Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a fun time here at the Deshazer house. My parents came down from Carthage and my brother up from Austin, so we had some of the family here. Except for dessert (which was mostly supplied by some nice little church ladies in Carthage), we did the cooking here as well. Mom and I divvied up the sides and Daddy cooked the meat (and sweet potatoes) outside in the Dutch ovens. Yum!! Here they are getting the coals ready. Logan is a big help.So is Myra. She fell asleep in the swing while I was mashing potatoes and slept all the way through the bread. Sweet! She wasn't any trouble though. If she wasn't asleep, she was happily cradled in Pappy's lap.Or playing with Daddy. Here is what Dan did most of the morning... He's more helpful when it comes time to eat.Logan - helping with the Mac n' Cheese. And perhaps trying to snitch a marshmallow. Oh, Dan took his nose out of his book for a while to play with Logan. He made the balls "disappear" into his lap. Logan thought it was to coolest!

But, when all is said and done, it's really all about the food. Here is our spread. There is turkey, ham, candied sweet potatoes, sage-sausage stuffing, mashed 'taters with gravy, potato bread, mac n' cheese and, of course, cranberry sauce (with lines). It was all super yummy, and we all ate way too much.

Several hours later, a few stalwart souls tried for dessert. There were pies (pumpkin, chess and Kentucky derby), turtle cheesecake, mud splats and rice krispie treats. I didn't manage to try anything until the next morning, I was so stuffed with all the yummy food.

Then there is the football... Mitch is teaching Myra at a young age about the importance of the Dallas Cowboys win over Seattle.

John

I just found out that one of my old college friends died yesterday. Apparently he had an aneurysm. It's still a little unreal. John and I were pretty good friends during Freshman year, although we drifted a little later on, we were always friends. I had only just last month re-connected on Facebook. Here is a picture that I took of him in his dorm room. It is about 13 years old, but he hasn't changed much. He still even has the beard. Of course, hearing of his death has really made me think. At first, selfishly thinking about my own mortality. I think that's a pretty normal reaction when a contemporary dies. But then I got to thinking about John, and how I remembered him. We became friends in our Freshman philosophy class. John was much better at that sort of sophistry than I was and he helped me a lot. Many nights we would spend discussing the whys and wherefore's of the universe into the wee hours. I remember one in particular, we piled into John's enormous sedan and went to Hemisfair park in the middle of the night. 18 year olds being completely indestructible, we didn't worry about the fact that downtown San Antonio is probably not the best place to hang out 'o nights, but youth is stupid. Anyway, we all found a likely bit of pavement, stared up at the stars and contemplated our purpose in the universe. John was, and remained until his death, agnostic. I guess those questions are answered for him now. I keep thinking, did I ever share with him what I know to be true? To be frank, my testimony in my college days was pretty shaky, but it was there. I don't think that I ever shared it during all of those late night philosophy sessions, and now, I never can. I wish that I had. No, I'm not feeling ridiculously guilty, just sorry for a lost opportunity.
I'll miss you, my friend. The world has lost a good person.

Is there anything sweeter?

...than sleeping babies?? I don't think so!

Milestones

As many of you know, I am a pediatrician. This makes me do all sorts of crazy things to my children that normal people wouldn't even contemplate. One in particular is that I keep track of their development with a fanaticism that borders on the insane. There is a tool used to monitor development called the Denver Developmental Screen, which I, naturally, have filled out for both of my kiddos. I know, I'm a freak - whatever. Here is the composite Denver for Logan and Myra. As you can see (maybe) they are both normal, even a bit advanced, although the Denver isn't intended or normalized to assess that. I'll need a new assessment tool when I decide they are gifted...Of course, progressing through milestones also means lots of pictures!! Here is Myra's progress this week...

Holding up her head

Working for a toy, reaching, and crossing midline (woo-hoo, 3 in 1)

And of course, that freaking adorable social smile!

Logan, not to be outdone, is also making strides.

Here he is cutting with scissors.

