Greg's Graduation

June 16, 2012

Greg graduates from Residency!  It was an unexpectedly festive occasion with him earning top awards.  I have to admit, I wasn't too surprised!  He has shown the ultimate professionalism and dedication throughout the whole journey, from Medical School, through Internship and then Residency.  We are so proud of all your hard work, and grateful for the sacrifices you have made to accomplish all your goals!  

*For the record, I wasn't allowed to post any of this on Facebook, but there was no mention of the blog being off-limits*

Ella's 5th and Quinn's 3rd

In February Ella turned 5!  She had a Rainbows and Unicorns party with 6 friends.  They painted unicorns, had a treasure hunt to find the gold at the end of the rainbow, ate rainbow cupcakes and jello, and had fun playing together.  Grandma and Papa were here for the festivities, including her real birthday.  Lucky girl also got a unicorn cake!

Then in April, Quinn turned 3!  Her birthday was more low-key, with Dad in Ethiopia, and I recovering from pneumonia.  Grandma came to help us celebrate (and survive) and she actually had a great day!  We went out to lunch for bagels and cream cheese and played at the park, and she chose chicken nuggets for dinner.  And of course, she got to pick out her cake...a penguin!  Super cute.

Swimming Lessons

We were able to squeeze in a couple sessions of swim lessons this spring in preparation for having our own pool later this summer.  Ella is doing very well.  Her only challenge remaining is getting over a fear of deep water.  She swims freestyle breathing to the side, backstroke, dolphin kick, and elementary backstroke.  I think after a few weeks of swimming everyday she will be a regular fish.  Quinn is still hesitant to put her face in...actually she won't do it on purpose, and if she does accidnetally she cries.  I'm hopeful that she will improve rapidly once we get her in the water more regularly.  

Quinn did gymnastics

Quinn was finally old enough to enroll in gymnastics at the Community Center.  The awesome teacher Ella had at 3 is no longer there, but she still had fun.  I think her favorite activity was the dancing (Chicken Dance, Itsy Bitsy Spider)...I think her next activity will be a true dance class instead.  

Ultrasound Pics of #3

This pregnancy has been a breeze thus far.  Aside from a bout with the flu and pneumonia between 8-12 weeks, I have felt great.  Hardly any nausea, plenty of energy, only a couple weeks of food aversion.  Maybe it is because it is my first boy pregnancy, but I think it has to do more with working out regularly both before and since I became pregnant.  If only I had known the first two times around!  His heartrate at all ultrasounds so far has been comparable to what the girls had (in the 170's early on, now in the 150's) and is measuring exactly on target for my dates, also like the girls.  Hoping to stay well through the stress of the move (10 days!!!) and settling into life in Tucson.  

Coming out of retirement

It is going to be difficult to keep up on here in the coming weeks, but our lives are changing so much so fast that I felt I needed to at least make an effort to document the goings-on around here.

Greg is graduating from residency this coming weekend. After eight years, the end is finally here- and with it a new beginning. He signed on with Old Pueblo Anesthesia in Tucson back in October and will start August 2nd.

Which means we are moving, yet again, on July 4th, to our 6th home in 8 years. We are hoping to be in our forever home when we arrive, but are at the mercy of BofA to approve the short sale.

Ella graduated from Preschool and will start Kindergarden August 8th, full day, every day. She seems to be accepting of this arrangement, showing no nervousness, sadness, or worry about moving. I can't even imagine putting her on a bus before 7:30am, then not see her again until after 3pm. Surely it will be an adjustment for us all! As she says, she will only have to hear the baby cry in the evenings and weekends!

Yes, that's right, we're having a third kid. And it is a BOY kid. Somehow we beat the odds and will welcome the first boy to the family around Halloween.

We had a busy May, with finishing up school for both girls, travelling to Tucson to check out the house, vacationing in the Bahamas with the Franklins, and getting in some quality time with our friends before the big move.

Sadly, upon our return from Sun River, Hailey became very, very sick. She had a hard time walking when I picked her up at the kennel, and by the time the vet checked her out that night she could hardly stand up. We put her on strong steroids and antibiotics to try and treat whatever could have caused her condition. This thankfully gave us a couple days with her to prepare for saying goodbye. She most likely had cancer, and a tumor finally invaded her spinal cord between the shoulders and brain. The steroids brought down the inflammation enough for her to have one good day before deteriorating again. We said good bye at the vet on June 5. We all miss her so much, but remember all the good memories of her long and full life. So much adventure in the past 12 years, and she was there for it all.