Thursday, May 30, 2013

Looking for bugs...

 It is nice and hot here in Indiana so we are getting some fun outdoor time in.  Our neighborhood actually has a pool but we have not received our key yet so instead we have been playing in our sprinkler, doing yard work and of course looking for bugs.  That is all Drake wants to do and now Sonja  wants in on the action.

Just a random pic of the two kiddos on the couch but I thought it was cute!

Sonja posed like this and waited till I would take her pictures. So funny!

getting ready to go outside and play in the sprinkler

"Mom, don't bother me, I am busy looking for bugs!"

Miss cutie!



If Drake finds a bug, Sonja has to get right in there to see what is new.  She loves to follow Drake around, but isn't that what little siblings are supposed to do?!?

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Moving to Indiana

 We are so lucky to have such amazing families!  My parents and Chris's parents helped us pack up our whole house and load up our truck (which we completely filled).  Then my mom and Chris's dad drove down to Indiana with us to help us unload.  Chris's brother Matt and his wife met us here and were also a ton of help.  I am pretty sure Chris and I would still be unpacking if we didn't have everyone's help.  We are extremely grateful for how loving and supportive our families are.  We miss them so much and cherish our time with them.  So thank you to both of our families!  We love you all and miss you so much.  Anyways, we are now settled in our house and are in love with it.  The neighborhood we are in has a park, pool and tons of walking paths that are around little ponds.  I really think (mostly hope) that this is going to be a great place for us.  Hopefully we will start meeting people soon.  Now we have a little bit of time to explore our new home before Chris starts work.  Here are a few pictures.  With all the craziness I didn't get as many pictures of the kids with everyone as I would have liked.  I totally missed out of pictures of my mom and the kids and only got one of Matt, Alissa and the kids. I totally failed!  Good thing my parents and Chris's parents will be back out here at the end of July for the baby.  Then I will definitely get more pictures!

Drake and my dad


Lani, Drake and Sonja
Lani and Sonja

My Dad and Sonja

Alissa, Sonja, Drake and Matt

 We have a lake and state park about 5 minutes from our house, it is absolutely beautiful!:





 On Saturday we decided to go to downtown Indianapolis to do a little exploring. We new the Indy 500 starts on Sunday but we did not know that there was a enormous parade to kick it off in the middle of downtown.  We lucked out by getting there right before it started and snagged a decent parking spot.  This parade was huge!  It featured all the Indy 500 drivers, had a bunch of huge balloons, some actors (which was kind of weird and pointless) and had Olympians Shawn Johnson and Jordyn Weiber (I was pretty pumped to see them, haha). 
Star Wars!!! I have to say this was pretty awesome!
 

Drake was so excited to see Spider Man and Hulk.  This was definitely his highlight of the day.




Graduation!

 So I am a little behind in blogging but it has been a crazy week.  I have to do a big shout out to the new doctor in the house!  That's right, introducing Dr. Christopher Anderson!  I am so proud of my hubby.  He has worked so hard to get here and yes, he has a lot more hard work to come, but at least we can see the end of the tunnel now.  I give so much credit to those in medical school, especially those who have families.  It is a hard road, but we have got so much out of it.   Anyways, both Chris's and my parents came out for the graduation which was so nice of them!  We haven't had visitors in Wisconsin since Sonja was born so it had been awhile.  The weekend was jam packed with ceremonies, parties, packing and lots of goodbyes and tears.  But it was a amazing weekend!


Before the hooding ceremony:




 Before the actual graduation ceremony:


Chris being silly since he thought he looking like a student at Hogwarts.
 All ready for a graduation party!:




A couple of Chris's friends came to see us off  right before we got in our truck.  These guys are amazing and Chris sure is going to miss them!  And of course Sonja had to get in the picture too.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Hooding Ceremony

 Thursday was the hooding ceremony for Chris's graduation.  Today is his commencement ceremony (pics to come) but they separate the hooding ceremony for the day before.  Which is kind of nice since it spreads out all the celebrations and it makes it so the ceremonies are not quite so long.  Before the ceremony we met at MCW to take pictures of Chris and his friends.  Chris has made some really great buddies out here that we are going to miss.  I am going to try my best to encourage Chris to stay in touch with these guys.

