Pumpkin Patch

Saturday afternoon we all hung out at the pumpkin patch, helping get ready for the maze that night. I got to be with these cuties for most of the day...they make me so happy. :)
The pumpkin patch
Jarod in his boots...
Aaron & Clint fixing the catapult
I got to bring home these beauties...so fun! I am so excited for the holidays!

Lincoln's aunt & uncle run a big haunted corn maze. This is what it looks like this year...it is AWESOME! I got to help while I was there. I didn't know that I could be so scary...I was quite proud of myself! :)

I know I don't look too scary but in the dark we looked pretty creepy. I was in the same area as three of Linc's aunts & we had so much fun. I hid behind this doorway that the people go through & crouched in the corn. Then I would jump up & hiss really loud & shake the corn stalks in their faces. I heard lots of swearing and scared a few people half to death.

At the end, I got to go through. I knew what was coming up & I still was freaked out! There was one part in this dark tunnel...this guy popped up right in front of me and was wearing this incredibly scary mask & I screamed my head off. I can scream REALLY loud too! Lincoln's family was yelling up to me to see if I was ok...I think they thought I was traumatized. Ha ha. It was SUCH a fun night. I wish Lincoln could have been there!

On Sunday morning, Linc's mom & I went to the cemetery and put a little pumpkin next to Jackson's headstone...it looked so cute.

After that, we had breakfast and then left to make it home in time for the primary program practice. The ride home was interesting...the dogs were throwing up the whole way back. I guess they ate too much grass & other stuff up there. It was disgusting. Aaron was gagging because it smelled so bad. Oh, the joys of puppies!

It was an incredibly fun weekend though. I already want to go back up!

Emma's Show

Last Monday I received a call from our friend Emma (age 5) inviting us to a show that night. She made sure that I knew that the puppies were invited & told me that she hoped they would participate. When we got there, Emma gave all of us tickets to the show...even Daisy & Duke :)
Emma played Ariel...
Her mom, Jana, played Flounder, Sebastian, Ursula & Prince Eric...she is quite talented.

Lincoln & the puppies enjoying the show (I was hoping Emma wouldn't notice that they were sleeping during it)
Hanging out after the show...
Emma was so excited that Duke fell asleep on her lap. Jana said that in Emma's prayer that night, she said that she was thankful for Lincoln & I and the puppies. She also said that she was grateful that Duke could snuggle with her & that it was so cute. She is so sweet. Thanks for the fun night Emma, Jana & Jeff!

Fertility Update

Well, I know this is really personal but I figured that pretty much everyone knows that we are trying to get pregnant & that people are probably wondering what is going on. I figured it would be nice to have the support anyway....so here it is:

We've been trying since December. I was on Clomid for about 4 months but it didn't do anything...the doctors actually think it may have made me stop ovulating, which I didn't even know was possible. We went to a fertility specialist for a few months but stopped going because we felt like we were being pushed to do in-vitro. In July I was 9 days late & thought I was pregnant...then I started the day we left for a week-long trip to my sister's mission. Great timing, I know. We try to plan everything around my "time of the month" because I still have a few days where I am in a ton of pain and pretty much in bed because of it. I've been regular the whole time (other than July) but this month I am 15 days late & am still waiting for something to happen. I went to my ob/gyn's office and asked them to do a blood test to make sure that I'm not pregnant...the 3 tests I took at home over the past couple of weeks were negative. I got a call today saying that I am not pregnant.

It's really hard for me not to get my hopes up when I think that I could be. I'm trying to be patient. I really do know that Heavenly Father has a very specific plan for us & our future family & that timing is essential to that plan. Patience is definitely not one of my strongest virtues though! So today was a little bit of a downer. :( A funny side note though...my friend Erica knew that I was waiting to hear back from the doctor today. By late afternoon, she still hadn't heard back from me so she came over to check on me. I answered the door crying...not because I had heard back from the dr. yet, but because I was watching The Biggest Loser! She automatically thought I had heard back & was having a really hard time. I didn't even shed a tear when I ended up hearing back that my test was negative...yet I bawl my eyes out in The Biggest Loser. It's not just a little tear rolling down my face...no, it is that snot-dripping, bunching-up-of-the- face kind of crying. (Don't you love that description?)

I am also going back & forth on whether to change to a different ob/gyn and/or a different fertility doctor. If anyone has any recommendations I would love them! I feel like the drs. I have been going to are very competent, but I keep feeling like I need a change. I am looking for someone who I feel is really invested in me & my situation. Thanks for the help! Thanks too, for all of the support. I feel so blessed & feel like people are really rooting for us...and that feels so good.

