Easter 2015

My parents came down a few days before Easter,

Mom was on spring break and Dad didn't have to work,

and my sister and brother-in-law needed them to tow their car back.

It was fun to have them here for a few days.

The morning after they got here we had to have donuts, 

we have a really good donut place here!

So these donuts are now a tradition whenever my parents come.

Sweet Girl thought it was pretty neat to get a taste.

 We also have a yummy bakery, so we went there for lunch.

 All that food made us tired, so then we needed a nap... lol, I love how Sweet Girl's legs are in the air!

 Sweet Girl headed to my parent's house Friday for Easter weekend with my parents and then Sweet Husband drove down later that day after work.

We stopped and got Sweet Girl some flip-flops, seriously they are so cute!

She liked them so much I couldn't get her to stop kicking enough for a picture of both of them... lol!

 When we got to my parent's house we had to get a picture of Sweet Girl with her pineapple onsie and Uncle C's Psych phone case, in honor of him (he's on a mission).

 Saturday we went and did some yard work,

the weather wasn't supposed to be very good, but it was BEAUTIFUL!

I mean, look at that water!

The water was pretty cold, but with a wetsuit it was okay.

 Sweet Girl loved the boat!

(and tolerated the life jacket)

 After we got home we watched General Conference,

and Sweet Girl played... and ate Daddy's toes... so gross! lol, she loves feet, so weird!

 This picture cracks me up,

I'm not sure why she's crying, probably because we stopped her from eating Daddy's toes.

 Sunday morning started with our annual Easter Basket Hunt.

First off we had to get our annual group picture.

Thanks to my brother and sister's Go Pro, we got everyone in the picture!

 Sweet Girl loved her Easter basket!

I love her sneaky face in this picture and my Sweet Husband's adorable smile!

 Especially the cellophane... don't worry, I stopped her from eating it right after the picture.

 Such a happy girl!

 Our family after we found our baskets

 Sweet Girl got a few books in her basket,

she LOVES books!

 And apparently Sweet Girl also loves babies!

And smiling,

 and bunnies,

 Altoids boxes, aunts, uncles,

(my sweet sister-in-law and brother-in-law came down and celebrated Easter with us, it was really fun to have them with us!) 

 and sleeping during conference.

Sweet Girl's first Easter was a success!

Projects: Front Yard

Since the weather has been nice we decided to take advantage of it 

and Sweet Husband's off Friday and worked in the yard.

We plan to do more work in the yard throughout the summer,

but for now we are working on curbs around the lawn.

I've watched my Dad work on cement all my life,

I guess some of it sank in.

I really enjoyed it! 

Although, I'm sure if it was a bigger area it would have been a bit more stressful and difficult. 

 When Sweet Girl wasn't sleeping she was really good and played under the shade of our umbrella!

She loves being outside!

 By the second day she started to get a little restless,

so thankfully I'm pretty good at multitasking... lol!

Sweet Husband did most of the work, we had a friend who helped for a bit Saturday morning.

After that Sweet Husband mixed the concert, poured it, set it, finished it when I wasn't able to help.

I think it turned out pretty well!

We still need to do the other side, but we'll get it done soon.

This summer we hope to pour sidewalks all around the house and the lawn in the backyard, plant some more trees and other plants, and grow another garden (a salsa garden).

Spring Decorations

The other day I had a hankering to do some crafting,

plus I was binge watching a show and I always feel better about watching shows when I'm doing something while I watch/listen.

So I decided to make a wreath.

I did most of the crafting while Sweet Girl was sleeping,

but she was pretty good at playing while I crafted if I was in the middle of something.

She especially loved the lace!

 I love this picture.

After she kept trying to get into stuff that could hurt her, I put her in the exercauser.

Here is the final project.

I also cut out our house number in vinyl and put it on our door because we didn't have our house number anywhere.

I really like the way it turned out... lol even if you can't see it.

 I also made this cute Peep banner,

I've had it on my list of things to do for a long time, but never got around to it.

I'm glad I finally did.

National Infertility Awareness Week

Did you know that this week is National Infertility Awareness Week? If not, don't worry, I didn't either until someone else mentioned it. But since infertility is close to my heart I looked up some articles about the week and such. RESOLVE.org has a lot of interesting information about infertility.

