Monday, March 19, 2012

St. Patrick's Day

I still feel like Addy is just a little bit young to understand the significance of many holidays. So, this year we didn't do any of the green food/leprechaun stuff. Next year! However, we did wear green! We decided to invite some friends and go bowling! It was Addy's first time bowling and she loved it! She was so, so excited and squealed with excitement. She was really good about putting her fingers in the holes and rolling the ball down the lane. It was a good time and we were glad to get out on the weekend. We picked up a pizza and our friends joined us for games after. It was a good St. Patty's Day had by all! Thanks for celebrating with us, friends!











Tyler was messing around with the different sounds on the piano. The kids thought it was sooo funny and gathered around to laugh hysterically.


Play House

Finally! I started this play house a year ago. That's right... a year ago. I finally got it out again last week and finished it in 2 days. Why did I not just do it a year ago, is beyond me! I finished it during Addy's nap and had it all set up when she woke up. She was so excited about it! I'm so glad she loves it! Yay!!!!

This side has a garden that she can pick vegetables and an apple tree. The apples come off the tree too!


This is the front door. I still need to finish the flowers to put in the window box. The mailbox has a place to stick letters through.


This side is a clothes line and the other half of the apple tree.

Monday, March 12, 2012

For Documentation Purposes...

I've been thinking about blogging about this for a long time. It is something I want to document, because it is consuming my life. I want to be able to look back on it when we are over this trial and be able to remember what we went through and that we survived the pain. It's a sensitive subject, and I will probably not be able to write this without bawling like a baby. You can feel free to stop reading here. :)
We have been trying for over 2 years now for a second child. After trying for a few months at the beginning of 2010 with no luck, I went to my doctor to find out that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I was shocked. I was devastated. We had no problem getting pregnant with Addelyn, and then to have this thrown at us was a huge curve ball. I took Clomid (fertility drug) for a year... a whole year! I would go in every month to have blood drawn to see if it was working. It supposedly was. Still, nothing changed. I have no idea how severe my PCOS is. It did not seem to concern my doctor much, so I was not worried. After a year of following me closely, they decided to look in to Tyler a little bit. We had some tests done which were basically not totally conclusive. He may or may not have something to do with it. So... we are stuck. Our insurance won't cover any type of fertility treatment and we can not afford it at this stage of our lives. My doctor basically said that he has done all he can and good luck!
It seems that every month my period falls one day later than expected, when this happens I get super excited, take a pregnancy test, and then cry. It's hard to go through every month. It's hard when almost all of my friends (all but 2) are pregnant or had a baby within the last year. I am excited for them, most definitely! But it's hard. I want to have that experience again. It's no secret that I have always wanted a big family. The only thing I have ever wanted to be was a mom of 8 kids. :) (Tyler has talked me down a bit... we're at 6 kids now.) If things had gone according to our plan I would be pregnant with number 3 right now.
The thing that breaks my heart the most about all of this is that Addy will not have a sibling close to her in age. I so badly want her to have that. To be able to have a best friend that is a sibling. I know it can still happen, and I hope that it does, I hope that the age difference will not be so immense that she feels left out.
We've prayed, we've fasted, we've done everything it seems, but it's just not happening for us. I am doing a little better now, than I have for the past 2 years. I have learned to live with it. It doesn't mean that I don't still have a hard time every month when that time rolls around or when I find out someone else I know is pregnant... I'm an emotional mess. BUT I have faith that this will not be permanent. I have faith that Heavenly Father knows what he is doing. I am grateful to Tyler who is so strong through all of this, who comforts me and just lets me have my bad days and crying sessions while holding me. I love him. I'm glad it's him that I have by my side through all of this.
Addelyn is what keeps me going. She is everything to me. Because we are having such a difficult time this time around it just makes me all the more grateful to have her in our life. Our family would not be the same with out her. She is our miracle baby. I love her! How could any one not be dying for another after having her? I love her!

Hopefully some day in the near future this will all be water under the bridge and we will be able to look back on it and be grateful for the growing that this has provided us. I hope that day is soon.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Addy LOVES to Sing


I love listening to her cute voice all day!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Valentines

Our amazing friend, Ann, put together a huge Valentine's Party for the kids at the church. It was so fun! There were so many stations, good food, good friends, and lots of fun! Unfortunately, my camera battery died after only a few pictures. Boo! I also didn't get a picture of Addy in her Valentine's outfit.







I didn't know where else to put this... so... I made a special Anniversary dinner for Tyler and I. Candles and all! Addy enjoyed it with us too. Baked sweet potatoes, asparagus, and country style pork ribs. Yum!


