The Beach!!!

Caleb is so sad, we went to the beach today and had a picnic. It was such a great day, it was about 82 and not breezy at all. I was so excited to take Joshua to the beach for his first real beach experience. He has been either to little to get down and play, or it has been to cool for picnics and stuff. I was afraid he would not like the sand like he didn't like grass. I was wrong. He loved the sand. I put him on the blanket and he crawled right to the sand and started digging in it. After a while he noticed the water and started to crawl down all excited. The water was pretty cold but he absolutely loved it. He thought it was like a gigantic bathtub. He would stand and the water would come get his feet and he would laugh and laugh. Then we started to chase the wave and he was loving it. Afterwards he would not stay on the blanket and in the shade, all he wanted was to see the water. He is a real water dog. Caleb and I both loved the water as babies and kids. Every weekend we would take a family walk to the beach and we weren't ever supposed to go swimming we were just playing and walking. Somehow I would always accidentally trip into the water and get all wet. After that is would just be a waste to not go all the way in and swim and play. It was always the big joke that no matter what somehow I would always go swimming.

Down to the water...

Testing the water...then loving the water.

Digging in the sand with his shovel and pale.

Stealing Ezra's shovel.

The Pain and Torture

Joshua and I are in California. We took the trip kind of on a whim. Three weeks before we left we were not going to go. Then it started to snow again so I called my parents and told them we would come. Anyway, there is a lot going on, there is a huge family reunion/birthday party for my grandma's 90th birthday, my oldest nephew just got home from his mission, my other nephew will be leaving for his, and my niece is getting baptized...so it is a chance to see everyone in my family. So my dad got us these great tickets right into Santa Barbara. We flew from Burlington to New York with a 2 hour lay over, and then from New York to Salt Lake City with a two hour lay over and then direct into Santa Barbara. Which made for a 30 minute drive home instead of a 2 hour and 45 minute drive home (depending on traffic). Which after 15 hours of travel is a really really long drive.

The flights were all going great, perfectly on time, Joshua was being wonderful.... We even got to see his Grandma and Grandpa Bailey and Uncle Joseph in Salt Lake during our lay over. They brought me my favorite dinner in the whole world, a grilled chicken Cafe Rio salad, and took us to a great clean spot near the airport where Joshua was able to crawl around. It was a real life saver. I was starved and Joshua was happy to get down and see everyone. So up to this point the trip was going great. Then we get on the plane to Santa Barbara. Joshua is really tired so he goes right to sleep. Someone on the plane decided they were cold, so the flight attendant turned the heater on. The plane ended up getting up to like 102 degrees, we were all dripping with sweat, and Joshua was drenched and kept waking up because he was uncomfortable. Luckily the flight is short about an hour and 10 minutes, so before I knew it they say they are descending. The pilot puts the gear down and starts to land, I look out the window and see the run way lights and get so excited that I am about down with these flights. By this time my butt, back and arms were so so tired from holding a baby on my lap all day, plus it was 1 am my time and I had not slept since 7:30 am when I woke up at home, so my nerves were wearing thin. Anyway I see the lights we are going down and all of a sudden the pilot jerks the plane up and we start to fly away again. He says it is really foggy and he couldn't land. He was going to try one more time and if he couldn't land again he was going to fly us to LAX! So I start to pray and pray and almost burst into tears. He circles and tries one more time...I see the ground and am so excited and then he pulls up again. I started to cry. Meanwhile my parents are watching my plane and frantically are trying to figure out what is happening. Finally they let them know that they are taking us to LAX. They jump in the car and start speeding down there to pick us up. The flight to LAX is only 30 minutes, so we landed quick, but they wouldn't let us off the plane. At least the doors were opened and the plane cooled down. I called my parents and they are already about an hour or so away, they were going pretty fast. So the pilot says they are going to get a bus for all the passengers to take them to Santa Barbara, but they can't let anyone off until they figure out the arrangements. Joshua wakes up and is really fussing so I ask if a can deplane since I wont be taking the bus, of course I couldn't. A half hour latter and a lot a frantic phone calls... they finally let us out on the gang plank. Apparently there was a miss communication and the bus they ordered to be there at 11 pm was sent back. They thought we were going to turn around and try Santa Barbara again. The pilot gives us two options. We could get back on the plane and risk going to Santa Barbara again, but if we can't land they bring us back to LAX and provide no transportation, or we could take a bus. Both options would be a one to two hour turn around time. I say my parents are coming and I just need to know were my luggage is going to be they say I have to wait until they make a decision before I can get my luggage, including my gate checked stroller. Finally they bring us to the gate area, and we sit there for a half an hour before they announce that they ordered a bus which will be there in 45 minutes to an hour and our luggage is in baggage claim waiting. At this point it has been an hour and 45 minutes of waiting on the plane, gang plank, and gate area, and Joshua is very upset. The worst of it was that while we were waiting we found out that two planes landed in Santa Barbara after we left... so we just had an incompetent pilot. My parents were there to rescue 15 minutes after I got my luggage. Most of the other passengers ended up paying for a seat on the airbus, but I don't think a bus ever came for anyone because everyone scattered and they never gave us a pick up spot, and in LAX you will never find your bus without an exact pick up spot. We left the airport at 12:15 and got home at 2:30 CA time 5:30 am VT time. I doubt I ever would have made it if my parents hadn't come for me. All in all it was 20 hours of traveling and holding a baby the entire time, I absolutely hate Delta. I still have never had a on schedule normal flight with them. Jet Blue or Southwest are the only way to go.

