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It's a GIRL!
So we discovered on Monday that our house is about to be transformed into a castle, where it will house the world's newest princess. I cannot decide if I am more excited or terrified about this news.

I truly had no preference between a boy or girl, I just wanted a healthy beautiful baby. And this remains true; however, how can I, Mr. Budget, overlook the financial obligations that are now in front of me: dance lessons, sweet-sixteen, prom dresses, tanning, sorority, and wedding - YIKES! I guess on the bright side, I can invest the 350 dollar circumcision fee into the stock market.

"Now seriously, Rob," as my wife says (as if the above monetary concerns were not serious); we are ecstatic. And this bit of news is the firing shot that gets the race started. Now we can begin tossing around names, looking at paint (which I learned can only be done after bedding is picked out), so tomorrow we are looking at bedding, and getting the house transformed from the Pottery Barn catalog to Babies R Us...our house is anything but child friendly.

And as you can imagine, our parents are stoked as well. My mom swears that this baby-girl may finally be the one person that can tame my personality and Heather's mom is of course out of control with glee.

And as for an update on Heather's parents, they are doing great! Jim's CEA score (a test that monitors his cancer enzymes) is the lowest it has ever been, and has been consistently decreasing the past few weeks. Karen continues to tolerate her treatment very well. So what do two cancer patients do when things are going so well......take a trip to Vegas! That's right, Jim and Karen went with two of their closest friends to Las Vegas for a week of entertainment. They must have thought Heather and I were too busy, as they failed to extend the invite in our direction. So I guess, Rob's first trip to Vegas will have to wait.

To all of you that have Daddy's little girls, please feel free to leave some advice!

Rob and Heather

2008: Year in Review
So the beginning of 2008 was pretty ordinary, I was a high powered Assistant District Attorney in Tulsa County and Heather was charge nurse at St. John Medical Center. Our lives were not very exciting. But the year of 2008 brought with it many surprises, blessings and challenges. And over the next 12 months, God was about to teach us a lot about ourselves, our faiths, and our love for each other.

In late January I was asked to step into a leadership role with our Community (Sunday school class) and accepted the invitation. Within 2 weeks we learned of Heather’s dad being diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer.

Heather took some time to be in Norman taking care of her family, while I continued my career in the DA’s office. This means for a good part of the year, we were miles apart. During the first 6 months of 2008 I tried 7 jury trials, and obtained a guilty verdict in every single one (that means that I won for you non-Law and Order buffs.) While serving at the DA’s office, Heather and I made some dear friends, Jake and Courtney, who got engaged to be married this year. We have grown remarkably close to them, and continue to enjoy their presence in our lives.

Throughout the year we continued to grow closer to our Covenant Community friends. God was surrounding us with good company; friends that would pray for us; friends that would cry with us. In May, Heather and I, along with 13 others from the class, took a mission trip to the Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky, located in the Appalachian Mountains. There we were challenged in new ways. Heather and I had both been on plenty of mission trips before, but not one like this. God re-taught us what Grace was that summer; and like the family we were serving, we as children of God tend to take advantage of the blessings God has given to us, rather than being grateful. We have so many great friends that have stemmed from this community and our Asbury church family. We are thankful that God has placed the Waltons, Coopers, Adams, McCants, Meyers, Keifers, as well as the many others in our lives.

Over the 4th of July, my family got to gather together at my parent’s new lake house in Bella Vista, Arkansas. It is rare for all 13 of us to be together, so it was nice to have a place and time that was relaxing. Heather and I also made a trip with my dad and his family to Williamsburg, Virginia.

A special day to remember will be the day that Heather and her sister, Holly, invited 200 of their parent's closest friends to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. Hosted by the Hill's good friends, Steve and Lori Lindsey, this was a site that brought tears of joy to everyone's eyes!

The Fall of 2008 didn’t bring much relief for us. We discovered that Heather’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Our dog, who is really our only child, Petie, went into shock and nearly died, and would have died if not for our dear friend Lauren Cornwell. That was a rough couple of weeks, however, we are pleased to say, both Petie and Heather’s mom are doing quite well.

