Merry Christmas Adam!

Adam, I hope you like the updates of our blog! I am finally contributing! I love you!
Love, Laurie Jean

Jumping Beam!

Daisy is so full of energy that often times I hear her say, "Jumpy! Jumpy!" while she hops up and down. Tonight while preparing dinner I noticed that Daisy was saying something while squatting down real low and then bursting up with a great big jump. A few moments later I realized she was saying, "Sun - Beam! for Jesus!"

Daddy's Girl

Lately Daisy has turned into a huge "Daddy's Girl." She loves to play with Daddy and to ride on his shoulders any chance she gets. She runs and gives him a big hug when he arrives home and hates to see him leave in the morning. Today as Adam was getting ready to leave, she climbs into my arms and says in a sad tone, "I want my Daddy stay here!"

To Your Room

This morning while nursing Lucy on the couch Daisy came to lay next to me. After several unkind leg thrusts I told her she needed to get off the couch and abruptly lifted her down. Daisy then started to cry on the floor. Fred, who had witnessed the whole thing, said, "Mommy, you need to be nice to Daisy or you'll have to go to your room."

Our Little Puppy Dog

Lucy is a couple weeks shy of being 6 months old and she is as happy, cheerful, and giggly as ever. She likes to roll around on the ground from her back to her front & from her front to her back while pivoting and maneuvering her way around. This morning while I was getting ready for the day I put Lucy, surrounded by pillows, on her back on my unmade bed. A few moments later I glanced in her direction just in time to see her on her stomach lowering her head down to the bed and coming up with a mouthful of sheet. She looked just like a little puppy dog!

Scary Moments

After nap time I was putting in The Fox and the Hound for the kids to watch. Fred, knowing how sensitive Daisy gets while watching intense and scary moments (intense and scary for Disney that is!), says, "Daisy, it has a bear! It will be scary, OK?" Daisy replies, "Ok, I close my eyes."

Sharing

Daisy was getting upset with Fred for stealing licks from her Halloween Ring Lollipop. With every lick she told him, "No!" Finally with an an irritated look on his face Fred said, "But Kaarina from my class (his nursery teacher) said you need to share!"

Sleepin without Jamas

After an action packed, fun filled weekend at Disney World we were making the long car ride home. The kids were watching a DVD in the dark backseat of the car when Fred said, "Dais?"
Daisy: "Yeah!"
Fred: "What ya doin?"
Daisy: "Sleepin."
Fred: "You can't go to sleep yet! You don't have your 'jamas on."
Daisy: "Oh!"

Little Elephants

Yesterday Laurie was driving through Brigham City with the kids. As she was driving, she noticed a field with several cows grazing. All of a sudden, from the back seat Fred hollered "Look Mommy, Little Elephants!!!"

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

Daisy was playing around in our master bathroom as I was getting ready this morning. She kept admiring herself in the mirror of our sliding closet door. A little while later I watched as she moved closer and closer to the glass until it was right in front of her and then gave her reflection several kisses before peaking around the door to the other side.

Daddy's Tie

Fred came into the kitchen holding a button that he found. I told him thank you for bringing it to me. He then said, "This is Daddy's!" I said, "Oh really?" Then Fred said matter-of-factly, "Yes! It's for his tie."

Potty Trains

Recently Fred has shown a lot of interest in going potty. I keep saying that I need to start potty training him, but for one reason or another I keep pushing it off. This morning, however, Fred came into the living room holding his "Thomas the Train" underpants and said, "Mommy, I want my potty trains." So I have bit the bullet and we have begun.

The Big Chase

One of Daisy's favorite things to do has been to scoot around in her little walker. She can really get moving in it, but has a hard time making the turns. Unfortunately she has run over several of our toes as she careens around the house. Fred has also received some injuries from our little reckless driver. This has caused quite a bit of pain and has made Fred just a little jumpy. Now whenever Fred is barefoot and Daisy comes in his general direction he either quickly takes cover or takes off at a dead run screeching at the top of his lungs. This of course only motivates Daisy even more as she squeals and takes off in hot pursuit.

Role Reversal

The other night I was dog tired and laid down on the bed as Laurie and the kids were getting ready for bed. When Fred came in and saw me he hollered at Laurie "Mommy, sing to Daddy." When Laurie came in Fred wanted to sing "Child of God", so they sang and he wanted to sing "Temple" (I love to see the Temple). Then Fred covered me up with some blankets and gave me a kiss on the forehead and said "Night, night Daddy" and walked out the door.

The Wonder Bandaid

As Fred was playing yesterday he came across a box of bandaids. He came to me and said "Daddy, Owie!" I asked him if he needed a bandaid and he said "Yeah" I asked him where he hurt and he pointed to his left leg and said "Right there." I picked him up and set him down on the chair, then got a bandaid ready for him. Then I asked where he hurt. "Right there" he said, pointing to the other leg.

How Kids Travel

Living in Nevada, so far away from family, we have logged a lot of time in the car. Over our many trips we have noticed some trends in the way that our kids travel. For example:

Pushing his Luck

Yesterday as we were driving, Laurie handed Fred a starburst. Fred politely thanked her and began to unwrap it. Then he said "I want two of them." Laurie had several in her lap so she handed him a second. After only hesitating for a second Fred said "I want four of them!"

