How much do you know about Christmas?

I am pround to say that after a few years of not taking tests I have PASSED the Christmas test!For those who chose to take the test as well...good luck!

You Know a Lot About Christmas

You got 8/10 correct You know tons about the history and traditions surrounding Christmas. When you celebrate the holidays, you never forget their true meaning - or all the little fun details. Random Christmas fact: "Jingle Bells" was originally written as a Thanksgiving song.

How Much Do You Know About Christmas?

Tis the season... over a month ago

Okay, I know that it's over a month late but our friends finally sent us a picture of our family at the MCW Halloween party. Elizabeth was so cute as a "Sweet Pea". Anyways, hope that you are all loving life while we freezing our butts off in the 5 degree weather of Wisconsin!

Advent, Advent ein Licht lein brennt, erst eins.....

Tonight, we celebrated Advent. Catherine's family has long celebrated this german holiday, which represents the coming of the Christ child. For the three Sunday's preceding Christmas and Christmas Eve, family and friends gather to light a candle, read a Christmas book, and have a good time. We felt so lucky to have Josh & Jill Hunter, Marc & Trisha Crosby, and all of their kids join us. They are great friends and we are grateful to know them.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a great Weekend with our friends in Milwaukee. We Started the day off with our traditional Turkey Day flag football game while one of the Young Women was nice enough to watch Elizabeth and let us go play in the cold (thanks Cindy!). Later we spent the afternoon at a friends house and had an amazing Thanksgiving feast! Life is pretty good!!!

Elizabeth also had her 6 month check up and the short genes are kicking in, she is down from 90th to 60th percentile in height. Weight is about 20%. Everything is looking good.

She has been so much fun! she loves to grab at anything she can get her hands on, including Jackson's pumpkin pie that quickly went to the floor. She also loves people and smiles all the time accept for pictures. We have learned that if we want to capture her smile we have to be sneaky.

Festival of Lights 2007- Chicago

We spent Saturday afternoon in downtown Chicago enjoying the Disney's Festival of Lights. This is a city activity that celebrates and kicks-off the Christmas season: the lights along Michigan Avenue are turned on as Mickey Mouse and his entourage pass astride decorated floats. The lights turn on as the procession neared. In the low 40's with a damp rain, the night required a good coat and hat. Elizabeth, as you will see, dawned her snow suit for the first time. Unfortunately, this night she did not see her first snow. Fortunately for her mother's warmth and well being, it did not snow.

Nearly an hour before the parade began people were already lining the avenue, claiming their frontline chicago realestate. Catherine and I wondered if we would even be able to see anything. As we were crossing Erie street, heading south, the police closed the intersection and pulled barracades into place and we, by dumb luck, were able to get right up front. We had a great view of the procession but paid for it by standing in place from 5-6:20PM, waiting. Although Catherine and I enjoyed the experience, I don't think Elizabeth will remeber much... except maybe for the taste of her snowsuit.

And for those who were wondering, our family does have a patagonia problem.

Tagged Twice in One Day "OUCH!"

I am used to playing tag all the time at work with groups and patients but this is a first on a computer thanks to Chelsea and Carmen!! P.S. can you tag back in this game? Then I wouldn't have to write anything right?
Well these were the only rules I was given:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog for game rules/details

1. I hate being put on a spotlight! I lead large and small groups all the time, and poor people have to listen to me all day, but I hate having people look at me. Why I am in the profession that I am as well as teaching Pilates is beyond me. It definatly pushes me outside of my comfort zone.

2. I love my sweets! I have found myself some days wondering if I ate anything that did not have sugar in it. I have to force myself somedays to remember to eat the healthy stuff.

3. I am a terrible person to talk on the phone with because; I dislike talking on the phone. I find myself getting distracted then I forget what people say and let's face it I am not much of a conversationalist. I'd rather be hitting a tennis ball or playing a sport with someone.

4. I love to shop! Now if you knew me in high school I did not know what shopping was. To prove it you can somehow get a hold of one of my yearbooks and see my fashionable oversized t-shirts and jeans.

