Friday, June 28, 2013

Things Are A-changin'!

  After a 8 year adventure, our medical training journey is finally coming to a close! It's been challenging, exciting, stressful, fun, and totally amazing! God has used this time to grow Tom, our marriage, our family, and our faith in Him. It hasn't been perfect, we've made many mistakes, learned new things, and seen God's grace in everything that we've experienced, but it's now time for a new adventure!

This is Tom's last week of residency! He's had his last call night, last moonlighting shift, last teaching service shift, last clinic day, last elective day, last academics, and presented his last journal club.......whew! And that was all from June 22nd to June 28th!

Come Saturday morning, a medium moving truck, driven by my sweet Bunny, will make it's way from our home in Sapulpa, OK to Vicksburg, MI. Our new rental home, (that we started renting back in May) the "Yellow Farm" will be waiting to house him for the 19 days he will be there training and working his first shifts as an attending at the Bronson Vicksburg Outpatient Center Emergency Room. I'm just so proud of him! Who knew 9 years ago that this would be route our adventure as newly weds would take us.


I'm just giddy about not only getting settled in our new place, but I'm also ECSTATIC about his new schedule. When we first were planning on specializing, an OB/Gyn residency is what we decided on.......now four years later, I'm so thankful that God nipped that decision in the bud and allowed us to change to Family Medicine. Because of this detour, it opened a fabulous door to work in an ER setting which allowed our faith, family, and friends to take their rightful priority! The road we picked would have led to long clinic days and late call nights; but God's path has now allowed Tom to work eight 24 hour shifts a month and then have about 22 days home with us......no, it hasn't sunk in fully yet!

The kiddos and I will be hanging out here at the Sapulpa house, missing our daddy terribly for those nineteen days but we already have some really fun things planned, so hopefully the time will fly by! In the last 10 years since we met, the longest we've even been apart was the 7 days I traveled with mom and the kiddos to find a place to rent in Kalamazoo a few months back. Just let me say, I'm not a fan!!

Anyway, I'm just praying that little "Bertrum" stays put and waits for daddy to get home before he makes his appearance! Then once he arrives, we'll all be off to start our new journey in the "frozen tundra"!!!





Friday, June 21, 2013

Curriculum 2013-2014






My hope this coming year is to use our blog alot more to document our homeschooling adventures. We hope to join a great co-op, go on some fun field trips, and explore our new area once we get settled in Vicksburg and I hope that my posts will make a great journal for us to look back on and remember our new experiences!!

First day of school 2011
I thought I would get the ball rolling by sharing what curriculum we will be using this coming school year that way I will be able to remember what we used and so that I can later blog about what worked well for our family and what didn't.



So without further delay:


Group Lessons:




Who-poo (1st Grade)


Little Contenders of the Faith
Woogy (Pre-k/K)


Princess Pumpernickel (Preschool)

  • Blanket Time
  • Work Boxes - Manipulative Activities








Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Ballerina Birthday Bash!

Our sweet baby girl turned 2 this past week and we held a ballerina themed party for her!! My monster truck driving gal loved it. She loved being dressed up and even twirled and danced in her tutu!!

 We had a girly brunch with Papa and Nana and enjoyed some delicious pink cupcakes with glitter on them!!! I love glitter!


 Paige loved the ballerina toppers I made for her cupcakes and I love that they were super cheap and really simple to make! I definitely see another ballerina party in our future!



 Of course Daddy loved seeing his little lady all pinkafied!!!

 Paige caught on really quickly, she knew right away to blow out the candle and did it in one breath. She couldn't wait to bite into her cupcakes!


 "Can I eat it now?"

 Cheese anyone?

 She wasn't quite sure about opening presents, but in no time she figured out that you pull the paper off, people cheer, and you get something fun to play with! 

 Thanks for the cool shades Papa and Nana!!


 Our little domestic diva got right to work after she opened everything!

 Ironing, taking care of her baby, cooking a delicious meal!! This little mama is knows how to run her little house!

 Cookies are done!

Paige proves that one can be fashionable even when working around the home! I really should get a tutu to clean in! 

It has been such a blessing to have this pink princess in our lives. We are so thankful that God sent this little girly our way! She softens our family, brings joy to our lives, and always has a sweet thing to say! She always checks on you if your hurt, says thank you and sorry for the cutest things, and loves to go pee-pee on the potty like a big girl! 

Happy 2nd Birthday Princess Pumpernickel!!!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Umizoomi, Umizoomi!!

 Last Friday night, we headed to the Bartlesville Kiddie Park (AKA the Fair) to celebrate our little man turning 4!! We totally surprised  everyone and they had a huge blast!

 Our Woogy didn't know what theme he was having for his birthday either, so when we unveiled his Team Umizoomi cake, he was super excited!!!

 Papa and Nana got our little bug lover his own bug explorer kit!!

 Complete with bug habitat,

 explorer hat, 

 bug vacuum, net, and vest!!!

 Woogy also got a water squirter (which he said was the perfect size just for Paigey!)

 and some "Umi-goggles!

 None of our family had been to this park before, so we weren't quite sure what to expect......but it was perfect for all our littles! They loved ALL the rides and we stayed until the park closed!!

 Paige LOVED the little cars!!


 I was just waiting for someone to fall in!



 The rockets were a favorite and were ridden numerous times!!


 All three kiddos enjoyed the ship, I wasn't sure if Paige and Morgan would like it, but they were all smiles!

 Paige did not like the ferris wheel!


 Yeeehaw!!!




 Paige had to be dragged off the swings multiple times that night! She was adorable saying "more" and signing it. She didn't understand that you had to get back in line to go again and really just wanted to keep going around and around.

 The Train was so much fun! 

 The birthday boy was giddy!!!

 And even Nana and Papa joined in on the fun!!

 Yeah ecstatic!!


 Back to the cars!!


 The big boys really enjoyed the roller coaster, I wasn't for sure if Grant would like it, but they really thought it was so much fun!!

 Since we got home so late the night of the party, Woogy didn't get to play with any of his presents. But first thing Saturday morning, our little explorer was geared up and ready to go first thing!!! 

 After catching numerous bugs, beetles, and butterflies, it was time to cool off and play with his new slip n' slide!!!

 Everyone thought it was such a blast! Not to mention this momma loved that it ran all the energy off the kiddos and they crashed at bedtime!!!

 

Our sweet Woogy is getting to be such a big guy! He has such a soft, caring heart, always thinks of others first, and has the most creative, imaginative ideas. He is such a tease, can play the best tricks, tells the best jokes and has the most infectious laugh. We are so blessed to have such a fuzzy little sweety that always keeps us on our toes and gives the best cuddles!! We love you Woogy, Happy Birthday!