Bailey Blog

Tickets sold

2012-01-03T19:19:00.001-05:00

Just an update...IU tix for 1/5/12 have been sold. :-)

IU Men's Basketball vs Michigan at Assembly Hall 1/05/12

2012-01-02T21:49:00.003-05:00

Interested in attending the IU vs Michigan basketball game at Assembly Hall (1/5/12)? You may purchase 2 tickets on ebay, item #280800540669. If the auction has ended without a buyer, please leave a comment here if you are interested.

Details:
IU vs. Michigan
Assembly Hall, Bloomington, IN
1/5/12 at 9:00 p.m.
Main Concourse E, Row 42, Seats 105-106

Happy Birthday, Zachary!

2011-02-11T13:30:00.004-05:00

Zachary is eleven today, on two-eleven-eleven (2011)! Birthday plans: dinner out tonight, roller skating tomorrow with friends, and a family gathering on Sunday. Have a great birthday weekend, Zach!

February Fun

2011-02-03T21:15:00.003-05:00

So far, February has brought lots of snow, missed school days, and extracurricular activities galore.

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Zachary will turn 11 on 2/11/11! We brought him home from the hospital on Valentine's Day 11 years ago. His recent activities include indoor soccer, basketball, and band (baritone).

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Lauren has been playing indoor soccer and continues with dance (ballet/jazz/tap) and baton. She is also in the middle of selling Girl Scout cookies!

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We recently booked a summer vacation to Hilton Head, SC. We must be ready to move on to warmer weather if we're already looking ahead to summer!

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Last, but certainly not least, we closed on our old house! It is officially sold after eight months on the market.

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Stay warm!!

The last little bit of summer

2010-09-07T09:13:00.003-04:00

Our latest news...

* Lauren is enjoying 1st grade at her new school. She is in a new Daisy Girl Scout troop, along with several other girls in her class. Lauren is playing soccer for the first time this year and will soon be enrolling in a dance class. She has done ballet and gymnastics for a couple years and would like to try a combo of ballet, jazz, and tap.

* Zachary is in 5th grade and is getting ready to start band. He has decided to play the trumpet! He is doing well in his 6th year of soccer. His favorite position is goalie and he and Lauren have spent hours practicing in our yard. He already knew a few kids in his class when he started at his new school so he has had a great start.

* We had some friends over from our old neighborhood this past weekend. Even though the air was a little chilly, we made good use of the pool, trampoline, and the badminton set. We cooked on the grill and David made some delicious beef brisket on the smoker!

* We got the sailboats, canoe, and paddleboat put away at the lake yesterday. The speedboat is still out so Zachary and his cousins took a few trips around the lake on the kneeboard.

* We have most of the house unpacked but there are still some boxes that have yet to make it to a permanent space. Our painting projects are much closer to completion. The remaining rooms are the guest bedroom and bathroom and another bedroom that we'll make into an office. We'll eventually get to the basement but that's not as high a priority!

* It looks like the constant raining of leaves from the woods into the pool may be our sign that pool season is coming to an end. I'm sure Z and L will be swimming as much as possible in the next couple weeks before we get the cover on!

New House!

2010-07-13T07:57:00.003-04:00

No post since Christmas time = busy! We've moved into a new house about a mile or two from our old house. We're in the midst of unpacking boxes and getting things settled. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures soon. Our home phone number and cell phone numbers are the same as they were in the old house. If you need our new address, please email me. Enjoy the summer!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-21T22:56:00.003-05:00

October Update

2009-10-25T12:18:00.004-04:00

Fall and H1N1 are in the air! Ah, maybe that's not such a good combination. Anyway, as usual, we've been incredibly busy lately. Here's what we've been up to...

David - celebrated a birthday last week, has been playing his new Tiger Woods 2010 Wii game a lot since his birthday, and will soon be coaching Zachary's basketball team.

Michelle - has had an incredibly busy work schedule lately, seeing lots of kids with H1N1, filled in for the pediatrician in Huntington again, and will be helping in Lauren's class this week during the Halloween/Fall party.

Zachary - finished soccer season, had a great grade card, is getting ready to start basketball season, started piano lessons, is learning to play the recorder at school, and is anxiously awaiting upcoming trips to a Colts game and the IU vs. Purdue football game.

Lauren - got her first kindergarten grade card with sparkling results, started ballet lessons, continues with gymnastics, and just joined a Daisies (Girl Scouts) troop. We are celebrating her sixth birthday next weekend!

Happy Fall!

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T11:22:00.002-04:00

School has been underway for a few weeks now. What happened to the days when school started after Labor Day?

Zachary is enjoying fourth grade. He still loves math, science, reading, spelling...looks like he just likes school in general! He has also been playing fall baseball and soccer on the weekends. Lauren has been enthusiastic about her kindergarten homework. Each Monday they take home a letter worksheet that they need to complete and return by Friday. She has been finishing her worksheet as soon as she gets home Monday evenings! Since I have Fridays off, I'll be helping in Lauren's classroom one Friday a month. Kindergarten is half-day, so she rides the bus to her daycare Mondays through Thursdays. She is still doing gymnastics once a week at her daycare.

Now that school has started, I'm glad to say that the number of sports and school physicals on my schedule has decreased. That leaves much more room for well baby checks and sick appointments. I'm sure that, by the time winter is over, I'll be tired of looking at infected ears and red throats and will be looking forward to seeing healthy kids again!

We just got back from a long weekend trip to Chicago. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry, where we saw the traveling Harry Potter exhibit. The exhibit had movie props and costumes, including wands, brooms, robes, Quidditch hoops, Harry's four-poster Hogwarts bed, and Hagrid's furniture. We also went to the Hershey store, Ghiradelli's, American Girl, the Cheesecake Factory, McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, and Mike Ditka's restaurant. David, Zachary and Lauren even let me go to Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, and Ann Taylor! ;-) Our final stop of the Chicago trip was the Adler Planetarium. It was pretty interesting, but I prefer the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. We watched a 23-minute Sesame Street show about stars while we were at the Planetarium. Afterwards, Lauren informed me that she is "waaaaaay too old for Elmo."

We spent a rainy day at the lake today getting some of the outdoor "stuff" put away. The sailboats, paddle boat, and the canoe are packed up for the winter. We left the speedboat out so we could take a few more rides in the next couple of weeks. It's always kind of sad to pack up the lake toys for the winter, but before we know it we'll be getting it all out again next summer!

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend! Enjoy the short work/school week!

Where has the summer gone?

2009-07-31T21:53:00.003-04:00

It's the last day of July already! Zachary and Lauren start school in two weeks. Z will be in 4th grade and L will make her school debut in kindergarten. Lauren was eager to buy school supplies so we rounded up pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and more at Wal-Mart today.

Here are some of the things we've packed into this summer so far:

* Zachary played baseball (and his team won the tournament in the 9-10 age group).

* Lauren and Zachary went to zoo camp and farm camp.

* We took a vacation to Hilton Head, SC, with stops in Asheville, NC, and Knoxville, TN.

* David and I took a long weekend trip to the Tampa/Clearwater area.

* We went to Muskegon, Michigan, for a weekend.

* Spent time at the lake (swimming, fishing, boating, fireworks on the 4th)

* Planted fruits and veggies in the garden

* Library trips

* Vacation Bible School

* Movies (Up, Harry Potter, G-Force)

* Zoo trips

* Tried out the new kayaks

* I started a new job as a nurse practitioner in pediatrics.

Here's hopin' we can pack in even more activities before the end of summer. Good thing I have Fridays off!

Our recent trip to NC, SC, and Georgia

2009-06-19T16:44:00.005-04:00

Zachary and Lauren at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

One of Savannah's beautiful squares

BBQ at Disney's Hilton Head Resort

Zachary (on the left) waiting in line for the water slide at the Disney Resort

Hilton Head Island, SC

Lunch at the Salty Dog Cafe, Hilton Head, SC

The Lady and Sons Restaurant (Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, GA)

Lauren in Hilton Head

Face painting at the Disney Resort

Hilton Head, SC

One of our favorite vacation spots is Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It seems like we find something new to do each visit! We have always flown there in the past, but decided to be really adventurous and drive this time.

On the first leg of our trip, we drove to Asheville, NC. When we arrived, we ate at a seafood restaurant with live jazz music, and then got dessert at The Chocolate Fetish. I couldn't pass up a truffle called "Blossom," with the following description: "A must try for any Chocolate lover, this Truffle offers a rich Dark Chocolate center subtly flavored with lemon zest, a touch of ginger, and a hint of saffron encased in a Dark Chocolate shell and garnished with a candied Violet blossom." It was quite an unusual combination of flavors!

The next morning, we toured the Biltmore House before heading out of town (see pictures below).