Speaking of the Cornwell’s, Heather’s best friend, Lauren, had her baby in November of 2008, welcome Campbell Cornwell; as did our other good friend, Emily Walton, having her baby in December, Harper Grace. We also are excited to welcome Ty Waldenville, Noah Goodnight and Ella Hartsock into our world. And speaking of babies, Heather and I found out that we were pregnant; and we have 3 tests to prove it! We also were able to celebrate the many pregnancies along with ours, inlcuding my brother Chris and his wife Tanya, as well as cousin Patrick and his wife Gretchen...and we thought the holidays were fun this year!

I am no longer at the DA’s office, but have since accepted a new position with Cimarex Energy here in Tulsa. Cimarex, an oil and gas exploration company, is an excellent company to work for, however, oil and gas have pretty much plummeted since I joined. I hope they don’t hold me responsible.

Of course we had the usual weddings and OU Football to fill our schedules; however we were able to be apart of Kinsey and Jared’s wedding, which was special. We also had our first OU Tailgate, it was a blast!

2009 looks to be a great year! New job, babies, another run at the National Championship, and I was also able to talk my good friend Brad and Ashley into moving to Tulsa, so we are excited about the next 12 months. It will be tiring and it will be hectic; but I am certain that it will be filled with lessons from above, and more importantly, His Grace to cover that in which we mess up.

But we are most excited to tell our story. Just 50 weeks back, this was a story we were not very fond of. It was far from a story we wanted to tell others, as it was hard enough, at the time, to hear for ourselves. However, as Heather's dad continues to defy the odds, and her mom has been declared the "best case scenario" by her doctor, we have a lot to be thankful for! We will live our lives affected by this cancer, but not infected by it. Our lives will continue, as our God continues. We will, through His strength, live strong!


Rob and Heather

Emmanuel: God with Us!
We were reminded this past Sunday by our Pastor, Todd Craig, that in celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the fact that God is with us. That is what Emmanuel means, "God with Us." How appropriate, to be reminded in celebrating the birth of Christ, that God is indeed with us. He is with us through the celebrations of life, and He is with us through the challenges that life also tends to bring.

You know for many, us included, Christmas can be a time of mixed emotion. Sure, there is the excitement that comes with the holidays: days off from work/school, gift exchange, good food, good company, carols, and of course, football bowl games.

Yet Christmas can also be a time where tension among family members may be in the air; maybe it's the first Christmas since the passing of a loved one (or the holidays are just the constant reminder of that lost loved one); it could be that you are aware that this Christmas may be the last Christmas with a loved one; or rather than being close to one another, you are separated from your family by endless miles.

Each of us have our own set of challenges; however, it is necessary to be reminded, Emmanuel: God with Us. Some are victims of ill-health, others are in the midst of marital controversy, many find themselves giving in to some sort of addiction, and there are those who feel so alone they are overcome with depression; in each of these, we must cling onto Emmanuel: God with Us.

Especially in such economic times as these, we can struggle to know if we will hold onto our jobs, how the next bills will be paid, where our investments have gone; Emmanuel: God with Us.

Over this past year, our family has been dealt a difficult hand. However, we are assured that throughout this past year, God has been with us. When we look back, we can see how God has been with us. God has placed us in a church family where we are surrounded by those that have helped carry our burdens. Many in our community (aka Sunday school class) have also found themselves in the midst of struggling with their parents' ill health. Although you hate to see others around you going through the same pain and hurt, how amazing is our God, that He provides us with friends to experience such times with, Emmanuel: God with Us.

In this past year, we also are celebrating the blessing of expecting a child. Just as with our struggles, God has shown that He is with us, by once again surrounding us with friends that are also expecting, or have just delivered. Whether it be challenges or celebrations, Emmanuel: God with Us.

As Todd Craig closed his message this past Sunday, he encouraged each of us to come forward and light a candle. By lighting a candle we demonstrated our acknowledgment, that in this season, though aspects of our life seem impossible to deal with on our own, we can have confidence knowing, Emmanuel: God with Us. And as we stood back and observed the number of lit candles we were reassured that God's presence is found in each of us.

