Catching up

It has been a few months since I have taken time to update this blog. I'm not even sure if very many people even read it. But, for the sake of having a small history of our little family, I will keep it up.

Matt. Matt graduated from residency in June. We are so EXCITED!! He received best resident award which and received a plaque for it. He has worked so hard these last five years and spent so much extra time studying and staying late for surgeries, clinics, and helping out others. He has now started his fellowship in shoulder and elbow. His program is ranked in the top ten in the US for orthopedics so we are glad to know that this year is going to be well worth the extra schooling.

Erin. I have been busy being mom and wife. Since last January until June I spent many, many hours painting, fixing, stripping, priming, more painting, a house to get it ready to sell. For my efforts we sold our house in a slow market in less than three weeks. I will not discount all of Matt's help. He worked hard when he wasn't at the hospital. The summer has been well spent visiting all of our family who we now miss a ton. I look forward to this next year to be able to NOT focus on painting a house. I have been spending lots of time with the kiddos. I look forward to doing some sewing, updating this blog, spending more time with my husband and children, baking (and learning to make better gf food).

Abbie. Abigail is as smart as ever. She has become such a big help. She does many of her chores without complaint. She is perceptive and athletic. She loves gymnastics and has been perfecting headstands. She is a fantastic reader and will be blowing away her teachers in a few weeks.

Porter. Ever the builder he is always taking boxes, plastics, nails, glue, etc. to build things. He has made fairy houses, leprechaun traps, and many other things. He loves to build and explore. He has been a frequent visitor to our creek at the bottom of our driveway. His reading has come a long way and he is clearly ahead of his age level. He will read every night to Chase before bed.

Makelle. M loves everything purple and pink. She has taken to art and spends hours coloring pictures. She enjoys dressing up as a princess and anything fancy. She is a happy girl and is having a hard time being patient as he learns to read. She wants to be as good as Abbie and Porter already.

Chase. He fits his name. He talks, A LOT. He loves everything boy, sticks, dirt, rocks, mud. He loves to chase his sisters and brother. He believes he is the comedian. . . and we think so too.

As for our summer we have moved into a rental house into the Northeast. I believe more and more I have strong country blood flowing in my veins. I can't wait to go back and buy my land. I am thrilled to be able to have land so I can cut down all the trees and see my beloved sky. I miss my sky.

We have traveled through Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. We are glad to be stable in one place but greatly miss our family and friends so far away.

We enjoy our house. It is open and welcoming upstairs with skylights and several windows. I need as much light as possible. We are in a nice area and have enjoyed exploring it. It has rained and rained and rained and rained. We are hoping for a drought for the rest of the year (Abbie says, we don't want a drought, hmmm.. I think we have plenty of moisture).

I am going to add some pictures of our adventures this summer. We had a blast!

My nose

I was snuggling Chase for his nap. He had his eyes closed and then opened them, took his finger and touched my nose.

Chase: Mommy, your nose is beautiful (emphasis of a 2 year old added).

Mommy: Thank you.

What do you say to that. I love my baby boy. I now know who to go to if I need a boost on the condition of my nose.

Picture update, no words

Goodbye House

We will move from our first home in a few weeks. She has been a beautiful home and we have enjoyed her and improved her. We have loved our neighbors and the beautiful neighborhood. It is hard to believe that it has been five years that we have owned this home and added two to our family since then. We have had three of our four children take dive in the pond and scared us silly. We have learned how to gut a kitchen and then put it back together along with a bathroom, how to take out carpet, how to paint, how to paint (I think I have painted most rooms twice). We have also learned that hills and lawn mowers don't always go together, Oak trees are NOT our friends, Hydrangeas are one of the most beautiful of flowers, and how many things that we can do that we don't need a professional to help us with.

It's funny how when you look at something how big it seems and then after it has passed how quickly it happens. I didn't think five years would ever be over, and here they are. Time passes as a dream.

This is my friend

This is my friend, David, they are talking about. There is hope that he is alive and will someday come home.