update

When my kids or Dave say funny things I often think to myself, "oh I should write that down" but then I never remember to open up the blog and write things down.  Things have been busy but good lately. Here's a quick update.

Dave: Finishing up his research year and gearing up for Chief resident year which will be very busy.  He has been geocaching with Clare a bunch. He hurt his shoulder so he hasn't been playing basketball lately. He used to play a couple of times/week.

Denise: I am dying with suspense wondering where we'll be a 14.5 months from now.  Come December we will know for sure.  Residency has been so long that I started to get the feeling we'd be in San Diego forever. I would be totally fine with that.  San Diego is a possibility for us, but it is also highly possible that we will have to leave. I can't imagine leaving. I can't imagine moving. I realize I shouldn't be super stressed about this now and I try not to be. :)
I walk the dog every day. I love my walks. I am listening to Life of Pi right now. I don't get why everyone loves that book. It is boring to me. I need a new book!
I love being at home with Lex and Jo. They are little dears. Next year it will be just Jo. I remember people used to tell me "oh, the time goes so quickly when kids are at home", and I sort of believed them. Now I am one of those people saying that!

Calvin: Is doing pretty well these days. We get far fewer calls from school than we used to. In fact in the last month I think we only got 2 calls and one of them was them calling to tell me how great he is doing. I am happy that he is adjusting into a good routine. It has been a tumultuous 3 years for him.
Gymnastics: we have been going this entire year. He only missed 2 times due to not being in the mood to go in. That is very good. Just finishing up.
Piano: He's been going since Jan. I think he's missed 2 of those also. He enjoys going and enjoys identifying himself as a piano player.
Soccer: recently started on a team with Clare and one other friend.


Clare: Clare is great. She is high energy, bouncing around the house doing little projects and playing games with Lex or Calvin. She gets along with both of them very well (most of the time). In fact, she is a super stabilizing influence on Calvin. They play together really well.
Piano - going well. She is finally pretty much used to the idea that she has to practice every day. As much as she says she doesn't like it, she does enjoy it.
soccer- just started on a team with Calvin
gymnastics- finishing up a great year. She has loved every minute of it and will probably want to return next year as her sport of choice.

In the winter Clare sleeps in a sleeping bag to stay warm. She is like her dad in that she does not handle the cold well!

Clare loves geocaching/hiking with Dave and riding bikes with Dave when he is around.

Clare and I went on a double date with Dad and Kari to see the 5 Browns play piano. It was a fun evening. I think Clare would have been excited to go anywhere on a "date" - she likes to get dressed up and have special one on one time. We went to dinner at Claim Jumper and then down to symphony hall.

My dad, Clare and I

Grandpa and Clare after the concert with the 5 gorgeous Steinway pianos in the background!

Alexey: I love Lexey. She has such a sunny disposition (most of the time). Generally speaking she is easy going and easy to have around. At home during the day she helps me with Jo and does some jobs and is willing to help with almost anything. She is super excited to start Kindergarten in the fall and is begging for piano lessons too.  She recently finished a soccer class. She did a good job in soccer. I'm not sure if she is good at it or if she was just lucky to be on the older side of the age brackets but it was fun to watch her. They met once a week. They'd do drills and then scrimmage. During the scrimmage I'd say, "Lex, go get the ball and then score in that goal." and, she'd do it over and over again.  Lex has been going to speech 2x/week and loves her speech class and speech teacher. She is progressing well with that but still is pretty hard to understand. I hope she progresses enough that she is okay for K next year - that the other kids and teacher can understand her enough that she won't be frustrated or made fun of. Lex is a hoarder in bed. She sleeps with 4-7 blankets and about 10 stuffed animals and 2 pillows and she knows if anything is missing. She also likes to have ice water in bed.

Why do I have 3 kids in speech therapy? Not sure. Dave says he was in speech therapy when he was a kid so he it sure it is a sign of super intelligence! :)

Jo- I love my little Jo. She is such a fun age! 21 months. She learns new things to say and do every day. Lately in the car she says "MOM, wowowo" which means "MOM, WINDOW" - she likes to have her window down. She calls all bodies of water "drink". She sleeps with her "mimis", "birdie" and "dog" and "blanket".  She naps once a day for usually around 2-3 hours.  She still sleeps in my closet. She loves to talk about shoes and socks but doesn't like to wear them much. She loves lexey most but also gets tired of lexey when lex is too hands on!  I try to savor every moment with her since I know how quickly they grow up.