Birthday Party!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Blaise!

I can't believe that you are really two years old already!

We had a great time for the birthday party.

We all went swimming at the new water park by Grandma's house. There were slides, and fountains, and a lazy river. Roman took to the water like a fish, and swam around and around the lazy river. Blaise, although he enjoyed being held in the lazy river, preferred to splash in the fountains in the shallow water. Everyone has a lot of fun, especially everyone watching Brooks do belly flops (wow, I wish I had a picture of just how red his chest was afterwards and the welts on his arms, just for shock value). Blaise eventually got tired out, and spent the last hour at the pool sleeping in Daddy's lap.

Afterwards, we went to Grandma's house for the birthday lunch: pizza, watermelon, and cake! I made Blaise a monkey cake, for obvious reasons.

A monkey cake, for a monkey boy!


Blowing out your candles! (Look at that tongue)


Dad, Blaise, and Mom


Look at this beautiful family! Dad, Blaise, Roman, and Mom

Then, the presents!! Blaise got a stick horse, some books, and a bubble machine. The bubble machine was definitely the hit of the party.

Playing with bubbles (all 4000/minute)

All in all, what a great day with family to celebrate a darling little boy. I love you, Blaise!

Mount Timp

Well, almost...

On Friday, I went hiking with Rebekah, Leah, and Heber. We had a goal on summiting Mount Timpanogos. But since I had radiology presentations in the morning, and everyone was nice enough to wait until that was over, we got a late start. In fact, we didn't actually start on the trail until around 12:30. About one hour in, we revised our goal to make it to Emerald Lake, instead of the summit.

Rebekah and Leah, by the first fall

But the time went by faster than the distance did. So we didn't make it that far, either. (Rebekah said that if we considered the waterfalls our goal, we significantly outdid ourselves.)

Leah and me, by the second fall


Rebekah

The views were spectacular, even though they were not from the summit.



But we did see mountain goats, grouse, and a moose. And we had great company, a good time, and even now (two days later) only mildly sore calves and feet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLAISE!!

Blaise is TWO years old today!



And cuter than ever. He is so much fun, even on the days when the "terrible twos" shift into high gear.

I always joke that some people get a puppy to prepare for having children. And that having Blaise is like having a puppy. He chews on the furniture, tracks dirt through the house, and eats out of the garbage can. All jokes aside, he just gets more and more fun. He is talking so much now. He is also starting to say "Roman," not just "Bubba."

We are having his birthday party on Saturday, at Grandma's. So we will add hopefully more cute pictures at that time.

First Day of School

Roman started first grade yesterday. I had more anxiety over this one than I have over the other first day of schools. After all, he has to catch the bus to and from his day care, make sure he brings his homework home, and figure out how to work the cafeteria (Keith and I feel that sending him lunch from home would make the mornings even more chaotic).

It's a change for everyone, since we all need to be out the door before 8 am.

But Roman, like always, is getting through this like a champ. He's a little quiet right now about everything that is going on. But that's Roman.

So, just to be sentiment (as I'm entitled to as a mom):

Roman, on the first day of preschool...


Roman, on the first day of kindergarten...


And, now, Roman, on the first day of first grade...


That time has really flown by...

Summer Weekend

We had a great weekend. With summer almost over and school starting, we made the most of our time outside.
On Saturday, we took the boys to Liberty Park to swim in the fountains. They can run around, get wet, and be outside. A perfect combination.

On Sunday, we went to Wheeler Farm.



Every time we go, we bring bread to feed to the ducks and geese. It reminds me of the times my parents took my to the park in Reno to feed the Canadian geese.











I hope that my boys will have the same wonderful memories.

(Oh, and Blaise once again, got to throw rocks in the water.)

Transitions

Roman and Blaise have started at a new daycare. It was a difficult transition, since they were at their original daycare for over 18 months. That was the only place that Blaise had been left at while I went to school. But since Roman is starting first grade soon, we needed to find a place that would bus him to his new elementary school.
The new place is pretty good so far. Of course, there the difficult parts. Like Blaise crying because he doesn't know his teacher, and Roman not having any friends yet. But everyone is very friendly. Roman has been able to do a lot of field trips: gymnastics, swimming, and a movie at the planetarium. We will all have made the transition before we know it.
Like Roman said after the first day, "I almost got used to it today."

