Friday Randoms

• First of all, HOW is it already February?! Seriously. Jaqs has been in Valentine attire for 2 weeks already, but 2013 is already off to a quick start!

love this cute outfit that Mateya got for J!

• I've posted every day this week! I'm so proud of myself ;) Also? Apparently alliteration (there it is again) has been my thing this lately. Case in point: this week's post titles:

feeding favorites

play area plans

major milestone & a meal

valentine door decor

Definitely not planned, but I don't hate it. I'm a nerd like that.

• It's official, I'm on the juicing train. This is not something I've ever thought a whole lot about doing, but I think I'm going to love it! I won't be doing any crazy cleansing or anything, but I think it will be a great addition to our lifestyle. I have my friends Cassi & Roxanne to thank for this one. Roxanne is in the middle of a 60 day juice cleanse, and she is ROCKING it! Check out her blog for inspiration if you're interested in doing something similar!

My little beggar loved our first juice!

• Speaking of my little beggar, the girl would ALWAYS rather have my water than her own. She took my cup with her snack yesterday and didn't give it back until she was done! Ha

those lips! could you just die?

• Are y'all watching The Bachelor? I have just recently gotten back into this train-wreck, and it's awesome. I do love it! I have to say though, I was reminded of why I do not wear lipstick ever. I mean, did no one tell poor Lesley that she was totally rocking clown status that night at the rose ceremony? Bless her heart. The fair skin, the blonde hair...that's what I feel like I look like when I wear lipstick. It's just not good, so I'll stick to gloss until I'm a little old lady and can pull it off.
• I'm itching to start shopping for Spring clothes! BUT I know we're bound to have at least a couple more cold snaps, so I guess I shouldn't jump the gun yet. The perfect 70-degree days we've been having just have me in the mood!
• Back to baby though...y'all she's becoming a little parrot, and it's the cutest thing. She tries to make every sound we do, but she's now got "Uh-Oh!" down on her own and even uses it in context! #proudmama

That's about all the randomness I can come up with for today. Hope you have a great weekend! Any Super Bowl fun planned?? I've got to come up with something delish to take to our friends' party!

I can see clearly now...

...with contacts GONE!

I had Lasik surgery yesterday afternoon, and I am already SO glad I did it! The actual surgery wasn't painful at all...it was just uncomfortable really. The procedure took about 20 minutes, and I was on my way! My mom chauffeured and took care of me during the day, then Rob was on duty for the night. They were both wonderful nurses!

When I got home I was instructed to sleep for several hours (best Dr.'s orders ever!). My eyes hurt initially, but once I finally fell asleep, I was perfectly fine. I woke up that evening, and I COULD SEE! I was amazed that I was already able to see so well...through the awesome shields, of course. I really can't believe I'm posting this no make-up, sleepy picture of myself, but here goes nothin...

That's the position I assumed for the rest of the night while my WONDERFUL hubby took care of me! Drops every 2 hours and a Sonic vanilla coke...the man took great care of me.

He made me a yummy, healthy dinner...

And he even took a picture because he wanted me to post his meal on the blog...

Isn't he adorable?

I think so too.

Have you had Lasik or are you thinking about it?

I would HIGHLY recommend it! I know I'm only one day into it, but I was already 20/20 in both eyes at my check-up this morning, so I'm a believer! If you have any questions about it, feel free to email me :)

I'm Ready...

So a few weeks ago I mentioned that I had had some health issues come up but that I wasn't quite ready to blog about them yet. I think everyone that needed to find out from me now knows, so I'm finally going to write it all out here. I'm sure this post will be scatter-brained, but I'll do the best that I can!

Let me just start by saying that I've wanted to be a mommy for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was a momma to all of my baby dolls, and I have been {lovingly} called the "mother hen" of my friends on more than one occasion. I've just always had that motherly instinct.

When Rob and I got married, we both knew that we wanted kids in our future. For some reason though, I've always had this fear that I wouldn't be able to have them naturally. I just kind of wrote it off as one of those things I worried about that would probably never be an issue.

