Fail.

Well, this cycle was a complete let down. I was confident this cycle was going to work. I ovulated when I was supposed to and started counting down the days. I'm super impatient, so those 14 days are pretty long. On 1/22, I was supposed to start so I decided to take a test...or two. They both revealed a very faint positive result. I was pretty excited because I didn't think false positives were possible. Apparently they are with tests that use blue dye. I tested again Monday morning and this morning, both negative (red dye).

So obviously I'm disappointed...and sad...and mad.

I'm praying this doesn't happen again. I'd rather get a million negative results than one more false positive. This sucks.

30th Birthday

On January 7th at 9:52am, I was officially 30 years old. When did I get so old?! It literally seems like high school was just a couple of years ago...not 12. I had a great day. Michael let me sleep in while he got up with Harper. We had lunch at Fuzzy's then came home for a nap. What? Don't judge me. My sister planned a surprise dinner for me at Triple J Steakhouse. It ended up being my sister and her husband, my mom, and my best friend Gerianne. We had a great time and ended the night early...because I'm old. :)

Michael and I at the restaurant

My sister Amy and my mom

Amy and Andy
Thank y'all so much for making my birthday so special!

Oh, Harper Reese

We drove back to Lubbock on New Years Eve instead of waiting until the 2nd like we had planned because I didn't feel very well. I got worse the closer we got to Lubbock, so Michael dropped me off at the urgent care clinic as soon as we got back into town. This was exactly how I wanted to spend my NYE! There was a really cute, young medical tech taking my blood pressure. He asked when my last cycle was, and I said December 21st. He said, "Oh, awesome! That's my birthday!!" Well, super. That conversation wasn't awkward at all. How do you recover from that? I ended up testing positive for strep, and they gave me a shot of rocephin in addition to the prescription for amoxicillon. The shot made me throw up and almost pass out, so they had to walk me to my car. Not embarrassing at all.

Harper was very excited to be back at our house so she could play with all of her cool, new presents. Watching Michael play with Harper makes me fall in love with him all over again.

Harper's preschool teacher sent this picture to me last Thursday. She got sent to the "office" today for doing it again. WHAT am I going to do with her?! Seriously.
The weather was so nice last week that we were actual able to take advantage of it.She looks cute and innocent, but.....
Harper is such a mess. Good thing she's cute. :)

Sisters

Oh, how I love them. I can't imagine my life without them. They are the best thing since sliced bread.

Forest Cousins {Children Photographer}

Oh how I love these kids! We took a walk out on my mom's property where we grew up. I have so many wonderful stories of exploring and searching for dinosaur bones out there!

Sarah Jane (19 months), Riley (3 1/2), Landon (6 on Jan 16th), Jordyn (10), Charlie (6 on Jan 30th), Harper (2)

Jordyn is the smartest little girl I have ever knows. I am not just saying this because she's my niece. She excels at everything she does. She gets first place on her science fair projects, scored perfect on her Taks test, in the GT program, and usually gets first place in any and every competition she's in.

This is what she wrote for her practice Taks test.

"I never thought that I'd hear his humble voice again. It was a crisp autumn day. I was sitting at my wooden desk at school, when I hear, BRING! BRING! Before I can remove my eyes from my math worksheet, I hear, "Jordyn, you're going home for the day." So I scrambled out of my tiny chair, packed up my bag, and rushed out the door. I manage to spot my mom, and I run to her side. "Why'd ya pull me out of school, momma?" I asked. "Well sweetie, your grandad had a heart attack, and he's not breathing, so we're going to the hospital." My heart sank. My eyes started swelling up, but I managed to hold back the dark tears. I walked slowly to the car, thinking if this is it. As soon as I threw myself into the backseat, I put a blanket on my head, and let the tears roll down my cold cheek. I started wondering if this will be the last time I see him. But, what if we don't make it in time? These dark thoughts swirled around in my mind. Soon, I fell into a deep sleep. Next thing I know, I hear a voice say, "We're here." I blink open my tired eyes and stumble out the car. I hesitently walked into the hospital doors, and into my grandad's room. As soon as I walked into the gloomy room, I giant teardrop flowed out of my eye. Then the doctor came in and told everyone to go into the waiting room because he had to take a test.
As I ploped down in one of the chairs, I wondered how many people have sat in this chair, feeling like me. In a couple of minutes, the door burst open, and the doctor said, "He's going to live!" Right there I had a smile the size of Manhatten, and I whispered, "Hallelujah!"

Landon is Jordyn's little brother and following pretty close in his sister's footsteps. He's incredibly smart and LOVES school. I especially love his texts he sends me from his iPod reading either "Morn" or "Text." Love you, Bubby!
And then there's Charlie. Oh, how I love this kid. He questions and challenges his teacher at school which makes me love him even more. The stuff he comes up with cracks me up. He will talk your ear off and knows more about space than I could ever know. He is so smart and hilarious. I'm so glad he's back in Lubbock!

Oh, Riley. She's spunky and hilarious. I hate that we only see her twice a year, but it makes it that much sweeter when are together. I love her little laugh and the little stories she tells. I wish they didn't live all the way in GA.

Harper Reese...my independent little 2 year old. We were determined to potty train her this week while we were at my mom's. After she pooped on the floor on the carpet right outside the bathroom and my sister stepping in it, we decided to put it off for a little while longer. :) She may be ready, but I'm not! I need to work on my gag reflex a little first.
Sweet Sarah Jane. She's so chubby and cute. It makes me want to kiss her face all day long. She and Harper had a love/hate relationship. They are usually yelling at each other and stealing everything from each other. She is my sweet little cubby wubbs!

Christmas at Grammy's

We left Lubbock Christmas morning and headed to my mom's house in La Grange for our semiannual week vacation together. I am so thankful for my family and even more thankful that we all find it so important to spend this quality time together.

On Monday, the 26th, Amy drove in her from in-laws house in Arlington and Misti and her kids drove in from Bastrop after picking up April and Riley from the airport who flew in from Atlanta. Our Christmas Camp officially began! We all opened presents so the kids would have stuff to play with in hopes they would calm down and quit running all through the house. Our plan worked for a little bit. :) Harper's favorite presents were the Barbie convertible car and doll from her cousin Jordyn.

Riley was SUPER excited about her doll!
Charlie with his truck from Harper and Landon with his early birthday present from us.
Jordyn


On Tuesday, we ate at a little pizza place in town then went to White Rock Park to run some energy out of the kids. I was completely ready to swing out on the rope above the bacteria infested waters on a $50 dare, but my husband wouldn't let me. So lame.

So precious.

On Thursday, we went up to Monument Hill State Park to play and hike. I hadn't been there in about 5 1/2 years. It always makes me wish I lived back in central Texas. The view is amazing, and I have so many memories from this park.

This is how Sassypants hiked the whole way...with her hands on her hips. She certainly didn't learn this from me.
Best friends
Each holiday with my dad does get easier, but it doesn't make me miss him any less. I miss his sweet personal Christmas cards to each of his daughters complete with his horrible handwriting I could barely decipher.