McKinney Fellowship Bible Church

We have lived in the Dallas area for just over two years now and, up until recently, we had been searching a searching for a home church. We were so blessed by our church in Oklahoma City, Crossings, and it seemed like nothing around here even compared. But after many prayers and many other church visits, we finally stumbled across McFBC this summer. It happens to be less than a mile down the street from our house but we had just missed it somehow.

Immediately upon attending our first service, we knew that McFBC was the place for us. We attended a new members class shortly after where we got to know the pastoral staff and a little more about the priorities of the church. This church is so Christ based, so Bible based, and so focused on community outreach and accountability through small groups. We couldn't believe what a perfect fit it was for us.

After joining the church in August, we were just in time to join a Life Group for the fall semester- "Experiencing Christ: A Journey Through Colossians." The Life Groups are small group Bible studies that meet once a week for fellowship, prayer, and discussion of the previous weeks daily Bible studies and Sunday's correlating sermon. We were blessed to be placed in a group with some truly wonderful people who made us feel even more welcome in the church. Our group consisted of two other married couples, both are pregnant (one with twins!) and three single women. We have really enjoyed spending our Sunday nights with them and sharing our blessings and needs with each other.

McFBc has really deepened both Randy and my faith and the life group has kept us more accountable in our walk with Christ. We even spent a Saturday serving a Thanksgiving meal in downtown McKinney- such a small step, but we just had not been making serving a priority in our lives before now.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us to find a church home- our prayers truly have been answered. Feel free to check out the McFBC Blog- it was especially created for members of the church to share their testimonies from the journey through Colossians sermon series. It is amazing to see how God is working in people's lives!

mckinneyfellowship.blogspot.com

June 7, 2006

This is the day that I found out I was pregnant. I have to say that I was sort of in shock considering Randy and I had recently had some long discussions about starting a family. We both were dying to have kids but finally made the practical decision to start trying in May of 2007 when Randy would be finished with school and we would have the possibility of earning some actual money. So when I found out I was pregnant two weeks later, I was (very pleasantly) surprised. God doesn't always follow our timeline and I trust that his plan is better than ours anyway.

I actually told my mom and my grandma that same day, because they happened to be visiting me and we were working on decorating my house. I couldn't keep it to myself so I told them and made them promise not to tell Dad and Papo. That was nearly impossible for my mom of course, but she did it and we headed home a couple of weeks later to tell the men of the family. I think my dad was the most shocked of all. We didn't tell him we were coming. We tied some pink and blue balloons to a little book about the joy of being a grandparent, left it on the doorstep, rang the bell, and hid behind the bushes. My dad came out and picked it up, looking very confused. He eventually concluded that it was at the wrong house and how was he going to figure out where it was supposed to go? That's when Randy and I popped out of the bushes. My dad again looked very confused but still did not make the connection. He just asked, "What are you doing here?.................ohhhhhhhhh!" He finally comprehended what was going on- it was so funny!

I told my grandpa by leaving a little note in his birthday card the next day. I think he may have been the happiest of everyone to find out the news. He had actually heard that I wasn't feeling well and had wondered if I was pregnant even before I knew that I was. When he saw me, he kept asking how I was feeling and what was "new." I said fine and nothing and he seemed a little disappointed that there was no news. Then, when he read his card, he teared up and I could tell how genuinely happy he was to find out that he is going to be a great grandpa.

I am very happy to be able to honor both my father and my grandfather with my son's name. His name is going to be Jack Patrick Biggs, after two of the most important men in my life. We can't wait to see what God has in store for Jack and for our family!

Trip to Baton Rouge

This past May, my good friends, Joel and Karin, got married in Baton Rouge, LA. Not only was it a blast to be there for their special day, but it also was a chance to get together with MANY friends and spend some much needed quality time with them. We had so much fun partying in Rich and Dan's hotel room (309), gambling at the riverside casinos, and meeting some of Joel and Karin's friends from college and from Boston, where they had lived for the past few years. Matt and Mary Shelton came in from D.C., Sarah Koss flew in from Seattle, all of the Oklahoma folks came in, and of course Dustin, Archana, Randy, and I drove down from Dallas.

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Rome, Pompeii, and Paris

Last March, I took on the task of hauling 40 high school/jr. high students and some parents and siblings, along with a few of my friends, across the world to Rome, Pompeii, and Paris. It was such an awesome experience. Not only did I get to visit my favorite city, Rome, I also got to visit some places I had never been. Not to mention offering my students the opportunity to travel abroad at such a young age. The kids were so amazing, we didn't have to worry about them at all. They had so much fun and I am really disappointed that I won't be able to travel with them again this year.

