Seven years later and we are still together.Saturday, July 18, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Jocelina Ballerina
This past week, Jocelyn starting taking a five week dance class. Needless to say she was so excited.
I had to take the pictures through the class window on the door so they re not the clearest. They learned how to do some ballet moves and then they did some movements. Some of the stuff they did was stuff Jocelyn does at home all the time like hop on one foot. She was excited that she could already do some of the stuff.
This was one of her admirers watching her dance. Kelsey had her face pressed against the door just watching in awe. The dance instructor opened the door to let out one of the students and Kelsey took it as her chance to go in and join the class. She went to pieces when I went in and promptly removed her. Maybe next year Kelsey. 
The ballerina receiving her sticker for good dancing.
Our ballerina greeting the public after her practice. I think the smile says it's all.
"I am so happy I am taking dance."
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Fourth of July
For the 4Th of July this year we met John-David's brother's family, Richard and Jenny, in Skippack, PA for a parade. Skippack is a little town half way between Philadelphia and Bethlehem and one of the only places that we knew of having a parade.
(Sorry for the doll showing her backside. It was the best photo of the kids from the bunch.)Unfortunately John-David had to work so he didn't get to make it down there with us. Kelsey didn't mind though because she found the lap of Aunt Jenny. She loves saying Jenny's name.
The parade was worth the drive. This was Jocelyn's loot from just half way through the parade. The people on the parade route were passing out candy, necklaces, beach balls, pencils, bottles of water and some little toys. Jocelyn thought is was particularly wonderful because people just walked up to her and handed her handfuls of candy.
Jackson was taking a low key approach to the whole thing nd sat in his chair with his sunglasses on just watching the parade go by. Sometimes he would get up to get a piece of candy but mostly just hung out in his chair. I wondered if he was having fun at all but he did announce that it was the best parade he's been to. I guess he just wanted to be Joe Cool that day.
After the parade we went to a park for lunch and let the kids play on the playground. We got the call from John-David that he finished work so we headed up to our house for swimming and a BBQ. our neighbor graciously allowed us to swim in her pool. The kids thought this was great. It sure beat the freezing cold water from the hose at our house.
This is cousin Eliza exploring the pool via a few float tubes. The goggles were a hot item amongst the children and aren't they cute?
Kelsey and Tabitha decided to work on their tans instead of hitting the pool. Kelsey ventured in at one point with her float tube but all the splashing from the bigger kids and the dads scared them away.
Dad teaching the art of using a mask and blowing bubbles.
This is what Dr. Black looks like with his mask on while in surgery. Wouldn't you want him for your doctor?
After swimming we had a BBQ of hamburger, hot dogs, watermelon and corn on the cob. Good ole American meal. Kelsey really enjoys a good cob of corn. one just wasn't enough.
By 7:30 we were all worn out and decided to forget about sparklers and call it a night. The kids are young enough not to know that fireworks and the fourth are an American tradition. We were just grateful they don't know this yet. We are just so glad that we have cousins near us. Thanks Rich, Jennie, Eve, Eliza and Tabitha.
Friday, July 3, 2009
West Jordan Rodeo and the City pool
The weather here has actually calmed down a bit and we have had some hot sunny days. We decided that maybe it was time to take advantage of the community pool down the street. We quickly found out that this pool was definitely not a modern one in the fact all they would accept was cash to get in. To make a long story short, we ended up with a summer pass to the pool after our first visit. We figured it was a good investment because we are hoping there will be more hot summer afternoons and it helps pass the time when dad is gone.
Before I get to our pool experience I must take a walk down memory lane. The other day while walking to the pool, I got a whiff of hot grease boiling in a fryer coming from the concession stand at the pool. It brought back memories of the West Jordan Rodeo where I spent many a fourth of July weekend. Growing up we had a family business and to generate more money we occasionally sold concessions at various events. However, every year we sold concessions at the West Jordan Rodeo without fail. It was three fun filled days of gypsies, carny folk, food and family togetherness!!! The whole family was involved including some cousins and my grandpa and a few of the ward kids. Nothing brings you closer than selling Bronco burgers and onion rings as a family. Let's just say there were not a lot of tears shed the day my dad told us we weren't doing it any more. So every time I see a hamburger cooking on the grill or fries cooking in the fryer around the fourth, I have a hard time holding back and not asking,"Do you want to make that a Bronco cheese burger?"
