We're singing the blues over here. Blair came down with something funky that included a fever, goopy eye, and cough at night. And while I'm no expert in oils I have some friends who are which really helps! Yesterday after a cool lavender-infused bath I rubbed some lemon and peppermint on B's back for her fever and some oregano and thieves on her feet. I have a pretty good collection of doTERRA Oils but am slowly switching over to Young Living because my good friends sell them. I truly like both brands. I added some Breathe to her diffuser for bed time and am crossing my fingers to see how the night goes. Anything has to be better than last night's 432,874 wake up calls. Oy.

The saddest nugget (and tired Mommy).

Pretty sure nothing solves a bug like oils and princesses. ;) "See, Blair, Aurora uses peppermint too!"

Do you use oils for you kiddos? Which ones are your favorites? Sometimes my mommy friends and I even have "oil parties" in which we concoct roller ball vials filled with things like "Bedtime", "Allergies", "Cold", and "Chill Out". Are we the only crazies who enjoy this? Please tell me other wise. ;)

Summer is in full swing here in Southern California so I thought it would be fun to round up some of the best outdoor toys. We spend most of our days in the pool playing with friends but these toys would be nice to add to the mix!

Castle 

Popsicle Maker 

Bowling Set 

Ice Cream Truck 

Stomp Rockets 

Kite 

Water Table 

Slip n Slide 

Bounce House 

Bubble Machine

What are some of your favorite summer toys? Tell me so I can add them to my Amazon wish list. ;)

Happy Wednesday! Lazy summer days call for lazy blog posts. :)

We sure had a great 4th of July down at the beach. There were plenty of fireworks, popsicles, and donuts to go around. At one point during the firework show Blair declared, "This isn't very interesting. I'm ready to go back to the beach house." Apparently Disneyland has jaded her of all firework shows. Sigh. She was however thrilled with her festive popsicle (a girl after my own heart).

Our holiday started off bright and early with a parade through the neighborhood. We made sure to get there on time so we could have our choice of donuts (hello, priorities!). Dirty Baby tagged along and I am SO pleased to announce that Blair has been letting her wear some clean jammies from another baby doll. It's the little victories!

Mama is looking a little sleepy!

I'm also happy to report that Blair is back to loving the beach. She had a little hiatus there with her overwhelming love for the pool. But this weekend she was all about the sand castles, ocean, and swings on the beach. Yay because Mommy likes that too. :)

Popsicles are for adults too!

And in case you missed it on Instagram (@natyouraveragegirl) here's our red, white, and buns! Oh man I could squeeze those little buns all day long...they are just so cute! I hope you all had a happy 4th of July too!

Because no post is complete without photos...here we are mini golfing this week. It was pretty sweet because B was able to run around while we golfed. Fun for everyone!

Her dress (similar) and moccs. My necklace: vintage 31 bits, pants: CAbi

Medical
     Well the HSG didn't get me anywhere but that was expected. My doctor says I could do Clomid again but to me there's no point since we've been unsuccessful with that 4 times. So I'm just going to continue with my thyroid, progesterone (times two), and Metformin. I decided to start progesterone suppositories after I ovulate and that did prevent me from spotting this month which is good I guess. TMI I'm sure but I like to have record of all the things we've done so far.

Emotional
     I had an emotional week with the possibility of me heading back to work as a teacher to pay for IVF. If we aren't prego by December then that's the reality of things. By then we will have given my current treatment the 6-9 months that was recommended.
     I'm struggling with the idea of B being in preschool five days a week. It would be a huge adjustment for us. We're praying about this as a possibility.
      In the meantime M has created a budget for us to follow and if I can adhere to it (bye bye Target shopping trips) then he thinks we can do IVF without me having to go back to teaching. Of course I'm willing to do anything that keeps me home with Blair till she's in Kindergarten. Here goes nothing!

Spiritual
     I've been asking the Lord to give me more faith as we trudge through this trial. If I'm being honest I lose hope often and get in moods that spiral me down to the thought that this will. never. happen. I'm not even convinced that IVF will solve all our problems which is why we are prayerfully seeking guidance in this. I would hate to spend $20K if it wasn't in His plan, because let's be honest; if it's not his plan then it's not going to get us anywhere. Here's what I have read that encouraged me to have more faith this week,
"Unbelief says, 'How can such and such things be?' It is full of 'hows'; but faith has one great answer to the ten thousand 'hows' and that answer is GOD!... Prayer without faith degenerates into objectless routine, or soulless hypocrisy. Prayer with faith brings omnipotence to back our petitions. Better not pray unless and until your whole being responds to the efficacy of your supplication. When the true prayer is breathed, earth and heaven, the past and the future say Amen. And Christ prayed such prayers. Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God." -Streams in the Desert
     And that last sentence is what I struggle with most. What if this just isn't in God's will for our life? How will I ever be okay with that? I still don't know. But I pray that He gives me the strength and grace to get through it, because I can't do it on my own.
   
     Heavy thoughts but I hope that this gives you more insight on how to pray. And I just want to say thank you to all of you who send me encouraging emails regularly. They spur me on SO much and make this trial seem more bearable when I know that they inspire you too! Love you guys!

A couple weeks ago B and I had the chance to rock our "Mama Bear" and "Baby Bear" T shirts c/o Moodcatz. In my opinion they were a hit!

I love them! And still really want the "mermaid hair don't care" one for her. Get yours HERE. :)

The 4th of July is here! Are you ready?! We're going to beat the heat at the beach this year and Blair is all set with her red and white buffalo check dress (sold out from Gap)! If you haven't yet found something festive for your littles (or you!) take a look below...

All items from Gap.

I also thought that this dress would be super cute for the mamas out there. Right now Gap is having a 35% off sale with code FUN. Don't miss out!