THE BIGGEST SECRET EVER!!

Friends!

We are back! We had to take the blog down to fix some privacy issues but now... put on your big boy/girl panties because we are about to get real ya'll.  Ewe, I just said "ya'll"... blame it on my years in the south.

Want to hear a secret?  You do?  Ok, WE ARE PREGNANT!

I'm bad at keeping secrets you guys, and this one has been eating me alive...no really... I have actually told perfect strangers just to get it off my chest.  Me, "Hey guy at the In N Out window, you wanna know something?"...... Ok, I had to tell him because I had just finished vomiting in their parking lot.  I felt he needed to know that "it was not weird" that I just puked my brains out, then ordered a burger and fries.  Either way, secret is out and I feel great about it!

How it happened: Um, I hope you understand this process?  If you truly have questions about procreation, you may want to call your mom (or a cool aunt if you are embarrassed).

Why did you guys wait so long, you old farts? Well, it's complicated.  Most of our close family and friends know the inner battles Josh and I had with having more kids.  When we first got married we had  created a blue-print for God to follow that went something like this...

Nice couple, 2.5 kids, white picket fence, our children would grow up to be successfully famous, they would produce grandchildren, love the Lord, and Josh and I would die together skipping through a meadow (that is a weird way to die, maybe a rogue herd of cows)?  Sounds like a plan?

God had his own plans: Well, with Bella's early birth at 33 weeks that all changed.  From day one I realized that my blueprints and God's did not match at all!  Instead of mother/daughter bonding, I loved on her through her incubator, I didn't get to breast feed, she didn't come home with me from the hospital, she had fluid on her brain (CT scan city), she didn't meet ANY of her milestones, she screamed all day long, banged her head until bleeding, didn't listen, never had a doctors visit where something went right.... then, AUTISM.  The first two years were a blur honestly.  I watched all my girlfriends pop out multiple children that all seemed to come out perfect...

How God's plans made me feel: At first, I cried out to God.  How could your plans be so vastly different than mine?  Why us?  This life is hard.  Then a change in my heart took place.  I came to know my Father in a real way through my sweet daughter.  Though she was not perfect (and neither was I), He was!  So, I could experience perfection through Jesus.  I wanted Him to be glorified through our Bella.  He knit her in my womb just the way she was meant to be and I thanked Him for it every day.  I stopped being sad, and started to feel proud.  So we waited to hear God's voice, we wanted more kids but didn't feel we could give Bella our "all" while also having another child.  It seems selfish but, Bella needed us too much to have our attentions divided.  That brings us to today.  After much prayer Josh and I felt it was time.  Bella is ready, we are ready, God was ready.

So we did it:) Oh wow, I didn't just type that.  Ok, on that note.... WE ARE HAVING A BABY AHHHHHHHH!

Much love,

The Earls (Josh, Annie, and big sister Bella-girl)

2012... Bella's Miracle Year!

So we've been neglecting this blog a bit and for that we are sorry. In fact, I know that many of you lose sleep at night waiting to hear information from the crazies over here in the Earls house so, this post is for you... you weirdo.

This has been a big year for us:

• We moved from our beloved VA to CA (missing old friends and making new ones)
• We put on our "big boy pants" and bought a house (and as murphy's law would have it, things started breaking immediately so we re-did the kitchen, two bathrooms, put up gutters, and bought a new garage door)
• Josh deployed to Afghanistan as a chaplain to the marines of CLB5 of Camp Pendleton
• As a home owner with a missing husband, I learned to use a lawn mower, power tools, cleaned up dead animals by myself (ok, I asked neighbor to do it), and locked myself out of my house in my bathing suit while Bella was inside
• My deployment roomie Kori and I had way too much fun in Southern CA going to concerts, various beach cities, and sea kayaking.
• I started a group for special needs moms (I love them all dearly)
• I attend a weekly Bible study at church (I love them too)
• We were on the Price is Right (and that turned out ok I guess (wink)... shameless plug here)
• Bella started biomedical treatments for autism and started seeing Dr. Bob Sears
• Josh returned from deployment
• Josh and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary by driving to Monterey, CA...an amazing trip with an amazingly hot man
• We had friends and family over as often as we could and enjoyed the holidays with them as well!
• I am two classes and a semester of student teaching away from my receiving master's in Special Education.
• Oh and our Bella turned four years old!

On the topic of Bella, let me share with you her most recent milestones and progressions: 2012 was a year I will never forget in her precious story.  Bella spoke to us for the first time this year!  When I say "she spoke" I mean, she meaningfully and deliberately communicated her intentions to us.  When she was born I thought we'd never communicate.  If you type in the word autism in a Google search, the results are very scary and can seem pretty hopeless to a new mom or dad.  So, after some tough months of mourning and tears, we chose to remain optimistic.  Since her birth we prayed we would hear our child utter sweet nothings one day (even though some autistic children never do speak verbally).  We believed with all our hearts that God knew this, our greatest desire.  Well, this was her year friends!  About one month after she started biomedical treatments (whether it was the treatments or just her therapies finally working only the Lord knows), she started talking to us.  She would first say, "Ju", then "Juicy", then "I want juice"... then recently it's progressed to, "Mommy, I would like some more juice please":)  She started saying "No" and "Yes" (those are glorious words to hear for us, it helps us know if she wants to do something or not).  Remember, when she was young she would just bang her head to get our attention.  God is so good!  Bella started drinking from real cups (when before she had to drink from a particular kids cup).  She no longer sits in high chairs to eat, she feeds herself, helps bathe herself, helps put clothes on, and often takes them off so she can be naked:), brushes her teeth, rides a kids bike, navigates an Ipad better than we do, writes her name, knows the alphabet forward and backward, counts to 30, knows all the shapes and colors, is potty training, says names of extended family members she misses, and says hello and goodbye to perfect strangers!  Oh, and spontaneously gives us kisses!

When asked how many words she can say, my answer is ... endless... she can really formulate any word she wants.

As I type this I feel like I'm describing someone else's kid, someone else's life....and it overwhelms me with joy! Praise God for 2012.  I loved this year:)

Price is Right: How to get on the show....

If you know me at all (or have seen any of my shameless plugs for the show), you are privy to the fact that my friend Kori and I were on Price is Right a couple months ago! The show aired on November 7, 2012 and it was by far one of the most fun experiences I've had in a while.

If you haven't seen it (some of you have asked me for the link), here's a quick snippet:

Yep, it happened.  I bounced, high-fived, hugged strangers, and generally made a fool of myself on national television.

How to get on the show:
If you are interested in being on the show, I highly recommend trying.  You need to have a good 7 hours to kill in LA.  You should really sign up for advanced tickets ahead of time (as showing up the day of makes it less likely that you will make it in the audience).  You wait in a long line outside CBS with your advance tickets (not everyone with advance tickets gets in).  Once you get in, you will be in the audience.  You wait in another 2 hour holding area where they check your id's and background.  You are then called up in smaller groups to interview with the producer and his assistant. He asks you one question so you need to make your answer count.  He asked me what I did for work, I said something super sassy and plugged that my hubby was deployed... I made sure to be super excited too!  They seem to look for super wild/happy people! Kori and I also made shirts that said "hugs and high-fives"... this meant that everyone we saw in line, we hugged/high-fived. I also hugged and high-fived Drew Carey and his producer:)

So there you go! Do it, you won't regret it.  I know three people personally who have been on the show so the "odds are ever in your favor".

:)