a little catch-up

This is actually Susan blogging this time, not Devin.
I check back on our blog often to read the comments, so PLEASE leave a comment so I can enjoy the little squirt of excited I get when I see someone has been here. The comments are my favorite part about blogging. I'll try to do the same. Thanks for humoring me!

One night for family home evening we rocked out to some music in our living room. Although I didn't catch the best parts on this video, Lucy and Dallin were really gettin' down! It's awesome to have such energetic and playful kids!



I decided to take the kids to the Children's Museum on the spur of the moment Thursday. They both fell asleep on the way there after they ate their sandwiches, so they even got a little snooze beforehand. I couldn't have planned it better - wait, I didn't plan on them sleeping, but it sure worked out great. Can you ever plan on kids sleeping when you want them to?

It's a good thing we played in the water last b/c Lucy and Dallin were both soaked by the end!

Lucy reading to her baby to put her to sleep. Dallin liked the shopping cart. Just his size!

I couldn't for the life of me get Dallin to look at me with a smile for either of these photos. He liked the tool belt and hard hat a lot but put up with humoring me with the fireman jacket. I think he's adorable!

Lucy ate up the stage and loved the zebra costume. I couldn't tell if she liked her zebra striped face or not, but I thought she was pretty cute. Dallin had little whiskers on his face (I'm not very creative).

Since we have giant pieces of packing paper around, the kids love coloring and drawing on it. Here they're using up the last of their glitter pens so I can throw them away instead of pack them. I'm looking forward to unpacking the paper and seeing their cute scribbles.


Daddy and Lucy took naps together on the couch last Sunday and I couldn't resist the picture. Aahhh. Lucy LOVES her daddy.

We went to a minor league baseball game last Monday in Portland but Lucy's attention was all on their beaver mascot. We took a walk down by him to say hi. She was pretty shy but managed to get up the courage to shake his hand and tail and do a little jig for him. Since it was a Monday night not very many people were there and Lucy was so captivated by the beaver that we couldn't resist and moved our seat right next to him so she could enjoy him the rest of the game. I think I left the camera out in the car so I don't have any pics unfortunately. It was a chilly evening but we got free hot chocolate which Lucy and Dallin each drank their own entire cup of.

We're trying to do some more fun activities around this area before we leave. Portland is a fun town with lots to do, so we'll miss the entertainment. We even scored free tickets to a Trail Blazer game a few months ago through the laser eye surgery office Devin was externing at! We were on the "Lexus Level" (I know, we were important that night!) and got all sorts of free food. It was a close game, but the Blazers pulled it off in the end so it was exciting and a great memory.

Saturday we went to the Chinese Garden in Portland and enjoyed the beauty there. All of the plants, trees, rocks, water, etc. are very symbolic and it helped me appreciate the Chinese culture, traditions, and way of life a little more. This beautiful, peaceful garden is in the middle of downtown Portland so it's cool it can be so serene at the same time. It was beautiful. We'll miss a lot of things about this area when we move and a lot of people too. I just had to say goodbye this evening to a good friend whom I admire a whole lot. Bye Heather and I can't wait to check your new blog!

On a happier note, I'm looking forward next week to seeing a lot of friends we haven't seen since May of last year. It will be fun to visit one last time before graduation and see how their kids have grown. Wow! We're really going out into the real world now, huh?!

Unfortunately, no word yet on a solid job offer in Livingston, MT yet, but we're hoping for the best and know of some availability in Billings if Livingston doesn't work out. I'm looking forward to being back in MT near family and having a yard for my kids to play on this summer!! No more creepy people please!

When we hear back about a job we'll be sure to post!

Desert fun

We had ice cream sandwiches for desert the other evening. I love watching my kids eatting something they love b/c it's all buisness when it comes to eatting it. There's no throwing food on the floor or, "I don't want it. It's yucky." (doesn't that make the cook feel like cooking them yet another meal tomorrow:( ). Anyway, they had a great time enjoying their ice cream and Dallin tried to get every last lick he could out of the bowl as you can see by the chocolate on his forehead. They make life funny!





After the delicious desert I guess my kids thought they better check for cavities!

Daddy, Dallin, and Lucy had fun this afternoon playing dentist with a little keychain flashlight. I'm just about to throw the thing in the garbage, though b/c it is a source of "I want it. No, I want it. No, I want it." almost every day. It's so true that we buy kids all these expensive toys and then the ones they like the best are the free/cheap ones!

