Lindner's Pumpkin Farm X Two

Anna and I discovered a gem of a pumpkin farm this fall and we have gone twice, two weeks in a row.  It is a quaint, family run farm.  It is inexpensive, small, odd, classic Wisconsin and absolutely perfect for our little ones.  

The first day we went was on a Thursday and we practically had the place to ourselves.  Bridget and her school friends just had a ball running around.  The weather was perfect, and it just couldn't have been a better day.  

I am not an animal lover by any means.  Bridget wanted to feed the goats, but was a bit nervous.  I couldn't bring myself to help her, so Anna got her started.  Good friend!  I am a wuss.

This slide was the BEST.  Perfect for young kids to do all on their own.  It was so cute to see them carry their gunny sacks up the hill and then cruise on down.  We all loved it!

Rachel was a bit apprehensive at first, but just watch her facial progressions.  Love it!

Lovebirds.  

Speaking of love, Anna and I were so in love with this place, we recruited more people to join us the next week.  We went on a Friday, so there were some more people, and it was a bit chilly, but it was still a great, great time.  

Back to the goats!  She's a pro.  Rachel, however, is now terrified of them.  Too many encounters in the last couple of weeks.

Goofball.  :)

Yay for tractor rides!

These two, seriously.  It doesn't get any cuter.  

Love the fall.  

More fun on the slide.  

Rachel's preferred method of going down the slide.  She loves it!

The Scavenger

This little girl is incredibly independent.  This is something we have never experienced as parents!  Rachel does things, on a daily basis, that Marshall and Bridget rarely do!

Most of these things revolve around food.  She will stockpile it, pull it out later, climb on things to get food, and she can open just about anything, including juice boxes!  Seriously.  She can get the straw out of the wrapper, poke it through a hole, and slurp up that juice before I even know where she is or what she's doing.  

The other night during dinner, Rachel got down from her chair and then Marshall exclaimed, "Where did Rachel get a pop tart?!"  Sure enough, she was holding a half-eaten pop tart which she had stored in her little play kitchen fridge from days earlier.  

I made zucchini bread a couple of weeks ago.  It was wrapped in foil and up on the counter.  I was gone that night and when I came home I noted that the zucchini bread had been moved, it was wrapped differently, and there were crumbs all over the floor.  Richard told me that while he was getting the kids ready for bed he realized it was very quiet.  He found Rachel going to town on the zucchini bread, who knows how she got it!  Nothing is safe!

I guess I should count myself lucky that it took us three kids to get to this point.  :)

Urban Ecology Center

Last fall we discovered the Urban Ecology Center and it quickly became a favorite of ours.  We went back again with friends a few weeks ago.  We got to hike around, play by the river, and also watch birds be tagged!  What a day.  Who needs school when you have the Urban Ecology Center?!

This really was so neat.  The kids got to see the bird tagged and examined.  The bird was so calm and the kids were captivated.  

I have decided all kids really need, whether they are boys or girls, is nature and sticks.  

So grateful for friends who are always up for an adventure.  

Marshall At Seven

I cannot believe I have a seven year old.  Marshall Cougar made me a mom seven years ago and they have been the most fun and most taxing years of my life, all at the same time!  He has taught me much, and hopefully we are teaching him some good things too.  Here are some things about Marshall at the age of seven.

Marshall is 47.5 inches tall.  

He only uses milk on his cereal.  His favorite foods are pizza and cinnamon rolls.  The only hot breakfast he will eat is a cinnamon roll, other than that it is cereal.  Finally, within the last year, I find that he can eat a decent amount of food and has started to eat more meat.  He still has picky moments and dinners where all I hear are complaining, but I have noticed a big improvement in the last year.

Foods he loves that surprise me:  blue cheese, blueberry encrusted goat cheese, shrimp, dark chocolate covered almonds, salads with all sorts of cheeses, nuts, fruit, avocados, onions.  

At the beginning of the year Marshall said he wanted to learn to cook.  It has been a real treat to have him in the kitchen with me.  We've just done about one meal a month together, but we both enjoy cooking together and I find him incredibly helpful!

Marshall loves all things sports, and he is pretty talented when it comes to sports.  He has played tee-ball for two summers and this fall is his first soccer team experience.  He has scored four goals and I am incredibly surprised that he is so aggressive in the game.  I am also surprised to see him thinking ahead to calculate where he should be to help out a teammate or who he should pass the ball to.  He frequently entertains himself by playing basketball, football, or soccer in the living room..and I allow it...unless it gets too crazy.

Marshall is also a runner.  Last week he ran 2.25 miles in 20 minutes.  He is also very competitive, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that he is aggressive in soccer.

Marshall is a sponge and very inquisitive.  He asks lots of questions and retains pretty much everything he reads.  I know he is only in first grade, but so far, reading and all academics have come very easy to him.

