We must be doing something right. (Yep, I'm Holy Rollin' again.)

I love the weekend. I love Saturdays because even though 9 out of 10 Saturdays we are running around like crazy with a million things to do, I get to do those million things with my two favorite guys. I love Sundays because we get to go to church and then spend the rest of the day coming down off our Saturday high.

I'm sure I've said it before, but I am certainly not the best Christian and don't go around preaching to everyone about what is right and wrong. However, we do try and go to church (I love our church, but that's another story) and we try to raise Chase in a way that reflects what we believe. I have found that as he gets older this is more of a challenge for me because it requires me to be more faithful and Christian in the way I live around him. I feel as if I'm constantly striving to set a good example for him and build him a firm foundation. I want Chase to know God. A God that loves him so much, he gave his son for him. I mean seriously, think about that. He gave his son for Chase. For us. A God that has made a promise to be there for all of us always. I want him to know that Jesus will take care of him. All he has to do is trust in the Lord and all will be ok. Of course for Chase to learn these things, I must learn them too... and I am.

Since Chase is still so young, I've often wondered if Jeff and I have been successful at teaching him these things that are so important to us and tonight I got my answer. We were on our way home and a terrible storm with lightning and thunder was over us. It was one of those storms where the lightning is blindingly bright and lasts for what seems like an eternity. Chase is not a big fan of these storms and told us he was scared. I quickly replied that there was no need to be scared because Mommy and Daddy were with him and would never let anything happen, we would take care of him. He quickly replied, "Jesus will take care of me too. Today and tomorrow." My heart swelled at those words... Yes, we must be doing something right.

**I am grateful for:
1) the rain
2) the thunder
3) the lightning
4) priceless moments
5) peacefulness

Because I know you are wondering...

Naturally I assume that you are all wondering about my current IVF status. We are now 5 shots down (6 as soon as I make it upstairs to where my stash is) and things are going as they should. I went in for an appointment this morning and although it was early my lining was thin (it will thicken as the days go by), my bloodwork is good, and I already have one ovary that had three very clear follicles... potential as my favorite nurse, Rachael, said! I get nervous at every appointment because I'm more than aware that my ultrasounds could show something detrimental or my bloodwork could come back wacky and do this cycle in. So each time I make it through one, I am very thankful. I will continue on with my same dosage of meds, one shot in the am, and one shot in the pm. I'll go back on Monday for my next appointment. I really suspect that my ER will be around July 11th (give or take a day or two). Considering I will be 32 (I know, I don't look a day over 25) on July 13th, I think this will be a great birthday present!

On a side note, I'm sending out a prayer request. A man that used to work with Jeff is in the hospital with fl.esh eat.ing bacteria. It has gotten worse and at this point they have had to amputate part of his fingers/hand and there is a possibility that they will have to take more in the days to come. Please, please pray that everything will be ok. He is a husband and a father of three small children. He was also recently laid-off due to cutbacks and his insurance ends as of Monday. With all my heart, I pray that the Lord will give him and his family strength, courage, and healing. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayers, my Chase is proof that they work. TIA!

*I am grateful for:
1) friends that care enough to pray
2) the time I get to spend just having fun w/Jeff and Chase
3) Molly our Bulldog, she rocks
4) that today is Friday
5) another great IVF appointment

God is like....

I have a cousin that is the "Queen" of forwards. I don't think she reads this blog, so I can write that... and if she does, I love her so I can write that! Anyway, she sent this and I couldn't help but share.

God is like.
BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.

God is like.
HALLMARK CARDS
He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like.
TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.


God is like.
GENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.

God is like.
ALKA-SELTZER
Try Him, you'll like Him

God is like.
SCOTCH TAPE
You can't see Him, but you know He's there.

God is like.
ALLSTATE
You're in good hands with Him.

God is like.
VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like.
DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

God is like.
the U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

God is like
Maxwell House. .
Good to the very last drop

God is like.
Bounty. . .
He is the quicker picker upper. . can handle the tough jobs. . and He won't fall apart on you

***I am Grateful for:

1) My family's health
2) Chase's goodnight kisses
3) my husband laying beside me
4) the stars in the sky that remind me how peaceful things can be
5) the rain

Let the games, er shots, begin!

Today was my d3 (day 3) ultrasound and bloodwork for IVF#4. When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find my very first IVF nurse (the one that did all my ultrasounds and showed us my precious son's heartbeat for the very first time) has come back to our clinic and will be my nurse for this IVF!!!!! I was so happy! She is sweet, kind, caring, talkative, and reassuring. I am taking this as a very good sign!

