LDS Infertility

I wish I had known about this site a few years back. Unfortunately, I've only recently discovered this priceless jewel and therefore had to share it with all of you.  I would hate for anyone who has ever dealt with any form of infertility to miss out on the peace and comfort that can be found here:

Infertility is something that will never go away.  I know that may not make sense, especially coming from someone who has not only been lucky enough to adopt the most beautiful little girl but who has found herself fortunate enough to become pregnant with two more little girls.  Nevertheless it's true.  I will always struggle with infertility. 

I will always wonder if we will ever be able to have anymore kids.  I will always be haunted by the 6 years of infertility that went through.  I will always carry the burden of having endometreosis and the issues that can occur with that.  I will always know the heartache and emptiness that comes from not being able to have the children you so desire to have.  I will always be able to empathize with another individual who is dealing with their own journey of infertility and will recognize what anguish they are dealing with, no matter how well they are able to portray happiness to the outside world.  I will never take the miracle of being able to bring a child into the world for granted...NEVER!!!

Regardless of how many children Chad and I will be able to bring into the world (with the help of our Heavenly Father) the scars of infertility will never go away.  They may fade a little, but I will never be able to forget the pain those wounds made. 

So, for those of you who may be facing the uncertainty and anguish of infertility I hope will take a look at 

LDS INFERTILITY 

and find a way to add a little hope and healing to your pain.  Remember, there is always something to be thankful for.  Even though, at times, it doesn't feel that way!

Looking Back--Pumpkin Painting

Since the girls were a little too young to carve their pumpkins this year Chad suggested that we have the girls paint them.  The girls loved it and I must admit I was extremely impressed with their painting skills.  We had so much fun together and we'll probably have this become a yearly tradition. 

(Excuse my diaper sporting babies.  This really was the best way to keep them somewhat clean.)

Halloween 2011

I have so much catching up to do with this blog of mine, but we've been having some major computer issues.  Luckily we have our trusty laptop, but it isn't as conducive when it come to uploading pictures, editing pictures, and the likes.  However, I couldn't let Halloween just fade into the background.  Especially since I remembered to take some pictures this year.  In fact these are the girls first Halloween pictures ever.  Sad, but true.

This year the girls went as Dorothy Gale and a Cheerleader.  I made Kinsie's costume and her ruby slippers too.  Her little black Toto dog was actually from Dannie, her birthmom, and worked out perfect. I got  Britnee's costume at Once Upon a Child for under $4.oo and found her pom poms at Hobby Lobby for $1.00.  I made the little cheerleading megaphone which also doubled as her candy bucket.

I love her deer in headlight look in the picture.  She looks so much like a Harper in this shot too.  In fact, she really reminds me of my sis-in-law Jodi in this picture.  I think it's the nice luscious lips and eyes. 

Kinsie loves taking pictures and is really good at saying cheese and giving me a nice cheesy grin.  She was so funny when we were out trick-or-treating.  After we left every house she would say, "More candy Mom."  letting us know that she wasn't ready to go back home.  She also fell in love with one of our neighborhood friends who had dressed up as Rapunzel and wanted to go with her to every house.

Working on a smile.

"Cheering" into her megaphone.

 Both of them "cheering" in to their candy buckets. 

They are such little goofs.

 My sister, Keri, inspired me to do something a little creative with my prego belly this year.  So, I decided to go as a pumpkin.  It was a big hit with our neighbors and was fun to got into the action without spending a dime.  Just ignore my chubby cheeks...my face is where I gain all of my weight.  Lucky me it has to be the face and not my thighs.

We had such a great time with the girls this year and can't wait to add another little goblin to the mix. We hope you all had a fun time dressing up and getting you own personal fill of candy.

P.S.  I'll try to get another post out in a few days or sometime next week.  (This is more of a personal encouragement for myself than anything)

Ultrasound Results

Well, this morning I went in for my 20 week visit which included the anxiously awaited ultrasound.  It's the first one I've had with this pregnancy, so we were a little anxious to see our little bundle of joy on live TV. 
After measuring every inch of the baby and determining that all ten toes and ten fingers were properly placed, we were able to get a nice long look right between our little babies legs.  (A little intrusive if you ask me)
So, it's safe to announce (if everything continues to go well) that Baby #3 will  be making HER debut right around the first part of February as planned.