With bikes and kayak in tow, we finally arrived at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. We stayed in Hilton Head for most of the week, but we did take one day to drive to Savannah, GA, to tour the city and eat at Paula Deen's restaurant. Here are some other things we did on our vacation:

* Went on a dolphin watching boat ride

* Kayaked with dolphins VERY nearby (less than a paddle length away at times)

* Went to the beach (and found creatures/items such as a horshoe crab, jellyfish, shells, and sharks' teeth)

* Swam at the Disney resort's pool, which has a very fun water slide

* Attended Disney events (Campfire with S'mores, BBQ, Pool Party, Fireworks, Low Country Shrimp Boil, Magnet painting activity, Beachcombers activity, Marsh exploration activity, Alice in Wonderland's Un-Birthday Party)

* Climbed 114 steps to the top of the lighthouse in Harbourtown

* Fished

* Caught crabs using crab nets and shrimp

* Ate at delicious Hilton Head restaurants

* Rode bikes

On the way home, we stopped overnight in Knoxville, TN, but we didn't stay to see much of the town. Our fine Knoxville dining consisted of Papa John's pizza that night!

We've almost settled back into our routine, although it may not be completely normal for a while due to my upcoming job change! I will soon be working as a nurse practitioner at a pediatrics office three days a week and at a family practice office once a week. I've enjoyed the OB-GYN world but have always loved pediatrics! David continues as one of ten partners in his law firm, specializing in civil litigation. The kayak that we hauled to Hilton Head was David's early Father's Day present.

Zachary's baseball season is in full swing (no pun intended) now. He has already attended baseball and basketball camps since school has been out! Lauren loves her gymnastics class at preschool and is counting down to the start of kindergarten in the fall. Both Zachary and Lauren will attend zoo camp and farm camp in the next several weeks. Summer tends to fly by around here!

Asheville, North Carolina

2009-06-07T15:18:00.016-04:00

Here are some pictures from our visit to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. The house was originally owned by George W. Vanderbilt, beginning in 1895. His grandson, William A.V. Cecil, owns the estate today. They don't allow cameras inside the house but the outside offers plenty of picture taking opportunities!

The house includes 43 bathrooms, a bowling alley, a 70,000-gallon indoor swimming pool, and a gymnasium.

There are two Renoir paintings in the breakfast room: Young Algerian Girl and Child with an Orange.

Vanderbilt was an avid reader and had a library with more than 10,000 volumes in eight languages. There is a chess set once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte on display in the library.

We toured the house and the gardens, although we didn't cover all 8,000 acres of the estate! The audio tour kept Zachary and Lauren interested -and busy- on all four floors and in the basement of the house. Zachary's last visit to the Biltmore House was about seven years ago when he was 2 1/2. This time, he managed to restrain himself from dashing under the ropes in an attempt to leap on Mr. Vanderbilt's bed. Lauren was quite enamored with the elaborate canopy beds, but she politely observed them from a distance.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T19:26:00.005-04:00

We're heading to the lake tomorrow for a Mother's Day celebration! Tomorrow is also my grandma's birthday. It's always nice to see the arrival of lake season.
Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Baseball, baseball, baseball...

2009-04-19T15:20:00.004-04:00

...This was the perfect weekend for it! Yesterday Lauren and I drove to Delaware, OH, to watch Matt pitch in the OWU vs. Wittenberg game. Matt pitched a 4-0 shutout; click here to read more about it. Meanwhile, back at the...gym?...Zachary had a baseball skills assessment for his upcoming baseball season. The assessment allows the powers that be to divide the teams evenly. David plans to coach Zachary's team this summer.

Today David and Zachary watched Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D while Lauren and I watched the Hannah Montana movie. Lauren isn't a big fan of 3-D movies so we saw Monsters vs. Aliens a few weeks ago in 2-D. We enjoyed the Hannah movie!

Other than baseball and movies, our latest Wii favorite is Animal Crossing. It is a strangely addicting game without much purpose. Even Lauren and David have gotten into it. (It is not unusual for me or Zachary to develop new Wii game addictions.) We're waiting to hear back from Olivya and Natasha so we can add their friend codes and visit their Animal Crossing towns!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:13:00.002-04:00

No More Tonsils

2009-04-10T08:58:00.003-04:00

Zachary had his tonsils and adenoids removed last year. This year was Lauren's turn. She had her surgery yesterday and did really well. Apparently we were justified in our decision to go ahead with the surgery because her doctor said her tonsils looked very scarred from chronic infection when he removed them. Thank goodness for the numbing spray they apply to kids' throats at the end of the surgery. That seems to last all day, allowing kids to eat and drink more than they would otherwise want to. It is the following day when trouble can set in. So far so good, although it is still morning!

Before becoming a nurse practitioner, I worked as a registered nurse in pediatrics. It was very common for kids to be admitted for post-tonsillectomy dehydration. Once the numbing medication wears off, kids have an incredibly sore throat and can be very stubborn about drinking. If kids are well hydrated in the post-op period, they are less likely to have a serious bleed when the scabs fall off around days 7-10. Keeping that in mind, I approached Lauren's post-T&A care with a methodical, nerdy, let's-not-be-admitted-to-the-hospital-for-dehydration mindset. We had a long discussion before surgery about how her throat would hurt and how important it is to drink all day for a quicker recovery and to avoid the hospital. I went to the grocery store before the surgery and gathered all of Lauren's favorite snacks, including Capri Suns, Cheez-Its, Doritos, and Hannah Montana waffles. Gone are the days of an ice cream-only diet post-tonsillectomy. Kids can eat anything they want to, which actually helps prevent large scabs from forming (and later bleeding). Ice cream and popsicles are still encouraged though, since they are liquid, so Lauren had a delicious Culver's marshmallow milkshake yesterday.

In true RN nature (which never goes away, even if the job description changes), we have a chart with pain medication times and Is and Os (intake/output). Yes, the liquid intake is even recorded in CCs. In case you're wondering, Lauren's intake was perfect yesterday with 750 CCs. While it's only day two, things seem to be going well so far (knock on wood)! Zachary is also starting to feel better from an unfortunately timed episode of bronchitis.

Today's plan is to color Easter eggs and put together our bunny house kit...and drink lots of water.

Florida 2009 Pictures

2009-04-05T09:43:00.005-04:00

Finally, the Florida pictures! Click the link below to see the album.

Click here for pictures.

Another Time-Wasting Site...But This One is Beneficial!

2009-03-18T14:14:00.004-04:00

In yet another procrasination session (i.e. my daily blog reading schedule), I learned about a site guaranteed to satisfy even the most hardcore time wasters. Stretch Mark Mama posted a link to Free Rice. Free Rice is a not-for-profit site maintained by the United Nations World Food Program. You can take strangely addicting quizzes on vocabulary, grammar, math, chemistry, geography, art, and several languages. For each correct answer, the UN World Food Program receives a donation of 10 grains of rice. The rice is paid for by the site's sponsors. So, go forth, procrastinate, and answer questions!

Incidentally, hunger isn't just a remote problem. I saw an OB patient yesterday who hadn't eaten in almost two days. The refrigerator is empty in the apartment where she is staying. Luckily, we had some sandwiches left over from a meeting that I was able to give her. Where will she get her next meal? How will she take care of a baby if she doesn't have enough money to feed herself? According to the USDA, one in eight Americans is at risk for hunger. Our local food bank encourages the following donations:

Dry Soup

Rice

Powdered/Canned Milk

Macaroni & Cheese

Cereal

Peanut Butter

Beans

Canned Fruits and Vegetables

Tuna

Canned Meats

Stew

Soup

Pasta

Fruit Juices/Sip-sized Juices

Even if you are on a tight budget, you can donate a can of vegetables and help a hungry family for less than $1.00!!

Back from Florida

2009-03-10T20:02:00.003-04:00

We're back from a whirlwind trip to Florida! Here is our itinerary:

Thursday night: fly into the St. Pete/Clearwater airport, drive to Tampa
Friday: Busch Gardens in Tampa and dinner at our hotel
Saturday: Florida Aquarium in Tampa, drive to Englewood Beach, spend time on the beach, dinner at Howard's, Matt's baseball game in Venice
Sunday: Beach time, Matt's game in Punta Gorda, more beach time, dinner at the Gulfview Grill
Monday: Beach time, drive to St. Pete/Clearwater airport, fly home

Pictures coming soon!
(Next trip: Hilton Head, SC...counting down!)

Lauren's Tongue Twisters

2009-02-28T18:49:00.006-05:00

Straight from the horse's mouth..."How much could a woodchuck chuck chuck, chuck chuck chuck some wood? Does that have a lot of chucks?"

Lauren: What are you typing?

Me: Lauren's Tongue Twisters

Lauren: I don't like tongue twisters. Not at all.

(left: Chocolate Monster with a Chocolate Face)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T18:57:00.002-05:00

We had another birthday celebration for Zachary today! We took Zachary, Lauren, and three of Zach's friends ice skating downtown. Then we came back and had pizza and cupcakes (pictured on the left). We also had heart-shaped brownies in honor of Valentine's Day. His actual birthday was Wednesday the 11th. A mid-week birthday is a great way to get multiple birthday parties. We celebrated with family on the 7th, took Zachary out to eat on the 11th, and we celebrated with his friends today. We brought Zachary home from the hospital on Valentine's day in 2000, so we had an extra reason to celebrate today!

A Gazillion Activities Packed Into One Little Weekend

2009-02-09T22:56:00.004-05:00

* Saturday morning Zachary had his last two basketball games of the season. His team went undefeated this year! David's coaching debut was a success. We have about a month off before baseball practice starts.