Now that I an done with that memory, I am on to the pool. There is really nothing that grand about our pool other than the fact there is a huge area that is 1 foot deep and increases to two but nothing over that until you get to a rope. That makes it very kid friendly. The first few times we came to the pool wasn't that fun because one mom with three kids can be kind of crazy so everyone had to stay close to mom to avoid drowning.
But then Jackson came up with this apparatus. We were the only kids at the pool with life jackets to begin with but the added float tube was an added bonus to really make us stick out. 
We put Kelsey in the baby float tube, everyone grabbed on the side and we became a nice little train with me as the man power (or woman power). I guess I have to get my workout in any way I can. Everyone liked this arrangement but now we just need to work on not using mom's swimsuit as a pulling device. I have almost lost it a few times which would have really made us stick out:)
Jackson took a swim class this year so he really thinks he knows how to swim. He was trying to swim while wearing his life jacket and float tube but without a lot of success. He was actually managing to drown himself which you wouldn't think would be possible with all his floatation devices. One of the times he started to flail his arms as he thought he was drowning. I walked over and reminded him that he was in two feet of water and all he needed to was stand up. That's OK Jackson, I too once thought I was drowning in the Jordan River but then someone told me to stand up and I realized I was only in two feet of water. Sometimes it's hard to estimate the water depth of things.
Hopefully by the end of the summer with all this pool going we'll be a darker shade of white and better swimmers. Right now we are the neon white family at the pool. But this little girl doesn't care. She is just glad to be in the water.
Before I get to our pool experience I must take a walk down memory lane. The other day while walking to the pool, I got a whiff of hot grease boiling in a fryer coming from the concession stand at the pool. It brought back memories of the West Jordan Rodeo where I spent many a fourth of July weekend. Growing up we had a family business and to generate more money we occasionally sold concessions at various events. However, every year we sold concessions at the West Jordan Rodeo without fail. It was three fun filled days of gypsies, carny folk, food and family togetherness!!! The whole family was involved including some cousins and my grandpa and a few of the ward kids. Nothing brings you closer than selling Bronco burgers and onion rings as a family. Let's just say there were not a lot of tears shed the day my dad told us we weren't doing it any more. So every time I see a hamburger cooking on the grill or fries cooking in the fryer around the fourth, I have a hard time holding back and not asking,"Do you want to make that a Bronco cheese burger?"
Now that I an done with that memory, I am on to the pool. There is really nothing that grand about our pool other than the fact there is a huge area that is 1 foot deep and increases to two but nothing over that until you get to a rope. That makes it very kid friendly. The first few times we came to the pool wasn't that fun because one mom with three kids can be kind of crazy so everyone had to stay close to mom to avoid drowning.
But then Jackson came up with this apparatus. We were the only kids at the pool with life jackets to begin with but the added float tube was an added bonus to really make us stick out. 
We put Kelsey in the baby float tube, everyone grabbed on the side and we became a nice little train with me as the man power (or woman power). I guess I have to get my workout in any way I can. Everyone liked this arrangement but now we just need to work on not using mom's swimsuit as a pulling device. I have almost lost it a few times which would have really made us stick out:)
Jackson took a swim class this year so he really thinks he knows how to swim. He was trying to swim while wearing his life jacket and float tube but without a lot of success. He was actually managing to drown himself which you wouldn't think would be possible with all his floatation devices. One of the times he started to flail his arms as he thought he was drowning. I walked over and reminded him that he was in two feet of water and all he needed to was stand up. That's OK Jackson, I too once thought I was drowning in the Jordan River but then someone told me to stand up and I realized I was only in two feet of water. Sometimes it's hard to estimate the water depth of things.
