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.

Special Day!!

Friday April 20 marked the last day of my classroom education!! This last year is clinical experience at different practices but no more lecture-style classes. YIPPEE!!! Today is also a big day for little Dallin, He's six months old!! Can he sit up? You bet! Does he smile all day? Pretty much! Is he chunky and happy? yep! Solid food? Doesn't go for it, though he liked the pickle we let him try. We love him and really enjoy playing with him. After I got outa class, we spent the afternoon at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival for a good time. Enjoy the pics:

Happy Easter!

Lucy really enjoyed Easter this year. She loves candy but no egg salad sandwiches. She had a good time looking for plastic eggs filled with candy this morning with her friend. She was pretty well behaved at church too. Dallin was pretty sleepy today. I suspect a growth spurt. He doesn't eat candy but was full of sweet smiles all around. We sure enjoyed a day to celebrate the resurrection of the Savior. Happy Easter everyone!!

Back from Belize

I spent my spring break in some villages in Belize doing eye exams with a humanitarian organization. It was a lot of fun and we were able to help some people that don't have great access to eye care. Fortunately, we had some time for fun too including kayaking around an island, snorkeling over coral and sting rays, swimming in a cave with life vest and head lamp, and seeing Mayan ruins. We came across lots of bugs, some snakes and a huge tarantula. pretty cool.

ring around the rosey

Our little family is growing up so fast. We're doing well and enjoying life!

Progress ...

We've been enjoying the new year in spite of the typical colds and sniffles. I'm really glad to be in my last semester of class work but it's harder and harder to find motivation with the light at the end of the tunnel in sight.

Lucy is better and better at letting us know what she wants. She has no problem asking for cookies and candy but she's not as good at dealing with the disapointment when we say "not this time". (Who knows where she learned to throw a fit so well?) The tantrums are getting fewer and further between and her vocabulary is expanding. Her aim at throwing things at her brother (in love) is pretty good.

Dallin loves to smile and laugh most of the day and is so busy growing that he has no time for pesky naps or going to sleep at night. He will do it, but not without getting his two cents broadcasted throughout the neighborhood. He's so big! We really like his company and he really likes to "play" with his big sister. The other night, we played hide and seek with Lucy seeking and Dallin and I hiding. Dallin hid underneath a blanket and kicked and giggled and I (Dad) hid behind Lucy's inflatable sled. Lucy ran in and checked the closet (her preferred hiding place) and almost stepped on the wiggly blanket. After lots of clues, Mom helped Lucy find Dallin from under the blanket (but, by that time he'd escaped most of the way out) and she found me easily, talk about fun.