All my bloodwork came back well (a little high on the FSH, but still OK.. sigh I hate getting older) and my ultrasound was all clear. I'll start my shots this evening and then I'll break them into 12 hour intervals starting tomorrow. I go back Friday for my next monitoring appointment. Due to a switch in meds Jeff won't have to give me any shots until we are closer to our egg retrieval, so he is a happy camper right now. I'll be doing all the shots myself in the stomach... to be honest those hurt less anyway.

I once heard that you have the first child for yourself and the next child for them. I want nothing more than for Chase to have a sibling and for us to add to our family. This is my prayer. A healthy child. Yes, I'd love a girl and heck, I'd love twins. But one, healthy baby is my prayer, the rest is icing on the cake. Please, please send prayers our way that this will be God's decision for us.

So our journey begins.

The Joys of Boys

Chase has recently become infatuated with gum. We have a long-haired cat named Chigger that has just recently allowed Chase to come near her (only took 3 years). About 10 minutes ago he pulled a piece of gum out of Chigger's long fur. Guess she won't be letting him come near her anymore!

Disney World - Days 7 & 8

Day 7 - Friday the 13th!

Friday brought another busy and fun-filled day at The Magic Kingdom. If you have two days to spend at a single park, The Magic Kingdom is definitely the one that offers you the biggest variety of things to do. We had told Chase we would ride Mickey's train before we went to Disney World and it just so happens to be located at the front of TMK. We took the train around to the back of Toon Town and then hopped off to see what we could get ourselves in to. Mads wasn't very impressed with the idea of riding The Barnstormer roller coaster, but Chase was raring to go. So while Mads and I checked out Minnie's house again, Chase and Jeff went on Chase's first roller coater ride! He LOVED it!!!!! I think he would have ridden it again and again, if given the chance. However, we had a few things we wanted to do and were quickly running out of time to do them.

Unfortunately Pirates of the Caribbean was closed and we found this out the month before we came to Disney. This was probably the biggest disappointment of our trip, but just gives us a reason to go back again! Even though the ride was closed, there were pirates in the park! Captain Hook and Mr. Smee were meeting and greeting and we just knew we had to get a picture with them. We also barely made it the cut-off and were able to snap a quick picture with Peter Pan and Wendy.

Duchess wanted to ride Splash Mountain, but neither Jeff or I are huge coaster fans (something about big drops... not thanks) so Uncle Will, Mads and her headed off. Turns out Mads wasn't quite tall enough, so while Jeff and Chase went to The Tiki Room (a must) and road Aladdin's flying carpet, I rode Splash Mountain with Duchess. We had a dinner date with Mickey and did not want to be soaking wet so we chose to wear a ponchos on the ride. Turned out to be a very smart move because it's not called Splash Mountain for nothing!!!!

It was nearing dinner time so we made our way to the gates and took the Monorail over to Chef Mickey's (again... what can I say, it was good). This was our first ride on the Monorail for this trip and Chase was very eager to ride it. However, all the activity had finally caught up with him and the poor little guy missed the entire ride. Since TMK had extended hours that night, we dined w/Mickey and the gang and then headed back over to the park. This time Chase was not only awake for the Monorail ride, but we had perfect timing and got to see the fireworks during the ride.... beautiful!

We got to park just as the fireworks were ending and I swear we were like fish swimming upstream! Good Lord there were a LOT Of people there!!! We made our way through and headed off to the Buzz Lightyear ride. On the way we decided to stop at the new Monster's Inc. show... very cute! Then we rode Buzz and headed over the Chase's favorite: The Winnie the Pooh ride. We also rode Peter Pan again and of course no visit would be complete without a ride on It's a Small World. Did I mention how nice the extended hours are for Disney guests???? Seriously, our longest wait was like 10 minutes!!! For our last ride we decided to hit The Haunted Mansion and was just as good as before. Besides, it was Friday the 13th after all!!! When Chase looked up at us with his big blue eyes and told us he couldn't walk anymore because his legs hurt, we knew it was time to go.

As we headed toward the gates it was a little sad because we knew this was the end of our park visits for our vacation. We had such a wonderful time it was hard to know it was almost over. The kids had done great and Chase never ceased to amaze me at how good he had been. As I watched him on this trip it was like living the magic through him. No words could truly describe it.

