birthday girl

Our little Maryn is growing up way too fast. Today she turned two and was all smiles everytime someone said the word birthday to her. I can't believe it has been two years already. Where has the time gone? The last couple of weeks she has started talking a ton and even has said "bless you" when someone sneezes,"thank you" (in a whisper), and even learned to say Mackenzi and Maci. It is so cute to see her growing and learning new things. She loves shoes especially slip on ones and is all about clothes. She is very sweet but has a very strong personality and wants things done ONLY her way and if she doesn't get that then she pretty much throws a tantrum. She is a cutie pie and we feel so blessed to have her as part of our family.

The Clouse Family came down for Beaumont hotdogs and cake and ice cream. The kids had fun playing on the trampoline and swingset and then they found waterguns I had bought for everyone. We adults tried to carry on conversations but it had it's usual interruptions.

dancin' toes

Today at Maci's dance class the moms were invited in to watch their recital dance they have been working so hard on. The girls are so cute and look even cuter when you see them watching each other so they can remember the right steps. Maci is so excited abouth erecital that is coming up on the 17th of this month. I will be sure to post this event.

Her teacher Ms. Cindy is awesome. She is so good with the girls. It takes a special person to teach twelve three to five year olds two dances for a recital, not to mention she works as a nurse during the day before coming to the studio every evening.

olympics bound????

Okay it's brag time! Mackenzi and Maci had their first real swim meet last night and had a great night. Maryn, on the other hand did not. Half way through the meet she wasn't acting herself and was just laying on me. I realized she had been caught by the fever bug that has been going around.

On to the meet. Mackenzi got first place in both the backstroke and freestyle in her age group and then her relay team, which Taylor was a part of, got second. She loves swimming and seems to do really well. I hope wherever we move next year will have some sort of swim league so she can continue swimming. I may be bias but I think she could go far in the swimming thingy.

Maci placed fourth in her age group for freestyle. She was a little upset when she was given the yellow ribbon since she finished first in her heat. She didn't realize that everyone that swam was competing against her. However, she did improve her time by almost 4 seconds from the mock meet. She is doing better and better every day.

Congratulations girls. We are so proud of you. Keep swimming your best.

end of school gifts

School is officially out for the summer. Is this a good thing, or not? I have yet to decide. I love having the girls around and being able to take them to do fun things when they are out of school but have to admit it gets exhausting. We usually conquer Six Flags two to three times a week, on top of swim team practice every morning, and meets on Mondays.

These are the flip flops I made for Mrs. Salazar and Ms. Blakely. Maci and Mackenzi both have these that they wear on Fridays for Spirit Day. Their Thornton Texans school shirts are red, white, and blue so they look really cute. All of the Administration wear red school shirts too and have made comments about the girls' shoes so I decided they both needed a pair. They loved them and wore them on the last day of school on Friday. I found these cute teacher mugs in Boerne(small antique shop town) and filled them with their favorite candy. They seemed to like it. We had a great year overall but am a little sad when I say I now have a 4th grader and a Kindergartner.

simplify

sim·pli·fy (smpl-f)
tr.v. sim·pli·fied, sim·pli·fy·ing, sim·pli·fies
To make simple or simpler, as:
a. To reduce in complexity or extent.
b. To reduce to fundamental parts.
c. To make easier to understand.

I bought this sign a couple of months ago and finally hung it in my kitchen, over the laundry room door. I have been wanting to find ways to simplify things in our home, family, and myself. I thought this was a good way to remind myself to try and not sweat the small stuff. I find that really hard to do. It seems I make little chores, errands, dinner... way to complicated.
I have definately just begun this journey of simplifying all things around me but, hopefully I am on my way to a less stressful and more relaxed way of doing, living, and loving.

ROASTING!!!

