Things we did this weekend.

We headed out to the Flower and Craft Warehouse with Elissa. Oh my goodness. I am not kidding you when I tell you that it could take a full week to see the entire store. It is literally a warehouse and it just keeps going and going and going. Whole rooms of beads, scrapbooking stuff, and candles. Oh my goodness the candles. We sniffed a million different varieties!! The only thing I was disappointed in was their yarn selection. It was barely have an aisle and none of it was soft and squishy. Hrumph.

Then we got silly. Well, Jenn got silly and Elissa and I took pictures of the silliness. First she decided that she wanted to get dressed up:

Isn't she adorable!??!!

Then she made out with the Easter Bunny:


After our feet were all tired out from all the shopping we headed out to dinner. I am horrible when it comes to deciding what I want to eat. The menu went on and on!! I'm always worried that whatever I do order won't have been what I actually wanted, so I will be sad. I wasn't sad here! The had a pasta special and the pasta was YUMMY.

Then we took some pictures since all three of us have new camera phones, we all needed to pictures to store in them.
Stolen from Elissa:



Aren't we all so fun?!?

Then there was Avery's gymnastics olympics, and she was just TOO CUTE!
On the uneven bars:

And getting her gold medal:


Then on Sunday afternoon...there was this weather thing. It was a storm, that came out of nowhere. And dropped a tornado just a few miles from our house. In March no less. There was thunder and wind and lightening and hail. And we didn't see it. And we didn't get any pictures of it. We being Chris and I. Jenn and Lyz would rather hide in the basement. Chris and I would be the two following it around in the car. Hmmm....why didn't we follow it around with the car?

Mingo Monday

Saturday evening we had a date with Elissa to head to the Flower and Craft Warehouse. (I have to mention that it is located in Blue Ball, Pennsylvania. I live in the oddest place. Virginville, Intercourse, Blue Ball, Climax...interesting names that the Amish have given the towns around us.) The place is hugegantic!!! We were there for over three hours and still didn't see all of the stuff they have...but more on that tomorrow.

While browsing around we came across several cute mingos. But I found one that suited me perfectly, and gave me a flamingo to put in my front yard, so that I can be a true flamingo lover.

Isn't she cute????


She isn't your normal plastic yard flamingo...she's extra tackilicious with jewels and she is all sparkly!

And a total steal for only $7.90 plus we had a 20% off coupon!! Yeah for extra cheap flamingos!!

A question or query or something

Last week Jenn and I both got new cell phones. I am in love with mine in case you needed to know. I have had three cell phones in my entire cell phone career. Jenn, she's had at least eight. They have landed in toilets, fallen out of pockets into puddles, been run over by cars...she is the queen of killing the cell phone I tell you!! (although Lyz and Jim come in a close 2nd and 3rd)

Anywho. With the purchase of a new cell phone also comes the purchase of new ring tones. Jenn's ring tone has started a survey of sorts among my friends. Without mentioning the song of Jenn's new ring tone I ask you all this...

When you pour some sugar on, do you pour white, brown or powdered??

Do you know the answer to this question??

Even more important...do you know what Jenn's ring tone is??

And JamieD...if you do not know this, I will be disappointed.

Atlantic Coast Patriots, and the scent of babies.

We went to Chris's first home game for football this past weekend. By we, I mean Jenn went with him really early because she has become the team's honorary physical trainer. She tapes the players ankles and hands, whatever they need. She even helps them stretch and diagnosis problems:

She has also become the teams videographer:

It makes her really happy and makes her feel needed. It has been rough for her, all this unemployment. The rest of us all love it, she is here when we need anything...she can help out most of the time (except for when she already has made plans), and she has had lots of lunch dates with old friends that she has reconnected with through Facebook. So her feeling needed is a very good thing.

Chris is a very tall guy (6'5"). It can be a little intimidating at times. But when the guy is in uniform, be it his old fireman uniform, his police uniform or his football uniform he just seems SO MUCH BIGGER! Jenn is very short. She is 5'3 1/4" (she makes me include the 1/4). It looks like that gap is MUCH bigger when Chris is in his football getup:


The game was exciting! Chris played very good, giving his all. His all includes breaking his finger...poor guy. I took lots of pictures and was VERY upset when my very best picture was ruined by a silly man standing on the sidelines.