Day 8, Saturday the 14th

With the morning came a very busy day. We got up, packed as quickly as we could, and then did a double check to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind. Apparently we didn't check good enough because my phone charger is still sitting in Florida! We grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed off to Downtown Disney to spend out last few hours before heading to the airport.

Downtown Disney has got a ton to see and do and if you had the time, I think it would be a great place to spend the day. We wanted to grab some frames, shirts, and some Mickey Ears so we went off in search of our prizes. While waiting on our Ears to be embroidered we took the kids to get their faces painted. They have such elaborate face paintings for the girls, very impressive. They do lots of animals for the boys, but Chase chose the superhero one because it was red with a yellow lightning bolt... sound familiar? Yep, Lightning McQueen! Very cool indeed.

We made one last stop in The World of Disney store to grab some souvenirs and then it was time to leave our beloved Disney World. I think the kids were sad to leave, but were getting so tired that it really was time to head home. Just as we arrived at the airport Chase had a major meltdown. I had really hoped he'd sleep on the plane, but no such luck. He fell asleep while we were eating dinner and then got woke up when we went through security... drats! Oh well. He did really well on the plane ride other than one minor meltdown and we made it back to Houston safe-and-sound! We got our vehicles, loaded the luggage, said our goodbyes and headed back home. Chase was so excited to go pick up Molly and I knew he had missed her terribly. The poor little guy was so tired he fell asleep on the way home and didn't even wake up with Molly jumped in the backseat with him. In fact, he didn't wake up until the next morning.

I know that Chase had a wonderful time and he still talks about it every day. We made him his own photo album and he picked out his own frame at Disney that resides on his dresser with a picture of him, Mickey, and Minnie. He tells me every day that he wants to go back and all the things he wants to do when we go again. We will go again. When people heard we were going to Disney they always said one of two things: 1) Don't you think you should wait until he's a little older to go or 2) You are going to have so much fun with him, he is at a magical age. Well, we've gone now and I can tell you which one was right. #2 We had so much fun and he truly was at a magical age.

Like they say, Disney is the place where dreams come true!

Disney World - Days 5 & 6

Day 5, Wednesday the 11th

Today was the day we planned on spending at Hollywood Studios (formally MGM Studios). To start our day we had a breakfast date at Playhouse Disney located at Hollywood and Vine. I have to say, the kids and adults were quickly becoming a big fan of the Mickey waffles and all the fresh fruit. I really liked this place because the music they played while you dined all came from the Playhouse Disney shows, so it was very familiar to Chase and he would sing. We got to meet JoJo, Goliath, June, and Leo while we ate and even got to do something dancing. Again, another hit with the dining plan!

Jeff loves Hollywood Studios because this is where his beloved Star Wars ride in located. Unfortunately Chase wasn't tall enough to ride it, but we did give it a good try and he got to see the inside of the building, which is really the best part (in my opinion) anyway. We also go to watch The Muppets in 3D. Chase loved it, Madison hated it. I guess a muppet with a huge nose coming right at you could be a a little scary if you're only 3!! After the show we happened upon Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story. I had no clue they were so big!

As I've posted before, Disney Cars is highly thought of in our house and is actually how Chase's room is decorated. I was surprised that there wasn't much to do with Cars at Disney since they are so popular, but did find out that there was a meet and greet with none other than Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen!!! We grabbed the schedule to see when they would be out and quickly made our way over there before the line got too long. They don't sign autographs, but it was really neat to see them in life-size form. The cars are actually driven out and rev their engines while you're getting your picture taken... very cool!

After our Cars meet and greet we went to see Sully and Mike Wakowski from Monster's Inc. I wasn't sure sure that Chase would be willing to take a picture with them, but he did! I tell you, that Sully costume has got to be one hot get-up!!! No thanks!

Since we started planning our trip and looking at books Chase has been amazed with the new Toy Mania ride based on Toy Story 2. If you are not familiar with this ride, I HIGHLY recommend it. However, I will say that you need to go early because the the wait in LONG (as in 1 1/2 hours) and they run out of the FastPasses quickly (learn more about those at Disney.com). I really wish I had known this before, because we would have loved to have rode on this one more than once. By the time we got there the wait was way too long and the FastPasses were all gone. I was so sad. I asked a girl if there would be more FastPasses for people staying at the resort and she said no. To make a long story short it happened to be Hollywood Studios night for extended hours for Disney guests and we did get to ride it that evening.... LOVED it!

