Easter!

Better late than never, right?  I know that I'm working in reverse order, but Easter is a big deal and deserves its own post.  Also, we captured some pretty sweet moments from the day that we thought you would enjoy:

David woke up early on Easter morning, then decided to nap out on the couch until it was time to get ready for church.

He had no idea that the Easter Mom had come to surprise him with goodies.

But then he arose to find his new car seat accessory, and was pleased:)

And there were more interesting things to look at, like bubbles...

And this suspicious guy...

Things started off well,

and then we're not really sure what happened, but the situation took a turn for the ugly.  This is his, "Don't you sass me," face.

And then he took a swing at him.

Let's be honest, it would be Easter without some feats of strength.

Suffice it to say, the bunny was put in his place. 

Then I went to Sunday school with my 5th grade ladies and came down the stairs to meet Jon and David for the 11:00 service.  Jon had gotten our son ready for his first Easter Sunday--cuteness, thy name is six-month-old in a sweater vest.

David getting his sleeves rolled up like dad's.  This made for less soggy cuffs by the end of the service. 

My handsome men.

And look at that!  There ARE three people in our family (not just a baby and his paparazzi)!

Then we came home and did some reading about what Easter was really about.  I suspect that's what instigated the earlier bunny brawl--our kid's up on his theology and the bunny was vying for too much credit.

And we finished the day over dinner with the Hills:)  Miss Miranda is getting so big!

Thoughts on Marriage, Family and Med School

Med school can be a thicket.


I say that from the vantage point of a person who is not in med school herself, just part of the unit that is going through the med school experience.


I say that it's a thicket, but if I wanted to compare it to something that I knew, I would say that it can sometimes feel like labor--as in birthing a child.  It's incredibly hard, taxing work on all parties involved, requiring all of your energy, all of your focus, all of your patience.  All of it.   


You look for, and are encouraged by those interim milestones.  And in the end your efforts pay off in the form of something that you love, that you're proud of.  A gift for which you're responsible.  However, no amount of preparation, or discussion, or forewarning can prepare you for the actual process.  You just have to give it everything you've got.   


If Jon and I didn't firmly believe that we were built to do this, to live this kind of lifestyle, I think our marriage would look very different.  If we didn't lean hard on a God that was constantly redirecting our attention toward Him instead of each other's short-comings, I shudder to think how our life would look.  The financial stress brought on, in part, by the staggering amount of debt you take on as a student, the physical and mental fatigue that comes with studying/working long hours and investing in the life of a baby and your spouse, the added strain of juggled schedules and exams that determine the type of career you'll have and the location of your next home.  All part of the gig, and there are times where we feel these weigh heavily on our family.


Acknowledging this type of stress and forging ahead is part of the privilege of going through the process though.  And we're incredibly fortunate.  Our marriage isn't perfect, but it's strong, and we have family and friends forging along with us, building us up according to our need.


Jon is incredible--he really is.  He does for med school what Olympic gymnasts do for intricate tumbling routines--you enjoy watching him practice his skill because he makes it look effortless.  The reality is that it's 9:02PM and he's still on campus studying--he will be the first to tell you that succeeding in med school is not effortless.  I could devote an entire post just to his study habits; the point is that I appreciate his hard work in the library and at home.


I think both of us would agree that med school isn't as bleak as I may have just painted it, but I do think that we would agree that it has required us to be so much better as spouses and parents than we ever thought possible.  That's where God comes in--we simply don't have the resources to do this ourselves.  It's too much.  


But when we remember that we've been called to do this, the insecurities fade and we begin being kinder and less frazzled. Its letting your husband sleep while you and your sick baby pull an all-nighter because his little nose is congested and he doesn't understand why he doesn't feel well.  It's walking up two flights of stairs with your kiddo to retrieve your wife's car from the parking deck and bring it down to her so that she doesn't have to lug the baby, the diaper bag, the breast pump and her purse the 6 minutes it would normally take her to walk to the parking garage during the mid-day work/baby exchange.  It's committing answers to another two hundred questions from your Q-bank late at night so that you can perform well on a test and get a good residency and provide for your family when the very thought of studying more makes you ache.  It's not raising your voices at one another when you're at wit's end and you've both been deprived of so much sleep that you can't remember what day of the week it is and you walk out of the house in your work clothes and slippers.


And sometimes we fail.  Sometimes we are not kind, but that's just sometimes.  And sometimes we look back on a disagreement and laugh ("Did I actually suggest that you jump out of the car and into the bushes?").  For us, med school, like the rest of life, has just been a series of adjustments.  And it's been good for our family and rewarding and yes, even fun!  The truth is, it feels good to be doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing even if there are some heavy moments from time to time.      

Dedication Photo Shoot

I know that it's taking me forever, but I promise I will post more photos from the last month or so soon!


Until then, how can you be convinced that we actually flew to California last month?  That our baby turned five and then SIX months old?  That we had a great and relaxing Easter?  That we spent part of last night huddled in David's closet with a laptop tracking the tornado that passed us by, then knocked out our power until 1:00am?  That I ate an entire 18 oz. bag of those devil Cadbury eggs, unassisted, within 24 hours?  It's like the tree-falling-in-the-forest-with-no-one-around-to-hear-it paradox: if an event occurs and you don't blog about it and post pictures as proof, did it actually happen?  I think Micci was the original positor (you will not find that word in the dictionary) of that question.


Philosophical deep end.


I'll absolutely own up to the fact that I have been slacking, once again, in the blogging department.  To make up for my short-comings, here are some pics of David that I took the other day in preparation for his dedication on Mother's Day!  If you're unfamiliar with baby dedications, here is some language that I found that sums up the practice fairly well:


A baby dedication is a ceremony in which Christian parents, and sometimes entire families, make a commitment before the Lord to submit a child to God's will and to raise that child according to God's Word and God's ways.  (See 1 Samuel 1:26-28).


Right, so here is our not-so-little bean, being a good sport and letting his mom take more pictures of him before bed:

Baby Dedication Pic

Sitting Happily

Half smile

I love this face:)

Full smile!

Lamb Loves

This is my surprised face

This is my startled face...

This is my, 'Mom, are we DONE yet?' face...

Here, let me help you power that thing down

I will show you

Like Dad

Jesus Vs. Polar Bear

E-Book Worm

 I'm not sure how to feel about how tech-savvy our son is...  Meet David P: e-book enthusiast: