Where Oh, Where will we go next year????

As many of you know, we are done with residency in 6 months!!! How that happened, I will never know. It seems like we just started. (we are having so much fun- at least I am- that time is flying by way too fast). Anyways Mike has always wanted to do a sports medicine fellowship. And since we are already in the residency mode, I said "What's another year?". So in one week from today we will find out where we matched for Mike's fellowship. Pretty fun, and scary all at once. Here is Colton Sporting duds from Some of Mike's top picks. (to be diplomatic we will not tell you who we ranked where, but stay tuned next Wed to see which team Colton will be cheering on next year.)

Notre Dame (South Bend)



BYU (Provo)



University of Washington (Seattle)



We also applied to University of Utah, and Wisconsin. We did not have anything from either of their teams... oops. We did the best we could with what we have.

December Festivities

A few weeks ago Halle's preschool had their annual Christmas program. It is always so cute to see her and her little friends perform. They sang a bunch of Christmas songs in the "Sanctuary" of the church where they go to school. (apparently a sanctuary is like our chapels). Then during the last song Santa came in and visited with the kids. So cute. Here is a picture of Halle with two of her bestest buddies. The blonde is Dominick, who she wants to marry. And the brunette (is that how you spell brunette if it is a boy. In French the "ette" ending is always feminine.... disturbing) is in love with Halle and wants to marry her. We had both of them over to play one week, and WOW.... It made me very grateful for the little girl friends that we have. Not that they were bad, well.... you will have to ask me about the two hours that it took for Dominick to leave, but it was exhausting. I learned that I need to have some boy toys.




Every year for Christmas, the residents (and anyone else) who do not have families in town get together for Christmas Eve dinner. One of my friends and I usually trade holidays, she gets Thanksgiving, I get Christmas, and vice versa. Anyways it was my year for Christmas, until, I realized HOW many of us there were that were staying around. I counted 50 at least, including kids. Graciously Tracy took on having the party at her house. There was no way that 50 people could cram comfortably, and enjoyably into my house. At the end of the wonderful evening, and it was wonderful, we do a Nativity. Madison was Mary this year, Halle was a Shepherd, and Colton was the babe in swaddling clothes. It was very cute, and we had quite an eclectic assortment of animals present. (a dinosaur, an elephant, a tiger, a pink cat, a dog.... So cute)..



Here is Mads and JJ (oh, how embarrassing) as Mary and Joseph, holding that angelic babe... he was angelic mostly because he had a HUGE helping of cheesy potatoes, and those things are true comfort food. I have never seen him in such a great mood.



Halle was sad this year that she was assigned to be a shepherd. One year she was mad that she was not the donkey... Who can really tell what will make that kid happy.. Anyways, I whipped up a beautiful silver and gold cape that we told her was a shepherd's cape, and she willingly became a perfect shepherd...



Pictures never do it justice, and can never quite capture the scope of children, but here is an attempt to show how many kids (and this is just kids) that there were there.. And not all of them were in the picture.

All in all, a wonderful evening, and a great way to spend Christmas Eve when you do not have family around. Merry Christmas.

A Sight For Sore Eyes

Colton has been not feeling his best these last few days. I have been covered a few times in emesis (aka vomit) and a few times in some really fabulous bowel movements of the loose variety. Now I am no stranger to poop. Mike and I fell in love in a nursing home, and have dealt with a number of different instances there (like the resident who liked to paint with poop, and the resident who liked to scoot down the floor on his bottom leaving skid marks). And almost without fail, any kid in diapers (and some without) seem to leave there mark for me at my place. Well, in all my years as an expert, I have rarely seen a "movement" of such skill. Colton seemed to get just as much on the outside of his diaper as he did on the inside. You cannot appreciate the picture as much as you would have if you were here.....nor can you appreciate the odor. Needless to say, I have spent much of my "spare" time lately trying to scrub mustard yellow goo out of my darling son's clothes.

