Dearest Samsonite

Dearest Samsonite,

I still can’t believe you are going to be a year in a few days! You are such a wonderful little boy and this past year with you has been a joy (for the most part). You no longer want to spend hours being snuggled like you used to but you will come lay in my lap while I try to do yoga.  Ever since you started crawling in December you have been sneaking into everything. You may be the reason we have to climb over a fence to get into our kitchen. You started taking steps in April and have been an official walker for a few weeks now. Each day you walk a little further and faster. Currently, you can walk from the living room through the dinning room and into the kitchen in one go. Granted, this is when you and your sister don’t sabotage your path with toys, books, and/or forsaken snacks.  As excited about walking as you are I don’t think you forehead feels the same way. You currently have four bruises on your face from walking tumbles. Usually, you pick yourself back up and keep going but there have been a few times when you need a snuggle to feel better like when you tried to wrestle the chair yesterday that ended with a line shaped bruise across your cheek.

You love playing with your sister and doing what ever she does (she doesn’t always feel the same).  When she is not around you like to look at books by yourself  (cardboard books –you enjoy ripping regular books too much at this time), playing with bocks, chasing balls around the house, and sneaking into anything new. While packing for our move for rotations I have had to be careful about how boxes are stacked because you can scale them as flawlessly as a professional rock climber. The one flaw is that your still not very good at the most important part…descending down the boxes.  Other than eating I would say your favorite thing is when your Daddy wrestles with you! You don’t like being tossed around like your sister did/does (although that fear is quickly vanishing) but you love playing rough. The instant he sits on the floor you start climbing on him to get him to wrestle you. You’re a pretty easygoing kid and as long as there is food and chances to take naps your pretty happy and willing to doing anything.

You have an aptitude for physical activities. You’re curious and am always exploring or investigating things you don’t know about-this can lead to trouble thus, the earlier mention of the kitchen being gated off. You are observant and watch your sister carefully so that you can learn from her. For example, last week you were watching her color with the sidewalk chalk and then did your best to imitate what she was doing. You were excited when you saw the green line show up on the sidewalk. You’re also stubborn and will keep trying something until you figure it out.  Your stubbornness also makes it hard to redirect your focus when you are sneaking into things.  I would say your best quality of all if how friendly and charming you are especially to the ladies at the grocery store. We always meet new people because you are flirting, smiling, and flashing your big blue eyes at them from across the room.  You also lay the charm on pretty thick when you get caught sneaking.

Basically, San-man (as your sister calls you) we love you and your funny ways! The way you splash like crazy in the tub, the way jabber all day long, the way you sneak your sisters food when she isn’t looking, and the way you show joy and excitement for life.  I hope this next your is a great one for you but your welcome to not grow up so fast

Love you to the moon and back,

                                                Mom or Mamamamam as you call me.

 

Ps. We also call you San-Storm because you have the ability to make huge messes really quickly!

early morning ramblings

It’s 4:53 AM and I have already been up for two hours. We have been hit with a horrible cold that causes bad coughing and gallons of boogers. Nena wakes up wanting her nose wiped. This last time I wiped her nose I realized I was using one of Sans onsies. It was then I finally just showed her how to wipe her nose on her blankets. Am I desperate or am I just practical? Maybe a little of both? I just know that she gets frustrated trying to sleep because she has “boogies” running profusely out of her nose and cries because “nose noises” AKA the sound her noise makes when sick.  Of course as soon as Nena got back sleep her brother felt like it was his duty to pick up where she left off. He is about two days behind his sister with the cold and got his shots yesterday. My little fat man just wanted to be snuggled so I obliged.  Finally, I had to let him fuss to sleep because I was afraid I would drop him because I was so tired. For anyone wondering why I didn’t have him sleep in my bed it is because The Germ and I share A full size mattress. You read that right A. Full. Sized. Mattress. There simply isn’t room for excess fat much less a baby on that bed (it does keeps us from gaining weight). When I am pregnant my poor husband gets about a foot wide space to sleep on. Anyway, San’s exhaustion kicked in about 4 minutest into his protest and is now asleep. I couldn’t stay awake holding the San-man for the life of me but as soon as my head hit the pillow insomnia kicked in. My mind started racing, which is how I ended up writing this.  I wish there was a switch that I could flip to turn my brain off but then I would end up “Sleeping like a Dad.” My husband is great at getting up with the kids but he doesn’t hear every inhale and exhale in the next bedroom like I can. So even when he gets up with the kids I still wake up so I usually just do it. Besides we are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into his schooling and would rather him do well at school and me try and catch a cat nap during the day. 

So long story short: Today will be a day of cartoons and blessed left overs and thats alright. 