* After the basketball games, we had family members over to celebrate Zachary's 9th birthday and my dad's 58th birthday. Zachary's birthday is actually this Wednesday (the 11th) but the weekend was a good time to get everyone together for a celebration. We served brunch, including a ham and egg casserole, sausage, bacon, pancakes, cheesy potatoes, muffins, bagels, and fresh fruit. After the party, we laid around in our carb- and calorie-induced comas.

* Saturday evening, we went to the high school basketball game. They won handily. Zachary was correct in his prediction of a 16-point victory. Lauren was happy to munch on popcorn, down an entire 16-oz bottle of water, and draw during the game.

* Sunday, Zachary's church choir sang in all three services. After being thrice blessed with the word of God, we headed home to work on Zachary's assignment (which I later pronounced "ridiculous" and more). He had to make a diorama depicting a book scene in which the characters are using life skills. Ugh.

* Finally, with the last scrap of construction paper glued on the shoebox diorama, we all went up to Lauren's room and started peeling wallpaper off the walls. We sure know how to plan fun family activities--ha! Lauren decided (rightfully so) that her wallpaper is too "babyish" so we're in the process of peeling off baby bunnies, bears, and cats. She has already picked out two Disney paint colors for the walls: Princess Bouquet and Fairytale Pink. Alas, she has outgrown her cute little toddler bed so we'll soon be shopping for a big girl bed.

* Next Saturday we're taking Zachary and three of his friends ice skating for his birthday. (Birthdays seem to be week-long events in our family.) It's kind of hard to picture ice skating when the news is predicting a 60-degree day tomorrow! Hopefully we'll be able to post pictures of Lauren's completed room soon!!

Enjoy the week!

Breakfast casserole recipes, please!

2009-01-27T19:59:00.004-05:00

Zachary's 9th birthday is coming up soon! We're planning on celebrating his birthday (and my dad's birthday) on February 7th. Since Zachary has an early-morning basketball game that day, we're planning to have family over after the game for brunch and cake...a perfect combo! I think a breakfast casserole would be easy to make for a crowd for brunch. Does anyone have any good recipes? If so, please leave your recipe in the comment section. Thanks in advance!

Fun Ways to Waste Time on the Internet

2009-01-08T20:20:00.006-05:00

I had an Internet-savvy music history professor in college who gave us an Internet-based assignment (waaaaay back in 1995). She actually gave us written instructions on how to use the Internet for the assignment because some of us had never even opened a web browser. Now, like countless other Internet addicts, I use it multiple times per day. In fact, I have come to realize that the Internet is a haven for procrastinators such as myself. The Internet has some very practical purposes but the entertainment value of the Internet ranks quite high in my book. (That said, all of those patients who read the Internet and come to me with notions that they have strange and unusual diseases need to quit surfing.) Following is a list of some of my favorite sites to visit. Enjoy these procrastination opportunities!

1. Cake Wrecks - The site's author describes it best: "When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong."

2. MyPoints - This site allows you to earn points that can be used toward a gazillion different gift certificates. I frequently get Barnes and Noble gift cards. You can get points by clicking on email links to various web sites or you can shop on the Internet to earn points. It is easy, doesn't take a lot of time, and doesn't lead to a bunch of spam.

3. Jay Leno's Headlines - Whether you watch The Tonight Show or not, this site is LOL-worthy. One misplaced letter can completely change the flavor of a newspaper headline!

4. Cupcakes Take the Cake - The cupcakes on this site are amazing. If you weren't a cupcake fan before, you will be. The site is updated almost every day with new pics and commentary.

5. People.com - Interesting if you follow celebrity gossip or want to know which celeb couple named their twins Garlic-Marie and Snowkapt Mountain.

6. Advance for Nurse Practitioners - I had to include a medical site since I spend 3 1/2 days a week immersed in medical issues (e.g. doing patients' exams, writing prescriptions, ordering labs and diagnostic tests, reviewing patients' labs and ultrasounds, yada yada yada). I use this site for news, continuing education credits, and occasionally random entertainment.

7. Amazon.com - This site has everything! It even has products you don't know you need but probably can't live without once you discover the existence of said products.

8. Barnes and Noble - This is my faaaaaaaavorite book and music store. (Not just because they sell Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake.) In fact, I have a Barnes and Noble package waiting for me on my front porch. The UPS truck just pulled away.

9. Facebook - Beware. This site is addicting. In addition to reading updates about people I knew back when we walked to school uphill both ways, I also spend way too much time playing Pathwords on the site.

10. Webkinz - I've mostly listed this site due to the frequency with which our household visits it. If you're not familiar with Webkinz, they are little stuffed animals that come with codes. You can use these codes to access your pet's online community. You can feed and clothe your pet, play about 30 different addicting "arcade" games, and decorate your pet's bedroom. You can also earn fake money (aka Kinz cash) to buy more food, clothes, and room decor. David says this site is just preparing children to become eBay and Amazon addicts. I know there are parents out there who are secretly playing Webkinz arcade games and feeding their children's virtual pets at night. :-)

These are only a small portion of the sites I visit frequently. I didn't even get to the individual blogs I scan daily. Does anyone else have a favorite site that is worthy of a daily visit?

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T15:06:00.004-05:00

We've had a busy holiday season so far. In fact, we've been so busy that we haven't even gotten around to sending our Christmas cards yet! This past weekend, we went to Indianapolis, watched Despereaux, took Zachary and Lauren to Toys 'r Us so they could spend some Christmas money, went to Oliver Winery, and watched an IU basketball game in Bloomington. Pictures will be coming soon, hopefully (right after those Christmas cards put themselves in the mail). :-) Have a safe and happy New Year!!

A house fit for a gingerbread family

2008-12-22T11:38:00.003-05:00

As temperatures dipped to -2 yesterday, we stayed inside our toasty home and worked on this gingerbread house. Zachary and Lauren have always liked reading Gingerbread Baby, by Jan Brett. The artwork is quite impressive! We were excited to find the sequel, Gingerbread Friends, at Barnes & Noble recently. We think the gingerbread baby would enjoy this dwelling!

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

2008-12-19T08:17:00.003-05:00

Weatherman 1
Skeptical Forecast Viewers 0

The weather was just fine last night, but this was our view this morning! Zachary's Christmas vacation was extended by a day. It looks like they'll be having their school Christmas party in January. Even Lauren's preschool/daycare closed, which is a rarity! We're hoping our poor little tree doesn't snap with the weight of the ice. It has bent dramatically since this picture was taken. Stay warm, everyone!

Top Ten Things We Did This Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T20:42:00.003-05:00

1. Visited with family
2. Ate lots of food (turkey, turkey, more turkey, and lunch at Red Robin today)
3. Bought presents for a Christmas family we're helping this year
4. Braved the mall today, which actually wasn't as crowded as we expected
5. FINISHED OUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!
6. Watched Bolt in 3-D at the movie theater
7. Read
8. Played games
9. Changed Lauren's earrings for the first time!
10. Watched IU basketball

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T21:13:00.014-05:00

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house
Everyone was tired of hearing me grouse
About all of the items I had signed up to bake.
Wouldn't it have been easier to go buy a cake?

So the kiddles cracked eggs, poured gunk and flung flour.
We had everything made within just an hour.
When the timer went off, we ran to the oven,
Tore open the door to grab the food we'd be lovin'.

Our mouths were watering when we pulled out the treats.
Carbs, cheese and fruit make good Thanksgiving eats!
Temptation was too great and soon the kids were yellin',
Mommy's eating a cranberry bar...but who's tellin'?

Crisis averted, we went off to bed.
Visions of turkey and potatoes were certainly in my head.
Thanksgiving morning we packed up the car
And headed to Grandma's; just an hour, not far.

We ate two huge meals that Thanksgiving day.
The kids still had energy but we were too stuffed to play.
We ate way too much but took time to remember
What we were thankful for this November.

Zachary was thankful for food, and Lauren, for rolls.
Olivya agreed with the results of those polls.
Natasha, at the wise age of ten, simply said,
"I'm thankful for family and friends," off the top of her head.

So, just as Natasha so sweetly reminded us,
It's not just the gluttony that's a Thanksgiving plus.
It's the time we spend together and the family we treasure.
That's something more special than calories to measure!

Bailey Elves

2008-11-23T18:56:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy 5th Birthday, Lauren!

2008-11-02T21:30:00.001-05:00

Trick or Treat 2008

2008-11-02T20:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Lauren!

