Books

We found the library! They all had to pose with the books. M&M will have them all read within 2 weeks. ;) 

1st test block down..how many more?

We all survived the first test block! This means that James had a test in all of his classes spread out over 2 days. I think the count was 10 tests. Kill me now. I'm glad I'm not the one going to school. This mommy-brain would not be able to handle the pressure! After he's finished James is ready to get away and de-pressurize. heh. We explored a near-by city called Naches. Found a yummy place to eat! 

Originally we were going to camp, but it had been raining a bit and we didn't want to get soaked. We decided on a evening trip to a lake instead. It turned out to be so pretty! We went to Rimrock Lake, threw rocks, ate golden graham smores, got muddy, watched the sun set, and enjoyed the time together. It's these kind of weekends that will get all of us through medical school!

School

We have officially started! 

This was the real first day for the girls. Excited and nervous to start a new school! 

CJ started a couple days later with much anticipation. They all ride the bus and I've never seen him eat his breakfast so good to not miss the bus. He of course had 30 mins to kill he was so quick. After school he asked "do we get recess everyday?" We told him yes, and that made his day. I guess we know what he really enjoyed at school. 

We had to do a do-over for the sake of CJ's first day. So far the girls hate riding the bus home. It is really hot and they "sweat and stick to each other". Sounds pleasant. 

I have not missed school papers. Bring on the mess! Bleh. 

Fruit picking

I've been anxious to go pick some fruit since we moved here. All I heard before we moved was you're going to love all the fruit! So where is it all?? Well my friend clued us in to a place where we could go and pick as many blueberries as we wanted. Score! My kids had the best time and got along the best yet! They each had their own bucket to fill and it seemed like a race who could pick the most. We went right as the sun was coming down so temperatures were perfect! We picked for about 45 minutes and succeeded in picking 8 pounds! At $1.25/pound, that was a steal. Only one biff from CJ that resulted in a spilled bucket. Luckily he was more into running at full speed pointing out blueberries than actually picking so not a big loss. We will definitely go back! Hoping James can join  us next time. Now I know most the fruit is on the west side. It's everywhere!

PNWU White Coat Ceremony

While Charise was off to a wedding I was busy at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, WA going to orientation for medical school.  At the end of the week was our white coat ceremony. You can read about the origin of the white coat ceremony here.  We were cloaked with the white coat as entrance to the medical profession along with a creed to act professionally at all times, and to respect the role as a doctor, accepting all who are in need of care without judgement.  It was a good way to have closure to the previous chapter of my life and begin a new one.

Here is a picture captured by the Yakima Herald of the cloaking of my coat.

Here is a picture from PNWU on flickr with the president of the university Dr. Keith Watson and a member of the board of trustees Dr. Mike Maples. Here we go!

He's alive!

I actually got to spend an evening out with the hubs! No studying for him. A great friend watched all kiddos for us and we went for an evening jaunt. An exciting way to end a long week. I think I chanted "I love my kids...I love my kids" at least 50 times today. :)

We rode along a path by the Yakima river and up into some hills with orchards. So pretty to see all different kinds of fruit growing around us. My back tire finally bit the dust (I've been babysitting a very slow leak for months) so we had to deal with a flat. No biggie.  Surprised it lasted this long. Until our next date night...!

School Shopping

I'm reminded how much I really don't like school shopping. School shopping with 4 kids tops it! ;) At least I avoided the "ghetto" Walmart and went to the "high class" Walmart. Now we're talking. So much more enjoyable as far as Walmart experiences go. I'll take the 20 minute drive to have someone talk to me in english. Eeek, a little harsh...but so true.