On The Road Again

Interview Season is here and well on its way...


Here are the Pathology residency programs Randy will be visiting:

University of Nebraska in Omaha
University of New Mexico in Albuquerque
University of Utah
University of Iowa in Iowa City
University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls
Penrose-St. Francis in Colorado Springs
Indiana University in Indianapolis
University of Arizona in Tucson
Univeristy of Kentucky in Lexington

It's pretty exciting, but we'll be happy if we can stay right here for so many reasons. Randy has already been to the first three programs. It's amazing how so very, very different this process has been compared to applying to medical schools. It's low stress, they put the candidates in a nice hotel and feed them! They tell you why their program is right for you instead of asking why you are right for their program.

We survived Randy being gone for a month. Really, truly, honestly, it wasn't that bad. We kept to our routine, and the time really flew. That is, for us on the home front. For Randy, it was a totally different story (and one I'll explain in another post). The last 24 hours, for me, were the hardest while I waited for Randy to get back. Safely. I think I was in denial about the whole thing that he was actually in INDIA (!!!). It's still very surreal to me. When we picked him up from the airport, I wasn't really prepared for the flood of emotions I would feel when I saw him and was able to hold him. It was the best feeling in the world to be a family again. I don't want him to ever go away for that long again, but it did give me some much needed perspective and it helped me to appreciate Randy for what he brings to our family. It also made me grateful for our marriage and to have someone to share my life with (I know I'm so cliche here, but I really mean it!).

Anyway, we decided to celebrate Randy's homecoming. First, we had an incredible Seafood
Feast:

King crab legs, shrimp scampi, and halibut. Notice our homage to the Hindu Ganesha God (a souvenir from India)

Then we went to Cornbelly's which was a blast:

Initiation

I'm determined to make sure my boys look their best with the genes we've passed on to them, this means they wear non-dorky clothes and they have decent haircuts. The golden locks on Josh's head were so adorable, but they were getting a tad long; I decided it was time for a haircut so I can do the spiky-gel thing that I do with Andrew's hair.

Before:

And after:

I know Tootsie Pops are a no-no, but it kept him distracted (he wasn't too happy with me). Oh, what a handsome little guy!

Ok, I know I'm a bad mom for saying this, but sometimes I kind of like it when my kids are sick. Josh got some funky stomach virus yesterday, and pretty much he's been vomiting for the last 36 hours-ok that part I could skip-I can't even tell you how many times I've changed outfits, changed Josh's outfits, changed sheets, cleaned up the carpet messes, etc. (I got a clue and finally stopped feeding him). The part I've enjoyed is Josh falling asleep in my arms and wanting to be held. I have an excuse to drop the world and just concentrate on taking care of my baby. And tonight after Andrew went to bed, Josh was laying with me on the the couch-Randy was sitting by us and teasing Josh. Josh was being so cute and smiley and talking to us in his cute babbling way, and then all of a sudden, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and just conked out and fell asleep in the middle of playing with us. It was pretty funny. And adorable. I hope he gets better soon because I know things can get get scary when they lose that much fluid, but I've really enjoyed taking care of him and being his mom.

I'm It

I've been tagged by my beautiful, fabulous, mother-of-twins, friend-so here goes....

Jobs I've had:
1. Bank Teller
2. Health Care Asst. (Glorified baby-sitter for a residential treatment center for teenage girls)
3. Youth detention counselor
4. Administrative assistant

Places I've lived:
1. Provo, UT
2. Redlands, CA (where I graduated high school)
3. Exeter, NH
4. Shreveport, LA (where I was born)

Food I love:
1. Cheese Enchiladas from La Puente (and any authentic Mexican food)
2. My latest craving: plain yogurt with fruit and honey with grape nuts trail mix cereal.
3. The greasy, nasty deep dish pizza from Pizza Hut
4. Chocolate brownies with fudge frosting
5. Bagels with avocado, mustard, and melted mozzarella cheese

Websites I visit:
1. Friends & Family Blogs
2. wikipedia.com
3. allrecipes.com
4. shabbyprincess.com
5. I waste too much time on the internet in general. The computer is the new TV.


Places I'd Rather Be:
1. In the arms of my man

Movies I love:
1. Pride & Prejudice (A&E version)
2. Sense & Sensibility
3. Emma
4. You've Got Mail
5. Sleepless in Seattle

Shows I Watch:
1. Scrubs-I just discovered this treasure of a show. Genius. Pure genius.
2. Grey's Anatomy (even though I'm starting lose interest, which I'm really sad about)
3. Medium
I also love Ellen, 24, House, & Divine Design, but I hardly ever get to watch them.

Tag, you're it:
1. Cristiana
2. Jenny M.
3. Corrine
4. Becky C.
5. Carolyn

Work Hard. Play Hard.

Lake Powell

September 2007

We Kayaked.

We Moleculed.

We Sea-Dooed.

We played "Combat Insertion."

We Fished.

We swam. (Lots)

And we spent priceless time with family.

Randy, Josh, Me, Great-Guma Doris, Deborah, Lisa, Andrew, Cassidy, Russ, Maranda, Amaria, Lewis, Creighton, McCall, Logan

This is the way to vacation. We stayed at Russ & Lisa's beautiful house boat at Antelope Point. We played and played and played and we had a blast. Andrew was very adventurous and tried everything at least once. He loved the boat rides the best (me too). Joshers stayed back at the ranch most of the time (thanks to Grandma Lamb & Doris for watching him!).

Thank you Russ and Lisa!!

9 1/2 months!

Here is what Josh is up to these days:

• He can crawl! (He just learned last Sunday)

• Due to his ability to get to where he wants to go, he's a content and sweet little thing.

• He likes to eat table foods and uses a pincer grasp.
  