2008-11-02T08:19:00.002-05:00

Lauren is FIVE today! She had a birthday party with friends last night at Build-a-Bear. (Six little people at Build-a-Bear was an interesting adventure but the staff did a nice job.) Today we're celebrating with family at home. We're having a "Lauren's Favorites" lunch, consisting of pizza, macaroni and cheese, barbeque potato chips, a veggie tray, cake, ice cream, and Oreos. Very nutritious, indeed. Halloween and birthday pictures are coming soon!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-27T21:24:00.001-04:00

The Great Zoo Halloween IX

2008-10-26T20:33:00.007-04:00

We've been going to the Great Zoo Halloween every October since Zachary was nine months old. Kids wear their costumes and get treats at nine different stations. The zoo lines every pathway with lights and hundreds of carved and painted pumpkins. We went tonight for our ninth annual zoo Halloween trip. For the past several years, we've been eating at Logan's Roadhouse after collecting our treats. We can't remember exactly how the Logan's tradition started, but we think it's a good excuse to eat good rolls drenched in butter.
Here is Lauren's recap of the evening: "I liked the candy and the people were nice. I like the candy because it's all sugary. I bet Zachary liked the candy, too. The lights on the zoo train were pretty. I liked the pawprint on the pumpkin. It looked like a jack-o-lantern and it was, maybe. I liked my costume and Zachary's Harry Potter costume. A lot of people recognized him. I was cold there because I didn't have my coat on. I had fun there, though. I loved it. After that, we went to Logan's Roadhouse. I thought it was nice. I like the peanuts at Logan's." So, there you have it from the Lauren the Barbie Mariposa fairy, who insisted we call her "Fairy" while she was in costume. Zachary wanted us to call him Harry, so we spent the evening with our children, Harry and Fairy. :-)

Happy Birthday, David!

2008-10-19T20:50:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow is David's 35th birthday! As Matt so tactfully pointed out, he's halfway to 70! We celebrated today with a low country boil (shrimp, potatoes, corn, and sausage), cornbread, fruit, pumpkin trifle, and spice cake with loads of frosting and sprinkles. We got the idea for the low country boil from some of our trips south. We tried it in Charleston, SC, Tybee Island, GA (near Savannah), and Hilton Head, SC. David requested the pumpkin trifle for his birthday dessert after we found it in one of the recent Taste of Home issues. Lauren and I also made a spice cake so the non-pumpkin-trifle fans could eat some birthday cake. (It's also a little difficult to put candles on a trifle.) Of course, we were reminded of the Friends episode where Rachel accidentally combines a trifle recipe with a shepherd's pie recipe. Joey liked it: "Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, goooooood!" We left the meat out of our trifle, and used spice cake, a pumpkin mixture (pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar, and vanilla pudding), and Cool Whip. We're still stuffed but we're planning on having huge meal #2 tonight since we have so many leftovers. Happy birthday, David!

Trying on the Halloween Costumes

2008-10-15T22:31:00.001-04:00

2008-10-12T21:12:00.003-04:00

We made one last trip to the zoo this weekend before it closed for the season. We decided to keep the panda that made its way home with us.

Lauren was inspired to do some baking after we saw the Halloween decorating supplies at Wal-Mart.

(Top) Lauren's new bedazzled (i.e. pierced) ears
(Bottom) Zachary & David reading a bedtime book

The Curse of the Giant Silverado

2008-10-08T20:11:00.003-04:00

As you may recall from the series of pictures below, the car dealership loaned us a giant, 4-door Silverado to drive while our Equinox was getting some wiring fixed. After "enjoying" the gas guzzling gargantu-truck for several days, we finally got to send the Silverado back to its dealership home and we got the Equinox back. Lo and behold, yesterday David got into a little fender bender with the van. The poor little van was towed away last night, crumpled hood and all. What did the dealership give us? The same darn Silverado! Zachary and Lauren were happy to have the monstrosity back. It must have an affinity for our driveway.

September pics

2008-09-28T22:07:00.001-04:00

The Election Draws Near...

2008-09-27T00:12:00.003-04:00

Ever watch Leno's Jaywalking clips? It's amazing that there are people out there who can't name the Presidential candidates. Even Zachary and Lauren have a clue about our potential fearless leaders, although I'm sure they would readily vote Spongebob into office.

There's an effort to elect an unknown random person as President, and it's someone we know! Watch this online video about the surprising new nominee:
Click here!
Let us know if you're ready to jump on this bandwagon (and thanks to Krista for alerting us to this candidate).
~D, M, Z, L

This Past Weekend from A to Z

2008-09-23T22:59:00.002-04:00

A - All four of us piled in the car and...
B - ...Bloomington was our destination.
C - The Cheesecake Factory is often on our list when we're passing through Indianapolis. We ate there for lunch on Sunday. The blueberry white chocolate cheesecake was delish!
D - Drive, drive, drive...thank goodness for the DVD player, satellite radio, and stacks of books in the car.
E - Eating is always a highlight of any road trip. The most interesting morsel: the fried macaroni and cheese appetizer at the Cheesecake Factory!
F - Zachary had a flag football game on Saturday so we headed toward Bloomington after his game.
G - IU's game time: 7:00 p.m. Saturday. That gave us enough time to check into our hotel in Plainfield and drive on to Bloomington.
H - Hooray for the beautiful weather we had this weekend!
I - We had great seats at the IU vs. Ball State football game. Too bad IU forgot to play.
J - Junk food is an integral part of any football game! The hot dogs were especially good. Zachary and Lauren got some Dippin' Dots.
K - IU looked promising at kick-off time, but they lost some steam as the game went on.
L - Lauren liked IU's band and the cheerleaders. Zachary watched the football game quite attentively. He still says he's going to play college baseball though, just like his uncle.
M - We went to the Indianapolis Zoo on Sunday. We enjoyed watching several members of a monkey family fight over who got to hold the baby monkey at the zoo. Apparently monkeys aren't much different from humans when it comes to baby holding mania!
N - The baby monkey wasn't the only new creature at the zoo. We also saw a baby giraffe and a baby elephant.
O - Our next trip to Bloomington will include a basketball game. We've been on IU's season ticket waiting list for eons. In the meantime, we've had some luck getting tickets to games scheduled when students are away on Christmas break. We've also gone to some of the IU games in Indy.
P - We love the Fort Wayne Zoo, but it was fun to see some different animals at Indy's Zoo, including the polar bears.
Q - The car was quiet on the way back to our Plainfield hotel after the IU game. Thankfully, Zachary and Lauren slept since we got back to the hotel after midnight.
R - We have fond memories of our first apartment at Redbud Hill in Bloomington. We often walked to the stadium and to Assembly Hall for games.
S - We sat in the "Splash Zone" at the zoo to watch the dolphin show. Had it been 90 degrees, I would've been overjoyed with the shower we got.
T - We inched along in post-game traffic for about an hour in Bloomington. We never examined Grant Street so closely when we actually lived in B-town!
U - We lucked out with the weather this weekend. Umbrellas were unnecessary!
V - We stayed overnight in Plainfield because there were no hotel vacancies in Bloomington. I guess that's what happens when the freshman family weekend, business school induction, arts administration alumni symposium, and a home football game all occur in the same weekend!
W - David, Zachary and I ordered cheesecake for dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Lauren was content eating blobs of our whipped cream.
X - Walking around the zoo was good EXercise (yes, I'm cheating poor letter X). When Lauren wasn't begging to be carried because her little legs were tired, she was sprinting ahead of us, instructing us to time her!
Y - We've taken a lot of weekend trips this summer/early fall. We hope Zachary and Lauren will look back on them fondly for years!
Z - We had fun at the Indianapolis Zoo. (We had to point out Zachy Zebra, much to Zachary's chagrin.)

Another 4 going on 20 conversation with Lauren

2008-09-14T18:52:00.005-04:00

Lauren and I were watching a commercial with a baby talking on a cell phone. Lauren commented that his mom and dad shouldn't let him have a cell phone since he's a baby. We continued with this following conversation:

Me: When should people get a cell phone?

Lauren: When they're grown up.

Me: How old will you be when you're grown up?

Lauren: About 13. Then I'll get a cell phone.

Lauren: When were you grown up, mama?

Me: I don't know; about 18?

Lauren: You had to stay with your mom and dad until you were 18???!!!???

Me: Yes, then I went to college. Will you stay with me until you're 18?

Lauren: [sigh] I guess, but that's really far away and I don't know what I'll be doing then.

Playhouse Disney

2008-09-14T15:30:00.002-04:00

We went to the Playhouse Disney Live show today. You may be able to tell from the high quality cell phone picture (ha) that Goofy, Mickey, Donald, and Minnie are on stage. The show also featured Pooh and Friends, Little Einsteins, and Handy Manny. Lauren enjoyed it and Zachary thought he was too cool to be there. They both enjoyed their cotton candy though!

Lauren's Latest Line

2008-09-10T08:22:00.002-04:00

Overheard as Lauren was taking a bath last night...

Lauren: Mommeeeeeeeeeeeee! I need you to rinse my haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair!
Zachary: Why don't you rinse it, Lauren?
Lauren: Zachary, that would not be appropriate. I don't know how to do that.

(Lauren is four going on 20.) :-)

Busy lives, procrastination, etc.