Absolutely Incredible

Our friend Jared has a website featuring his artwork & is starting up a business drawing portraits from photos. His work is AMAZING! Seriously, it is probably the neatest thing I have ever seen. It would make a PERFECT gift for a loved one. Check out "Perfect Pencil" (his site)...you'll be so glad that you did! He is also holding a raffle...

Count Your Blessings

I am feeling very blessed. Over the past few months about 80% of my problems/trials have disappeared. I've found answers to health problems that I've been searching for for over 8 years. I feel healthier and more whole than I can remember feeling in a VERY long time. I feel like a new person. I almost don't know what to do with myself & my time...I'm not used to having this many options in my life!

I am lucky to have people in my life who have tried to understand the pain I've had. I honestly can't describe how painful endometriosis has been for me. It is pretty terrible. I am SO thankful that I am not waking up in pain every day, like I was before. I'm thankful to Lincoln for trying to see me for ME and not my sickness. I'm sure that has been extremely hard for him to do. I have friends who are unbelievable at trying to understand my situation. I'll never forget the way those people have listened & reached out to me.

Today I am counting my blessings. I have so many. I have a new chance at life! I'm thankful for my body & for the way that it's responding to acupuncture. The human body is amazing. I am SO lucky.

It's That Time of Year!!!

I am SO, SO excited for the upcoming holidays! However, I am a little nervous to find out what Lincoln wants to be this year for Halloween...

I'm Starting To See A Pattern...

I am sucking on these things like crazy right now for a canker sore I have in my throat. According to the dentist it's "enormous"...I can't see it myself. I keep getting one when I haven't gotten enough sleep, or when I am overly-stressed, and the sore is always in the same spot. Tomorrow I'll pick up some special medicated rinse with a steroid in it from The Apothecary Shop. Hopefully that will take care of the problem. It seems like there is a pattern to my blog...always talking about some random thing that is happening to my body. Not a big deal...but kind of annoying.

Ode to My Ever-Changing Moods

I was watching this doctor on Ellen a couple days ago & thought I should write a post on my blog about healthy food & why it is so important. I was going to tell this great story about how a few years ago I lost 30 lbs. just by basically trying to follow the Word of Wisdom better & by walking. I was going to tell about how once I got the hang of it, it was SO easy to follow...because I made more of a lifestyle change instead of just going on a diet. Then I got pregnant with Jackson & blah, blah, blah...my eating habits have gone downhill since then. I was going to proceed by telling the blogging world that I've recommitted myself to certain things that I did before, knowing that if I just do these things, it will totally help me to feel healthier & to lose weight. Well, I moved on to other things & forgot to write that post.

The next day I had a MAJOR sugar craving & sent Lincoln to the store to get these:

I literally downed them in 5 minutes. Linc came downstairs when I was at the end of my pack of Rolos & asked if I saved him any. I reluctantly showed him the 2 I had left & used sheer willpower to tell him it was ok if he ate them. I thought about those 2 Rolos for a few minutes after that...how it would have tasted so good to have finished the peanut butter taste with some more caramel.

Oh, and don't worry...it's not just my eating habits that change every 5 seconds right now.

Just Had To...

Heather took this pic and posted it on her blog...I just had to copy it. I think it is absolutely hilarious. I love the completely overjoyed look I have on my face...like life couldn't get any better. I will continuously look at this when I am cleaning up these cute little things' poop (my favorite was when Duke went all over my blow dryer that was sitting on the floor) & when I am almost tripping down the stairs half-asleep at 4am to take them outside for a bathroom break. Oh, the joys of motherhood...(just had to add that little mother comment in there for Linc) :)

Someone Loves My Blog :)

Kristina awarded me with the "I love your blog award" (thanks!!!), so I was tagged & have to answer these questions with a single word. It was fun, but I realized it is almost impossible for me to answer a question in one sentence, let alone one WORD! There always has to be some sort of long explanation...
1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Beautiful
5. Your father? Goofy
6. Your favorite thing? Heart-To-Hearts
7. Your dream last night? Forgettable
8. Your dream/goal? Mother
9. The room you're in? Bedroom
10. Your hobby? Reading
11. Your fear? Pain
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Snowflake?
13. Where were you last night? Erica's
14. What you're not? Calm
15. One of your wish-list items? Baby :)
16. Where you grew up? Arizona
17. The last thing you ate? Potato
18. What are you wearing? Pajamas
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? Sleeping
21. Your computer? Old
22. Your mood? Hormonal
23. Missing someone? Melissa
24. Your car? Perfect
25. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
26. Favorite store? Bookstore
27. Your summer? Amazing
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Blogging
31. Last time you cried? Today (while watching Biggest Loser...I have issues)

I award the following 7 people with the "I love your blog award" and in so doing tag them to complete the above questions.

Bekah
Katee
Stephanie Evans
Jana
Kristin Faiva
Amy Webb
Michelle McClure