I can't believe I have been here a month: I can't believe I have ONLY been here a month

It has officially been one month since we moved to Henderson, Nevada. Time has gone by fast, but at the same time I feel like I have been here for six months - which means time is going slow, right? This week, to say the least, was challenging. My brother left so I was flying solo all week with my two little men. It was also a really hot week - I don't think it was ever under 100 degrees, even at 7am. On Thursday, my car wouldn't start because apparently my battery went out. This wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that two hours prior to the car not starting, we were actually out in the car and Owen threw up everywhere - inside the car. Anyone with kids knows that there is nothing worse than a car seat full of throw up. Friday - the car wouldn't start again and after 10 phone calls with Hyundai, a tow truck company, and my mom for venting, we have a new battery in our car and its running like a gem:) Brian's sister Katharina came in town last night for a visit, which was really fun. Katharina's little boy Ben is Evan's age and it was fun to see the boys play together.

Well enough about my week - on to better. I know that I love to look at other's people blogs and gaze at their pictures. So in honor of my one month mark in Vegas - this is my picture post with little updates from our life story....in the desert - enjoy!

xoxo

Candace

It's" McQueening" Outside

I guess while we lived in Virginia Evan was never awake to see a full thunderstorm (the good storms always seem to be in the middle of the night back east), or at least wasn't old enough to mentally process a thunderstorm.

Today, we went to our first play date at a really cool park called Mission Hills. After about two hours of fun, surprisingly, it started to rain really hard and thunder. I told Evan that he needed to get off of the playground and get ready to go because there was thunder and lightening. He then proceeded to run around and tell the other kids, "Hurry! It's McQueening outside!" At first I didn't understand what he was saying but then soon realized that he was taking the world lightening and making it McQueening in honor of his favorite Cars character:)

Coyotes

I'm talking real coyotes. Just the other day, Brian was mentioning that he hasn't really seen any wildlife since moving to Nevada - there is usually a bird here and there, but nothing special. I woke at 2:30am last night/this morning because I was startled by a sound. I couldn't pinpoint what it was so of course I woke up Brian and made him walk around the house/look outside to make sure that there weren't any intruders. When he looked out our front window, he almost had to look twice because there were between 8 and 10 coyotes outside of our house running through the playground. I started freaking out and worrying but Brian has assured me that the coyotes are scared of humans and they come out mostly at night. I asked him how he knows they just come out at night and he told me that it is way too hot here and if they are smart coyotes they'll stay in their den all day. I guess I'll have to worry a little bit more when it cools off here!

Medical Update - Ronald or Rhonda?

Brian started his human dissection in anatomy two weeks ago. As part of respect for their patient, each group is to name their body. Brian's group was given a man around 250 lbs. in his 70's who apparently died of Alzheimer's - whom they named Ronald. The past two weeks, the group has been working on dissecting the back of the body. Just yesterday, they turned the body over to begin the dissection of the pectoral muscles. When they turned the body over, they were surprised to find not a man - but a woman who they now refer to as Rhonda. The teacher was confused and said that the body must of been a bi-gender because the label was clearly a man. After further investigation (calling Texas where the body was shipped from), it was clarified that their body is in fact a woman who died of lung failure. As the group started to dissect, it was also discovered that the woman died of breast cancer and cancer in her lymph nodes. Brian and I watch a lot of mystery diagnosis on Discovery Health these days so while this was a confusing issue, he felt like he had his very own mystery diagnosis case just three weeks into medical school :)

There is a Blog Title for That

Things happen throughout the day with my kids and I think to myself, "now THAT would make a great blog title." By the time I have time to myself to sit down and actually blog, that title has escaped me. However, Evan did two things in the past 48 hours that were worth blogging.

Park It

My kids use to sleep in until 9am and apparently they are protesting Pacific Time because they are still waking up at 9am EST, which is a convenient 6am in Nevada. In order to maintain sanity for all involved, I took my kids out to the park this morning around 7am. Although Nevada can get really hot, when it is nice/pretty out, it is REALLY nice. Evan has gotten so accustomed to going to the park the past few weeks and having to feel the slide before going down to make sure he doesn't secure 3rd degree burns on his way down. This morning, as he prepared for the plunge, he felt the slide and was so excited that the slide was actually COLD. We were all excited about the delightful weather/early morning park trip!

Ocean Water

Evan has a true addiction to chocolate milk and asks for it several times throughout the day. To avoid too many issues with digestion, I offer him other things such as juice and water. Since moving to Nevada, Evan has discovered Sonic and its Ocean Water drink. The other day when I told him he couldn't have milk and he could chose either milk or water he said, "Okay Mom, I'll have Ocean Water" - he must think we have the goods on tap!