Yep, we're having another little girl.  That's what we do best around here and it's nice to not have to worry about going out to buy a bunch of boy stuff.  The only downside to another girl is trying to come up with another girl name.  We had a hard enough time agreeing on Britnee.

Anyway-there you have it...three little girls all under the age of three.  I hope they end up like each other somewhat :)

 

It's quiet. Too quiet!

When am I going to learn that too much silence in my home equals an utter disaster.  One that I am left to clean up all by my lonesome.  Now, I'm not just talking about a mess that needs to be picked up and organized.  Nope, I'm talking about the scrubbing, gluing, sweating and often times crying messes that require way too much elbow grease.  Messes like...
-the 32 oz. bottle of bubbles that were spilled on my carpet
-the Kool-aid drops that dotted Kinsie's bedroom floor
-the JUICY peaches that were stolen from the kitchen counter and eaten on my couches
-the yogurt and applesauce that has not only ended up all over my little girl faces, but has somehow managed to find it's way into their ears
-the pencil, pen, and crayon  markings that I've found on my walls, chairs and table
-the liquid soap that has been dumped on my counter too many times to count
...and the list goes on and on.
You would that that after having had my fare share of disasters to clean up that I would have learned to keep better vigilance over my girls.  However, I find myself enjoying the quiet time that these disasters bring.  Sometimes it's the only quiet time I get and I think that why it takes me awhile to finally realize that messes are being made.  And it's funny, even though I know that my house is being destroyed in some far corner, I seem to find myself dragging my feet to go and hunt down my two little hooligans just so I can enjoy two more seconds of quiet.  Pathetic, yes.  Desperate, you betcha.  Worth it, the jury is still out on that one! 

Summer Happenings Part 5

We've finally come to the last post of our Summer Happenings.  Luckily, we are nowhere near to being done with our summer fun.  Kinsie's birthmom is coming for a visit sometime this month and at the end of the month we're going to be going camping one last time.  Then, in September (once summer is officially over) Chad will be heading off to Baltimore for a conference.  I was going to go with him, but figured it wasn't worth the cost of the flight.  Instead the girls and I will spend lots of time with family, eat out and play at McDonald's, and either do to the Zoo or Living Aquarium.
Anyway, like I said we still have a lot of fun summer plans ahead of us  But this is by far the most exciting thing that has taken place for us this summer.  It was actually the first on the list of our Summer Happenings, but I wanted to save this one for last.  Yeah...it's that good.
First of all I have to tell you that we weren't actually planning on having this be a part of our summer plans.   We were thinking about giving this a try more towards the Fall and even then we weren't sure if would end up working out for us.  That one reason it was kind of moved to the back burner.  Yet somehow, taking us by complete surprise, it just kind of fell into our laps.  Quite literally!!!

Yep, we're expecting another baby.  I'm 14 weeks along and the baby is due around February 8th.  This will make it three kids under the age of 3...and they'll probably all still be in diapers.  The goal is to have Kinsie potty trained by then, but she's being very stubborn about it.
Like I mentioned above this was a little bit of a surprise.  I had been seeing my doctor since November trying to see if we could get pregnant before another surgery would be required.  After months without success we thought for sure that I would have to go back in for another surgery, so we decided that we would enjoy our summer and then cross that bridge sometime this Fall.  However, our Heavenly Father obviously had other plans for our family. 
It was a pleasant surprise and exciting to know that my body is able to get pregnant on it own, so long as we keep the endometriosis under control.  I've been sicker than a dog this time around and have had no energy.  My poor girls have been without a decent mother for quite awhile now.  Luckily, over the past few weeks I've been doing great in the mornings and am starting to feel a little on the normal side again.
Anyway-That's our exciting news and a huge part of our Summer Happenings.  We'll find out what we're having towards the end of September and we'll be sure to keep you posted.