That is Chris in mid-tackle of the quarterback.

A friend of Lyz's was looking at all the pictures from Florida and asked a very interesting question. Why did Jenn go to Florida without Heidi? Um, Heidi did go to Florida. Oh, but she wasn't in any of the pictures? Oh...that is because Heidi is always behind the camera. So it was very sweet of Lyz to steal my camera at the football game and make sure that there was a picture of me!

Look! It's me! I do exist! Thank you Lyz for joining the "More pictures of Heidi are needed" project!

Chris's team lost, and Delaney wasn't very happy about it:


Speaking of Delaney, she is growing up WAY too fast. I love to hold her in my arms and smell her head. That wonderful baby scent is just amazing. I snuff it all up and use it as a reminder of what I want, and how I will someday attain it. It keeps me going. It makes me so happy. It is so inspiring. We babysat the girls (and Joni who had foot surgery and can't walk right now) on Sunday night while Lyz and Chris went out for their anniversary dinner. I was walking Delaney (she is at that stage where you aren't allowed to sit down with her...she much prefers you stand with her in your arms) and I started sniffing her head. I stick my nose right onto her scalp and sniff as hard as I can (which right now with my diminished lung capacity sounds rather funny). She is starting to smell less and less. I had mentioned to Lyz last week that the smell is starting to go away. Sigh. I'll miss that smell. I must get to work soon to start making one of our own so that we can all have another baby to snuff. Now Delaney, don't go thinking I will love you any less when you no longer have that wonderful baby smell! It won't change how I feel about you at all. It just means you won't have to have my nose attached to your head anymore!

Mingo Monday

I don't like vomit. I think I have mentioned this a few times before?? Yes? Okay, then I won't review my reasons.

I have had the pleasure this week of getting spit up upon three times in one evening by Delaney. You would think I would have learned the first time that she spewed on me to turn her away from my body. Nope. I just kept letting her do it.

So, my Mingo Monday spotlight item of the week is something to help me clean myself off.

A Mingo Loofah!!


Look at his cute little feets!:


This flamingo was one of my Christmas presents from my family in 2007. No, he has never actually been used...that might like fade him or something and we just can't have that!!

Baby puke, baby smuke. If you've got a Mingo Loofah, all is well. (and it helps that the kid is darn cute too!)

3 months, 3 years, 33 years.

Delaney is 3 months old.

Avery is 3 years old.

Jenn is 33 years old.

I think it is neat.

Taking a break can be good for the soul...and the waistline.

I know, I never actually came out and talked about what is going on in our TTC world. We decided to take a break. My depression hit rock bottom. I wanted to make my head better. Another negative may have honestly put me over the edge. I was afraid of myself. I was afraid to be left alone.

We do plan on starting up here again soon. We had discussed just trying at home for a bit...but with my cranky ovaries, we don't think that is the best plan. We are saving our pennies for another injectable iui or two. After that point, I think we are done. We are happy as a couple. We love each other more than enough. We have Skyler, Austin, Belle, Avery and Delaney to adopt and spoil. I honestly don't feel in my heart that we will have our own child, but I don't want to give up either. Does that make any sense? I don't want to give up because I didn't know that the last cycle was going to be the last cycle. I need another shot!

My head is much better now. I don't feel as lost and alone as I did. I don't feel as dangerous to myself as I did. I feel like Jenn and I are more ourselves. While we were never in a really bad place, we weren't really as together as we could be. That was my fault. I pushed her away. I spent so much time hating myself for killing our children that I couldn't let her look at me. I felt like I let her down. I know that isn't true. I knew it then too...but couldn't get my heart to believe it.

The other really nice thing about our break is the lack of hormones pumping through my body. I had lost a little bit of weight when I was first diagnosed with the hypothyroidism...but it halted. When we went to the doctor to be told that I have pneumonia, I was afraid to hop on the scale. There is a scary weight that I never want to reach, and I was convinced that I had finally hit it.