I hope you will take some time this week (and this entire season) to remember that we celebrate Christ's birth, not only as a miraculous moment in history that took place two thousand years back, but also as a reminder that Christ remains with us today, Emmanuel!

Celebrating His presence,
Rob and Heather

Christmas Blessings
As many of you have heard (or read) already, our lives are quickly about to change...in a good way! Heather is pregnant. As you can imagine we are tremendously excited, and I am immensely terrified.

When Heather shared with me the exciting news, I immediately began a "to-do" list in my head of everything that needed to be done; I say immediately, but I think more accurately it was immediately after I recovered from the shock I began the "to-do" list. In fact, I still can barely talk about the baby without having my heart race rapidly and my blood pressure rise.

We are so excited! Adding to our excitement and assurance is God's timing of it all. Our baby is due June 26 (if you could only see me freaking out as I write this sentence!) And our little one will be blessed with 2 cousins within 6 weeks of age; My brother, Chris, and his wife Tanya are also expecting middle May; and cousin Patrick and Gretchen are expecting mid-May as well!

We are also hopefully excited that this baby, and the 7 months until the delivery (again wigging out!) will serve as sweet medicine for Heather's mom and dad. Sometimes when life strikes you as it has them this past year, the best medicine is having something to look forward to.

As we recognize God's blessings in our lives, we are truly blessed.
* We are blessed to have 3 sets of grandparents in waiting, each so very thrilled in what next summer holds.
* We are blessed to have so many friends that have preceded us in this journey, so we can seek their counsel and wisdom that only experience brings.
*We are blessed to have more than a handful of very close friends that will share this journey with us, as they will have, or have had, new babies within 8 months of our baby!
*We are blessed that as we spend time praying for this baby today, we are given the promise of God, that He is already preparing the way and making plans for this baby's life!

Our hope for you, this Christmas season, is that you will take time to reflect and give thanks to God for the blessings he has showered over your life.

Blessed,

Rob and Heather

How I Met God at Hobby Lobby
Where have you met God? There’s no question that He appears in those expected places like a church’s sanctuary, in nature, and in hospital rooms. He also occasionally shows up in the most unexpected locations—like the checkout counter at Hobby Lobby.

Last week, as we prepared for the Thanksgiving holidays, our family was also planning a birthday celebration for our daughter Heather, who turned 27 the day after Thanksgiving. Needing some ribbon for birthday packages, I made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby on Monday afternoon.

As I was paying for the ribbon, Debby and Larry Burns were also checking out at the next register. Debby came over to give me a hug, wrapped her arms around me and shared that she continued to pray for both Jim and I. In her usual loving way (if you are blessed to know Debby, she just oozes with kindness!), she blessed me with her encouraging words.

I turned to pick up my package and the lady behind me in line tapped me on the shoulder. That’s when I met God. She said that she had overheard Debby’s concerns and prayers for us, and although she didn’t know my name, she would also be praying for me. She said she didn’t need to know my name because God knows my name and all my needs.

I barely made it to my car before the “tear dam” broke and I sobbed at this expression of God’s love. God is so good!

God also graced us with strength and energy for the holidays. Although Jim had experienced five difficult days with nausea and weakness the previous week, he fully enjoyed our family’s Thanksgiving and birthday celebrations.

This is “chemo week” for both of us; Jim received his treatment yesterday and I’m scheduled for Thursday. Thank you for your prayers that we both continue to tolerate the treatments and that the drugs are working to eradicate the cancer.

And finally, God continued to bless us beyond Hobby Lobby and Thanksgiving…

As Rob’s parents gathered with us for Heather’s birthday party, we were the ones who were surprised! Heather’s last gift was a t-shirt announcing she and Rob are expecting a baby next June! We even have our first picture of that precious gift from God—a framed ultrasound image. We are so blessed and so grateful to the many ways God shows His presence and His love.
We hope that your Thanksgiving was also full of “God Winks” and moments of His reassuring love for you. From our home to yours, from our hearts to your hearts, for blessings too many to count, we give thanks!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34

Blessed Abundantly!
Jim and Karen,
Holly, Heather, Rob (and Baby Sher!)