After a day of rest we forgot about our terrible day and have been really enjoying our trip. From the stress Joshua and I both got bad colds and gave them to everyone here, but we are almost all recovered.

Joshua is really enjoying all the sunshine. It has been low 70s to high high 60s with a pretty cool breeze, but starting today it is going to be mid 80's. Joshua being sick with a fever and cold I have kept him in his fleece jacket outside, but today he wont need it. He doesn't really know what to do outside. He will finally touch the grass but that took two days! He really likes the dirt and patio. He really loves being with his cousins... and this black marker pen!







Ezra taught Joshua to crawl at Christmas and now he is teaching him to walk. Joshua has been cruising everywhere and has taken one or two steps to get to something!

Sugaring, sugaring, and, more sugaring

This weekend was the Vermont Maple open house, so all the sugar houses in Vermont were open to the public. We decided to go to the Shelburne Farms sugar house. It was freezing cold, so they weren't actually able to collect sap, but they were boiling some collected sap and letting us sample. It was really fun they had a historical maple collecting walk through the woods which showed all the different kinds of taps, and how it has evolved. I learned that maple sugaring began by Indians. They used to slice into the trees with tomahawks and collect the sap that dripped out. Then they would boil it on a rock or piece of bark over the fire. Eventually they started to make wooden taps, then taught the colonists in the 1600's.



This is in the steamy sugar house where they were boiling the water out of the sap to make the syrup.



Walking through the woods. Joshua couldn't move but was nice and toasty in his down snowsuit (he has worn it pretty much everyday for the last six months).



So we have a goofy tradition that ever where we go we take a picture of ourselves by holding the camera out, we have tons of pictures of us on different adventures really close up. This one turned out the best of the ones of our mapling adventures.



After the visit to the sugar house we went to see the animals (always my favorite part). I got to bottle feed a baby lamb, and of course had to visit the chickens. Growing up we had a dozen pet chickens. When they were chicks we use to dress them up and put them to sleep in our Barbie beds, and give them buggy rides. When they got older I use to put them on my shoulder and walk around the house. We also use to snuggle with them and watch movies. I had a little egg business in my neighborhood. They make great pets and I have always had a special place in my heart for chickens.



On our way home we drove by beautiful lake Champlain. The seagulls and geese have migrated back and I think are a little confused on where all the water went, the entire lake is still frozen solid.

Pediatrics...

Kathryn has been asking me do a post, so here it goes. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but it turns out that my first weeks of the clerkship year have been pretty laid back. Most of my pediatric subspecialty days would finish by 1 or 2, and since each one lasted only one day they weren't too demanding. Today was also great. It was supposed to be my first day of outpatient pediatrics, but my preceptor cancelled his clinic to tend to his maple syrup farm. (Is it really called a farm?) Not to deprive me of any opportunity to experience his field (pun intended) he invited me to come along for a day of sugaring. It was very fun, and one of those uniquely "Vermont" experiences that is probably as intrinsic to my complete education here as OB and surgery rotations.

