It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post on what’s happening in our lives these days. I think I’ll get back to doing them and sharing more candid “behind the scenes” photos of life. This spring has been a busy one…but also a good one.
Dusty and Medical School
Dusty finished up his LAST and final Shelf Exam for Medical School (can I get a woot woot!!?) But seriously, this was a huge milestone in his journey and in our lives as a family…shelf exams/medical school exams have sucked the life out of our every being for the last 3ish years. To say we are happy they are over would be a huge understatement. Dusty is officially a fourth-year medical student! This year will consist of his Step 2 exam (exams don’t end…) but, they do thin out and he will have a lot less…he will have residency interviews – which leads us to ponder another possible move in our not-so-distant future? Or, perhaps staying put in northern Michigan? – we’ll wait and see! Dusty is going to go into Family Medicine and will eventually look to do a Sports Medicine Fellowship. Naturally, his athletic background has him interested in working with athletes and recreational sports enthusiasts. At our age and where we are in life, the 9am – 5pm lifestyle of a non-surgery residency and practice, after all of this, is what we want most.
Rowan Update
Our little guy is going to be 19 months old this month – woah, where has the time gone? He is definitely a toddler now and sure acts like it. He’s putting 2 and sometimes 3 words together at a time, full of energy, playing with trucks and trains alllll day. He will randomly run up to me, hug my legs or look at me smile in a loving way and say…”mummmm” (que heart melting) he has a big personality and a pretty strong opinion on most everything we do, this can be challenging at times, but I find keeping him busy and out and about helps to keep the tantrums limited. He eats like a champ despite a few food allergies we are working through and hope he outgrows. His current favorites are blueberry banana pancakes, chicken or steak, potatoes, peas and carrots, and applesauce. He is also Thomas the Train obsessed and knows almost all of the trains on the show and he loves big trucks. He also has some really adorable dance moves where he gets into it and wiggles and rolls his shoulders – it’s hilarious, I’ll have to try to capture it on video sometime. Being outside is his absolute favorite thing and the dirtier he can get the better. I feel like there are a million other things to share about him but I won’t bore you with it!
Mom + Sam Life Update
Lately, I’ve been feeling the pull and tensions of motherhood and the exhaustion of the day-to-day grind. I definitely would be lying if I said that I haven’t had moments where I’ve thought…”Is this it? What am I doing with my life?” It’s not to say that being at home with Rowan isn’t the biggest blessing and gift I could give myself and our family. But some days are definitely hard…and some mornings I wake up and think to myself “What in the heck are we going to do today that we didn’t do yesterday and the day before that?” Sometimes the mundane routine throws me off a bit. Before being at home with Rowan, I worked full time. I enjoyed the quiet stillness of my desk, laptop open, coffee in hand, music playing. It definitely is a change to have traded that in and to now have Daniel Tiger on, flipping pancakes, coffee definitely not poured because (toddler demands food now), poopy diapers and the like as part of my morning routine. I’m not complaining – I chose this new routine…willingly, lovingly, and the challenge of each day reminds me that I’m doing good work, different, but good. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, mom life is tough, no matter what route you travel down…working full time, part time, staying at home…going back to school, whatever it is, it’s hard. I think the creative in me is trying to find balance and purpose, a space to create and a space to be mom. Coupling both of these loves takes a lot of intention and patience on my part. Sometimes I do a great job with the balance, and other times I don’t. God’s grace in my effort is what gets me through, day in and day out.
Our Garden
One of the fantastic parts about spring is gardening! I LOVE to garden, I am a novice and definitely learning as I go, but I love to watch hard work pay off and see the fruits of our labor as our garden turns into a lush green entanglement of nourishing food. I love the serenity of each morning as I carry my cup of coffee out to the garden to see what sprouted or grew overnight. I water the garden, weed it (sort of), and see what needs extra care. I’m especially excited to introduce Rowan to this morning routine. One of my Mother’s Day gifts this year was buying a bunch of dahlia tubers to plant, I’m reading up on how to grow dahlia’s (one of my favorite blooms), they should be arriving in the mail soon. Wish me luck!
Summer Plans
This summer we have a few things happening. In June we’ll be sneaking away to an overnight and going to “A Day Out With Thomas” event – Rowan’s going to crap himself when he sees a real-life sized Thomas the Train. We will also be venturing for a weekend to Duluth, MN to see Dusty’s family as they host a hockey clinic and participate in a tournament. In July we’ll be looking to make it to my family cabin often, and soak up the warm days at the lake while we can. In August, Dusty will be doing an away rotation in Minnesota. Rowan and I plan to sneak out and visit him for a week during his time there. It will be a fun way to see a new city and a nice change up the day-to-day routine we experience currently.
Gus and Reo
I can’t not mention these two. It’d be sacrilegious for me not to give an update on these two fur babies. Gus is doing well, he’ll be 8 years old this fall. His old man tendencies are settling in and he’s a little more ornery and grouchy than past years. His face is getting more grey but he still has the energy of a pup. Dusty and I don’t like to think about his age, we got him when we were first engaged…his presence in our lives reminds us of all we’ve gone through in the last 8 years. Then there is Reo…Reo is only going to be 4 years old this August and he and Rowan are becoming the best of pals. I have the cutest video on my phone of Reo chasing after Rowan in our living room, playful, but not rough enough to hurt Rowan. Reo would grab on to Rowan’s blanket and tug it from him, Rowan lets out a screetch and tries to pull it away, this goes on and on for many many minutes. Rowan’s ears and cheeks are red from roughhousing and his giggles are the kind that if it were me, would give me a 10-minute ab work out. I can’t help but feel abundant joy when I rewatch the video, and I have many many times. Those giggles <3
That’s it for now! This blog post was fun. I hope to do another one soon. Make sure to leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed it! 🙂