School is right around the corner. We met with Roman's first grade teacher earlier this week. She had Roman say the names of letters and numbers. I don't think I've ever seen him be so shy. He could barely look at her.

It's going to be a big change, but I think the boys will get through just fine. They are so much more resilient than I give them credit for.

Bell Canyon

On Saturday, we took the boys hiking up Bell Canyon. I only heard about this canyon about a month ago. The hike was a little steeper than we had anticipated, as Blaise couldn't hike it himself, and was carried the majority of the way up and down. However, the entire hike only took about three hours, and Roman hiked the whole way!
The views of the valley were great! It was a clear day.
And the lake and view of the mountains at the top were amazing as well.

I think there is a waterfall around the other side of the lake, but we didn't feel up to any more hiking with the boys. So, we'll save the waterfall for the next time up.
Blaise got to do his favorite thing in the world: stand on the shore and throw rocks into the water. He could literally do this for hours and hours.

Being able to do something like this in an afternoon is one of the great things about Salt Lake. Even though we live in the middle of the valley, we are never more than twenty minutes from trails, streams, and mountains.

Ready for School

Today, we took Roman to his new elementary school to register him for first grade. I can't believe that he is already in first grade. I had a hard enough time with kindergarten.
So, anyways, this was the first time that we have had to navigate the public school system ourselves. We showed up at the elementary school and were instantly overwhelmed by the lack of organization and direction. The paperwork suddenly felt overwhelming and confusing. I thought that the process would be much easier.
School is going to start in about two weeks. It is the official end of summer. And in many ways, the end of Roman being a little boy. When I used to get home early from work, I could pick my boys up early and spend more time with them. But now, I will have to wait until he is done.
The thought of Roman having to navigate the school system, including buses, school lunches, and the much larger school itself is very scary to me. He seems very young.
Roman is very excited though. He likes the school (it has a fish tank.)

Speaking of education, many of you already know me opinion about how science is taught. My dad sent me a fantastic article. See the attached link. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/opinion/13judson.html?th&emc=th

Wild Days

Saturday was a busy family day.
We took Roman and Blaise to Hogle Zoo. I love going to the zoo. It feels like a timeless summer activity.
Every time we go, it is fun to see which animal the boys get most excited about. For Roman, it was the snakes. He was absolutely amazed by the rattles on the rattlesnakes and by the size of the boa constrictor. For Blaise, it was the crocodiles.
We also took the boys to the bird show. Unfortunately, by that time, it was after Blaise's nap time. So we spent most of the show just trying to keep Blaise from running into the people sitting in front of us and being patient with his crying.
Overall, Roman and Blaise did seem to have a great time.










In the evening, we all went over to Grandma Bonnie's house for town day fireworks. The display is great for such a small town. It is so much fun to walk down to the pond and see the fireworks reflected in the water.
This year wasn't quite as relaxed. There was a lot of lightening we could see across the pond, and as the fireworks started, so did the rain. It poured on us as we huddled under blankets. But despite the downpour, it was amazing to see fireworks and lightening in the sky at the same time.

Another Rotation

I've just started my radiology rotation. I'm only three days into it, so I can't really make any discrete opinions about it. However, as first impressions go, it is very interesting (like literally solving picture puzzles), but a little monotonous. As some of you may know, I am currently in the whirlwind process of putting my application together for residency. I'm creating my CV (fancy name for resume), writing my personal statement, and requesting letters of recommendation. The personal statement is turning out to be an especially painful process. Back to the real world, the boys and I are soaking up every last bit of summer that we can. Already I can tell that summer is on its way out and it will not be long before the cold weather locks us back indoors.

Getting Started

I've finally decided to start a blog. Not that I really have time for this. But I know that with the craziness of residency just around the corner, now is as good any time. I'm hoping to be able to brag about my boys, keep in touch with my family, and let you all know how we are coping with the impending changes.

I hope to hear from you soon.