Imagine my surprise when I got on the scale and had not only not gained weight, but had lost it. Lots of it. I was inspired once I felt better to try on an old pair of jeans. You know the ones you through in the back of your closet because you just can't throw them away? I grabbed a pair on Monday and put them on. Oh my word. They fit!!!!

Last night I did the same thing...I dug a little deeper in the closet for an older pair. They fit too! We went over to Lyz and Chris's and I bragged to everyone that I was on pair two of jeans that didn't used to fit. Joni mentioned that this is when you find that pair of pants that you haven't worn in forever, but haven't thrown them away either because you love them so much.

I got home and pulled my favorite pair of pants out of the depths of my closet. I love them. They are thick kahki's with an almost cargo pants type style. I love the buttons and the pockets, and they always made me feel good because I thought they made my butt look totally awesome. You know that pair of pants you own that just make you feel sexy? Even if they don't look good to everyone else...you feel PERFECT in them!! I hadn't worn them in four years.

They fit. Not only did they fit, but I have room to spare. I cried, and danced and smiled. Jenn said she hasn't seen that smile on my face in forever. It felt so good. I kept showing her my butt. I was all "Look at my butt! It is cute!" Then I kept saying "Hey Jenn? Guess what...my favorite pants fit!!"

I'm a little bit happy. It feels good. A pair of pants has totally found me again. I'm really coming out of my dark closet and it feels good. I like having myself back :)

Happy 13th Birthday Skyler!!!

I cannot believe that Skyler is 13 years old. A teenager!! Holy crow. He was only 8 months old when I met him. He had the cutest little chubby legs! He was teasing me today that I used to change his diapers...nope sorry! I don't do diapers. Not his, not Austin's, not Belle's, not Avery's, not Delaney's (yet...I can't promise I never will...but it isn't on my agenda of things to do.)

We went to the batting cages. I wasn't able to participate because today my lungs are protesting more than they have in over a week. Stinks. But everyone else had fun doing it. Well, not Jim...but I can't blame him. The last time he was in a batting cage he broke his hand. Don't ask how, we never did figure that out!

The birthday boy in the batting cage:


Austin in the batting cage:


Belle in the batting cage:


Jenn in the batting cage:


Elissa in the batting cage:


After everyone was tired out we went out to the parking lot and open presents. Jenn was too excited to let him open his presents to wait anymore. We got him golfing gear including this awesome club head cover shaped like a clover! What a perfect gift for the boy born on St. Patrick's Day!


Then we headed to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. It was quite yummy. Skyler was very excited to be allowed to order Alaskan King Crab Legs for his dinner since it is his birthday!

After that we headed back to their house for ice cream cake and to sing Skyler Happy Birthday:


(someday I will remember to not turn the camera when I take video...sorry!)

Skyler really wanted the part of the cake that had the Phillie's symbol on it. I fought hard for him and convinced Elissa to cut that part out of the middle of the cake just for him. And this smile made it totally worth it:


Happy Birthday Skyler!!! You are my favorite 13 year old in the world!

Mingo Monday

(sorry I missed you last week...laying in bed trying to breathe was heavier on my mind than the mingo's...a shame, I know. I'm embarrassed of myself!)

Another Florida 2009 flamingo. Again, as I held it up to show it off in the store I was told by everyone that if I didn't purchase it myself, it was still going to come home with me.

I think this is my favorite Mingo from Florida this year. Or maybe it was the mosaic mingo...or the mingo pen...or...oh heck, who am I kidding. There is no such thing as a favorite mingo. I love them all equally.

Anywho...a mingo sign that will go on our front porch...


(in case you can't read the words it says "You might be a redneck if...you didn't put the pink plastic flamingo in your front yard as a joke.")

In case you were wondering, no, there is no pink plastic flamingo in my front yard. Jenn banned the idea as part of our wedding contract. I do have my eye on this loverly set for next years Christmas display though...

