Thoughts for Labor Day Weekend

This obviously hit home for me & I thought I would share:
What are you pursuing? What is it that you really want? Is it a successful career that you covet? Is it to be a musician, a doctor, or to author a book? Maybe it’s a spouse you’re dreaming of, or the desire to be a mom that you’re longing for. Whatever your dream is, it’s a God-given dream. In addition to giving you the dream, God has also given you what it takes to make your dream come true. We don’t arrive at our dreams by our own efforts, nor can we make them come true all by ourselves. We get there by pursuing God.

We are always in a hurry. God never is. While He has given us the vision of what we are to become, it may not be a reality in us yet. We have to let God work in our lives until we are ready. The dream is not what needs shaping. It’s us. God often prepares us for our dreams through adversity in our lives.

I hope you have a happy & safe Labor Day weekend!

"SUPERMAN"DON

Oh how true the above picture is...LADIES MAN!! See below for proof!

I'm so excited to share today that Andon's MRI scan came back with the results we were hoping & praying for - the tumor has been stopped in it's tracks! We are hopeful that the next scan will actually show shrinkage of the tumor, but this time we just wanted to see that it had stopped growing - IT DID!! The treatments are working! Thank you for the continued prayers for Superman...we're all very hopeful that Andon will have a LONG, bright future!

Family Visit

America's Heartland:This past weekend we went down to Pittsfield, IL to visit family. Cameron's cousin recently had a new baby and we went to meet Miss Molly Jeanne Gerard, the newest addition! I love to head to Pittsfield because it reminds me of back home in Indiana...America's heartland. No matter what, there is nothing better than small town USA! And even though Cameron won't admit that, he feels the same way! :)
Molly Jeanne:

Thank you & Positive Thoughts

Thank you for all of the emails and sincere comments on this blog. We are committed to staying positive through this journey, wherever it leads. We have so much to be thankful for & we're staying optimistic about what the future holds. We have NO DOUBT that we will be parents...whether it's to children of the womb or children of the heart we have yet to find out! Either way - we know there is an exciting adventure awaiting us and for those of you checking on this blog from time to time - you will get to share the adventure with us! In the meantime, I thought I would post some pictures of the weekend (August 17-19) we spent with Andon:
First haircut, courtesy of "Uncle Buck":Barley gets a hug:

God said no...again

It is with a heavy heart that I share this post. I was hoping to go "live" with the Hatten Family blog by sharing the wonderful news that we were pregnant. Unfortunately, this pregnancy ended at 6 weeks like the first. We went through IVF again in July and got a +++ pregnancy result on August 8th. I would have much rather just heard "I'm sorry, you're not pregnant" than once again getting our hopes up to have them absolutely dashed two weeks later. I'm not sure where we will go from here. I think that we need to have some extensive testing done to make sure there isn't a genetic problem keeping these babies from making it full term. Unfortunately, I don't have anything else to share right now. Thanks for the support & prayers...I never thought that at the age of 30 I wouldn't at least have my first child.

For those of you checking this blog for the first time, please start at the bottom of the page for the entire story. I limited myself to 8 posts so you wouldn't have a lot of "catching up" to do.

Sea Bright, NJ

We spent another weekend on the Jersey Shore - we went last summer, too. Thanks to our wonderful hosts - the McGinnis family. We had a very fun & relaxing weekend with no makeup or hairdryer for Jen - it was outstanding for Jen / scary for Cameron! Our friends (Julee, JB & Jacee McGinnis) have a beach house in Sea Bright, NJ and they have been so gracious in letting us stay with them the last 2 summers. They also have the most amazing thing on their deck...an outdoor shower. Seems like a simple, unnecessary thing to have but it absolutely helps to create true relaxation. A few pictures for your enjoyment...
The Beach House:The outdoor deck shower:Little Miss Jacee:Julee & Jen at the beach:Jen & Cameron on a boat ride:At dinner:

5 Years Already?!?!

Wow! Today is our 5 year anniversary...can you believe we've already been married for 5 years? So crazy to think back...we've been "together" for 8 1/2 years. It's gone by so quickly! We've been extremely blessed in all that we have had the opportunity to do in the past 5 years - we have amazing families, super friends, a warm home, a great dog, wonderful travels to places I never thought I would go...who could ask for anything more? Much love to my best friend & husband today...my SCHMOOPY, I love you!