Hannah Takes Over the Blog

 Hello all. I have no idea how long it has been since Mom last posted, but I saw a post labeled big girl bed, so it has been a while. New Year's was yesterday, and we have started the year strong. Our family just went on a huge limo-bus, to see lights, and it was AMAZING!!!!👍 

This photo was from around 5 years ago, (Mom has, like, no photos on her computer.)

Since then, Rory has gotten stiches above his eye from a stray hockey stick in our basement, and I have gotten glasses. Earlier this year, we had severe flooding in the now kid's bathroom, (previously the guest bathroom.) So, we fixed and repainted that. My old room is now the boys' room, and I have moved into my dad's old office, which got a makeover also. Mom and Dad will be celebrating 40 years of age, 16 years of marriage, and 12 years of being parents. Hannah will turn 12, Rory will be turning 10!!!!, and Jacob will be turning 9. 

Big Girl Bed

Hannah is getting so BIG - we're talking a lot about her being a BIG SISTER and such a BIG HELPER these days.  Just 2 more days until her brother joins us - and I don't think she knows what she's in for!

She's learning every day and growing by leaps and bounds.  Each day comes new animal recognition (her current favorite is finding snakes and making hissing noises) and putting words together.  Her hair is getting longer and we work to put in "pretty pretties" each morning, though they are seldom left in her hair at the end of the day.  

She is still totally obsessed with books and we read at least 5 in a row before she'll move on to something else.  She has just started to play with Play-Doh, crayons and even watercolors.  Mommy is excited to have a little crafter to join her. (Although the left-handedness has me concerned about teaching knitting and sewing....)

Our next update (and there will be one in less than 4 months {yikes!}) will likely be with news of Baby Brother!

Holy Blog Silence, Batman!

Ok - that is the longest break from the blog that I've taken.  And I've got some good excuses.  And some big things going on.  But I'll try to catch up now that we're settled into our new house.

So there's that:  We moved to Sioux Falls, SD.  It still doesn't feel quite real, or HOME, but we are very much liking our new neighborhood and especially our new house.  The change in license plates hit me harder than I thought it would but we are adjusting all the same.

Here are some photos of the house - mostly before the furniture got delivered.  I'll try to take some pretty photos of the furnished and decorated house and get those up sometime in the next few weeks.

 Living Room

 Dining Room

 Kitchen

 Guest Bathroom

 Office

 Master Bathroom

 Hannah's Room

The Falls - Cousins

Residency Graduation

This marks the official END of my formal education!

Preschool - Winona, Minnesota 1989

Grade School - Winona, Minnesota and Stevensville, Michigan 1998

High School - Michigan Lutheran High School in St. Joseph, Michigan 2002

Undergraduate School - Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah 2006

Medical School - Medical College of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2010

Emergency Medicine Residency - Medical College of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2013

It's been a long push since 1989.  I am looking forward to the next 6 weeks off!

 2013 Graduates

Sarah Brandt ~ Abigail Polzin ~ Bob Rogers ~ Erik Amoroso ~ Matt Borgo ~ Joe Hansen ~ 

Chris Mitros ~ Eric Hansen ~ John Meyer

 The class with Dr. Aufderheide and Dr. Tews.

Not only is this the end of an era, but it's also the end of my living in Milwaukee.  I have really enjoyed living in Milwaukee and think it is truly jewel of the Midwest.  It has some really lovely places, amazing restaurants, fun attractions and great people!  I took a boat ride with some co-residents to say goodbye to the city.

I am also saying goodbye to Froedtert Hospital.  I joked about it, but it really is a place where miracles happen everyday.  This is the ambulance bay (where I walked in for the past 3 years).  I did work in nearly every hospital in the city, but most of my education happened at Froedtert.  Many thanks to the thousands of co-residents, attendings and especially THE PATIENTS that have contributed to my education. 

Last official shift with Sarah Brandt.  June 30, 2013.

Washington DC June 2013

Bry at the WWII Memorial by Corrigedor - we visited this while in the Philippines and have some great memories of it.

We were invited to Abi's Cousin Morgan's wedding in DC on June 22, 2013.  She married a nice Marine, Scott in a beautiful wedding.  Of course, DC's not a bad place for a vacation either so we had lots of fun sight seeing and taking Hannah to some fun places.  (Of note, DC is an ideal location for a 1 year old who just discovered climbing stairs!)

 The first day Abi and Hannah just took a nap and saw some family.  On Friday we went into DC (LOVED the Metro and the cheap foldable stroller we bought for this trip) and did a walking tour of the monuments and memorials.  It was a gorgeous day and we had a lot of fun just as a family.  Friday night we had more family time at the rehearsal dinner too.

 The wedding was lovely - full Military style with a Marine ceremony of the swords outside the church.  The location of the reception was perfect for a Marine pilot too - the historic terminal of Ronald Reagan Airport.  It was a lovely reception and we had a blast.  We ended the night being "those parents" taking their baby home at midnight on the Metro.  Abi flew home on Sunday (for work) and Bry and Hannah stayed for a day at Arlington and another site-seeing trip to the city and the White House.  They road-tripped back home with Grandpa and Grandma Schneider - just in time for Abi's graduation from Residency.