The closest thing to our very own . . . .

Check out the pics of my adorable niece Staci! She's the pride and joy of the Salinas clan. I didn't know it was possible to love another human being the way I love her. I can't imagine what you mommies out there feel when you see the faces of your sweet angels.

Indescribable . . . . .

Another Bday

I'm not really feeling old so, that's a good thing. Sunday we celebrated my 32nd birthday with friends and I'll be seeing family this coming weekend. We enjoyed a very sushi lunch and a very delicious cake!


Getting older is especially hard when you're trying to get pregnant. Birthdays remind me that time is ticking and they make me feel like I'm running out of time. What a lie! God's timing is perfect. He knows exactly what, when and why. I can rest in God's promises and that's such a relief. My heart is bursting with joy and gratitude for all I've been blessed with. Thank you Jesus!

Establishing Priorities

So, while we're waiting for our little miracle to happen we've been talking about establishing some solid habits and/or routines for our family. If it's difficult for a childless couple to make each other a priority, I can't imagine how it is once a baby comes. I know all too well what it is to care for a baby or two; it's a full time job! I also know how important it is to make my husband a priority. I'm going to start working towards that goal and I think I know where to start - thinking less about me and more about him. Usually after work I do all kinds of things to take care of myself and I really don' t consider what things Phillip may need my help with. I schedule my workouts, plan healthy meals (for myself because he will have none of that), update my blog, schedule my relaxation time in front of the t.v., etc. All the while taking for granted that Phillip can take care of himself. I know he needs me even though he may not vocalize it often. I'll start with considering one thing each day that concerns him and his needs and do it gladly.

Hopefully this will help us put each other before anything or anyone else when kids come.

What now?

Just to make a clarification, I am not pregnant. I know that the title of my blog and my post might be things that someone who's prayer had already been answered would say. It's definitely easier to give God praise when we've received his blessings. Although I find myself in an undesirable circumstance I still feel very blessed and God deserves all the glory.

Phillip and I already has suspicions that the ultrasound would come back normal. God's been leaving us hints about what we believe He wants us to do next and I will share that in the next few days.

Thanks to all of you who left comments and sent emails. I feel so loved by God and by all of you. Please don't hesitate in letting me know how I can pray for you.

Have you ever . . . . .?

Have you ever stood at the top of a hill admiring creation and thought "It had to have been God who created all this."? Have you ever been so amazed at your circumstances or situation and thought "Only God could have orchestrated this."?

It's so easy for a person as myself to walk through this life taking everything for granted. I believe this is one of the reasons God is working (in mysterious ways) on me, my husband and our marriage. We are specifically dealing with "infertility" issues. Many years and a considerable amount of tests later we've come to find out that we have no known medical issues preventing us from getting pregnant. This has caused us to slow down and really question a lot of things. I know that if God would have granted me a baby the moment I first wanted one I would have taken that for granted too. And now I know that if he ever graces us with a child that I will love and appreciate that baby so much more than the old Imee ever could.

There are so many people God has brought into our lives in the past few years that have given us much love and encouragement. I have shared our burden with many of you and I've decided to share our journey and prayer requests through this blog.

Here's our checklist and today's update:
1. Ovulation - check
2. Sperm analysis - check
3. Timed Intercourse - check
4. Hormone tests - check
5. HSG - check (clear tubes)
6. Lots of prayer - check, check, check!

Today I went for one more test, an ultrasound. It was actually very cool! I got to see what my uterus and ovaries look like. In the words of the technician "This is a perfectly normal ultrasound, uterus is great, ovaries are perfect!"

We kinda saw that one coming!

What's next you say? We don't have all the answers but no matter what comes, some day I hope to be able to tell our children that it had to have been God who brought them to us. I'll write more tomorrow.

Meanwhile, keep us in your prayers. Also, feel free to leave your words of advice or encouragement! I know I'm going to really need you guys.