GOOD LUCK DEVIN ON PRACTICAL BOARDS IN THE MORNING! IT'S THE FINAL CHALLENGE AND I KNOW YOU'RE UP TO IT. I'LL BE THINKING OF YOU ALL MORNING. I LOVE YOU AND APPRECIATE YOU. GO GET 'EM!

Sringtime Posts....still

These are just some cute pics and a video I took of Dallin one morning when he was in a real playful mood. Boy, kids can be a lot of fun :)

Easter egg hunt in Oregon versus Easter egg hunt in Montana! Can you guess which is which?

Lucy and Dallin both love the bath! When I say it's bathtime they get super excited and bolt up the stairs to the bathroom. Dallin hasn't discovered the fun of bubbles quite as much as his sister has, though. He does have fun with them, but usually I think he thinks they're just a nuisance since they make it harder for him to find the toys.

Sringtime Posts

This is my (Susan's) first post, so I hope you enjoy my attempts. I was looking for my cell phone one day and after looking in all the kids' usual hiding spots I still came up empty. I finally had to put my tail between my legs and ask our neighbor friends to call it so I could find it. Although it took a few calls I finally found it and when I did I busted up laughing! Dallin loves to shove little things into this toy that blows balls out of the top and if they're not small enough they often get stuck about the same place as you can see my phone got stuck. The toy makers must have kids too b/c luckily they thought it through enough to make the toy so that it comes apart and goes back together easily. I just had to take the whole shabang to our neighbors to show them Dallin's handywork. We all had a big laugh.

A post at last!

It's been a long time since we've had a post, but that doesn't mean things haven't been busy around here. We're getting by and hoping for a job. The kiddos are doing great and are so cute to watch grow up!


Lucy is a terrific kid, but here's a picture of her being upset over something or other apparently at breakfast





Here's Dallin looking like a big boy!

When these two are tired of eating but not done, we'll make their food into helicopters for them to eat. I imagine this trick has been around for as long as helicopters (or longer). Now they've figured out how to do it on their own.

Bye-Bye Beardie!

these videos are dark but cute

Recap

beard from Sunday before Christmas to 1/18




over-worked and under-paid




we went to zoo lights










lotsa bounty

neighborhood Nick

Christmas Eve Dinner

So much has happened since my last post. I took part 2 of the national board exams and am waiting for the results (Feb 2 at the latest). We had a terrific Christmas even though we were disappointed that Linnaea didn't come on account of her fighting shingles (first picked up by an O.D. by the way as it started out on her conj). We welcomed the new year in Moses Lake with Jordon and Andrea and her family we had a great time and even learned a new card game called telefunque from Andrea's grandma. I didn't shave for my time off and had a good start on a beard so I decided not to shave it until boards results get back. (It's been a fun project I guess, kind of itchy and it's all anyone wants to talk about when they see you for the first time. I also understand that federal regulations limit pilot's facial hair because it can interfere with suction from their oxygen masks if they need them.) Dallin also started walking much better at Moses Lake and he loves it. I've been enjoying my rotation at the laser surgery center and I'm getting anxious for graduation. I've applied to some pediatric residencies and will hopefully have everything ironed out in March with them. Lucy continues to grow and is such a great little girl. She loves her family and wrestling her brother. She continues her tantrum hobby with some vigor however, but we're starting to see eye to eye more and more.

Thankful

I was lucky to get most of the week off for Thanksgiving this week. We had a terrific dinner at a family's house here in FG and had a great time complete with football and Xbox360. I've been thinking lately about all the things I have to be thankful for (ok everybody's doing it) and I thought I'd blog one or two. The big one weighing on my mind is my own little family. Wow, I never would have guessed it would be so fun to have a wife and kids. It makes all day worthwhile just to be able to come home to smiles and cheers and spend some time with everybody having fun. It's tough to describe but those of you out there who've been treated like the man of the year and felt that good ol' love at home know what I'm talking about. That said, this is a great country to enjoy that kind of feeling for a couple of main reasons: Number one, I can worship the Lord in a way that invites those loving feelings and deep changes into my home. The official stance of the country is that I should be able to do that. cool! Number two, for more than 200 years thousands of men have fought and died in brutal, painful ways to allow me the safety and security to enjoy my home life and rights of worship. I understand that many men and women have contributed in other ways to military protection of our country but the vast majority of those who have sacrificed their lives and futures have been young men about my age. I've always had a feeling of gratitude for these men, but now that I've had a taste of the pure joy life can bring, I understand more what these brave men have actually sacrificed. Their opportunity to see what I see and feel what I feel and do what I do has been set aside for mine and others' benefit. My prayer and trust is that the Lord will look on their sacrifices and those of their families will be honored for eternity and in many of them reveals a true conviction and love for God's children which will serve them well in the eternities. They can count on my gratitude when I meet them.

getting around

Dallin's never really crawled using any of the standardly accepted methods but he's sure cute scooting around the way he does. Plus, walking seems to be in sight soon!

