Our New Home

Jorgen's medical school offers a unique opportunity for its students.  During the last 3 years of school we get to spend it at a Community Health Center.  There are 11 different sites throughout the country associated with his school.  Today we found out where we will be going.

This has been a very long and drawn out process.  It has caused us some sleepless nights and lots and lots of prayer! We have felt like we could be happy at most of the sites that they offered.  But when it came down to it we really felt best about one place!!!

And that place is:

WASHINGTON DC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (we are hoping that if Romney is elected today that he will just let us stay with him for free!!! haha! I am sure he is all about helping out poor medical school students)

We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! We really feel like we are so blessed to be able to be spending the next three years in our nations capital.  There will be so many fun and crazy adventures that we will get to experience.  We can't wait!

It will be hard to move so far away from family and friends, but just think of all the fun we will have when you all come to visit us!!! :)

Family Hike

Jorgen and I love to go hiking.  It has been a little bit harder since we have had kids, but we have learned to adjust at every stage.  We have gotten front packs and backpacks and just taken them along with us.  We had not been in a while and so we were both dying to go.  It started out great and Keira was super excited to go hiking! It felt so great being outdoors again and in nature.  We both feel like the Phoenix area is just a big concrete jungle with mountains that are far away and so it was nice to get out and experience some of the mountains that are kind of close by.

Keira loved looking at all the rocks and different bugs on the ground.  

We tried several times and this was the best family picture we could get!

Then Keira just couldn't walk anymore.  She got carried more than she actually hiked, but at least we got some hiking in.  She fell asleep on Jorgen on the way back. So did Jess.  These girls are so lucky that they have a Daddy who is wrapped around their fingers and will carry them both!

This little girl can literally sleep anywhere!!!

We all had a lot of fun and are glad that the weather is finally cooling off so that we can do more things like this outside and not be dying of heat!! 

Flagstaff

This last week the girls and I had a fun chance to sneak away from the heat of Mesa and head up to see my cousin in Flagstaff.  It was a long drive, but totally worth it. Keira had a blast playing with her girls! (you would never know from the pictures, but trust me she had fun.) We even got to see their horse and Keira got to ride on it with Sydney! I am still mad at myself that I forgot my camera for that part! I loved being able to visit with my cousin Jami! She is such an amazing person and made us feel so welcome and right at home.  Thanks Jami! 

This picture of Hayden totally makes my day every time I see it! She is so stinkin cute!!!!

It was so nice to be able to spend some time with family that I haven't seen in a while! I am looking forward to going up there again soon! 

Why I shouldn't plan the camping trip......

Jorgen and I have been wanting to go camping for the last 4 years and this weekend we finally did it.  Jorgen had a long weekend off of school and we decided now was a great time to go.  I took it upon me to plan the whole trip because Jorgen was studying for his final and I didn't want to bother him with it.  That was the first major mistake! I mean I have been camping a couple of times how difficult could it be to plan a camping trip?

This is one of those times where I wished I would have been able to receive a letter from my future  self warning me about things that I should and shouldn't do.....Here are a few things that would have been on that letter about this weekend.

1.  When the hubby says that we should go up to Flagstaff area because it won't be as hot....listen to him.  Or else you will be dying of heat in the tent and you will be drenched in sweat ALL night long..... (Flagstaff's low on Friday night 59 degrees vs Peoria's low on Friday night 85 degrees and since  you are in a tent you need to add on about 20 degrees)

2.  When you are packing up everything double and triple check to make sure you have some of the essentials like....hmm....matches....because without them you won't be able to start a fire and then you will have to gag down cold hot dogs and forego the smores which you have been looking forward to eating all week long!!!!

3.  Another essential thing that you probably want to make sure you have BEFORE you go camping is a working flashlight.  Because 1 working flashlight gives off a lot more light at night than 5 flashlights that have dead batteries.

4.  Don't go to a lake area on a major Holiday like Labor Day Weekend.  The people who will surround you will be partying with loud annoying music and will be quoting the Goonies all night! I never knew how annoying the phrase, "Hey You Guys!" until I heard it over and over again while I was trying to sleep!

5.  Speaking of sleep.....Make sure you add sleeping pills to the next list or else you will be up all night with at least one of the girls.

6.  Don't go camping in the Phoenix area EVER! It doesn't compare to Utah at all! Instead of nice trees and mountains and dirt and rivers you will be on a cement slab that radiates heat and on a hill of rocks with two "trees" around your tent.  FYI - rocks with babies who have just learned how to walk makes for a very interesting time.

7.  Oh and the last thing is next time you go camping...if there is a next time...then you should make it a habit of asking the local rangers if you should be worried about any strange wildlife that maybe will make noises all night long.....We had these awesome guys talking all night long...

That's right....those would be wild donkeys.  Who knew Arizona had such a thing....We sure didn't.

 Despite all these mishaps we actually kind of had a good time.  One of the best parts of the trip for me was getting this awesome picture of Keira!

I guess that is what happens when one wakes up at 4:30am! You get to watch the sunrise with your little girl! :)

Next time I will make sure and let Jorgen pick the place and pack!

At least we made our first trip a memorable one! It is honestly one trip that we will never forget! :)

Life As We Know It

I decided to start a new blog and make a new effort to really put some time and effort into it.  With J in school I decided that I needed some things that would keep me busy and that would be productive for me to do.  I would really like to keep some type of journal of our lives and this is a great way to do it.

We moved into a house and are loving it! K & J love wandering around and are getting so big! We recently got back from a trip to Utah for my sister's wedding and while we were there my cousin took some pictures for us.  Here are a few of my favorites:

I love these babies so much!!! I am one blessed mama! :)