SAVE THE DATE!!

I have been waiting to publish this post for a very long time-and although that time was long by our own choosing, I wouldn't change a single day we waited. I am officially proud to announce that we are having BABIES!!! That's right-B-A-B-I-E-S!! Here is a few pictures and I am also going to post our "story" that occured over the last (almost) three months...
This was our first sono on March 28. Brad immediately saw both sacs and he had been saying it was twins all along. I couldn't see the screen but as soon as Steve said he saw 2 sacs and 2 babies, I sat straight up and said, "Seriously?" I don't know why I thought he would for some reason joke about that but I was just making sure. One baby #2 on the right was a little bit smaller and so they wanted to check me in a week to make sure everything was ok. We sent the whole family a text message while we were having the sono and said "It's official. We are having...TWINS!" Our phones IMMEDIATELY went NUTS! It was so wonderful. One of the best days ever. They both had solid heartbeats-that was cool to see on the screen-and they were 143 and 145.
Ok, this sono pic isn't so great but it is our second one and both babies are big and healthy. They are not worried about #2 at all anymore. They think it was the smaller of the embryos which happens a lot. Both heartbeats were strong at 171 and 173! We "GRADUATED" from our fertility doctor today and we get to go see our OB on Thursday. I am so happy about that.
This is my favorite picture so far...baby B is on the left. He/She is upside down with the legs kicking off to the upper left. Baby A is on the right and he/she is face forward and was shakin' and dancin' with those little arms and legs. I was 9 weeks and 1 day here. This was our first sono with our OB. I really liked him and his staff. I was there almost 2 and 1/2 hours and felt like he was very thorough. He has called me personally 3 times now to review things we went over and gather more info. (Mainly concerning my nephews heart defects-which he isn't too concerned about but will monitor ours carefully and send us to their cardiologist at 22 wks.) It was a great visit.
I have been feeling great. I am extremely tired and pretty much starving all the time-nothing to complain about - I am so thankful I haven't been sick. We have started to spread the news slowly but surely. We were going to wait until 12 weeks but after three perfect sonos and the little belly bump I am already hiding, we figured we could tell 2 weeks earlier. It has certainly made it real now.
It was really fun telling our siblings. We told Chad and Allie on Easter and then told my sisters the next day. I think we really surprised them good. I can't believe we hid it for so long but it was the right decision for us not to tell while we were doing the treatments. Now if we can just not find out what we are having...it will be difficult having a sono every 2 weeks not to find out if they are boys or girls or one of each...but we are going to try!
So, there is our news! Keep reading if you want to know the "details" of the IVF process that we went thru. For most it will bore you but I mainly wrote it all down so that I would remember it all and for my friends who are going thru fertility to have a little hope. We had such a great experience and have been so blessed by God thru it all!

WARNING: THIS COULD TAKE A WHILE!!!!

And the journey officially begins today...After a LONG decision making process, we have decided to bite the bullet, take the plunge, go full-throttle...I took the first dose of medicine today to inadvertently begin fertility treatments. I decided yesterday after talking to a friend that is currently going through F.T. that I should write everything down because I will never remember all the details. So,today is only the beginning of what could be a long journey.

Wed. Feb 2, 2008: I finally started-thank goodness-I was anxious to start b/c the doctor has always said it was good that Provera always worked for me and since I hadn't taken it in so long, I was worried that a new "kink" would be added to the mix. This marked Day 1 in the whole cycle-called Dr. Douglas and they said they wanted me to see me on Friday for a sonogram.
Friday Feb. 5th: Went in for my sono today! Steve was still the sonographer and when I got in the room he said, "Man, long time no see!" He is really nice and super informative. He showed me my ovaries full of little follicles and said that there were no cysts which is good. The uterus is good and lining is normal. Whew-first step done!
If you look at the sono picture to the left there, you will see an ovary outlined in blue. The black circles are follicles that contain eggs inside. The polycystic ovary has all these follicles but for a variety of reasons they never mature to then be released. This is not my ovary but it is what it looked like today.
I then had a consult with Dr. Douglas and he went into the whole reproductive tract 101 for me and said we were going to try a newer drug, Letrozole (pill) and combine that with Repronex (shots) that I took several years ago. He is hoping that he can stimulate only a few of the follicles in the ovaries and do an insemination (IUI). If a lot of follicles grow big though we will be able to convert the cycle to InVitro (IVF) so we won't waste any time or money or medications. I'm good with that plan. I will start the shots and meds tonight. The best part of my visit is that I don't have to come back until Thursday of next week and then Saturday and Sunday. This couldn't have worked out better with my work schedule that I have been really worried about when trying to decide when to start treatments. God is completely in control of all of this and easing my anxiety each step of the way.