Hopefully by the end of the summer with all this pool going we'll be a darker shade of white and better swimmers. Right now we are the neon white family at the pool. But this little girl doesn't care. She is just glad to be in the water.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Our Little Town
Our camera broke on graduation day so we finally got a new one for John-David's b-day of the 25Th. We finally have something new to post. We'll start with Dad's 29Th b-day. Here's the birthday boy in between orientation and a new intern reception. We made him a Transformer cake. OK so I made a cake and stuck two transformers on it but it was the thought that counts. our sister-in-law Jenny and her girls came up from Philadelphia so they watched the kids why we went to a reception. It was a very exciting birthday.
Now that we have a camera, we wanted to take some pictures of the area because we are frequently asked, "What's it like there?" So here are a few photos to show you what our physical surrounding look like. First, here is a shot of St. Luke's hospital. It's on a hill so here is the back corner on the highest point of the hill. This is only a portion of the hospital. It goes down the hill further but you just can't see it.
Here we are walking down the hill toward the brand new Orthopaedic Clinic. It was redone about three years ago and it's still pretty nice. I didn't take any pictures inside the clinic because there were patients and I didn't think they wanted to be in my blog.
I haven't figured out the settings yet so yes the family is pretty pasty white but not that bad. This is John-David's cubicle I mean office. He even has his own phone line. I don't know who is going to call him on that other than me but it was pretty nice of the hospital to set that up for him. Now I can keep track of him even better:)
This is the long corridor of doctor's and physician assistant's offices behind the clinic. That sums up the St. Luke's Hospital tour for now. I'll take a picture of the outside and post it on another day.
Pennsylvania is a very green state. Coming from a very dry state, I am always amazed at places that are so green in the middle of the summer. Unfortunately for the first two weeks we were here it rained and rained in this ever so green state. It finally has eased up a little bit so that we can give just a little tour of the neighborhood. Here are two of the guides.
The town we live in has about 5,000 people living in it and about 10,000 in the valley around it. It's just outside of Bethlehem. It's a very quaint little town with a darling main street. This is the view if you come out of our house and look a little to the left. It's the city park and in the far distance is the city pool. We have loved the close proximity to the park.
I have never seen so many baseball fields in my life. Within about a two block radius, there are over 8 baseball fields and they are in nice condition. I think they are a little obsessed with they sport. 
This is the view if you look up our street. They are really cute houses with nice neighbors. Most of them are older but so nice. Every time I meet one I am not only told I have mt hands full but I get a small synopsis of the trials in their lives. That sure beats having neighbors who are drug dealers. If you take a left at the top of the street you are led to are LITTLE town library. I emphasize little because well it is. When I got a library card I didn't have to show anything for it I just told them my name. Nothing it online...yet but it's in the works. There are about 5 computers and one librarian checking books out. Their children section has nice new books in it but it's about the size of a very small bedroom. I guess a library is better than no library. It's very cute and the people are nice. I guess it's just one of those things that comes with living in a small town.
Here is one of the common neighbors in the neighborhood. We had a lot of squirrels and rabbits in Ohio but they are everywhere here. I can see what everyone has fencing around their gardens.
I wanted to give you a good view of the area but I need a much better camera or to get up a lot higher. I think I will try to find a much higher point some time. This is a view of the rolling hills and trees and of course a baseball diamond. It's hard to take a picture without getting one of those in there.
This is the school complex down the street from us. It houses the elementary, middle school, high school and district offices for the town. It's a pretty big complex and really nice. The school system is suppose to be very good. Someone told us that property taxes are pretty high here and about 75% of the tax on each property goes straight to the school.
Another view of the hills. The camera really doesn't capture the true beauty of the area. I am hoping to take some pictures of the Bethlehem area to show everyone some of that. Until then you can enjoy these photos.
