phil had a few days off before starting life as a fellow.  because most of those days had to be used for the move/cleaning/settling in, we didn’t get to do too much fun stuff.  i was starting to feel bad for the kids who have been troopers throughout the whole process and had to entertain themselves much of the time while i tried to unpack. so, we took one day and whisked the kids off to legoland for some family fun.  turns out it’s not too far away from where we now live and so phil bought the 3-month pass so we can hopefully squeeze in another visit or two. …

wow, i’m still way behind.  the fourth was over two weeks ago, but to me it feels like it was just yesterday.  the days are flying and i can’t seem to catch up on anything.  it’s driving me nuts.  and when i feel nutty, i’m kinda grouchy too.  my poor kids.  must be nicer to them tomorrow.  : / but since i feel like the fourth of july was just yesterday, i’m gonna go ahead and post our pics from that evening while it’s oh-so-fresh in my mind.  ha ha. my girls.  i was surprised that allie didn’t put up a fuss about having to wear jeans while lauren got…

in honor of our new lemon tree… (thanks kate for the recipe!) if you have any other lemon recipes, please do pass them along!  happy friday!  (it’s awesome to have fridays actually mean that daddy’s off for the weekend.  we sure could get used to this!) ******** Lemon Bars Ingredients 1/3 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup all purpose flour 2 eggs 2 tbsp all purpose flour 2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel 3 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp baking powder powdered sugar to sprinkle on top Directions Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat…

ok, so the very next day after phil’s graduation was our moving day.  it was a whirlwind of a weekend, to say the least.  but now, the dust has settled and most of the boxes are unpacked or stored in the garage.  the rest just might end up staying where they are, since we’re only here for a year.  that’s been our mantra lately whenever we come across things we don’t like.  as in… “it’s so smoggy.  and HOT.” “it’s only for a year.  it’s only for a year.” “the 50s wood paneling is not my favorite.” “it’s only for a year.  it’s only for a year.” “the red carpet…

so last month, we had the privilege of attending phil’s residency graduation.  the day we’d been waiting three years for.  no wait, make that nine years, since we’ve been aiming toward this day since the day phil started medical school.  it felt like it would never get here.  it felt like a loooong time coming.  and then suddenly, the day was upon us. though this day wasn’t quite as exciting and milestone-ish as we had been anticipating.  mostly because the extra year of fellowship training was unexpectedly tacked on just when we thought the end was near.  but we put aside those thoughts and celebrated anyway, because phil worked extremely…