Sweet Kids

Sorry, it's been so busy! : )  I have been working on more Hoedown stuff.  Lots more tickets sold, and this last week we've been checking and working every day-even with kids home!  Mary Claire was home on Tuesday and Wednesday, and finally dropped her fever and went to school today (yay!).  We prayed and prayed (that where two or more are gathered that He'd hear our prayers and answer them!), and He did!  She was so happy this morning.  I'd told her that if she didn't go to school she couldn't go to the Hoedown.  It just wasn't right (and I didn't want her spreading her fever virus around!).  She could NOT wait to go back to see her friends. : )
I have run around all week, and I have to say, I'm thrilled it's over.  I'm so tired, and I have to get back to life! : )
Yesterday, I thought I had the Hoedown all under control, so I branched out into girl scout stuff-I have all the adorable little patches they've earned, and I'm bagging them by girl, and putting cutesy Halloween stuff on them for their patch ceremony on Sunday.  Here are my supplies: all Halloween-y:

And here are the little things I made.  They are a stamp made with a sticky embossing stuff, then covered with black embossing powder, then heated till they melt, and make this cool shiny black raised picture-so cool!  I used Halloween stamps:

And here's the finished product (which I've only finished four! and 12 to go..): so cute!

 

And then...the Hoedown!! : )  We got there when the sun was up...and left late-long after the sun had gone down.  We really did have lots of fun, got to see lots of friends, it was great.  I'm so glad I got to be a part of it, Really.  Ethan had just seen one of his sweet friends-and was so excited!  Here's Ethan coming back to do the Candy Corn Count after dancing around with Trevor:

Here's him guessing how many candies there are.  He started counting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the sweet helper told him what a great counter he was-I think he made it to fourteen. : )  He guessed 8 candy corn.  I asked if it was 108, and he said yes.  (I think it was closer to 3 or 400!):

Then we made our way down to the gym, where the fun games and prizes are!  Here are Mary Claire and Natalie Grace (Mary Claire's best friend!):

Here the girls are playing the Pig Sooie Races: the pigs walk, pause, walk-so it's actually really fair, since you never know which one will win-it's different every time!

Then Ethan tried it!  He always picks green, and his won!

Then he played in the Duck Pond-and picked a guess! Green Duck, and got three pieces of candy.  He loved this one, and it was a short line, fast game.

This is the sign I painted three years ago, when it was all so different!  We used to have to come up with the games, make the game, sign, work the game, etc.  Now, we have all the signs, you just pick a pre-made game for your class, and these sweet kids come over from the cross country running team (Central Junior High) to totally run the games, it's awesome!  (Yes, it was the Cow Patty Plop!  It's that foam stuff you caulk with-that puffs up really big and yellow?  Well, you paint it brown, and Ha! It looks like a cow patty!  Then you throw it, and win yourself a prize.)

Ok, I have lots to say about this picture.  One, it's my camera, but I didn't take it, Danielle did!  Two, I love how we are not moving, but the people in the background are.  Three, why is Ethan not smiling? : )

Then, because I look, well, a little "saggy", she asked me to stand up, and Much Better!  He's smiling better, and I look a little more "supported" (totally my words, not hers!):

 

Here's Danielle, and her cutie, Trevor, who is really tired, didn't get a nap (due to all the work we did again today), and just won't give me a smile.  But she always takes a good picture! : )

This is the sweet Giddy Up Golf (anything to tie it to cowboys!)-I don't know this kid-but he was the absolute sweetest kid.  He helped all the little kids, and at the end, he'd push the ball in, or bounce it around till it went in-he wanted them to all win on each try!  I just love kids who care.  He was precious.

He even told Ethan to smile for the camera for me! : )

Then he got to pick two prizes.  He was so excited, and couldn't decide!

Then we saw Susan's son, Noah-all grown up!  He was working at the Brandin' Station, putting on tattoos.  He's an awesome kid too! : )  I'm so thankful they came to help.  I hope my kids can help other little kids one day.