As I was looking I found an article that caught my eye. I think the most common question I've been asked throughout our journey with infertility and beyond is something along the lines of "what can I do to help someone with infertility?" or "how can I be more sensitive to an infertile person?" Sadly, usually my answer is, "It's hard to say, it's different for everyone." Which is true, but I think this article actually gives some useful information. I also think that it captures how an infertile person's mind works pretty well. You might notice a lot of back and forth and your head might spin a little as you read it, welcome to the infertile world. Often infertility makes your head spin.

My heart goes out to couples struggling with infertility! You are in my thoughts and prayers!

I included some of my favorite parts of the article: 

"One consequence of such damaged self-esteem is that people may turn their anger and resentment on friends or loved ones. Bewildered and embarrassed by their own words and actions, infertile women and men have difficulty integrating such raw emotion into their self images. 'I feel like a bad person,' is a common admission. With their self-esteem so battered, people become unsure of themselves and may suddenly feel alone or out of place. 'I keep trying to fit in, but everyone is having baby showers or doing things with their kids,' comments one discouraged patient. 'I just don't belong anymore.' In turn, couples with children may exclude their childless friends. The infertile person feels further isolated and begins to avoid social gatherings where they feel awkward, different, or 'unwanted.' The cycle then perpetuates itself."

"Because our society greatly values and encourages parenthood, infertile women and men may worry that they have lost status or prestige in the eyes of others. From the inevitable question, 'Do you have children?' to messages at church to 'multiply and replenish the earth,' childfree couples are duly reminded of society's expectations. As one patient ruefully asks, 'My church constantly reminds women of their special duty as mothers. Does that mean they consider my worth to society is less because I am barren?' Adds a teacher with many colleagues on maternity leave, 'No one asks me about my work anymore. They only want to know when I'm going to start my family.' In addition, other people often make unfair judgments about the infertile couple. 'Especially if you are active in a career,' says one childfree female attorney, 'everyone thinks you have put your job before children. We can't even buy a new car or a bigger house without appearing selfish and materialistic.'"

"Infertility patients in treatment have lost control over much of their lifestyle, as doctors' appointments, temperature charts, medication schedules, medical procedures and programmed sexual relationships overwhelm their normal routine."

"Infertile couples may feel they have lost a child, whether they have never conceived or they have conceived but could not carry the baby to term. The paradox is that they mourn this child that never was and still yearn for him to be. 'Each month when I realize that I am going to have a menstrual period, it is like a death because it means there is no life, no baby to come,' says one woman. The sense of loss is punctuated because there is no funeral, no sense of finality. And without a clearly defined loss for family and friends to see, it is difficult for them to truly empathize; some even dismiss the deep grief as simple self-pity. 'Our hearts are broken," responds one couple. 'We don't want people to feel sorry for us; we just want them to understand that we are hurting.'"

"Become informed. Hurtful comments like: “You've got to get hold of yourself and calm down;” “You shouldn't feel that way when you have so much to be grateful for;” “You're becoming obsessed with having a child;” “Just relax;” “Quit work and you'll get pregnant;” or “Adopt and you'll get pregnant” reveal serious misunderstandings about infertility. Broadly defined, infertility is a medical problem which prevents a couple from carrying a pregnancy to term or conceiving after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. The problem may be with the woman (40% of the time) or the man (40% of the time). In the remaining 20%, both individuals have problems or the reason for their infertility is unknown. Only 5% of all couples who adopt later get pregnant. Furthermore, adoption is not an option for all couples. Waiting lists are long, babies are few, screening procedures are daunting and parental age limits are restrictive.
"Ask your friend/loved one to share any literature or information they have about their own infertility. This is often the icebreaker that leads to discussion. You might suggest they find a RESOLVE support group. There are also psychologists and social workers specializing in infertility who offer individual and group counseling. For people who find certain issues too sensitive to discuss with family and friends, short-term counseling provides an opportunity to express pent-up frustrations. Physicians who deal with infertility will know about local resources and can make recommendations."

"Don't be afraid of gentle humor -- it can often ease difficult moments. If your overtures are rejected or ignored, try not to be hurt or defensive, but reach out at another time. Anticipate potentially awkward situations or discussions so you can handle them with greater confidence if they arise. The underlying purpose of any discussion is to communicate concern; relay that message if the discussion gets tense or confused."

"Don't be afraid of you friend’s/loved one’s depression, anger, or guilt. If they will talk about their infertility, allow them to freely and fully express their emotions. They may grieve, going through a process of crying and repeatedly talking about what has happened and what might happen in the future. By venting negative feelings and releasing tension, they can often move on to a more positive, optimistic perspective. Suppressing emotional pain may just delay the grieving process or protract it. Bear in mind that people experiencing infertility want a sounding board more often than an opinion."