That evening we dined at the Polynesian Resort, which was awesome! To top it off we had a great view of the fireworks for Chase, because by this time, daily fireworks were a must!

Day, 6, Thursday the 12th

Thursday brought our first visit to the Magic Kingdom. Magic does not even begin to describe it! This place is awesome. The place is huge, but there is so much going on that you can walk it with out feeling like you are walking across eternity. We arrived just in time for the Family Fun Day Parade. This a parade where they pic people off the streets to participate and you would NEVER guess who they picked! Yep, we were in the parade! Unfortunately we were so busy marching behind Clarabelle Cow and waving our flags that I only have one picture, but I can tell you it was a pretty neat experience (if you don't count that I carried a 35 pound toddler all the way down Main Street in the 95+ degree weather).

After that we went on the Buzz Lightyear right which was a huge hit with Chase. I think he would have ridden that again if we had let him (we did later). We had been told that Mickey and Minnie both resided in the Toon Town area and sure enough we found their houses side by side. I had brought Chase's Mickey costume w/us in hope that 1) this Mickey was in the a/c where we could slip it on Chase without him getting a heatstroke and get a picture and 2) this Mickey would be dressed similar. Score on both! We went into a shop and were directed to where Mickey AND Minnie were greeting together. When we put the costume on Chase the lady fell in love and said that in all of years of working at Disney World this was the first Mickey she had ever seen. I can't tell you how many comments we got about that costume and our cutie. Not that my ego needed inflated by any means, but it was!!!

After waiting in the Mickey's Judges tent for a good 30 minutes or more we were finally taken into the room to see Mickey and Minnie. The FastPass Camera person, the worker, and Mickey and Minnie all fell in love. Chase was offered a job as a backup for Mickey and they came to the conclusion that if Mickey and Minnie had a child, Chase would be the result. These are my favorite pictures from the entire trip because Chase is so happy, his eyes are just shining!

After leaving Mickey and Minnie we made our way to the teacups. Jeff is pretty strong and had us spinning really fast. I think Chase enjoyed it about 80% of the time and Duchess about 0%. We were pretty lucky she didn't lose it on the ride and decided that perhaps we needed to skip that one for a 2nd ride.

Next came Chase's favorite ride of the entire trip, The Winnie the Pooh ride. I'm actually surprised this was his favorite, but he is so simple and sweet that when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The ride is just like that, simple and sweet. We also made our way to his 2nd favorite ride, It's a Small World. What do I say, there is no ride like that one... it just never gets old (even after you've ridden it 3 or 4 times).

The evening brought the best meal of our entire trip, dinner at The Crystal Palace. It was fantastic!!!! We got to meet Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. This was the first time the kids had seen Piglet, so they really liked that. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you dine at the Magic Kingdom!

Jeff and I had really wanted to ride The Haunted Mansion and what better time to ride it than at dark?!?! We had been prepping Chase for this ride for months because we didn't want him to be scared and he did great! He wasn't sure so about the music, but we just talked him through it, told the "scary" ghosts to "get outta here" and held him close. I think his favorite part was at the end when he saw the hitchhiking ghost in his lap. He looked all over for that guy! It was too cute.

Since it was getting late when we left The Mansion, we decided to stick around and watch the fireworks up close. The timing was perfect and we found a spot nice and close to the castle. Chase was in awe as Tinker Bell flew by and he watched the fireworks in amazement. That was a memory I'll never forget. As the lights in the trees twinkled and the fireworks flew the air, I was in heaven. I could live that moment again and again! We thought we'd go ahead and head towards the hotel after the fireworks, but the rush to get to the gates was insane! So we just plopped down on the sidewalk, grabbed a rootbeer float, and decided we'd go ahead and watch the electrical parade... I'm glad we did! A Disney worker stopped by with some "magic" pixie dust and Chase got to blow the lights on Main Street out when the parade came. He did wonderful w/the parade and there were only a few floats he didn't like. Did I say I'm glad we stayed??? Because I am!!

We finally made our way back to the hotel and got in bed for the night.... another magical day at Disney!

Please excuse this Disney World Vacation interruption...

When Chase was around 11 months old we used the InfantSee program to get him his first eye appointment. It turned out that Chase had astigmatism that measured at 1.5 and was farsighted. Since he was so young they said it was not a big deal and we would just bring him back in at 3 to have his eyes rechecked.