Yes, it is nearly 1am and I am still up BUT, I'm not cooking roast I'm helping Greg with his "ROAST". For those who have no clue about a residency roast I will fill you in. First, it has nothing to so with Sunday dinner. The senior residents have what they call a "ROAST" and from everything I have ever heard-IT IS WHAT IT IS! It has everything to do with making fun of, criticizing, tormenting, and leaving "gifts" to junior residents and staff all in good fun, most of which is drunk fun, except for the few "Mo's" that attend. Greg was put in charge of making a power point of the gifts they are leaving to residents and staffs. THEN, I was put in charge of taking pictures, finding pictures, and being in pictures and have been doing this steadily since about 830 tonight. And we are still not done! I have had a lot of fun helping out. I feel as if I know all of the other 29 ortho residents just by all of the stories I here day to day, and think I have added some clever input. The only complaint I have is that spouses are not allowed to go. I would really enjoy seeing everyone's faces and hearing the comments made about everything the senior guys have put together. Maybe I can convince Greg to take the video and secretly record it all. He always fills me in every year but it is never as funny as it would be in person.
Until next time when the roast is done......

screaming at 4 am!!

I was awakened to Maryn screaming at a little before 4 and hoped she would cry herself back to sleep but finally after 15 minutes I went to check on her. There have been a few times that I have let my kids "get" themselves back to sleep only to find a throwup surprise in their bed the next morning. (That gets the worst mom award.) Thankfully that wasn't the case this morning. I held her for a while and decided to lay her back down, but she wasn't having anything to do with it. She screamed again for several minutes and I had to get her again. After a few more attempts and almost two hours later I was successful and she was back asleep. Of course I am wide awake by this point and then felt groggy about thirty minutes before my alarm was set to go off. What should I do, go back to bed and be really tired when the alarm sounds or stay up and be miserable later? I chose the first and snoozed for about thrirty five minutes and was totally miserable until I got to the gym around 830.
Why do our children always decide to do these things when Daddy isn't home? Nine out of ten times that Daddy is working all night one of the girls ends up getting up and ends up in bed with me? Why? OH! Why?

award-reward day

By no means is this a brag blog but I wanted to let Mackenzi know how proud we are of her and her accomplishments.
Today was the award's assembly for third grade at Thornton for the last nine weeks of school. She was rewarded with a certificate, ribbon and pizza coupon for having perfect attendance this nine weeks of school. The only days she missed for the whole year were the days we took her out of school to go on vacation last fall. She loves school and learning and worked really hard to be there everyday. She then got an award for being on the "A" honor roll the last nine weeks. She has really made and effort to make staight a's.
Then the last AWARD-REWARD she received was for having all A's the whole year. She and one other girl in her class received this award. What an accomplishment! She got another certificate, ribbon, and coupon for a kid's meal at Chili's. She for sure takes after her Daddy in the straight A category. I had staight a's until 4th grade and then I didn't do so well.
Everything Mackenzi does makes us so proud. She is a great student, terrific friend, wonderful big sister(our little mommy), and beautiful daughter. Thank heaven for little girls! What a REWARD all three of our sweet girls are to us. We are so blessed. Mackenzi, know that we love you so much and are super proud of everything you do and all that you are.

whew! busy day!

