Family Vacation / Cycle update

Every year my whole family goes to the beach and stays in one house for a week. We have such an awesome time and look forward to it every year. Well, this year we rearranged our plans due to the oil spill. We rented a house in Norfork, Arkansas on the White River where we fished, cooked, swam (cold!), boated, tubed, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Since we didn't have a beach, we acted like the river bank was a beach. Bless the kids hearts, they defintely know how to make the most of all situations. The water was FREEZING COLD, but that didn't stop us from swimming off the bank in the back yard of the house - after a minute of two, your legs get numb and you can't feel anything!

The house had 5 rooms and was very very modern. No door, curtains, window treatments, nada. The main room where my parents slept had a gorgeous tub overlooking the river and after a bath, you had to jump out quickly and make sure no fishers were on the river - it was nuts. The pictures on the internet didn't do it justice. It was VERY nice, but not our style. I applaud my little sis who found it after searching for days for somewhere on short notice after the oil spill flubbed up our plans. My sis, her husband, DH and I had to share the bottom floor room with bunk beds since we are the only ones without children (yet again another tragedy with IF!)My SIL thought I would be needing to have our own room due to timing of my cycle and offered the apartment room with it's own bathroom, den, kitchen, etc for us. Bless her heart she was gonna crowd her 3 kids and DH in the bunks?? LOL, luckily that time has passed days before we left.

We all take turns cooking each night so we never go out to eat, that would be a feat in itself with 6 children under 11, 12 adults, etc. There was a movie theater that we all LOVED!!! especially my little niece GiGi, she was found there one day by herself, it was hilarious! And there was water, fishing, and good times to be had by all. DH had to leave on Tuesday and I got upset, I hate that because of his job, he never gets to spend the whole week on vacation. If we ever do have children, we will have to plan our vacays in the winter or early spring so he can stay the whole time.

In cycle news.... I started last Wednesday and was devastated. Per Sew, TCIE, and Ann, I started progesterone suppositories 3 days after ovulation. I have never used ovulation kits before and although I never got a dark as or darker than result, day 12 was ALMOST as dark and then they got lighter, so I am thinking I may have ovulated day 13 or 14. I have been doing acupuncture, teas, fertility yoga, eating more organically, ovulation testing, temperature charting, etc. and I am not pregnant. I was so upset, I can't imagine how upset some of you have been in the past month after month. But.for.some.reason. I really have a bad feeling this time around it is not going to be so easy like before. We'll see :(


My sister, oldest neice, and me in the freezing cold river! A balmy 45 degrees!


"the beach" LOL Can't we make the most of any situation?


GiGi in the theater by herself - my sister couldn't even get her attention for several minutes, she was in a trance!


the nephews fishing for trout


I braided all the little girls hair, how precious?!