Merry Christmas: The Year 2010

Merry Christmas from Aurora IL!! We hope this Christmas "Card" finds you peacefully awaiting a wonderful Christmas Celebration and hopefully awaiting a new year. We are defiantly looking forward to 10 days off over the holidays to celebrate, see family, relax, reload and plan for what, God willing, looks to be the most life changing year yet.

Having not been "home" to see family since well before Thanksgiving we are all very excited to make the drive both to Dubuque and Des Moines. Taydem and Creighton especially are not so patiently waiting to get to Grandma's. However, with a lot of miles before us and many miles between our family and my midwife in Chicago I pray the baby decides to stay put until we return home!

2011

With baby due in mid January and Alex starting his Maximized Living Health Center Training January 3rd, the new year holds many changes for us. Alex's commute changes from heading north to heading south in the suburbs and he will continue to average 10 hour days at the office. Taydem and Creighton are very excited for a new sibling, still hoping very much so for a girl. I have had an amazing pregnancy and am very excited and relieved to be planning a home birth.

2010

God truly blessed us and watched over us in 2010. Although the whole year was exciting and eventful the second half held many changes. In June, Taydem finished kindergarden, Alex finished his clinic hours at Palmer, I had my last day at work and Creighton was potty trained. In July, Alex and I celebrated our 5 year Anniversary, we packed up our house in Davenport and headed to a small apartment in Aurora. Alex began his preceptorship in St. Charles and the little ones and I got familiar to life together at home with no car.We like Aurora, despite all the traffic. Our only complaint is that, it just seams to take so much longer to cover a short distance!! Our Apartment however is within walking distance to the Library, Community Center, trails and great parks. The grocery shopping has been an amazing experience! We quickly made ourselves at home at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and we love Chipotle.

Alex's days away from us were long and it definitely took us all time to adjust to him being gone. It also took the kidos and I some adjusting to being together all day! The summer was filled with daily visits to the pool, where Taydem taught himself to swim, walks to the park, trips to the library, story time, nap time, and play time.

In the fall we began school at home for Taydem, he began Karate, and Creighton has turned into a Super Hero fanatic. In October Alex Graduated!!!!!!!

After 3 and 1/3 years at Palmer, lots of studying, tests, late nights, hours in the clinic...etc... we got to celebrate a job very well done. The years at Palmer really did go fast. Along with the challenges our growth as individuals and a family was remarkable.

While Dr. Alex has been in the office with patients, in the community teaching people about health, or doing health talks, the boys and I have been trying to uncover all there is to do in Chicago.

When we first got here in July my family gave us a big binder and list of 100 things to do in Chicago. I am not sure we will get them all done but we are having fun and "field trips" are a big part of our learning at home.
So far we have been to the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, The Children's Museum, Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park, taken the Metra, gone shopping on Michigan Ave, rode a water taxi, and ate Chicago Style Pizza and Hot Dogs! (I may be forgetting something?)
Despite the new town, new jobs, new titles the happiest time for us is when we are all at home eating together or the boys on the living room floor wrestling dad with mom laughing from the couch!

Merry Christmas!