I am once again overdue for a post, but hey, at least I don't quit, right? We have been traveling all over the USA since I last posted. We were in Oklahoma City last I wrote and now we are in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. And we've been quite a few places in between- all for away rotations for Ben. To answer a few FAQs: Ben is going into orthopedic surgery. This is a very competitive field. Doing away rotations at different med schools makes you look like a better candidate and can increase our chances of matching into a program. So we are doing 4 away rotations- all 4 weeks a piece. They are grueling and we don't get to see Ben much- but we make the most of when we do. Here are a few adventures from OKC:
This is at the historic stockyard part of town:
The babe and I went to the botanical gardens:
My good friends James and Kjerstin came in from Dallas and we went to the Science Museum with the kiddos:
We drove straight from OKC to South Carolina, but made sure to stop in Memphis for a day of fun with the Jones. They matched there this past year. Here's a nice awkward selfie stick pic at Central BBQ, which was delicious.
We walked around Beale Street:
And then we made it to Columbia, SC. The babe learned how to roll from his stomach to his back while there.
And he turned 4 months:
Ben also had a birthday. 27 is lookin good!
Ben had a weekend off, so we headed over to Charleston, which is a little under 2 hours away. And it was amazing!! We went to the Boone Hall Plantation. This was the driveway going up to the house- incredible!
These trees are like 800 years old.
We took a harbor tour, which was a lot of fun!
We went to the beach.
On the way home, we stopped in Birmingham, Alabama. For Ben's birthday I got him tickets to the Glenn Beck rally there. As you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed it :)
When we got home, we finally decided that the babe's monk mullet was getting to be too much, so we had to get rid of it. I was hesitant at first but now I'm so glad we did. Looks so much better.
We went to the pool with Uncle E for the end of summer party with free Chick-fil-A.
The babe was a fan of the lazy river :)
Parker and Torie came in town for E's last weekend before going on his mission. We all got to go to the temple as a family.
We also went to a Cardinal's game. And the cuteness is just too much!!
And we got to go to the Botanical Gardens- my favorite place in St. Louis. The babe absolutely refused to look at the camera. I think there at least 100 pics of the 3 of us and he isn't looking at the camera in a single one of them. Sigh. Oh well.
And then we headed up to PA! The babe turned 5 months the first day we were there.
And he learned to roll from his back to his stomach- even in his swaddle. lol
From the minute we got here, I have loved it. Bethlehem is a charming historic little town that is just so awesome. We are staying with a couple from the ward who are very very nice. Everyone up here is so incredibly friendly and Bethlehem is in a perfect location. It's an hour and half west of NYC and and hour and a half north of Philly. So a fun place, but not actually living in the city- which means more affordable and not all of the inconveniences of living in the city. My friend Travis that I met in Jerusalem lives in Philly- going to law school, so the babe and I went down to visit him and tour the city while Ben had to work.
We saw Liberty Bell,
The Constitution museum, with a bunch of founding fathers statues inside,
and Independence Hall, where the constitution was written.
We then met up with our other Jerusalem buddy Jason- who just moved to PA. We got cheese steaks which were so good! It was first time having one.
The next weekend, Ben actually had off so we did a day trip to NYC. The babe got to ride the metro:
Time Square:
Another harbor tour with Bat Baby:
We got cookies at Levain bakery. We took one bit and immediately realized that milk was a must. The cookies were soooo good but soooo rich. So we stopped at Walgreens and bought a pint of milk. We literally drank it in like 5 minutes. Holy Cow.
Central Park:
Brooklyn Bridge:
I took the babe to the park when we got back and he fully enjoyed the swings.
My dad then had a business trip in NYC so the babe and I went and met up with him. We went up to the top of the Rock.
And then this past weekend we stayed in Bethlehem and watched General Conference (see lds.org for info) Wasn't it so good?
So now we are on our last week here. I have had so much fun here- I am almost not ready to leave yet! But I am ready to be in my own home for sure. It's crazy how much traveling the babe has done in his 5 almost 6 months of life. He has literally gone from coast to coast and in between. I once again reiterate that being a mother is seriously the best. Hanging out with this little cutie every day is such a blessing. It's still surprising to me how much I'm enjoying being a stay-at-home mom. I love it!! Every day is a joy and I'm free to spend my time nurturing this little soul that God entrusted to me. Motherhood has made me a better person. I feel like the babe has been such a great way for me to connect with people as well. Strangers everywhere start conversations with me because of this cute, sweet baby, and I'm making connections every where. And that's very good for me because I'm naturally very shy and it's hard for me to connect with people I don't know. Somehow having this baby has helped me with this, however, and I feel more at ease. He is such a blessing to me in so many ways. He makes me want to be a better person so that I can be a better mother and I just appreciate the motivation that he gives me. I'm just so lucky!
Anyway- we are headed home this weekend and then we will be home for 2 weeks. Our last rotation will then be in Kansas City. Alright- until next time!
