Farmer Mike

Mike's newest hobby is gardening.  All he wanted for his birthday was plants to fill his gardens.  I figured I should photo document his progress.

Here's Farmer Mike starting the planting process.

Wearing his birthday hat.

 These are Mike's strawberry roots that I got him.

 Mike enjoying his homegrown strawberry.

 The 3 tomato plants.

 The strawberry patch.

 I always go out to take pictures of the garden and end up with 5 of Brawny.

 The tomato plants keep growing and a zucchini.

 The tomato plants outgrew the cones.  They are out of control and we still have yet to harvest a single tomato!

 One of the gardens Mike built was not working.  It was getting too much water and not enough sun so he moved some plants to pots.  He is seriously getting a green thumb.  He's nursed a couple plants back to life. 

 I caught the gardening fever but my thumb is far from green.  I'm trying it out in the old garden by trying to not kill succulents.  So far so good!

 Hopefully soon we'll have a follow up blog about all the tomatoes, carrots, peppers, strawberries, cucumbers, etc that we've harvested.

Perkins Visit

Mike and I had the opportunity to spend the week with the Paxman's while their parents were on a vacation.  It just so happened to be the same time that my sister, Heather, and her family came to visit California.  It was fun to meet up with everything at Disneyland. 

 

By far the best ride of the day was the Grizzly River Run!  We all laughed and joked and got soaked together.

My dad's pants got soaked.  Poor man looked like he had pee pants.

 These two became friends and enjoyed each other's company.  This was in Tarzan's Treehouse.

The whole family on Jungle Cruise.

 Little Lizzie is a hoot!!  She danced the whole way through Downtown Disney.

 We had lunch at the Jazz Kitchen where the girl's enjoyed their fancy glasses.

 While at California Adventures you have to do Toy Story!!

 The day after Disneyland was spent relaxing at my mom's.  Here's the two babies of the family cuddling.

 Lizzie is very shy but "Big Mike" won her over.  I had to sneak around to get pictures of the two of them.

 It's always good to see the Perkins!!  We love you guys!!

Brawny's Summer Do!

I had to show a before and after of Brawny. We decided to get Brawny shaved since he has so much hair and because it's so hot out in Perris. It's seriously a crazy difference!

Isn't his farmer's tan hilarious!!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is an awkward holiday for me.  As most people know we've struggled with being able to conceive so a day honoring mothers can be a tough one.  Through the years of trying this holiday became less of a reminder of what I don't have and more of a celebration of things to come.  I may not have a child but that does not mean I am not a mother.  The April issue of the Ensign had an article that summed it up for me:

My Search for Motherhood

I couldn't help but relate to the story and feel grateful for the blessings in my life.

In the June issue of the Ensign there was the following article:

Learning to Cope with Infertility

I've been so touched to read the Ensign and find articles that speak to me in my current situation.  I have a testimony that miracles do happen and know that the Lord hears my prayers.  I continue to pray for a child but I know that I am still a mother who deserves a day of pampering.  I'm lucky to have a husband who always thinks of me on Mother's day and treats me with love and respect.

Another Chapter in our Infertility

I want to start of saying that we truly appreciate all the prayers and fast in our behalf.  We had such an outpouring of love so I felt it was only fair to update everyone.  We did three rounds of clomid and metformin but it was unsuccessful.  I called my OBGYN and asked for refill of the medicine because it's the free route but she instead referred me to a specialist.  I was ANGRY!!  I felt like things were going to work out and that she needed to give me a refill.  Mike and I pray daily for answers and direction but I was not open to it.  I had to humble myself and call this new specialist.  A couple days later we went and met with Dr. John Norian at Loma Linda and instantly felt at peace.  He really hit the ground running which was a plus for us since he's our sixth doctor in five years.  He told us he's got lots of tricks up his sleeves and he's ready to pull them out to help us.  We have to do some testing just to make sure everything is still in order but then we'll start an aggressive approach to getting us our baby.   

Lack of Wisdom

Mike and I had both avoided the dentists since before we even started dating.  We figured since it had been 8 years for me and over 10 for Mike that we should bite the bullet and go in.  Like everything in our marriage we had bets going on who'd do better.  I kicked Mike's butt in the cavities department but the dentist told me that I needed to get my wisdom teeth out. 

I'm not going to lie I was a nervous wreck the night before.  I have never been put out for anything and the thought of it terrified me.  Since I only needed two out they didn't need to put me out so I was a lot calmer.  The whole process took about 30 minutes and I think I got about 10 shots in my mouth.  I'm such a dork because I was so proud that the dentist told me I did really well and was a good patient.  (I'm sure I just looked terrified so he was trying to calm me.) 

I did well with the recovery for an hour or so and then I needed the prescribed vicodin.  For the next couple of days I was in a daze but was pain free.  I was surprised how quickly everything went back to normal.  Within a few days I was able to eat and was no longer in pain. 

I have to give a shout out to the Bock family because I got the sweetest care package with applesauce, pudding, cookies and drawings from the girls.  It made me feel so special!  Also my mom made a shake run for me and was nice enough to get Mike dinner too!!  Thanks Mom!

Ok I realize these are terrible pictures of myself but I really don't care! lol!

Easter

This year Mike and I hosted my family's Easter dinner.  It was quite an experience cooking Easter dinner but I think it all turned out well.  Here we are eating dinner.  My poor mom broke her glasses so she had to use her prescription sunglasses to see.

 Kenley sure enjoyed the meal.

 Kim brought over some eggs and we did an Easter egg hunt.  Kenley wasn't sure about it but Brawny LOVED IT!!

 He'd go to each egg and lick it then move on to the next.

 Kenley got the hang of it and had a good time too.

 After he found them all he starting eating them shell and all.

 Me and my buddy, Brawny!