He and Bridget still fight, but he is way less physical with her than he was at this time last year.  They developed a really fun friendship this summer and spent lots of time playing together in their bedroom and in the basement.  He and Rachel don't interact a lot, but they certainly have some fun moments.  He reads to her on occasion, one day this summer he buckled her in the car seat and now she only wants Marshall to buckle her, and just the other night she sat on his lap and he helped her say the family prayer.

When he is happy, which is the majority of the time, I really enjoy being with him.  He is fun to talk to because he has so many thoughts and so many questions.  I love the one-on-one time I can sneak in with him.  

He has developed quite a good little group of friends here and I will forever be thankful to these boys and their families, even though we will be moving away this summer.  Marshall is never one to initiate play, but these boys always include him, and once he is running around with them, he is right in the mix.  

Marshall has lost four teeth, and has four more that are loose.  He has an aversion to the tooth fairy.  He has kept all four teeth and has only allowed the tooth fairy to come for the first two teeth.  

He is incredibly attached to things, which is part of the reason he can't bear to part with his teeth!

This kid has an incredibly quick mind.  He catches me off guard all the time with his replies and quick wit and problem solving.  

He had a terrible fear of tornadoes and thunderstorms this spring and summer.  He became obsessed with the weather in May and checked it every single morning.  In July he worked himself up so terribly about a tornado warning that he declared he was hardly ever looking at the weather again and he has held true to that.

Marshall does not do well with change and struggles with worry.  Poor kid.  Richard and I both struggle with these things so it seems to be a double whammy for him!  One month into first grade and I feel like we are finally leveling off with his emotions.  I have decided that the beginning of the school year will always be hard for him.  We've had a lot of talks about talking to us about his feelings and that we are here to help him.

His favorite toys are Legos. Angry Birds, and Star Wars.  

He still has training wheels on his bike.  We hope to conquer this next summer!!!

I am thankful for his patience and his forgiveness.  It is not easy being the oldest child (I know) and it is not easy only have siblings of the opposite gender (I know!).  Sometimes I wonder how different he would be if he was an only child, or if there was a five year gap between him and Bridget!  But really, he is a good kid.  I am so grateful he is a part of our family.  He adds energy, adventure, stimulating conversation, and humor to our every day life.  We love our Marshall Cougar.

Fellowship Round Two

As Richard posted on social media a few weeks ago, we have accepted an offer for an MSK fellowship at the University of Utah for 2017-2018.  I don't think I can adequately put into words the relief we feel that this fellowship process is behind us, for the second time!  Things went so much better than last year, but it still came down to a very stressful few days.  And so for journal purposes, here's the story.

Back in the spring Richard began again to look at fellowship programs and we sent in applications May through July.  This time we applied all over the country and sent in 36 applications.  We felt optimistic, but it was also a big weight on our shoulders, especially Richard's.  

In May Richard received his first interview invitation from Case Western in Cleveland.  We were shocked that it came so early, but also worried that it came so early.  The nature of the fellowship process is once you get an offer, you have a very short amount of time to accept, so you can't wait around for other interviews.  We had our hearts set on the University of Utah, for multiple reasons, and we knew their timetable based on last year.  June would be too early to interview as Utah wouldn't interview until September.

Richard had some back and forth email conversations with the doctor at Case Western and the interview was finally scheduled for the end of July.  We felt pretty good about that timetable.  

Two weeks before the Case Western interview, we decided to draft an email to the program director at the University of Utah.  We wrote it together, sent it to some family members for editing, and then sent the final version to the program director.  Richard reiterated all the things he liked about their MSK program, told him he had three interviews lined up already (Case Western, Cedar Sinai, Southern Florida), and said that we would accept an offer from the University of Utah.  We sent the email, and waited, and waited for a response.  We never got a response from the program director, but one week later, Richard did get an interview invitation from the U.  We were elated.

The weeks rolled on and Richard ended up with seven MSK interviews:  Case Western, Cedar Sinai, Southern Florida, Iowa, Utah, San Antonio, and a program in Connecticut (which we ended up not accepting the interview invitation).  He interviewed first at Case Western, second at Cedar Sinai, and third at Iowa.  He liked Case Western, didn't like Cedar Sinai, and really liked Iowa.  None of them really gave a timetable as to when they would extend offers, but we had our fingers crossed for Utah, so we were fine with them taking their time.  

Richard interviewed at Iowa on a Tuesday the end of August and that Saturday flew to Utah for a Monday interview.  He also had interviews in San Antonio and Tampa scheduled for that same week.  As Richard's travel plans for that upcoming week fell into place, I could foresee it being incredibly stressful: Richard on interviews, reliving the fellowship stress of last year, first week of school for the kids, soccer for Marshall, and birthdays for Richard and Marshall.  That's a lot to handle, right?! I asked my mom to come out for that week, and within one day she had purchased her ticket to fly out, and even rearranged a trip she had planned with my dad and grandpa.  That's a good mom right there.