Solving the World's Problems, One Random Comment at a Time

So today Madison and I were discussing how some people will not be able to have Christmas this year because they do not have enough money. (Apparently, we as parents are trying to instill some compassion and awareness into our children) Well, here is what Mads had to say on that matter:
Mads - "Mom, all they need is a piece of wood and a knife."
Me- A raise of the eyebrows
Mads - "They could just chop the wood (here is where you picture Madison chopping the imaginary wood) and then they could use the knife to carve it into a toy." (principles of ingenuity and industry... a good combo)



There you have it. Simple as that. I cannot wait to see what new words of wisdom my almost eight year old can come up with.

Christmas, tornadoes and garbage cans

So, we're trying to be good parents and teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Sometimes, I wonder why we bother.

Mike: Aren't we so blessed to live in such a nice, warm house? (It's freakin' freezing in South Bend.) Did you guys know that some people don't even have a house?
Halle: Yeah, and they could get hit by a tornado.
Maddie: At least they could hide in a garbage can.

Seattle trip

We just returned from a fun week of visiting family in Seattle. It was great to be back home and to show the kids some fun places I grew up with. I can't believe we haven't been back to Seattle for over 3 years! The kids travelled great and we loved seeing family. Maddie and Halle had lots of fun with their cousins. They're even planning their next get-together.

During an adventure to downtown Seattle, complete with a trip on public transit (always a treat), we went to Seattle's Pike Place Market. We didn't catch any pictures of the flying fish, but at least we found the "Brass Pig".


The kids loved watching the different street performers in Seattle. We saw everything from a guy playing Christmas carols on a saw to this guy juggling tennis rackets. Maddie was captivated! Even from a distance, you can faintly see the missing two fron teeth....just in time for Christmas.


The best way to carry a little kiddo in a crazy busy city. Colton loved Seattle and has dubbed it his favorite city.


I was really excited to show the girls Snoqualmie Falls during our trip to Washington. Too bad we were a little disappointed when we first arrived. I've never seen the fog so thick! At least we could hear the falls from the look-out-tower, even though we couldn't see them.


A little later in the day, the fog started to clear. Kelly caught a cute picture of the girls at Snoqualmie Falls just as the sun was shining through.


The fog finally cleared when we got to the bottom of the falls. Nana was an amazing escort and made sure we behaved ourselves after we jumped the fence!


Maddie lost both front teeth during our trip - one on the plane ride and another during the week. She could hardly wait to show Uncle TJ and her cousins.


We had a chance to see a few of my old friends from high school. Good times! I wish we were closer!


Kelly and I had a few wishes for Santa - who still owes me a dinner from high school...but that's another story.


Papa and his greens. Need I say more. Who else (other than Popeye) could survive on spinache for dinner? Mmmmm. Where do I sign up? Who would've thought that he was one of the lucky ones that escaped Montezuma's revenge? A few of us got sick with a stomach bug during the stay, but nothing a little gastrocolic reflex can't handle...and a lot of Imodium.

Colton

This poor kid receives more love than he knows what to do with. He has developed many self preservation techniques like turning his head so that the "danger" cannot find him, and not making eye contact like his life depends on it. Mostly that happens around Halle. Poor Halle, she has so much love to give.




He also has learned to roll over back to front. I am not sure that it is on purpose. It mainly happens when he is in his bed. The challenge with this new skill is that our front to back rolling is sub par (almost non-existent- except on accident. When on his tummy both arms are out perpendicular from his body making it impossible to roll over). So Colton often high centers and gets himself stuck. I often find him wedged into a corner, with either one arm through the bars on his belly, or not quite rolled over with one arm pinned beneath him and no way out (see pictures below). Needless to say, it makes sleep training an adventure. But it sure is cute to rescue him after.

Colton with an arm pinned between the bars.



Stuck with an arm pinned under his body, and wedged up againts the bars.







And what a mean mother who instead of rescuing this poor sad boy, would think to take pictures while he suffers.

24

It has been a LONG time coming, but Jack is back. (at least for a night)!

