A Poem by: Alton

I wish my humor was like my Dad's

I wish I could be like him

He is amazing in almost every way

He can have fun and be a kid and not a boring adult

He can go to work all night and still make a lame joke about anything

He is my idle and he is what he is ... a Dad

It's spring break...NOT spring work!

I've been looking forward to spring break as a time to catch up on all the little things that easily fall by the wayside when I'm busy with school like: laundry, deep cleaning bedrooms, getting rid of old clothes, toys and other outgrown items, and getting the house ready for family to visit. My children however feel differently regarding their time off from school. Their favorite mantra seemed to be "It's spring BREAK Mom, not spring WORK'. My response to this of course was "If you don't want to keep up with your chores while I'm in school, then I'm happy to spend my time off helping you catch up." The grumbling never stopped, however the chores got caught up and we all went back to school feeling rested and ready to continue with our education.

Spring break here I come!

Well I made it...18 tests in 8 days, all checked out of the Student Health Center, and ready to resume my education in the campus out-patient clinic when I get back in April. I'm looking forward to a nice break filled with book reading, scrapbooking, exercising and chocolate eating.

What a whirwind of life! For my birthday we got the traditional Crispy Creme donuts for my cake, and enjoyed every last one of them. School has been keeping me busy with finishing up clinic paperwork, taking boards, and preparing to take all my finals for this quarter. I'm looking forward to going into the outpatient clinic next quarter where I will be able to practice and perfect my skills as a doctor.

The team that plays together stays together

Last week in an attempt to overcome sibling bickering and get our family to work together as a team, we decided to go on a hike around Multnomah falls. We began the hike from the car in extremely windy weather, were well protected from the wind once we got into the trees, but then were confronted with the uphill climb, and then completed the last third of the hike in the rain. Did I forget to mention that it was a 5.9 mile hike? Doug and I had a great time and I think the kids learned something about getting along as well....

Back after a long break

I'm attempting to once again keep family informed regarding the events that occur in team-String's life. We're busy but happy, bonding over books, band, scouts (both boy and girl scouts), playing, cleaning, teasing...the list goes on and on.

Braces for Alton

Alton has begun his journey through adolescence by getting braces. He alternated between being very excited to being very scared for the weeks before, and then after he struggled with the limitations he suddenly had with food options. He seems to be coping very nicely now.