"The woman who is offended today because someone asks about her treatment is the same woman who may be hurt tomorrow because someone does not ask about it. She may talk incessantly about the treatment or condition one time and another time burst into tears at the mention of it."

"Baby showers, christenings, family reunions and holidays are especially difficult times. An invitation lets the infertile woman or man know they are thought of and wanted; it's always nice to be asked. If they choose to decline, accept their choice."

Is your head spinning a little, do some quotes seem to contradict other quotes? You are right, they do. That's why it's impossible to say one right thing. But I think one overall piece of advice is just to let the person know that you love them and are thinking of them. Sometimes they may not want to talk about what is happening, but if you just let them know you are thinking of them or that you care then they can respond when they are ready.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

As crazy as it is to say, I am grateful for our infertility journey. I'm not sure if we are past it yet or not, but I know that we have been blessed throughout it. Our families and friends have shown us so much love. Our Sweet Girl is a major blessing we've been given. But even more, our marriage has been blessed. Our journey brought us closer together. A friend of mine told us to enjoy the doctor visit days and I think that was great advice because we were able to have fun throughout the rough days. Infertility also brought us closer to our Father in Heaven and our Savior. It taught me to trust Their plan for me. Their plan is better than my own!

Youth Temple Trip

I knew I was behind, but I didn't realize how far behind I was until I starting looking at my pictures.

But have no fear, we'll get caught up!

Both Sweet Husband and I have callings with the youth.

Last month we had a youth temple trip.

We headed down the night before and stayed with my sweet in-laws.

Sweet Girl is an awesome traveler,

she especially loves to look at herself in the mirror and eat her toes.

 Precious baby snuggles with Grandma!

Baby Girl doesn't often let you snuggle with her these days,

so we take them when we can!

 Since someone needed to stay outside with Sweet Girl we took turns,

I went in before the youth baptisms and did initiatories.

My Sweet Husband went in to help with the youth.

While he was in the temple, Sweet Girl and I played outside

in the beautiful sunshine (actually the shade) and in the beautiful weather!

We took lots of pictures,

I love this one, she looks like a little model baby.

 And this one just cracks me up!

I love her little face and how she is whacking me in the head,

as if to say, "Get out of the picture Mom!"

 After the temple, we introduced Sweet Girl to the delicious Jersey Mike's!

As I typed Jersey Mike's I realized I never told you my funny story about Jersey Mike's! I went back through my blog to check. In my post to announce our pregnancy with Sweet Girl, I mentioned that I had a funny story to tell when we had our procedure to see if everything was clear. Well, apparently I never told you. so now is the time. Hopefully I didn't over sell it.. lol!

For the procedure I had to go in fasting, since I would be under anesthesia, supposedly it was just a local anesthesia but I don't remember anything after they gave it to me.

I walked into the procedure room, they had me lay down on the table, they hooked me up to all the monitors and such, the anesthesiologist gave me the stuff and said I wouldn't feel anything soon. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery area. I was talking to my Sweet Husband, but then the nurse asked me where I said I was going to go eat? I looked at her funny I'm sure. I asked her what she meant, she said, "You said you were going to eat somewhere afterwards." I said, "I don't remember that." She proceeded to tell me about how the doctor asked me if I was going to have a big coffee after I left, I said, "No, I don't drink coffee." Then he said, "Oh, are you going to have a big cup of tea?" I said, "No, I don't drink tea." He said, "What do you eat?" I said, "Jersey Mike's!"
We had a good laugh!

The Little Blue Truck... Home Depot Style

I'm way behind.

I will catch up, I promise.

But before that happens I want to share a funny story.

If we are friends on Facebook and/or Instagram, 

you probably already know at least part of this story.

And if you know me, especially if you are one of my college roommates,

you know that I can't tell a story without telling the back story too.

So I was born in a small town...

just kidding, 

we don't have to go that far back.

It all started with our shower door.

We are remodeling our master bathroom at the moment, I've mentioned that.

Well, we were just about finished with the tile in the shower

and started looking into a new shower door.

The old one was gross and I think we had already disposed of it.

We went to Home Depot and looked at the options there.

Nothing really caught our eye,

we noticed that we could special order a door;

however, we figured it would be way out of our price range.