I remember a friend of mine who had to do IVF 3 times told me that on her 3rd time they were really consistent with taking the shots at the same time every night. So that's my plan...9 pm...I have set my cell phone alarm and plan to be home or take my meds with me if we are going to be out.
The insurance is such a pain. I had to pick up my meds at a specialty pharmacy...this is no CVS or Walgreens let me tell ya...I was there over 3 hours this afternoon trying to get my meds-the insurance wouldn't go thru or something-I got tired of understanding or asking questions after the first hour.
So much for being home at 9 tonight! We had A BLAST with Haley and Ben. These are my 2 favorite kids that aren't related to me. Their parents, Mike and Jennifer, were my Bible study leaders in high school and are awesome. I love the whole family-I remember the day both of the kids were born and love that they love Brad too-actually they love him more than me but that's ok. They are the coolest kids!! They got a Wii for Christmas and they have been wanting us to come over and play...we had a BLAST like I said. I am terrible of course but it was a fun way to burn some extra cals. We put in the boxing game and I was literally sweating-so fun! Tennis, bowling, and Tiger Woods golf are our favs. So, at 9 pm I took my shot at their house in my stomach...no biggie...did great! This may seem funny to those of you that know me well. I am the girl who has basically fainted at the eye doctor and am the BIGGEST wimp when it comes to needles and bloodwork. For some reason though, this doesn't bother me and the idea of Brad giving me the shots in the stomach freaks me out. I think it's a control thing-I like being in charge of the situation-medically speaking-it doesn't make me feel faintish.

Sunday Feb 7th: Today I was in the nursery helping and I was talking to my friend, Lindsey. This is what she said to me..."I had a dream about you and I was so mad at you!" Really? Why: "I had a dream that you were pregnant with twins and that you somehow already found out that they were a boy and a girl! I was really excited for you but then mad b/c you didn't even tell me that you were doing your InVitro stuff and so I didn't even get to pray about it!" If my jaw didn't physically fall to the floor, it sure felt like it did! I just laughed and honestly I don't remember what I said to respond other that she didn't need to worry b/c I wasn't pregnant, but she should always keep my disfunctional ovaries in her prayers because they always need it!! I tried to just laugh it off! However, Lindsey, I hope you have some unique ability to predict the future and if it does come true, please don't be mad for not telling you ahead of time. I will tell you personally when we are pregnant though :)


Thursday-VALENTINES DAY-2008 This was moment of truth day! What a ROLLER COASTER ride it was today. So, I went in for the sonogram. I knew the meds were working b/c my stomach is huge and bloated - it is funny looking b/c I also have these red whelps that are swollen and itchy from the shots. I am quite a site. Back to the sonogram, Brad met me there and one of the first things Steve said when he saw my first ovary was, "Well, have your jeans been feeling a little tight?" I thought it was funny b/c it was true. We could immediately see all the follicles were A LOT bigger-and I do mean ALL the follicles. Not just one or two like we were planning but 14 on the right and 11 on the left!!!! Yep, that's right, 25 follicles. So....that means IVF. WHOA...we kind of started the freak out phase here...
If you look at the photo on the left and compare it to the first one you can see that the black circles (follicles) are much bigger. They measure each of these and when they are the right size we proceed to the next step.
We met with the insurance coordinator and poor Brad was on the phone with the insurance company all afternoon trying to get written verification that we had IVF coverage. Meanwhile, I am filling out all the paperwork that I have to take to the hospital A.R.T.S. department as soon as possible b/c egg retrieval will be the beginning of next week. We didn't even have time to go to the the IVF orientation...We rushed out of the doctor's office and sat in my car signing all of the paperwork. The problem came when we had to have a witness (a friend or family member) sign that paperwork, too. The kicker is that we haven't told anyone about all of this - except my work b/c I have to get my patients rescheduled. So, I rushed to work, had my boss sign it and then took it to the hospital before 4:30 that afternoon. My meds changed today also-I had to take more of the Repronex and then Ganirelix to make sure I don't ovulate on my own or too early. We will check everything on Saturday. In my stress of the day...I went and got an emergency haircut-hahaha...don't ask me why, granted, I REALLY needed it but it was more about just doing something totally un-fertility-related! It was great. Our hot romantic date was at my sisters house with all the family. We had a little "Breakfast Party"-the kids think it is so fun to have pancakes for dinner. FYI-don't add food coloring to pancake batter-it makes them weird and spongy?? By the time we got home, we just passed out on the bed and talked about how nutty our day had been.