I am so glad this day is coming to an end. I feel like I have gone non-stop all day.
My day started by getting kids up and ready for school, then it's my week to drive everyone to school, so I did that. Then when I got home I put a load of laundry on and headed out for my walk. I came home showered picked up a little around the house then waited for the bus to come and get Maci. After she left I was off to Target to, of course return something and was so proud of myself when I didn't spend any more money while I was there. Target is a big weakness for me. I met Jenny for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings but didn't eat much just hung out and chatted. Then Greg called and wanted to meet me for lunch so I met him at Chick fil A and watched him eat since I wasn't really hungry. I came home and put Maryn down for a nap and just vegged a while and looked for flights to Salt Lake on the internet. Jenny and I are going to have a girls weekend this summer. We are both in desperate need of a break.
It wasn't long before Mackenzi and Maci were getting off the bus and so I went throught their backpacks and then got ready for my afternoon taxi run. I dumped Maci at dance at 430, then it was off to gymnastics for Mackenzi at 445, stopped at Sam's Club then was back to pick Maci up at 515. We picked Mackenzi up at 545 then the girls changed into their swimsuits in the car. We then raced off to swim team to take pictures. It seemed like it took forever for the photographer to get everyone organized but, finally he did. After about an hour of chasing Maryn around the pool we were back in the car(the girls changed again). Now we were about to make our last stop for the day. One of our friends, Tracy, was hosting a barbque for Bridget who was visiting from Nebraska. Her husband Jim was an Ortho resident here a couple of years ago. The kids played while the adults tried to eat and chat, which was almost impossible with 15 kiddos in need of food, comfort, and attention. We said our goodbyes to Bridget and her kids and rushed home to take baths and bedtime, which was about an hour late.
As you can see I had a busy day, most of which I did single handedly since Greg is working tonight to make some extra money so we can pay our bills. Now I'm at the computer blogging and about to try and finish my teacher gifts so I can give them out tomorrow. Hopefully soon I can relax and read my book in bed. WHEW what a day! I am exhausted!

workout week

After a long weekend with visitors in town and tons of eating out it is going to be a long week of two a day workouts. We hit the gym this morning even though I was feeling a bit under the weather to try and shed the extra pounds we packed on this weekend while my brother and sister in-law were in town with their kids. I haven't eaten this bad in a while so I am going to double up on exercise this week. I will walk my regular three miles with Jenny in the mornings and then do my gym workout in the afternoon. It doesn't sound fun at the moment but hopefully will be worth it after I am finished. I have never enjoyed exercising until now and I have to say I miss it when I skip a day now and then. It gets addicting, and even though some mornings I dread it, after I get started I enjoy doing it.

my new best friend

Friday was yard day for me, so I decided to post about my new lawn mower.
After using the lawn mower we bought from the previous owner of our house four years ago I had to get a new one. It had gotten harder and harder to start and was always the loudest mower on the street. We did get our moneys worth since it only cost us 10 bucks. It was kinda sad to get rid of the old one, it was like my friend. I spend several hours a week and sometimes twice a week with the mower. It is nice to have one that starts easy and is a lot quieter.
I enjoy doing the yard myself. I grew up mowing our grass at home but with a riding mower so I have been use to doing this kind of work. Some of Greg's fellow residents and attendings give him a hard time about me mowing the lawn. He always say,"She won't let me do it". Which is right. I have a certain way I like it done and anyway it is like an extra mini workout for me. I feel like it is the least I could do (he still has to use the weed eater I haven't mastered our corner lot and all the sidewalk that has to be edged), when he gets home I don't want him to have to spend the time outside doing something I enjoy and am capable of doing, instead of spending time with us.
Anyway, here is a picture of me and my new best friend.

Practice Swim Meet

Today we had a practice swim meet for the girls. They both did pretty well. Maci is in the 6 and under group and was given the option to either swim just the length of the deep end(which isn't that far,I could probably jump half way across) or swim the full length , 25 meters. She opted for the latter. I was a bit concerned since last year she only swam the full length once and that was stopping and holding on to the side a few times. As you can see she made it and was very proud of herself, as were we.
Mackenzi is in the 8 and under group and she swims two events, the backstroke and freestyle and then she is in the freestyle relay. I got to see her swim the backstroke and she was first in her heat. I left before she swam the freestyle. (I went to dinner with some friends because Bridget, a friend that lived here for her husbands residency came back to visit. They now live in Nebraska and her husband is in practice there). Anyway back to swim, Greg said Mackenzi did really well in the freestyle and the relay. She really loves to swim and is good at it. I know I am biased but I think she has found her nitch. I love watching them participate and seeing them so proud of themselves. Go Stingrays!

