The great name debate

We had our ultrasound yesterday and it's a girl! We are so excited! I will finally have some pink in my house. So we need your help. We are debating over 2 names and can't come to a conclusion. We each of our own opinion and can't agree. The 2 names we are thinking are Kailyn and Aleena (call her Ali). I will not tell you which name we each prefer to keep the game fair.

We have had a fun couple of weeks. First my parents came to visit and we were able to do a bunch of things. We went to a pumpkin patch and the kids were in heaven. It was a huge farm that had hayrides, trainrides, a bunch of games, goats to feed, on 80 foot slide, yummy funnel cakes and fried oreos! We had the best time. I was really sad to see them leave. The only thing that made it okay was the fact that we were going to a beach house the same day they left. A bunch of friends from the ward got together and rented a beach house in Emerald Isle. It was the perfect weather! It was in the low 80's the entire time we were there. We were able to play in the ocean and go swimming. We had so much fun with our friends and had no desire to come home and back to reality! If you ever get a chance to go to a beach house DO NOT PASS IT UP!!!! It was the best vacation ever!

Spence started his ER service again. Back to reality and long shifts. He is doing really well. We are so proud of him and all the hard work he does. We are going to Utah in 2 weeks. We are so exited to see our family again. It has been 11 months since we have seen most of you! We miss you all are are so anxious to be back!

Little bit of this, little bit of that

Sorry it's been awhile since the last post. Things have been good. Very uneventfull actually! Just a quick update on Hudsons forehead. After he got the stitches removed, he wouldn't stop picking at the cut. I went into his room one morning and the gash was torn back open. We went back to the ER and they glued it shut. That night before Spence and I went to bed, we went into Hudsons room to check on him. He had picked all the glue off and it was opened again. Spence brought some glue home from work and glued it again. The next afternoon Hudson had opened it.........again! At that point there was nothing we could do but keep it clean and covered. It is all healed now, but he has a pretty good scar.

The kids are getting very excited for Halloween. We have decorated the house and have spider webs hanging everywhere and orange lights in several places. Ayden can't contain the excitement! Ayden is starting to figure out that Halloween is a spooky/scary holiday. When we were asking him what he wanted to be he said he wanted to be something scary. We started giving him ideas, but he rejected everything. He thought about it on his own for awhile then came and told us he wanted to be Diesel 10, the bully train from the Thomas the Train series. In his innocent little mind, the scariest thing he could come up with was Diesel 10. Whenever Ayden has a nightmare it has something to do with Diesel 10. It is a real fear for him. But despite the fear, he is determined to be Deisel 10.


Well, I guess I will make the announcement official. Although many of you already know, I am pregnant again. Wahoo! I am almost 17 weeks. Luckily the morning sickness phase has passed and we are all doing well. This Thursday Spence has to give a lecture to some medical student on fetal heart tones. Being pregnant, he asked if I would be the volunteer. Taking any chance I can to see the baby, I said yes. There is also a good chance we will be able to see if it's a boy or girl. If it doesn't cooperate, my official ultrasound is on the 23. Wish us luck!

Spence is doing really well at work. His program director has given him nothing but compliments. No one has died on him yet or anything! Although he did break someones tooth! ( In Spences defence, the guys teeth were really rotten, all Spence did was open his mouth and the tooth shattered! ) We are so proud of him! It's weird when he gets a page and he calls them back and says in his doctor voice "This is Dr. Smith, did someone page?" Then talkes a serious about doctor stuff. He will always be silly Spence to me! We love you Spence!

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

It has finally happened. We have been intiated into the "my kid needs stitches" club. At around 9:50 Sunday morning as my kids enjoyed there favorite past time activity.... jumping off Aydens bookshelf headboard and onto the bed..... Hudson fell and hit his forehead on the headboard. Instantly we knew it was bad, seeing as I could see his skull. We jumped up and grabbed Hudson. Preparing ourselves for the worst, Hudson stopped crying and wanted to do it again. What? You want to do it again? Are you crazy? Are you aware that your skull is showing? Apparently he had no clue. Surprisingly the gash wasn't bleeding. How does that happen? We grabbed the kids, took Ayden to a friends house, and rushed to the ER. Spence had to sit in the backseat with marshmallows to keep Hudson from sticking his finger inside his head. When we got to the ER, I prepared myself for the 3 hour wait forgetting that my husband is an ER doctor! Finally all those years of medical school have paid off! They didn't even let us wait in the waiting room, nope not us! We got VIP treatment. They took us right back to our own private room, all the nurses fell in love with Hudson and gave him anything he wanted. It was great. As far as ER trips go, this had to have been the best. Hudson left with 8 stitches, 2 popsicles and a dragon tattoo. Here are some pictures of the damage. Sorry I have no before pictures, I was a little overwhelmed seeing his skull.