Friday 2/15: I had the day off today! Thank goodness!! I actually went to the Acupuncturist. I won't give too many details-only that the reason I went is b/c it is shown to improve your odds of IVF success. I am willing to try anything-I mean-I am already giving myself shots in the stomach...why not try some relaxing needles too??
We went over to Ben and Haley's again tonight. We met the whole family at LunaDeNoche and then went to their house to play the Wii again. Such a good distraction. And I love that family! We are going to make this a regular Friday night party!

Saturday 2/16: Went in for another sonogram today and we did bloodwork too. We had the "weekend staff" - nice but not the same. The sonographer wasn't NEARLY as informative-she didn't tell us much. The results were that the stimulation of the ovaries had slowed down a little bit and they want me to do the meds for a few more days so the follicles can keep growing and maturing.
We went to Bart's for dinner tonight. It was a lot of fun-Laura and Todd and Jana all came. Bart made a delicious meal and then we played Catch Phrase! The girls beat the boys 3-1! Sweeeet! I had to be super incognito in Bart's 650 square foot apartment at 9 pm when I had to do my shot. I broke away when it was time for dessert and felt like I was in the bathroom forever but Brad said it wasn't too long. My stomach is getting even bigger so I know the follicles are still growing. As soon as I got in the car, I had to unbutton and UNZIP my jeans-I was dying. It will be fine when there is a baby (or babies) in there and I can wear appropriate clothing but right now it is just crazy bloatedness!

Sunday 2/17 - Went to another friend's house for dinner tonight! Thanks Jodie for a YUMMY dinner-it's at our house next time. Again, had to sneak off into her bathroom and shoot up-I am really beginning to feel like a druggie-the funny part is stashing all the trash back into my purse afterwards and walking back out like nothing happened. All of our fertility issues came up at dinner tonight and I had a hard time explaining it and keeping a straight face. It is so hard to lie.

Monday 2/18 8:00am: Another sono and bloodwork-lots of big follicles measuring 19 or so. That's good! They said there were about 10 and they like to have between 8-12. (I like average!) I needed to take one more dose of Repronex right then and then do the HcG shot tonight and then retrieval will be WEDNESDAY morning! They said they would call me later for the exact time to take my shot b/c it is supposed to be 36 hours before retrieval. Wednesday is a problem...keep reading...
I met my mom and sisters at the gym this morning. Laura noticed that I wasn't working out very hard. She said, "Tia, you are moving kind of slow this morning. Are you ok?" I said that I was and that I didn't eat breakfast so I just didn't have too much energy. She seemed to buy it. I hate the lying-but they won't mind when it's all done.
Mom and I went and spent the afternoon with Jacob and Luke. It was so fun for us-although I don't know that J and L really loved us-they just looked at us funny and cried. They did love their walk we took them on and mom and I LOVED their BOB jogger stroller. I am DEFINITELY getting one when we have kids - it is so light and easy to turn-contrary to Laura's jogger. It is awesome-as soon as I started pushing it, I said, "Mom, check this out-It is fabulous!" That is all we could talk about!
While on our walk, the doctor's office called and said that I needed to take my HcG shot (to prepare to release the eggs of which I don't really release-the dr takes them out right before they do) at 8:15 tonight and we needed to be at the hospital WEDNESDAY MORNING at 7:15 am!!! I just started sweating and tried to act like nothing was going on with my mom standing right there.
OK, so you remember reading that WEDNESDAY was a problem, right? Well, I had been really worried about taking off work and stuff for appts but we were always thankful that Brad's job was super flexible and we wouldn't have to worry about him missing work. WELL, they have their first and MANDATORY training starting on WEDNESDAY morning. Seriously, of all the days. This is complicated b/c 1. Brad has to go to the retrieval to at least make his contribution and 2. I will be put under and will not be allowed to drive home. 3. We haven't told anyone we are doing this so what is our backup plan???
It all works out...we decided to tell both our parents so my mom or someone could bring me home and stuff Wednesday.
We decided since Mom and I were already together, it would be VERY normal for us to go eat dinner together tonight. Then we would go over to Brad's parents house and tell them together. Good plan right??? Why do we try?? This I think is funny:
So, Laura calls on our way home. "What are you doing for dinner?" "Oh, nothing, we just called Dad and Brad and we are going to meet them for dinner at PeiWei. But not until about 6:30 b/c Brad has to see a client at 6." "Oh, well, humm, that's pretty late-I don't know if the kids could wait that long, Todd's out of town, they go down at 7, humm, well, no I don't think I will and besides we had PeiWei last night after church. We will eat sandwiches here. But y'all come over before you go eat and play a while." Ok, we'll do that. Meanwhile I am sweating thru this conversation but then think ok, no biggie, she isn't going to go with us b/c we are eating so late. Keep in mind, I REALLY wanted to eat with Laura and the kids-I ALWAYS do-but I just knew we needed to talk to mom and dad. Well, we got over there and Laura said, "Oh, forget it, we will just go eat with y'all. They eat so good at PeiWei and I will just get something different than last night. But let's run to Marshalls on our way to get them out of the house." Ok, so we load up and go to Marshalls. Luckily, Reid wanted RayRay (my mom) to ride in her car so that gave me a second to call Brad and just give him a heads up that they were coming, too. We had a great meal at PeiWei and it was of course nuts with the boys playing the drums with chopsticks and Reid actually eating with hers. At one point I leaned over to Brad jokingly and said, "Can we still cancel this cycle?" He just laughed. We love the chaos of all of our nieces and nephews.
Well, now dinner is over and everyone is loading up. I told dad, don't leave, Brad and I need to talk to you. He said ok, so I waited til Laura pulled out - although I think she saw me - and drove over to their car. And so we told them everything and they were really excited and relieved b/c they were thinking that I might not ever come around on the idea. It was very nice to be able to share everything with them and comforting to know that Mom would be with me on Wednesday morning and afternoon. I am really nervous about that anesthesia part.
We then went home, took my shot, and went to Brad's parents house. They didn't answer the door so we thought they might be on a walk. We unlocked the door and finally here comes his dad from the bedroom. They were in there watching Deal or No Deal and didn't hear the doorbell. So we sat down on their bed and spilled the news to them and they too were very excited and happy and relieved!! It was a fun night and we told our parents that we were trying to just wait until we could tell them at the end of the journey but now we just have some extra prayers going up.

