Spring

 Where have we been?... March has come and gone and spring is here! I love, love, love springs. I love cherry blossoms and colorful tulips spring forth out of the ground. I love the cool sunny weather and I especially love pastel colors.

We had a busy month in March. Acalias and I flew out to Utah for two weeks. Traveling has become more adventurous now that my little toddler must be entertained. Thankfully we had one layover, Acalias walked and walked and walked so he was too tired to put up a fight to get his wiggles out.

We spent lots of time with family, it's always so much fun to watch how Acalias interacts with his cousins.

My siblings and I had been preparing and planning for mom's surprise 50th birthday. Mom was surprised and we had a wonderful time sharing our favorite memories of her, playing games and feasting on traditional Polynesian food.

Acalias got his first hair cut too!

We enjoyed spending time with family.

I also took a ton of pictures of my family, check out my Website!

Now that It's mid-April I'm finally easing up on my marathon training. Since January I've been running 45-50 miles a week and strength/weight training 3-5 days a week. The time commitment has been like a part-time job but I've really enjoyed it. Several weeks ago I ran 21 miles maintaining an 8:40 pace (flat terrain no hills at all), I was so thrilled! I've learned a few tricks that have kept me from burning out and crashing. I'm excited to see how well I do in my marathon 12 days away!!

Mandy and I after her first 20 miles, we were thrilled, she is preparing for her first marathon!

I took this pic below last week during our 16 miler run, West Virginia has some beautiful scenic sites.

Acalias is growing and learning so much. He loves animals, 

in these pictures he spotted a dog and it made him so happy.

The simplest things me this little boy so happy. This year he had a blast finding Easter eggs. 

Derek has just completed his 2nd round of rotations in Internal Medicine with Cardiology and Nephrology and is currently rotating in Geriatrics. We enjoy seeing him when he is not so busy. Soon we will be making major decisions as to where we will do his residency after graduation May 2013. Our current top pics are: 

1. San Antonio, TX, and Dallas, TX             2. SLC, UT           3. Kansas City, KA

I just pray that we will get into the residency that will be the best fit for our family. 

For Easter we didn't do anything too extravagant. We didn't even have to buy anything, Acalias and I took advantage of the City Egg hunt and friends invited us over for their egg hunts. We're trying to think of creative ways to celebrate the true reason for the season. 

And of course, I had to make myself another dress. 

check out the actual pattern I used.

I look forward to posting the results of how awesome I do in my marathon in several weeks:)

November News

Derek completed his Surgery Rotation!

It  was really tense and really difficult to be positive while being yelled out all day for four weeks.

He starts his E.R Rotation on Monday and he is very excited for it.

I'm constantly playing referee, in this house it's Acalias vs.Skofield.

Guess it's preparation for what life will be like with a second child. Not going to happen for another 3 years!

Acalias believes that Skoey's toys are his, and he refuses to share his own toys. The other day Skofeild suddenly started going ballistic, when I came to check on them Acalias had put Skoeys toys into his toy which made it impossible for Skofeild to get back. Wish I caught it on tape, it was a ridiculous argument between the two.

Skofeild believes that whenever Acalias gets a treat, he merits one as well. He will chase Acalias around the house and nudge him and even eat food right out his hand. Drives me nuts but maybe Skoeys actions will help Acalias become a sharing person in the future. 

I registered for this this marathon on April 28, 2012!!!

Two days after I signed up for it, my treadmill  of 5 years died on me. Great....I felt so disheartened, it's been two weeks. I linked up with the local running group and have been running harder then I ever have (8:30 min/miles) in my life! Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, one of the runners said "I hope you don't take offence to this but I'm glad that your treadmill broke down!". Everyone is super friendly, we meet at 4:50 am weekdays and 6:30am weekends. Crazy I know, I never thought I'd be running in freezing cold weather so early in the morning, but I've enjoyed it very much. I wear this headlamp and this reflective vest and Skofeild wears this! I'm confident that I will reach my goal of running the marathon in less than 5 hours this time around. 