5. In elementary school I had to scrape gum off tables and clean classrooms for a Summer because I kicked a hole in the wall of our 6th grade classroom.

6. Last but not least; I have never made it awake through any of the Lord of the Rings movies.

WOW isn't my life exciting, hopefully you learned a couple of odd facts about me. There are NO tag backs on this one: If you have already been tagged sorry just ignore:
Kate B
Katie R
Amy and Wes (that's 2)
Sunny and Bradden (2 more)!

Happy Halloween!

Today the Medical College of Wisconsin was swarmed with ghouls, goblins, and Sweet Peas. The Medical Student Spouse Association (way to go Rowans!) put on a great party and the staff at the school got a kick out of all of the kids' costumes. Being only 6 months old, it was obvious that Elizabeth wasn't going to eat any of the trick or treat candy but that didn't stop dad from gathering some study candy! (Catherine was so embarassed each time I kept grabbing candy "for Elizabeth".) Catherine being ever resourceful found a steal of a deal on Elizabeth's Pea in a Pod outfit. She was so cute. Sadly, Mom and Dad were too lame to dress up. Merry Halloween to all!

What I do with my time...

Many people ask me "what do you do all day when your husband is gone studying...?" Well I try to keep myself busy with whatever I can think of! Walking, reading, playing, and spending most of my time with my sweet little girl. I think I might have a little too much time on my hands because I have started sewing again. Yep me of all people has discovered how much fun making things can be! So I started selling bows and onesies here in Milwaukee and it has evolved into a little side business nothing big but it keeps me occupied and having fun. If you want to check it out it is www.dimplebaby.etsy.com. The ski onesie is in honor of the beginning of the 2007-2008 ski season let it snow!

FALL FUN

Happy FAll! So far this fall has been beautiful! We took a stroll along lake Michigan this last weekend and couldn't get enough of the fall leaves. Lucky for us the weather was fantastic as well. So much fun to be had in the fall. Lately we have taken up a liking for Apple Crisp apples from Barthels Fruit Farm. I finally got Jackson to join me for a little apple picking fun.

It can't be fall without a little football action! Elizabeth would like to give a Milwaukee "shout out" to our Utah Utes and her Uncle Morgan for doing so well these last few games, GO UTES!!!

Elizabeth's First Meal of Solids

Here is a clip of a minute or two of Elizabeth's first time eating solids (if you can call rice cereal a solid). Just to let you know, Elizabeth isn't attacking the spoon anymore. Hope you enjoy!

"Apple Holler" with the Gelwix Family

We spent some time this last weekend with the Larry & Amy Gelwix. We had a great time and were so grateful that we got to hang out with them. Saturday morning, we meet at "Apple Holler", a little farm near the Illionois-Wisconsin border where families can pick apples, pumpkins, see farm animals, and experience life on the farm. Besides being ridiculously crowded and housing the "mystery" buffett, it was great to spend some time with the Gelwixs, & Catherine and Elizabeth "out on the farm". Luckily, neither Elizabeth or Lucy took the occasion to role in any green mudd.
I am sure that time will come soon enough.





Amy & Larry- Thank you for hanging out!

Blue Eyes

How can you not love these blue eyes! It's about time we update some pictures of Elizabeth! She is growing so fast and it is way to much fun being with this little girl! She is rolling over, grabbing things, making all kinds of noises and getting stronger each day. I will post more pics later when I get a chance.

The verdict is out Elizabeth is 50-50

Some of our friends had this on their blogs so we thought we'd try it out.
Who do you think she looks more like?

"Go Pack Go"

We had a great time at the Packers/Chargers game. Lambeau Field is always an experience!!! It is the only thing in Greenbay besides a Kmart so you can imagine how rowdy and fun the crowd is. We did have a hard time deciding who to cheer for, in the end we cheered for the Packers of coarse and also our fellow Ute Eric Weddle even though he is a Charger. It's official (sorry morgan) we are cheeseheads!

Arrr! I'm a Pirate

Inspired by the scooner in the background, Catherine got me to pose for a picture. Unbeknownst to me, she was actually video taping. Here is the result. I hope it makes you laugh!