Good Mail

My sister in-law Ashley(Greg's youngest sister) sent me a little package today for Mother's Day/Birthday. I was surprised to get mail for myself today,let alone good mail. I opened the Happy Birthday envelope to find a sweet card and the book "All Moms Go To Heaven". I have considered ordering this from Deseret Book for myself but just never have. It looks like something all moms and maybe dads need to read.
Well known LatterDay Saint writer Dean Hughes describes in this book the summer he spent taking care of the kids while his wife worked on her master's degree. He says, " After a few weeks of drying tears(sometimes his own), changing diapers, and watching Sesame Street, he came to understand what mothers really do and why they're so important".
Thanks Ash. I love it and can't start looking at this book. Give Hunter hugs and kisses from us.

i wAnt tO sCreAm!

I sat at my computer for over three hours last night trying to change things on my template. I have been trying to put my picture on my "About Me" with no success. Again today I have been sitting here for almost two hours and finally got my picture to come up by my profile BUT of course since I couldn't figure our the RIGHT way to do it, it doesn't come up when I write a comment.
Now my kids are going to get off the bus any second and still have piles of laundry waiting, and I just remembered I prepped my bathrooms with cleaner over two hours ago and it is still waiting for me.

Is there anyone out there as dumb as me when it comes to computer? HELP!!!!!

"I've Been Weaned"

Is this sad or what? For those who don't know me or about my breastfeeding challenges I will fill you in. With my first daughter I breastfed her but she was a VERY fussy baby and seemed to never quit nursing. She would be latched on for an hour at a time and then an hour or two later she would want to eat again. So I started supplementing formula but continued to breastfeed. I never could figure out what was wrong so I just continued to do this until she was nine and a half months old when she weaned herself.

Then our second daughter came along almost four weeks early and even though she weighed over six pounds she was tiny. She seemed to have a difficult time latching on and feeding for very long. She didn't gain much weight the first few weeks so I decided to buy one of the expensive Medela breastpumps so I could see how much milk she was actually getting. To my amazement my milk did not come out very well. (I'm sorry this is graphic). I had to turn the pump suction on as hard and fast as it would go and then squeeze myself and still it seemed to only fill the bottle one drip at a time. It got a little easier over time and I continued to do this for eight months. I knew there was no way she would ever be able to nurse enough to get full and grow. This is when I finally realized my first daughter had been starving even though she stayed latched on, she nursed for an hour because that is how long it took her to get enough to satisfy her.

After our third daughter came along I again attempted to nurse and she seemed to do okay with it but I just felt better pumping and then bottle feeding so I could visually see how much she was taking in. My milk supply was the best this last time and I had enough milk to get about a month supply ahead. I continued to pump for over a year(I know this sounds crazy but I liked having the extra calorie burning) and finally "weaned" the pump last summer.

Sadly, I was cleaning out our extra freezer in the garage this morning for some friends in our ward who are moving, to store some of their stuff and found a bag full of my supply. It was dated last May. I couldn't believe I had let this precious stuff that took lots of time to get, go to waste. I wonder if I could have made some $ off of it? Just kidding. It was hard to part with it(I don't really know why it's not like I was going to use it) but I snapped a couple of pictures and put it out in the trash before the garbage truck came this morning. It was like throwing away a part of me and my memories with my almost two year old.

We Jinxed The Spurs!

Parker, Duncan, & Ginobili
Greg and Angie
Greg making some NOISE!
Tim Duncan after the game.
Tony Parker after the game.

David Robinson(former Spurs player)

Tonight Greg and I were given tickets to the Spurs vs Mavericks game 7 by the team doctor for the Spurs. I didn't know, but Greg had asked him for tickets for game 5 which was on my birthday but someone had already claimed those. He told Greg if there was a game 7 the tickets were his. I was so excited to go but, nervous at the same time. I can hardly stand the nervousness and stress of these games.
The Spurs didn't look to great in the first half and were down by 20 points at one time. At half time Dr. Schmidt came and told us Greg needed to leave because every time he goes to a game the Spurs play like crap(but he used a different word). He was only kidding and said he was glad we were there and enjoying the game. He felt confident, as did we, that if they played hard and the fans didn't give up on them we could win. They came back and almost won but the Mavs tied it up with only a few seconds left. Overtime was too much time for the Mavs and they just continued to dominate shooting. The Spurs lost 119-111(I think, I actually forgot to look at the score before we left.)
Now we have to wait until next season to see if they can pull off one more championship while we are still in town. Hopefully they can. GO SPURS GO!