Update on Psych Rotation

So here I am nearing the end of my Psychiatry rotation. For the record things finally did pick up and I was able to see some interesting cases and learn a bit about the human mind. With that said, I can't say that it has piqued my curiosity enough to pursue a career in the field. Perhaps it is the clinic that I have been rotating at, or perhaps it is who I have been working with, but despite the exceptional work hours it just isn't for me. It is just a bit too depressing for me when I look back at the end of day and contemplate all of the patients with major depression, suicide attempts, substance abuse and so forth that I have seen. With that said, the mind is an extremely interesting thing. It sure makes me appreciate the many blessings that I have been given.

Guess Who

Last Monday during Family Home Evening we were talking about how we ought to pray as a family. Laurie showed Fred a picture of a random family kneeling in family prayer and asked "Fred, do you know who this is?" Fred pointed to the dad and said "Adam", then pointed to the mom and said "Laurie." Laurie asked if the little boy was Daisy. With a look that had 'are you kidding me?' written all over it he said "Noooooooooo!" Laurie asked who it was and he said, "Fred."

"Baby Flowers"

Fred has always called Daisy "Baby". We think that it is because they sound so close to the same that he thinks we are saying the same thing. We didn't realize to what extent his association between the two was until we were reading one of his books the other day and he pointed to some daisies and said "Look Daddy, "Baby Flowers!"

1st Rotation - Psychiatry

I just finished my first week of rotations. I got lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) to get Psychiatry first. So far it has been incredibly action packed (sarcasm added). I arrived Tuesday morning and worked on paperwork and badging all morning, but was told I couldn't do much without my badge that I would receive the next day so I could go home after lunch. Wednesday morning I started the morning by chatting with Dr. Timnak for a couple of hours. Then I attended a group therapy session which was kind of interesting. After lunch, the patient we were supposed to see didn't show up, so I was sent home at 1:30. Thursday was Air Force Family Day (A holiday) so we didn't work and Friday was the 4th of July. So, after my first week of rotations, I have spent and hour and half in a group therapy session. I sure hope I get to see some patients during this rotation!

Summer 2008 Hebdolympics!

The results of the 3rd semiannual Hebdolympics, held at Jacob Lake, AZ during this summer's family vacation, are just in. The winners (and current holders of the coveted Golden Goblet) are none other than Mom and Dad. With a combined stellar performance by Dad in nearly every event and Mom taking it for the team in "Fear Factor" they squeaked ahead through a very narrow race for the title. Here's the lowdown on the rest of the competition.

Dad and Adam tied for first place in the "Iron Chef" competition with their Olympic rings and tractor pancakes. Other impressive creations included an impressive impression of Jacob Lake complete with pine tree (Mom), Volleyball (Laurie), a map of the United States (Jason), a portrait of the infamous Juanita (the most infamous of Honda civics by Kiley), a cat (or butterfly depending on who you asked by Tom), a worm (I mean snake by Jamie), and a beautiful flower (Maren).

Adam swept "Square of Fortune" (Boggle) by finding stink on the board, although he missed stinker and stinkier that really would have gotten some good points.

Dad showed what a sportsman he is in "Deadliest Catch" (Go Fish) to further the lead, then went on to easily eliminate the competition in "Biggest Loser" (Soda guzzling contest) with Tom and Jason coming in a close second and third.

Without a doubt, the most memorable of events was "Fear Factor" (Oyster eating contest) with absolutely phenomenol performances by Kiley, Mom and Jamie (Please see pictures for further details).



Later the next day Adam, Laurie, Tom, and Jamie showed their athletic prowess as champions of the Hebdon "World Series" (Softball) and Tom, Adam, Jason and Dad competed in Homerun Derby.

Jason and Kiley won "Antique Roadshow" (Nature treasure hunt) with Jason's Geode and bird's nest and Kiley's Horny Toad. Other cool stuff found were the Grand Canyon (Actually, we don't think Dad really found it, but he did show us how to get there so we gave him credit for it), Jacob Lake (if it weren't for Mom we never would have know it existed), absolutely spectacular cocoon (Adam), caterpillars (Laurie and Maren), Jason's Geode after he set it down (Tom), and a Nylon (Jamie - you'll have to ask her about it).

Unfortunately, due to time constraints we were unable to compete in "Mythbusters", "Survivor", "American Idol", "You've Got Talent", and "Deadliest Catch II".

We had a great time with everyone and lots of fun camping and enjoying Jacob Lake and the Grand Canyon. Matt and Meg were greatly missed, but we expect the competition to increase with their talent next season. It definitely was a superb vacation and we look forward to the next. We anticipate that all Hebdolympians will be training extensively in the coming months as they continue their quest for the ever coveted Golden Goblet!

Frog In His Throat

This morning as I was getting Fred dressed he let out a very loud belch. I looked down at him and said "Oh my!" He looked up and with a smile said "Ribbit!"

1/2 Way Done with Med School!

Well, it's official. I am 1/2 way done with medical school! I finished my COMLEX Board Exam today (that's the licensing exam for Osteopathic Medical Schools). What a relief. It was without a doubt, the toughest exam I have ever taken. 8 Hours of sheer misery. I am so glad that is done. Now it is just another 6 weeks of nail biting in suspense as I wait to hear if I passed or not. All in all, I felt that I did OK on it, but I sure didn't ace it. Let's just hope that I passed it!

Daisy Sits Up!

Today, for the first time ever, Daisy sat up by herself! (That's big news for us) Still no crawling yet, but she sure can wiggle her way just about wherever she wants to go. She really gets around fast in her little walker. She follows Laurie around the house all day, pulling books off the shelves, sucking on low hanging towels and chasing Fred around. Fred has a wary eye because Daisy has run over his feet a number of times. Why crawl when you can run?