Scrapbook pages & Lake Geneva

THANKS TO MY SISTER RACHEL I HAVE COME TO REALIZE THE JOYS OF DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING. NO MESS, NO BUYING PAPER, IT'S FAST AND IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO DO!

We took a mini trip out to Lake Geneva last weekend and took Elizabeth swimming for the first time. The lake was a little slice of heaven!!! Elizabeth wasn't a huge fan of the lake water (as you can see from the middle picture), but she loved the sand. Catherine let Jackson watch her for a bit while she took a nap, within the time of Jackson on baby watch she managed to EAT sand. So there were a couple of firsts for Elizabeth this weekend.

Dilly Rolls: A little Slice of heaven

One of our good friends, Dr. Roger, introduced us to our favorite new recipe- dilly rolls. It's a bread roll with dill and a few other unexpected ingredients. We like it so much, Cat and I thought that we would share it with all of you. Here it is.....

Dilly Rolls by Dr. Roger
2 c Cottage Cheese
4 tbs Sugar
2 tbs Butter
2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2 tbs Minced dried onions
4 tsp Dill weed
1/2 tsp Baking soda
2 packages Instant yeast

Mix the ingredients, except for the yeast) in your mix-master machine. Allow to churn and add flour to dough consistency. Prepare 2 packages of instant yeast in separate bowl and add to the rest of the ingredients. Allow yeast to be well mixed into the dough. Remove from bowl and knead. Form dough balls and allow to rise on a non-stick cooking surface. Bake @ 320 for 15-20 until light brown.

There it is. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have. Let us know how it turns out!

Wisconsin State Fair (AKA Chub Fest)

1st pic is at lake Piwaukee during the sunset, we love going there for a nice swim and some relaxation.
The next couple of pics were at the Wisconsin State fair. If you want to get a taste of Wisconsin this is the event. All you can eat double dipped butter corn on the cob, fried everything including fried snickers (see the pic is above), brats, all kinds of flavored milk, and don't forget the pig races. The pig races were our favorite although our pig did not win. There were tons and tons of farm animals to see. Elizabeth even got her picture taken with a cow the same age as she is. We can't wait to take her again next year when she actually knows what she is looking at.

She can STAND!

Elizabeth is getting stronger by the day. If we hold her hands, she can support her body weight for a few minutes. It's neat to see her grow. Contrary to popular belief, Elizabeth does cry and fall into tirades. In fact, we were so desperate for her to take a nap that I suggested to Cat to drive to the mall. I hate the mall! That shows you how desperate I was. We went to the mall and Elizabeth fell asleep in the car and continued to sleep the entire time we were there. Maybe we should go to the mall more often!

YM: City Branch

Here are some pictures from some recent Young Men activities that we have had in the Milwaukee City Branch. The Young Men keep us on our toes!

Who does Pres look like?

We all know him as the fearless Dr. Roger, but who does Pres really look like? You might be suprised from his Tremonton upbringing that he has a strong resemblance in looks and personality to Fifty Cent, Dexter Holland and my personal favorite Sammo Hung. If you have any love for the man, let me get a shout out! WE LOVE YOU ROGER!

Almost done with OB/GYN Rotation

For the past five weeks, as Bud would say, I have been getting "hammered". It has been tough but I have learned an amazing amount about obstetrics, gynecology, and also how not to get yelled at or chewed out by attendings and residents. To give you a glimpse of my daily routine, here is a short description of my average day.

I have been waking up at 5:00AM everyday to make sure that I can be at the hospital by 5:45AM to look up vital signs and labs, to see if orders have changed and then at 6:00AM I am knocking on doors and begin rounding on patients. If the patient had a c-section the day before, I remove the bandage and inspection the incision to see if it is healing well. "Is it clean, dry, and intact?" I always ask vaginal delivery and c-section patients the same litany of questions: "how are they doing?", "what is their pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 (with ten being the worst absolute pain ever imaginable)", have they had a bowel movement? do they have any gas? Can they void their bladder? how many bleeding pads did they go through last night? are they walking, eating, and drinking? . I have to somehow get the answer to all of those questions as quickly as possible while simultaneously being cordial, polite, and engaging...... all at 6:00AM. Can you imagine some complete stranger coming into your bedroom every morning whether you were half naked or not and barraging you with that armament of personal questions? Where else in the world do you sincerely ask someone how they are pooing and peeing! As soon as the visit is done, I have to race to the chart to write a note, hoping that the resident is not breathing down my neck.

