r2 is through

As of tonight, Christian's second year of residency is officially over. This has been the craziest year of the five we will spend here. For the last twelve months as R2s, he and his 7 colleagues have arguably been the busiest people at Harborview Medical Center. Or so they say. And of course his last weekend as an R2 was more insane that we could've predicted. (Imagine waking up to your husband sticking a double cheeseburger in your face at 3:30am, his first meal of the day, then an hour and a half later kissing you goodbye as he heads back to the hospital--that was me this morning, and it is the perfect description of the life of an R2.) For the boys and I, the end of year 2 means no more Q3 call schedules for Daddy, more weekends off to play with him, and even a little raise in pay. The scene isn't going to change much, but it is definitely an accomplishment to survive year two as an orthopaedic resident at the UW. Three cheers for Our Dad!

We haven't had much time to celebrate, but we did enjoy a beach bonfire party with the other residents and a fancy dinner with honoring the graduating residents at the top of the Columbia Center, Seattle's tallest building. It was amazing! (Thanks to Uncle Boy for babysitting!) I realized while listening to all the R5s talk about their incredible experiences here that we only have 3 years left! Usually I think we still have 3 years left. But I'm already starting to mourn the end of this great adventure. It is going to be so hard to leave friends and our resident "family" that we've gotten so close to. And I'm already missing all the great things about Seattle that we love! Here are some shots of our celebrations. . .



So, thank you to all of you who have made the first two years more-than-bearable, and for all the support from "back home" in Utah. And congrats to Brian, Derek, Aaron, Brett, Pete, Ed, Cory, & Christian! You made it!

rats, i'm cold

I am so behind on my posts. I have about four brewing right now, but I can't seem to find the time to do it! So these pictures are way overdue, as is a huge THANKS to Jody & Layne for Spoilfest '08!

Before Grandma and Grandpa even left SLC, James had already put in a request for his "prize." This kid is no dummy. I overhead him telling Jode on the phone that he wanted her to bring him a "dragon skateboard." James, you will hardly sit on your bike with full-on training wheels. What makes you think you could maneuver a skateboard? And where in the heck did you hear about a skateboard with a dragon insignia? Since Grandma didn't think she could fit a skateboard in her suitcase, she promised the boys a trip to the toy store when she got there. And after the ritualistic trip to McDonald's, that's exactly what we did.


We pulled a small skateboard off the shelf at Toys-R-Us (of course he protested that it did not have a dragon on it, but we found a skull one that sufficed) and urged him to try it out. Resting one foot on it and rocking the board forward and back he exclaimed, "I'm doing it!" He so wasn't. So I suggested looking at the scooters, which I explained are skateboards with handle bars. He was down with that, but again, he wouldn't even step on on the thing to really try it out. Somehow Jode convinced him to look around the rest of the store before making up his mind. Amazingly, we got out of there with an insect sticker book for James and a $2 Thomas the Tank kick ball for Addy. Nice job, Grandma! Oh, and they did get game to share, one that suits them perfectly: What's in Ned's Head? They take turns sticking their hands in Ned's giant ears to find all sorts of gross objects, i.e. a dirty diaper, a used Q-Tip, a puddle of vomit, etc. A (male) preschooler's dream game!

We also had lots of one-on-one time, which is more precious than any toy (but don't ask James about that--he'd probably say the toy was better, little stinker). They made Jode read every page of this very graphic shark book. Every other page has a picture of a person being brutally attacked by a shark or other sea creature. And I'm talking blood and guts and faces contorted in agony. You know, James' usual.




And I have a better picture of them with Layne, but I couldn't resist posting this one of Addy mid-flight, about to land on an unsuspecting Grandpa. This is his signature move.

Thanks to the most wonderful, generous, thoughtful Aunt Pete, James also got a whole new wardrobe! These hand-me-downs are unlike any you have ever seen. Perfect condition--some only worn once! I'm sorry Mase can be a picky dresser, Peen, but I'm happy to be the beneficiary of his pickiness! The highlight of the stash was the Superman pajamas. James had a hard time giving up his to Addy last year, and Addy had not forgotten that I'd put his away before he could wear them this year. Honestly, I didn't think they would fit! But after a very sad Addy asked where his Superman jammies were, I had to pull them out. And they still fit. They immediately put them on and started flying around the house together. They've been playing superheroes ever since ("Mommy, do you need me to save you?").



For Christian's birthday dinner, we headed to Edmonds for a Puget Sound favorite--Anthony's . We settled for the Beach Cafe (a little more casual) to accommodate the monkeys, and asked to be seated on the deck so we could enjoy the nice night. It started out great. The boys loved the garlic herb bread (as you can see from James' face).


Upon ordering our appetizer, we found out something new about James. "Clams are my FAVORITE food in the world!" What four-year-old loves steamed clams?

(T, we were thinking of you as we devoured the whole bucket.)

The view was amazing, but it started getting a little chilly, even under the heat lamps, so our waiter brought out blankets. But did we ask to go inside? No way! We're Pacific Northwesterners now!


Next we had an unexpected visitor. I thought it was a squirrel (out of the corner of my eye), but those who got a better view were certain it was a rat. Yuck, although not uncommon when you're on the docks. It's just not something you want to see while partaking of fine seafood. Okay, time to go in. So we did. The rest of the meal was amazing! Thanks, guys!

The highlight of the visit for James was probably snake hunting with Grandpa Layne. Those of you who know Layne are probably shocked. Layne hates snakes. But he did manage to catch a very little one for James who wanted it for a pet. However, after about a day in the bottle, it wasn't looking so hot, so we convinced James to let him go. (How did you do it, Layne? He didn't want to give him up!)