Crickets, Crickets, Crickets!

So, it is 4:12 am and I am not asleep. I have talked to people about how much I love living near the forest and how great everything was. Well, that was all before the crickets. They are everywhere! They are constantly getting in my house...back to why I am awake at 4:12 am. I have been laying in bed for hours just listening to them go, hundreds of them outside. Then, I thought " That seems too loud to all be from outside " so I started to investigate. The sound gets louder and louder until I trace the sound to my bathroom behind the toilet. I can't see the cricket, but I know he is there somewhere. I close the bathroom door and go back to bed. But still I just lay there...listening. I start to go crazy! If Spence wasn't working the graveyard shift I would send him in there to find it. So I find myself in a pickle. I decide I need my sleep, so I take a pillow and blanket downstairs and settle in on the couch. Ahhhh, peace! No wait! What is that? Another cricket in my house! No freaking way! I am so mad! I can hear another cricket somewhere in the living room. I follow the noise to the fireplace. Again, I can't see the stupid thing, but I know he is there! I would turn the fireplace on, but we don't have the gas hooked up to it right now. Blast! So, I go back to the couch and turn the tv on thinking that would help drown out the noise. It helps, but then I can't sleep because the tv is on. So here I am. It is now 4:23 am. The cricket is still chirping away.

The house

I finally had time to take pictures of our new house, so here you go! I also included some pictures of the kids doing some of the fun activities we have been doing the past couple weeks.

The kids are having such a good time living here. They are really enjoying the backyard and the freedom. Ayden has become good friends with some of the kids that live on our street. There is a little boy named Ivan who lives acroos the street. Ayden and Ivan get along so well. They both get so excited to play with eachother and are very upset when it is time to go inside.

Spence starts his internship on Tuesday. Keep him in your prayers that all may go well.....nobody dies! Just kidding! His first month is pretty calm. He only has 12 shifts and they are only 8 hours. So they are easing him into things slowly. He is really excited about getting back into the hospital and seeing patients again. It has been about 3 months since he has really seen patients so he is a little nervous also.

I am going to get cheesy for a moment. Our friend Ellen from New York wrote in her blog about missing everyone, and while she is really excited about where they are, they are missing good friends to share their joy with. Spence and I feel the exact same way. We made such good friends in New York. Nobody understands what we went through the past 4 years better then them. I feel like a big piece of myself is missing. I just wanted to once again tell all the new yorkers how much you meant to us. You all played a huge part in our lives. We love you!

Park Place

Today we ventured around our town a little bit. We discovered a nice state park a little over a mile away. I can't believe we have a forest only miles away. It made for a beautiful picnic. There is a nature trail, just the right length, a swimming hole, an old historical sawmill with museum and all, and plenty of space for the kids to get dirty. Coming from NY we are still in awe from the outdoors that we have missed for four years. There is still so much to explore.

In trying to do so, I found my first geocache today. It was a lot of fun learning to use my GPS on a little treasure hunt. There are several caches around my house so that will keep me busy and keep me exploring. I think the boys are going to like the treasure hunting as well.

Monday, my orientation starts and by the end of next week, I should have a shift in the ED. I am getting really nervous, but at the same time very excited. I only wish I remembered more. It has been a while since I have seen a patient and it is amazing how much I seem to have forgotten. But this week, I had my BLS, ACLS, and PALS training--lifesaving classes where I learn to use the defibrillator paddles and administer drugs to bring people back from the dead. I hate to say this but I am looking forward to doing so. Its the revelation of the sick doctor mind in me. It is an odd bunch that gets excited about other people's diseases, ailments, and tradgedy. I guess that is where we can help out the most and aren't we all glad that someone likes that kind of stuff?

Ayden and Hudson and the Quest for the Father's Day Treasure

We have really been enjoying the last week despite the super warm weather. It is still humid and in the high 90s but cooling off a bit. At least compared to last week, it seems a bit cooler. So we have been braving the outdoors a little bit more. The kids are going to love it here. Yesterday, we went to a picnic the the residents from the Emergency Medicine program and had a great time. The residents that I will be working with are all great. The boys loved running around, playing in the dirt, and meeting new people. We even saw a turtle and caught a firefly. It was outdoor heaven. And today, our neighbor, whom the boys adore, brought over a toad he had caught in his yard. They loved playing with it and Ayden had a fun time holding it, dropping it, and catching it again. Hudson just kept calling it a "bug" but knew it was a frog.
And we went exploring out in the field behind our house to film this video for Father's Day. I think they had a fun time despite the pressures of a demanding director. I can't help but notice now as I watch it how Hudson loses his map, his backpack, his cup, and then his hat. I guess we are lucky we didn't lose him. But I can already tell he is going to enjoy the outdoors and all of our new friends.