So in case you're not sure how maple syrup is made, here's a rundown on our day today. On spring days with cold nights still (I'm sure it's more complex than that, but suffice it for now) the sap flows well from the maple trees through the taps. It drains into buckets, which we had to collect and empty into the tanks on his horse-drawn wagon. He had around 1000 taps, although apparently some of the bigger operations will have upwards of 75,000. I don't know for sure, but it looked like we gathered eight or nine hundred gallons.

Every time the tanks on the wagon got full we'd dump in to the reservoirs at the sugar shack. Inside is a big evaporator set up over a wood burning furnace. The sap boils its way through the setup until it eventually reaches the right temperature and consistency for syrup. Then it is drawn off and fine filtered before canning. It takes about 30ish gallons of sap to boil down into a gallon of syrup, so you can imagine how much steam had to evaporate off. Anyway, it was a fun day. There's a chance that he'll do it again next Tuesday, so I might get to bring Kathryn along. In the mean time, I'm sure enjoying my peds rotation.

Easter

We had a great Easter this year. I love Easter and always feel like it just comes and goes so fast. I feel that I miss the real importance of the Holiday and what it represents. So this week I decided to start a new tradition for our family I wanted to celebrate the last week of Jesus' life. So every night we read or did something for what Christ did on that day.

Sunday- The Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Read Matt 21:7-11
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
Read Luke 19:41-44

Monday- Jesus Cleanses the temple
Read- Matt 21:12-16
Cleaned our own temple (our home)

Tuesday- The Barren fig tree and other teachings
Read - Matt 21:18-22
Matt 25
We also read this section in Jesus the Christ.

Wednesday- They plan to crucify Christ, women come to anoint and prepare him for his death, he prophesies of his death
Read- Luke 22:3-6
Matt 26:3-5
Matt 26:3-5, 6-13

Thursday- The last Supper
We made our own passover as close to what we imagined Christ's last supper to be.
we had: Lamb, pita bread, hummus, grape juice and an orange salad (sliced oranges, cucumber, avocado and lime juice)
Read- Luke 22:14-38
Mark 14:22-25
John 13:18-30
John 13:2-17 - Washing the disciples feet

Friday- Gethsemane to Calvary to the Tomb
Read - Luke 22: 40-46 Gethsemane
Matt 27
Mark 15
John 18 - 19
Luke 23
We read this chapter in Jesus the Christ it combined all the scriptures well.

Saturday- Visiting the righteous in the Spirit world
Read- D&C 138:11-24
We decorated our Easter eggs and talked about why we decorate eggs and what they represent.

Sunday- The Resurrection
Read- John 20
Luke 24
We read this chapter from Jesus the Christ.
Had a big Easter breakfast and baskets and a dinner.

It turned out to be a really spiritual Easter that lasted all week. When Easter Sunday came I really felt I was prepared. I wanted to start this tradition up so by the time Joshua gets old enough to participate I will have all the glitches out of it. Also I will add in using GAK pictures instead of reading so many verses, and add in some more activities every night, but it is a start. If you want to make up your own Easter traditions I got all my ideas off this page http://www.sugardoodle.net/Easter%20Ideas/index.shtml it was a great source and has a ton of stuff.

We did the traditional Easter baskets on Sunday morning Joshua really liked his...



then he wanted to see mine...soon got bored and moved to Caleb's. Then he found Caleb's jelly beans and got really excited, we had to hurry and hide them.



Yes Joshua is wearing tights, Caleb was distraught. Actually he has worn tights all winter to keep warm, they are great long johns, but he usually wears them under long pants. My mom found this really cute Easter outfit for him, and thinking Easter = Spring shorts would be fine. She didn't account for Vermont's pleasant 35 degree spring weather. Anyway, I didn't want him to freeze but really wanted him to wear his outfit... it was a compromise. He looked really adorable though, they look like long socks.



What has happened to the photo shoots... they are getting harder and harder.