A few other fun activities included biking on our favorite trail (Jode hadn't been on a bike since high school--she did great!),


walking up our road and looking for more snakes and creepy crawlers,


an incredible Father's Day dinner of the Sybrowkys' famous flank steak and salmon, followed up by our favorite buttermilk pie with raspberry/blackberry sauce,



breakfast at the famous Maltby Cafe and antique shopping in Snohomish,


(please do not forget that this child insists on dressing himself, and doesn't care if people think he looks funny)

staying up late to watch movies and eat way too much candy, making a great Costco run to try all of Jode & Layne's favorites, and of course, one more trip to McDonald's and the movie Kung Fu Panda! They are still talking about that show, and showing off their own kung fu moves (much to mom's chagrin).

James was so sad when it came time for them to leave, and told Grandma he didn't want her to ever leave. She agreed, but told him that it would just make our next visit even sweeter. Cheers to that. Thank you for everything. We hate it when you leave, too!

a weekend of happies

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." ~Emily Bronte

One cheese grater, two monkeys, three homes, four cars, five inflatable mattresses, six years of school, seven Harry Potter books, eight great ortho residents, nine hilarious, trying, adventuresome, crazy, wonderful, exhausting, amazing years of marriage later, I love you even more than I imagined I would. Moments and years meld into this ever-strengthening bond that gives me vitality, hope, happiness. You make me strong. You make me calm. You make me laugh.

It all started a very long time ago. It's amazing that you married me after knowing me like this. I was the epitome of "awkward teenager." Yes, folks, that is Christian and me. Co-students of the month for the eighth grade class of 1991 at Indian Hills Middle School. He claims he had a crush on me then, but let's be honest, he was probably afraid I would step on him on the way to the cafeteria. I am a whole head taller than him!

I'm so glad we both grew out of that stage, and that I gave up the giant bows. (Only to replace them with big earrings, multiple bracelets, voluminous purses, or some other annoying trend that aggravate you to no end.)

I have so many happy memories between then and now. High school shenanigans, college adventures, missionary letters, sudden realizations, lazy weekends, dual-income-no-kids purchases, impromptu vacations, the year of the parks pass, road trips, and every day I see your face.

I am continually amazed at and grateful for our little family. You have given me two incredible boys who are so much like you. I live for my three boys.

We're pretty lucky to have had Jode and Layne to watch the kids so we could enjoy a night out for our anniversary. Dining at Salty's (on the water at Alki) and seeing Indiana Jones was the best date we've had in a long time! But I've never needed fancy dates to have a good time with you.


Christian, studying my half-pound of King crab legs: "I didn't know you liked crab."

Me: After nine years of marriage you don't know that I love crab legs? I had king crab on our honeymoon, remember?"

Christian: "No."

Me (sarcastically): "What, you don't remember what I had to eat nine years ago? Some husband you are."


Christian (seriously annoyed at himself): "Wait, you really had crab on our honeymoon? Why don't I remember that?"


Even after the calamari and bread, you ordered enough food to feed a small village. But I am not surprised at all that you ate the whole thing. You are a lifelong member of the Clean Plate Club, after all.

This weekend we celebrated your birthday, father's day, and our anniversary. A weekend of happies. Happy Birthfathiversary. Happy everything to you, Cree. I'm sorry those special days get all lumped in together. But it was an awesome weekend. I can't give you all the gifts I want to, or that you deserve. I hope you like the women's sleeping bag and Swedish Fish and know they come from the heart. I just want you to know on our ninth anniversary that I love you. That's really all--I love, love, love you. Forever and ever, to the moon and back, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, love you.

low tide = high fun

This eclectic collection of galoshes belongs to a bunch of daring explorers who went to see what they could find during the lowest tide of the year.



"All this, under water." That's right, Val, all this is usually under water when my little explorers come to this beach in the summer. But at 11:44am on June 4th, the year's lowest tide made for some pretty interesting findings.



They couldn't believe the creatures they saw--it was like going to the aquarium without the budget-breaking admission!



Their trusty guide, Jake and Logan's dad, showed them all sorts of interesting species.



Like this flounder. . .



These colorful star fish. . .



A sea star. . .



A crab. . .



Some seaweed (that grows up to 90 feet long!). . .



And even--oh wait, I've got to let Addy tell you what this one is:





Searching for something amazing, they looked under rocks,



and in broken-down parts of the pier,



and, of course, in the mud. They found life everywhere they looked!



The brave James and Jake picked up starfish to see if they felt "slimy." Sorry James.



Emily found lots of pretty shells--some empty, some still moving!



"Soft," Addy said as he petted the starfish.



James took time out of his intense study of marine life to pose with Mom and some new friends.



And we couldn't leave the beach without a new take on his favorite pose.

So what does a fearless group of preschoolers do at low tide? Some of them cry (but just for a minute), some of them splash (and then cry because they're cold), some of them try to step on as many life forms as possible, and some of them take a whiz in the ocean. But mostly, they discover the extraordinary world around them and have the best day ever!

So if you ever have a friend named Stacy who knows all the cool things to do in your city and everything imaginable about sea snails, hang on to her. She is priceless. Thanks for a great day!



Pictured: Emily, Addy, Mandy, James, Aidan, Stacy, and Anna. Also present but not pictured (because they are too new to Seattle and do not yet own rain boots): Jessica, Kevin, Jake, and Logan. We love our Seattle friends!