Playgrounder

Soccer

Ethan played on a community soccer team this fall.  He loved being on a real team, just three players to a side with lots of time on the field.  He had some really stellar teammates who looked like they'd been playing since they were in the womb and they were great inspiration.  Ethan eventually learned what to do with the ball at his feet and even scored a few goals by the end of the season!  We're excited for another round in the spring.

Sam loved playing on the playgrounds at the local schools where Ethan played and cheering along the team ("Go 'Tonio!").  

Update from the front

• Residency is busy
• Jeremy does all the work at home
• The kids are adjusting so well it is astonishing
• Sam is in a big boy bed now, mostly sleeping through the night again
• Jeremy has his own little workshop in the basement
• I bike to work every day along the lake on the bike path (a road for bikes!), watching the sunrise on the water, swimmers traning for the IronMan, homeless folks sleeping in the park, early risers fishing
• I had a flat tire the other day that I patched in 5 minutes and wasn't even late for work
• I have my own panel of patients.  I'm somebody's doctor.
• Ethan has a tag-along bike that attaches to our bikes now, and he LOVES coming along for rides
• We have 4 playgrounds within a few blocks of our house
• Chocolate Shoppe ice cream just down the street (trouble)
• Nerf guns are a way of life now.  Sam can even load and shoot one. 
• We love our new house.  Big and beautiful with garden and backyard and shed and huge basement.
• We miss my folks and the Hogans
• We're doing fine

The Move

We moved from NH to Wisconsin in a whirlwind drivng journey in June. 



Packing was crazy.  I thought I was ahead of the game by packing a few boxes per night for several weeks, but we were still left sticking random appliances/pop up books/costumes/inflatable pools/snowpants/foam swords into boxes at the final hour.  We had tons of help packing the truck, in the form of old friends, rugby teammates, and some very industrious 6 year olds.  At one point we had to stop the truck loading procession so we could grab necessary clothes out the dresser for the drive, and here was a good 30 min where our moving team all sat around while Jeremy frantically organized the truck.  I was up almost all night before we left scrubbing 5 years worth of kid gunk off the counters, and Jeremy spent one entire afternoon washing who-knows-what out of the carpets.   My brother and his lovely girlfriend earned their status in the inner circle by washing our bathroom.  Nana brought back her Starving Artists Movers moves with packing, sorting, and kid entertainment.  Couldn't have done it without all the help.

 

 

 

Poor Sam got kind of lost in the shuffle.  On our last night he had to sleep in our bed (sorry, no more crib for you!).  All we could find for him to wear was a 12 month onesie that was too short to snap and random pajama bottoms. I will neither confirm or deny that he was for left to entertain himself with the recycling.

 

 

Marcy came with us and provided incredible help with kid wrangling (my kids like her better than me anyway), driving relief and lovely company for the long, quiet stretches in Ohio.

 

 

The kids were INCREDIBLE. Ethan rocked some screen time, Sam played with whatever toys found him (including a great collection of duplo vehicles and guys from Marcy), emergency "fruit" "snacks" were purchased, vending machines were explored.  We wowed Marcy with the midwestern travel plaza, too. 

 

 

 

 

We also got to spend a day visitng Jeremy's family in Pennsylvania.  It was so precious to see Ethan playing with his cousins and Jeremy's friends' kids, and to have time to just enjoy some of the family we see so rarely.  Uncle Dan got to witness Sam go crazy on the playground, and Ethan got to see Dan's 40K minature collection.  He's still talking about that one.

 

We fianlly made it.

 

 

I now pronounce you Dr. Jody

The first weekend of June was a whirlwind: medical school graduation, a rare and lovely visit with my brother, packing and cleaning our home of 5 years, many tearful goodbyes, and the start of our move back to Madison.  Kind of alot of transition for a few short days.

Look, they let me become a doctor!  And they even let my crazy friend Anna through too!

 With dear friends and future Family Physicians Emma and Karl

The Fam

I'm honored to have received the Dean's Medal (AKA "Smarty Pants of the Year Award")
with one of my classmates

This one should be in a yearbook somewhere

So sweaty, so proud 

Proud Pappy

Final words of wisdom from one of my most thoughtful and inspiring teachers, Dr. Lahey

 

Bro!

My mentor in Family Medicine, Cathy Morrow

Crown Jewel: Financial Aid Boss Dino pretending to pay off our student loans.

I cannot really describe how deeply thankful I am to Jeremy and my parents for sticking with me through this long and occasionally brutal process and sharing so much of the burden of parenting.  I really could not have done it without them.

  

Now onto residency!

Boston Aquarium

During spring break Marcy and I took the boys to the Boston Aquarium.  I have flashes of memory of this place from my childhood (the smell, the blueish glow of the tanks, the angry bellowing of the sea lions).  So happy to share this awesome, overwhelming place with Ethan and Dono.

Ethan's favorites:
Playing with the iPad in the car (despite requiring utilization of a barf baggie)
Leafy Seadragons
Poisonous Lionfish (no natural predators!)
Jellies

My favorites:
Penguins in the shower
Gimpy penguin wriggling/swimming through the water
Huge freaking sea turtle
Jellies, always

Also, doesn't Marcy take amazing pictures?