Bear Lake 2014

Over the summer while visiting family in Utah, we decided to go to Bear Lake with my Mom and sisters.  Since we had to drive up through Logan, UT to get to Bear Lake we were forced to stop at Herm’s for breakfast.  Seriously, this one of the best places to eat in Logan and you would be silly to not go there as frequently as possible. My personal favorite is the Greek skillet with steak added to it. I don’t have a pictures of the skillet because my food was devoured so quickly. In addition to the great food is the fun atmosphere; the building is a restored and revamped gas station.

When we finally got to Bear Lake we had a blast playing in the water and sand. We rented stand up paddleboards (SUP) and a kayak. I was introduced to SUP’s a few years ago when The Germ and I were in Hawaii for a few weeks. We found them more fun than surfing because the don't take as long to master. They also add a fun technical challenge to paddling not to mention the great abdominal workout caused be the constant balancing. My mom may or may not have lost a pair of nice sunglasses in the lake after losing her balance on SUP. On a side note have you ever wondered how many keys, sunglasses, and wallets have are sitting at the bottom of the lake?

The day before I cut my hair off!

Samson like the water for a little bit but was mostly content napping on the beach. Sienna loved the sand and liked the water. She only liked the water when it was below her knees and not splashing in her face! The instant the water touched her face she would have a complete meltdown.

showing off his beach bod

Our day was cut short when a big thunderstorm rolled in with such strong winds that everything started blowing away. So we packed up and got a milk shake for the ride home. 

The Little Man

The past three weeks I have been enjoying snuggles from our newest family member. He is a dream baby and I can get enough of him. Here are some pictures I took of this sweet little man when he was just over a week old.

He is very alert just like his sister

Baby feet are my favorite!

 PS.
He was a little stressed about the Germs finals

A Winter Hike

When I was younger I used to think winter was really ugly unless the ground was covered in freshly fallen snow. I am sure it wasn't helped by the constant inversions that plague Utah winters. The inversion hovers over the Wasatch front sucking any hope of blue sky's and fresh air with it. I vividly remember flying back to Utah in early January after spending three weeks in Hawaii and seeing the grey smoggy layer floating eerily below the airplane. It reminded me of horror movies when an unsuspecting victim walks in to the fog and then is ferociously attacked by some scary animal. Thankfully, we were only attacked by -10 degree weather that day (which was horrifying enough after the beautiful 75 degree weather in Hawaii). Here in Washington inversions are very uncommon and most people have no idea what an inversion even is. I can honestly say I have not missed them at all. It may be my favorite thing about the state thus far. I am however trying to get used to the humid cold. All I can say is BRRRRRR!!!! Humidity makes everything feel about 10 degrees colder in the winter and 10 degrees warmer in the summer.

On Monday we were able to venture out in the cold and go for a family hike because The Germs classes were cancelled for Martin Luther King day. It was fabulous! Between the humid heat of summer, medical school, and morning sickness not much hiking has happened around here. It was so nice to get out of the house and explore. Since there has only been one light snowfall here we sadly left the snowshoes at home. Here is to hoping we will get a big snowstorm soon.

Mandatory family picture to prove we did this -I refuse to use the "S" word to describe this picture

We decided to do a pretty simple hike since we haven't hiked in a while and Peanut needed to get used to being in a backpack again. The trail had a barren beauty about it. The grass was yellow, gigantic black boulders bulged out of the grass, snow was on the edge of the river, and the trail was lined by leafless bushes with crimson red branches. Something about it made me think of Lord of the Rings but I am nerdy like that.  

 I may have pretended that this was mount doom and we were hobbits

The view from the "top" (we turned back early)

Peanut was a great for most of the hike and loved looking around. She has become very talkative lately and jabbers all day long. She is only quiet when she is really focused on what she is doing (AKA Sneaking) or when looking at something new. When this happens she becomes very quiet and will only whisper. She was quiet for most of the hike and would whisper excitedly when she saw something she liked. For example, she was fascinated by the river we crossed and kept whispering excitedly while pointing at it! It wasn't until she got overly tired and her hands started to get cold  that she became grumpy. She insisted on holding her bottle which meant we had to pull her hands out of the "Gumby suit" she was wearing . This caused her hands to get cold and make her unhappy. Next time we will bring some socks to put over her hands for an extra layer so she can do things like hold her bottle with out sacrificing warmth.

Peanut getting locked and loaded for the hike

I cant put my arms down!

Giving kisses

Peanut not to impressed with the view

Getting ready to head back!

Even though the hike ended with The Germ running back to the car with Peanut, it was still a blast! Here is to hoping that I keep feeling good so I can enjoy a few more hikes before we become a family of FOUR!


 *** The "S" word is the Six letter one used to describe a poorly taken self portrait.

5,4,3,2,1

Evening walk with my two favorite people

5- is the number of weeks we have lived in Washington!
4 -is the number of weeks The Germ  has completed of school
3 -is how many boxes of fruit I have frozen and dehydrated the past two weeks 
2 -is the number of times I have driven our stick shift on the road since moving here (sick peanut = stuck at home)
and sadly we have only eaten at miners 1 time (soon to change)!

