Never Out of Reach

Next time you come to my house, don't look too closely. You may find remnants of BLACK permanent marker drawings on the white wall, and a few traces on my wooden desk (I welcome your removal suggestions). The sky is the limit for one little girl. There is no door, no drawer, no marker lid this girl cannot open . . . . in a matter of seconds. No couch, table, chairs, changing table she cannot climb!!!

Fun with the Pughs

My sister Mary was in town for nearly a month, and one of those days, I was lucky enough to have her and her kids spend a night at my place. It worked out perfectly, because they kept me company while Andrew worked a 32-hour shift at the hospital.

In the evening while the kids did this:

Mary and I did this:

She is so thoughtful. Since my parents gave me a sewing machine for my birthday, Mary decided to give me a gift of supplies and instructions on how to make a craft of my choice. I chose to make baby bibs, and, in my humble opinion, they are ADORABLE! I think I might be spending a lot more time at JoAnn's Fabric nowadays. Really, I owe all the credit to Mary. Thanks!

The next day we walked to Liberty Park and hit up Banbury Cross donuts. I thought I'd give Mary a little feel for the good stuff in Salt Lake. It was a blast.

Jack took this one ;)



Pughs, thanks for a great time! We miss you so much already.

Changed Practically Overnight

The old Andrew:

(A look inside his text book)

The new Andrew:

After taking the Boards on July 1st, Andrew went to work in the hospital for his first rotation, in Pediatrics, on July 6th. The above picture is what he left looking like. This next photo is how he came home:

(I had hot baked cookies waiting for him, but he seemed to be more interested in his new pager)

It seems like overnight he has changed from student to doctor. Not to mention the fact that yesterday he came home from his first 32-hour shift. That type of overnight will change anyone! He is on Q-4 for the next three weeks, which means every four days he works a 32-hour shift, comes home after lunch, and goes back the next day at 6am for a regular shift. It's been a bit of a challenge to figure things out, but this past week we have finally felt like we are getting settled into his rotations. This is a really exciting time for us, and, again, I am so glad to have the boards behind us. Go Andrew!

Passed the Boards!!!

Huzzah!!! I am very pleased to announce that Andrew passed his USMLE Step 1 Board Exam! It was such a relief just for him to take the exam on July 1st and get it over with, but it is even more of a relief knowing that he passed! This means we still have a future in medicine!

Cute Andrew's family had the wisdom to foresee that Andrew would pass, and for the Fourth of July, they had these pieces of wood along their front walkway

to celebrate Andrew "passing the boards" as he walked up to the front door (sadly I was home sick that day).

Above the front door was a sign of Congratulations (you'll just have to trust me on this one)


and Karen made "board cookies" to celebrate for Andrew.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. We are so grateful for all your prayers on our behalf and help for me and Emma while Andrew had to study so much. Now we are in a completely new phase of life, rotations!!!

Stuff

See this little hooligan? She's quite the mischievous little child. Lately, she gets into everything and totes it all around the place. She loves to STUFF things into other things (don't get me wrong, I think it's cute, and I think it's all very adorable, . . . most of the time). Let me show you:

.

This one is perhaps her greatest feat. This drawer opens above her eye level, and yet she can open it, stuff things into it, and swing from it like a monkey in the trees.

On top of all this, I have found my cell phone in the laundry hamper, garlic in the stroller, and plenty of other crazy stuff. It's getting to the point where Andrew can blame something on Emma, and I'm not sure if he's telling the truth or not.

P.S. I'll have you know that I don't leave pots, pans, bowls, or even shoes on the floor. Nope. That is all the work of Emma, getting into the dishwasher, which she can stop mid-cycle, and the last few cupboards that have eluded child locks.

Ring Slinging

So, yesterday my friend called me asking if Emma and I could model a ring sling she's featuring on www.babysteals.com today. She makes awesome slings, and if you are interested, you better check it out fast before they're all sold out. The one I am modeling is already sold out!

Happy Birthday Emma!

We celebrated Emma's first birthday a few weeks ago, and it was a blast to see how much Emma loved her cake and celebration. We are so thankful for the blessing she is in our lives. We love you Emma!

Emma, READY to eat that cake!

Signing "more." Any doubts as to whether or not this kid likes cake?

Trying to feed her baby doll with a bottle (gifts courtesy of the grandmas):