In which Teaberry interviews ME! (and another meme)

Teaberry posted recently an interview that was posed to her...and offered to interview others! I am following in her footsteps, she is interviewing me. Would you like to be interviewed? Leave me a comment and I will ask you some questions suited just for you!

Here is my interview from Teaberry:

Hey Heidi, I'd LOVE to interview you! Here you go:

1) leave a new comment saying, "interview me."

2) I will respond by e-mailing you 5 questions (I get to pick the questions)

3) You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4) You will include the explanation , a link back to me, and offer to interview someone else in the post

5) When others comment asking to be interviewed you will ask 5 questions.

Okay...
#1: I believe that you and Jenn both met going to college in Idaho--BYU Idaho? How did your families react when you came out to them? (I grew up in a big LDS town, and my first girlfriend was LDS, so... it was kind of a fiasco!)

When Jenn and I went to BYU Idaho it was known as Ricks Jr. College. Yes a 99.9% LDS school. Our parents both had very different reactions, I believe based on the very different ways they found out about us. My parents had it rough. I still lived at home with them and was having a very difficult long distance relationship with Jenn (difficult because I missed her, not because we were having problems). I missed her terribly and was horribly depressed. My best friend Lori spent all of her spare time trying to cheer me up and get me to smile more. (She was eventually the one who couldn't take my moodiness anymore and packed me up and moved me out to Jenn.) One day I wrote Jenn and letter. It was a dirty letter. Somehow, I don't remember why, it came back in the mail and my mother decided to read it. I am sure what she read was horrible to her, but sorry mom, shouldn't read my mail! When you walk up the stairs to my parents house you look right in the front door. Back then you looked right to the coffee table sitting in front of the couch. I walked up those stairs after work one night and there on the coffee table was the letter (I decorated the outside, I knew what that envelope held) and there on the couch were my parents. I wanted to die. This was not the way I wanted them to find out. I would have much preferred to be two states away when I broke this news to them. It took my parents quite a bit of time to warm up to Jenn. My dad and brother much faster than my mom I think. It wasn't until after my mother's mother passed away that I really felt like my mom accepted Jenn. My dad and brother can (like most people) see her as "one of the guys" because she can talk sports with them and carry on like they do. My mom couldn't make that bond with her. They may not accept the fact that we are a lesbian couple, I don't ever expect them to love that fact, but they do love us very much and have accepted Jenn as part of my life, and part of their family.

Jenn's parents were clueless. I moved here in 1997, as a friend of Jenn's. They knew we met in college, and they knew "I was having a rough time adjusting to life at home after college." I was immediately part of the family. I am almost perfectly placed in age wise between Jenn and her little sister. After many many years of hiding our relationship and many years of us (me, Lyz, Elissa, everyone) teasing Jenn that she was NEVER going to tell her parents the truth she shocked the crap out of me. She was talking to her mom on the phone about Jenn's sisters upcoming wedding and what they were going to pay for. At the time Jenn and I were also planning our wedding, but of course had said nothing to Jenn's parents about such a thing. I'm happily watching tv when I hear "So....let's say that I was getting married next year, what would you pay for of my wedding." My jaw dropped. I about passed out. I hear her go on to say "Well I am marrying Heidi of course." Silence. Her mom asked a few questions and then just ignored it for a bit. Every so often she would call with a new question, but nothing really changed. They still act like I am one of their daughters and life just kinda went on.

The difference is that Jenn's parents were able to love me before they knew who I really was. My poor parents first knowledge of Jenn was as my lover, which cannot leave a very good taste in a parents mouth. Now all four parents love us all, and accept us as much as their faith can allow.

(Moral of the story, don't read your kids mail unless you reallllly want to know what it says!!)

#2: If you could have a round table dinner with 6 famous people, who would you want to dine with?

See now this is tough. I'm very shy, so I would honestly panic if I had to have 6 famous people over for dinner and have it be a round table where there is talking?? Hm...

