Happy Anniversary

Today is our 15th Anniversary. Hard to believe it has been that long, or maybe I just don't want to admit my age. Happy Anniversary, Roger. Thanks for everything!

Half way through

Give or take a day, Roger is half way done with his residency here at Bragg. While I have a hard time believing that is true, all I have to do is look at my friends Tina's daughter, Kali. She was born shortly after we all arrived here in NC and now is running everywhere. Since we are half way through, I thought I'd do a year and a half review of our time here in North Carolina. A lot has happened since we moved here in June of 2008. Shortly after we moved here we put our beloved dog, Ty, to sleep. She had been with us for 11 years, so the loss was a hard one. Since we had not wanted to move to NC, I took it as an omen. I am thankful to say it was not. While our time here has not been perfect, we have managed to learn and grow here.

We have the best neighbors. Everyone is friendly and we always have someone to watch Hershey. And Jena has a friend just 2 doors down to play with. And we love our neighborhood. We hear so many people here say they don't like their neighborhood, but we love ours. For the most part, it is quiet. It has biking/walking lanes on the streets and we always see people walking.

We didn't know a lot about the program when we got here, but it has worked out well for Roger. He feels like he has learned a lot, and his residency class has been a good one. His intern year was a good one and we couldn't imagine him working with other people. I would say he has found many true friends, including his office and team mate, Jason. The two have way too much fun on call. Being back in the Army has been an adjustment for everyone, but the friends we have made through Womack have made it easier. I have made many friends through Womack as well. The families of the other doctors have been great in helping us adjust to our time here. I could have not made it through my first summer here without Karen and Tina. They are both such good friends. And I have found a kindred spirit in fellow mid-westerner Carol. Her son, Russell is one of Jena's best friends.

Many people have asked us if Fayetteville and Ft Bragg live up to their reputation. I have to say yes, it is a true military town. The size reminds us of Augusta 12 years ago when we moved there and the military presence reminds us of when we lived at Ft Hood. I find myself surprised to meet people who aren't in the military. It is a little on the small side, which makes shopping hard sometimes. But we are learning where to find all the good deals. It is hard too, we still miss Panera and The Fresh Market. We were sad this summer to see our new home make the national news again for a new killing spree that brought to mind the one in 2002. This time all the women were military members, all killed by another military member they were romantically involved with. It was especially hard when one was, Holley, a nurse that Roger knew from work. If life had been different I would have met her when I had Lily as that was the floor Holley worked on. My nurse after I delivered Lily had been one of her friends.

Our first fall here was very busy with Roger working and me taking a class a NC State and fixing up the house. Right after Halloween, we found out we would become a family of four. That made for a very exciting first year as we prepared for the arrival of Lily. Jena also started at her preschool. At her preschool she has grown and made friends. She learned about colors and sharing. There we also found our good friends the Nelsons. Caden, Piper and Quinn are Jena's closest friends and their mom, Rebecca is like the big sister I always wanted. I can't imagine this last year and a half without them.

In the spring we got our dog, Hershey. She has been a great addition to our family and both the girls love her. I call her the stalker, since she follows me around most and is always under my feet. Not fun when you are pregnant. We continued to get the house ready and make plans for the summer, the baby and after. We did not plan on the sudden loss of Roger's father at the end of May. We went to Valdosta to see him in intensive care with the plan to help him transition home and arrange for long term care if needed. We ended up planning a funeral in two cities, both far from home. I remember being angry at the Army for moving us from Augusta. It all would have been easier if when we had returned to Augusta to bury him, we also were returning home. We will be forever grateful to Roger's aunts and uncles for helping us through this difficult time. We are also grateful to the residency for all the support it gave up through this time. Especially to Col Lammie and Capt Braun for driving to Augusta for the funeral and to everyone who sent their support with cards, emails and phone calls.

Ft Bragg will always hold a place in our hearts as it is where Lily was born. She joined our family just over a year after the move and we changed to a family of four. This whole time has been about change. Adjusting to a new state and a new life. Roger going from Med student to intern to resident. And now here we are half way though. Can't wait to see how the other half turns out.

Merry Christmas

From our house to yours!

5 months (a few days late)

We had a busy day on Friday so I'm late getting this up. Lily is growing so fast. She is rolling over and grabbing things with her hands. She sits up well in her Bumbo seat. At her last doctor's visit a few weeks ago she weighed 12 lbs 2 ozs and was 23.5 inches long.

Christmas Cheer

We were busy this weekend getting ready for Christmas. We put up the tree and Jena loved helping put up the ornaments. Of course, they ended all up on one branch! This is the first year she has really been interested in decorating the tree. Her favorite part are the lights.

On Saturday, we went to the Residency Christmas party at Sam Anaya's house. Last year we had a intern party, but this year it was everybody. It was so much fun to see everyone having a good time. And the kids were running all over the place. I forgot my camera, so I'll have to see if I can get pictures from someone else. The kids were funny playing together. At one point, they were all falling on the floor and laughing. And the adults did a White Elephant gift exchange where you can steal someone else's gift. It was funny watch grow adults fighting over gift. You'd be surprise what was popular.

On Sunday, we had a Cookie Drop In at our house for the neighbors. We thought it would be a nice way to visit with our neighbors before the holidays. We had a good turn out and everyone enjoyed the cookies and egg nog. And of course, everyone loved seeing the girls. It is hard to believe how much they have grow recently.

They understand more then we think

I mentioned a few posts ago that we bought clothes and toys for a local child for Christmas. I had talked with Jena about it but I wasn't sure she understood until tonight. When getting her ready for bed, I showed her two pairs of pajamas I bought (on sale) at the Disney store. Princesses and Pooh & Tigger. She wanted to wear the princesses and while we were putting them on she asked if the other ones were for the boy. I was confused at first what she meant, then I realized she was talking about the little boy we bought stuff for last night. I asked her if she wanted to give them to him and she said yes. They are the right size and are "boy" colors, so I figured they would be okay. She was very excited to put them in the bag with everything else we bought. I was surprised and very happy that she gets it. It is better to give then to receive.

Christmas Pictures

I took the girls to get Christmas pictures taken. As expected, Jena was problematic. Lily, on the other hand, loved it. Every time the camera went off she smiled. You can click on the collage above to see the pictures bigger.

It is better to give

Jena has been very into birthdays lately, I think it is the cake. But she keeps talking about her birthday and getting presents. Roger and I are both concerned about the girls getting spoiled, so this year we talked to Jena about giving to people who do not have everything that we do. She has lots of toys, so I explained to her that other children are not as lucky. We got an angel from the angel tree at my gym. I tried to find a little girl Jena's age, but I found a boy instead. We went out last night and went shopping for him. Jena wasn't too interested in clothes for him, but I had fun because I don't get to shop for little boys. But she and Roger had fun with the toys. Roger was very clear about who the toys are for. And we made sure we didn't buy anything this trip for the girls. This was about buying for someone else. She seemed okay with it for now. We will see how she is when we drop them off. She doesn't quite understand yet, but I think giving is an important thing for both girls to learn. Especially right now when we see so many people in the area in need.