Christmas 2014

This year we thought we wouldn't be able to travel for Christmas, since Jim is working in Richmond for the month. Turns out he had a few days off, which Jim & I certainly didn't take for granted. Residency isn't always so kind!! We went to Paris for a couple of days and then up to Philly.

Here are a few shots from Christmas 2014!

Playing toss with Grumps!

 Enjoying using an Allen wrench with the expert woodworker looking on. He figured this out on his own! The package said 18 months, but this 15 month old was hooked! Thanks, Äma!! 

Delicious apple dessert!!!

Traditional hike to the Paris View on the Appalachian Trail.

Abbey Road Shot 2014

Mr. Serious! A tear is running down his cheek... just like his mama. My eyes always water on hikes! This guy spends much of the hike with a dead-pan face. But he loves/begs to be put into the backpack and never complains!!

Mom, here's a picture with the sign!!

Ian opened and closed the gate and said, "Ta-da," each time he opened it!! Haha.

Willem ran back, but met us up at the top!

"Ta-da!!" Happy boy!

Just one of the guys...

My bro.

The 2014 Christmas Crew

We missed Phoebe and her boyfriend James, but my parents left the day after Christmas to travel with them in Copenhagen and Stockholm. We can't wait to hear stories from their trip!!

Next we hit the road for Philadelphia! We spent the weekend in Russ & Erin's home. They are expecting their first child and our first niece/nephew in June. It's very exciting!!

Christine with her Christmas presents :)

Reading one of Ian's Christmas gifts!!

Ian was fascinated by the tree and the ornaments, as usual. 

 He also loved playing on their stairs. Here he is playing ball with Papa. He is a very good thrower!!

And he gives kisses when he says goodbye or goes to bed. I love this sweet interaction.

Siblings!

The original five.

Siblings & Spouses

The complete & growing family!!

And that's a wrap on Christmas 2014.

Merry Christmas to YOU!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our family to yours!!

Yes, you!!

Right after he landed in the mud. Look at that smile!

Let your heart be light!!!

Thank you for walking yet another year with us. What a year it was!

We started it in the middle of the fourth year of medical school. We'd just lived away from home for two months with a newborn and were happily settling in back at home in Blacksburg. We spent a tortuous month of January trying to decide how to rank our residency programs and surprised ourselves a bit by deciding to stay in Blacksburg. In the end, it was the best decision for us, we matched here in February, and we're happy to call this area home for a few more years.



In May we celebrated as Jim graduated from medical school!! He became a doctor and our family and friends couldn't have been more excited, proud and supportive. We did a bit of traveling to see family and had a comedy of errors that hit our trip to the beach and then a flood came to our back-up vacation plan at The Pinery. We actually really enjoyed it and were grateful to be there for the first flood like it in 80 or so years!! What a story.

In June we moved to a home in Christiansburg right before Jim started his family medicine residency. We have a huge backyard, a playground down the street, and much more space than we've ever had. We love our place and I think how grateful I am for it every day. We have a guest room... come visit!

Ian and I spent a week with Jim's family at Brigantine Beach and Jim was able to join us for a couple days. Then we hit the road for The Pinery and enjoyed time on the river with my family.

Residency started with a bang! Jim had a fairly easy rotation the first month and then we had five hard, long hour-filled rotations in a row. With no weekends off for five months, we survived and made it out the other side. Jim's working hard, getting good feedback, and enjoying his program as much as you can during intern year. When he's not seeing patients, he's spending as much time as he can with Ian especially, woodworking, and working in the yard.

I'm enjoying staying at home with Ian and following his lead. I've been enjoying being a part of some mom's groups, setting up playdates, trying new recipes, and attempting to document Ian's milestones.

Ian's a vivacious, kind, and active explorer! We love observing him and learning more and more about him every day. Days are filled with reading books, visiting the playgrounds, going to the aquatic center, playing with friends, playing with Leif in our backyard, and much more! What a blessed gift he is to our family.

We try to get out on as many hikes as we can, spend time with friends & family, and make the most of the downtime Jim has.

Right now we are living in Richmond for a month with friends while Jim completes a pediatric rotation in a hospital here. We're grateful for our friends' hospitality and the chance to be together while he has to be away from home. (Thank you, Mike, Lindsay, & Chappie!)

We hope and pray that you and yours have a warm, laughter and joy-filled holiday season! We also hope that our paths cross often during 2015. Thanks for following along :)

Much love,

Käthe, Jim, Ian, & Leif

Thanksgiving Recap

Thanksgiving was very different this year for many reasons! The main one was that we stayed home and hosted for the first time ever. First, my parents came for a couple of days. Willem was in a play in DC so he wasn't able to make it and Phoebe's in France for the year, so it was just the five of us. Mom helped me make the meal and entertain Ian, which was wonderful.

Ian's Christmas gift (and ours!) came early this year. I think he likes it! Look at that sweet smile. The bike seat will give us the freedom to enjoy even more outdoor activities together. We are so excited to have it to ride on the Huckleberry!!! Thanks, Mom & Dad! 

(Safety Note: We bought a helmet... this was only ridden in small circles around our dead-end street. That strawberry head will be protected, we promise.)

Who can resist looking at pictures of Ian? Ha. Not even Ian himself.

I walked into the room to find these two dudes chillin'.
They stayed this way for a while.

 Ian enjoys giving kisses now. He gives them when he goes to bed and when people are leaving. So sweet.

 Then Kim & John came!! We changed the sheets quickly and received our second round of guests for Thanksgiving! Christine was prepping for exams and Russ and Erin couldn't make it, so we enjoyed a second feast with Jim's parents. Jim and I tried a new recipe for a garlic chicken dish and it was really good. You could have heard crickets chirping as we ate ;)

Ian enjoys transferring things from one container to another. Here he is moving raisins from one container into the apple chip container. A nice, fruity trail mix, if you will. He also liked putting the top

When did our baby become a boy?

He's always busy and active. Here he was self-motivated to work on his balance!

The love between these guys is just so sweet.

Thank you for coming, John & Kim!!

The glasses thief was at it again....

Ian sounded a tad raspy, so Jim broke out the stethoscope to listen to his lungs. Ian took a turn listening to Papa before Papa was allowed to do his job.

Precious trust.

The goofball was at it again. He's always exploring every nook and cranny.

Thankful. 

For each other, family, friends, 

health, our home, our dog, 

and especially our dynamic toddler,

who enriches every day.