Sick Sunday

Last night Maryn got sick with a high fever and throwing up! Sorry if that grosses anyone out. She was up until midnight but thankfully slept through the night until 800. I decided I would stay home from church with her and let Greg take on my rambunctious CTR 5-6 year-olds. We had an okay day she seemed to feel alot better. Greg brought Mackenzi and Maci home from church and then had to go in and round on a few patients. We took our Sunday naps and then had dinner and just hung out as a family. It was a quiet and peaceful Sunday for the most part.

I couldn't resist putting this picture that I took of Maryn yesterday. I had already gotten her dressed for the day but while I was folding a putting away laundry she decided she wanted to wear two more tank tops, both of which were Maci's and then she had to get a pair of Maci's shoes on. I can't believe her independence and fashion sense is already kicking into gear. What was I ever thinking when I wished for all girls? Ha! Ha!

sPurS fOrcE gaMe 7!

I have always been a huge sports fan, especially NBA basketball when the Spurs are on a winning streak. We decided to show our Spurs Spirit and wear our Spurs attire for game 6. What a nailbiting series this has been. I get so nervous as if I were the one actually playing the game, the one the ball is being passed to with only seconds left in the game and a win is in your hands.
I played basketball in junior high and high school and can remember the feelings of getting the ball and NEEDING to make a shot to win or being at the free throw line and your free throws could win or lose the game for your team. I can't even imagine being on a championship team and knowing if you screw up your team goes home until next season. Needless to say, I am a bit stressed every time they play. My heart races, I can't sit still, I bite my nails(something I never do), I literally feel as if my heart is going to pound out of my chest.
The Spurs won the game and have forced the series to go on to game 7. Boy, am I going to have a tough Monday night watching that game. It is DO or DIE for the Spurs. Go Spurs Go!

The Lion King

We took Mackenzi and Maci to see the Broadway Musical The Lion King at the Majestic Theatre downtown. The girls really enjoyed it and so did we. Our seats were on the second row and near the aisle where all of the animals march down at the beginning of the show. It felt as if we were part of the show being so close. You could see all of the characters facial expressions which I have never had the chance to do. We have always sat in the mezzanine level when we have seen a play so that was one reason I haven't seen alot of the details and not to mention my terrible vision. Even with contacts I feel I don't see perfectly. It was nice to be able to see and experience it up close with the girls. Maci however, didn't make it through all of the second act. It was a bit late for her. We are so lucky to be in a place where we can experience different kinds of events.

Perfect Attendance Reward

Mackenzi & Maci's school offered an attendance incentive for the second semester of school. Those students who didn't miss any days of school after returning to school after Christmas break were going to be awarded a special field trip. The girls were very diligent and made sure they were there everyday. I have to confess I did send Mackenzi to school sick one day and then got a call from the nurse to come and get her. Mackenzi knows you have to be there at least until 9:00 to be counted present.
They both got to go to The Children's Museum this week for their reward. They had a fun time. I am so glad they enjoy school so much. Most likely, they wouldn't have missed any days even if the reward wasn't offered.

bIrtHdaY fUn!

I probably shouldn't post anything about my own birthday but, I needed something to post for the day. Once you're at my age birthdays really aren't that big of a deal. But, it was nice to have two whole days that were just for me.

Jenny took me to lunch on Tuesday to Chuy's while Doug was at home post call with Luke, Weston, & Maryn. I probably will owe him for a long time for that one. Later that night after swim team practice, Greg had gotten me a snickers ice cream cake from Cold Stone, so the Clouses came and had cake with us.