In May we quit using birth control. I didn't really tell anyone because, frankly, it's not really anyone's business and because I didn't want the question, "Are you pregnant yet?!" coming up every time I talked to someone. The months went by with no pregnancy, and I began to worry even more. My body was also telling me that something was wrong. I wasn't having regular "cycles" and my skin was A.W.F.U.L.

By September, I knew something wasn't right. I made an appointment with the nurse practitioner at my OBGYN's office. I told her everything that was going on along with the dates of my "lady times," but she didn't seem all that concerned. I asked her if she thought that Poly-

Cystic Ovarian Syndrome could be the cause of the symptoms I was experiencing, and she said no. I ended up having some blood work done (at my request) anyway to check all of my hormone levels, and everything was normal except my testosterone levels. An indicator of PCOS.

They scheduled me to have a sonogram to verify that it was PCOS, and it, in fact, was. My worst fear was realized that day in my doctor's office.

I was told that the chance of me getting pregnant without fertility treatment was slim because my body does not ovulate on its own.

I cried my eyes out every day for a week. I still do some days. It's hard, and I don't understand it, but I find comfort and peace in the Lord. I know that He has a plan and that His plan will prevail. My biggest struggle right now is that it seems as though everyone around me is getting pregnant, and I'm not. And I can't. I struggle with being bitter and being jealous. I'm so happy for those who are having babies, but at the same time I envy them. I know jealousy is a terrible trait in a person, and I'm trying to work on that. I'm just being honest here.

For the time being, Rob and I are not moving forward with any infertility treatments. I'm not emotionally ready to deal with that just yet. Right now, we are just going to enjoy being "us" for a couple more years. I'm so blessed to have such a sweet husband who has been right by my side through all of this. He has been my rock, and I'm so thankful that he lets me cry on his shoulder whenever I need to.

My family has also been amazing through all of this. They've cried right along with me, prayed over me and helped to occupy my mind with thoughts other than baby, baby, baby.

I have received so much encouragement from loved ones. Your cards, notes, calls and texts have meant the world to me. Thank you for loving me.

In my heart, I know that we will have a family one day...I just don't know how it will form yet. That's the beauty of God's plan. I don't have to know because He does. I'm not the best person in the world at being patient, but I know that a precious child will be worth the wait.

This is so comforting to me...

"The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness,

for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

-Psalm 23

7-0!!

That's right, the COOPER COOGS are rollin!! We're 7-0 on the season & 2-0 in district! Both of our district games have been INTENSE, hard-fought battles.

Last week we played Midland Lee in Midland and won 56-52. That game was exciting from buzzer to buzzer!

Happy coaches after the victory!

Last night we played Odessa Permian and won 34-27. It was another exciting back-and-forth game, but the Cougars came out on top!! I'm so proud of my coach :)

*****

I've been in kind of a blogging slump lately mostly due to the fact that there has been a lot going on in my life lately. I've got some health issues that have come up recently, but I now have a diagnosis, and Rob and I are trying to move forward with it. Life is just hard sometimes, but I know the Lord will protect me, and ultimately His plan will prevail. Patience is not my number one quality, but I'm trying. I will probably write about what has been going on sometime soon, but I'm just not quite ready yet.

Ok, enough about that! It's a beautiful Saturday, and I'm off to spend the afternoon with my Mom and the night with my hubby! :) Looking forward to a relaxing and fun day! Hope y'all have a great weekend, too!!

Happy Girl...

Yesterday was my birthday and I definitely had a great one! Thanks to my sweet family and wonderful friends, I felt special all day :)

And since getting older isn't as exciting as it used to be, gifts kinda make up for that! My parents, my brother, my future SIL, Rob's mom and grandparents, my bestie Lexi and other close family friends all spoiled me with fun gifts and I am SO thankful for each of them and the love they gave me on my big day!

But the biggest gift of them all came from my sweet hubby...

It says..."You have been approved for Lasik Eye Surgery. To be performed sometime between today the 26 of August and before you start a new phase of your life. (School, Work, etc...)