A new must read

I can't keep it in anymore... Mads has her own blog. It is adorable. If any of you want to check it out from time to time, I am sure that you will be amused and fall in love with this darling girl. 7 year ols are so fun.

http://maddieleeg.blogspot.com

enjoy

there is also a link under my friends and family

The Art of Snuzzling

For any of you who are not informed as to what snuzzling is, it is a combination of snuggling, and nuzzling. I kind of think it is more along the lines of smothering and nuzzling, but who am I to pass judgment?

More fall fun

Colton loving the toast.


Colton never blinks.


Halle never has a straight face.


Thank goodness for leaf blowers.


The great toast experiment.

Jolly Jumper

This is one of Colton's favorite pastimes, he has become quite the little jumper. As long as one of his sisters are not around to "help" him.

Families, values, and the election

The much-anticipated presidential election is coming up. I can hardly wait for it to be over with! I don't care much for politics, and I don't think our family blog is the best place to discuss political issues, but I feel this is an important moral issue. We have heard much about the economy turmoil and "wonderful" bale-out plan in recent news. Here is a quote that puts a different, but important, spin on the role of strong families and the economy. This comes from Michael Medved, a radio talkshow host from my home town of beautiful, sunny (but not-so-conservative) Seattle. He explains how the success of our country, including financial and economic successes, rests upon the strength of our families.

He says there is a strong…” connection between moral and economic issues. Family and moral issues may end up playing a large role in this election, even at a time of economic crisis. Controversies regarding values aren't a distraction from financial challenges; for most Americans, there's an inescapable connection between economic and family issues. Nothing brings long-term security more reliably than stable family life and nothing predisposes people for poverty more than out-of-wedlock birth. The educational success of our children, which directly determines their financial future, depends more on values they learn at home than quality of their schools. Learning to work hard, save money and live within your means brings economic advancement and failure to learn those lessons (especially by political leaders) helped create the current crisis.”

I do not claim to be an active political genius or ever care to be. Heaven knows I’m not too psyched about either presidential candidate. But, I hope we can all remember various critical moral issues, especially those things that will affect the strength of families, when casting our ballots. May we make our voices heard.

These first three pictures are taken by my lovely friend Bonnie. She is a dream. And she is the only one on this whole earth who caught my darling son smiling. He only ever does the "eyeball" look when I try to take his pictures, and although I love his eyeballs, it is so great to see his toothless smile, and his little tongue curled off to the side. I love it. Thanks Bonnie.





And these pictures are of our soccer star Madison. I tried and I tried all year to get a good picture of Madison, and low and behold, the kid moves too much to get a good shot of her. But that does not sound like Mads at all, does it? Mads had a great year. She scored lots of goals and proved to Mike and I that she really is a fast kid. Next year I may need to dust off my cleats and take a stab at coaching her. I think I am ready. We will learn all about being aggressive, and not skipping sideways keeping up with the fastest player on the other team and watching her take the ball down the field and score. I just will have to figure out what to do with Halle and Colton. I think Maddie's medal should be for "best bouncer" on the team.

I would have posted a picture of Halle with her medal, but she did not make it to her last game. She woke up in the morning and told Mike and I how sick she was. She just lay there on the floor and did not want to eat, and did not even want candy (the day after Halloween). Both Mike and I decided that she should stay home. Mike ran Mads to her game, and Halle and Colton and I stayed at home. Well, not 5 mins after Mike left, Halle perks right up and starts to talk to me animatedly. I asked her if she was feeling okay, and oh, she was. She said "I was just faking, I did not want to go to soccer". What a brat. I cannot believe that I have a 5 year old that can fake sick, and convincingly too... even Doctor Dad was convinced. I do not know what to do with her. And I was so looking forward to videoing her last game. Her last game that she played in was so amusing to me. Halle was dancing all over the field and flopping her wrists, and her crazy Halle legs were going off in all directions. I decided that if you did not know that she was somewhat "normal" (and I REALLY use that term loosely), you would think that she was...special. It was really kind of our league to let her play. I showed Mike what she was doing and he said those movements are characteristic of someone with cerebral palsy. What to do with that kid....?