Our cute kids

We took some pictures of the kiddos on campus a few days ago. enjoy!

Back in Oregon

Well, we made it back to Oregon for my last two rotations and we now have internet connection! that's going to make posting more regularly a lot easier.

We had a good move with a couple of exciting weeks including Dallin's B-day! and Halloween. Dallin dressed as Charlie Brown and Lucy was...Lucy (get it?) costume pictures will come later.

Birthday:

We had a party at our friends' house with some little boys. The theme was dump trucks so Susan made dump cake that we ate in little trucks with icecream. Balloons? yes, streamers? yes recipe for first-birthday-fun. He's a great kid and we're all glad he's around. We love his chearful nature and quick smile.

Lucy is growing fast too! she's abandoning the diapers!!!! for more civilized methods. That's got us all very excited.

The sad news about coming back was that our good friends were ready to leave for rotations too. We've been together through a lot of things and they have been true friends for a long time now. Sadness, for sure. Hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch.

more posts coming hopefully.

Time for an update

It's been a long time since we've had enough time on the internet to update the ol' blog. Naturally, a lot of things have happened too. We've moved to Washington for my rotation at an Indian Health Service clinic. I really like the rotation and am getting lots of good experience. Lucy and Dallin love their new neighbors, a llama, four horses, a yellow mixed-up dog, and a breeding pair of beagles who are selling their puppies. We've even made some friends that have been nice to us and taking in some high school football games. We were able to spend time with family before our move and really enjoyed our trip minus some now-taken-care-of car troubles. Soon after the move, we made a trip to northern Wyoming for my grandpa's 90th birthday party!! It was a great time to see all my brothers and sisters and many many cousins.

We have had a tough month of September however. We've been trying to fight a bogus eviction from our apartment in Oregon with a lot of great help from family and friends. Things seem to be working out in our favor but you never know with these folks.

Also, Susan's nephew was shot after moving to a new town, and Susan has been very concerned for him while during his recovery. (physically nearly good as new!) She's planning on spending time with him and his family soon.

In short, time is going by fast and graduation is looming! We're excited for the future. Dallin is growing so fast we can't believe he's turning one this month and Lucy is no baby any more that's for sure.

Update

Well, we're excited about moving to Washington for the next rotation. We will miss our pool and the friends here we've made but we won't miss the cockroaches (there are no roaches in Colorado you say?) Lucy and Dallin seem to have grown up so much lately. Lucy has always had a lot to say but now we can understand most of it! Dallin rolls around all over the place but is getting interested in crawling I think. Still super happy baby boy. We've enjoyed being near family a lot and will miss my brother and sister.

My Bro took these pictures of my incredible disc golf skills, clearly I need more practice. You've got to admit though, the cheesy look on my face helps a lot.

Exciting times in Denver

We can't believe we're almost done living here in Denver. It's been a lot of fun and a good educaitonal experience for Devin. Lucy and Dallin are growing so much! They both have loved going to the pool on hot days. We've had a good time exploring around Denver and spending time with nearby family.

Some pictures as promised

Lucy driving a boat at Elitch's!

On the Train

Dallin, Strapped in for his favorite ride

Lucy's B-day

Lucy had a birthday (shout hooray) we can finally post some pictures. She had some cousins over for the festivities including cake, swimming, presents, streemers, balloons and a big nap for Dad afterward

In other news, Dallin has two teeth!! It's tough to take a picture of them though

We were also fortunate enough to score some free passes to Elitch Gardens!! (thanks N from HVC) it was great though only some rides were available to kids under 30 inches. We had a terrific time!! Maybe more pictures soon but for now I'm tired.

Denver!

We're alive and well in Denver now though internet access is limited. I'm starting to finally enjoy my rotation here. Happy birthday to LUCY!! we'll try to get some pictures up soon. Dallin is a big boy now sitting up and biting with two teeth now! We like it here and had a good time visiting family before settling in. Hopefully, more to come soon.