Now that we have a camera, we wanted to take some pictures of the area because we are frequently asked, "What's it like there?" So here are a few photos to show you what our physical surrounding look like. First, here is a shot of St. Luke's hospital. It's on a hill so here is the back corner on the highest point of the hill. This is only a portion of the hospital. It goes down the hill further but you just can't see it.
Here we are walking down the hill toward the brand new Orthopaedic Clinic. It was redone about three years ago and it's still pretty nice. I didn't take any pictures inside the clinic because there were patients and I didn't think they wanted to be in my blog.
I haven't figured out the settings yet so yes the family is pretty pasty white but not that bad. This is John-David's cubicle I mean office. He even has his own phone line. I don't know who is going to call him on that other than me but it was pretty nice of the hospital to set that up for him. Now I can keep track of him even better:)
This is the long corridor of doctor's and physician assistant's offices behind the clinic. That sums up the St. Luke's Hospital tour for now. I'll take a picture of the outside and post it on another day.
Pennsylvania is a very green state. Coming from a very dry state, I am always amazed at places that are so green in the middle of the summer. Unfortunately for the first two weeks we were here it rained and rained in this ever so green state. It finally has eased up a little bit so that we can give just a little tour of the neighborhood. Here are two of the guides.
The town we live in has about 5,000 people living in it and about 10,000 in the valley around it. It's just outside of Bethlehem. It's a very quaint little town with a darling main street. This is the view if you come out of our house and look a little to the left. It's the city park and in the far distance is the city pool. We have loved the close proximity to the park.
I have never seen so many baseball fields in my life. Within about a two block radius, there are over 8 baseball fields and they are in nice condition. I think they are a little obsessed with they sport. 
This is the view if you look up our street. They are really cute houses with nice neighbors. Most of them are older but so nice. Every time I meet one I am not only told I have mt hands full but I get a small synopsis of the trials in their lives. That sure beats having neighbors who are drug dealers. If you take a left at the top of the street you are led to are LITTLE town library. I emphasize little because well it is. When I got a library card I didn't have to show anything for it I just told them my name. Nothing it online...yet but it's in the works. There are about 5 computers and one librarian checking books out. Their children section has nice new books in it but it's about the size of a very small bedroom. I guess a library is better than no library. It's very cute and the people are nice. I guess it's just one of those things that comes with living in a small town.
Here is one of the common neighbors in the neighborhood. We had a lot of squirrels and rabbits in Ohio but they are everywhere here. I can see what everyone has fencing around their gardens.
I wanted to give you a good view of the area but I need a much better camera or to get up a lot higher. I think I will try to find a much higher point some time. This is a view of the rolling hills and trees and of course a baseball diamond. It's hard to take a picture without getting one of those in there.
This is the school complex down the street from us. It houses the elementary, middle school, high school and district offices for the town. It's a pretty big complex and really nice. The school system is suppose to be very good. Someone told us that property taxes are pretty high here and about 75% of the tax on each property goes straight to the school.
Another view of the hills. The camera really doesn't capture the true beauty of the area. I am hoping to take some pictures of the Bethlehem area to show everyone some of that. Until then you can enjoy these photos.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Graduation Day
John-David graduated from medical school on June 4Th and we couldn't be happier. It was very busy week between packing our house, getting it ready for renters and enjoying the graduation festivities. The day started early as we gathered with our close friends at a lake on campus to take some group shots. Unfortunately, the Gessel's weren't able to join us because Ryan threw up as they arrived on campus. What a day for that! We missed them in the photos.
Here we all are and the men are doing
the famous O-H-I-O in the background.
Here are 3 doctors, two dentists
and a business man.
Here is the second wave of the kids.
Aside from Evy, the kids are all fairly
close in age. Just a few months apart.
Here is the first wave of kids. Once again,
they are all very close in age, aside form Maddy.
The Miller's beat to their own drum.
Here are the best of friends. This picture is
minus Kayce B. and Marianne.
After the pictures we went home while dad went to graduation practice and then we returned for a BBQ lunch. I apologize about the picture quality for the remaining photos. our camera died that morning and we had to borrow Opa's. For some reason the photos really didn't turn out.