Well today was that recheck and I am shocked by our appointment. I know that my child is perfect... or as close as they com to perfect. Let me just say that I think no different now and this post in no way means that I do. I really expected us to go in, get his eyes checked, and hear, "Looks great, see you in a year." However, that is not even close to what we heard.

It turns out that his astigmatism is now measuring 2.0 and the other eye is measuring at 1.5. Anything 1.5 or greater they prescribe glasses for. So you guess it, next week my Doodlebug will be getting glasses. Our Dr. wanted to consult with his friend that specializes in little ones so that he could help w/the rx. He does not want them too strong to interfere w/development, but wants them strong enough to do what they need to do. Without correcting we would eventually end up with a problem called renalmyopathy (sp?), which means that Chase's brain would think that fuzzy was normal and would not correct even w/glasses. This would mean Chase falling behind and we do not want that!

Of course I freaked out on the inside as I listened to all of this, but managed to just nod and smile on the outside. I did ask why we had not noticed a problem if it was bad enough he needed glasses and they said that his actual vision is not bad. He is measuring at 20/30 and 20/40, which is good. It's just that some things are blurry.

I am so clueless about all of this because neither Jeff or I have any vision problems. I am devastated that Chase is going to have to deal with this and more devastated that it's something I can't fix. I know he will be fine and I know it could be so much worse, but I still don't like it.

Anyway, send a prayer that in time it will self correct. We were told it could, but it's unlikely. We all know that anything is possible, Chase is proof of that. *sigh* I hate when things don't go as planned!

Disney World - Days 3 & 4

***I will add pictures later tonight or tomorrow, I have to put Doodlebug in the bath and bed... sorry! To wet your appetite try this link, I've added more pics! Click HERE!**

Day 3, Monday the 9th

Day 3 brought us to Animal Kingdom and plenty of adventure! We started the day off by joining Donald, Mickey, Daisy, Minnie, and Goofy for a late breakfast at The Tusker House restaurant. Donald even chose Chase to dance with him... wonder if I could upload video for that??? I'll have to try that later. After breakfast we made an attempt to get pictures with Ballou (sp?) and King Louie. That didn't go over so well and the only picture we got was Daddy posing with them. Seriously though, King Louie is a little rough looking around the edges so who can blame him?

We decided to go ahead and grab a Fast Pass for the safari ride because the line was unbelievably long. I guess that is the must-do ride at Animal Kingdom. Since we had time to waste until our passes were good went on the train ride and over to the back of the kingdom. I'm really not sure what this is called, but it had the veterinarian area in it and the kids were able to look through the glass and watch them perform xrays on a bird of some sort. We also got to meet Jimney Cricket and Rafiki (no so fond of that one either). Since we have a petting zoo at the Houston Zoo we chose to skip that part for sanitary reasons... honestly I just didn't want to have to run after Chase and some stinky goats in the 95 degree weather!

After taking the train back to where we originated we grabbed some not-so-frozen lemonade and then made our way to the safari. There were so many different animals that the kids didn't know what to look at. Other than the fact it was pretty bumpy for picture taking, it is a really neat ride. I'm amazed at how big that place is!

Unfortunately Chase and Mads were not tall enough to ride any of the other rides, but we did get to go to Mickey and Minnie's camp area. There were a few shows that we missed by minutes and chose to skip due to the wait, but we did get to meet Minnie and Goofy. Donald and Mickey were there too, but had to go on break... that seemed to happen a LOT! We were having dinner with them later though, so no big deal.

Just as we were heading out we ran into non other than Lilo and Stitch! While waiting for our turn to take a picture it got super windy and there was thunder. A worker informed me that there was a major storm on the way and they had moved the parade up 5 minutes. That was nice because we didn't even realize they were having a parade, guess that's what we get for paying attention to the guides we picked up! We figured it would be neat to see the parade and we had plenty of time to grab some prime parade-watching seats! As we were about to head to the parade route we got to meet Turk from Jungle Book 2. I was shocked Chase was willing to take a picture with her, but he did. We finished our day at The Animal Kingdom by watching the parade and getting to wish the famous Donald Duck a very Happy Birthday!

We made our way back to the hotel so that we could nap and get ready for our big dinner at Chef Mickeys! This dinner had come highly recommended and we were VERY excited about it! Chef Mickey's is located at the Contemporary Resort and had the following characters there: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy. We decided to take Chase's Mickey costume with us because we knew we wanted a picture of him in it with Mickey and this was a great chance because it was air conditioned and our little guy wouldn't completely roast!