Derek and I have decided that Heavenly Father created  toddlers extra cute because they get it to so much trouble. Just when I think that Acalias couldn't get any cuter he does. He also is into everything, he loves the drawers in the kitchen and bathroom. Just recently he has learned the discomforts of a poopy diaper. He will notify us of this by sticking  his finger in his diaper and shoving his finger along with it's bodily contents in our faces...gross! We love him though here are some recent fun clips of him.

Pucker lips!

It's been a Pumpkin bonanza in this household this month. We purchased a huge pumpkin that we never got around to carving so I steamed it and pureed it. We had 5 bags of it in the freezer so we've tried out these recipes and loved them: creamy pumpkin soup, low fat pumpkin bread with pepitas replaced the pepitas with mini chocolate chips, low fat pumpkin chocolate chip cookies,  pumpkin spiced oatmeal pecan cookies, crockpot turkey white bean pumpkin soup

I made my first dress! I've made skirts & shirts in the past but never anything that I really loved.  I purchased a bunch of patterns on sale and made this dress that I'm so excited about.

Pattern $3.59 +  1 1/2 yards fabric $7.58+ thread $2.99= $14.00 Sweet deal eh! 

No more coveting Kate Middleton, Alison Sweeney (Host for The Biggest Loser reality show), Kelli Williams (Dr. Gilllian Foster-Lie To Me cast member) Michelle Obama, Jackie Kennedy Onassis type dresses, I will create my own style with a vintage flare!

House Hunting

Derek had Spring Break this past week and we had planned to visit Pittsburgh, PA and hunt for housing in Clarksburg. Derek studied for COMLEX on Monday and Tuesday while I recovered from my Florida trip. We then traveled toward Clarksburg on Wednesday, it was a long drive and when the rain started coming down hard we decided to rent a hotel and spend the night.
Although Clarksburg is a bigger city, they don't have many rental options for inquiring renters. We picked up the local paper and called on the listings but most apartments had a 35lb limit for pets. I felt a knot form in my stomach thinking about the lack of options due to our dog (aka our first child). As we continued down the small list several managers allowed pets but only with a $325-$700 non-refundable pet deposit. We were hopeful and checked out a few places and this is what we found...


Please excuse Derek's unsteady hand, the elements made it tougher than usual.

If you think that's bad it only got worse from there. Not only would I have to worry about Acalias, Skofeild or myself potentially getting hit by a speeding semi truck but some of the rentals should have been condemned. I rented far better when I visited Costa Rica for 5 months and Tonga for 3 weeks, countries that are considered 3rd world!

Towards the end of the night we felt hopeless. We picked up a magazine for homes for sale and thought maybe that option would be better for us. The average rentals that we looked at were $600-$800.00. I felt like the rental rate was increased for the non-locals, not only was the housing terrible but the economy isn't that great in such a rural area. We searched for homes in the $35,000-$50,000 price range, if we found a home our mortgage would have been anywhere from $211-350. We wrote a list of all the homes we'd like to visit, said our prayers and went to bed.

The following morning we called more listings in the papers and a few Realtors. We visited a few homes and they were all in bad shape but a whole lot better than the rentals we had found. The homes were 10 minutes away from the hospital but I still didn't feel right about it. I had been a housing counselor for a year and I can recall many clients who purchased houses in the price range we were looking into. Most of them returned, overwhelmed with the amount of work they had to put into their new homes on top of paying higher utilities, taxes and so forth. I didn't want to get ourselves into a similar situation. That evening we didn't feel like we had covered much so we decided to stay another night. We discussed the pros and cons of purchasing a home, said our prayers and went to bed.

Acalias thinking 'Wasn't I wearing shorts a few days ago Mom? Why is it so cold? More time in my darn car seat again mommy?'


The next morning,we called a few more listings but the people didn't want to show their apartments until Saturday. We received a phone call from Derek's friends' Aunt(a local realtor)she had contacted a manager of a four-plex and scheduled a meeting to see the house at noon. We were elated to finally have the opportunity to walk through an apartment after several days of peeping in windows. As soon as we drove up to the complex we were both happy as can be. The neighborhood was clean, the streets were paved and the lawns were maintained (very uncommon out here in WV). We were shown the home and we LOVED it! It's two levels, two spacious bedrooms, a large kitchen, washer and dryer hook ups and 1.5 bathrooms. The manager will even accept Skofeild with no deposit. We were offered the apartment, it won't be ready until mid-May which works out perfect.