Clay came a little late since he had basketball practice tonight (and last night!).  He got to pick how much practice, and how much Hoedown he got to enjoy.  He's growing up, so we are giving him some choices.  He's precious, and chose to go to an hour of each.

And then, Mary Claire tried the golf:

Clay trying to win a dessert at the Cake Walk!

Mary Claire in the bounce house (after dark!), she was giving me her bow.  She didn't even stay the whole time-she was tired.

 

And...oh, are we tired.  I will sleep amazingly well tonight.  I am relieved that it's over.  I have other things to consume my thoughts now. : )

It's the third day of my cycle, and I'm going to give the Clomid one more try.  It's a really low dose, and maybe I didn't give it a good chance last month.  I know I'm busy, but I just adore my kids.  I would do anything for them, and I could really love another one into existence.  I'm obviously trying. : )  I don't know where to go from here, there isn't much more for me to do but pray.  I always thought kids were my decision, but I was so wrong.  I'm just learning that the hard way.  We really do learn as we get older.  And you can't tell people younger than you, just like I would have never listened.  Why is that?

Another Doctor

Ahh..doctors.  Saw a new one today: Michael Miller in Little Rock.  I have to say, he was pretty good.  He was late very thoughtful, and continued to think about my case as he left the room-he came back to tell me one more thing it could be-my c-section with Ethan (scar tissue from it, more exactly).

So we got there a teensy bit early (you know me, I cut it pretty close!).  It was quite a drive, and I had to talk candy with an Exxon attendant (Tiger Something-that was hours ago!).  They had the old Nerds boxes-the old pictures I remember from childhood!  And they had these things that looked like frosted sugared graham crackers-in flavors (and I can’t for the life of me remember the name), and of course almost all the M&M’s (except coconut! And my box of 24 from Sam’s is all gone!).  Anyway, I tried to avoid the candy aisle-I went down the chip aisle, looked for yogurt (none), then tried the surrounding aisles (all three of them), and nothing. The guy asked if he could help me, but I could have been helped with any of those luscious brown treats.  I  got some pretzel M&M’s and talked candy with the attendant till there was a line behind me.  Time to go!

So, anyway, we made it fine to the doctor’s office, gave them a copy of our marriage license (they require it!), then sat for almost an hour.  At 40 minutes, I asked Ches if I should go complain, but he said to wait for five more minutes.  I got all involved in an old People magazine in an Elizabeth Edwards story, so I forgot all about the doctor!  I even carried it back to the little room when they finally called my name. : ) (and yes, I got to finish it and read an old Southern Living I never had time for at home!)

So, then an intern came in to get my history (that I filled out on the computer last week, and wrote out and brought with me..) (I’m sure she was filling time), and she was very sweet.  She did help me relax and fill time. : )

Finally, we met the doctor! He was very nice, and listened to me talk, to suggestions, and gave his thoughts.  It was refreshing, and he was very knowledgeable.  I appreciated his candidness.  There may be nothing wrong with me, but he’s looking into stuff.  He had me give more blood-this time for TSH, T4 (thyroid hormones), prolactin (which I’ve never had checked), and I can’t remember what else…I think antinuclear antibodies too.

Then we did an ultrasound.  He checked my uterus (but will check it better with a hysterosalpingogram, next month if I’m not pregnant-he wanted to be careful, just in case) and my ovaries.  He could tell I’d ovulated on my left side.  The cysts were pretty big, so I had one or two eggs release-It’s hard to tell.  One was bigger than the other, so it probably released an egg, but the other was enlarged, so maybe it just got ready.

I am to take progesterone starting today and for 16 days.  If I’m not pregnant, I go back for the xray test (uterus-to look for scar tissue), and Ches and I both take antibiotics, then I start Clomid, then we start again.  I haven’t taken it before, so I don’t know much about it.

If I am pregnant, I don’t know what happens next.  He didn’t go into that.  He seemed to understand that a positive pregnancy test wasn’t the happy thing that other people experience.  For me, it’s just a step (sadly).  I liked that he got me.  We’ll keep praying!