I had to add this picture. Joshua has been getting into all sorts of mischief lately. He loves paper, especially toilet paper. We store ours really high in a cupboard so I need to climb up and throw a couple rolls at a time down. I did this and walked away to make the bed quick. Joshua was really excited around the corner. I could hear him squealing and going babababa. So I find him like this with all the rolls unwrapped, and doused in drool and covered in bite marks. He was very proud of himself and began to clap.

First Day of Spring?

Vermont has four seasons, but they are not what most people think as the four seasons. We have Summer, Fall, Winter and Mud Season, yes mud, Spring does not visit this neck of the country. We have a supper long winter that lasts through about the end of April then the rain starts the piles of snow melt and the mud starts to flow. There is no beautiful burst of spring colors, just gray and mud and then overnight summer.
I really am getting sick of cold weather. The first snow was sometime in November, and we haven't had a real thaw since. I am getting ready to see some grass.

As a result I have decided I will never live in a cold place again. Everything I enjoy to do requires being outside. Life is to short to spend 4-5 months of the year indoors, or to be ruled by the weather. True I could bundle up and go out, which I do. With a baby it is such a pain, and he can't take it like I can, and even all bundled the freezing air is not that fun for very long. You lungs can only take so much, so running is not that exciting.

I decided visiting the snow for a week is good enough for me. The only snow sports I kind of enjoy are skiing, or snow shoeing, which is hard to enjoy with a little baby. Besides I would much rather go for a run along the beach, plant a garden or take a hike in the woods than go skiing. So a visit to the snow gives me my fill.

The other thing I dislike about living with a cold winter is the sedentary life it promotes for kids. I never really played video games or watched TV when I was a kid, I was outside all the time. I never felt couped up, and it kills me to think of raising kids inside. I hate the TV, computers, or video games, but in a small house in the cold kids get bored. Yes people do love the winters, and the snow, I've tried but it is just not working.
I can't wait for summer to come. I already have my sprouting pots for my flowers and vegetables going and have drawn out a plan for my vegetable garden.

Nine Months Old

Joshua is nine months old! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He had is check up and he weighed 18.7 lbs, and is 28 3/4 inches long. He has six teeth now and likes to use them often, he leaves bite marks in everything, including our arms and fingers (yes, we're working on that). The doctor says he is doing great, although, a few days after his visit he came down with his first major sickness (he had a high fever, rash and diarrhea). He has had little colds and stuff, but he has never been this sick and miserable. It has been a tough week for us both. Luckily he seems like he is on the mend, and just in time for daddy's hernia surgery :). Between Joshua and Caleb I have been playing major nurse maid for the last week and a half. We have all been doing great, and just laying low for a while.

Back to Joshua being nine months old... he is learning to stand without holding onto anything, and actually getting really good at it. He is also starting to cruise along the furniture. I think it will still be a little bit before he starts to walk, but he might make it before his first birthday. He really loves his bath, and crawls into the bathroom whenever the water is running. He loves balls, and will almost always be crawling around with one in his hand. He loves the clicking noise it makes as he crawls, or he loves to find something really hard and loud that he can bang it against. His favorite is the toilet lid, which we have to keep closed to avoid his explorations. It is funny to see his personality starting to come out. He is very curious, smiley, and so far stubborn, (taking after his parents) but with his stubbornness comes perserverence and diligence, which makes telling him not to do something a bit of a challenge. His other new favorite things are the steps. He loves to climb up them and turn back and see what he has conquered. We have really scary steep wooden steps, so we got a gate for the top. He likes trying to climb down head first, so we are working on the whole turning around thing. He has all his toys figured out, he knows what buttons to push to make them run and where to put the balls in to make them go. It is amazing to watch him sit and do it all. His newest trick is clapping, and he does it anytime he is happy. He will be playing with a toy he likes and will stop and clap about it. It is hilarious.



We are so glad to have Joshua. I really can't imagine my life without him. We love him so much.