Today, I was asked to go on a perfect attendance field trip by Mackenzi's teacher so I did that this morning and Jenny had Maci and Maryn. Then when I was done, I wasn't feeling that great(I think Maryn gave me a little of her cold/flu bug) so I decided to go to the gym to see if I would feel better. That DIDN'T work. I felt worse. Jenny offered to let Maryn nap at her house so I treated myself to a pedicure and that was nice. We got a babysitter and went out to dinner to The Little Rhein Steak House on the Riverwalk. We had a fun time just being together in an atmosphere we usually are never in. Greg gave me and MP3 player to take when I'm working out. I have wanted one for a while but just couldn't bring myself to spend the money. I haven't figured it out yet but I'm sure it will make working out a lot easier with music jamming in my head!

I had a great birthday but have to say I am not glad that I turned 34! I am pushing middle age, right? ugh!!!

"FRIENDS"-From Near, Far, & In Between!

Jenny & Angie
Becki & Angie
Tara & Angie

How blessed I am to have so many wonderful friends in my life? From near, very near (as in 7 houses away) to far (Fort Worth) and in between (Austin). I truly have some incredible people to call my friends. Not only do I have these three awesome girlie's as friends but many others and some that are farther away than these.

Becki-I have known her the longest of these three friends. I met her at a medical school retreat right before our husbands began the long journey of becoming physicians. We have shared many laughs, tears, giggles, sobs, smiles, & frowns. It was friendship from the moment we said hello to one another. Our differences never were and issue, we just grew to learn about one another and accepted everything. There was just this comfortable feeling between us no matter if we were talking one another's ears off or if there were only a few words ever spoken. Never was there an awkward silence. It just felt good to know we had each other to go on our long journey with. It is scary how much we are alike and how different we are at the same time. We both grew up in small Texas towns about 7 hours apart. There are three years difference in our ages. One brunette and one's a blonde (or at least still trying to be a blondie!). Becki has two adorable boys and I have three beautiful girls. I cherish our friendship and the memories we have made thus far, from Taco Bell throat, sharing snickers bars, watching Survivor and ER together, a few too many ice cream treats, the kickboxing class that almost kicked my butt. I could go on and on and on. Thanks "B" for all the memories and for being there always. I love and miss you.

Jenny-I first met Jenny on the phone right after match day during my husband's first year of residency. Her husband at just matched in the Ortho program in San Antonio and was given our name by someone in the department. They traveled from New Orleans to house hunt and came over to our house and we let our kids play and we talked about all the stuff you want to know before you start this part of this long journey. Jenny and her family ended up buying a house just down the street from us and it has been a life saver. Our kids play constantly, we hang out together with and without our hubbies. We trade kid watching a lot. Some people say we are a lot alike but some say we are very different. I am not, even though I have attempted it, a clean freak! My house is no pig pen, but I can't keep up as well as Jen. We do go shopping together or seperately and end up buying alot of the same things so much that if we are going anywhere together we have to call and make sure we aren't going to match. It has been really good to have someone that understands the demands of a surgery resident, being a stay at home mommy, and all it takes to survive this. I have come to realize you need great friends and family , a ton of patience and and endless suppy of diet coke and M&M's to stay sane. Thanks for helping me through this Jenny. You have been a life saver to me during residency. Thanks for being a great friend. I treasure our friendship now and always. Thanks for great memories.

Tara-We met at church and really didn't become friends until just a few months before Tara's husband finished dental residency and moved her away to Austin. I have to say I was a bit sad after connecting so well with her. She is a great example to me of how to be a great mom, how to be a true friend, sister, and daughter, and how to get through easy and hard times. Tara is an example of service. She is always thinking of others and never herself. We too are so much alike it is freaky, but we are also very different. She's a brunette and I'm a blonde. We both love to shop, get pedicures and an occasional massage, our families are most important to us but we still enjoy an occasional get away to just be girls. When we talk there is never silence and we laugh and cry and sometimes I get off the phone not knowing what we really talked about or if is was significant, but that doesn't matter. Just sharing in each other's lives is enough. Even though Austin isn't that far way we rarely see each other but talk to one another almost daily. Tara, you are awesome and a true friend. Thanks for all you are and all you do. Thanks for making me a better person by having met you.