JAN-MARCH:
Fernando started out the second half of his 3rd year of medical school doing a Surgery Rotation at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas. The kids and I were able to join him for the last two months. Most of our time was spent at the San Antonio Zoo. We also biked around the nearby park, rode horses, saw Sea World, and took the kids bowling for the first time. While we were away, temperatures plummeted in Maryland and a good portion of our pipes broke in our house. Thanks to some very kind neighbors and friends we came back to only stories of how bad it looked.
We came home for the last two weeks of March in which time my dad came out to visit. There was a miraculous snow storm at the end of March that made it possible for Mia to build a much desired snowman. It turned out to be a stylish Snow Woman named Gertrude.
APRIL-MAY
Fernando's next rotation took us to heaven. Ok, it was only Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, but it was fantastic. Family Practice wasn't as time consuming as Surgery so everyday around 4pm we geared up for family fun at the beach. Aside from the pristine sand and amazingly blue water of the beaches, we visited several kid oriented libraries, the Gulfarium (mini Sea World), went miniature golfing, and saw a few dolphins in the gulf. I even got my boating license in hopes of renting a boat to cruise the Gulf for the day. The closest we came was canoing in the bay. Mia turned four and decided she would get her ears pierced. Big Girl. (Fernando turned 27, but decided that he still would not have pierced ears.)
MAY-JUNE
All good things must come to an end, but luckily Spring time is one of the best times of the year to be in Maryland. The kids and I hopped on the plane for a quick jaunt to Utah to attend my Brother Kevin's wedding. The rest of the time was spent at the park, picking fresh strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries at local farms, and cooling off in the pool or sprinklers.
JULY-SEPTEMBER
July and August brought a short break for Fernando in school so we decided to make a quick trip up to Niagara Falls and Palmyra. My sister Amy drove from Michigan to meet us there. We saw the fireworks over the falls and enjoyed an up close and personal look at the falls themselves on one of the tours. We then hopped once more on a plane to visit family in California for a week. Fernando's family took us to see the majestic Sequoias and let the kids play with their many various pets. Mia's favorites were a baby rooster that would peep uncontrollably in her hands and the new kittens they had. She also enjoyed taking their dog for walks in the desert. We also had the chance to visit my sister for a few days. They took us to the beach and a magic show.
SEPT-OCT We found out when we came home that we were expecting child number three and Tiago turned two. (I turned 27, but Tiago's birthday was far more fun.) And although I was more than nauseated, fourth year rotations called again, taking Fernando back to Texas; this time to interview for a residency program for Anesthesiology. What do you do when your husband has to leave town and you're overwhelmed with motherhood and morning/all day sickness? Have several visitors come and head out of town yourself. The first friendly face was Fernando's sister Tirsa. She came out with some friends and kindly stayed at our home for a few days. We decided that a day trip to Hershey PA was in order and found a cute bear store on the way home. Next to visit was my sister Angela with her husband Josh and son Liam. They were sucked into seeing the sites in DC, but accompanied the kids and I to Michigan. The Michigan trip was due to my sister Amy going through the Temple. It was fun being together as a family and meeting my sister's dog Texas for the first time.
OCT-DEC Wow, you made it. You must really have a lot of love for our family. Fernando returned just in time for Halloween. We dressed up as people going on a lion hunt. To spice up Thanksgiving, we made some turkey feathers and took advantage of the nice weather outside with an improvised game. We taped the feathers on our backs and had to cluck around like turkey's all the while trying to rip them off the backs of everyone else. December brought hoards of good news. We found out that the very active baby inside me is a girl; due April 9. Then it snowed! (Both events equally fantastic to Mia). To top it all off, Fernando was accepted into the Anesthesiology Residency that we were hoping for in San Antonio, Texas. To celebrate, we decided to go on another mini trip. Well, actually we realized that now would be the best time to visit my brother Kevin and sister-in-law Lauren in New York City before we move. (NY pictures to come) Christmastime is different this year with both kids appreciating it with older eyes. Mia has filled out house with Christmas pictures. Her topics of choice are trees with ornaments and presents, ice skaters, Mia Elves, Santa Claus, and the nativity complete with angels above the manger with the star of Bethlehem, wise men, camels, shepherds, sheep, Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus. Tiago squeals with joy at the site of lights. He explosively exclaims "Christmas tree lights, christmas tree lights!" and then will direct our attention to where he saw them in relation to the nearest family member. In other words, if Tiago saw lights closest to Mia, he would blurt out, "Christmas tree lights (x2), Mia's side." followed by a squeal.
END THOUGHTS-
We cannot believe how blessed our family has been. Better than all the wonderful places we were able to see were the little miracles everyday. Mia and Tiago never fail to remind me why the Savior asks us to become like little children. Their love and desires to obey are inspiring. We hope your year was at least as fun as it was for our family and hope for just as much to talk about next year.