2008-09-07T16:43:00.006-04:00

Yet another few weeks have gone by since the last post. That usually means I have a ton of pictures on my camera that I could post and a gazillion things on my to-do list. The blog often gets moved to the bottom of the list! How could it not, when I get requests to play Webkinz online as soon as I pick up the laptop?
:-)
Anyway, here are the things that have been taking up our time: 3rd grade, soccer, flag football, preschool, work, the lake, cleaning, picking "stuff" in the garden (weeds and actual food), laundry, cooking, reading, camping, procrastinating, etc. Pretty soon our Bible study group will be starting back up for the school year so we'll add that to the list!
David and I have been reading the Twilight saga, a series of four young adult books by Stephenie Meyer. They are fantastic! I finished book four and David is working on it now. If you have the means...
We finally picked one of our watermelons. It was quite tasty! We're still waiting for our corn. The plants are as "high as an elephant's eye" (any Oklahoma fans?) but the ears themselves are slow to grow. We're now overwhelmed with a good supply of cherry tomatoes. Good thing I have a recipe for a tasty tomato/cucumber salad!
Work is going well. We have been busy since the day I started. It'll be interesting to see if the number of patients varies by season. There have been plenty of interesting, enlightening, and entertaining patient encounters so far.
David has been doing a lot of work for an upcoming trial. Will it settle at the last minute? We'll soon find out!
Zachary is enjoying third grade. He likes his teacher and has been bringing home the usual stellar spelling tests and math homework. He has also started the PEAK program, which is a talented and gifted program with fancy new initials.
Lauren has a new pre-K teacher this school year and has been having a good time. The letters, sounds, numbers, colors, and shapes are all review for her, but she still likes it. We've been working on reading at home and apparently have yet another child prodigy on our hands. (Yes, the extra-thick bragging is intentional).
So, that's our mini-update for now. Hopefully pictures will be coming soon. Just make sure you're not holding your breath though! ;-)
~D, M, Z & L

Chicago Weekend

2008-08-12T21:27:00.003-04:00

Here's a little bit about our organized chaos in Chicago this past weekend. Ready? We went to the American Girl/Bitty Bear Matinee, the art museum, the Field Museum, Navy Pier, Cirque Shanghai Gold, the beach, the Hershey store, the Ghirardelli chocolate store, the Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the Cheesecake Factory, and a White Sox game. Zachary and Lauren begrudgingly allowed their dear mom to shop at Ralph Lauren and Coach, two of her favorite stores. We managed to pack all of these activities in from Friday through Sunday and even found some time to rest while we were there. You can see the slideshow of our pictures posted below.

Chicago Pictures

2008-08-12T21:25:00.001-04:00

Backyard pics

2008-07-28T21:19:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of a recent dinner in the backyard. In the first picture, Zachary and Lauren are displaying their lemon and apple slices. In the second picture, Zachary has decided that the lemon slice was too sour to eat, after all. He wanted me to take a picture of his "sour face."

After we got home from St. Louis last night, Lauren told me her brain "hatched" an idea. Her idea is to go to Disney for our next vacation. :-)
St. Louis pics are posted below.

St. Louis Pics

2008-07-28T21:18:00.001-04:00

St. Louis Trip

2008-07-28T11:57:00.003-04:00

We're back from a mini vacation to St. Louis, MO! We arrived in St. Louis late Thursday night and returned home Sunday night. We had a great time! We visited the St. Louis Zoo, the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion (below the Arch), and the Old Cathedral, the first church in St. Louis. We went up in the arch and had a good view of St. Louis from 630 feet in the air! We also took a carriage ride and a Mississippi River cruise aboard the Tom Sawyer. We watched fireworks downtown on Saturday night and we also looked inside the old courthouse, the site of the Dred Scott slavery trial. I will post pictures soon.
Have a nice week!
~D, M, Z, & L

Bountiful Harvest, Bunnies, and Blooms

2008-07-20T21:34:00.008-04:00

Mid-summer is always a colorful time in our yard! Here are some pictures of some of my favorite blooms. We also picked our first vegetable "crop" consisting of 11 pea pods and one cherry tomato, pictured below. There will be plenty more to come, as the cherry tomatoes are just starting to ripen. I am also posting a picture of one of several baby watermelons that are growing in our yard. The quarter beside it will give you an idea of how little and cute the watermelons are right now! What appears to be a darling little bunny is actually a ferocious garden monster, believe it or not. (David constructed a bunny-proof fence around our garden this year so we could actually enjoy eating the veggies we planted.) Riley chased this litle bunny out of a patch of black-eyed susans and it decided to stick around long enough to pose for a few pictures.

This Weekend

2008-07-19T22:15:00.002-04:00

We've been really busy this weekend and the weekend isn't even over yet! Friday we drove to Monticello, IN, to Indiana Beach. If you haven't been there, it is an amusement resort on Lake Schafer. It doesn't quite compare to Cedar Point, for any of the roller coaster afficionados, but it does have a lot of fun rides. Zachary rode three roller coasters and Lauren rode some of the tame kiddie rides.

Friday night we stayed in Indianapolis and ate like pigs at the Cheesecake Factory, one of our favorite restaurants. David had a piece of dutch apple caramel cheesecake and I had a piece of lemon raspberry cream cheesecake. That was after the calamari appetizer, loads of bread, and entrees that could have fed a small country. I'm kind of glad we have to drive to Indy or Chicago in order to eat there!

This morning we went to Connor Prairie, a living history museum. We'll have to go back soon because we didn't have a chance to see everything by the time we had to leave. We visited the Lenape Indian camp, the Connor Homestead (the first brick home in central Indiana), and part of Prairietown. Zachary and Lauren got to try their hands at dipping wax candles and we all tried to balance on stilts with varying success. We also watched the potter and the blacksmith. We got to pat chicks and newborn lambs in the barn!

After Connor Prairie, we headed to Anderson University to watch part of Matt's baseball game (Delaware Cows vs. Anderson Servants). Due to a rain delay, we only watched about 1/2 hour of the game. Then, we headed home so I could go to a comedy concert by Anita Renfroe at one of the local churches. She was quite funny, and we topped off our girls' night out with some good chocolate at DeBrand's. Anita Renfroe sings a Mom's Overture, set to the William Tell Overture. You can find it on YouTube at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W95Y8hNQiH8. I'm sure all moms can appreciate this one!

Tomorrow Zachary and Lauren are going to sing at church for a little post-Vacation Bible School concert. I was impressed with the number of songs they learned, including motions, throughout their week at VBS. Lauren sang many of the songs in the car this weekend when she thought nobody was listening. (She won't sing upon request.)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
~D, M, Z & L

Ten Things We've Done Recently or Are Currently Doing

2008-07-13T22:06:00.002-04:00

1. Zachary and Lauren started Vacation Bible School at church tonight.
2. We painted the dock at the lake.
3. We spent a day at the zoo last Friday.
4. David and I went to Elkhart to eat at Indigo on 17, a new restaurant we've been wanting to try.
5. We've been planning a long weekend trip to St. Louis.
6. We made brownies over the weekend.
7. We've been watching the progress in our garden. We've picked some lettuce, strawberries, and raspberries. We also have some watermelons, peppers, cauliflower, peas, cabbage, and corn growing.
8. We've been reading our new books from Barnes & Noble.
9. We're planning another long weekend trip to Chicago.
10. Zachary's baseball season ended and he's now looking forward to soccer and flag football.

Have a nice week!
~D, M, Z & L

Meme

2008-07-10T18:30:00.001-04:00

Finally, a new post...almost a month after the last one! Jessica has tagged me for a meme (or re-tagged me since I didn't get around to answering the last one) so I better answer! Here it is...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Finishing a master's degree in arts administration; 2. Looking for a job; 3. Moving from Bloomington to Fort Wayne; 4. Picking out an apartment 5. Puppy-proofing the apartment

5 things on my to do list:
1. Look up answers to all of the questions I have accumulated after being at my new job for 3 weeks
2. Clean my very neglected house and hopefully enlist the help of the other household members
3. Grocery shopping
4. Read the mountain of books I just got at Barnes & Noble
5. Enjoy the summer

5 favorite snacks/food:
1. Cottage cheese
2. Ice cream
3. Wheat thins or Triscuits
4. Baked potatoes
5. Pizza

5 things I would do if I was a billionaire: 1. Set aside money for Zachary and Lauren's college tuition; 2. Donate to non-profit groups of choice; 3. Travel; 4. Buy expensive, fun things like jewelry, cars, etc.; 5. Give $$ or gifts of choice to family members

5 bad habits: 1. Cracking my knuckles; 2. Making piles instead of throwing things away; 3. Procrastinating; 4. Drinking too much Diet Coke; 5. "Forgetting" to exercise

5 Places I've lived:
1. Bloomington, IN
2. Edon, OH
3. Marietta, OH
4. Springfield, OH
5. Oxford, OH

...end of Meme! I don't know if I can think of anyone to tag. Feel free to tag yourself and let me know--haha!

Church Camp

2008-06-13T15:40:00.003-04:00

David and Zachary are having a good time at church camp. David e-mailed me this picture of Zachary on the zip line! Luckily they were able to do this before the rain started!

FNP-C...

2008-06-11T16:04:00.003-04:00

...is my sparkly new title now that I have passed the AANP certification exam! I start my new job as a nurse practitioner (OB-GYN) on June 23rd!

Zachary and David are going to church camp at the end of this week so Lauren and I will look for some fun things to do around our home.

Both Zachary and Lauren have zoo camp next week. I will be shuttling them back and forth a lot since Lauren's camp is 1/2 day and Zachary's is a full day. I'm sure they'll both have a great time since they love going to the zoo! This is Lauren's first zoo camp but Zachary has attended for at least four years.

As I mentioned earlier, we are reconnecting our phone number this Friday. We didn't like the cell phone-only lifestyle, so we're going back to the 20th century. It is the same number we've had since 1999 so chances are good that you have the number fairly handy if you have called us before!

Enjoy the weekend and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to dads and grandpas!
~D, M, Z, & L

School's Out!