So we went home and explored other options.

One day my Sweet Husband decided to look into it a little more,

to make a long story short we realized we could get one we liked for a decent price.

Since the special order desk is only open during business hours,

Sweet Girl and I got the privilege of going to order it.

It was a Monday.

A lady helped us. I showed her the series and model number of the door we wanted.

She looked and looked through her magazine and found one that was "close".

I mentioned that we probably didn't want close...

I mean I had the actual model number!

So, she tells me that she has to get a quote on the price,

mind you the sign we found it on.. in the store.. had the price right next to it!

But I figured it was probably just the way they did it.

So she looks for the form she needs.

Can't find it anywhere.

Calls all around the store.

No forms.

Calls the company,

it's all online now.

She has no idea how to do it.

She takes down my info and says she'll call back with the quote.

Wonderful, we'd been there an hour and Sweet Girl had been SO good, but was starting to loose it.

So we leave.

Two days later, still no call.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure she's getting a quote on the wrong door.

It's now Wednesday, still no call.

So I call, they tell me they'll have her call me when she gets in.

She calls, it's almost $100 more than we thought.

Thanks but no thanks.

But then we think, it's probably the wrong door.

So Friday, I go in again.

I talk to a different guy.

This time I have the actual picture of the sign my Sweet Husband looked at

and I found it in the store so I could show them if need be.

I show the picture to the worker.

He looks it up on the computer and within 5 minutes he has the correct door

and the correct price!

YAY! We order it and go on our merry way.

Ten days go by, the sign says 3-7,

my phone rings and it's Home Depot.

The worker says something like this,

"So I'm looking at your order here, which one is the height

67 1/8 inches or 34 inches?"

In my head I thought, "Why would I want a 34" tall shower door!?"

LOL!

But I was nice and told her that the 67 1/8" was the correct height.

I also ask her when the door will be in, since it has already taken so long.

She calls back later that day to tell me that it will be on the 16th (mind you that is 17 days away).

After about ten phone calls,

a few questions,

several ship date changes,

and a small refund

our new ship date was April 6th.

April 6th, 7th, and 8th

No door.

No call.

We decide to give them the benefit of the doubt,

it was just the ship date.

On the 8th I call.

The worker calls the company.

The company says,

"My computer says the ship date has changed the 16th but it doesn't say why."

Riiiiight.

Oh well, not much we can do. We're a little annoyed, but that won't change anything.

We decide to work on other projects.

April 15th

THE DOOR IS IN!

The worker calls to tell me that the door is in and ready to be picked up.

She also asks when I'm going to be there.

I tell her either later that day or the next day.

Well, it was Wednesday. My Sweet Husband and I both have callings that have us booked for Wednesdays and I needed our truck for the evening, so we decide that I will pick it up Thursday. 

April 16th... aka yesterday

I'm excited to go pick up the door, but I figure I probably won't be able to lift it myself and I had a dentist appointment so I wouldn't be home for a while during the day so I didn't want to just leave it in the back of the truck while I was gone. So I decide that I will go after the appointment but before my Sweet Husband gets home. But I have this nagging feeling like I should just wait until my Sweet Husband gets home. I shake it off because I told him I would do it and I like to do the things I tell him I will do for him. He does so much for our family, running errands for him is an easy thing I can do for him. And part of me thinks that I'm just being a chicken because I'll have to ask for help.

The time is 4 PM.

I load up Sweet Girl.

I drive through town, rather than take the freeway to get there.

(I was trying to see what would be the best route for driving back home with the shower door and a new toilet in the back.)

The truck seems bumpier than normal, but I figure it was just because we went over the train tracks and we don't usually go that way.

A man in our ward pulled into the parking lot just before me.

I watch him park.

I'm headed to the parking spots in the loading area.

Just as I'm passing the front doors of Home Depot

it feels like I hit a GIANT pot hole.

We bump along,

I say to Sweet Girl,

"I think we just blew a tire."

I remember what my mom told me to do if I ever blew a tire.

So I slow down and try to pull over.

I stop and lean out to take a look at the tire.

But there is NO tire in sight!

I get out of the truck,

just then that man in our ward rolls the tire to me and says,

"I think you lost your tire."

LOL! "Yep, it looks that way!," I laugh,

the quote from Sister Hinckley kept going through my head

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” 
― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I'm shaking a little,

the man in our ward tells me he'll call his AAA for me.

