"A-ya"

No, that title is not the latest kungfu movie, but the first word we've been able to distinguish from Isaac. He's a fairly talkative kid, but not much has been consistant, much to are chagrin. We've tried coaching him on Mama, Papa, etc. but no real response. The other day Kent noticed after saying prayer that Isaac loudly pronounced A-ya for each meal. We tried it on our evening prayer and it's fairly consistant as long as he's paying attention to the fact that we're praying. Could this be the first word? Well, even though he's not saying Mama and Papa yet, we're reassured by the fact he does have his priorities straight!

"Can-Asian" Cook Indian?

For those who don't know, I'm originally from Canada and my students shortened it to Can-aisan. Recently Kent and I went out for Indian food to celebrate the match. It was wonderful and it brought back memories of my mission in Vancouver, British Columbia where one side of the Fraiser River is China, the other India. So I decided to try it out myself and found the recipe for Bhoona Gosht and another for Dal. Here are the results! Not too bad, not as good as the resturant, but definitely an eye opener for the use of spices in a different way. After rooming with Korean, Japanese, Vietnames and having Thai friends, I can now say I have all of Asian covered!






The bhoona gosht is on the left and consists of beef (though we ordered it as lamb) cooked in special spices and the Dal is on the right, it's basically a lentil dish with veggies.

Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter weekend together as a family. It's been the first time in a long time that Kent was home for both days, and we were relaxed (post-match results!) and had time to spend together. Early Saturday we went to the zoo. Isaac must have known about the planned trip because he didn't 'argue' about toothbrushing (yes, we're back at that same debate again!) and ate quickly. After all our trips to the pet stores I was curious to see his reponse. At the pet stores he typically shrieks with delight and 'waves' at the animal, especially if they 'talk' to him. The first thing we saw at the zoo were flamingos, jabbering away at each other. Isaac was stunned into silence. Clearly these were not the cutie little cockatiels he'd seen before. With each new animal was a sense of reverence .... "Hey, these guys are big!" He'd smile, but was wary. Overall I think he enjoyed himself. Here he is with Kent and the polar bears.




Sunday morning, we put together the traditional Montierth Easter egg hunt. The nearest thing to candy for him are fruit gummys that he rapidly uses his hands to sign 'more!' Just so that he wouldn't be the only one hunting for eggs, Papa had his own Cadbury eggs from the easter bunny.



While going through the pictures I realized there were a few I missed blogging. There's something about having a child that brings you back to your childhood and all the wonder that the world brings. One of these things are mylar balloons. Everytime we go to the grocery store, Isaac and I stop to play with the balloons a little. When I let go, it's funny to watch him as his eyes follow it uuuuuupppppp to the top and gaze longingly at it. They're just so expensive and so we never bothered buying one until St. Patrick's day. The 'clover' balloon was marked for 88 cents and we thought .. "hey, we can afford that!" Isaac's a quick learner, he pulled the string down until his hands were closer to the balloon and proceeded to spasticly shake the thing in Kent's face. The poor man had to endure it until we finished our shopping.



Speaking of balloons, we finally went to the balloon museum here. We were never ambitious enough to go to the hot air balloon festival here ... (getting up at 2-3 am with a 2 month old to see balloons when I was sleep deprived sounded more like torture) It was quite interesting and we even bought a beautiful air balloon ornament for our Christmas tree. It'll be our one souvenier of our stay here in NM.

And Bunnies Go Hop

Just this last Wednesday Isaac I went to storytime at the Juan Tabo Library which was given an award for their activities for kids. Miss Karen, the lady who runs it does an enormous amount of work for these kids and had an Easter theme. On average there is about 50-60 kids in attendance and she runs it 3 times a week. There were 'bunny ears' for the kids to wear, an treasure egg hunt and of course, lots of hopping and nose wiggling activities. Isaac had a blast and kept laughing at everything. He even kept his bunny ears on the entire time. Here he is with his treasure egg and the finger puppet that was inside.