This is it! I'm excited for all the natural light, we've lived in basement apartments and our current apartment doesn't have very many windows. Notice the concrete driveway!!

Feeling so happy, even Acalias can sense it!

I am relieved. I have a wide road to run on or a paved trail 4 minutes away. I have neighbors near by. I have a ton of options for socializing just a few minutes away. I didn't see any big rusty loud trucks with confederate flags hung on their back windows. I felt safe. I feel blessed. I know the Lord knows our needs and he hears our prayers and for that I am very thankful.

Gratitude

For the past couple of month several months we have been touring potential rotation sites. Tonight was the final site selection sign up. The school provided dinner for us and our spouses picked out their chosen sites. Our site ended up going to lottery, thankfully Derek’s name was the second paper pulled out of the hat (we are so blessed!). We will be relocating to Clarksburg, WV in June 2011!! We’re excited, I’m ready for a bigger city with sidewalks and Derek is ready to start practicing what he’s learned for the past two years.

These were taken during Hospital Day at the Greenbrier Hotel. The Hospitals gather together and try to recruit students to rotate at their hospital. Acalias was very impressed by the Christmas tree.



We had a great Thanksgiving break. We decided to stay home because we have been traveling so much during the past couple of months. Last year I had plans to prepare our first thanksgiving dinner but my morning sickness was at its peak and I didn’t have enough energy. This year, Derek and I watched the Food Network Channel and found a lot of great ideas.

I’ve been dying to use the China and crystal glasses I had received as a wedding gift. Check out our spread! We were especially proud of our Turkey. Thank goodness for the Food Network Channel, otherwise we would have tried to cook a partially thawed turkey.




The stuffing recipe called for Chestnuts, Derek and I had never tasted Chestnuts before and they are so delicious! We’ve added a new tradition of roasting chestnuts as part of our Thanksgiving traditions. Last year we started a thankful box, we write things that we are thankful for throughout the month and read them after dinner on Thanksgiving Day. This year we are most thankful for our son Acalias, he has been such a blessing to have in our home.

Acalias turned 5 months on the 25th. He still eat so much and we’ve tried to introduce solids as our Doctor has suggested but he would much rather eat mommas milk.



Thunder thighs!

He loves the lights on the Christmas tree, we're excited to take him to Temple square to see the lights there.

He loves to pull on his little toes

Close up shot of his rash, he's been miserably itchy lately but it's getting better.

Site Tours

The past couple of weeks we have traveled to several site locations. Ashland, KY, Princeton & Huntington, WV.

Derek really liked Ashland because he would get to rotate with 3 PM&R (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) doctors, a specialty that he is really interested in. The head resident gave us a great tour of the hospital. It was the first tour where we were actually taken into departments rather than showed the hallway leading to ER or the door leading to Pediatrics. We were able to see the equipment Derek would be learning on. The town seemed family friendly; I even spotted a mall…a real mall with shops that are open inside! Another added bonus is that I’d have another one of my roommates 3 hours away in Louisville, KY.

Princeton seemed nice as well it was a lot bigger than Lewisburg. While Derek toured the hospital, I visited with the Watsons who just moved there for their rotation in June. Acalias played with the kids while I got the scoop about where to eat, fun places for kids to play and pricing for homes and rentals.

Huntington is home to one of the biggest party schools in the East, Marshall University. The hospital seemed old and run down. It was located in the city, it felt constricting as if they had run out of space to build. I bypassed the tour due to the repulsive smells I encountered even before the tour began. The plus side about Huntington is their great selection of restaurants. We ate at an amazing Indian restaurant, every bite was heavenly! On our way home I counted 6 Gentlemen’s clubs on one street. Derek and I agreed that (aside from the great food) the town didn’t seem to fit what we’re looking for.


Where am I? Why am I still in my car seat mommy?

Acalias did well during our travels as long as his basic needs were met. After our tour in Ashland, KY we sat in a meeting room so that the students can ask questions. Acalias was farting so loud it was hard to believe they had come from a 3 month old little boy! I had to change him three times during that tour; thank goodness the restrooms had a changing table (a rare commodity on this side of the country).