I call my Sweet Husband.

He says, "Don't call AAA, I'll be there before them."

He also tells me to get Sweet Girl out of the truck and put the hazards on.

Sweet Girl and I go into the store so we don't have to stand by the truck.

As we walk around the store I just keep laughing to myself.

While we are looking at the toilets my Sweet Husband calls to ask exactly where the truck is.

In the middle of the call,

my phone dies.

I'm not sure what to do at this point,

but I decide that I'll hang out by the front doors so I can see him when he pulls up.

Really, there wasn't any way he would miss the truck.

We were right to the left of the front doors.

But I didn't want to miss him when he got there.

After a little bit of small talk with some workers who came to see the truck,

I notice my Sweet Husband's old vanpool van pull up.

We have a friend in the vanpool,

so I go to see if I can borrow his cell phone to call my Sweet Husband back in case he needed to tell me something else.

Sweet Husband is actually talking to our friend when Sweet Girl and I walk up.

A bit later my brother-in-law also shows up.

I felt so loved, my Sweet Husband made sure that we had people to help us and those people actually did! I was so grateful!

As I'm telling them what happened, I'm laughing, and insist that they see it.

It didn't take much convincing.

Our friend goes home shortly after this, because there isn't much we can do without either a tow truck or a jack and tools. My brother-in-law took Sweet Girl and I home with the plan to get the jack and tools and spare tire. But just before we get home my Sweet Husband got to the truck. He decides we just need to get it towed home. My sister and brother-in-law agree to watch Sweet Girl for me so I can go back and be with my Sweet Husband and pick up the stuff I went for originally. They also let me borrow their truck, since our's was most definitely out of commission. 

What we figure happened with the truck is that the lug nuts came loose,

then the tire started jiggling and wiggling around,

over time the holes where the posts come through the rim got bigger and bigger until the lug nuts slipped through and some wiggled off,

until we lost them all and the tire fell off!

We ended up following the tow truck home and eating dinner before we picked up our stuff, or tried to.

We go to the customer service desk and show them our paperwork,

they bring up the shower door.

My Sweet Husband looks at it and says that it isn't what we ordered.

After more checking,

it most certainly is NOT our shower door.

In fact, this is a bathtub door, there are two doors. We ordered a shower door, or in other words, one door.

The part number is all wrong.

I just keep laughing,

I couldn't stop.

What a day.

We get a refund,

get our toilet and a few other things we needed and head home

To find that my sweet sister and brother-in-law have even put our Sweet Girl to bed! What awesome babysitters!

We change into pjs and decide to watch a show and relax after the crazy day.

I finally plug in my phone.

I have a message.

It's from Home Depot.

They actually do have our shower door.

The tags got mixed up.

LOL!

I call back and say I'll come in Friday (today).

I went in today,

paid for the door again,

picked it up,

and my Sweet Husband is installing it as I type this!

What an adventure!  

Extra Shout Outs to my Sweet Husband, our friend, and my sister and brother-in-law!

You all are awesome!

Thank you for helping us!

Also, I am so grateful that we weren't on the freeway when the tire came off,

it could have been SO much worse.

But thankfully it wasn't.

Thankfully it was just something we could laugh about.

Heavenly Father was definitely watching over us!

And a shout out to you if you made it all the way to the end of it.

Sorry, it was SUPER long!

Seven Months!

Seven months have FLOWN by!

This month has been very eventful!

Sweet girl sits like a champ now!

I don't have to line up pillows behind her any more.

She's getting better at getting from sitting to her belly.

She also is becoming a mover and shaker!

Her "crawl" is pretty hilarious to watch!
PS I checked the privacy settings of my videos on vimeo and was a little uneasy,
so my videos now have a password. The video is about my sweet girl, keep that in mind.
And PSS it's two words with a space.

I literally sat her on the scale to see how much she weighs,

the scale said 16.2 lbs.

She is also getting better at eating solids.

She seems to like most things that we give her, 

some take a little longer for her to like.

Although, I don't think she's a big fan of rice cereal. 

 Daddy stayed home with her once while I was at baby shower and they tried all of the food in our house! Lol! I love this picture so much!

Sweet Girl LOVES any food she can feed herself!

We have one of those baby food holder things, she loves it and so do I! It helps her eat and it helps her gums feel better too because I usually put in the baby food I made, which I keep in the freezer.

 At the end of the feeding session with Daddy she had food ALL over! Lol!