. We are home now and Sean is laying in bed while I sit on the computer. This is a typical situation at night in our household. I am addicted to the computer! Well, I should probably go to bed now. I wish I had some more exciting news to write about. Can't wait until I do! :)