Lately Acalias has been rejecting bottles and binkies. Hopefully he learns to accept a bottle before we travel in December; I can’t always breastfeed on demand in public. He has opted to suck his thumb. I’m constantly replacing his thumb with his binky to avoid a habit that might not ever end.

Giving up the good to go for the GREAT

Derek brought home a guide for rotation site selections. Once this year is completed the students will fulfill two years as rotatees before beginning their four year residency. The tours will begin August 28Th and every weekend has a different site scheduled for touring. I'm excited to move to a new area, my only request is side walks to run on. Derek would like to move into a bigger town, hopefully a bigger town will have sidewalks. The following are some areas that Derek is interested in: South West- Ashland, KY, Central-Parkersburg, WV, South East-Princeton WV. We will be traveling a lot in the next few months. We hope to find a site that we both enjoy.

This week I signed up for my first post pregnancy 1/2 marathon. I had been wanting to run the Suntrust race in Richmond,VA since I read in the Runners World magazine that it was ranked one of the top marathons. This will be the biggest race I've ever run (as far as participating runners). I'm quiet excited! Now that I've committed myself and paid the hefty registration fee, I'm motivated to train harder! I'd like to beat my previous 1/2 marathon time of 2:07. I have a long road ahead of me, I need to strengthen my core muscles and lengthen my stride because I'm as slow as a turtle right now. Here is our little boy in his sporting gear, he's ready to go out for a run with mommy. Good thing Acalias loves being outside, when he's fussy a run outside calms him down. Acalias loves to look around at his surroundings but he typically falls asleep after about ten minutes. It's an adjustment to run with a stroller, I'm so used to pumping my arms to help me get into the rhythm of running. I leave Skofeild at home, it's too much work to push a stroller and control a dog. Most people have dogs around here so Skofeild is constantly getting riled up so I'd rather leave him home. As for an update on our herb garden, our basil grew beautifully and our oregano is sprouting out a few leaves. We finally decided to use our allotted date money (which we never use because there is nothing to do out here) on some fine dining. We purchased the ingredients for pesto and Derek bought some t-bone steaks (we eat steak twice a year at most) We used spaghetti squash rather than pasta and boy this meal was so delish! We love good food and we both love to cook, this meal was so easy to prepare. I was never big into red meat but I think my husband has converted me. It's funny to think that I was so anti meat during my entire pregnancy. I told Derek I was turning into a vegetarian but now I can't get enough meat to eat. Here a few of my favorite pictures from last week. Our little one is growing so fast! Guess who has found his hands?, He is now using him to pacify himself when he's hungry. It's funny because he doesn't really cry out, when I hear him scarfing at his hands at 3 am I know it's time to feed him. He is starting to coo a little bit, I love to hear his little voice and see him smile. We have tons of video footage but for some reason, the blog won't let me upload them. Any suggestions? Any help will be much appreciated.

Anticipation

Derek has been anticipating his last day of school for weeks now. On Friday, he had his last exam and he has successfully, officially finished his first year of medical school! Only 3 more years until he graduates and another 4 years completing a residency, time has flown by and I know the remaining years will fly by as well.

I surprised him with balloons and his favorite candies. On Saturday we drove to Beckley (45 min) to celebrate at the Outback Steakhouse. Derek hasn't been eating much meat my entire pregnancy so we thought he deserved a steak. I ordered the pasta and we were both very pleased with our meal.

Derek will be starting his research with Dr. Bridges on Tuesday, June 1st. He will be conducting research detecting diabetes, the analase marker will determine who is more likely to be predisposed to diabetes. We both wish that we could travel back home to visit but with the baby due date coming up we will be spending the entire summer here. All of our friends will be visiting home...we are so envious that they get to see their families.