When we arrived at Chef Mickey's and got seated Chase and I raced off to the restroom to change into his Mickey suit. We got back just in time and the response to our cutie was unbelievable. I think everyone in the restaurant had to see him for themselves. The characters really played it up for Chase and he was so excited. Mickey even came to take pictures with us twice and Pluto showed us his name tag that read, "If found, please return to Mickey Mouse." I think he wanted to come home with us!

Our dinner ended just in time for us to go to the viewing deck and watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. They were beautiful and they had the music playing on the speakers, which was a nice addition. I'm not sure if Chase loved the way they looked or how loud they were the most! It was a magical evening indeed!

Day 4, Tuesday the 10th

*Disclaimer: Somehow we managed to not get one single picture from Day 4... out of over 1000! I guess we didn't take the camera since we were going to the beach and then we just never thought of it again. Ugh!*

After two very busy days we decided that Tuesday would be a good day to take a break and relax. Duchess really wanted to go down to the Beach so we loaded up the van and headed off. It was so nice being able to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Life is also so busy and scheduled for us, the break was awesome. The day was overcast and rainy, but it cleared up fairly well by the time we arrived at Cocoa Beach. The beach was not very crowded and the kids loved it. I'm not the biggest fan of sand, but I managed to have a good time.

Chase showed absolutely zero fear of the water, which was a little scary to me. The under toe was so strong, we could barely hold on to him. We decided real fast that the best place to be was where the waves were breaking and just barely touching us. Jeff did let him *surf* using his kickboard and he loved it. I have feeling he's going to be just like his Daddy when it comes to big bodies of water... love 'em!

We left the beach in the late afternoon, grabbed some seafood, and made our way back to the hotel. Not very surprisingly the kids wanted to go swimming at the pool, so we gave in and headed over. By this time is was getting pretty late and was actually cold, so I convinced them it would be more fun to go get a bath, have some chocolate milk, and eat a Squish Cake Roll (a.k.a. Swiss Cake Roll). Another perfect evening!

Anticipation

So, is the anticipation on reading about the remainder of the trip driving you nuts??? It's driving me nuts that I haven't had the time to post or put pictures!!!!! I swear, I just don't have enough time. I've been slowly (as in VERY slowly) putting pics on shutterfly, you can try this link:

Pictures!

to see if you can access them, but as of the time of this post there are only 5 on there and I think maybe one or two of those have been posted on here already. I promise that tonight I will do my best to sit down and write about days 3 (Animal Kingdom) and 4 (Cocoa Beach). Although I don't think I have one single picture from day 4... how we managed that I have no clue! Check back soon, we're headed to Houston to see Duchess!

Disney World - Days 1 & 2

We left for Florida late on Friday the 6th. This was Chase's first plane ride and he was so excited. You always hear horror stories of kids on planes and I was praying we'd have a good flight. We arrived at the airport, got checked in, and things were on track. Chase was grinning from ear-to-ear, it was adorable. Our flight loaded on time but thanks to lots of construction we had to sit on the runway for an hour... not so much fun with two-three year olds! However, we managed to entertain them by looking at the 15 other planes also stranded and lined up waiting to take off. The flight itself was great. Both kids talked nonstop, drank drinks, and went to the bathroom multiple times. Funny how going to the bathroom on a plane is fun. As soon as they announced we were preparing for decent both of the kids were out. After some hassle we got our rental and finally made it to the resort at about 1:30 in the morning. A little late, but we had landed safely and we were there. Vacation officially begun!

Day 1, Saturday the 7th

What can I say, we were bums. Our rooms were in the perfect spot and all in a row which was really nice. Our windows overlooked the pool and the dining/check-in/gift shop/transportation area were literally right there. The only bad thing was people stayed in the pool until the wee hours and could care less how loud they were. Of course as tired as you were, you didn't care much either. We decided to stay around the resort that day and get rested for all that lay ahead. We swam and swam and swam some more. Chase acquired his first sunburn because we didn't reapply his sunscreen soon enough, but fortunately he tanned over really quick. Jeff on the other hand is in the midst of peeling... yuck. I got lucky, a little red, but the Indian in me too over... phew!

