August 2011

Pearl, Coby and I returned from Utah on August 5th. Just a few days later, Cherise Sallaway, my best friend from our medical school days, came into town with her 3 adorable kiddos. John Sallaway did law school at Texas Tech while KC was doing medical school. They live in Dallas now and had a family reunion in South Padre Island (an hour from McAllen). Unfortunately John couldn't make it. It was so fun to see Cherise and the kids though!! They came to our house for a day and then we went to the beach and spent one more day with them. Her kids are cute, cute, and really well-behaved.

Coby, William (23 months), Ashley (5 1/2), Noah (4), Pearl

Cherise's kids LOVE the water. They all dive right in and Ashley and Noah are awesome swimmers. I think Pearl and Coby (both a little timid in the water) were in awe. Maybe we'll try swimming lessons next summer. :)

Coby surfing. :)

The height difference of William (23 months) and Coby (26 months). Coby is SO much taller than all the kids his age these days.
A lazy Saturday morning with Daddy. So now that we've had a chance to settle in here for a month or so, we are in love with our life here. KC and I talk about it almost every day, how easy life seems here compared to residency in Lubbock. KC gets off work every day at 5. He has a little down time at work and gets most of his studying in there (preparing for board exams in March :s). Work is not stressful. The patients here, mostly Hispanic and Spanish-speaking, are humble and grateful, and attending doctors aren't putting pressure on him all day. It really is SO nice to see him come home from work happy and not completely stressed. He has operated on several different occasions now. He gets a little nervous the night before operating, but all of his surgeries and procedures are turning out really well. The partners in the practice are super nice. We've been out with them and their spouses several times and they seem to been good, genuine people. We feel really fortunate to be here!!

Yes, we are fortunate to be here, but it sure has been HOT!!! High of 105 most days. Early morning temps in the 80's with 90% humidity. :s So this month we have either been inside or at the pool. One of our indoor-activities was making these rock people. This is about the max of my creativity but I thought they turned out pretty cute. I have been surprised at how easy it has been to make friends here. There is a play group of church and neighborhood girls that meet every week at someone's house and then again at the library for story time on Wednesdays. Story time here is really fun because they do a story, songs, and then a really messy craft (paint, glue). Nice to make a big mess somewhere other than your own house. :)

Ever since we went to Utah and Pearl saw Mindy's baby Lydia come home from the doctor's office with a bandaid on her heel, Pearl has been obsessed with giving her babies heel-pricks and applying bandaids. Even Ariel needed a fin-prick. She is still SO into dolls and babies and takes care of all of them all day.

Pearl and Coby wearing my with shirts and playing wedding. I was REALLY sick for a few days this month. Coby and I had a major stomach/digestive system bug. I seriously can't remember the last time I was that sick. Unfortunately, KC was at work and then had a training in San Antonio while I was the sickest. Thus, the kids played on their own and we watched a lot of TV. I discovered something while I was laying there on the couch for a few days: Pearl and Coby can problem solve!! It was amazing to hear them compromise and share when they noticed that I wasn't coming to intervene when they started bickering. I've tried to keep that up and not jump in at the slightest sign of an argument. A nice discovery!!

This is Florencia, our Spanish tutor from Argentina. I met her at a play group. She comes to our house Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 - 11:30 and teaches the three of us Spanish. Most of the time she brings her 2-yr-old son along as well. She also has a 4-yr-old that is in pre-school during that time. I think she is perfect because her boys are the ages of Pearl and Coby so she completely understands their ages and knows how to get their attention. Pearl loves "Spanish School" and has learned quite a bit already. She is so proud of herself when she calls out the colors of things she sees "Rojo!, Amarillo!." It makes me smile. Coby is starting to catch on and will ask me how to say different things in Spanish, although I rarely hear him say any Spanish words. So for the first hour, we do activities with the kids and teach them. Then they are free to play while Florencia and I converse in Spanish for an hour. I have SUCH a headache at the end of that hour!! I decided that I understand about 90% of what she is saying and am unable to say correctly about 80-90% of what I would like to say. Frustrating!! I am determined to learn though and am trying to think in Spanish more and talk to KC more in Spanish. I've also decided that whatever I read will be in Spanish. I am a little afraid that I'm just not smart enough to become fluent. :s

I don't have any pictures of this but another thing I have been busy with this month is planning and preparing primary music time. I was called to be the primary chorister (teaching the kids 11 and under primary songs), something I have never done. The big primary program is coming up in a few months, where the kids will get to perform the songs they have learned this year. The kids don't seem to know the songs very well at this point, so we'll see what happens. :s KC was called to be the High Priest Group Leader again (that is what he did in Lubbock). It is a much smaller ward here than the one in Lubbock, so the calling seems more manageable. Once again, everything here just seems easier!! Very nice. :)