Speaking of baby, our Doctor continues to tell us that our baby is very large (even with the sugar free diet!). It's still too early to determine whether or not I need to be induced. I feel like my skin can't stretch any more than it has but every week I grow a little bigger. My energy has been sapped by the heat, this entire week has been in 90's. I feel like a beached wale...my body is collapsing under all the baby weight. It's official, my hands and feet are swollen. I'm really sad that I can't wear my wedding ring. I'd still be wearing it if my husband hadn't scared me into taking it off, he knows of people who have had to get their rings cut off due to severe swelling. I'm happy that my husband will be available to help more. The last time we went shopping at Wal-mart I lasted 30 minutes on my feet before I had to sit down. I feel like I do calf raises all day, my legs seem to always be throbbing with some sort of discomfort.

I treated myself to a pedicure, I thought it would help these swollen feet look a little better.

My swollen hands, my ring size was once 5 1/2 but this band is a size 7 (I used to wear it on my middle finger and it was still loose, not anymore!)
Your probably wondering, what's up with the ridiculously long nails? I'm always the first to tell my mom to cut her nails (I take after her when it comes to my hands) I'm just seeing how long they actually get before the baby gets here. I'll cut him once he arrives, I wouldn't want to scratch him:)

Latest profile picture taken today.

To those who visit, I apologize ahead of time. I typically sweep the floor at least once a day due to the pet hair that drives me nuts!...I have let that go. The office, I don't even try to maintain a clean space anymore...I have let that go. Our kitchen, I can't stand dirty dishes in the sink, counter space taken up by left out food and the kitchen table which has been converted into my sewing workspace. Fabric scraps, fur, crumbs are tossed about the floor...yes, I have let that go as well. Laundry gets washed and dried but often stays in the dryer for a couple days before I get around to folding it. I literally feel so sapped of energy that I barley manage to cook up meal (Derek has been doing most of the cooking even during his hectic schedule with school). I know I'm making myself out to sound like a lazy nag but its just been this way for the past couple of weeks. This week I set goals to wake up early enough to resume walking for at least 30 minutes a day. I have my husband as a work out buddy now too:)

Hard Work Pays Off!

This week Derek was accepted into the Sigma Sigma Phi National Honorary Osteopathic Fraternity. I'm especially proud because there were times when we were applying for Medical School that we felt discouraged. Several people suggested he try looking into other career options and some flat out told him that many don't make it. I can recall our frustrations when he wasn't accepted into medical school after applying the first year. The following year, we were so thankful to get into West Virgina's Osteopathic School. Now that we are here, we realize the Lords hand in our lives in specifically directing us here. Everything fell into place as far as finding a place to live, having sufficient savings to move and meeting great people once we arrived here. The school couldn't be any better, it continually ranks top 10 in the Nation. The little town isn't so bad (although I still have my occasional complaints). Overall, we are happy. I think about the other schools that we wanted to get into so bad and I really don't think we would have been as happy(as far as school curriculum & overall learning experience).

The following pictures were taken before the Sigma Sigma Phi inauguration dinner:


Can you tell my husband loves getting his picture taken? Here is saying "OK...I'll take a picture...but I don't want to!


This is the letter he received that notified him that he was accepted...just one day before the inauguration dinner. We almost thought that he didn't get accepted.

Derek attended the inauguration dinner last Wednesday. He was feeling bombarded with all the studying he still needed to complete and he's been under the weather for some time now. He wasn't as excited to attend as I thought he would be. Once he attended the dinner and returned he was content.

He learned more about Sigma Sigma Phi's objectives and purposes, which are: To further the Science of Osteopathic Medicine and its standards of practice, to improve the scholastic standing and promote a higher degree of fellowship among its students, to bring about a closer relationship and understanding between the student bodies and the officials and members of the faculties of our colleges, and to foster allegiance to the American Osteopathic Association and to perpetuate these principles and the teachings through the maintenance and development of this organization.

Derek was surprised that not all the students that he had interviewed with were accepted. He said that the organization is truly seeking out those who will make a difference in the world. He said that he felt special at the dinner, it was nice to mingle with the professors that are a part of the organization. They have a lot of service activities that they are excited to about this next year.


The pin he received


His certificate, that we have proudly hung in our office.



I'm so proud of him. I'm glad we didn't let other peoples discouragement and pessimism hinder his ability to get accepted and to excel in medical school. I will never try to hinder someone else's dreams by being the one to discourage!