Things Are Rocky

You are probably reading this and assuming that I am having a hard time. When I say things are rocky, I literally mean rocky. Not my life, but more my backyard. I wouldn't say rocks are the most beautiful thing ever for landscaping, but they make life very low maintenance which is kind of nice. Both of my boys enjoy playing in the rocks too, and while it is "dusty" its not as muddy/dirty as playing in the dirt, so that is a plus as well. I know this seems like a random thought, but it wasn't until yesterday that I realized, "wow, I am surrounded by a ton of rocks". Maybe I should play one of those games where you have to guess how many rocks are in my backyard, similar to the jellybeans in a jar and the winner get a prize. I think the winning answer will be somewhere around 10 million, so take your best guess:)

Time

Time
My brother is in town visiting right now and one of the ongoing conversations we have been having over the past 24 hours is the concept of time. We were discussing how time seems to go so slow moving forward but looking back it is amazing how fast time really goes - almost scary sometimes. We then compared that idea to dreams - you can be asleep and feel like you were dreaming a detailed scenario for hours when really it was only a matter of seconds or minutes. When I logged onto facebook tonight, in the upper right hand corner it pulled an old photo that I had loaded of my niece Holly and I couldn't believe how little she was in the picture! I started looking through old pictures and found a few of Mae and Evan when Courtney and Mike came to visit us in Utah a few years ago and my heart melted - they were so tiny and cute! (see the pictures above). I can't believe how much they have grown and that Evan will be three years old next month - it is crazy!

Potty Training Update - Working Backwards

Evan has been waking up dry for the past several mornings and goes potty on the toilet as soon as he wakes up and then wants nothing to do with the process the rest of the day, which means I can't force him and which definitely means there is no way he is going to tell me when he needs to go potty. I am trying to potty train him, not potty train myself so it seems worthless to just keep sitting him on the toilet if he doesn't want to go. BUT I can't complain - I have heard the night training is usually the hard part and the last step so I am getting it out of the way in the beginning and the day time routine will hopefully come next:)

Medical Updates
Brian is doing great - loving school. He is amazed at how much he is already retaining and/or things that he has remembered from previous classes during his undergrad and graduate degree. It will definitely be challenging at times but I think his dedication and excitement/appreciation for just having the opportunity to attend medical school will and is already paying off. We are almost at the end of our second week as a med school family - 2 weeks down - 2 years to go (until rotations, and then residency...etc....etc.).

Fake Tickets
My mom has been laughing at me lately because I get travel updates from Travelocity on airfare prices so i go in and make up fake trips for her to come see me and then call her and tell her what date she will be leaving and returning on a flight that isn't even happening - this may seem strange but is possibly paying off because she told me tonight that she may try to come visit at the end of September! My make pretend travel agent job is working out (hint, hint - book the ticket MOM).

Big Boy Bed - or No Big Boy Bed? That is the question.
As I sit here and write this blog post, I can hear Evan kicking the side of his crib. This wouldn't bother me too much except for the fact that Owen sleeps about two feet away from him and has had to fall asleep lately to the sound of someone hammering. I feel like it might be time to get Evan a big boy bed, but I am not sure if it is going to make bedtime harder or easier. If you read this blog and have any insight on the right time, how to make it a smooth transition, or tips and tricks - leave a comment. I could use the feedback!

A Monumental Day

On the HOMEFRONT
I woke up this morning and have never been so excited by urine in my life. Evan actually sat on the potty and went pee this morning! This is a big day for us because there has been so many changes lately that I haven't wanted to push the issue of potty training with him until he was ready. It was so cute watching how excited he was to know that he could actually do it. Soon after he finished, he told me he was ready to go buy his rocket ship. Evan has a really good memory. A few days ago I was trying to get him to try to go on the potty so I told him that if he went, I would buy him the rocket ship at target that he asks for every time we go there. The rest is history. We went to Target after breakfast and Evan is now the proud owner of the Imaginext Rocket Ship - but has yet to pee on the potty again. I plan to stick to stickers from now on for rewards!

In the MEDICAL WORLD
What is going on in the walls of our home is completely different than what is going on in Brian's world right now. Brian came home today from school smelling of formaldehyde. This smell took me back to my piggy days where during a Biology class in college I had to dissect a fetal pig - so gross! It is amazing to see how excited Brian is about dissecting a human and separating their fat from their skin. I guess you know you are meant to be in the medical field when squirting fat excites you. Brian was having so much fun cutting and exploring his patient that he said he could have stayed in the lab all night learning and working.

Moral of the story - I think Brian is going to make an excellent doctor. I know its going to be a long road and a lot of hard work for all parties involved, but he loves this field and is passionate about it. He wants to learn and he wants to help people - two things that I think make for a great physician. As Brian's wife, I am really excited for him. He has worked really hard to get to where he is and he is absolutely radiant right now - its really fun to see/experience with him.

The Only Thing Constant in Life is Change

This phrase has been ringing through my head over the past few weeks as I have had many conversations with myself about how to focus in and be strong enough to embrace the many changes that we are going through right now.

However, there are a few things/places that can always make me feel at home when I feel like I am in the middle of nowhere essentially starting life over.

1. Costco

2. Wal-Mart

3. Target

4. Church

These four places always feel the same, and I am grateful for that. It is amazing to me that I can go anywhere in the country, and essentially anywhere in the world, and the Mormon church is the same. The people change, the building may look a little different, but it is still the same. I know that I can walk into any church building and while it may take me a few weeks to remember where the bathroom is, or how to find my way around the building, there will always be nursery for my kids, Relief Society for me, and Sacrament meeting for our family.

It is times like these that I am reminded though of how grateful I am for my family and our relationships with each other. I am so lucky to have parents, sisters, and a brother that I can honestly call my best friends. In this day and age, these type of relationships are rare. Although I am far away from my comfort zone (family), I am just glad to know that these people exist in my life and are only a phone call away.

Tomorrow is Brian's official first day, which I am sure will start with a throwing up session and a lot of nervous pacing around the house. Hopefully I'll have lots of fun updates as Brian suits up in his scrubs and heads out for the medical world!