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Anniversary Celebrations

4 years! They say the first 3 are the hardest... so smooth sailing from here on out, right? We jumped at the opportunity to get away for a night with a jacuzzi suite at a local hotel, fancy dinner, and a day of drooling over a new car. We were 2 for 3 out of all of those! Not bad!
Here's my great story about our jacuzzi suite. Friday morning, I get a call from our hotel. We started off by confirming our reservation and I was ready to hang up the phone. The hotel clerk then proceeds to tell me that they can longer honor our reservation. I was baffled and proceeded to ask why? After telling me that our room was no longer available I got upset and asked how that could be since we had a reservation and couldn't they make someone else's not available and give us our jacuzzi suite that I had sooo been looking forward to! She proceeds to tell me that due to "unforeseeable circumstances" we can't have it... after a few minutes of beating around the bush she told me there had been ambulances and police and our room would not be clean in time for our stay. Oh... so our room was probably where a murder/suicide occurred, because honestly if there wasn't any blood I think they could have cleaned it up in time. Bummer! So, she gave us their next nicest room, a king suite, a dozen roses, two bags of chocolate, and a voucher for a free night (that never expires!). I was really, really, really looking forward to soaking in a bath all night, but I settled. Some day, I will hopefully have a relaxing bath in a jacuzzi tub.
Dinner was delicious! We went to Hall Street Grill and splurged. We got the 3 course meals complete with delicious bread pudding dessert. Our main dish was delectable and I wish I would have taken a picture before I devoured it.





It was nice to spend an evening, just the two of us. We're grateful to our friends, the Jackson's for taking such great care of Addy. We know she had such a blast!





These two are such great friends! I love watching them together!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Hockey Game

Tyler and mine's first date was a Provo Hockey game! This is the first hockey game we have been to since. It was a lot of fun! My mother in-law's friend from High School was getting inducted into the Winterhawks Hall of Fame. We went to a little get together before hand and had some yummy dinner, then to the game. The Winterhawks are 7-0 and it was really fun to watch them play!


I think I look a little fat in this picture, but Tyler looks good! :)


My handsome husband, deep in thought.


The Winterhawks! They are the ones in white.

Monday, January 30, 2012

January Happenings

Our computer is being super lame, so I have unfortunately not been able to get on to blog. It's irritating! It's working now, so here we go!

We attempted to make Addy's binkies disappear, by throwing them in the trash. HUGE mistake! She didn't cry as much as I thought she would, BUT she would not take naps anymore and she would stay up as late as 10 playing in her room. We decided to, by we, I mean I decided to give them back to her for nap and nighttime. I am SO not ready for her to be done with naps. So now, we just take it away right when she wakes up. We'll be binky free someday. It doesn't bother me as much now since she doesn't always have to have it. Much better!

This was the first night without her bink. We were amazed that she slept through the night with out it. Previously, she would wake up and cry if she couldn't find her binky. That was probably the most successful thing about the idea!

Addy helped me make cookies the other day. She was such a good helper! She measured and dumped. However, whenever I turned the mixer on she would run to the couch and get into this position...

She didn't like the loud sound of the mixer. Addy would say "I'm scared!" then run away and pretend to be asleep on the top of the couch. Silly girl! She also, wouldn't taste test the cookie dough! Crazy!





She most definitely enjoyed the end product!

Quite often I find Addelyn in her room reading to herself. She LOVES to read! I am so glad! I love hearing her cute little voice when she reads. It's amazing that she remembers what the books are about from when I read to her.




Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Week After Christmas Activities

We had such nice weather while in Hermiston! I was a little sad that there wasn't any snow for Christmas, but loved the warmish weather. The guys went golfing on Wednesday, so Camilla and I took the girls to FunLand Park. They loved it! I think they had been cooped up in the house far too long! Addy just wanted to run around the whole time! Later in the week, we went up to Hat Rock and fed the ducks! Addy had a blast!

If you look closely you can see the top of Addelyn's head peaking up above the train... it's in line with the flag pole. She LOVED the train!
















If the ducks didn't come eat the bread that she threw she would pick it up and throw it back at them. :)





Tuesday, January 3, 2012

New Year's Eve 2011

We drove home from Hermiston on New Year's Eve. We got home, unpacked, took down Christmas, went grocery shopping, and then settled in for the night. We just enjoyed a quiet night at home. We rented a movie and watched the Dick Clark/Ryan Seacrest countdown to the New Year. We hope the new year brings great happiness to our family! 2012 seemed like it would never come 4 years ago. This is the year that Tyler will graduate from dental school and we will become real adults. No more school! Weird! We're excited and nervous (to be in the real world) for what the future holds for our family. I made Spinach and Artichoke Dip and we drank Sparkling Cider! Yum!