After rounds, there is a little break until the first surgery or the beginning of clinic depending upon your assignment. I usually grab a doughnut (I am getting so fat!!!!- but I am holding myself to the strict limit of one a day) and I'll then go read in the library about post partum bleeding, spontaneous abortions, or Group B Strep- whatever the gapping dearth may be. Then I go to surgery or clinic and hold retractors for hours on end or visit with return OB visits and ask women about the progression of their pregnancy. Usually by 4pm the day is over and if you're not on overnight call, you get to go home and start it over again the next day.

Like I said, I have learned a lot but am looking forward to a few extra hours of sleep every night.

Back in the Swing of things in Milwaukee

We are back and settled in after fun times with family. Milwaukee is the greatest in the Summer, we LOVE it!!! Jackson has been enjoying rotations (well at least not the little sleep part), And Catherine had her first day back at work part time on the ropes course. While she was working Jackson survived his first few hours alone with Elizabeth. More importantly Elizabeth survived!!!

Elizabeth!!!! Smiling, Styling, Profiling....

Elizabeth loves smiling! We get her to smile and laugh by tickling her with her own feet. She's a sweet heart.

Blessing pics & more!

Elizabeth's Baby Blessing

Tonight we blessed Elizabeth in Salt Lake. It was a great night and Jackson didn't muff the blessing! It was great to be able to bless her with our family in Salt Lake but we really did miss our Milwaukee family! Here is a video of Elizabeth in her blessing dress. She was quiet and calm during the blessing. Catherine and I don't know what we did to get such an even-keeled kid.

Chilling in Salt Lake with Elizabeth

Check out this little video of Elizabeth earlier this week. She loves sticking her tongue out.

Upper Black Box, San Rafael Swell, Utah

Last Saturday, I hiked the upper black box with my friend Rich Ingebretsen and a few of his friends. The day was amazing as we hiked for about 7 hours along and in the San Rafael River. The last quarter of the hike, the canyons narrowed and there were several stretches where you had to swim across the pools. Luckily the water was fairly warm! It was a great day, with great people.

Sleepy Time in Salt Lake

So Many Babies!

Jackson is plugging away at getting ready for the big test, and Catherine has been in Utah getting a little extra help with Elizabeth from family. This last Sunday was the blessing of Mia Scalley our neice, Taylors daughter. She was the fourth Scalley baby born this year and Elizabeth the 5th. Catherine and Elizabeth had a great time with all the new babies!

The Fab 5: Brooks, Madaline, Mia, Elizabeth and Charlie

I need to buy some more diapers!

She is so darn cute!

Cat and I have been amazed that suddenly we are parents are entrusted with the care of this precious girl. We think that we really lucked out too. Cat and Elizabeth have been able to learm how to breast feed comfortably- this was reassuring especially after hearing stories from numerous friends about how hard it can be. Elizabeth sleeps well and is so far very even tempered. We really do feel blessed. Catherine thinks that she looks a bit more like me, Jackson. I think that she acts more like her mother, being so calm and easy going. Although, today, Elizabeth did surprise Catherine by promptly wetting herself as soon as Catherine had taken off her diaper. Ya, we are rookies.

She is still alive!

It's a record. She's been in our care for two complete days and she is still kicking and pooping. We hope to continue setting records for a long time to come. She doing much better than the plant that Claudia bought us right when we moved to Milwaukee. We have to thank all of our friends out here in Milwaukee for visiting us! Thank you! Here are some more pictures of lovely Miss Elizabeth and our friends here in Beer City USA.