January 15, 2018

The Cat is Out of the Bag....

It's true, it's true.
We are adding to our family this spring.


We are all so excited around here!
This is nothing short of a miracle and it has a long story attached to it.
But here it goes:

My friend Christy has been offering to try to have a baby for us for years.
She offered up her uterus before Miles was born and after he was born.
 She even offered before Andie was born.
Each time we said "you are so nice, but no thank you."

7 years ago when Romney and I were trying to get pregnant we tried 4 rounds of IVF.
All negative.
My body just can't do it!
On our last IVF cycle we had 4 remaining embryos that the doctor put in the freezer.
Thinking maybe we'd try a frozen cycle.
We decided to take a break from infertility and process....it was in that break we were led to adoption.
We have no regrets and have never looked back or even wondered "what if."

5 years later we received a bill in the mail stating we owed a hefty freezer storage fee at the fertility clinic.
What? 
All these years later?
 I totally forgot about those things.
I told my sister about the bill and she offered to pay for the bill as long as I found a warm body to put those embryos in.
I wasn't baby hungry....Andie was due in 2 months!
 Within a couple of days of talking with my sister my friend Christy called once again to offer us her uterus.
 I told her what was going on and that is how the ball starting rolling.
We started planning and knew in a couple of years we were going to do this.


And just like that 2 years later, she flew to California where we put in two frozen embryos in HER uterus from 7 years ago.
Unfortunately, with all the hype the result was negative.
It didn't work.
---
But we had two more left in the freezer.
At this point we had to try one more time.
So the very next month she was here again.
The doctor transferred our last two beautiful embryos in her uterus.
And low and behold it worked.
She was pregnant.


We held onto this fun secret for a very very long time.


It's finally Christmas!

(December 2017) 

The countdown to Christmas was so fun and we were more than ready for the jolly ol elf to come.
We got our matching pajamas, read our books,  and watched a quick nativity movie....
Then it was off to bed. 
Andie fell asleep before making it to her room and Miles said
"take a picture of us sleeping."
Little cuties!

Christmas morning was filled with all sorts of smiles.


We went through our stockings...


and tried out everything Santa brought.


We got to open presents...


...try on presents...


...hug when receiving a great present...
(great story....we had a mouse in our garage recently so we put out two traps and whoa we caught TWO mice. Uh oh do we have a problem? Miles thought Romney needed a new mouse trap for Christmas. I wasn't going to deny that idea. So we went to the store where Miles looked at 2500 different types of traps and asked about each one and chose the perfect trap for his dad! It is by far the funniest gift ever but the sweetest. We haven't had to bust out the new trap yet. But should the occasion arise again, Romney will be ready with a perfect trap)

... AND we needed to break in some presents...

.
...Andie loved wearing her new sweater with the dangling tags and all...
She opened the last present under the tree

and it was her own tea set...
and she LOVED it!!!

It was a great morning with happy children.
And that is what we do it all for.


My parents had to leave after we opened presents.
They really are great grandparents. 
They are supportive and came all this way for a short weekend.
We love you guys. 
And appreciate all you do for us.
And we'll just pretend Andie is really sad about them leaving too and not leaving my arms.

Merry Merry Christmas!


Six weeks post op:

`he can lay flat!!!!
` he slept in our bed!!!!
`he is out and about
`he is wrestling the kids like he used to
`he is staying up late visiting again
`he mowed the lawn

2 more weeks til a full recovery.

Christmas Goodies

(December 2017)


The sugar intake is in full throttle and so is thee excitement for Christmas!
 It is tradition that we make Candy Houses and invite some of our friends over to join us.
 

Each house is so darling and has its own personality.



My parents came into town for Christmas this year.
Its always so fun to have them.
Grandma was here to help us roll the dough, use fun cookie cutters and decorate each cookie.


We had great cookies shaped like
bells, stockings, gingerbread boys, christmas trees and stars.


and we had LOTS OF SPRINKLES!


Now that our cookies are ready for Santa we are officially ready for him to come!

The Owl Hat

(December 2017)
Andie has only had this hat for a week and it goes everywhere.
She LOVES it.

 It can be a helpful hat
a serious hat
a drowsy hat
 a discovering hat
a backward hat 
or a "clamp your brother with salad tongs" hat...

It doesn't matter, this girl loves it and wears it.all.time.


Five weeks Post op:

`first dog pile on dad
`light wrestling with Miles
`dragging the kids around the floor with his legs
`still sleeping in recliner
`can't lay flat
`no more blood pressure medication
`can bathe the kids 100% 




3 weeks left for a full recovery!
He's almost back to our normal daddy again!!!

The Tale of The Gingerbread Man

(December 2017)

 Miles had thee cutest school play leading up to Christmas.
It was a darling gingerbread man story.
Though all the kids got to dress up not every one had a part.
And Miles was lucky enough to get a part.
He was a darling farmer.
He and three other students had to get up and sing their part by themselves and they did awesome.

These are his buddies from school.

I just love hearing about what they do at recess. 
It cracks me up.


It was a darling play and I am so proud of Miles for getting up there and doing his part!


Family Christmas Party

(December 2017)

We had such a great Christmas gathering with Romneys family.
It was so nice being able to stay home and let the chaos come to our house. 
I love that Romney has so many siblings, it always makes for such fun parties.
This was our first Christmas since Romneys oldest brother passed away and we all missed him so much. 

 
 We tried to get all the cousins together for ONE picture but a few were still up in Utah for school or on missions or some were outside playing and we didn't realize they were missing. hahaha.
Hey, my two are accounted for. 
But I just love cousins!
I think they are important.


I love that our house was full of people who we love so much!
Romney and Roger are considered "the little brothers" because are the youngest of 8.


After breakfast we did our Nativity that we read from the Bible.


 Each year grammy gives all the grandkids a new ornament. 
This year Miles got a lego dinosaur and Andie got a tinkerbell.


 We do our annual "favorite things" exchange between all the couples


The cousins do a little gift exchange as well. 


Cousin Carson gave Andie this owl beanie that she is obsessed with!


 After all the gifts and breakfast clean up, every room was filled with people playing games for hours.


 Every room and every age found something or someone to play with.


I just loved every second of it.



 Week 4.5 Post Op:

`he put in a new back splash in the kitchen
`lets the kids sit on his lap for reading and they can rest their heads on him
`still cannot lay flat
`still sleeping in the recliner
`isn't holding his heart pillow for support anymore
(coughing, sneezing etc...)

3.5 weeks to a full recovery left!