Wednesday Feb 20th! RETRIEVAL DAY!! I didn't get much sleep last night. Way too nervous. I just woke up in a panic and then couldn't fall back to sleep. We were at the hospital at 7 this morning and they took us back and got started on all the paperwork. Basically, they use a needle guided by an ultrasound to aspirate the eggs from the ovaries. I was SO so nervous. The hour leading up to the IV was the worst but after I got that, I was completely fine. No problems. Those of you that know me well, know that I am quite squeamish. Brad said a prayer before I went back and he said the whole thing took like 20 minutes. WOW. I knew nothing. The anesthesiologist came in, administered antibiotics and Demerol first. Then they pushed me down to the OR and the embryologist came in and asked me to state my name and social. I remember thinking-Oh, no, I hope I can do that with this medicine in me b/c I could already tell my vision was fuzzy. Then I crawled onto another bed and had to put my rear in the depression of the bed-I don't know-I was expecting stirrups? Then, the next thing I knew, I was waking up and Brad was rubbing my head asking if I was ok. I remember a little cramping and wanting a pillow for my knees and that's it. They then called Brad back...umm...no details needed here...and then he left and went to his training-about an hour late. (His poor brother and coworker asked if everything was ok b/c they were getting worried about him but he just sort of ignored them and didn't answer. I'm telling you this lying part is hard.)
Anyways, the retrieval was easy. NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS I WAS ANTICIPATING. Mom took me home and I slept a while and we ate lunch and watched some TV and then I was sleepy again and I went to take another nap and Mom went home. They retrieved 7 eggs and said they would call us tomorrow to give us an update.

Thursday, Feb 22st UPDATE #1: Well, the embryologist called this morning around 9:45. I had left my phone with our girls up front in case they called while I was with a patient. Janie came on the headsets that we wear and said, "Mere, your phone is ringing-come get it!!!" Everyone was on crazy alert. The embryologist, Oscar, said: "You have 6 fertilized embryos. The other one didn't fertilize but we will watch it and see if it does later. We will call you tomorrow with an update on the quality. Do you have any questions?" I said no and hung up. I text Brad and let him know since he was in training. He later told me that he had his phone sitting out right between him and his brother and all I said was "We have SIX embryos"! He grabbed his phone to prevent Chad from seeing it and just replied, "WOW!" (This is the first little glimpse of Brad getting excited. He is extremely cautious about getting emotionally excited-he doesn't want me to get my hopes up and then be really sad and disappointed if it doesn't work. But for a split second, he was excited!!)

