we made you some cookies!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Changing Specialties
So some of you already know, but our family will be moving, once again, at the end of June. We're going back to Michigan, but this time to Ann Arbor (which is 20 minutes away from where were lived before, and an hour and a half from where Josh went to Med School at Michigan State). He considered his options carefully, but decided that neurology is not the field for him after all. He still loves it, and enjoys neuroscience, but he misses the musculo-skeletal aspects of Physical Mecidine and Rehab- a field that he was also interested in during medical school. It took a lot of faith for Josh to step out there and apply to the open spots- by doing so he was essentially giving up his spot here at UIHC. Luckily, his program made him feel pretty comfortable doing so, and were very supportive of his decision, telling him that he could still stayy if he wanted.
He hit the interview trail again (this time to North Carolina, University of Washington- thus our trip to Seattle, and the University of Michigan). After a lot of travel, there was a lot of wait. He interviewed at U of M on December 17th, and we waited until January 20th to hear that he was chosen. Woo Hoo! The process was long, and we are STILL filling out paperwork, but we both feel it was the right decision for our family. He will be doing what he loves, and will have more time at home with the kids and I. We will be back with our friends and our church in MI. Of course, there are so many people that I will miss here, and the city too. We've had so much fun exploring Iowa City, and it really is a great city to have a family in. We'll just have to see what our 3+ years in Ann Arbor bring! Here is the cake that I made for Josh to congradulate him. I know the M is off center, because the ganache didn't set right. It still tasted good (and don't judge...have you ever tried to make a giant letter from M&Ms? It's way harder than it looks!)
He hit the interview trail again (this time to North Carolina, University of Washington- thus our trip to Seattle, and the University of Michigan). After a lot of travel, there was a lot of wait. He interviewed at U of M on December 17th, and we waited until January 20th to hear that he was chosen. Woo Hoo! The process was long, and we are STILL filling out paperwork, but we both feel it was the right decision for our family. He will be doing what he loves, and will have more time at home with the kids and I. We will be back with our friends and our church in MI. Of course, there are so many people that I will miss here, and the city too. We've had so much fun exploring Iowa City, and it really is a great city to have a family in. We'll just have to see what our 3+ years in Ann Arbor bring! Here is the cake that I made for Josh to congradulate him. I know the M is off center, because the ganache didn't set right. It still tasted good (and don't judge...have you ever tried to make a giant letter from M&Ms? It's way harder than it looks!)
Snow Days!
We have had quite a few snow storms (ha! I was typing snow, and I typed snot instead. Can you imagine a snot storm? I'm sure it would give a whole new meaning to not wanting to go out in the storm!) this winter. One big one, and a few smaller ones as well.
Josh and Liam building their first snowman together. He lasted over a month, and then we had one warm day and he fell over. Liam said he was taking a nap :) He got burried by the big storm. Most of our snow is (thanfully) melted now.
Having a snowball fight in the front yard.
London sat in the wagon and watched everyone else play in the snow. She loved it!
And this is "The big one". Josh was on call the night that this happend, and had to drive home from the hospital. The roads were pretty clear, but it's illegal to park on the street during a snow emergency, so we had to have a spot big enough for Josh's car to park in cleared out of our driveway (which Liam is standing in) before he got home at 1:00. We spent two hours and, with the help of one of our neighbor guys, got a spot just big enough for the car. When we finished, three more guys came over with Shovels and a snow blower and finshed our drive and the neighbor who had been helping me. It took them about 20 minutes- we need a snowblower :) Liam had to go inside and watch a movie while I was shoveling this time. He didn't like the snow being this deep. It took him almost 20 minutes to hike from the end of our driveway into the garage. When he got in there, he started jumping up and down yelling "I made it! I made it!".
Josh and Liam building their first snowman together. He lasted over a month, and then we had one warm day and he fell over. Liam said he was taking a nap :) He got burried by the big storm. Most of our snow is (thanfully) melted now.
Having a snowball fight in the front yard.
London sat in the wagon and watched everyone else play in the snow. She loved it!