2 Tags

My Husband
What is his full name? Caleb Joseph Bailey
How long have you been married? Three years ago on March 18th
How long did you date? Before we were engaged 2 months, 4 months engaged
Who eats more sweets? He does
Who said I love you first? He did
How old is he? 26 will be 27 on May 18th and then I am only a year older than him again :)
Who is taller? He is- 6' 3"
Who is smarter? It totally depends on the subject
Who can sing better? Him, he has a great voice and I am really bad.
Who pays the bills? He does, I did for a while but he is very methodical about how our finances are recorded so I gave up. We go over them together every week and he records it all.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Caleb does, and he can't sleep if we switch.
Who mows the lawn? We don't have a lawn to mow.
Who cooks dinner? I do most nights, but he always cooks Sunday dinner. He is an amazing cook, way better than me.
Who does the laundry? I do, he helps fold and put away.
Who drives? He does most of the time.
Who is more stubborn? We are both pretty stubborn, but I am way more than he is, he reminds me regularly.
Who kissed whom first? He kissed me first- it was in the entry of my BYU apartment after lunch and doing Russian homework together.
Who asked whom out? He asked me out. He took me on a hike and picnic up at Sundance, and then we went to my place and watched Shrek.
Who proposed? He did. We went on lots of walks at night (we both had lots of roommates) on one of these walks we went to rock canyon park. He was really quiet the whole way and fiddling with something in his pocket. We got there and he dropped on his knee and slipped the ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. He was so nervous that he started putting it on my right hand first.
Who has more siblings? Caleb does- by one.
Who wears the pants? I don't know, we both kind of do. Literally Caleb does, I could never get him to wear a skirt even as a joke.

Blast From The Past

What television show or movie did you want to be in when you were little? Far and Away

Which character or star? Nicole Kidman

Most embarrassing moment your friends will never let die? On my mission I was teaching a discussion to this really cute old lady. She was pretty poor and had really old furniture. In the middle of teaching the chair I was sitting in suddenly broke to pieces. The old lady laughed and laughed, and called me and elephant. I had to carry the chair around town until we could get home, so everyone was asking what happened. I luckily was able to fix the chair, but felt a little tubby for a while.

Your proudest moment or accomplishment? Graduating from college, finding Caleb, and surviving labor.

What adult did you have a crush on when you were little? I loved Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt

What habit or personality trait do you have of your mother or father that you swore you would never do? My Dad is extremely stubborn and a work-a-holic, I got both of them.

What did you want to change your name to when you were little? I actually never wanted to change it, I had lots of nick names so I was always called those by my family.

Who was your first kiss? Chris

What are 3 adjectives that someone from high school or middle school would use to describe you? That is hard, maybe... nice, silly, and smiley

What hairstyle, clothes, or other accessories did you rock back in the day when it was cool? Elementary school was all about leggings and gigantic shirts, I was always a bit of a quirky dresser, nothing ever matched and I was always sporting my own odd creations. I was the youngest so I always dressed myself, even in kindergarten. Besides I was so stubborn that I would never wear anything I was told to.

What job did those long and annoying surveys in school say you would be good at? A physical therapist

And what did you try and make the test result outcome be? marine biologist, or a zoologist.

What made you laugh harder than you have ever laughed before? There are so many things! I am really easy to make laugh. I laugh when I am nervous, when someone falls, it is actually something I am constantly trying to control. Actually in the MTC my companion and I would get laughing so hard during our last class that we would have to be sent into the hall to compose ourselves.

Favorite memories of hanging out with your best friends? Sleeping in a tent in my backyard and being woke up by the sprinklers, riding bikes, doing lemonade stands, swimming the whole day in our pool, catching turtles in the pond, going Tee peeing, skipping school to go out to an extra long lunch... there are lots of good ones.

What's the most trouble you have ever got in with your parents? I flooded my parents kitchen with scolding hot water from the sink, it warped the floor. My dad was pretty mad.

What was your 5 year plan when you had to write it out in high school? Graduate College, Back pack through Europe, Learn another language, Go on a mission, get married.

And last but not least...What is your 5 year plan now? Get a house, support Caleb in med school and in getting a great residency, have 2 more kids ( I want a 2 1/2 - 3 year spread), go to Kauai when Caleb graduates (to celebrate)...

Fun in the Sun

Caleb took his boards on the 20th and then we flew to California on the 21st. It has been a busy but really fun trip. On Friday the AMGEN tour of California time trials were in the valley. Caleb was so excited to see all the pro racers up close and racing. The whole valley was set up for the race, and the major sports stations were in town. It was amazing to see how fast the racers went. The weather was cool, high 50's-60's and a little rainy during the weekend.