Friday, Feb 23nd: I waited ALL day for the lab to call!! I thought they would call in the morning but it wasn't until almost 3 pm. I have to learn to be patient, huh? Well, they left me a message that said, "You have 3 excellent, 2 good, and 1 average embryo. This means you will do a day 5 transfer on Monday. We will call you tomorrow with another update." GREAT!! We were happy about the quality for sure...We decided to celebrate with dinner at Maggianos! It was SO DELICIOUS-I really wanted to go there for the fried zucchini and their Spinach Chicken Manicotti. Oh my, so good! Oh, tonight marks the beginning of the PROGESTERONE shots that Brad has to give me in my booty! YIKES. He did great though. We have a great system down, I ice it down with a big ice pack, he gives me the shot, ice some more with pressure, then put heat on it for a little while, and then I get ice cream. Another surprise through this whole thing-it really wasn't that bad. I have been DREADING this part but it is totally managable. Here is something to laugh about today...I didn't know Brad was going to take this and was appalled at first but then I thought it was really funny since it doesn't really show anything but ice on my hip/booty.

Saturday, Feb 23rd: The lab called this morning and said, "You have one excellent, 3 good, 2 average, and 1 very poor embryo. We will not call tomorrow, but we will look again on Monday morning before your transfer and see what you have. Do you have any questions?" This always makes me laugh b/c they are so over my head that I can't even think about what to ask. I can't change what they tell me so what do I need to ask? Meanwhile, I have started to get a really runny nose today and keep sneezing. I haven't been taking my allergy meds thru all this so I am afraid I am in for it! I laid on the couch all day blowing my nose.

Monday, Feb 25th: TODAY IS THE DAY!!! We had to be at the hospital at 11:30 today. Brad came home, picked me up, and then we went to the hospital. The embryologist came in and gave us a picture of our 2 embryos that were now in the blastocyst stage. If you can get to day 5 then that is good b/c those embryos tend to be the strongest, you can implant fewer, and the implantation rate tends to be higher. There is also cell differentiation at this stage. The outer layer cells will become the placenta, the tightly clustered cells on the lower left part of each are the cells that will become the baby, and the other middle cells will become the sac. FASCINATING! They grade each layer and he said a bunch of B's and C's. I must have given him a terrible look b/c he quickly said, "These are good grades, nobody gets A's." Meanwhile I am thinking, Well, my children are expected to make A's on their report cards!!! :) He said they get pregnancies all the time with embryos like this so that's good. They said we had a 25-30% chance of both implanting. Ok, great. Dr. Douglas then came in, lifted the picture, and literally said, "These look decent. We have a decent shot!" WHAT???? At first I got a little annoyed, then I realized, you know what, he is right and he can't act like they are any better and give ANY kind of false hope. Brad said another prayer over our embryos and then he got "dressed". We had so much fun today. We were both hyper and laughed a lot. He did his Sing Song moves in his hospital wear.
The actual transfer was a breeze. It was under the tightest of securities in there. It took less then 5 minutes. Much like an annual exam with your Gyn. I then had to lay basically upside down for an hour. I listened to my iPod and Brad read his Money book. We then went home and I laid on the couch. I am officially sick with a terrible cold and pray that it doesn't effect our implantation. Now I start the wait. I get a blood test in about 10 days...Wednesday, March 5th. Waiting .... Waiting...

Monday, March 3rd: I cheated. I took a pregnancy test.
I just couldn't stand it. I just wanted to know-just to have a slight clue, a heads up, a warning in case it was negative.
Here is what it looked like...Blood test will be Wednesday...

Tuesday, March 4th: Just a side note, I have gone to bed at 8:30 the last two nights and today at work I ate a hotdog at 10:30 in the morning?!?! I am going to be a WEIRD eater if this all works out. I am starving all the time and really tired...good signs...

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5th!!! I went in at 8:15 for bloodwork this morning. They check the beta HcG. It has to be at a 25 to be positive. Julie, my nurse said, "I will call you later and let you know. You will need to come in on Friday to recheck bloodwork if it is positive." Great...my only question was "Approximately what time do you usually get the results?" I mean, come on, I needed some kind of reference...IT WAS MY LUCKY DAY LITERALLY!!! She said, "Oh, this is our half day so they get the results back quickly and I should call you around noon before we close!" WHAT!! Yippee-I was thinking 3 or 4ish! Great! Then when I was checking out, I saw her walk by and panicked..."Julie, is there a CHANCE that they ever get caught up in the lab and I WON'T hear today?" She just laughed and PROMISED to call me and said she wouldn't leave me hanging. Whew...I then went to Sonic b/c I wanted Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara and Ranch at 8:15 in the morning? What? Then I got my teeth cleaned at work-had a hard time with that actually-gagged a lot-and I am not a gagger...
12:15pm-RING RING..."Hello!" "Meredith, this is Julie and I have your bloodwork results in from this morning...CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU ARE PREGNANT!!!" YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't really know what I said or did after that. But she said that remember my level had to be at 25 and mine was 410 and that was EXCELLENT! Come in on Friday morning for bloodwork and we will make sure it doubles and then if it does then you can stop your shots and we will switch them to pill form! GREAT! (Although, I think it is better to stay on shots longer so I am going to research that first)
I celebrated by eating some icecream - not so much - couldn't finish it - yuck. I should have tried that a few days ago-that would have certainly confirmed a pregnancy. I feel fine-just tired and some foods certainly sound better than others!
I cooked steaks tonight to celebrate and bought Brad a BabyName book b/c he always says, "I don't know, I need a book!" when we talk about different names from friends kids or whatever. Although he is excited he is VERY CAUTIOUS and reserved - he is just very worried about me and the possibilities of a miscarriage. While I understand that it is a very real possibility, I am still going to celebrate each and every step of the way! He can worry for the both of us! :)