And this is "The big one". Josh was on call the night that this happend, and had to drive home from the hospital. The roads were pretty clear, but it's illegal to park on the street during a snow emergency, so we had to have a spot big enough for Josh's car to park in cleared out of our driveway (which Liam is standing in) before he got home at 1:00. We spent two hours and, with the help of one of our neighbor guys, got a spot just big enough for the car. When we finished, three more guys came over with Shovels and a snow blower and finshed our drive and the neighbor who had been helping me. It took them about 20 minutes- we need a snowblower :) Liam had to go inside and watch a movie while I was shoveling this time. He didn't like the snow being this deep. It took him almost 20 minutes to hike from the end of our driveway into the garage. When he got in there, he started jumping up and down yelling "I made it! I made it!".
Happy (Belated!) Birthday Josh!
Last time I updated this blog, Josh was still in his 20's. His 30th birthday has since passed! His parents, grandma, sister and neice all came up to celebrate with him the weekend before his birthday. On his actual day, we didn't get to do much worthy of such a special number, because he was on call. I made him a cookie cake, but he was on call. His post-call day was an annual party at one of the very good restaurants in town, the 126. We just pretended that it was in honor of his birthday :) Just wanted to wish Josh a very happy 30th birthday- to one of the best husbands and dads around! We love you!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Shoveling
We've gotten a couple of snowfalls this year. This one was only a couple of inches, and Liam loved to be outside "helping" me shovel. The second snow was much bigger, and he didn't like shoveling it...it was too hard. But he does loving making snow angels. He'll show you how on the carpet if you ask him :) 
Merry Chistmas!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Josh and I sure did! The kids and I left for my parent's on Friday (the 17th). Josh had to work the 20th and 21st, so he didn't get to come with us. My Dad's 54th birthday was on Saturday, so it was fun to be there to celebrate with him. On Sunday, we got together with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and 2nd cousins to celebrate. I got a mild case of the stomach flu on Monday night, which was no fun, but very short lived. Then on Wednesday, we packed up and drove to Josh's sister's house where we celebrated with her, her husband and their daughter, and Josh's parents and grandma. It was nice to be able to spend so much time with family!
We drove back to Iowa to spend Christmas eve night, Christmas Day, and my Birthday as a family of 4 before Josh had to head back to work on Monday (the 27th). It should be a 5 hour drive from Amy's house to ours, but it was snowing and the roads were pretty bad, so it ended up taking about 9. We got back much later than we would have liked, but still had enough time to watch a movie and eat a pizza!
Christmas day we were hungry. I had made breakfast, and was making dinner, but we had no plans for lunch, and no groceries in the house, other than those which were planned for dinner, since we had been away for so long. So we packed the kids in the car and went to the Chinese Buffet- we knew it would be open because of the movie "A Christmas Story". I called to find out their hours, and the lady acted like I was nuts for asking "Normal hours today" she said. We later found out that IHOP was open, and we should have gone there, as it is Liam's favorite place!
New Years Eve was a big deal for us...ha! We went to bed at 10:30, because Josh had to work early the next day. We did watch the Best of SNL after the kids went to bed though. We are such party animals! :)
London and Daddy opening her gifts on Christmas Morning.
Liam playing with a construction set at my mom and Dad's. Thanks for that one gusy...it takes forever to put together :)
Merry Christmas from Liam and London!
Happy Birthday Dad!
We drove back to Iowa to spend Christmas eve night, Christmas Day, and my Birthday as a family of 4 before Josh had to head back to work on Monday (the 27th). It should be a 5 hour drive from Amy's house to ours, but it was snowing and the roads were pretty bad, so it ended up taking about 9. We got back much later than we would have liked, but still had enough time to watch a movie and eat a pizza!
Christmas day we were hungry. I had made breakfast, and was making dinner, but we had no plans for lunch, and no groceries in the house, other than those which were planned for dinner, since we had been away for so long. So we packed the kids in the car and went to the Chinese Buffet- we knew it would be open because of the movie "A Christmas Story". I called to find out their hours, and the lady acted like I was nuts for asking "Normal hours today" she said. We later found out that IHOP was open, and we should have gone there, as it is Liam's favorite place!