Since Drake kind of graduated from 3K this week he really wanted to take a picture with dad and their matching caps.




Tough guys!


A lot of the same pictures but that is okay.  My computer is kind of being annoying so I will have more pictures to come.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Drake's last day

Today was Drake's last day of school.:(  Since we move on Monday he won't be here for the actual preschool graduation at the end of the month.  But his wonderful teachers still made him feel special today.  Drake absolutely loves his school.  He has amazing teachers and has made some wonderful friends.  We will definitely miss everyone!  Drake was so cute and gave a hug to all his classmates and told his teachers he will miss them.  Sonja was even joining in on the hugging. Haha!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Wisconsin

Wow!  I can't believe it has been about 4 years since we moved to beautiful Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  This has quickly become our home here and now it is time to move on to a new state and a new adventure.  Before we move I wanted to give a quick thank you to Wisconsin.  Being out here has been such a blessing for me personally, for Chris and I, and for our little family.  We have grown so much being out here on our own.

Chris and I have learned to lean on each other in a way that we didn't realize we needed to before we moved out here.  We have seen in many cases that medical school can either tear your marriage apart or bring you closer together.  Luckily for us our relationship has strengthened through this experience.  I can't believe what an amazing guy Chris is.  He has been so successful in his schooling, has had time for my craziness and neediness, and spends a lot of time with our amazing kids. I really don't know how he has done it and I appreciate every ounce of energy and time that he has put into us.


Moving out here away from family wasn't the easiest thing for me.  I have always been a sort of home body.  I was shy and really just wanted to stay in my comfort zone.  I either lived at home or was married during college and really didn't venture out much.  I am sad to say that I didn't really make any friends in college.  Honestly I would drive to school, walk to class, study with my head down in the library and drive home.  I was just so scared to venture outside of my comfort zone and put myself out there.  Gratefully, God had a plan for Chris and I.  It just took me awhile to see it.  Moving out here, away from family, friends, and any familiarity was terrifying.  But I had Drake!  Being a stay at home mom of a toddler truly saved me when we moved out here.  I couldn't stay home all day every day with just Drake.  If I wanted to stay sane, I needed to get out of the house once in awhile.  So I forced myself to go to parks.  And Drake being the friendly kid he is, wouldn't let us just sit by ourselves and play.  So I started to break out of my shell and talk to other moms. Then I started a book club and joined a bible study group.  I slowly began to make friends and got to know all that Milwaukee has to offer.  Now I know that I am not so much of a home-body after all. I do love to sit in the quiet of my home and just veg, but I actually really enjoy getting out of the house.  The kids and I try to get out of the house for a little while almost every day.  Whether it is the park, walking the mall, the gym, zoo, or going to friends houses.  I have also came to understand the value of friendships.  I have met some amazing friends out here and don't know what I would have done without them.  Also, about 2 years ago we started going to a church out here which we have absolutely loved.  It has done wonders for us and we are so grateful for all the adventures, blessings and trials that we have experienced and are about to experience.  Seeing Drake soak up everything he learns at church is just an amazing feeling.  And now Sonja is starting to get to the age where she gets excited about going to church to.  It is so much fun!

  So Wisconsin, thank you!  Thank you for helping me grow.  I know that I have a lot more growing to do, but I am really starting to get a sense of the person I am and the person I want to be.  Thank you Wisconsin for being such a wonderful place for my little family.  We have enjoyed all that you have had to offer (even the winters).  We have done a ton of camping, enjoyed Lake Michigan, love the Milwaukee zoo, have journeyed around the state, gone to a bunch of Brewers (baseball) games, and even went to a Green Bay Packers game (so much fun!).  And thank you Medical College of Wisconsin for giving Chris such a great education and setting him up for a promising future.  We are sad to be leaving Wisconsin but excited to see what Indiana has to offer us.  We so wish we were heading back closer to family but have heard great things about Indianapolis. Obviously God doesn't think I have ventured out of my comfort zone enough, haha. Hopefully one day we will get closer to our family back in Utah.  We miss them so much but right now I look forward to meeting new, amazing people.  So one adventure is coming to a close, but another one is about to start.  I hope we will be able to embrace this next part of our lives just as we have with that last four years.