Westward Ho!

Today was the day! Matt matched for fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. We are headed to his #1 pick...Rady Children's Hospital in SAN DIEGO!!! A picture of it is below...I must admit my focus was on the palm trees!

I am beyond excited and so incredibly proud of Matt! He has another year of residency here in Greenville, then we will head West to start fellowship August of 2013. So, that means you have one year to visit us in SC, then the following year to come see us in sunny Southern California! San Diego is beautiful and has SO much to offer for families, is in close proximity to picturesque La Jolla and only two hours for Los Angeles! Plus, hotel del Coronado is there! I must admit last time I was there I was single, spent my time clubbing downtown and hitting Jamba Juice mid-morning. I will have a much different experience this time around ;) Please join me in congratulating Matt on this HUGE accomplishment and say a prayer that our transition will go smoothly. This will include selling a house, finding affordable housing in pricey San Diego, locating quality schools for our children, and setting up everything in between. For now we will bask in our daydreams of the California sun and Matt's achievements!

Conversations with Dane

After a smooth audiology appointment for Blake this morning with all three kids in tow (yes, I am surprised as you are) we dropped him off at school. Upon getting into the van after doing so, Dane asked, "Mommy, can I see your phone." After being successful at hiding my new iPhone from Dane for several days he finally spotted it and wanted to play games. I said, "not right now." He responded, "I can have my own phone when I'm a Daddy." This blossomed into a conversation about what Dane will be able to do when he is a Daddy...

~Feed his sister
~Give his sister a bath
~Eat spicy foods (which he already does, maybe he will graduate to something like habaneros)
~Cook in the kitchen
~Go to work, which was then followed by me saying, "What are you going to be?" And the dreaded answer...

A Doctor. Hmm. Most parents would be beaming with pride. This Mom, the wife of a current resident, was biting her tongue. If this dream continues I am sure I will become supportive, proud and do whatever I can to guide him in the right direction to achieve this goal. Or provide him a bypass to business or law school.

9 Months

Time just keeps flying by...my sweet, busy baby girl is showing her desire for independence and introducing her sassy side! She is just about crawling and has even partially pulled up on a few things. She has decided to refuse all foods related to baby and insists on table foods, especially crunchy textures. Blair loves to explore her toys, has some killer fine motor skills (this OT Mom is not bragging at all, seriously! What Mom of 3 has time to work on this?!) and loves to yell and dance with her brothers. I have been warned about girls being sassy and I suppose we are getting our first taste of it! Blair now throws mini temper tantrums when something is taken away or she isn't allowed to pick something up. It is actually quite funny, but I'm sure in a few years I will think differently. Blair is just a delight and brings a lot of sunshine to our family! Happy 9 months sweet girl!

2,041 Miles

Our Spring Break was filled with family, friends and so many wonderful activities! We had fabulous food, laughed with family we had not seen in a very long time, played baseball and soccer, collected Easter eggs (and baskets!), enjoyed the outdoors and animals at a special park, did some catching up with old college friends and watched all of our children play together, went bowling, went shopping, explored in gardens (both flower & butterfly!), played with new toys, watched movies....so you can see after logging all of those miles and doing all of the above, I am totally exhausted, and will eventually post a photo album of our fun-filled travels and adventures!

Like Father, Like Son

With both boys now playing soccer my life as a soccer Mom has officially begun...

Honored

Along with dear friends, I had the honor of honoring this special person pictured above last night at a dinner here in Greenville. Catie is a dear friend that I was blessed to meet when we moved here for residency in 2008. She instantly made me feel a part of the group (her husband is a fellow ortho resident with Matt), part of the culture and has always seemed to know when to reach out to me when I needed friendship and comfort. Catie held my hand as I searched for those things you need in a new community...hairstylist, doctor, schools, etc. and just has this way of making you feel like the most important person in her life at that very moment in time you are with her. She has hosted a slew of parties, showers, playgroups...has planned endless mom's nights out and other various events for us and our families. All with impeccable style and warmth. My children think the world of Ms. Catie. It makes my heart smile the way Blake beams when he sees Catie, and he knows she genuinely loves him and believes in his abilities. I have learned to recognize that in him, and his relationship with Catie is truly special. There are so many things I am missing saying. All of these things I have mentioned she not only has done for me, but for everyone she meets. Catie gives all of herself to her family, her friends and to others. She is an amazing Mom with a beautiful family. She will be incredibly missed as they move to Jackson, MS, for her husband to begin fellowship this summer. I will never meet another person like Catie, but I am grateful to call her my friend and to share a birthday with her :) Thank you, Catie, for all you have given me and those you have touched in Greenville.

Taking the Leap!

I guess we are really doing this since Matt dropped off 60 of these flyers to all of the residency programs at the hospital! I have to admit I had fun making them. It allowed me to be creative for a moment and ignore household chores. Or did it? Considering household chores will become a constant now with the house on the market! We will put the sign in the yard after we return from our Spring Break travels the day before Easter. We have certainly priced it to sell and spiffied up the place, so with hope and a prayer away we go...