Day 2, Sunday the 8th

We woke up early (well, not early, but we were on vacation after all) and decided to spend the day at Epcot. I had rearranged our meals so that we could dine with the princess' and then Chip and Dale that night. We rode the bus to Epcot and it was as big I remembered and then some! There were so many people and so much to take in. Chase and Madison we so excited, it was great. We made it to Norway where we would dine with Princess Ariel, Alice (in Wonderland),
Cinderella, Jasmine, and Aurora. Chase immediately fell in love with Alice and spent the entire meal looking for her and asking for her to come back. I think he won her over as well because she said he was a Prince Charming and gave him two wonderful kisses. I am so in trouble when he's older!

We spent the day walking around and meeting characters. I believe we met Aurora again, Snow White (we had to ask Dopey to leave because Chase did not like him one bit), Jasmine and the Genie (again, Chase was not sure about the Genie), Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Mary Poppins. We got the Ride the Finding Nemo ride and it is a definite must when you go. The only part that the kids did not like is the scene w/the sharks, but I will say having it in real life was a little scary looking. We then got to meet our first of many Mickeys, Minnies, Chip and Dale, Goofy, and Pluto. I'm sure that there were others, but I can't remember. That night we dined with Chip and Dale and it was awesome!!!! Mickey and Pluto were also there. Chase was in awe of all the real characters and was more than happy to pose... with most of them. I'm guessing Dale was played by a girl because Chase won her over in a heartbeat. The characters don't talk, but they do sign and she told Chase I love you again and again and motioned that he was so sweet. I have to agree!!! That night we watched the fireworks and then headed back to the hotel. I could tell that the days were going to be long, but full of magic. How could I ask for more?

IVF #4

I received my Lupron shot this morning to suppress my system. I'll take my BCPs through Wednesday and then wait for AF to arrive. On day 3 I'll have my first monitoring appt and that night I'll start my stims. I think we're looking at a retrieval time just after the 4th of July. So this time next month, I'll be pg. This time is will work.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the BEST Daddy EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!\

We're home, check back later for trip pictures and details!!!

Checking in from Disney World

Just a quick hi for the Home of Mickey Mouse! After an hour delay the plane ride went great and we arrived safe and sound very, VERY early Saturday morning. We hung out by the pool on Saturday and rested, very nice indeed. We are in the Fantasia part of the resort and our rooms are literally right by the pool and dining area, which is great! We hit the ground running on Sunday and spent the day at Epcot having lunch w/5 princesses and dinner with Mickey, Pluto, and Chip and Dale! Chase is lovestruck for Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Dale (who was obviously a girl this time) fell in love with Chase at dinner. Monday we had breakfast with Donald and the Gang at the Animal Kingdom and then spent the day going on the Safari, train, and meeting characters. We even had front-row seats to the parade. We ended the night at Chef Mickey's where Chase wore his Mickey Costume and was the hit of the dinner! We had wonderful seats to the fireworks and lighting of Cinderella's castle, the kids loved it!!!! I have so many pictures, but it's really late and time to go to bed! I'll try to add pictures and a longer post soon!!! This is truly the place where dreams come true!!!!

Chase's First Trip to the Dentist

On Monday Chase had his first trip to the dentist. We had been preparing for months by saying things like, "When you go to the dentist you will open your mouth wide and he will touch your teeth," then we'd do just as we said, open our mouths wide and touch our teeth. We talked about how they would clean our teeth and make the bright and shiny. We talked about how Mommy and Daddy go to the dentist too and he's not scary, he very nice. Then we always ended our conversations with our usual bribe of, if you're good, we'll go to Chuck E. Cheese when you're done!

Now at the risk of sounding like a bragging mom, which we all know I am, I will say that Chase is an excellent child. In fact, he is beyond excellent. We constantly get comments on how smart he is, how well he talks, how well behaved he is, what good manners he has, etc. I have to say, all of these comments are right on track. I'm not sure how we got so lucky, but we did. Of course we have our moments, but for the most part, he's fantastic. We are very proud of Chase and make sure we tell him this often. We encourage good behavior and discourage negative. So far it has paid off splendidly.

Sunday night we talked about how after we went to sleep and then the sun came up it would finally be time to go to the dentist. I asked Chase if he was scared and he told me no. I had heard so many horror stories that I was weary, but felt confident that we had done what we could to ensure a good visit. I had researched the pediatric dentists around and quickly found that one was recommended time and time again. I also found he was the only one that allowed a parent back, so he was the obvious and only choice. On the way down we again talked about opening our mouths and how they would touch his teeth. He really seemed excited, a good sign.