New Years Eve was a big deal for us...ha! We went to bed at 10:30, because Josh had to work early the next day. We did watch the Best of SNL after the kids went to bed though. We are such party animals! :)
London and Daddy opening her gifts on Christmas Morning.
Liam playing with a construction set at my mom and Dad's. Thanks for that one gusy...it takes forever to put together :)
Merry Christmas from Liam and London! Happy Birthday Dad!Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Seattle
Josh and I went on our first trip without the kids at the beginning of December. Josh had some business in Seattle, and I had a free flight, so I decided to join him. He only had part of one day filled, so we had one full day and two half days to explore the city...what a beautiful city it is! I always thought it was freezing, but it's not at all...it's very temperate, and it was tolerable to walk around without a coat one of the days, and comfortable with a coat the rest.
The first day we went to Pike's Place Public Market...you know, the place where they throw the fish? I loved that place, and we went back every day we were there. Oh. Another thing you should know about Seattle...the food is AMAZING. Clam chowder and seafood are awesome...they are also known for chocolate...um, yes please! Saturday we felt like there was still a lot to do, and it was our last full day there, so we went on a tour. Due to the time of the year, we ended up being the only people on the tour, so it was very worth it- our own private tour of Seattle! Here are a few things that we saw:
here is the Fremont troll. We took one look at it and said "Liam would be terrified".
Here's a pic of the "fish throwing place". I only saw them throw a fish a couple of times, and my camera wasn't ready. The whole market was so much fun and full of good food and nice gifts.
Here is a view of the city and Mt. Rainier from Kerry Park. It was pretty early, so it was hard to get a good pic.
The market, as it was opening.
Josh and I in front of an indoor waterfall...it's just a little indoor park in the middle of Pioneer Square. Do I look tired here? One thing that I learned is that my body does not operate on pacific time. I could go to bed at 11 pacific (1:00 central) and wake up for good at 4 a.m. pacific, because it's 6 a.m. central, and well, that's what time my day usually starts!
The first day we went to Pike's Place Public Market...you know, the place where they throw the fish? I loved that place, and we went back every day we were there. Oh. Another thing you should know about Seattle...the food is AMAZING. Clam chowder and seafood are awesome...they are also known for chocolate...um, yes please! Saturday we felt like there was still a lot to do, and it was our last full day there, so we went on a tour. Due to the time of the year, we ended up being the only people on the tour, so it was very worth it- our own private tour of Seattle! Here are a few things that we saw:
here is the Fremont troll. We took one look at it and said "Liam would be terrified".
Here's a pic of the "fish throwing place". I only saw them throw a fish a couple of times, and my camera wasn't ready. The whole market was so much fun and full of good food and nice gifts.
Here is a view of the city and Mt. Rainier from Kerry Park. It was pretty early, so it was hard to get a good pic.
The market, as it was opening.
Josh and I in front of an indoor waterfall...it's just a little indoor park in the middle of Pioneer Square. Do I look tired here? One thing that I learned is that my body does not operate on pacific time. I could go to bed at 11 pacific (1:00 central) and wake up for good at 4 a.m. pacific, because it's 6 a.m. central, and well, that's what time my day usually starts! Overall, it was a great trip. The kids stayed with my parents, and had a blast. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to be away from them, but it was a pretty short time, and I was definately ready to get back to them on Sunday.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Josh had two days off for Thanksgiving...the day of and the day after. He had to go back to work on Saturday, but it was so nice to have him home two days in a row...it was his first time to have two in a row off since he started in June! His mom, dad, and Grandma came up for Thanksgiving. I got to prepare the entire meal...turkey, dressing, dumplings, rolls, sweet potatoes...the whole shebang. I really wanted to do it by myself, since i had never done a whole Thanksgiving. It was fun, and everything turned out really well.
