Cleveland has a way of leading you on and then dumping you flat on your face right when you start to believe that things are getting good. Just look at the whole Lebron James thing with the Cavs. Look at the Indians. Look at the downtown reconstructions efforts. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised when the weather in this city follows suit and disappoints. Last week was gorgeous! By the end of the week we had no snow left. The temperatures were approaching the sixties. All indications said that Spring was on its way. This Friday we got 14" of new snow. School was officially closed down. Most businesses were too. I guess it was just one more proverbial slap in the face from Cleveland.

We love this town (we really do).

Today we hit a significant milestone in our little family. For the first time in about three years I was able to sit at church for two un-interrupted hours of class and pay attention to every word that was said. That's right- today was AddyJack's first day of nursery. They did well and had much more fun there than they would have had with us. Glorious Day!

Evelyn had her birthday party on Saturday. If you remember, it was originally planned for last week but then everyone got sick. We had a good turn-out (8 of her friends came) and they all had fun. Actually, I think it was better this way because we got to drag her birthday out a little and really rub it in that she was very, very special.

Anyway, we really need to make dinner and feed our kids. Also, we have company coming tonight. Watch the video below- it's about Evelyn's birthday party. The smile that she gives at the very beginning totally melts my heart. I am such a lucky daddy!

Have a good week!

Just so you know what a good father I am- I am currently wearing a pink tutu and playing "princess" with Evelyn. And no- I did not take pictures. You'll just have to use your imaginations.

Yesterday was a very special day for Evelyn. Exactly three years ago (yesterday) we drove to the hospital and were first introduced to this amazing little girl. Since then it has been so much fun getting to know her and watching her learn about her little world. She really is growing up and it is crazy sometimes to associate the Evelyn that we see today with the one who came home from the hospital with us. Happy birthday Evelyn- You are very loved.

Unfortunately, Evelyn's birthday did not turn out exactly as expected. On Wednesday Jackson had a little eye-booger after waking up from his nap. On Thursday all three kids were formally diagnosed with pink-eye. In addition, Jackson had an ear infection (lots of screaming there) and Adalie was developing flu-like symptoms and throwing up. Needless to say, the great birthday party we had planned with all of Evelyn's friends had to be placed on hold for a while. Instead, we had a family party where we played with balloons, decorated cup-cakes, and opened presents. Grandma and Grandpa Hazard even got to come (via Skype) and Evelyn loved showing off her dance moves in the new "princess dresses" and "glass slippers" that she got from them.

All three kids are doing much better today and they seem to be back to normal. We'll have a party next week with all of Evelyn's friends, and it was sort of fun to celebrate her special day with just us.




One of Evelyn's favorite games is to color on the computer. I draw the pictures and then she specifies what colors to use to fill them in. It is actually fun on both of our parts. She requested (seriously) that I put these pictures on the blog this week.

Here's Evelyn with some of the presents she got for her birthday.

Here's a butterfly that Evelyn and I made one night just for fun.

For Evelyn's party we had races with balloons held between our legs. Adalie was actually pretty good at this!

It seems like it has been a busy week. Like I said in the last blog, I was at the Cleveland Free Clinic again all week. I actually really enjoyed my time there and it has caused me to think a little bit about what their mission is and to appreciate that there are places like this to help people.

Also, it was NOT the laid-back week that I was expecting. I think I have seen as many patients in the last 5 days as I have in the previous month at the dental school. The biggest day was on Friday where I saw 18 people in 6 hours, did 34 extractions, and ran 3-5 chairs simultaneously. Contrast this with the dental school clinic where I see 2-3 patients per day (sometimes 4 if I am really ambitious). Working at the free clinic was a great chance for me to prove to myself that I was capable of much, much more work once the restraints of the dental school were removed, and it gives me hope that one day I might even be able to make some money doing this.

On Tuesday we dropped our kids off at the babysitters and went to South Pacific. I think I've mentioned it here before, but Rachel and I love going to plays. And it just so happens that Playhouse Square is the biggest theatre district outside of New York. So, you put two and two together and Rachel and I end up going to as many plays as we can. South Pacific was great and we had tons of fun making a big night of it.

And now for some sad news. Evelyn's good friend Isaac Bir moved away this week. Isaac was in Evelyn's pre-school class and he (and his parents) have spent a lot of time at our house. It was sad to see him go and Evelyn will miss him. It also makes me sad for her to think that in a few months we are moving away and she will probably never see some of her friends again. She is old enough to miss them and I think this move might be a little hard on her. It is truly a very tragic thing.