I cant believe that this week we have lived in the grand ol' state of Washington for a month. Some days the time is goes ever sooooooo S L O W L Y but sometimes it seems to fly by! Overall, we have loved living here, meeting new people, and going new places.

Farewell picture of our old apartment

The first week and a half we lived here we only had what could fit in our little car. We slept on an air mattress in the living room, sat in camp chairs, ate a LOT of tuna sandwiches, washed our clothes in the bath tub, and just enjoyed the Germ's last few days of freedom. I was a nice break from the back to back vacations we went on right before we moved here. By no means would I want to live like that forever but it was nice not unpacking before the Germ started school. The other nice thing was that the first week of school was mostly orientation so when our stuff finally arrived the Germ and all of our extremely awesome and wonderful neighbors (who are also med students) were able to help! Making it so my Grandparents and my Mom didn't have to worry about helping unpack when they got here! Double win! That same night the Germs parents, 2 brothers, and sister in law arrived so they could go to the the White Coat Ceremony the next day.

taking a break to eat lunch on our way up

We felt so blessed to be able to celebrate the Germs hard work thus far (and the hard work he has left) with family. Often the love and support we have received from our family made it possible for us to jump all the hurdles life has thrown at us. After the White Coat Ceremony we went and ate some dinner as a big group.

The next day Peanut and I went with my family to eat our way through Seattle while the Germ stayed home to start his first intensive week of school. I eased my conscience about leaving the Germ behind by eating more food! You might think I am exaggerating on the eating part but I am not. Often our day consisted of waking up, going to pikes market, eating, walking (to burn calories thus creating more room for food), eating again, more walking, eating, walking, eating, and going back to the hotel so sleep to start it all over the next day. It was GLORIOUS! BLISSFUL! and a taste of HEAVEN! Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Although, it was probably in the best interest of my arteries and pants that this good thing ended! Besides I always go through Germ withdrawals after a day or so away from him (I try not to think about what life will be like during residency).

High fives from Seattle

I then said goodbye to my amazing grandparents, practically perfect Mom, and  my two wonderful sisters. Words can not even begin to describe how much we appreciated them loading our belonging in a trailer and driving them to Washington for us. The hardest thing for me has been not being close to family (I have always been within walking, biking, or five minute driving distance from them). Thank goodness for texting, face-time, and phones in general.

Since then I have been unpacking, organizing, and taking care of a sick Peanut (probably from licking the Light Rail's windows). Side note: I am happy that we were so organized when we packed up because all but 3 boxes ended  up in the correct rooms. Thus making it so all but five boxes were unpacked and put away within a week (and I was out of town for 3 of those days). Our apartment is starting to feel like a home! I have also been working on items for my Etsy shop that I will be opening soon:)

-Dooney

Moab 2013

This year for spring break we kept with the family tradition of going to Moab. The Germ and I started this tradition over our first spring break as a married couple. That first year we went, my awesome friends Jennica and Jennifer accompanied us down. We hiked, ate s'mores for breakfast, cooked pancakes on a griddle over an open fire, and used an emergency shovel to flip the pancakes (pancakes were a spontaneous breakfast idea).

Picture in front of our campground

Trying to get a group picture 2010

Since that trip the Germ and I have hiked and biked many miles in Moab and the surrounding areas. While hiking we would often talk about how we would like going to Moab a family tradition. We wanted it to become something that us and our children would look forward to each year. This was the first year we could fulfill that dream! We did have to change the types of trails we biked and hiked on. We also had to camp in the cheapest hotel we could find because the nights are too cold in March for a baby to camp. It wasn't our most adrenalin packed trip but it was truly wonderful.

Along with being fun this trip was a much needed break from school and life.It recharged my system so I could finish my last semester and handle all the emotional ups and downs that occurred shortly after our return. 

Here are some pictures of our trip. WARNING: that feeling of freedom might have gone to our heads.

Beautiful view at arches

Glorious freedom!

On the way down from Delicate Arch

Channeling my inner yoga warrior

The Beautiful Canyonlands

Loving her backpack

Oh yeah!

Checking out the view

Doing my best duck face....Quack!

He is either flexing or dancing like an Egyptian...who knows!?!?!

Love them both!

Arches national park

Peanut was so happy and excited about everything we did! She loved hiking and riding on the Slickrock (double wide family friendly bike trails). She is truly our daughter because she was happiest being on the go! She would squeal with happiness looking out from her backpack.She would also get mad when we would take her out when she was not ready for it! HOWEVER, Peanut was not a fan of being in her car seat. She had ridden to star valley, Wyoming and back the day before we left for Moab (we had to attend Grandma Slatter's funeral). She then had to endure the long ride to Moab. Needless to say that I rode in the backseat with her for most of the trip. Other than that it looks like Moab is officially a family favorite.

We hope we can come back and visit during medical school!

-Doone