The Hazard Chronicles

I just looked at our blog. Wow! Has it really been over a month since I posted. I guess so. I need to step it up.

I hate starting blog posts like that. So negative and self depreciating and redundant- it doesn't get any information across that isn't already immediately obvious to anyone who is actually on the blog. But I'll leave it as a way of punishing myself so that maybe I'll have more motivation to write more often. Let's call it "aversion therapy," the aversion, in this case being the fact that I have to live with own bad taste in writing.

Whatever. Let's move on.

So...As you might suspect, February was an extremely busy month for us. Of course every month is pretty busy when you live our chosen lifestyle- but February stands out even for us. I had my busiest month of work in over two years, we had two birthdays, we maintained a very active social calendar, and we went on a family vacation to Utah and S.E. Idaho.

Let's take those things one at a time.

Work. I'll make this short. Work is going very well. I really like working with other doctors. I really like the team at the office. I really like that I am not the guy that has to be in charge of all the stressful stuff. I really like the amount of money that we are making. I really like all the cool stuff I am able to do as a doctor in this office because of the really nice technology, large CE budget, and support from colleagues. In brief, I really like my job. Things are good.

Maren's Birthday. My Maren is three! She seems so much older to me than our other kids did at this age. Maybe it's because her older siblings have forced her to grow up quicker. I don't know, but I am really enjoying her at this stage. She is pretty much the sweetest three-year-old ever...to me. Addy might tell a different story though (they have a hard time getting along). It is common for her to just come to me out of the blue and say "Daddy, guess what?" and I say "what" and then she'll give me the sweetest smile and say "I love you!"

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Not the best pictures, but it's all we've got.

Maren with the Elsa dress she got for her Birthday

Evelyn's Birthday. Seven. Wow. I have a seven-year-old. Every once in a while I look at Evelyn and I have to remind myself that this is the same girl who I was taking on bike rides through Cuyahoga National Park just a few short years ago. Now she is reading chapter books and has her own ideas about things and is developing into an amazing person who I love spending time with. And I make sure that I remind her EVERY night that she will always be...My. Little. Girl...No matter what...Even when she's big. And then she reminds me EVERY night that I will always be Her Awesome Papa. Yeah- it's pretty sweet. We'll see if she still feels that way in five to ten years. I hope so.

Me and Ev on one of our recent "Papa-Evelyn dates." Let me tell you, that water was COLD. She didn't seem to think so. I must be getting older. And wiser.

Evelyn with a dress she got for her Birthday. She is so grown up!

Social Calendar. This is mostly Rachel's territory. I'm just her "accessory." (She's not going to like that I put that. It's not totally true either...but it is a little bit true :). Anyway, we definitely have a lot going on. Besides stuff for the kids (school stuff, preschool, playdates, etc) and our own family traditions (Kroc night, dessert night, family walk night, family movie nights, one-on-one "dates" with the kids, etc.), Rachel and I meet with a group of friends every week to discuss...stuff. We also have had double dates and group dates with people on a weekly basis for the past long time, and it is pretty much just becoming the norm for us to have two date nights each week- one with friends and one with just us. It's fun. Also, Rachel hosted a pinterest party thing at our home this last week. I went and played with the kids during this time, so you'll have to talk to her about it. I think they made wreaths or something.

Family Vacation. We had an awesome vacation in Utah visiting Rachel's family. We also got to squeeze a little bit of time in with my family since they were nearby. We even got to see Griffin who was in Utah for some work-related stuff. It was fun catching up with people and strengthening family relationships in a way that just can't be done from afar. We also did a lot of activities and the kids had a great time. They are already asking when we can go back. I don't know- maybe we'll have to make these trips more often. That would be nice.

The kids and I went on an outing to Mcdonalds and Scheels while Rachel went out with her mom for the morning. This is on the ferris wheel (obviously). We took about a hundred other pictures, but this is the only one I'll actually post.

Grandma Almond has a great dress-up box that kept the kids busy for hours

You always have to get a picture next to Grandma's dragon mailbox

We went to the curiosity museum. The kids were a nice excuse to play at this place-  I could seriously come here by myself and have tons of fun if it was socially acceptable. What an awesome place.

We did a birthday party for Ev and Mar while we were in Utah. Very fun.

And here are a few other random pictures:

I came home early from Utah so I could work...and play. I have to admit, it was nice not having kids around for a while. This is one of the hikes I went on. I LOVE WHERE I LIVE! (Have I said that before?)

Not really sure why I'm including this picture even. This is an old bike that's been sitting in my shop for years. I finally came to terms with the fact that I will never get around to fixing it up and I gave it away yesterday.

Jack. I really like this guy. He won't let us cut his hair.

I was outside cleaning the yard when the kids said they had a surprise for me. This is what it was- a picture of some of the things I love. 5 kids, 5 guitars (the other electric one is absent in this photo), children's artwork, and...a Barbie? Hmm. One of these things doesn't belong.

Have a great week!