Anyway, Richard flew to Utah on Saturday, August 29th, and my mom flew to Milwaukee.  Richard interviewed at the U on Monday the 31st.  He called me after his interview once he was at the airport waiting for his flight to San Antonio.  We had a great conversation.  He felt very good about his interview, the University of Utah MSK department is expanding, and Richard was hopeful.  The program coordinator told Richard that they aren't making any decisions until September 15/16th at the earliest, but that Richard could contact him if and when he got another offer.   He reiterated that they might not make an early decision, but he wanted to be kept in the loop.

One hour later, Richard frantically called me saying he just got an offer from Iowa, his second choice, and they wanted an answer by Thursday.  Richard was in full stress mode, because he just left the U, and he needed them to make a decision now, and not two weeks down the road.  At home, Marshall was a complete basket-case about school starting the next day, and the girls were tired and starving.  Thank goodness Grandma Laura was here!  

My mom took over dinner time, Marshall sat by me crying, and Richard and I drafted an email to the U.  The email was both a thank you for the interview and a desperate plea for them to make a decision before Thursday.  After we sent the email, Richard got on a plane, I left my mom with the girls, and I took Marshall out for a special dinner date at Chick-Fil-A.  I will forever be grateful that my mom was here that week, but especially that night.  I would have been a wreck without her and the kids would have had a terrible start to the school year!

That Tuesday Richard interviewed at San Antonio and that afternoon got an email from the U saying that they would have an answer for him on Wednesday.  That night Richard flew from Texas to Florida for his last interview on Thursday, so he had Wednesday to just hang out in Tampa.  

That Wednesday Richard and I were both on pins and needles.  Again, another great day for my mom to be here because she kept me moving.  Ironically, I had planned to go to the temple in Chicago that day and leave my mom at home with the girls while Marshall was at school.  It was really nice to have time to drive, think, and then spend time in the temple on such a stressful day.  By 4:00 that afternoon I was home and just sitting on the couch with my phone in my hand waiting for it to ring!  Meanwhile, Richard was just hanging out in a hotel room in Tampa trying not to loose his mind.  Backtracking to earlier in the day, that morning Richard got an email from Dr. Carrera saying that the program director from the U had called him that morning.  He said they had a great conversation, but referred to the program director as "the cautious sort", which is something we had learned as well.  Richard and I didn't know if Utah would be willing to make a decision about Richard two weeks early and after just one day of fellowship interviews.  As the day rolled on we figured Richard wouldn't hear anything until the end of the work day in Utah.  But as 5:00 rolled around in Utah, then 6:00, we were getting very anxious.  

Finally, at 6:15 Utah time, the program director called Richard, in Tampa, at 8:15 his time.  Richard quickly answered the phone, the U extended the offer for an MSK fellowship for 2017-2018 and Richard immediately accepted it.  They talked for a few minutes and then Richard called me.  It was 7:20 in Milwaukee and I had just put the girls in the bath, but I had my phone in my pocket.  I ran out of the bathroom and grabbed it and Richard told me, "We'll be in Utah for two years!"  I screamed and jumped for joy and was just so incredibly relieved.  Relieved.  There is no better word to describe both our feelings.  

Richard interviewed at Tampa the next day, because he was already there.  He also declined the offer in Iowa, and wrote to the other programs he interviewed at too to let them know he had accepted an offer.  San Antonio and Case Western both wrote back very kind and complimentary emails.  Richard finally flew home Thursday night and we celebrated Richard's birthday, Marshall's birthday, and a fellowship success all in one morning.  

Weeks before this I had asked Richard what he wanted for his birthday and his reply was a fellowship.  We were both fairly certain this fellowship stuff would be wrapped up in September, but were thinking it would be closer to middle to end of September.  We really never thought it would happen so quickly, but even though those 48 hours were gut-wrenching, we are so glad it all resolved itself by September 2nd!  

Once again, our families' support through this was amazing.  Richard's parents were such a good sounding board for him during that week Richard was traveling and waiting on Iowa and Utah.  I really could not have done that week without my mom here.  I am so grateful my dad and grandpa were willing to rearrange their travel plans, and then live without her for a week so she could be here.  I am grateful my mom so willingly stepped in to come out here, but then continued to step in and help me out as she saw me a nervous wreck as things began to come to a head.  

Richard and I are so happy things came together for us to be in Utah for two years straight.  If you would have told me last summer that this was going to happen I wouldn't have believed it, nor would I have wanted it.  We are so relieved and so glad that we can just ride out the rest of Richard's residency and soak up our remaining time in Wisconsin now that we have the stress of boards and fellowship gone.  And lastly, I am so proud of Richard.  The things that he has accomplished, and the stresses that he has carried, and handled well, amaze me.  Whew!  What a journey!