Here are some pictures...

Jake

As most of you know, in the fall of 2005, my family lost our beloved pet, our golden retriever, Max. Anyone who knew Maxer knew that he was the most loyal, friendly, happy dog in the world and was such a blessing to all of our lives for 12 years. We miss him so much!

Well, you know my mom couldn't live without another dog, so meet Jake, the new puppy. He is much crazier and more rambunxious than Max ever was. He has even "graduated" from about 3-4 different obedience schools so far but really isn't very obedient at all. I'm not quite sure if he can fill Max's shoes, but hey he is pretty darn cute!

Wedding/Honeymoon Pics

Randy and I had the most gorgeous wedding, thanks to my mom and dad! Here is a picture of the entire bridal party and one of me with my best friend, Sarah.

We were so blessed to be able to travel to Europe together for the first time on our honeymoon. We had both always wanted to go to Italy so we chose to visit Rome and Venice. Rome has since been deemed my favorite city in the whole world! I took several of my students to Rome, Pompeii, and Paris in March of 2006 and had planned another student trip for this December, but had to cancel it because of the pregnancy. I'm sure we will get back to Rome someday!

Our Home

For those of you who have yet to come visit us (and you know who you are), here is a picture of our lovely new home. We finally have furniture in every room, although there is a lot left to do. For now, we are holding off on any big projects until May when Randy graduates, in case we end up moving again!

Nursery Before and After

A few months ago, this room was referred to as the "Yellow Room" for some unknown reason, and it was used solely for the storage of Christmas boxes and luggage or to dry the laundry that couldn't go in the dryer. After a few painstaking days of painting over a wall so bright that Vegas would be proud and constructing nursery equipment whose instructions would confound a NASA space shuttle team, it is now a haven for anyone under two feet tall. Here are a few before and after photos...

Ultrasound

Well, we had another ultrasound today and everything looks great! My doctor just wanted to check Jack's heart one more time since we have down syndrome in the family. Luckily, he shows no signs of that and he is as healthy as can be.

Jack was very active the whole time- doing flips, sucking his thumb, and moving his mouth (maybe he was swallowing or hiccuping?) But the real news is that Jack is weighing in at 2 lbs. 13 oz. which, along with his other measurements, means that he is due to arrive about a week earlier than we thought (February 9 instead of the 16th) and even then should weigh 8 1/2- 9 lbs if he continues along as he has been. The doctor may even want to induce me earlier than that so that he won't be so big. We are really excited but also a little nervous to think we may meet our little guy in only 10 short weeks!

Here are the pictures from today... We now have photographic evidence that Jack is in fact a boy!

27 Weeks and Counting

Wow. We have finally made it to the third trimester! I myself am particularly happy that we have less than 3 months to go before Jack joins us "on the outside." I have to say that although my pregnancy has gone very well so far (I already have amnesia about the first trimester morning sickness!) and I still feel pretty great, it is getting a bit harder to sleep. We have splurged on a $75 maternity pillow but I can't say that it helps that much.

Jack however is quite content and happy on the inside. I have been able to feel him moving since about 16 weeks and Randy soon after, but now we are beginning to SEE him move! It is so fun to watch my belly "dance" as Jack flips and rolls around inside. He seems so strong and we have been told by two different doctors now that he is the most active baby they have ever seen! I am scared of what we are in for in a few months!

We are so excited for tomorrow when we get to see Jack again via ultrasound. We're hoping that we can get a better picture of him- supposedly he will be much less skeletal now, looking more like a "real baby." And I have to admit that we're slightly nervous to confirm that he is in fact a he. I have heard of too many people that are told one gender only find out later they're really having the other. That would be crazy!

Well, here are some pictures of the pregnancy so far. We'll get the ultrasound pictures up tomorrow.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers!

Welcome

Hi everyone! We are so excited that God has decided to bless us with little Jack and we cannot wait to finally meet him! We hope that this page will keep everyone updated on his progress as well as Mommy and Daddy's. Check back often for the latest pictures and updates!

Welcome

There's not a whole lot to it so far, but we wanted a way to share our pictures and random thoughts and ideas with our friends and family. So, here it is: our blog. Visit often!