Summer of Family Reunions!

We have had four family reunions this summer and loved every one of them.  Last week my grandmother turned 80, and we all went to Seattle to celebrate with her.  She is spunky and energetic with naturally brown hair still.  She started a cherry pit fight with me while we were there.  :)  We also celebrated my grandparents recent 60th wedding anniversary.  While in Seattle we took a side trip to Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound and stayed in a cabin for a couple nights, hiking during the days and eating and playing games in the evenings.  There's nothing more fun than just spending time with family.  It was the first time all of us including Jonathan (my new step-brother) had gone somewhere together.   Yea!

Weekly Update

Monday night we hosted a neighborhood BBQ in our front yard. We provided hot dogs, water, foosball, and popsicles and asked people to bring a potluck dish to share and something to sit on. I made flyers and we distributed them to every house in our ward boundaries on Sunday. Monday night at 6:30 we were ready and people started to show up - and they didn't stop! We had almost 100 people there, with dozens of kids running around the backyard, playing foosball, playing in the cul-de-sac. We had 60 hot dogs (we got 40 people last year), and we ran out by 7:15. It was a blast! We met several families I didn't know, and I was busy the whole time talking to people, re-filling water, replenishing paper products (again!), getting ice for owies, etc. We'll definitely make this an annual tradition.

So now for our In Vitro update. We went in Tuesday morning for the egg retrieval. As I woke up from the anesthesia I heard the doctors explaining to Walt that they had gone in and retrieved all the fluid from my follicles, and not a single follicle had an egg in it. They explained that they've never had this happen in their clinic, and they've been doing this for over 10 years. This puts us back at square one, starting over with the rounds of shots (at their highest dose this time) and things to try one more time in September.  I have had several moments of intense sadness about this. At the same time I realized that there are two reasons I've wanted to do In Vitro. My number one reason is to show God that I'm willing to do all I can to have a family because I believe family is one of his great purposes for us.  My second reason is to become pregnant so we can start our family. So even though a pregnancy didn't happen for us this time, my first reason for doing In Vitro was accomplished. If my second reason isn't met through this process, I have faith that it will be met through some other way at some other time. 

We had an absolutely delightful (though quick) trip to Cedar City for a Stevenson family reunion last week. There we surprised Beth, Jocelyn, and Jessica with a trip to Seattle to celebrate Grandma's 80th Birthday and stay on Orcas Island with our immediate family (see picture). It was a big surprise, and we can't wait for the trip. We orchestrated everything through Randy.

We went camping for the 4th of July! Walt and I love camping. We hardly had any neighbors, and there was an outhouse and water spigot right across the road, so it was luxury camping.

I started my in vitro shots last Wednesday. I have three a day to give myself, and to be honest, they aren't too bad. If you jab yourself fast and hard enough it doesn't even hurt. The problem is, there is something built in to your body that tells you it isn't okay to stab yourself. So if I think about it too long, my hand won't do it. My tummy is getting tender because the big shots leave bruising. There is just so much fluid to push in there. This week I'll have three ultrasounds to see if my body is producing the right amount of eggs for the egg retrieval.

Summer Half Over!!

We've been enjoying every minute of summer, especially now that my brother Bryan and his wife Sarah are living with us.  Fun!

Our patio is done in the backyard, and we've had several bar-b-ques to initiate it.  It looks great!  There are three zucchini in the garden as of this morning, and the tomatoes are really taking off.  We have 6 in rows that are doing great, and five extra tomato plants have sprouted up randomly all through the garden, so we're encouraging those.  I want to have enough to can.

We're gearing up to do In Vitro soon.  As part of the medication cycle, Walt and I started taking an anti-biotic a few days ago.  Yesterday morning was the first time we remembered to take it in the morning.  We didn't want to forget, so first thing after we got up we each downed one.  About thirty minutes later I was bending over the toilet and Walt was looking green.  We learned the hard way that it should be taken with food!  We went downstairs to eat breakfast, but our stomaches were rebelling, our appetites were gone, and it was all we could do to swallow a few bites each before heading off to work.  We felt great a couple hours later, though. The whole incident was so funny!  We kept giggling about it even while we were feeling sick.  