2008-06-05T21:17:00.003-04:00

Enjoy! If you need Zachary's baseball schedule, please scroll down to the earlier posting.
~D, M, Z & L

Another phone update

2008-06-05T20:42:00.002-04:00

We tried to be modern, 21st century people by giving up our land line and relying just on our cell phones. Apparently we are not quite so modern. We are reconnecting our land line next Friday (the 13th, of course). Our phone number will be exactly what it was before we had it disconnected. So, if you know us, it's the same one that's been in the phone book for the last 9 years! (Amazingly, Verizon hadn't given the number away yet.) You can still reach us on our cell phones, but you can also call us on the number that doesn't travel!
~D, M, Z & L

Zoo Day

2008-05-31T15:04:00.003-04:00

David, Zachary & Lauren's self-portrait on the sky ride at the zoo

Today's activities...

D, Z, & L: Trip to the zoo with rides on the sky ride, carousel, and the boat ride in the Australian section

M: Studying for AANP certification exam, scheduled for June 10

D, M, Z, & L: Trip to the nearby garden center to shop for perennials and veggies for our garden

Zachary's Baseball Schedule

2008-05-19T21:02:00.002-04:00

We got Zachary's baseball uniform and game schedule tonight. He is on the green team and will play all of his games on Diamond 2. For all Zachary fans (i.e. grandparents and other relatives), the schedule is as follows:

Friday 5/23--6:00 p.m.
Saturday 5/24--9:00 a.m.
Wednesday 5/28--6:00 p.m.
Friday 5/30--7:15 p.m.
Monday 6/2--6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 6/4--7:15 p.m.
Monday 6/9--6:00 p.m.
Monday 6/16--6:00 p.m.
Friday 6/20--7:15 p.m.
Monday 6/23--6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 6/25--7:15 p.m.
Monday 6/30--8:30 p.m.

Our Week in Review

2008-05-18T20:21:00.002-04:00

Here's what we did this past week...

Michelle -spent three days in Chicago for an NP certification review. Four of us drove to the west side of Chicago for the review, shopping, and good restaurants! The review was very helpful, but long!

Lauren - had strep throat at the beginning of the week but she's feeling fine now that she's on antibiotics. Unfortunately she missed her preschool spring program because of the strep throat. Some of the week's activities included eating breakfast at the Flat Top Grille, washing the car, jumping on the trampoline, and planting some flowers.

Zachary - had baseball practice, jumped on the trampoline, and played with the Nintendo Wii. He finished the most recent Magic Treehouse book that was published, so he has now read all of them.

David - took Zachary and Lauren on various "field trips" while Michelle was in Chicago. He also worked on perfecting his Wii golf game. :-)

Moms...

2008-05-12T13:20:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day yesterday! Click HERE for a funny mom song to the tune of the William Tell Overture.

NP Job!!

2008-05-09T15:40:00.003-04:00

I have officially accepted an NP job with an OB-GYN practice in town! I will be one of three NPs working with an MD. Some details such as the start date haven't been decided because I still need to take my certification exam, but I will be working either 3 1/2 or 4 days a week. Hooray for employment!

Happy Nurses Week...

2008-05-08T09:37:00.004-04:00

...and what an eventful nurses week it has been! I received my MSN degree on Saturday and received a job offer for a nurse practitioner position yesterday. I will post more specific details later because I am meeting with them tomorrow to talk about hours, salary, benefits, etc.

Other news:

* Zachary started baseball practice this week. We're waiting to see what interesting color his team will wear this year (especially after last year's drab brown color). I guess the players don't care about fashion, though.

* Lauren starts soccer this Saturday at the YMCA. (Lauren will definitely be interested in the shirt color.)

* The OWU Battling Bishops are headed to the NCAC baseball tournament finals today and Friday. Good luck, Matt!

Happy Mother's Day on Sunday!

Simon Says

2008-05-01T12:41:00.004-04:00

Zachary's church choir put on a musical this past Sunday called "Simon Says: The Rockin' Trial of Simon Peter." They did a really nice job! Zachary is at the top of the circle in the first picture (upside down) and he is the first one in the bottom row in the second picture.

Play Ball!

2008-04-30T21:05:00.002-04:00

Lauren recently got a new bat and glove so she tried them out tonight! She said she would like to play T-ball next summer and she thinks her uncle Matt should teach her how to play. Zachary was supposed to start little league practice this week but it was cancelled due to rain. Hopefully the weather will be nicer next week!

Important Dates

2008-04-30T12:24:00.007-04:00

Graduation time is finally here!

Thursday, May 1: MSN pinning, 6:30 p.m. (Hutzell @ USF)
Saturday, May 3: Graduation ceremony, 2:00 p.m. (Coliseum)

Other dates:
Sunday, May 11: Mother's Day
Tuesday, May 13: Lauren's preschool program, 7:00 p.m. (Pine Hills)

If you live in town, here are a couple of important opportunities for donations:
~ http://lewfamilypage.blogspot.com/2008/04/note-from-baileys.html for meals and/or donations for the Lews after their house fire

~ http://kateskart.org/fill_the_uhaul.htm for book donations to Kate's Kart (with a special collection this Saturday, 5/3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Birthday, Matt (4/30)!!

Trampoline

2008-04-20T22:22:00.001-04:00

Our Neighbors

2008-04-17T19:32:00.004-04:00

For any of our local readers, the Lew Family has a new blog to keep family and friends updated after their house fire. You can read their blog here.

The Latest

2008-04-14T22:30:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I've posted. We've been really busy lately! Here's what's been going on:
* We got a trampoline--with a safety net--and have been jumping like crazy [pictures coming soon].
* We went to Springfield, OH, to watch Matt play baseball over the weekend. While we were there, we met up with my friend from grade school who I hadn't seen since 1982!! We also saw her mom, husband, and two kids. It was a lot of fun and we are hoping not to let another 20-some years go by before we see them again!
* Zachary has been having lots of rehearsals at church for the spring musical. He is now even more toothless, if that's possible, and the tooth fairy is one tooth richer after the weekend.
* I finished my clinical hours for my NP program. Graduation is May 3!
* David and I started an enormous house cleaning project. (Our house has been a disaster while I have been in school for the past three years. We may re-hire the cleaning service we had before.)
* Lauren has been busy writing her letters and short words.
* David has been busy at work, so it is a good thing he already knows how to write his letters and long legal words. The legal profession may well be Lauren's calling, too (although she is definitely NP material...ha).
* I have been sending out resumes. It is a very boring process. I have a few potential job opportunities that I am pursuing. Send "very hireable new NP" thoughts my way (or the physician's way)!

That's about all on our homefront. Our backyard neighbors had a house fire today, which was very scary. They are all ok and have a place to stay, thank goodness.

~D, M, Z, L

Day trip to Indy

2008-04-01T01:04:00.003-04:00

Have you ever seen this 43-foot-tall glass tower? It is a sculpture called Fireworks of Glass, and it weighs 18,000 pounds!! Dale Chihuly made the entire tower out of blown glass. We took Zachary and Lauren to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis today and the tower was one of the featured exhibits. We also saw a Star Wars show in the planetarium, went through the Curious George play room, and saw real dinosaur bones in the Dinosphere exhibit. After the museum, we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. It was a fun little day trip!

Who Cakes

2008-03-30T16:38:00.005-04:00

We made it to IHOP today so Zachary and Lauren could try the Who Cakes, a promotion from the Horton Hears a Who movie. The Who Cakes come with boysenberry and blueberry glaze, rainbow chocolate chips, and a pink sucker on top. Zachary and Lauren were blissfully unaware that they were eating boysenberry and blueberry glaze on their pancakes. :-)

What's going on around our house this weekend

2008-03-29T23:46:00.005-04:00

Zachary's spring break started Friday. We aren't going anywhere in particular since we recently went to Florida. We'll make sure we do something fun this week though. Lauren mentioned that she would like to go to IHOP for Horton Hears a Who pancakes, and Zachary thought that sounded good. David is taking the day off Monday so we can do some spring break-ish activity.
I started sending out resumes this weekend for nurse practitioner positions. I contacted practices in a variety of specialty areas so it'll be interesting to see where I end up (hopefully sooner rather than later)!
David, Zachary and Lauren went swimming at the YMCA today while I worked on cover letters. I also filled out an incredibly long application for my NP certification exam. In addition to sending an official transcript, I had to list every class I have taken and every preceptor with whom I completed clinical hours. They wanted the preceptor's name, address, practice specialty, and credentials. That took a while since I had three years of classes and nine different medical practices to list!
We also made a trip to the Fresh Market today. Zachary and Lauren got desserts (chocolate cake and a cupcake) from the bakery but David and I managed to resist this overwhelming temptation. We were not able to resist our favorite deli salads though. We also stocked up on a couple of containers of Ciao Bella raspberry sorbet. If you aren't familiar with their sorbets and gelatos, click here to look at their delicious web site (no, they don't pay us for advertising)!
We haven't decided on tomorrow's agenda (or today's, since it is a little after midnight).
Matt's team (OWU) plays Denison this weekend in a 2-day double header series. He pitches tomorrow. Good luck, Matt!
I noticed that we have some crocuses in bloom! Happy spring!!
~D, M, Z, & L

Carrie Underwood

2008-03-26T18:46:00.002-04:00

Last night David and I went to the Carrie Underwood/Josh Turner concert. It was sold out but we managed to get tickets on eBay. Our seats were good and so was the concert! Following is a link to a YouTube video of Carrie singing "I'll Stand by You" on the Idol Gives Back episode last year (in case you're not sure who she is...Matt!?).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viBIH_NxEYk&feature=email

Easter 2008 Pictures

2008-03-24T21:51:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter!