FRIDAY, FEB 28th: Another bloodtest today. They want to make sure that the results double. My level was 1068! GREAT! I have still been feeling good-a little carsick feeling but mainly just tired and hungry. I took two naps today-naps are my new best friend. I don't have to go back to the doctor for 3 weeks!!! My next visit it on March 28th for the first fetal sonogram and we will find out how many we are having! I was hoping to have my first sono before Easter so we could tell our siblings, but we will just have to wait!

William Micheal arrived today at 1:40pm weighing a solid 7 pounds and 19 and 1/2 inches long. Everyone is doing great-he seems very laid back in his first hours here-Big Sister, Emily couldn't wait to touch him. He has a head full of dark hair. He is very sweet and we are so thankful he arrived safe and sound. We are excited to have another nephew to love!!! Congrats Chad & Allie & Emily (As I get more pics in the next few days, I let you see his sweet face!)

Here is the newest addition to our house. We finally had our entertainment center built. Matt Colvin did a great job and we love it! It has added so much to our living room! Thanks Rachel and Laura for the referral.















On another exciting note...we are getting another nephew today! Chad and Allie are being induced as we speak-I'm just waiting for the call to head up to the hospital to await his arrival. I will post pictures as soon as I can!

Thru the Generations

I thought it might be fun to trace our family "history" thru pictures so hope you enjoy...Thanks Stacey Collodi for the AWESOME family photo shoot! I have been recommending you to everyone!

So, here is where we start...Mom and Dad! I am very lucky to have such great parents! My dad and I are a lot alike-generally laid back and not the most organized of the bunch. In a lot of ways I still wish I had followed in his footsteps and been a builder, but I think he was right to steer me some other direction-I could have never worked a 24/7 job like he did for so long. ( I think my 3 and 1/2 days are long enough!!) We both love naps and our favorite food is ICECREAM-we both would give up all the carbs in the world but still eat our icecream! I have lots of funny memories with my dad-"PacMan Nights" (whoever lost had to dip the icecream), reading Dr. Suess backwards making me laugh so hard I would have asthma attacks at bedtime, and dates to Long John Silvers! He is the most patient man in the world to have put up with all of us girls! I am glad he has 3 son-in-laws he can hang with now...As for my mom, equally awesome! She is the most creative person in my life! She can wrap, arrange, decorate, create, and make ANYTHING! She comes up with the most awesome ideas and can throw one perfect party-thinking of every little detail. I hopefully have absorbed some of it-although I don't think I will ever be that detailed! She has certainly given me the confidence to try new things and I have fun memories of PB & J sandwich picnics before kindergarten, shopping for christmas pjs year after year, making stew the first cold night of winter, and endless rough drafts when writing papers! (ok, maybe that one wasn't "fun" but I am thankful now!) I have the best parents and I am thankful for their 35+ years of marriage and their example.

The original 5!

Two of the most important people in my life! I cannot even imagine my life without my sisters! They are my best friends and everything that entails. They are the best...favorite memories off the top of my head because there are thousands...endless dance parties to Dolly, Neil Diamond, Walk-Like-An-Egyptian, Elvira, etc...playing dress-up and makeup, Laura learning to french-braid my hair-oh yeah-again-not a favorite, our house on Pennyburn, swimming all day and laying out on the trampoline...ok, I have to move on...that's a whole other post...

Ahhh, the first boy added to the family 12 years ago- December 1995! I can't believe that at all!

And the princess...the first grandchild...so sweet...August 2001

And then came Brad and I - September 2002

This picture cracks me up...this picture is much too foofy for my Mal-Mal! June 2003

And then Ya-Ya and Todd got married...October 2003

And low and behold, you know what happened then...the three redheads...

Reid December 2004

Ryan & Reece July 2006

So here we are...December 2007 with an additional two dogs, Lucy and Vanos. Again, I feel very lucky to be part of such a wonderful family! I will post some funny pics from our family photo shoot later!

Where in the World????

Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum...

Inside the Sistine Chapel where you are NOT supposed to take pictures! I stayed on the other side of the room-too afraid we were going to get kicked out!

This is inside St Peter's...It is the largest church in the world and so beautiful.

Ok, that's all you get for now...I will post a few more later...all and all it was the best trip EVER and I can't wait to get back to Europe...

I'm It!

Tiff tagged me-so here goes...

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (if you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Ok-My Eight Random Facts...this is difficult...

1. Ice Cream is my FAVORITE food. I could rid myself of all carbs and sugar-and mostly do really limit them during my 3 meals. However, I don't know that I could ever rid myself of ICE CREAM! Blue Bell is my favorite and we eat it every night. My favorite flavors include: Triple Chocolate, Hot Chocolate and Chocolate Chip. Brad eats his in a bowl, but I (and my dad) eat it in a cup with milk on top. Brad will not eat it alone-I on the other hand will but have very STRICT rules - I can only have it ONCE a day and no later than 9:30. This is honestly one reason I work out-otherwise I would probably be 200 lbs!

2. I am a little obsessive about brushing my teeth. This would explain why I am a hygienist, but I never knew that I was OCD about this until college and Tiff's sister Kimberly would come to our dorm room. One day she said, "Everytime I come over here, you are brushing your teeth!" The summer after that semester, I decided to be a hygienist! Thanks Kim!

3. I sleep in a cocoon. I have my "prescription" pillow for my head, a body pillow on the right with the zipper down at the end of the bed, and then another pillow on my left side with the opening at the top by my face. I think it helps absorb all the noise that Brad makes at night. (Although he doesn't admit it, he has been stealing my middle pillow!)

4. I count my steps also! I'm stealing from Tiff on this but I can't go upstairs without doing it-and I too don't realize I do it! I also walk very fast!

5. I have mentioned this before but I have never been to Austin, TX. Very Sad! Stamps in my Passport - but not a single trip down 35 to our State Capitol.

(thinking....thinking...thinking....cheating...getting ideas from Tiff's blog....)

6. OH-I have a freckle on my right palm that is in the shape of a diamond and a matching one on the sole of my left foot. Very interesting I know. But a funny story about this is that my niece, Reid, used to think it was a chocolate chip and would try to pinch it off and eat it. She would do it over and over again...pinch and then try to eat it, pinch then try to eat it...etc...

7. I still watch General Hospital EVERYDAY-unless our stupid DVR is on the fritz-which it is this week-thankfully, we are getting AT&T U-verse in 2 weeks and I won't have this problem.

8. The passenger seat of the car is the "Quiet Seat". It seems that when I get in it - I fall into sleepy quiet mode. I can fall asleep coming home from church or friends houses or especially if we are driving to the lake. Within minutes of getting on the highway-out...And then I always get mad at Brad b/c I say he never wants to talk to me-How can he when I'm asleep? (I NEVER do this in the front seat and it is rare in the backseat.

Well, not so exciting but there are a few. Give me a couple of days and I will work on those...

I will post some CUTE pictures of our friends kids Clare, Henry, Collin and Sarah Kate. We had such a fun time with them last Saturday night.
On an additional note...and correction...I mentioned in a previous blog that we had dinner with some "friends" at MiCocina. Well, not so much...We had dinner with our new BFFs, Sean and Rachel, at LunaDeNoche and had a GREAT time! We talked for hours and I am still begging Sean to give in a plan the Europe trip with us...(I'm trying Rach) Then, last Friday night we had dinner again together at Steak-n-Ale...JUST KIDDING...it was really Outback but since I can't seem to get details right lately...ok-you get the point!

So...for the wrap up...I have to "tag" some people so I will tag only those that I think will ever read my blog...Laura B, Rachel (blogless but you can email me), Shanta, Heather P-if you have computer access yet..., Amy D-it will give you something to blog, Amy M-I know you have some new interesting facts about the land of the Swiss, Cori-I need to know more about you..., and Miranda if you haven't already done this-well-you did 100 so I guess you are exempt! And finally- Lindsey and Alexis-since I seem to think you are prego... Can't wait to read up on y'all!

Another Weekend of Parties!

