Arizona!

After our night in El Paso and a tasty breakfast, we started the rest of our drive to Phoenix. We only had to stop a couple times for potty breaks because we started limiting how much water the boys could drink. They were completely distraught about it, but it worked. The day before Matix used the side of the highway as his toilet at least 6 times in a 2 hour period. Hawken went a ton too, but not as much as Matix. It was CRAZY! Paul and I got frustrated and then we just started laughing each time one of the boys would start dancing in their carseats... Photo proof of one of our many unscheduled stops the day before...

We got into Arizona early and walked with Amanda (Colleen's friend who is living with them) and Grandma Stacy to the playground in their neighborhood. The kids had a blast.  They were so excited to be out of the car AND playing with grandma.

Houston

We got to Texas LATE, even with the time change in our favor. Considering we left Atlanta at noon, I am just glad we were able to make it all the way to Houston before Paul and I got too tired.  We all went to bed right away. The next morning was church and super foggy, so we were glad we were going to stay that day. It would have been miserable driving. We beat Dale and Vanessa back to the house, so the kids ran around outside, loving the perfect Houston weather.

After lunch and naps Matix and Gavin set up camp building Legos. 

Hawken and Paul took an extra loooong nap, which they both needed. 

Lullaby, Linnaea, Dale and I spent our time with the swings. 

That night we did some sparklers. I had read how to take really good pictures with sparklers, even where you can write your name and capture the whole thing in one shot, but I couldn't remember. Those people with fancy cameras, who know how to use them, email me directions! :)

The next morning we left early. Dale and Vanessa were so sweet to let us stay with them (again). Thanks guys! Hopefully we will get to see you again SOON.

leaving...

Leaving our friends in Georgia was the hardest. There is nothing nice about moving every year or so, when you have to leave amazing people.  The Rogers let us live with them for the last few days of our Georgia experience and we got extra close with them. Megan was sick the last morning, but she still entertained Lullaby and played dress-up with her and Allie. So sweet.

Adam was sleeping in preparation for work that afternoon, so we didn't get to say good-bye, but I'm sure we'll see each other again... We will miss them like crazy, really, we love them so much.

Carson played with the boys, doing tricks on the mini trampoline.  He is such a good friend to them.  

I said good-bye before that to Tracy (again)... Tracy lived on the island when we lived there, so this was our second good-bye. So sad. Now we have little girls a month apart in age and I wish we could have had more time to play. Lullaby was more excited about Daphne than Daphne was about her though...

Our very last good-bye was with the Williams. Dries gave Matix and Hawken high fives through the door of the car, and Lullaby screamed her lungs out when we dangled Petal just out of her reach.  I think she wanted to get out and play with her.

Charla and Peter were so good to us and we will miss them so much. It's crazy how quickly you can make strong relationships, but then we MOVE. :( This move, in the friendship department, has been tough. We miss you Georgia!

school update!

Poor Paul never gets any blog attention. Not that we don't love him to death, but just that we don't get to see a lot of him... Well, at least that was true until a few weeks ago. Friday, January 18th, Paul had his LAST DAY of clinical rotations!! He is officially finished with Medical School! In May he will get his piece of paper with M.D. on it and then we will really party! I couldn't be more proud of all the hard work and effort he has put into everyday of school. He has learned a lot and will be the best doctor, ever.  Here he is on his last day. So handsome.

Then we left Georgia the next day and drove to Texas, stayed there for a day with Paul's brother and his family, and then continued on driving to El Paso for a night, and then to Arizona. In Arizona, Paul did his LAST INTERVIEW for residency!!  He has done a total of eleven now, and even had to turn down some offers. He was hoping to get 10 interviews, but he got several more than that, so he even got to be picky. Lucky boy.  Next on his list is to rank his favorites and then we WAIT until March 15th to hear where he "matched".  Right now a few of the program directors have been in contact with us, letting us know they are VERY interested.  We are still planning on going to the temple and praying about the best move for us, because so far, the programs are all pretty comparable and he would be excited to be a part of any of them. The places we are ranking are (in alphabetical order):
1. Arizona
2. Georgia
3. Illinois
4. Indiana
5. Iowa
6. Minnesota
7. Pennsylvania
8. Tennessee
9. Texas
10. Wyoming
There is a program (what would be number 11), which can be left anonymous, which we are not ranking at all. Paul had a good interview there, he just had a feeling we shouldn't be there. I actually wish he had that feeling about more places, because all the others he LOVED... Ranking is going to be hard.  Here is Paul on his way to his last interview. Yes, he has wipes and diaper rash cream in his hand. Of course he changed a dirty diaper before going to an interview, what a stud.

After the interview the residents had a dinner for the applicants and their spouses. It was at a 3rd year resident's home and they talked up all the amazing local people and places and tried to woo us into loving Phoenix. It was funny because we had already lived there for 3 years when we were first married and Paul grew up there, so we already knew it all. :) It was a good dinner though and we got some good information from them about the program and how their non-resident spouses felt about it. I'm glad Grandma Stacy was up for watching the kiddies so we could both go.

Now we are here in Utah, bumming around at Paul's grandparents' house. They are so sweet to let us, and our three rowdy kids, and our large hairy dog stay with them. What lifesavers! We literally do not have any income right now (although Paul is trying to get a little part time something while he studies for STEP 3).  I hope couponing is as lucrative in Utah as it was in Georgia! :)

sights in ATL

Atlanta has some very artistic people in it. Almost everywhere you went you could see graffiti, or murals, or some other interesting painting on the walls of the city.  I loved all the artwork. I wanted to remember some of my favorites so I took some pictures. Most of these were taken through the car window on our way out of town, so they aren't the best quality, but you'll get the idea.  ("The Cave" is a bar and grill that we never went to, despite Paul trying to get us there repeatedly... It looked sketchy to me)

The tunnel near Matix's school. We drove through this tunnel every Tuesday and Thursday dropping him off and picking him up.  Almost everyday we saw something new.  It was really fun.

Really, I loved this about Atlanta.

last day of school

Matix had his last day of preschool a couple days before we left Georgia. His first school experience was perfect. IPCP was the best environment for our Matix. He learned so much and was encouraged to try new things. His last morning circle time was spent talking about him and moving to new places. Ms. Emily and Ms. Jessie are the greatest teachers.  Thank you for giving our big boy such a wonderful, magical, and enriched school experience, you will be missed!