Table and Bench

I apologize that I have not posted pics of our table and bench. This was taken when the table was still in Indonesia (it's a bit dusty). It finally arrived in July and we loooovee it! It's gorgeous and super sturdy. I haven't posted pics since it's been home because I'm still working on decorating the dining room. Phillip's got to put up a light fixture and we need chairs. The chairs we want are a bit pricey so it may be a while; we pay cash for everything these days.

It's been too long!

Okay, so I am really behind on posts. Part of the reason is that I like to put pics in my posts and my camera broke!!! It just doesn't work anymore. I guess we'll have to get a new one. Does anyone have any advice? I want a good camera but not one too bulky to carry around. Cost is also something to keep in mind. I know good cameras are expensive but I like a good deal.

Anyway, work is going very well. I really feel like I have a better grasp on things. I'm not sure how my summer is gonna go since I'm saving my vacation days to go to the Valley for Staci's birth and Jonathan's graduation. I'll be working 4 day weeks starting in June so that's cool. The days will be longer so I already have a few ideas about how to make my days go faster. I'm looking forward to getting my office painted and decorated.

Oh, we found a new church in The Woodlands called Faith Bible Church. The more we visit the more we like. We started searching last year since we felt we wanted a smaller church and a good place for our someday children to grow up. The teaching here is different than most churches in the area and we feel this may be the place God is leading us so we are giving it a shot. Another good thing is that we know a couple that attends FBC and they are helping us get connected.

Our couples small group is still going strong. Although we are no longer going to Fellowship of the Woodlands we still meet on a weekly basis for fellowship and Bible study. We have truly come to love this group. We've all become really close friends and we are so grateful for one another.

We are very slowly but surely making changes to our home. There is so much to be done but we've got to start somewhere. Phillip started in the garage. He has organized it and I am so proud of him. You know he's got a million devices, computer parts and tools. It was getting very frustrating with all that stuff everywhere. I'll have to take a pic and post the great job he did. Next, we are working on upgrading/replacing our light fixtures. The house came with the basic/ugly stuff and I've now picked what I want in the kitchen and dining room. I think our flower beds are next. We're looking at stone - lots to keep us busy for a while.

All in all we are truly blessed. We've got our struggles and pain but the Lord is faithful and just and we are learning to rely on him more and more.

Please remember us in your prayers as we embark on new endeavors ;)

Baby Salinas on the way!

This wonderful 4d picture just in!

She is definitely a Salinas. She's got Milton's nose for sure.

My sweet sister-in-law 2 months before her due date.

Here are the baby shower hostesses (Sarah-Albert's wife, Jessica-Sam's girlfriend, Mom, Brenda-Wendi's Mom and Me). Thanks to all you wonderful ladies for your gracious help. I'm sorry if I bossed you around too much. I tend to get in "Panic" mode. I do appreciate you.

The shower's scrap booking theme was a hit! We had much fun making decorations.

One of the shower activities was to create a scrapbook page for the baby's scrapbook.

Everyone contributed.

Here was Wendi's favorite and winner of the prize!

We had a wonderful time and are so grateful for the miracle of Staci Grace. Thanks for those of you who could join us.

Baby Showers Galore

I have a baby shower to attend or help host every weekend in March. The first one was last weekend for my childhood friend Lora Perales. She is having a baby boy in May. The theme was Dr. Seuss and the location was the beautiful Galleria Tennis and Athletic Club.

Doesn't she look great?

Don't you just love the decorations/gifts? I had lots of fun decorating the bags and making the center pieces with balloons and Dr. Seuss books.

Another Anniversary?

Wow, the beginning of the year is full of wonderful memories and anniversaries. Valentine's Day was the 8th anniversary of our engagement at South Padre Island. It had been the weirdest of days and I definitely did not expect for Phillip to pop the question. Despite the bad experience at our restaurant of choice and the beach hidden in dense fog, it was one of the happiest nights of my life. My sweet loving husband continues to romance me . . . . . See what I mean?

On another note, I have taken up making invitations. My scrap booking expert friend Michelle helped me make my 30th birthday invitations and I really enjoyed the process. So, I made my sister-in-law's baby shower invitations for her scrapbook themed shower. Check them out. I bought a nursery themed book filled with different scrapbook paper, cut the pages in half and decorated the outside. It was so much fun.

Maybe you will be lucky enough to get one . . . . .

More anniversaries and other things.

We just completed a year since God provided this awesome house and I am still in awe at the huge blessing this has been in our lives. It's one of those things that is far more than we could've imagined. We have many plans and dreams for our home and in this past year we've only just begun to make those come true. The projects we've embarked scratch the surface of a long list of honey-do endeavors. I love a challenge and it has been really fun finding amazing deals on really cool stuff - Hey, just like our house.

One of our ventures included finding the perfect dining table. We'd searched and searched for months and months absolutely everywhere for a solid wood rustic set. Phillip would do the "corner test" involving trying to pick up the corner of the table. If he was able to pick it up he'd say it was not sturdy enough. So on we went. Mid way through our pursuit we came across something we really liked at the Dump. It passed Phillip's test and we liked the beautiful detail and color.

We thought we had found what we were looking for and almost purchased it. Since our debt execution was in full swing we were unable to buy at that time. Because of the quality of the furniture, it was a bit pricey and if you've ever been to the Dump you know that what you may find there one day will probably not be there on your next visit. We were a bit sad but hoped to be able to find one at a later date.

Okay, this is getting longer than I wanted so I'll cut to the chase. After looking for almost a year we happened to stumble into a really cool custom furniture place. We designed our very own 96" mahogany table and bench with a distressed rustic finish! So far, we are very satisfied with the service and prices at this place. We ended up paying less than we would've anywhere else. We know we got a very good deal and we did not have to settle. Our set will not be in for a few months since it is being hand made in Indonesia. I'll be able to officially recommend this company when we actually have the set in our home. So, here's the website to this really cool place for anybody interested http://www.infinitycustomfurniture.com/cat/index.php. Here's an excerpt I really liked from their site: "We are not furniture dealers, we are furniture designers! Many other furniture stores only offer hyped-up, expensive and bland mass produced disposable items. All they do is carry the same products in different locations, some at exorbitant prices. We don't compete with them, because we're so completely unlike any of those places. What we have is unique and unlike any other. What we have, is what we made."

Okay, I know what you are thinking - if it took us this long to find a dining set, how long will it take us to build the theater room, buy our bedroom furniture, install hardwood floors, build our deck, sod our 5,000 sq. ft. backyard, etc.? Well, it's gonna be a while but it'll be worth it.

On another note here's a pic of my beautiful pregnant sister-in-law. She is due in May and is having a baby girl.

This weekend I participated in a rock-n-bowl Junior Achievement Fundraiser in our district. We were the Rock-n-Rollers. Get it? Guitars for the Rock and hair rollers for the Rollers! Hee! Hee!

Seven Years of Love!

Yep, another anniversary. Do you remeber that chilly but very romantic January night Phillip and I got married? It was seven years ago . . . . man, we're old!

Notice how Phillip just loves the camera ;)

Of course we made our annual visit to our fave steak place "Taste of Texas." Friends joined us for the yummy evening. Here are the girls.

We had our private celebration on our actual anniversary a few days later . . . . .sorry, no pictures.

We celebrated New Year's Eve at "Libby D Ranch." We were firework popping fools in the 30 degree weather. It was a blast!

Happy New Year!

Holiday Recap

We spent Christmas in the Valley with family and friends. Here are my little brothers.

I had really wanted to sing Christmas carols and my wish came true when Sam brought out his guitar. It was really great singing with the ole family. A special treat was singing with a good friend and singing partner of 10 years Stephanie Martinez.

My sister-in-law received a few gifts for baby Staci Grace.

While in the Valley I had the great opportunity to hear "Redeemed" the IB Youth Band which Stephen and Jonathan are a part of. What talent!

The week ended with a super fun night out with the BSM girls.