Friday my nephew Jared got his mission call, so we all went to Travis and Susan's for dessert to see him open it. He got called to the Kentucky, Louisville mission. We are so excited for him and know he will do a great job. It is amazing to see all my nephews and nieces getting so grown up.

Saturday was my birthday. Caleb made an amazing breakfast and got me a year pass to Shelburne Farms, I am so excited. Then my parents took me out to lunch and to the grocery store to pick out all my favorite foods for dinner. Sunday everyone came up for dinner and a birthday party for me and for Ezra's first birthday. It was so much fun to see everyone, and celebrate.
Monday we woke up early and went to Disneyland. It was so much fun, we got to go on so many rides with Joshua. Basically every ride without a height limit we could go with Joshua. He was so excited looking at all the fun things as we rode through the rides. On the other rides we could get buddy passes and take turns riding. Elizabeth's boys loved it because they got to go on every ride twice. Then we spent the night and went to California Adventure the next day. It was really amazing weather, mid 80's! It was so much fun, but has a totally different feel than Disneyland. The rides are bigger and more extreme.




We go home Saturday, and are just hanging out and enjoying being with the family and the sunshine.

Tagged: 10 years ago

Natalie tagged me, and this seems like a really fun one.

10 years ago I was a senior at Bainbridge Island High school Washington. Some of my friends were Lindsey Griffith, Amanda Jensen, Maggi Holbert, Blaire Keller, Ryan and Taylor Simmons. I had a crush on Jared Dever, who was older than me, and have always had a thing for Brad Pitt.

Snacks I enjoy: Any kind of fruit, wheat thins, raw carrots, vegan chocolate chip cookies (See post below)

5 Things on my to do list:
1. Start Joshua's scrapbook
2. Clean my house
3. Go for a run
4. Get a haircut
5. Do and fold my piles of laundry

Things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
1. Buy a 20 acre ranch in Santa Barbara County, CA with a farm house, gardens, dirt bike trails, pool, tree house, chickens, ducks, horse and a pet cow. All this so Joshua and his future siblings can play, explore and discover outside everyday of the year, like when I was a kid.

I'd use the remaining few dollars to:
2. Pay off all our debt and my siblings debt.
3. Go on an African Safari to see the big cats, and then travel the rest of the world.
4. Get my masters and possibly doctorate.
5. Make Caleb work 1/2 or 1/4 time so he can spend lots of time with us.

3 of my bad habits
1. I pick at everything.
2. People watching, I find people and all their quirks very interesting and often find myself staring and eavesdropping.
3. I like to get job done quick, sometimes at the expense of the finished project.

5 Places I have lived:
1. Santa Barbara, CA
2. Spokane, WA
3. Bainbridge Island, WA
4. Narva, Estonia
5. Vilnius, Lithuania

5 Jobs I have had:
1. House Painter for 5 years with my brother-in-law
2. Child care worker at a day care
3. Receptionist at Rob Rosenberry Physical Therapy
4. Teacher at Lindamood-bell learning processes
5. Substitute Teacher

Things People don't know about me:
- I have had pet rabbits, chickens, hamsters, rats, turtles, fish, ducks, crows, parakeets, cats, dogs and about any other critter I can turn into a pet.
- I have ridden a camel and climbed into the inner tomb of the pyramids in Egypt.
- I am a health nut. I take my vitamins daily, buy organic foods, read the labels of everything I buy, workout, would rather spend money on good food than on clothes, read and study about homeopathic medicine, and am paranoid about using any over the counter or prescription drugs unless absolutely necessary. I think that the food and drug industry is a business, like any other business they are out to make a buck even at the cost of the American public. Caleb calls me his closet hippie, it is my favorite soap box subject. [Editors Note: Caleb doesn't entirely approve, condone, or support some of the author's opinions...in fact he wonders why she fell for someone planning on a career in the health care establishment]
- My oldest brother is closer in age to my mother than to me, which makes makes the oldest of my eighteen nephews and nieces 21 years old.
- I love to work, not in an office (I hate that) but manual labor. It physically challenges me and makes me feel really good. I can't sit still and am constantly doing something.