I knew as soon as we walked in that this was the right choice. Chase never so much as whimpered and ran to the video games and toys that were awaiting him by the sitting area. Within minutes we were called back and Chase didn't even hesitate. He raced ahead, eager to see what was behind each corner. We came to the cleaning area and met Mrs. Charlotte, his hygienist, and I could tell Chase was very comfortable with her. We had our beloved "Hippy" with us and Mrs. Charlotte showed Chase and Hippy all of her cool toys. Chase loved them. He climbed on the bed (what are those called anyway), got to put on the "magic sunglasses, and he was ready to go. He did everything she asked him to do and she told me time and time again how brave and good he was. Did I mention I was proud???? She also said that his teeth looked great and that he let her get off what little tarter build-up he had. I will admit I was worried because he does 90% of his teeth brushing, but she said he's doing great and there was no need to make him let us do it!

After he was done with his cleaning he got to pick out a special toothbrush and we waited for Dr. Andersen. It only took a few minutes and we were called back to the exam room. I think the exam took all of 2 minutes, literally, but I'm not complaining. Jeff and I both have excellent teeth, never had to have braces, and have no major problems, so I've been praying Chase would inherit our teeth... he did! Dr. Anderson's exact words were, "He's got a perfect set of little teeth here!" Yeah!!!

Chase did spectacular and as promised we went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. We will start going every 6 months now and I asked Chase if he liked the dentist. He told me yes, it was fun. Am I a lucky mom or what???

Disney World, here we come!

This time tomorrow we will be in Florida and I still have so much to do. I'm *almost* finished packing, I'm about to print off our Disney maps (I'm supposed to be doing that now, don't tell Jeff I'm updating my blog), and Chase is down for the night w/dreams of Mickey in his head... after a good hour of back and forth, up and down, with his Daddy. All is good, I think.

Tomorrow will be a busy day! Duchess is coming up early so that we can get haircuts, I need to finish packing those last minute items, recheck that I have everything we need, do my toes (long story short, Jeff stepped on my pinkie toe and ripped the nail right off in the middle of Best Buy, so much for a pedi before the trip), pick up the house, vacuum again, make sure the animals are set, drop off Molly at Aunt Stacy's and double-check she has a key to take come check on the other furbabies, pick up weekend feeders for the fish, and did I say double-check that I have everything we will need?

I still plan on posting about the dentist, in fact Jeff is putting the new camera software on the computer as I type. Or he's supposed to be. As soon as I have those pictures, I promise a post. We were going to take the laptop, but now I don't think we are. My mom will have hers, so I'll be able to post, but I guess that means no pictures until we come back. *sigh*

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday, I have a feeling my will be hectic and fast!

My Big Redneck Wedding

(The dentist post will have to wait, I saw something today that I HAD to share.)

I am not a huge TV watcher and since getting TiVo, I watch even less. Well, maybe not less but certainly nothing that is actually on when I watch it.... until today. While Chase was playing and I was cleaning (I know, shocker) I turned the TV on just for the heck of it. The lines, "Wow, a girl that hog hunts, mud wrestles, and pulls you on a mattress... Jamie, you have found yourself a keeper" got my attention.

Turns out CMT has a show called: My Big Redneck Wedding. Yes, that's for real. If you haven't seen it, it's a must. I seriously could not believe what I was watching. I was so intrigued that I watched two episodes and even recorded one just to prove to Jeff that I was not making it up. I am tempted to set up a season pass, now that is saying something.

I will just give you a few snipits from the episodes that I saw today in order to wet your appetite:

~ the bridal party was all in camo (in both weddings)... that on a whole wasn't the worst part it was the neon orange baseball caps and the blue jean mini-skirts to go with the camo tops that put it over the edge
~ the bachelor party consisted of shooting bottle rockets at eachother, while holding them in their hand (can we say idiots)
~ mud wrestling at the reception... the bride even did it... in her dress
~ pickled pigs feet at the reception... ewwww
~ cornbread and baked beans at the reception to which the groom said, "These beans are starting to work!" (just a note to the bride, I'd sleep downwind)
~ one bride went down the aisle on a tractor... seriously, the other went down on a donkey (hey, it was her pet)
~ they had mattress surfing, which was pulling a person on a mattress through the cow field behind the 4-wheeler
~ at the end of one wedding the groom told the bride, "Let's go constipate this marriage!"

Enough said.

Now tell me that is something you don't want to see??? I will definitely need to set up a season pass.

Coming Soon - post under construction

Chase had his very first dentist appointment, post and pictures coming soon!