The Stig Turns 8!!!

I know I'm a bit behind with all my posts - it was actually the end of October that we celebrated our eldest son's birthday. But thought I'd share a couple of pictures here.

I was going to bake him a cake but on asking him what sort he would like (I have an easy cake book that they like to look through) he said that he'd like a stig cake from the shop lol - no complaints here being heavily pregnant and very busy that week!

We also asked him what he'd like to have for meals on his special day and for tea he wanted his Grandad's chicken fried rice - I have to say once you've tasted it you will understand lol - he makes a mean rice - well actually he cooks most things really well - the children prefer his cooking to mine!!

So we invited some family over and just had a nice time fellowshipping at home (and at Grandads). I'm very proud of my children - they don't ask for a lot and are happy with the small amount they get. We made it a family tradition to only splash out on certain birthdays to save us doing parties every year for everyone (and that was before we had more than 2 children lol) and so that we could really splash out - so 5 is the first age as we celebrate them reaching official school age and the next I believe will be 10.

Here is Matt having some "help" and onlookers opening one of his pressies

That's all the birthdays done for the year - now to think about Christmas and the new baby (due in the new year)

Bethany's Birthday

I can't believe it - my eldest baby is now 9 years old!! And wow how fast have those 9 years gone - it doesn't seem that long since I was overcome with emotion that we were finally holding our baby after suffering with infertility for a couple of years.

People often look at us now surrounded by our 5 young blessings, and have no idea of the struggle it was to get here.

We hadn't been married very long (about 6 months) and I said to my husband "Darling, what exactly are we waiting for? We both want children so why not try?" He agreed and I came off the pill.

We had no idea that I wouldn't get pregnant, we expected, as do most young couples, that having a family was our right and it was up to us when we had children, although I had always known God and knew He was the author of life it was somehow seperated from my own fertility - except of course to pray and ask why I wan't being blessed.

It was especially difficult when others around me were falling pregnat quite easily and sometimes by accident yet it seemed so difficult for us.

We moved to Scotland, and I went to the doctors to start "tests", I had a smear test, and blood tests, an ultrasound and a laporoscopy - which involved day surgery. Nothing dreadful was found, other than an imbalance in my hormones and lots of cysts on my ovaries - I found out later that I suffer with PCOS (Polyscystic Ovarian Syndrome) so wasn't ovulating.

I took Clomid (a drug to boost ovulation) twice and the second time it worked and I was pregnant with Bethany.

I've learned a lot since then, and God has blessed me abundantly with 4 subsequent "natural" pregnancies, I don't know if He will bless us with anymore but I'm happy to recieve all the blessings He has for us!