Living with Board-om

Caleb is taking the Step One of the Medical boards on February 20, so he has been studying like mad. I must say he is an amazing husband and father and I absolutely adore him. No matter how busy he is or stressed he is he always takes time out to be with us, and do all his church duties. He is really good at keeping his priorities straight, even when I know he is stressed with school. With the board studying he leaves in the morning and comes home around 5:30, plays with Joshua, and eats dinner with us. By seven he is back at the books until about midnight. This is nightly Joshua and daddy time.

I really appreciate and am proud of his diligence, and am grateful that he takes his role of providing for us so seriously. That said, honestly I have been getting a little bored of the boards. Even for my hour or two a day I get him, his head is wandering through micro biology and pathology. (By the way I have declared my hour of dinner time with Caleb a phone free time, so if we don't answer we will call you back, but our time together is short and sacred. You all can wait.)

I have been finding ways to entertain myself. I have my daily routine of waking up and bundling Joshua up in the jogger and going for a run. Since my surgery I have not been able to run, compounding my boredom for these last two weeks. Instead I have been taking long gentle walks in the frigid Vermont air. It gives me meditation time and fresh air for the day, which without I would go mad. To break my boredom I went out on a limb and invited all the med student wives and their kids over for lunch. Now for those of you who know me best you know this was really going out of my comfort zone. I have always been a bit of... well you could say a loner (Caleb says introvert-ish). I am perfectly content running, gardening, cleaning, reading, doing whatever all day with little to no social interaction beyond my family. I love to work, be outside and basically always be doing something. The problem is that before medical school I always had lots of family around to interact with all day. My family has always been my friends (I still talk to my sister everyday around 12). So being here by myself I have noticed that I actually do need more social interaction than previously assumed. I think Heavenly Father moved me here to Vermont, with long lonely winters, a social husband, and none of my normal society anywhere nearby so that I could learn to step out of my bubble and rely on others more. Anyway I had a wonderful time at lunch and am very grateful for all the wonderful friends that I have nearby, who know exactly what is like to live through medical school. I am also very grateful for free long distance calling :).

Besides hosting lunches, I have been playing with Joshua. He is very entertaining. This is one of his favorite toys.



Today he is eight months old. Since he has started to crawl he has really taken off; he is non-stop movement and noise. He is extremely sociable, loves to snuggle, and to play with me or Caleb, but not so much by himself. Part of that is being the first, but I have consciously tried since he was little to let him play on his own, but he never wanted to. He would much rather sit with me and see what I am doing and interact with me than play with toys. So he keeps me busy, he really has a great little personality, and is very smiley and funny. I spend half my day crawling around playing peek a boo with him around the furniture. I really could not imagine are more fulfilling and wonderful job as mothering. Not that it is not hard; I remember thinking that my mission was the most physically, emotionally and spiritually draining, yet fulfilling work in the world. I stand corrected. Mothering beats it a hundred times over. Anyway, Joshua has decided to go all out in getting his teeth. All four of his top front teeth have been cutting through at once this week. He has taken it really well, but defiantly has been uncomfortable and not able to sleep. Hence, I am a little loopy this weekend.


Every month around his month birthday I do a little photo shoot with Joshua. One day I am going to get a "real" SLR camera, with manual focus, interchangeable lenses and all that fun stuff. Of course, by that time we also might have a TV that is not purple and green, a perfectly functioning car, a dishwasher where the hoses don't explode off every time we run it, a computer that has a functioning hard drive... and all the other little non-necessities of life. I can always dream, right? :) Anyway, these are a few of my favorite pictures from the latest photo shoot, although they are getting harder to take as he becomes more mobile.

Grandmas, write up your orders :)

Our Europe/Russia trip Summer 2006

I know this trip was a long time ago, but my parents are planning a trip for this summer and wanted to see our pictures. It was the greatest, most tiring trip we have ever taken. We went to 8 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia and saw a lot of the sites within those countries! In the Baltics and Russia, we also visited the people we knew while serving on our missions. (I served in the Baltics & Caleb served in Rostov) We took a lot of trains, and planes and stayed in a lot of hostels. It was really a once in a lifetime experience, and really fun.

Disclaimer: there's a hundred-and-something pictures, so you might want to take advantage of the "view all images" button, unless you have lots of time...which we're fine with.