Actually, that sense of "finishing up" has really hit me lately. I applied for graduation this week and signed up for my last senior competency. By the end of this next week I will have finished all of my requirements (hopefully) for graduation and will have nothing to do but look to the future (and clinical boards). I can honestly say that I am looking forward what the future holds. I have been thinking a lot lately about what the next several steps will be in our lives and it seems like things are going to be very exciting.

It is still a little bit surreal to me that I will be done with school- After all, I have been a full-time student since I was 4 years old. I know how to be a student, and I think I do a darn good job at it (I've had enough time to perfect the skill of not going to class). This next move will literally be one of the biggest changes in my life. I know I need to "keep my head in the game" and "finnish strong" but these cliches don't really mean any thing to me anymore. I am anxious to move on, and the next few months just seem to be holding me back. It's just how I feel.

Evelyn's Pre-School Class

Evelyn and Isaac

A note that Isaac wrote to Evelyn. His mom said that he thought of this by himself.

Elle, Evelyn, Rachel, and Josh all making invitations for Evelyn's birthday party next week. She's going to be 3!

Here's a cute picture of Addy. It's good that I'm posting this right now to remind me of how cute this girl can be, because she is currently writhing on the floor in a pathetic, teary heap because she woke up from her nap too early. She also woke up Jackson who is screaming like the world is coming to an end. I love my children, I love my children, I love my children, I love my children...

Jackson has been REALLY cute lately.

Me and Rachel at the Theatre.

Mormon Blog?

Yesterday, my friend introduced me to a 'Mormon blog' that was actually a satire for the typical Mormon blog. I thought it had some funny humor so I shared it with Logan this morning. After he read the 'about me' section he remarked on how it sounded exactly like our blog. I don't know what I think about this... Not just a little bit like our lives, but pretty much identical. Tell me what you think...

Here is a little synopsis of our lives-

I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education (I taught fourth grade for a while), and a degree in Sign Language interpreting. Logan is getting ready to graduate (hooray!) from dental school. I have recently discovered that I get great enjoyment out of sewing (it was difficult for me to admit this to myself and to be able to tell other people because it is so cliche). We love living out here in Cleveland and I have a TON of 'wives clubs' that I take part in. And most of all we are loving life and we try to get out and do everything that there is to do. We also have twins and one of them even has a little bit of a unique name. We love getting out and doing things with each other and with our little family. I love staying home with the kids. I feel like our lives are a little bit sugar coated. Sure, there are hard days, loud days, and sometimes there will be a pretty difficult hour here and there, OK- maybe a few difficult months, but for the most part I can't really complain. There have been a few times where I have thought 'I can't imagine how life could get much better.' We are seriously, so blessed.

Now you can check out her blog at http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/ and check out her profile.

What do you think? What makes a blog a 'Mormon blog?'

I would expect that sometime in the near future you will see a post on here about Logan's opinion of 'Mormon blogs.'

For now, I will just be happy that Logan does not write the blog like a ditzy teenager who has had WAY too much caffeine.

Have a wonderful weekend!

It's been a pretty laid-back week as far as school goes. First of all, I don't really have any classes any more. Second- I am in the middle of my community rotation, meaning that instead of going to the school every day I just have to show up at a community clinic and work for a few hours. Third- we had a "snow day" because the clinic where I am working shut down due to a (rather pathetic) storm that hit Cleveland on Wednesday. Fourth- Friday was only a half day because it was "National Give Kids a Smile Day." So we gave smiles to kids until noon and then went home for an early weekend.

The best part- Next week is pretty much the same thing!

So, you might ask what we have been doing with all of our free time. First of all, we promptly dropped the camera behind the couch where it stayed until this morning when Evelyn discovered it while looking for a toy.

Last Sunday we had some friends over for a fondue dinner which was prepared by Rachel. It was very tasty and we had a great time with the Birs.

On Wednesday we went to the Children's Museum with all the kids. It was awesome because there weren't many people there (I guess the weather kept them away) and Jack and Addy pretty much got the run of the place. It is nice not needing to chase them around saying "no" or taking things away.

On Friday after I got home from the clinic we dropped the kids off at a friend's house and drove down to Columbus to attend a long-overdue temple session. It was really nice of our friends to babysit for so long, and it was wonderful being in the temple with Rachel.

And that was pretty much our week in a nutshell.

The End.

Addy is the only one who likes this. When I do it to Jackson he screams, and won't stop for several minutes after I put him down. When I do it to Evelyn she develops a death grip on my neck which has led to some near-death experiances for both of us. Addy, on the other hand, has no fear, and thinks this is the greatest thing on earth. And I love the laugh. Oh, Addy- how I love my little snowman Girl!