The nice witch and Princess Aurora. What cute girls. The had a fabulous time trick or treating. In fact much to Mike and my amazement, Halle ran from house to house for the first 45 mins in our neighbourhood and Mads lagged behind, just content to eat candy. Of course they switched roles about halfway through, but still Halle running, and Maddie meandering? Not something you see everyday, or ever for that matter.





Colton, our handsome "Hot Dog". With lovely eyeballs. We had such fabulous weather for Halloween, and our stroller was not equipped to handle the bottom half of the "Dog" and still have him buckled in, so he only was able to wear his costume to Mike's work, where the kids trick-or-treated to the different offices, and nurses stations. It was fun. And he was a hit. Thanks Beck for letting us borrow it. Aren't parents cruel. I remember that my mom and dad dressed me up as a gopher for Halloween one year. A gopher. How cruel is that. I guess we have children so that we can embarrass them.



Halle carving pumpkins.

More fall fun

Colton is a spitter. I think that's why he' not a "heavy-weight". I guess I learned the hard way why you shouldn't jiggle a baby and then "snuzzle" with him.



Kelly did an amazing job decorating Halle's "volcano" birthday cake, complete with hot lava! More b-day pics below.



In an attempt to help Colton gain weight, we decided to introduce him to some of the "good stuff" - rice cereal. It doesn't get much better than that, especially when mixed with breast milk. At least Colton was in heaven!



Yes, it's true. Colton never blinks or closes his eyes...unless he's either asleep or attacked from a "snuzzling" Halle. Plus, I can hardly ever convince Kelly to jump in a picture.

Happy Birthday Hal

We had a fun birthday party for Halle this year. I learned my lesson last year when I had 17 sunbeams (and a few siblings) over for her party, that keeping it simple was important. We only invited 8 this year and 5 were able to make it.

We started out by wrapping up Halle and Mimi (aka Wyoming) as mummies.. don't they look spooky? (I also learned that cheap TP is cheap for a reason, it is not very "tough")



Next we decorated mini pumpkins. I envisioned faces, but creative minds thought differently, and we had some very.... heavily painted and probably still wet a day later projects.



Halle had a Volcano cake, complete with lava. I really wanted to have sparklers going when we were singing Happy Birthday, but they are "out of season". Still it was pretty cool.



Our traditional Birthday Party Treasure Hunt. I love this part of the party. I love watching the kids figure out the clues, and LOVE watching Mike as he MC's the chaos. (although this time I think he had things pretty well under control)




After a long day of partying nothing beats kicking back in the belly of a shark. (oh yes, I saw this fab shark tent on sale at Target, and KNEW that Halle needed it. I am kicking myself for not getting more.)

He's Baaack

Mike has been gone for the past two weeks in Utah. I am one of those people that likes to share info like that after the fact, in case any of my readers are really scary stalkers, and would love to have tidbits of info like missing spouses. He was checking out Sports Medicine Fellowships out in Provo, and Salt Lake. He graduates in June (can you believe it?) and he wants to do another year of training (why not.. we don't know any better, right?). He has applied to 5 programs and is interview at all of them over the next couple of weeks. We are very excited.

Mike had the opportunity to stay with my Sister Angie and her new Husband Allen. (yup, he roomed with newlyweds....) Angie was Mike's back-up for me until she got married. Thanks guys for taking such great care of him, and not letting him wreck too many things at your house... I should have warned you of his "home improvement" skills. We are very happy to have him back though. We sure did miss him.

Meanwhile, the kids (it is still strange not to be able to say "girls") and I had a lovely time. We kept ourselves busy playing with friends and having "family" time. We even managed to take a trip down to Indianapolis to the Children's museum. It was so much fun. The kids loved having adventures. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Halle working on her animation skills.


Colton, poor kid had his immunizations the day before and had an allergic reaction to them and had/still has hives as a result. I guess hives are better than polio, or even Rota virus.


Madison our resident paleontologist


Hiding from the Thunderstorms. There was a fake thunderstorm every 15 mins in the dinosaur exhibit, and the kids had a great time hiding in the cave patiently waiting for the storms to come. It was very amusing.


Halle and her walking skills, remarkably she can balance on those and walk straight.