I guess I'll start by telling you what this blog is about.

The Making of M.O.M. (Marvelous, Ordinary Miracles) is my best attempt at journaling my life as a wife, daughter, friend, mom, and foster/adoptive mom to 9 children.

M.O.M. or Marvelous, Ordinary Miracles is my take on my life. It is marvelous because it was given and is sustained by a marvelous creator. It is ordinary in regards to the world's view of ordinary (but extraordinary to me). And, I witness daily miracles in the lives of my family and friends. I blog about the miraculous and the mundane - though there's not much that's mundane with 8 kids.

This blog is about my life. All aspects of it. The beautiful, the nitty gritty and the down right hilarious.

As for me.... I'm Jessica. I grew up, and still reside, in the southern United States. My parents divorced at a young age and I moved, along with my Mom, several states away from my hometown. At 13, I chose to move back to my hometown to live with my father. I finished High School then went to college just an hour away. I went to college on a volleyball scholarship, thought the only way you’d ever know that is if you somehow find yourself in our master bathroom where i’ve displayed our beautifully framed photos from our athletic days in college. (Where else do you put those suckers?)

Throughout high school and college I lived a life separated from God. My lifestyle was seemingly fun for a single, 20-something gal, but truly my actions were tearing me apart from the inside out.

I met Luke in the fall of 1999, during my sophomore year and his junior year of college. Our relationship was anything but fairy-tale. (You can read about that by clicking here.) We were on-again, off-again and finally became engaged in December of 2001. A year later we were married in a post-Christmas wedding.

It was beautiful.

I immersed myself in my new career as a public school teacher and Luke enjoyed his job as a traveling furniture representative. In November of 2003 we were surprised to find out that we were expecting our first child. Looking back, I can see that the Lord chose that season of our lives, to make us parents, with specific detail. Our best friends were walking through a divorce and Luke and I found ourselves wondering how we'd ever end up any different. Afterall, we both came from divorced families. The statistics weren't in our favor.

Luke suggested church. I was hesitant. Churches were for hypocrites.

With our oldest daughter, Elizabeth, growing inside me I fell in love with a Savior I had never known before. Sure, I'd heard about God. I even knew about Jesus. Turns out, knowing about Him and actually knowing Him are two totally separate things.

He ransomed me. Christ reached into the muck that I was wallowing in and pulled me from the pit of shame, grief and self-destruction. He released me from the bondage of my sinful, sexual past. He cleansed me and healed old, festering wounds.

But most of all, He transformed my heart. I'm still the same girl that talks too loud, says too much and loves little more than a good, hearty belly laugh. But I'm renewed. Truthfully, I'm being constantly renewed. As I continue to learn more about the Father who loves me, the more I realize I truly know very little about Him at all.

I used to believe that God was purely a God of judgment. That He sat on a high throne, looking down upon an Earth full of sinners ready to hand out punishments. I just knew that when He looked at me He only saw a pile of not-good-enough. I thought for sure that He sat there, waiting on me to mess up so that He could punish me.

And while God is a God of justice, He's also a God of love, patience, tenderness and mercy. He came to me, provided a ransom for my soul and led me to Himself.

Elizabeth was born in 2004. 18 years and 8 more kids later (yes, 9 in all) the Lord still proves Himself faithful. He shows up in the majestic and in the details and I find myself falling in love with Him over and over and over again each time.

He truly knew the anguish of my soul and I rejoice in His love.