Ok, where to begin? We moved away from good old Rexburg. I was happy to be moving on, but I really do miss the community feeling of that place. I miss being so close to so many people who were our age, chasing the same goals, but I guess it's good to get out and grow some more. Now we live in a little town near Boise called Homedale. I love small towns! Our ward here is great and I have made a lot of new friends.
Tom started PA school and realized his tablet wasn't compatible with ISU's website, so he had to take both his tablet and his computer (hence, the lack of blogging lately). The first semester was stressful, to say the least. The boys and I hardly ever saw Tom, and when we did, it seemed he was always weighed down by studying that needed to be done. In true Tom fashion, though, he finished the semester with all A's except for two A-'s. I like bragging about my smart husband. This semester has been much better. He studies in modules, meaning he focuses on one area for a week or so, takes the test, then moves on. That also means no finals week. Tom has spent much more time at home this semester. We're really enjoying ourselves. Tom has one more semester of classroom study, then it's into the field for his clinical rotations. Let me explain how those work: Tom has to work in 8 different areas of expertise. He'll be moving to a new location every 5 weeks with a week long break in between so he can study for and take tests. The school arranges the rotations with different doctors and hospitals in several different locations. We were able to enter our location preferences into a computer program that grants everyone the same amount of satisfaction. I truly hope that Tom will get most of his rotations close to home, because if he doesn't, we either have to pack up and live out of a suitcase for 5 weeks, or we don't see Tom for 5 weeks. Neither one sounds very appealing, but I'm sure we'll end up where we're supposed to be. Cross your fingers for us!
In February, I began babysitting two little boys, ages 3 and 6. Their names are Emmett and Ty, respectively. As you can imagine, things get a little confusing having two toddlers with the same name. It has been good for Emmitt to have an older friend around. It has helped immensely in the potty training department (Potty training is of the devil, FYI). It's also been a little tough on him, though. I never stopped to think about it until a couple weeks ago, but Emmitt has had a new baby brother, a new home, and two new everyday friends that he has had to get used to sharing his home with, all at the emotionally charged age of two. Most days, he still is his happy self. He's tough. Ty is school age, so we don't see a lot of him, but when I have all four boys, it gets to be either a crazy good time, or just crazy. Depends on the day. Heber has been a champ through it all as well. The boys love him and he has been so patient with me while I'm busy with other kids.
The boys are doing great. Heber's learning to stand and he's pretty close to walking. He took his first step just a few days ago. He's also becoming more of a handful. Gone are the days where he would just let us hold him all the time without making a peep as long as he was fed and dry. He babbles and says Mom, Dad, and duck. He loves clapping and playing peekaboo.
Emmitt has always surprised me by how interested he is in letters. He knows his alphabet really well and knows what sounds all the letters make. His speech has declined a little bit, and we're taking him in to see if he needs tubes in his ears. Ear infections have been so common this winter, and we've noticed he asks us to repeat a lot of what we say, so hopefully tubes will help. Emmitt loves being outside running in the sprinkler, playing in the dirt, and enjoying the sunshine.
I sure love my little boys. They have taught me so much and my testimony of families has grown as they've grown. I often think of how Heavenly Father must feel as a parent to all of us as we try to figure things out. It's a beautiful gift that He's given us to be able to become parents. We get to discover just how deeply we can love someone and how badly we want them to be safe and happy. How comforting and hopeful it is to know that each of us has that capacity.
Thanks for reading!