• James Earl Jones. I love the mans voice. It would probably put me to sleep in my soup course, but at least I would enjoy listening to him talk.
• J.K. Rowling. I want to know everything. I know she has a million more stories about all of her characters...I want to hear them all!
• Martha Stewart. I love her. I want to be her. I want her money.
• Alton Brown. My favorite chef/cook/scientist, whatever you want to call him. I met him once and my cheeks hurt for days afterwards from smiling so much!
  
• Angelina Jolie. For Jenn's sake, so she wouldn't be too bored.
• Duane Johnson. Shhh, he's my secret man crush. I just want to squeeze his arms.

#3: What is your all-time favorite comfort food?

Mashed potatoes (from a box) with creamed corn on top.

#4: If you could have any wild animal (in addition to a flamingo!) as a pet, what would you want?

Well that is easy! A hippopotamus of course! They come in second on my animal love list. I can be caught singing "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" all year round. Many people didn't even know it was a real song...they thought I made it up. I may be creative, but I am not that creative!

#5: What are your favorite girls names and favorite boys names?

A girl would be Cavanaugh Jenna. Cavanaugh because of the character Jordan Cavanaugh from Crossing Jordan. I jokingly mentioned to Jenn one day that I thought Cavanaugh would make a really good girls name. Then we realized that my other favorite show at the time was Ed. The main characters name in real life was Tom Cavanaugh (spelled different though). That Christmas Jenn bought me three books. In all three there was a main character with the last name Cavanaugh. It was a sign. Should Jenn and I ever have a daughter her name would be Cavanaugh.

Jenna is after Jenn's cousin who passed away a few years ago at the age of 14 from Cystic Fibrosis. We miss her dearly.

A boy (as of right now) would be Orion Marshall. Orion is again, a name that started as a joke but has since stuck. Shortly after Blue died I got really pissed off when Chris Noth named his son Orion. It was going to be my son's name, he could use it.

Marshall is my little brother. The only thing I hated about moving to Pennsylvania was losing my little brother. He was only 8 when I left and we had been very close. I want to honor him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I went over to Teaberry's blog to copy her link, I see that she tagged me again. I'm very bad at tagging people back, so I will gladly fill this out for her, but you darling readers are going to have to tag yourselves. If you do copy this, please let me know so I can wander over and read it!

Step 1: respond and rework -- answer the questions on your own blog , replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention

Step 2: tag - eight other un-tagged people. (Please tag yourselves)

1) What do you do for a living? liv-ing, -noun, def.the means of maintaining life; livelihood.
I am a front desk manager at a hotel.

2) What is your biggest fear?
Never having a live baby.

3) Do you nap a lot?
lol yes. Chris teases me about it all the time. I could nap all day everyday if people would let me. I think a bit of it has to do with depression, but...I still love to nap.

4) Who is the last person you hugged?
Jenn.

5) What websites do you visit when you go online?
Facebook, Lefora (my online community), Comcast, gmail, google reader. Lather, rinse, repeat. All day long.

6) What was the last item you bought?
Other than grocery's and other sundries it would be the item that will be featured on Monday for Mingo Monday, I'd rather not disclose that information here.

7) What was the first concert you went to?
Gloria Estafan's Coming Out of the Dark tour, with my mommy!

8) You can only ever read one book over and over again...what book is it?
Scarlet by Alexandra Ripley. It is the sequel to Gone with the Wind.
or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Hmmmm....

9) Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle?
Nope. My hair is either long, or short. No style. Just long, or short. lol

10) What is your most embarrassing moment?
The one I classically tell is the day that my Aunt Kari and I were at the grocery store. I was 14 and we split up to purchase some things. I went after a bag of ice. There was a cute lil grocer guy standing near me and I got all shy (I hate talking to strangers) and asked where they keep the frozen ice. He was oh so kind to tell me that the frozen ice was near the cash registers, but if I was looking for melted ice they keep that in bottles on aisle 7, near the soda. I found Kari and was laughing hysterically at myself. After sharing the story with her we laughed together, until I peed my pants right in the middle of aisle 7. As cute lil grocer came walking up the aisle and saw me and my yellow puddle, I wanted to die.

