Thanksgiving 2009 - Part 1

We made it to Montgomery yesterday to spend Thanksgiving with our families. The trip was pretty uneventful. Before we left Tulsa on Saturday, we took the kids to Sears to have their picture made with Santa Claus. Cate freaked out. She cried and cried, and we didn't get any pictures. She wouldn't take pictures with Santa, without Santa, in the other room with the festive background...she wasn't having it. So, after waisting basically an entire day in Tulsa (we could have left Friday afternoon if we hadn't stayed for the pictures), we hit the road. While we were driving, I got a phone call from my wonderful friend who was watching Baxter, our dog, on Saturday. She went to let him out, and he jumped the fence. She looked everywhere but wasn't able to find him. We made it into town on Sunday afternoon, and Will and Cate were very glad to see Gran and Papa. We got to visit with my brother and sister and have a great dinner together. My sweet friend has visited with our neighbors, driven around our neighborhood, etc. in an effort to find Baxter. Unfortunately, we still haven't had any contacts or news about him. We did put out a Home Again alert (the microchip thing), called our vet, and notified the local animal shelter. My friend is going by the shelter tomorrow to see if they have him. Cate is getting her hair cut tomorrow. It will only be her third hair cut ever. She is getting "a big girl bob." I'm really excited because I know how cute she's going to look. Then it's off to church for the traditional EHBC Thanksgiving dinner cooked by the one and only Al Steineker. After church I get to visit with my best friend Melanie and her husband. It's going to be a very busy week, but it will be a lot of fun. I'm excited that we're going to get to be together with all our families on Thanksgiving day. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your families and friends and that God blesses you with many things to be thankful for.

Minnie Mouse

These are some pictures of Cate in her Minnie Mouse costume for Halloween. She LOVES Minnie Mouse. The first picture is the night before her class party - she just had to wear her ears. The second is one of her trying on her costume and checking it all out. The bottom picture is of her and some of her classmates in her preschool class during their Halloween party.

Times, they are a changin!

Well, as I was informed on Thursday, I have 7 months and 3 weeks left of residency. Yes, I am excited. And I'm even more excited about starting my fellowship and spending my days at work doing what I truly love. This does, however, bring along with it a lot of change. This is what I'm not so excited about. Those of you who know me know I don't do so well with change. I'm excited to be in Little Rock, where we'll only be about 8 hours from Montgomery. We'll also have access to any and all doctors Will might need. I do have a few friends there, so that will make the transition easier as well. My biggest fear and concern right now is finding a house. You see, we have to find a house in the right neighborhood so Will can go to be best special ed public elementary school. This has proven to be difficult so far. All of the houses are small and expensive, not a good combination. We're praying for a 3 (preferably4) bedroom and 2 (or even 2.5) bathroom house with at least as much space as we have now (about 2000 sq.ft.). We'd love more space but I'm not going to press my luck. We also need a fenced back yard and a landlord that will allow pets. We're also having to deal with getting Will's schooling arranged from Tulsa. He's having testing done in March, and then we'll be trying to get the IEP meeting set up. This is all hard to do from 4 hours away. I'm praying that my attendings will be lenient and allow me to go to Little Rock when I need to. We'll also be traveling there over the next 3 months or so for Will's MRIs and neurosurgery and neurology appointments. I'm also praying God will provide a good preschool for Cate. She is doing so well in the one she's in now, and she really needs it for the socialization with other kids. Finally, we're praying God will provide a church home like we have here in Woodlake. God is going mighty things at Woodlake, and we love Pastor Jamie. We're really sad that we'll be leaving this summer, but are going to enjoy every minute of until we're gone. Then, we are believing God will provide the same thing for us in Little Rock. Please continue to pray for our family and all of these needs that I've mentioned. We love you all and appreciate your support more than you'll ever know. Hope to hear from you soon. And, hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving. Love you!