Since we are more of the binge-type bloggers, here is a quick update since our last blog, 6 months ago. We spent two of them in Utah doing some away rotations at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I loved my rotations, and my family loved their vacation. While there, we blessed Mags,

went to Bear Lake with Tricia's family,

Had a family reuniion with my extended family

and got to spend plenty of time with old freinds and family. We already miss you guys.

And one last video of the family. Since we only post about every six months, I thought I'd include one more video of us just hanging out the night before Sam starts school. Here's to another six months.

Here is our recent family picture compliments of Tricia's sister Laurie. Tricia is an amazing wife and mom. Recently she threw out her back but is slowly getting better. But even disabled, when she isn't busy helping me and the kids, she's busy helping the neighbors or doing kind things for someone else. She keeps me sane and the kids alive.
I just applied for a residency in radiation oncology. It's a tough one to get, but we are going for it and if it's meant to be, it'll be. People tell me the interviews should start coming by Halloween. Then I interview from November to January and then wait until March to know if I was accepted anywhere. Currently I am using a vacatoin month to study for step 2 of the boards which I plan to take at the end of the month. So the next few months will be exciting and stressful. Here is the rest of the family.

This is Sam the man. He's going to school, making new friends, and growing up incredible fast. The other day I bought a new football. When Sam saw it he said, "Well you know dad, now you have two footballs...and I like football too...and I don't have a big football like you... and I don't know if you can play with two footballs...hmmm...what should we do with your other football?"
"Would you like to have my old football Sam?"
" Okay, I guess I'll just have it dad."
Then he ran and got his little football and said, Here Kate, you can have this football cause I got a big football. Kate didn't care. Her hands were already full with her other stuff.
Lately Sam's been walking aroud saying, "I'm Barack Obama, and I approved this message." I'll be glad when the election is over and we can watch TV in peace again.

Kate Loves her Abby Cadabie doll. It is her only stuffed animal with a name, but only because it came with one. All 7 of her kitties are each named "kitty kitty kitty" and all 3 of her baby dolls are named "baby doll". Everywhere Kate goes, she carries with her some combination of the kitties and dolls along with her pink blankie and her "fippy pup". Each morning at exactly 6:00 we hear her get out of bed and begin walking to our room. It usuall takes her a few minutes and we know she's on her way because she keeps dropping things and has to stop to pick them up. Then she walks in to our room and one by one throws all of these items into our bed and then climbs up to snuggle with us and tell us that she wants to eat dinner and watch the little mermaid.
The other day when I was studying she walked into my room with her kitty. I asked her how her kitty was and she said, "Well, he needs a time out."
"Oh no, how come?" I asked.
"Well, he's not listening to me...and...he hit Sammy."
Apparantly she's become quite familiar with that process.

This is Maggie. She looks a lot like Sam. She hates to go to sleep, and isn't very fond of rice cereal. She loves to laugh at her brother and sister. She loves being tossed in the air. Her mother isn't very fond of her being tossed in the air. She's definately a smiler and a charmer and is actually very good natured most of the time, contrary to the fussy child she was for the first 3 months of her life. We all love this girl to death.

This is us at the Wisconsin Dells. Tricia requested to be the one taking the picture. The Wisconsin Dells is the Las Vegas of water parks. Instead of casinos water parks line the strip of this little town just a couple hours from our house. I was presenting a poster at a conference and we decided to make a mini family vacation out of it. The kids had a blast. We'll planning to return in January. Yes I am that white, and no I haven't done a push up since I began medical school.

Guess who started school? Its hard to believe I have a child old enough to start school when I haven't even managed to finish that portion of my own life yet. He only goes for 2 hours a day, and by the time they get done with snack time, nap time, recess, play time, and story time, I don't think there is any formal learning occurring at all. But he's developing his social skills and getting to know new people. He talks about one little girl in his class in particular. And so far he loves school which is good I tell him, cause there is a lot more where that comes from.

Kate was tired.

Ever since moving to Wisconsin it has been one of my goals to make the pilgrimage up to Green Bay to “worship” with the other Packer faithful at Lambeau Field. When a Monday night season opening ticket became available to me (thanks to a buddy who is friends with a former BYU now Minnesota Viking player) I finally got my chance. No Brett Favre, but we got to see Aaron Rodgers debut and a Packer victory.