We had a really busy weekend starting on Thursday night! It was wonderful to finally get to celebrate sweet Sarah Kate. She is so precious!
Friday was sad because we had to tell our friends Clint & Alyssa goodbye as they move-thankfully it isn't too far away though. They are such special people to us and we are going to really miss them! I can't take much more of our friends moving. We got to have lunch with Colin & Heather and sweet Channing too this weekend-we are really going to miss them as well! No more moving!!
Saturday was lots of fun celebrating Emily's 2nd Birthday! Can't believe she is already two! I think her favorite present was her new doll-It is so funny to me how little girls instantly know what to do with babydolls. It is going to give her great practice for when her new sibling arrives.
Saturday night we celebrated Steven & Scott's big 3-0! Jamie did a great job with the Mexican Fiesta and we really had a good time.
Today was filled with church, eating lunch with the Parkers, naps & laundry, and church again followed by dinner with the Robertsons, Wrights, and Bairds and all the children! It was so fun and chaotic at the same time-hopefully little Kate has gotten the peanut butter out of her hair by now!

A FUN BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

Here are a few pics from my birthday dinner at McCormick and Schmidts (sp?) I may not know how to spell it but I sure do love their food! I was DELICIOUS! My birthday always falls on "Restaurant Week" so we can always try out a fun new restaurant and support a good cause. We have been to M&S before and I had the best fish ever and Saturday was no exception! Blackened Redfish with a Lemon Butter Sauce with fresh Crabmeat on top! OH MY! It was served with fresh asparagus, carrots, and mashed potatoes. Their salad, crabcakes, lobster bisque, and desserts were all very scrumptious. Any weight I lost being sick and drinking only juice was certainly gained back at dinner. (Not to mention my indulgences at JC's for lunch, a Baskin Robbins B-day cake - MY FAVORITE- Mi Cocina Friday night with great friends...Sunday lunch with great friends and their new baby, and Sunday night with our long-time friends that are moving across the metroplex! Man, it was a weekend full of eating! I must say cooking at home tonight was so refreshing and light!
We had a fun weekend though! Brad slept until 10 AM on Saturday-which was a good birthday present for me because it meant I didn't have to get up and go to workout-I could just be lazy and not feel bad about it. We housesat/dogsat for my boss this weekend too! Her house is really nice with a theater sized HdTV and a HUGE chocolate lab, Ammo, and a pool. I love staying at their house while they are gone.


On Monday, I spent the morning running errands and then over to my mom's to hang out with the girls and then to Laura's house. When I went over to Laura's I walked into the backyard and found her 3 kids naked as jay birds swimming in their play pool! They were sooo funny!
Well, gotta get to bed-it is WAY past 10 and this old lady likes to be in bed before that! On a side note though-We booked our tickets to Europe tonight! We are flying into Rome and out of Zurich! I AM SO EXCITED - I CAN HARDLY STAND IT! I'll keep you all posted on the details and thanks for all the help-and song suggestions!

Officially Cool

I feel like I can claim the title of "cool" now because for my birthday Brad bought me an iPod. I am so excited! I have wanted one for a long time now and I am really ready to take it to the gym tomorrow. (It will be a much added source of inspiration to get me to the gym since I have been sick for the last 3 weeks!) I figure this is also a good time to go while I am taking the 'Roids to get rid of the nasty sinus infection that has been ruling my life. Maybe I can really tone up with the help of the steroids and the new playlist I made tonight called "CrazyFast". You can only imagine what songs are on that playlist huh? I'll keep you guessing but if anyone has any great song suggestions that I need to put on this fun new little iPod...let me know! Everyone has been so helpful with the Europe plans-surely y'all can recommend some good iTunes. I literally like all kinds of music-so send me some good ones! Have a great week! I'll post more about my FUN birthday weekend hopefully tomorrow when I get my pics uploaded.

Travel Advice...

Most of our friends (that's you bloggers) have already been to Europe. And as you know, the Moores here a little behind (on more things than European travelling); however, we started making our plans for our first EUROPEAN VACATION to which I am so excited about that I just might not be able to sleep tonight. (I am suddenly completely over my terrible sinus infection/strep/tuberculosis I have had all week!!!) We have narrowed down a date and did hold some flights but are interested in adjusting those, but I will have to call AA for their services for this type vacay.
So, where do you come in bloggers? Well, FILL ME IN on where to go, what to do, how to do it all, you know...all the european scoop. I am feeling a little overwhelmed at this point so I want to get some good solid advice. I actually had a patient hand sketch me a map of Italy that was very accurate of his favorite places-he is a super-traveller.
Now, obviously I want to go to every country. But, we have narrowed our choices to the top five that both of us have always wanted to see: Italy & Switzerland for sure and then Austria, Germany, and then France. Right now we are looking at 11 days-2 of which are travel days. We of course would love to stay longer, but hey, I have convinced Brad that you can't do Europe in a weekend, so this is completely workable! We might just do Italy and Switzerland actually-see this is why I need your expertise...
So let me know. Of the few of you that still read my blog, you all should have my email. If you don't - leave me a comment and we will connect.
Danke, Merci, and Mille Grazie