Family Medicine Vacation...Umm...I Mean...Rotation

Brian just finished up his third year of medical school...meaning we only have one more year left until Mr. Hodges officially becomes Dr. Hodges! He finished up his third year with his Family Medicine Rotation, although I liked to call it his Family Medicine Vacation! Compared to all of Brian's other rotations during the year, this one was by far the biggest blessing with the most time off! And we took full advantage of it! We were busy with all things NOT related to med school for a change...and it was fabulous!

We spent many a day swimming and laying out (Brian and I would lay out while Elisabeth would take her nap). Brian got off most Mondays at noon and every Friday at noon, so we took full advantage of that time to enjoy the not-so-hot beginning of summer.

Swimming is often tiring, so Elisabeth was generally very ready to go bed after a long day in the sun. One night, after a full day of swimming, I was finishing up laundry and she was very adamant about wearing Brian's socks to bed...it's so sweet to see her want to be like him...



We had a pretty rainy Memorial Day weekend. We grilled out one evening while Elisabeth enjoyed running through this puddle for at least 30 minutes. Brian eventually joined her for some fun!







Here is Elisabeth helping to skim the pool. Don't worry Nanna/Gramma. She was very good about staying on the "little rocks" and not the "big rocks" closest to the pool.

Brian's last week of his Family Medicine Rotation we took Elisabeth to the zoo. She loved every minute of it! It was so much fun to take her at this age. More zoo pictures to come...







We are incredibly thankful for this time together as a family. Brian will be leaving in about three and a half weeks to do his rotations in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Oregon. We will be able to see him a little bit in between rotations, but he will be gone most of the first four months of fourth year. We will, however, be taking a wonderful family vacation to see our beloved friends in California to take a break in the middle of his rotations. We will be driving out to California and then up the coast to Oregon before Elisabeth and I fly back and Brian starts his rotation there. We can't wait to see our friends and enjoy many beautiful stops up the California and Oregon coasts. We are so grateful to be able to look forward to this...it will be our first family vacation...even though we have certainly enjoyed the last two months as such!

Our Two Year Old Just Turned Thirteen

"Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad!"

Brian and I looked at each other in amazement.

"I'm sorry?! How old are you again? I'm Mommy and this is Daddy. And we will remain Mommy and Daddy until we are emotionally ready to be called Mom and Dad! Look me in the eye and say 'Yes, Mommy'."

"Yes, Mommy."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later...

"Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad!"

AHHHHH!! The twos!!! Why must we be tested so?!! And who taught her to say Mom and Dad any way?!

Happy Father's Day

My husband is a lover of flip flops. He hopes to someday be able to practice medicine in them, but considering that he wants to do surgery that may not be an option. Any way, this was my way of saying Happy Father's Day to Brian this year...a symbol of a daddy and his soon-to-be two children. What a wonderful father Brian has proven himself to be over the last two years and three months (exactly). His love for the Lord, and the ultimate example he has from Him as a Father, has made Brian into an amazing Dad. I am blessed to watch him with Elisabeth each day and cannot wait to see him with our new addition in February. And I am so grateful for the example that he sets for Elisabeth as she looks to him as her father...I pray that she will see our Father in him.

Happy Father's Day!

Our Little Reader

Elisabeth is quite the reader, spending hours a day pouring over her books. One of her favorite things to do is go to the public library to play in the children's area and gather as many books as we are allowed to check out. She loves to be read to and to read the books on her own as if she actually knows what each word says. She brings the characters to life, remembering the words that Brian and I had previously read to her. As I watch her, I sometimes notice that the inflection in her voice mimics ours from a previous read. I grew up with a love to read that still continues today, and it blesses me to see her with the same love I had as a small child. I can hardly resist to buy her a new book that I know she will love. I recently bought her a new book that she has already memorized in her own little way. I know it will be one that will be special to her for a long time to come...


As the title says, Elisabeth is going to be a big sister! We were just blessed with the news this week and would love your prayers for this pregnancy. To some it may seem too early to be telling people, but I feel that the more prayers we have the better. This is such a special gift to us as we have hoped for this news for a very long time. The Lord is gracious and faithful, and His timing is always perfect. We are due on Valentine's Day next year and can hardly wait to meet the newest member of our family. Elisabeth has requested a brother, so we will see! Until then, I know she'll continue to enjoy her "Sister Book".

I am a clean freak...

My daughter, however, is not...

These pictures don't show all the details...
Elisabeth had licked off most of the dirt by the time I took these pictures. At one point she had a mustache, but apparently the dirt tasted good, because it didn't last long. She had it in her eyes and up her nose. Her hair was so full of dirt that I couldn't even get it all out in the bathtub...swimming with her daddy later in the day seemed to do the trick though.

I was working in the yard yesterday and thankful that Elisabeth was occupied. However, she came up to me at one point with her hands cupped full of dirt. She prompted me to pay attention as she gleefully rubbed handfuls of dirt all over her face (in the same manner that you would cup your hands to splash water on your face). Yes, she is a child and I should expect that she will get dirty. But there is something inside me that irks at such a mess. I responded with a deep inhale as I held my breath and raised my eyebrows and smiled. I exhaled to tell her that I was so glad she was having fun.

In my daughter's best interest, I am working hard to just let it go...

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