Phone Change Notice!

2008-03-21T12:51:00.006-04:00

We have decided to become incredibly modern and get rid of our land line phone. We kept our same cell phone numbers, though. I sent an email to as many people as possible, but if you were not on the list and you need our cell phone numbers, please leave a comment on this page or email us. I will email you the numbers then.

Disney Photo Album #2

2008-03-20T15:56:00.002-04:00

This album is a collection of pictures by various Disney photographers. They'll give you a card to carry around and every time you see a character or go to an event, you give them the card and they'll take pictures for you. Then you can buy the expensive CD at the end of the trip! :-)

Pictures from Disney

2008-03-18T10:28:00.003-04:00

Make sure you click the sound button below so you can hear the music with the pictures. What could be a better pair than Disney and Vivaldi? :o)

Once I get the pictures off the video camera, I can post more. These are the ones I had on my cell phone! (We did get a new camera over the weekend.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T20:56:00.005-04:00

Legend of Saint Patrick:
Good St. Patrick travelled far, to teach God's Holy Word
And when he came to Erin's sod, a wondrous thing occurred.
He plucked a shamrock from the earth and held it in His hand
To symbolize the Trinity that all might understand.
The first leaf for the Father
And the second for the Son
The third leaf for the Holy Spirit, all three of them in one.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is a recipe for a
Bailey's Irish Cream Latte:
Step 1: Take your coffee mug or coffee glass
Step 2: Pour in a shot of espresso coffee
Step 3: Add 3 ½ oz. of Bailey's Irish Cream
Step 4: Fill with steamed milk
Step 5: Decorate the top with froth
Step 6: Sprinkle with chocolate shavings

Oh, he occasionally takes an alcoholiday.--Wilde

David and I were recalling Green Beer Day at Miami University in Oxford, OH. Apparently the tradition goes on, and now there is even a web site for the occasion: http://www.greenbeerday.com/home.html. It even has its own Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Beer_Day. Wow. We didn't have green beer today. We did make some chocolate pudding with green mint chips in it. We also wore green today in honor of Michelle's 1/4 Irish heritage, Zachary and Lauren's 1/8 Irish heritage, and David's, um, Scottish heritage. Lauren had a St. Patrick's Day party at school today and she told me leprechauns "trashed" the classroom. Zachary said leprechauns did some damage in his classroom, too. I had no idea that was a St. Patrick's Day tradition. The things you learn from preschoolers and 2nd graders!

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Back from Florida!

2008-03-15T08:44:00.003-04:00

We're back from our Disney/Englewood Beach trip! We had a great time, especially since we were able to escape the snow. We went to the Disney parks for three days and then drove to Englewood Beach to watch Matt play baseball for a couple of days. Despite the fact that we "donated" our digital camera to someone at Disney's Hollywood Studios, we managed to take some pictures on my cell phone and on the video camera. (I hope whoever has our camera is enjoying their stolen goods...sheesh.) Anyway, our weather in Orlando averaged in the low 70s and it warmed up considerably by the time we got to Englewood Beach. We even wore our swimming suits to the beach a couple of times! Zachary collected 68 shark teeth [at last count] on the beach and Lauren gathered a ton of shells. I will post more pictures later! The picture of Zachary and Lauren with Pooh Bear was taken at the Crystal Palace, a buffet restaurant at the Magic Kingdom. Enjoy the weekend!
~D, M, Z, & L

P.S. I had to add an edit to this post, thanks to another funny Line by Lauren. Lauren has been running around with just a pajama shirt and Sleeping Beauty underwear in an attempt to avoid getting completely dressed this morning. I asked her, "Where are your clothes?" She replied, "Well, I have one 'clo' on!" :-)

Until next time...

2008-03-07T09:59:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! We have a busy week ahead of us, so I probably won't have a chance to post again until next Friday. No big news to report today.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. ~Henry David Thoreau

Off to work on foundations...

Elephants, Zebras, and SpongeBob; Oh My!

2008-03-03T17:44:00.011-05:00

I got an email today with some paintings of animals on hands. They were done by an Italian artist named Guido Daniele (http://guidodaniele.com/). They are really amazing! I included a couple of them, but you should look at the web site for more!

Zachary didn't have school today because there was a teacher inservice, so we were busy today! We played Cranium Hullabaloo, dominoes, Spongebob bingo, and we played with Webkinz online. We also read some books and did some coloring. Back to school tomorrow.

~D, M, Z, & L

The Lion King

2008-03-02T14:44:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to see the musical The Lion King in Toledo. It was really good! The set design and the costumes were really interesting and the singers were all very talented. Nala was especially good. Zachary and Lauren have now seen two musicals in the last six months (Annie and The Lion King). David and I have made it to three musicals, since we saw Wicked in Chicago not too long ago. That might be a record amount of musical theater in such a short time for us. We have always enjoyed going to musicals, but we usually spread them out a little bit by necessity!

David went to the Miami University Glee Club's 100th Anniversary Concert earlier in the week. The current Glee Club members sang the first half of the concert and alumni were invited to sing in the second half. He had a nice time and was able to catch up with other alumni while he was in Oxford.

We are currently watching the IU vs. Michigan State game, and it is not looking good for the Hoosiers. Hopefully they will have a miraculous turn-around!

We are heading to Florida soon! We will spend the first four days in Orlando at the Disney parks and then we'll be in the Port Charlotte area to watch Matt play baseball. While we are at Disney, Lauren will be getting a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Cinderella's Castle. Zachary is scheduled for a "cool dude" makeover at the same time. We'll also be eating with Winnie the Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom, which was a great place to eat the last time we went to Disney. Zachary really wants to go to Disney-MGM Studios so we're adding that to our to-do list. We're also going to the Animal Kingdom. We can't wait for the warm weather!

~ David, Michelle, Zachary & Lauren

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~ St. Augustine

Sick as a Dog

2008-02-24T22:45:00.002-05:00

David, Zachary and I have the flu. Yuck! Lauren is the only non-sicko in the house because she had the flu about three weeks ago. She is going to visit Grandma and Grampie tomorrow for a little mini-vacation from the sickos. Yes, all four of us had our flu shots back in October. No, the flu shots did not help us any. (My AANP Smartbrief e-mail mentioned that there are two flu strains that are not covered by the vaccine.) We donated a lot of money to Redimed and Walgreens today for our diagnoses and Tamiflu. Wow, that is an expensive medication! We paid about $240 for three prescriptions so our flu symptoms could be reduced by a few days. Oh yeah, add in another $2.99 for Zachary's bubblegum flavoring. :-)

Here is your influenza education of the day from your friendly neighborhood soon-to-be-nurse practitioner (NP). First of all, influenza is not the same thing as the stomach flu (pet peeve of soon-to-be-NP). Influenza is a nasty respiratory virus. The acronym FACTS can be used to describe the main symptoms. They include Fever, Aches, Chills, Tiredness, and Sudden symptoms. To be slightly more specific, the fever is usually pretty high (100+ degrees). People may also experience severe muscle aches, a dry (non-productive) cough, a headache, chills, and fatigue. A runny nose is more common in kids than adults, as are stomach symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Antibiotics are not useful for the flu since it is a virus. If you have symptoms, it is important to see your doctor or nurse practitioner (!) within the first 24-48 hours so you can start taking an anti-viral medication such as Tamiflu.

Positive notes of the day:
1) We got sick this week instead of the week we're going to Florida!
2) I start my family practice clinical hours next week instead of this week.
3) Lauren is healthy!
4) David had his worst symptoms over the weekend instead of during the work week.
5) Redimed is open on the weekends.
6) Leftover Valentine's candy is good for sickos.
7) Having every single one of the flu symptoms is a good review for any flu questions that may appear on the NP certification exam.
8) Lauren and I made it to church before I started feeling any awful flu symptoms. (Apologies to those whose hands I shook. That'll teach you to wash your hands directly after church.)
9) TiVo is great for the days when one wishes to stare at the TV for hours at a time.
10) Lauren was very busy today despite the rest of the family's inactivity. She played with dolls, wrote in her "journal," colored, played with her Princess Plug-N-Play game, and did a lot of cutting (a favorite activity). She also helped me make jello for Zachary.

* A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb
* Fresh air impoverishes the doctor. ~Danish Proverb
* Half the modern drugs could well be thrown out the window, except that the birds might eat them. ~Martin H. Fischer
* The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not. ~Mark Twain
* Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson
* Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ~Mark Twain

The Valentine Eating Dog, etc.