• He says "ma-ma" and "da-da" (He doesn't know what he's saying, but it still sounds so cute).

• He weighs 20 lb. 8 oz. (46%) and is 28.8 in. (59%)

Here's some video of him crawling-it's not the best. This is mostly for Rand since he hasn't seen Josh crawl yet:



And here is Andrew being his usual monkey self:

Plan Bee

If you're thinking about taking your kids to any of the pools in this area, call before you go! We headed out bright and early this morning to go swimming only to find out there's still a ban on all children 3 and under due to a cryptosporidium scare. So what do you do with a heart broken 3-year-old who's been asking to go swimming for a week? We played in the park next to the pool, then we went to Great Harvest to get a loaf of their yummalicious bread and some straight-out-of-the-oven slices to go. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful, crisp fall air. We got out of the house and we had fun: mission accomplished.

Why Plan Bee? When we were eating our bread, a bee flew up my pant leg, made it to just below my knee and stung me! Ouch!

San Diego = Paradise

While Daddy's away....I guess we'll play.

We spent nine days in San Diego with my Mom and Danny. It was so much fun and a nice break from life without Rand. A wise woman (my mother) once said: You know you've had a great vacation, when you leave wanting more. That's how I felt about both of our vacations this month. Well, our bags are unpacked, the laundry is clean and put-away, and we're easing back into our daily routine. This is the first (and hopefully, last) time I've been away from Randy this long. Things are going well (I've only wanted to beat Andrew once so far), but I just don't feel like myself these days; Randy is the best part of me.

LegoLand

A 3-year-old's heaven. The rides and play areas are perfect for Andrew's age. We had an absolute blast and it was so fun to play with my mom. I'm realizing now that I took very few pictures of her the entire trip (sorry mom).

This was Andrew's favorite part of Legoland--guns that shoot frogs with water. It was at the beginning, so we told Andrew that we'd come back to it when we did all of the other fun things in the park. He didn't forget, even when Grandma bought him toys at the gift store.

This is what he was shooting.

Entire cities made of Legos; how cool is that?

Push down on the pedal and steer. (Andrew was only slightly retarded.)

There was an awesome water park, a lot of it is kid-powered.

Andrew loved making this flower shoot water; and made darn sure that no other kid got near his territory (except Joshers).

La Jolla Coves

Beautiful weather. Beautiful sights. What more can you ask for?
Andrew's first beach experience. I'm kind of thinking he loved it.

Reunions

It's been five years since I've been back to California and 9 since I've seen my friends from high school....



Kristie & Stephanie are even more beautiful now. These girls were my best friends in high school and we did everything together. We probably partied a bit too much, but I think we turned out ok! Stephanie (mommy on the right) will be having her third (a boy) in a couple of months.

We were also able to visit another family that is near and dear to my heart. When I first met them, they had only one little girl-now they have three beautiful children! Barratt & Marci are the nicest people I know-they are an incredible couple and they made a huge impact on my life.

The Factory

I had my mom slaving away in The Factory making 18 baby blankets. I did the cutting and ironing, while she sewed. They are oh so cute and I can't wait to see my friends' babies wrapped up in them!

Joshers had croup while we were there. I was grateful for the humid climate and Grandma & Grandpa's extra hands to help me! He was happiest while being held-my little Papoose!

Etc.

The rest of the time, we kicked back and watched movies and enjoyed the kids.

Andrew enjoyed getting VERY spoiled by Grandma and taking evening walks with Grandpa-they both were a huge help to me.

Andrew carried around this backpack that Grandma got for him EVERYWHERE!!

Here are some more pictures from the trip:

He's Mine. All Mine.

This man is the biggest goof I know. He loves slap-stick-bordering-on-vulgar comedies. He loves to gossip. If you want to hear him giggle (yes, giggle) start in on the bathroom humor. He makes up funny phrases and songs. And he LOVES when he can get me or his mom to roll our eyes at him in disgust. So much of his brain power is used up for school and work that when he's with us, we get to experience his silly side. So when Randy has something serious to say, we listen. His time in India has brought him to remember his mission days in Madrid, Spain almost 10 years ago. In his daily emails, he takes some time to describe each of the areas he served in. I am just gobbling it up since he has rarely talked about his mission; I hope someday he'll take me there.

Mama Loves

My boys are very cuddly and need "Mama Loves," as we call it, every now and again. Josh woke up from his nap and let me rock him while he layed his head on my shoulder, after about 5 minutes, he popped up and was ready to play. Then Andrew came up to me and said, "My turn?"

It's a dark and drizzly day today, perfect for some cuddle time.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Ours grows HUGE zucchini. I think this one's bigger than Josh! We took one last walk over to our garden the other day. It's done. Kaput. It was fun while it lasted....

Andrew started his first day of Preschool today. I'm doing a co-op with three other moms (something I swore I'd never do). Is it wrong that I thoroughly enjoyed my two-hour break from Andrew today?

Clap, Clap, Clap....Yay!

Josh learned how to clap his hands over the weekend. He's so proud of himself.

He also cut two new teeth (making four total) and he has some sort of virus. He's not so happy right now (who can blame him).

September: The Month O' Fun

We just spent five fabulous days in Lake Powell with people who KNOW how to play. It was so much fun, I'm wishing I was still there. I'll have more about our trip later when I get some pictures from others that didn't misplace their camera the first day of the trip (grrrr!).

Just went to the store today to stock up our freezer full of dinners that require little effort on my part. Randy leaves this Friday for India, and I have no intention of cooking a full meal while he's gone. Sorry Andrew. On Saturday, me and the boys will set off to San Diego to spend time with my mom (and the beach) for nine days. I'm so looking forward to it!

As for October, wish me luck, I'm going to need it....