Summer Fun Edition

One of the best parts of living in Minnesota is the summers.  

Like this one.

The past two weeks have been amazing:  warm enough for skirts and t-shirts but cool enough to leave the windows open all day with no A/C.

Plus, what could be better than having extra daylight with my crew?

I am busy planning lots of fun activities with G-Bear and E-Bear since we have more time together the next several weeks.  I won't claim my ideas will be original or breathtaking.  But, I am intent on good, old-fashioned summertime fun, and I am happy to share the fun we have.

Share our ideas with your favorite young parents, grandparents with visiting grandmunchkins, the young at heart, or just enjoy reading about our escapades.  Now you can check out our new "Summer Fun" page for a quick archive of our ideas.

Do good things this summer, and have fun too.

My Newest Nephew!

The little man arrived into the family yesterday!  

We got this adorable picture of him with his two adoring sisters this morning.

Congratulations, Momma K and Daddy T, we are thrilled for you, and we can't wait to meet him!

Joyfulness is...

"Be joyful always.  Pray continuously."

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

For me, there are some moments when joy is elusive.  

Like when...

~Double temper-tantrums and a poopy cut short our trip to the Children's Museum.

~A second poopy required more wipes than I had---and little fingers ended up in the dirty diaper.

~The toilet overflowed, pouring poopy water all over the floor, requiring a whole roll of paper towels to mop it up.  Are you noticing a theme here?

~The after-lunch cake-treat ended up showering the floor with crumbs---right after I had finished scrubbing, sweeping and vacuuming all the floors in the house.
~Yet another poopy, this time soaking through pants while at the park.

~A Bear woke from his nap on the wrong side of the crib---and cried for 30 minutes straight.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of moments at the hospital when my joy is elusive too.  Maybe more.  But lest I belabor the point....

There are advantages to heeding the encouraging verse above--benefits to choosing joyful happiness in all moments, even the most challenging ones.  Because here is what I would have missed if I had let my attitude be clouded by irritation and melancholy:

~Two Bears, tears forgotten, singing songs together in the back seat on our premature trip home from the museum.
~Returning from the foiled diaper change to our special mid-day lunch outing with T--who was home for the afternoon.
~The sweet smell of a fragrant, freshly scrubbed bathroom.  It needed a good cleaning anyway.
~The smiles, delighted faces and sticky fingers of happy, cake-filled munchkins.
~"Silly swinging" with G-Bear on our tummies (after changing E-Bear's diaper at the park).

~Penitent E-Bear, bringing me a book and cuddling up on my lap to read together.  Just needing a snuggle....

These moments are too precious to be lost in the distraction of irritation!  

Lord, help me keep my joy, 

always, 

every moment of the day.   

I know the challenges aren't going away, so you better believe I will be praying continuously.

18 months and counting...

One day late (don't tell the big-little-man)....

...this is a proud-parent shout-out to the one-and-only E-Bear, 

who turned the big 18 months yesterday.  

Sniffle, sniffle....our little guy is growing up so fast.  

There are so many ways that E-Bear brightens our lives these days.  With E-Bear:

....Someone is always ready with an "OKayyyyyyy?!"  

....A fire-truck-riding, fireman-hat-wearing firefighter is always just around the corner, driving around in the kitchen.

...."Goodnight Moon" and "Barnyard Dance" have a captivated audience, super excited to see what the next page brings.

.....G-Bear always has someone toddling along behind her as she runs.

.....No bike goes unloved---he is ready to ride them all, whether they're in our garage, someone else's or on display at the store.

.....a hug and a kiss are always ready and available for "Mommy!!" or "Daddy!!"

.....the first bite is always most important, deciding if he will eat or not for the remainder of the meal.  

.....there is always someone retrieving and passing out shoes when it is time to go out.  "Shooooooee" anyone?

.....there is always someone to remind G-Bear what she needs to say if she wants something.  "Peeeeeees."

We love our Buddy Bear.  Can't wait for the next 18 months.

Daddy's Girl

Overheard in church after a wedding....

T: "G-Bear, are you ever going to get married?"

G-Bear: "No.  Well......maybe.  I think you should hold my hand and we can walk up the steps."

Study Group Farewell

4 years,
39 courses,
2 babies,
3 weddings,
72 weeks of clinical rotations,
122 exams,
3 Board exams.....

....parents with cancer,
....heartbreaks and happiness,
.... indecision, interviews, and internship preparation,

we have done it all together, because we couldn't have done it alone.

Internal medicine, pediatrics, obgyn, me, family practice, emergency medicine...

What a team.

Tonight we had our last dinner together before our group disperses across the country for residency. Congratulations to my study buddies.  Thank you for being with me when I needed it most.

And cheers to the men (one is missing) who have supported us along the way:

With love and prayers for the future.

Cousin A's Wedding

He was smitten,

She was stunning. 

Their love evident for everyone to see.

Every detail about the day was beautiful.

And you better believe that the cousins.....

were untouchable on the dance floor.

Congratulations, A & K!