11) What was the last movie you watched?
Bio Dome. It is one of those movies that always sucks me in while flipping channels. And I was stuck in bed with pneumonia, what else did I have better to do.

12) If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions what would you do?
Please see question number 3.

13) Do you like scary movies?
Sometimes. I don't like a lot of blood and gore. I don't like things that mess with your head like Saw. I liked Blair Witch Project a lot. We were in the mood to be scared, so it made it a good movie!

14) What would you want your last meal to be?
Oh dear. Food. Have you seen my rather large body?? Hm. We'll go with Ichiban. It is a hibachi grill so I could have entertainment, yummy food and my friends around me enjoying it.

The super sickies...I's gots em.

We've both been sick, thankfully Jenn has been getting better, but Friday Jenn decided that I needed to go to the doctor. I thought it would be a quick visit..here is a script for antibiotics go home and get some rest, the end.

Nope, instead I puked on the doctor (she shoved the tongue depressor too far into my mouth before I could warn her of my quick gag reflex), and got sent home with 6 prescriptions and a diagnosis that I really didn't expect.

Pneumonia.

I am so far behind on reading blogs, I hope I am missing lots of really good news, no bad news okay.

Jenn is an angel in taking care of me. Even though she has a decent cold too. She changes the sheets when my sweating has drenched them. She gets me cold drinks and popcicles whenever I want them. She rubs my back when I lose it and start crying. She turns heaters on and heaters off and opens and closes windows. Tucks me in, and rips all the covers off. She is the bestest. Thank you baby girl

Mingo Monday

More Florida purchases!!

You know I have feet issues. I like my socks to be a bit small so they fit on my feet nice and snug. I like the realllllly low top, I prefer them not to go higher than my ankle bone. I also prefer colorful socks. I wear Crocs 100% of the time. I couldn't wear the outfit I wanted to Delaney's baptism yesterday because I don't own black Crocs (shopping will commence when I am done writing this post). But I do own socks of every color imaginable. Stripes, polka dots, stars, checkers, and hearts.

I used to own several different pairs of flamingo socks, but they have all become worn through over the years. My one goal at the flea market was to find new flamingo socks. I was so excited when I found a cute set and ran them right up to the cash register. The booth owner looked at me and told me "You know, those are on special if you buy two pairs?" Jenn rolled her eyes and I ran and picked out another set too!




(I am a bit disappointed that they come to halfway up my ankle bone, but since they have flamingos on them, I will ignore that fact)

Delaney's Baptism

Jenn and I aren't religious. We were both raised LDS (you might know it better as Mormon), but I honestly cannot remember the last time we went to church on a Sunday. Not in this century I believe.

That changed today. We went to St. Leo's here in Lancaster to watch Delaney get baptized. This was the first Catholic baptism I have been to. I have been to several Catholic masses so I know most of the stand ups, sit downs, and answers. But during Delaney's baptism they had different ones, thankfully I wasn't the only clueless one. The priest (who resembled Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from the Simpsons) asked the congregation if we all shunned Satan and his evil ways...and no one said anything. You could hear crickets. Then a few giggles and Father Raja started again. The correct answer is "We do" in case you ever find yourself in such a situation.

The gown was beautiful. Of course it is, Joni made it! Lyz, her two older sisters, most of Delaney's cousins and Avery all wore it before Delaney.

Here is the happy, beautiful, family:

And my three favorite pictures:
1-Delaney wondering what this is all about:

2-Avery wanted to stand with her momma, but didn't want to be in the pictures, a difficult dilemma for a 3 year old:

3-Apparently my irreverence was high today. There was another little girl being baptized at the same time and I could not stop staring at her Godmothers leg. I am evil in admitting this, but she had a huge spider vein and was practically highlighting it in the part of skin she was showing between her boot and her skirt. It was like screaming "LOOK AT ME". (I will now be cursed with a million spider veins.)


I have been sworn not to talk about the party for Delaney after the baptism. But maybe some day I will be really drunk, and blogging, and the story will come out. hehehehehehehehehe.