He is also standing on one foot and making amazing verbal progress (sometimes I am more excited about this than others...). He knows his ABCs and can count from 0 to 50, with a little help, and backwards from 20. He loves to sing and is even beginning to understand pitch and sing on key (Thank you, Music Makers!).

Whew! All this development tires us out!!

Married???

I didn't think it was ever actually going to happen, but James really did get married this weekend! Logan, Myra and I were able to go, although Mitch was having fun on call in the MICU so he couldn't join us. The wedding was lovely. Here is the happy couple. (Mom is chasing Logan in the background - but at least he was quiet.)And here is the family and friends that were there to celebrate with James and Lindsay.

We had lots of fun afterward at a place called Clay's, which was a cool restaurant down the street from the courthouse. There was a giant playground full of kids, sandboxes and even horses and chickens. Although Logan had to be rescued from the horse paddock twice, he had so much fun!!! He had a great time all weekend with his uncles and Oma and Pappy. Myra was another story. Apparently she is not a fan of travelling. The drive to Houston wasn't too bad. We only had to stop once and she mostly slept. Logan played with his computer, read books and pointed out the sights for Mom. Pretty fun. In Houston, Myra was completely wild and wouldn't let anyone but me hold her. I think she was just overloaded with all of the strangeness and Mom is familiar. It did make for a challenging evening, however. The ride home was awful. She did sleep for the first hour, but then woke and no amount of cuddling, nursing, talking or singing could settle her down. Logan even tried singing to her, but no dice. To make it even better, Logan was starting to get tired and grumpy. Boy, was I glad to see our driveway at the end of that!!! Myra was still a little out of sorts last night and wouldn't even let Mitch hold her for long but she's been more like her usual happy self today.

Despite the minor inconveniences, I'm glad that I was able to go and celebrate with them. Welcome to the family, Lindsay!!

Disturbing thoughts

So for the very first time I am actually considering doing a fellowship. Quite a contrast to my earlier grouchy posts, I know. I just had a blast my MICU month. I actually want to study again, which is a DECIDED difference from the last 18 months. The disturbing part is that I really don't know squat about pulmonary/critical care fellowships, and I am unclear what the lifestyle is like. Also, I have been very much looking forwards to finishing residency and actually having a job, with the associate free time and increase in discretionary income (assuming Obama doesn't go too crazy with the progressive income tax). So while I find myself drawn to the field specifically, I am still resistant to the notion in general.

Steven crackers

Uncle Steven's visit this last weekend has left some amusing side effects! For one, Logan is still rolling all over the floor trying to do cartwheels, and he has named ritz cracker and PB sandwiches "Steven crackers". When we got back home after dropping Steves off at the airport, Logan found a package of the aforementioned crackers that Steves had left behind. Steven has diabetes, so he always has something to munch on, and PB crackers are a good balance of carbs and protein. Logan had seen him with them all weekend and as he tore into the package he ran around the house yelling "Steven crackers!" Well, since he enjoyed them so much, I got him some Ritz bits sandwich crackers at the store. It took a few takes, but here he is...

A new Deshazer tradition is born.

Weekend fun!

This weekend we were able to spend some time with Mitch's brother, Steven. Steve's will be heading out on his mission (Anaheim, CA - Spanish) this month, so this'll be the last time we get to see him for a while. My mother also had a long weekend, so she came to play, too. Mitch even got the whole weekend off, which is a minor miracle, as he's in the ICU this month. We all had a great time, especially Logan. He and Steven really hit it off! First, they played with the Rubik's cube... Then did some gymnastics. Steven has been learning gymnastics this summer. Logan LOVED watching him do handstands and cartwheels. He tried to copy everything, but did them his own way...

We made cardboard forts.

And played outside.

Logan even let Steves in on the nighttime routine.

He and Oma had fun, too, but she's not a fan of pictures, so here's the only one that we got.
Even Myra had a big smile for Uncle Steven.

Mom and I got to spend Saturday shopping while the boys - including Logan - played at home. Even though Temple doesn't have much shopping to brag about, it was still fun! And really nice to got to the mall without constant reprimands Logan-ward.