I also got to go Black Friday shopping. It wasn't my intention to get up at 4 a.m., but Liam was having plenty of nightmares that night, and I was up with him for the 3rd time at 4, so I just put my shoes and coat on and went to the mall. I didn't go crazy, but I did get some fun deals. Here are some pics:
Lonon on her First Thanksgiving...she likes this holiday, can you tell?
4 Generations of Josh's Family...his mom is in the Orange and Blue, and that's her mom in the pink holding London.
London playing with a soda bottle. She thinks this is great fun.
Liam showing us two things: His boots, which got cut out of the pic, and how big his belly got on Thanksgiving. He got to have chocolate pie for the first time, and he LOVED it.
I also got to go Black Friday shopping. It wasn't my intention to get up at 4 a.m., but Liam was having plenty of nightmares that night, and I was up with him for the 3rd time at 4, so I just put my shoes and coat on and went to the mall. I didn't go crazy, but I did get some fun deals. Here are some pics:
Lonon on her First Thanksgiving...she likes this holiday, can you tell?
4 Generations of Josh's Family...his mom is in the Orange and Blue, and that's her mom in the pink holding London.
London playing with a soda bottle. She thinks this is great fun.
Liam showing us two things: His boots, which got cut out of the pic, and how big his belly got on Thanksgiving. He got to have chocolate pie for the first time, and he LOVED it. Cake Pops
Okay, okay. I fell behind in updating again. I'll do better. It's a resolution of mine you know (yes, I plan my resolutions in advance). These are from November...I went to a dessert exchange party for Medical Partners. These yummy guys are cake pops. Never heard of them? I suggest you go to www.bakerella.com and check hers out. Wait. Don't. Then you'll know how much cuter these COULD be! They were pretty tasty too...the inside is cake and icing...all mashed up together, rolled into balls, and dipped in chocolate. mmmm. One of my other resolutions is to quit eating so much junk :)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Trick-or-Treat!
There is a long standing tradition in my family of making your own Halloween costumes. When I was a kid, my mom and I spent hours on a Hi-C Boppin' Berry drink box costume that I wore (and many people borrowed year after year!), and I made my brother into an adorable little Kit-Kat bar when he was in preschool. I have bought Liam's costume the last two years, but I thought this year would be a good time to start the tradtion around here.
I asked him what he wanted to be while we were watching a movie and eating popcorn, so naturally, he wanted to be popcorn. Here's what we came up with...and his tiny movie-ticket sister too :)
This photo was taken at a Medical Partners Halloween party. We also went trick-or-treating, which Liam loved. Every time someone would give him candy, he jumped up and down and yelled "I did it! More!!". We drove to a friend's neighborhood where the houses were all particpating and close together- the best neighborhood in the area for trick-or-terating, if you want my opinion. We didn't make it very far around (only about an hour total), but his bucket was full and he wanted to get in the car so he could eat it!
We all had a great time, but here is a tip- do NOT make a box costume for a two year old. We had to take it off between every house so he would walk to the next one. We had to wait for him to get up the stairs and put it back on again before he rang the doorbells. He didn't mind putting it on over and over though, since there was candy involved!
The best part was that Josh was post-call on the party day and off early for trick-or-treating, so he got to particpate in both! Yeah!
I asked him what he wanted to be while we were watching a movie and eating popcorn, so naturally, he wanted to be popcorn. Here's what we came up with...and his tiny movie-ticket sister too :)
This photo was taken at a Medical Partners Halloween party. We also went trick-or-treating, which Liam loved. Every time someone would give him candy, he jumped up and down and yelled "I did it! More!!". We drove to a friend's neighborhood where the houses were all particpating and close together- the best neighborhood in the area for trick-or-terating, if you want my opinion. We didn't make it very far around (only about an hour total), but his bucket was full and he wanted to get in the car so he could eat it!
We all had a great time, but here is a tip- do NOT make a box costume for a two year old. We had to take it off between every house so he would walk to the next one. We had to wait for him to get up the stairs and put it back on again before he rang the doorbells. He didn't mind putting it on over and over though, since there was candy involved!
The best part was that Josh was post-call on the party day and off early for trick-or-treating, so he got to particpate in both! Yeah!
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