I have a baseline ultrasound on Sunday, and my shots start on Wednesday morning.  Apparently I can give this first round of shots to myself - one in the morning and one in the evening for 10 days - in the stomach.  Lots of women do this every day.  No big deal. (right?)

We're heading down to Cedar City on Monday for the bi-annual Stevenson family reunion.  I love those.  We stay in the dorms on SUU campus and hang out together.        

Illinois Reunion

We got back on Monday from a Johnson family reunion in Illinois with all of Walt's siblings (there are 6 kids). It was so fun! We wished we could have had many more days together. The first several days of our trip was spent at Walt's Dad's house with Anna and Charlotte. We did some yard work and cleaned out the storage room. We also got all the boxes of things belonging to the kids and went through them. It was fun to find Walt's baby book and some grade school assignments and high school year books. I wonder if we would have liked each other if we'd known each other in high school.

The second part of the trip was spent in Nauvoo, Illinois, where Andy and Stan's families met us. Jim's family drove down, too, so we were all there. We toured the old city and learned a lot about life in the days of the early pioneers. We toured the Jonathan Browning gun shop (Walt and I are both related to him), visited the brickyard, blacksmith shop and bakery, and spent time in the Pioneer Pastimes area (playing pioneer games) and the Family Living Center where they showed us how to make rope and candles, how to weave. etc. We took two wagon rides and watched a short video about the temple before taking pictures in front of the temple. Lastly we walked the Trail of Hope where all the pioneers lined up to wait their turn to cross the Mississippi, hoping that the new life ahead would finally be free from the intense persecution they'd endured in Missouri and Illinois. They could look back and see their temple up on the hill, and I'm sure it was somewhat discouraging to think of all the work they put into it only to have to leave. I am so thankful for their faith that God's promises would one day be fulfilled.

We went to Carthage Jail on the way home, which is always a solemn and reverent experience. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

School Year Ends

Yeah for summer break! I'm a little burned out with work, so this will be such a welcome break! Walt and I have three family reunions to attend this summer - in Illinois, Cedar City, and Seattle. What a great way to spend the summer.

The other thing we're really excited about is the new patio we have in the backyard. It is a 14 x 16 foot slab. We prepared the ground by cutting away the sod, digging the dirt down, and moving the sprinkler control box over about 10 feet. Then a crew came and poured it yesterday, and today it is hard enough to walk on. We've been looking forward to eating breakfast or dinner out on the patio and hosting Barbeque's. Come on over and take a look!

Mothers Day

For Mothers Day Walt was very sweet and made me scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and fruit smoothies for breakfast. Then he presented me with a set of grapefruit spoons and a cute green watering can. I wasn't expecting anything, so it was such a fun surprise! He wrote me a sweet note and I felt so special. Most of you know we're having difficulty getting pregnant. We'll be trying IVF (In Vitro Fertizilation) this July, so we're crossing our fingers and praying that it works! We can't wait to be parents.

We're getting the backyard ready for a patio. The weather is so nice and we're really excited to have a place outside to sit and relax and eat breakfast or read. We (well mostly Walt and my brother Alan who spontaneous volunteered to come help all day! Thanks Alan!!) rented a sod cutter on Saturday and pulled out the grass where the patio will be. Then we cut out some grass in our yard that was full of weeds and replaced it with the grass from the patio area. We tried to break out the small concrete square that is out there right now, but it turns out that it is at least 12 inches deep, so even a 16 lb. sledge hammer wouldn't budge it. We'll rent a jackhammer. We also have to move the sprinkler box which is in the way. So still a bit of work left to prep the area, but we're getting there!