Hey Baby Lets Go to Houston!

Yeap ... we matched!!!! Kent was bouncing off the walls this morning as he woke me up. Bleary eyed, I tried to register the fact that we matched and with our top pick at that! Of course being the control freak that I am, immediately the thoughts of apartment searching, cost of moving, etc. ran rampant through my head. But they were happy thoughts. It's just nice to know where we'll be for the next year. Thanks to all of you who've kept us sane and in your prayers.

Tis' the Night Before the Match ....

Tis' the night before the match, when all through the room, not a creature was sleeping ... just awaiting our doom!!! J/K Though I must admit it has a little of the feeling we have right now. For the last few days I've taken to posting up scriptures to remind us to stay focused on the Lord and trust in his will.

For those who know me well, Albuquerque has been very difficult. It was and still has been wonderful in terms of Kent's education and opportunities, but there were too many different adjustments for me all at once and only recently has the shock of it worn off so that I can say I'm feeling more 'content'. I missed Arizona terribly and especially all the friends I had there, they were such a support system for me. Being here made me realize what blessings they were and still are to me. Being a mother for the first time and moving quickly into a new area was exhausting in many ways. I've adjusted to Albuquerque and resigned myself to it's less appealing aspects. I'm also glad to say I feel much more at home in my role as a mother and really do enjoy it. Isaac has become my sole 'student' and I've loved teaching him and showing him the beautiful gift of this world God has given us. He has become a 'marker' of how quickly time passes and I'm learning more to enjoy the small things in the moments present to my senses.

As for this new adventure, I hope and pray it'll be an easier one ... I just think I'd like a small break from the rollercoaster this last year has been. In many ways I'm sure it will be. At least I won't be a first time mom again! ;0) More importantly, Kent and I have learned better how to put ourselves and our family first amid the many demands of a residency. This will make it easier for the next year.

So here's hoping, wishing and praying (fervently!) ... until tommorrow!

Surprise Visit

For those in Phoenix, you probably know Dirk and Faye Tanner. THey stopped off in Albuquerque last night on their way out to their new job in Mississippi. They actually stayed in a hotel just north of us, not even 2 minutes away. We got visit for a short while and see how much each of our children have grown. We all lament the fact that we left the best ward we've ever been in (go Bellair Ward!!!) and will miss the people we knew there. Dirk says their new bishop resembles Will Ferrell .. I guess there will be some adjustment there! Good luck to you guys out there!

Still waiting...

We're still awaiting the results of the match. Kent and I are trying to be more 'blasie' about it and joke frequently about ending up anywhere ... Michigan, Nebraska, etc. But truth be told, we're still feeling a little anxious. Thankfully our tax return was huge ... thank you Isaac! and we'll have sufficient to move anywhere ... including the East coast if necessary. In the meantime, we've been keeping ourselves busy. We discovered one of the libraries here hosts a storytime meant for children from 6 months to about a 18 months. We move to music, listening carefully for instructions and read one story that has actions for us to follow. There's always a few minutes for the kids to play with musical instrument. Isaac loves shaking the tambourines.

THE 'WAIT'

So after all is said and done, Kent and I both prefer the Houston residency. He's submitted is as his first choice and in exactly 2 weeks from now, we'll hear back for the match .... not that we're counting down days or anything .... ;0) For those who don't understand what the 'match' is, it used for most medical residencies. You interview with those you're interested in and then enter into the computer your choices in the order that you prefer. Likewise, the residencies do teh same with the applicants they desire. On the day, the results are sent out. Hopefully your choice matches that of the residency so that everyone gets their 'top pick'. As often happens, many don't match and thus is born the 'scramble'. A fitting name given the chaos that ensues as unmatched residencies and applicants alike contact the remaining openings to apply. We had to scramble last year, hence the reason we never thought we'd end up in New Mexico. So while Houston is our first choice and Seattle is our second ... we could end up just about anywhere in the USA.