Speak what you want to see. Speak what you want to see. Speak what you want to see.

Seventeen years ago today, my best friend proposed to me.

Four years later, we were trying for a baby. It took us over 6 months to conceive and I remember someone speaking fear into my life. "Do you think maybe you should go to the doctors and see if something is wrong?" I rebuked it and kept believing God would bring us a baby.

A week prior to finding out we were expecting, some dear friends of ours (Adam & Brooke Cooke) were praying life over me. Adam specifically thanked God for the new life God was giving us and prayed over our baby, and at that time we didn't know we were pregnant.

Father's Day 2007 will be a day I will never forget! It was a Sunday and I woke up early to test before  I woke Jeremy up to get ready for church. Sure enough, for the first time in my life I saw the word "Positive" on a pregnancy test. I will never forget that moment, it was so exciting! I ran upstairs so fast and jumped on Jeremy in bed and showed him the test! I had bought a book months before "You're going to be a Father" and gave him the book. I can still remember that moment like it was yesterday. I remember getting to church and telling Brooke we were pregnant! How when Adam thanked God for our baby, we were indeed pregnant and had no idea! I remember I was working in the nursery that morning and my heart was just overflowing with thankfulness for this new little life. We were starting a family. Thank you Jesus!

Me at 18 weeks.

I was due with our first baby, a little boy, on February 18th. I prayed he would be born on Valentine's Day. I thought how cool would it be to have a Valentine's Day babe, especially since his daddy proposed to me that day, it was extra special to me. It would be 5 years to the day of our proposal if he came that day.

I shoveled our driveway on the 13th and at midnight that night, my water broke and sure enough, after one of the worst days of my life bringing him into this world, our Ethan Craig was born. I got my Valentine's baby and I thought to myself....we found out on Father's Day and he was born on a day of love. Indeed, he's the perfect example of "The Father's Love".

God is so in the details of our lives, friends. I have since had 5 more babies after Ethan, and not ONE of them has come early. In fact, they've all come late, I've had to be induced with them all and have my water broken. But God knew my mama's heart, my desire for a Valentine's Day baby - so incredible!

Today my middle baby girl is four.

I dreamt about her for years. Before our Brooklyn it went boy, girl, boy, boy. Gracelyn longed for a sister after being blessed with three handsome brothers to love her and protect her throughout her life and I hoped for another girl too.

It's funny, how sometimes we think we have life all figured out. When my husband I were newly married and talked about starting a family I said I would like 3 kids, he said 2. Never did I think I would be a mama of six.

I wanted three, then when our third was born and was just a week old my husband turned to me and said, "I think we should have another one." I knew in my heart that very moment we would have another because that wasn't something I ever imagined would come out of his mouth, haha! Who are you and what did you do with my husband?! Six months later we got pregnant with number four.

The minute he was placed in my arms I turned to Jeremy and said, "I want another one." I remember him laughing and being like oh boy....well babe, you literally JUST had a baby, let's just wait and see. Haha! I just felt in my heart we weren't done.

I would dream about having a little girl named Brooklyn Faith, the perfect matching name to big sister Gracelyn Joy I thought. I mean really, how cute?! Finding out she was a girl was one of the best days ever. We went and had a early ultrasound done at a 3D ultrasound place and I cried when they told me it was indeed a baby girl. A sister for Gracelyn! I was just so happy! We told the kids by letting them spray silly string with the gender revealed - you know, every parents dream. Silly string EVERYWHERE. It was the best day! Everyone thought it was a girl and it was so fun sharing the news officially.



She was due mid October and I was hoping she would come on her Grandpa Petke's Birthday, October 10th, but she decided she wanted her own day and came on the 11th :)



This was my first birth I taught Jeremy a bit about my camera and wanted him to take some birth photos. He did amazing and I will cherish these precious photos forever.
















Another dream of mine came true when I reached out to my favorite newborn photographer, Rachel Vanoven while I was sitting in my hospital bed - jokingly teasing her that she totally needed a adorable little baby girl model for something in the following week, right? To my surprise, Rachel told me she was going to try and make this happen, and she did. I was freaking out! When I was pregnant with Brooklyn I posted it was my dream to have Rachel do her photos - but we were broke and I knew it was most likely impossible. But God loves to surprise me and He cares about the details of our lives (Psalm 37:23). What a dream it was for my babe to be Rachel's first official 'Fly on the Wall' workshop model baby! I grabbed my bestie and we headed to Indiana for the shoot, it was the perfect day!






And then there's my amazingly talented friend Laurie who did newborn photos for us also. She is incredibly talented and these photos are still some of my favorite photos of all time. I mean, I am so incredibly blessed.






Brooklyn is the sweetest littlest love. She's so tiny, so cute, so funny, has the cutest voice and is extremely smart. Happy 4th Birthday, B. You light up my life and I am SO thankful your dad agreed to having you precious girl. Our world wouldn't be as bright without you in it. I can't wait to celebrate you tomorrow my sweet girl.