NO EXCEPTIONS. YOU ARE GETTING IT. ENJOY!!!!"

Can you believe it?! I was SO shocked/excited/happy! I thought it was so adorable that he made a little "gift certificate" to give to me. What a sweetheart. Love that man. I can't wait to be able to see when I wake up in the morning!!

In other news, tonight officially kicks off football season! I can't believe it's already game time, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

GO COUGS!!!!

Living a Gluten-Free Life

Disclaimer: This post is pretty long. I warned you ;)

My gluten-free journey began last summer when I started having severe and chronic gastrointestinal issues. Out of nowhere, I was sick pretty much every day. I was having every tummy issue you could imagine, bloating, vomiting, cramping, etc, etc. Finally, after not getting to leave for a river trip with the coach's wives on the day I was supposed to, I had had enough. I called my mom bawling (she knew I hadn't been well) and she said that I needed to call my doctor the following Monday. I ended up going to the doctor after I returned from our river trip, and they ran several tests on me and did blood work to see if I had some sort of infection or parasite. Those tests didn't reveal anything, so I was referred to a GI specialist. He concluded that I was malnourished (I had lost 10 lbs) and needed to have a endoscopy as soon as possible. A week later, the procedure was done. I was scared of what it might reveal, but I knew that the Lord would watch over and take care of me. They took a biopsy of my stomach and small intestine which revealed that I had Celiac Disease. Ironically, my mom had recently read a short article in a magazine about Celiac and thought that that may be it!

So, what the heck is Celiac Disease?! Celiac is a digestive disorder that is characterized by a toxic reaction to the protein (gluten) found in certain grains (wheat, barley, rye, oats). Celiac is hereditary, chronic, and autoimmune. Celiac disease is NOT a food allergy (although some do have allergies to it), and the only "cure" is to eat gluten-free for life.

This was extremely scary to me at first. On one hand, I was thankful that I finally knew something and that it was nothing that would require further medical treatment, but on the other hand I'm thinking "I don't WANT to eat this way!" Now I am grateful that I have a disease that I get to control. It's up to me to keep myself healthy, and that is a blessing. I don't have to endure any kinds of treatments or medical procedures.

One of the first things I bought was this book:

It is very informative and helpful to a newly G-free eater as well as their families! It tells you just about everything you need to know about living a gluten-free life.

One of the hardest parts of this lifestyle for me has been eating out. Fast food is pretty much out for me (a blessing in disguise) and eating at restaurants can be tricky. Some restaurants are very cooperative (PF Changs, Pei Wei, Outback, Natural Food Center) but others have NOTHING that I can eat which is probably frustrating for people eating with me! This has actually been a good thing though because I now cook dinner at home more than I ever have. Not only are Rob and I saving money, but we are also saving ourselves from lots of hidden ingredients and toxins in mass produced foods.

The best place (in Abilene) to find gluten-free products is Drug Emporium, but they can also be found in major grocery stores now! It's exciting to me that even Betty Crocker has these products now! There is a replacement for just about everything that I enjoyed before. Textures of thing like breads, baked goods and pastas are definitely different from the "regular" stuff, but it's something that I am now kind of used to. Here's an example of a dinner we enjoyed last night:

Gluten-free pasta bake! I made it with brown rice macaroni which is more nutritious than regular bleached white pasta.

Living a g-free life is a great, natural way to live. I have never felt better than I do today, and I really believe that it is a good way to live for even those who do not have gluten intolerances. I can eat anything that comes naturally from the earth, which is what we should be doing anyway, right? People ask me all the time, "Do you ever cheat?" and my answer is "NO WAY! It's so not worth it!"

Gluten can hide in tricky places, so if you are making the switch to a g-free life, read EVERY label! Some of these include:

-soy sauce

-seasoning packets

-salad dressings

-yogurt

-cereal

-"Modified food starch" could be code for gluten!! Don't chance it!

Anyway, I think I've probably harped on this topic enough for today, but if you want to know anything, just ask! :):)