2008-02-21T09:21:00.008-05:00

In 2006, the per capita consumption of candy was 26 pounds! Apparently our dog is as crazy about Valentine's Day treats as we are. Lauren made a Valentine at school that said "I love you" in candy hearts. We recently found Riley munching on the Valentine. Luckily, we discovered this before she ate too many letters. We didn't know candy hearts were appealing to dogs but, then again, Riley will eat anything we give her. Here is the partially munched Valentine:

Lauren doesn't wear a lot of barrettes and other frilly things in her hair, despite her enormous collection of ponytail holders, barrettes, headbands, etc. She actually went to preschool the other day with pigtails and barrettes! (She did not come home with them.)

Zachary's last basketball game is this coming Monday. Then we're on to minor league baseball! He was really excited to earn an "Accelerated Reader" keychain at school recently!

Just TEN family practice clinical days to go before I have completed the clinical hours required for my nurse practitioner program. Hooray! (My last class continues through April, but it will be nice to be finished with one component.)

David has been busy at work lately (e.g. 2 briefs to work on in one day recently) so he is surely looking forward to our upcoming Florida trip. We are going to Disney World for a few days and then we'll watch Matt play baseball in Port Charlotte.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

To leave a comment: click on the comments link that appears just after "Posted by The Baileys at 9:21 AM." When you're prompted to "Choose an Identity," you don't have to have a Google account. You can just click on Anonymous.

My favorite things I did today include...

2008-02-19T20:52:00.010-05:00

Lauren: Drinking my Blue's Clues yogurt drink, eating my Pop-tart, and playing at school.

Zachary: Doing puzzles with Daddy at school during "Puzzles with Parents" and watching the IU game.

Indiana 77, Purdue 68

Birthday Fish

2008-02-16T16:01:00.005-05:00

Zachary got a fish tank for his birthday so we are now the proud owners of two goldfish. Lauren named the orange one Rosie and Zachary named the silver/orange one Slippy. We may add more in the future but, as Lauren so eloquently put it, we have to make sure they don't "get croaked" first.

Zachary's Birthday

2008-02-15T17:13:00.006-05:00

Zachary's birthday party at Crazy Pinz

(L) Zachary's Pikachu cake, (R) Cakes that Lauren & Zachary decorated

More Crazy Pinz pictures

Zachary turned 8 on February 11th! He had a party with his friends at Crazy Pinz the day before. They ate pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream, bowled, and played the arcade games. Zachary had a Little Shots game on his birthday so he got to play basketball before having more cake and presents at home!

February is a big birthday month in our family. Happy birthday to Grampie Struble (2/7), Zachary (2/11), and Grandma Bailey (2/17)!

Have a great weekend!

Love, David, Michelle, Zachary & Lauren

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T07:36:00.003-05:00

For God so loVed the world

That He gAve
His onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whosoever
Believeth In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life.
John 3:16

Zachary's 8th birthday was Monday! We will post pictures later!
Love, David, Michelle, Zachary & Lauren

2008-02-07T18:53:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes when I get up in the morning, I feel very peculiar. I feel like I've just got to bite a cat! I feel like if I don't bite a cat before sundown, I'll go crazy! But then I just take a deep breath and forget about it. That's what is known as real maturity." ~Snoopy

Tuesday we tried a new restaurant in town called Granite City. It was a loud place but the food was good. We only waited about 10 minutes to get in, which isn't bad for a new restaurant! Zachary has already requested a return trip. Lauren liked the cheese fries appetizer we got.

As you probably know, Zachary got his tonsils and adenoids taken out two weeks ago. We have been celebrating our strep throat-free future...a little prematurely. Lauren came home from preschool yesterday with a fever. We made a trip to the pediatrician's office today and she has STREP THROAT! Ho hum. So, we got the $50 antibiotic (yikes, that's with insurance coverage) and she'll soon be on the mend.

Zachary's 8th birthday is approaching (Monday) so we're having a little party at Crazy Pinz this weekend. He requested a Pikachu (Pokemon) cake so I'll post some pictures after the masterpiece has been created!

We're off to start the bath routine a little early because Zachary wants to watch Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? before bed. Considering the number of questions he gets right, apparently the answer should be yes! :-)

Happy Thursday! David, Michelle, Zachary & Lauren

2008-02-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

I made myself a snow ball as perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet and let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas and a pillow for its head.
Then, last night it ran away
But first -- it wet the bed.
~Shel Silverstein

Today Lauren told me, "I wish I had eyes in the back of my head so I could see my ponytail and run backwards." :-)

Top Ten List: 10 things we did this weekend

2008-02-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

10. Went to church/Sunday School

9. Went sledding

8. Went to an IPFW basketball game

7. Shopped at the Fresh Market

6. Made brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and double chocolate Jello dessert

5. Listened to music
4. Read books

3. Watched a movie (Babel)

2. Superbowl

1. Drank hot chocolate

Zachary's additions to the list: "Did MadLibs, drove in the car, got a football at the IPFW game, played with the football, and that's all."

Lauren's additions to the list: "Went to bed, played, did a lot of fun stuff, played V-Smile with Zachy, and that's all."

Pictures: 1) All bundled up, 2) Getting ready to sled, 3) The sledders, 4) The procrastinator

3) 4)

The latest in balloon-wear...

2008-01-31T22:09:00.001-05:00

...or a real-life Where's Waldo puzzle!

Zachary and Lauren are modeling the bunches of balloons Zachary received after he got his tonsils out.

Lines by Lauren & Zachary's Witticisms

2008-01-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

Here are some fairly recent lines by Lauren:

One of Lauren's Veggie Tales CDs says, "Sing Hosanna to the King of Kings." According to Lauren, it is "Sing, Ho! Santa to the King of Kings."
An "E-dult" is a big person who is always bored.
Zachy, I'm going to do some teamwork for your birthday invitations.
Grandma, I didn't know that old people polished their toenails!
My teacher is rich. I heard her tell someone.

Pecan = a bird at the zoo, aka a toucan

Tic tattoo = a tattoo

Mama, will you be done with school in two weeks so we can go get a house with a basement?

Pinta butter = peanut butter

It's just you and me, Mama, and we're a good cooking team.

And here are some of Zachary's famous one-liners...

Evidence is a kind of clue (approx. age 2)

Zachary: Dora's coming on!
Michelle: Again?
Zachary: Don't be scared, Mommy, she won't hurt you! (age 2)

He [the misfit elf in Rudolph] doesn't fit in, but he fits through the window!

Cotton balls turn into cotton candy

Cordboy = Corduroy the Bear

While making brownies: Can we hatch the eggs now? (age 3)

I was volunteering in Zachary's 1st grade class last year and a classmate asked him what he should do with his completed poem on a bell shape. Zachary said, "Put it in your palm book." I asked what a palm book was. He said, "It's for these palms. It's a palm book!"

Barnes and "Oble" and Other Activities

2008-01-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve pajamas from Santa

A cute little dress Lauren got for Christmas

We thought maybe Zachary could use an outing last night so we went to the store that Lauren has always called "Barnes And Oble." :-) They each picked out a couple of books and CDs. Zachary's picks included a Pokemon book, a book about prehistoric life, and a Kidz Bop CD. Lauren chose a Littlest Pet Shop book, an American Girl/Coconut the Dog kids' cookbook, and a Hi-5 CD. They both love doing Mad Libs so we got a Valentine's Day version.

Zachary will probably go back to school tomorrow. He seems to be feeling pretty good after all of our activities today. We went to Walgreens, ate lunch at Culvers, addressed Valentines for Zachary and Lauren's upcoming school parties, and then Zachary finished his homework.

Lori, one of my MSN classmates, mentioned in the comment section that David and I didn't post any pictures of ourselves. We don't have many because we're usually the ones holding the camera, but I found some from Christmas!

Hope you're having a good day.

Love, David, Michelle, Zachary & Lauren

Zachary's tonsils

2008-01-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

...are gone! After many episodes of strep throat, the ENT doctor decided that taking out his tonsils and adenoids would be the best plan. We are on post-op day four, and he's doing well! He is eating and drinking well, which can be quite a challenge for kids after a "T & A." Apparently, Zachary is taking advantage of the situation to indulge in fried shrimp and butterscotch milkshakes from Culvers, as well as carry-out pizza! (The picture is from Christmas morning when Zachary was enjoying a sweet roll.)

Lauren had a great time at preschool Thursday. They had a camping day, and were allowed to bring sleeping bags, tents, and flashlights. They also wore their pajamas! Lauren told us over and over the night before how excited she was to have her camping day. She thought her good friend Jacia would wear "adorable jammies." The day lived up to her expectations because the first thing she said when she came home was, "I had a fun day!" She said they ate S'mores, hot dogs, and chips.

(This is Lauren's recent cake decorating debut!)

David is currently doing the elliptical machine after our very large breakfast at the Flat Top Grill this morning. For those who are not familiar with this restaurant, Flat Top is a place where you create your own breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The lunch and dinner options are stir-fry. For breakfast, you can have pancakes with various mix-ins, customized omelettes, french toast with toppings, etc. It is delicious!! (http://www.flattopgrill.com/)

I am currently procrastinating because setting up this new blog is much more exciting than studying! I have one more week of clinical hours at ENT and then I will do psychiatry. I will wrap up the semester with some more family practice hours. Graduation is May 3!!

Stay warm, everyone!
Love, David, Michelle, Zachary & Lauren
P.S. Please say hello by clicking on the comment link below!