Potty time

This gal, who normally shows very little interest, asked to sit on the potty after her bath.

Who am I to argue with that kind of request?

And who can not love those baby blues?

Thoughts

When I was pregnant, I desperately wanted our baby to be a girl. I don't know why I felt so strongly. Maybe mother's intuition? Maybe just being silly because I'm a girl? Maybe imaging having one and then another girl and loving the idea of sisters? Who knows. The day we found out we were having a girl, I was completely over the moon with the news. And the day Lily was born? Indescribable.

At this point, I am just desperate to have another baby. I could honestly and truly care less if it's a boy or girl. Though I LOVE the idea of Lily having a sister because I could not imagine my life without my own sister. And I also LOVE the idea of her having a brother to love and protect, like my brother always did for me.

I am often asked if we'd like to have another baby, and I always respond "yes, we hope to." Without going into any details.

We are in a situation where we have to just wait and hope for another baby to come along. We've had some trouble with round two. It's not too serious and hopefully not permament, but it's definitely a setback in our "plan".

But taking from a friend, I've been thinking about why pregnancy/infertility is such a taboo subject? Why the need to keep it to ourselves? Why not seek love, support, guidance from those we love? Why not reach out for a little hug when we most desperately need it.

Our situation is apparently an easy medical fix. A benign tumor on my pituitary gland that is causing some crazy hormonal imbalance. I know it's silly and there are so many women/families out there with a lot worse situation, but it's been a bit of a blow for me. I am used to 100% control over my body. I'm a runner, I've ran six marathons, one of which I was 16 weeks pregnant. I am used to reading my body, knowing when I've done too much, when I should cut back, when I need to eat more, or lay off the fast food. I know when I'm not sleeping and the exact cause for it. I know the physical signs of stress and exactly what I need to do for myself to talk myself off that proverbial ledge. I know my body. And now that it has 'failed' at what I'm asking of it, I feel a bit off and a bit lost. Which makes me miss home and my girlfriends more than ever.

And though I absolutely love my husband and think of him as one of the most sensitive, lovely people I've ever met, he can not relate. He does not understand what it feels like to have no control of your body. Or what it feels like when your own body fails you. Or how inadequate you feel when you can not 'produce' when you feel perfectly healthy and happy. Or how you can go down that dark tunnel of blame and pointing fingers. At yourself.

So my girlfriends. Who's been through this? What advice can you share?

Phone call?

"What are you two crazy kiddos doing?"

"Nothing much. Just hanging out. Making a few phone calls."

"Sounds fun. Who ya calling?"

"Ellie dog needs to call Ellie Rose."

"We love you Ellie Rose. We miss you Ellie Rose."

True story.

Guess we need to plan a trip to Seattle soon.

New kicks...

Daddy bought me my first pair of sneakers.

Daddy has a thing for shoes (and sunglasses).

Me too!

I am oh so cool!

Ways to beat the heat

Avoiding the heat with lots of indoor fun...

We have weekly summer movie tickets with Kristen and Kayl.

Not too surprising that Lily will sit through an entire movie.

As long as she has popcorn and 'candy' (fruit snacks), she is one happy camper.

Ice cold popsicles are another secret to beating the heat.

That, and no pants.

Daddy wants a motorcycle and Lily wants to drive her own car.

This is as close as they both will get as long as I have a say in the matter.

We celebrated a friend's birthday and the theme was 'Minnie Mouse."

Our girl loves her dress-up, so thought wearing ears was awesome!

Straight home from the library.

I asked if I could read her a book.

She said "No Mommy, go away. I read by myself."

Her stories start with "Once upon a time, there was a..." and then she points out the objects she can name.

Walking home from dinner, enjoying a cloudy evening and a 'cool' breeze.

It was only 103.

How have you been beating the heat this summer?

Fountains

Less than a mile from our hotel was the Tlaquepague, a small outdoor village with art galleries, restaurants, and fun shops.

Plus many, many fountains.

While we shopped, Lily made it her mission to play in every bit of water she came across.

We had an awesome time exploring Sedona but mostly enjoyed the great company. Thanks Mom and Dad for including us in your mini vacation! We miss you already.

Bell Rock

One of our days, we stayed around Sedona, wanting to explore Red Rock country.

After asking around for a stroller friendly hike, we decided on Bell Rock.

We hiked a little over three miles and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

It was a fairly toasty morning, but shortly after getting back to the hotel, a storm rolled in.

To say we were excited for a thunderstorm is quite an understatement.

Lily loved feeling the rain from our balcony and was not a happy camper when told it was naptime.

Such a treat to enjoy a relaxing, rainy afternoon!

Flagstaff

From Sedona, we took a daytrip further north.

We drove through Oak Creek canyon, with it's a narrow, winding, climbing road between Sedona and Flagstaff.

We then drove through Flag and headed for the Arizona Snowbowl.

A ski resort located in the San Francisco peaks with a 11,500 foot summit.

Our original plan was to go on the sky ride.

But once we arrived, this mama wasn't so sure.

Have I mentioned my fear of heights?

Lily got a kick out of watching the 'chair' go around and back up the mountain.

When asked, Lily said she wanted to "ride the chairs."

I was way too nervous due to the open nature of the chairs.

But after much discussion, we decided she would be fine riding up with us.

(Can you guess who was on the losing end of this one?)

Lily thought it was hilarious and was so excited to go on the 'ride'.

Mommy was in her own personal hell.

Made worse by a toddler who kept saying "Daddy, let me go. I stand up!"

Seriously shoot me now.

But the view at the summit might have been worth my significantly raised blood pressure.

It's hard to see in the picture, but the ridge in the far distance (middle right) is actually the Grand Canyon 70 miles away.

I faked happy and posed for a few pictures at the top.

While muttering to myself "how can I get down without riding that thing again!?!?!"

Down was worse....but I survived and would do it again.

But only because Ryan and Lily had such a great time.

On second thought, you two are on your own!

You can instead find me at the base with a cocktail and good book.

4th of July Weekend

We spent the holiday weekend out of the valley.

Up north, hoping and begging for a short break from the heat.

Sedona, Red Rock country, was every bit as beautiful and amazing as I expected.

Lily was super thrilled that Nanny and Papa Kurt came to AZ for a mini-vaca.

However, she was less than thrilled with the overly packed back seat.

We gals drove up a day early and spent some time exploring Sedona.

And of course checking out the swimming pool.

The boys came the following afternoon.

We spent multiple relaxing evenings enjoying the views from our balcony.

And of course subjecting Papa Kurt to our evening dance party session.

We would sit outside, soaking up the gorgeous weather, after dinner each night.

And every single night, a family of javelina's meandered below us through the brush.

Complete with a mother, father, two kiddos.

And this old guy.

Who wandered behind, looking lost, trying to keep up with his family.

Cooler weather and entertaining wildlife, that's all I've got for you.

Just kidding.

More posts to come - including wine tasting in Jerome, a trip north to Flagstaff and a hike through the Red Rocks.

Check back soon!

A Lesson

Annie came to visit a few weeks ago.

One reason was for a little Mom's only getaway.

To give Annie a break from her five month old twins(!!) and 3.5 year old.

But apparently the trip was also to introduce Lily to the game of golf.

(You might remember that Annie played for KSU back in the day)

As any serious golfer knows, you absolutely must dress the part!

She's just about ready for the LPGA tour, don't you think?