So, by the end of the weekend, Logan wasn't just saying "Good job , mommy," but had expanded his repertoire to include "Good job, Oma!" and "Good job, Steven!"

Good job, Logan!

The Answers

...to the "Logan or Myra" post. I have restored the pictures to their original colors and context, so they're a bit easier to recognize.

1. Logan - This was taken in my office at UT when I was Chief Resident. I took Logan to work with me that day and Mitch had come by for a visit. Logan was 2 months old.2. Myra - Donna took this one when everyone was here for the blessing. Myra was 3 weeks old.3. Logan - This one is his first Christmas morning. He was very excited, as you can see. He was almost 4 months old.

4. Myra - The pink Boppy is a clue... She's 3 weeks.

5. Myra - Her first bath. Logan looks on. She was 3 weeks old.

6. Logan - This was taken when Donna came down for Logan's blessing. He was a few days old.

7. Myra - This was taken around the time of her blessing at 3 weeks old.8. Myra - Taken at the same time as the above

9. Logan - This is his first bath. I cropped to eliminate the most obvious clue...

10. Logan - Heather took this picture when he was just a few weeks old.

I hope everyone had fun guessing!

Good job, Mommy!

Yes, my son really did say that! It was only in reference to my successful assembly of Myra's bouncy seat, but still. It was nice to hear!!
We try to be positive whenever he does something well, or helps out - like with the mowing. :-) We usually say, "Good job, Logan!" and he hears it often enough that he says it to himself whenever he accomplishes something. It's pretty funny to hear it, especially since half the time I have no idea what he did... Anyway, it was especially nice to hear it directed at me!

Halloween fun!

I LOVE Halloween! It is such a fun holiday. You get to dress up and pretend to be anyone you want, then eat tons of candy! I doesn't get any better than that. Usually, I pull out all the stops for Halloween, but between brand new baby and Mitch's crazy schedule, this year sort of snuck up on me, so we recycled last year's Renaissance Festival costumes. Thank goodness Logan's still fit! Here he is, checking himself out in the mirror.It was also completely awesome that Mitch managed to get the day off. We had a full family fun day planned! We started the festivities off with a Halloween Music Makers. Aren't the kiddos all adorable?! There were several princesses and a bunch of doctors (unsurprisingly), as well as a smattering of ninjas, cowboys and the cutest, I thought, was Olivia, who is the sweet little green fairy in the front.
I was also way impressed by Aubrey's Ninja Turtle costumes. She made one for each of her three kids and one for her hubby. They were so awesome!! The shells all had different patterns, even. They were super cool!!!After Music Makers, we hit Colquitt Park for a picnic and some running around. Here are the kids on the rock wall.And Logan; monkeying around, as usual. After that we had some nap time, and I made a big 'ole pot of chili for our ward activity. We had dinner and trick or treating at church. We set up all of the classrooms as "houses" so that the kids could knock on doors and trick or treat. I thought it was really awesome to be able to have a nice, well-lit, car-free place to trick-or-treat. Logan got quite a haul! Everyone dressed up, which was also really fun!! We got a few pictures, although not as many as I'd have liked. The costumes were all so creative!
Here are the Cochrans, as a family of Superheroes. I think Hayley really was a superwoman, as she wore tights just 8 weeks after having her fourth baby, and looks great! You go, girl!

Here's Starla, also a hottie!
And here we are! Logan had soiled his shirt, so his costume is a little incomplete, but whatever. We all had a great time.

The stand-out costume of the evening we missed getting pictorial evidence of. Alas, since it was Skip Gerrard, sporting a very accurate-looking Nacho Libre costume, complete with bare chest. There are some brave souls in our ward!!

And of course, in true Jones family tradition, Logan breakfasted this morning on last night's candy. I didn't know Peeps required a fork...

We hope you had a wonderful Halloween, too!

Our little Jack-O-Lantern wishes you a "Happy Halloween!"