We have arrived!

After 4 long years, Spence has finally officially graduated from medical school! Yay! He is offically Dr. Smith. We even have the m&m's to prove it! It was a really good ceremony with a lot of tears. I saw Spence on the jumbo tron and lost it. It all become real. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. He is an amazing husband and father. I love you Spence!
We left the city last week and moved to Durham, North Carolina. A big change from New York! The move didn't go as smoothly as planned. We had hoped to get out of the city no later then 10:00 pm. Instead it was 12:30 am. Thanks to all who helped. Without you it would not have been possible. The drive went okay. After parking tickets, messed up toll roads, Hudson vomitting in the back seat (thanks mom for cleaning that up!), losing Spence, sore bums.... we made it to Durham safe. We LOVE our new home. It is amazing!! I have a real kitchen with an island and a pantry! I never thought I would have a pantry! We have a laundry room! Ayden doesn't like that part. He is mad he doesn't get to put quarters in the machine. "It's not fair!" he keeps saying. Behind our house is a huge field which in a year or so will be homes, but for now it is a field with a little pond. At night frogs come out. I have no idea how many, but they are loud! To many it would probably me annoying listening to frogs croak all night, but we love it. After living in the city, we are used to noise outside. I think we would have a hard time if it was silent outside. The kids are having so much fun running around outside. They go exploring in the field and found there is also turtles in the pond. At night we see fireflies. It is all so surreal. There is a swimming pool in our neighborhood. We took the kids there today and they were in heaven. I think they are adjusting to the change well. Hudson wasn't sure at first, but he is coming around. Spence is having fun buying things for the lawn and getting excited about doing those things. I feel like we a finally living our lives the way we have dreamed. Don't worry family, we are still planning on coming back to Utah!
We are really excited to be starting this new chapter in our lives. Sorry about the long post!
I will post some pictures of the house as soon as things get a little more organized.
We love you all!


P.S. Congrats Adam and Jenni on the arrival of Tess! 4lbs 12oz. Sad I am not there to see her! We love you guys!

Dollar Ayden

One of Ayden's favorite TV shows is called "Little Bill." It is a cartoon, created by Bill Cosby about a 5 year old boy, Bill, who lives in New York. I think Ayden likes it so much because he can really relate to a lot of Bill's experiences. Many of Ayden's quotes and vocabulary seem to come from the show as I am surprised to hear him say such sophisticated phrases only to hear them later on the show.
Like the other day I asked Ayden to pick up his toys. "Roger," he says. "Did you just say, Roger?" "Yeah, it means, 'okay'." Clever, I thought. It is amazing some of the things he picks up and I love seeing how his little mind works.
Well, in one episode of "Little Bill," Bill finds a dollar on the ground and the rest of the episode follows what Bill does with it. So the other day, as we are cleaning our bedroom, getting ready for the move, Ayden finds a dollar bill on the floor. He gets very excited, probably imaging all of the things that he will be able to do with it. But he found this one, so intead of a dollar "Bill," he screams, "Look, I found a dollar Ayden!" Clever, I thought.

Happy Mother's Day

Here is a movie we made for Grandmothers for Mother's Day. We like it enough that we are sharing it with anyone who wants to see Ayden in his first starring role.

Yucky bugs!

The other day, I went to take a shower and there was the biggest, ugliest bug I had ever seen in my tub! Luckily the bug was dead. It was in a bucket my kids play with when they take baths. Spence had taken a shower before me and without his glasses or contact is blind. He had no idea the bug was even there. The bucket filled up with water and the bug couldn't get out. It was so gross!

(Don't forget to click on the image and see it in detail, up close and yucky!)

We made it!

Hey everyone! I think we are the last people on the planet to get a blog! Well, here we are. You can all rest in peace.
As many of you know, Spence finished medical school! The longest 4 years of our lives are now over. We now have the agonizing wait until graduation. We already have a house which is sitting in North Carolina.....empty. It makes me sad to think of my house so lonely. Wishing it's owners were there to love it and mow it's lawn. That's right....we have a lawn! Yay! My kids aren't going to know what to do with themselves.
As the end approaches, I am filled with mixed emotions. I am very excited to be done with school and get out of the city and into a slower pace of life, but I feel very sad at the same time. We have been so blessed with the friends we have made. Some are leaving also, and many are staying in the city. I feel as if I am leaving my family not knowing if I will ever see them again. You are all my family. You are the ones we shared many holidays with, you watched my crazy monkey kids, you brought me dinners when Hudson was born. You were the ones looking after us when are other families were unable. For that, you will always hold a very special place in our hearts. I don't want to get too cheesy with everyone, but it is true. The day we move out of the city will be a day filled with tears both of joy and sadness. We will all have to keep in touch through the blogs.