My best little buddy Ben. Kelsey always
wanted Marianne when she saw her so Ben
would hang out with me. One day these
two will go on a date:)
Marianne and the rag-a-muffin baby.
She calls Marianne "mom." This is
how Marianne gets her girl fill.
This little Monkey was sure glad to have his
Opa there. He didn't want to leave his side.
After the BBQ we went to an awards banquet
where John-David was recognized for some
awards he got early in medical school. It was
about two hours too long.
After the awards ceremony we ran home, fed the kids
and took them to our friends the Alpeter's who watched
them while we went out to dinner and then to graduation.
Graduation didn't start until 8:00 PM so after dinner we went
and got good seats so we wouldn't miss out on a thing.
This was the picture we took right before he went in
to find his place. Most of the graduation pictures didn't turn out so I'll sum up what happened.
John-David got the leadership award for his class
which was nice. Then, since he was the Student Council
President, he presented a few awards to some teachers.
After all the jazz, they started call them up to be hooded.
Dr. Stone, who is the nicest lady, hooded John-David.
This is an interesting photo we have of his hooding
but at least we have this. After the hooding they read the Hippocratic
oath, which generally states that they promise to be good
doctors and not kill anyone (intentionally).
Following the graduation, there was a reception. Here is
John-David and Opa.
John-David with fellow classmates and friends.
We too earned a degree...maybe not in
medicine but in something.
John-David with his friend Moumen.
Due to the fact our kids did not attend graduation,
we took a last minute shot before we left town and our
friend Jared came to get the cap and gown.
It's hard to believe that it's all over and
that we are on to the next stage of life.
We our so proud of our Dad.
It's kind of weird to think now that
people will call him Dr. Black... but please
hold off your calls and emails about medical
questions. He charges now:)
Here we all are and the men are doingthe famous O-H-I-O in the background.
Here are 3 doctors, two dentistsand a business man.
Here is the second wave of the kids.Aside from Evy, the kids are all fairly
close in age. Just a few months apart.
Here is the first wave of kids. Once again,they are all very close in age, aside form Maddy.
The Miller's beat to their own drum.
Here are the best of friends. This picture isminus Kayce B. and Marianne.
After the pictures we went home while dad went to graduation practice and then we returned for a BBQ lunch. I apologize about the picture quality for the remaining photos. our camera died that morning and we had to borrow Opa's. For some reason the photos really didn't turn out.
My best little buddy Ben. Kelsey alwayswanted Marianne when she saw her so Ben
would hang out with me. One day these
two will go on a date:)
Marianne and the rag-a-muffin baby.She calls Marianne "mom." This is
how Marianne gets her girl fill.
This little Monkey was sure glad to have hisOpa there. He didn't want to leave his side.
After the BBQ we went to an awards banquetwhere John-David was recognized for some
awards he got early in medical school. It was
about two hours too long.
After the awards ceremony we ran home, fed the kidsand took them to our friends the Alpeter's who watched
them while we went out to dinner and then to graduation.
Graduation didn't start until 8:00 PM so after dinner we went
and got good seats so we wouldn't miss out on a thing.
This was the picture we took right before he went in
to find his place. Most of the graduation pictures didn't turn out so I'll sum up what happened.
John-David got the leadership award for his classwhich was nice. Then, since he was the Student Council
President, he presented a few awards to some teachers.
After all the jazz, they started call them up to be hooded.
Dr. Stone, who is the nicest lady, hooded John-David.This is an interesting photo we have of his hooding
but at least we have this. After the hooding they read the Hippocratic
oath, which generally states that they promise to be good
doctors and not kill anyone (intentionally).
Following the graduation, there was a reception. Here is
John-David and Opa.
John-David with fellow classmates and friends.
We too earned a degree...maybe not inmedicine but in something.
John-David with his friend Moumen.
Due to the fact our kids did not attend graduation,we took a last minute shot before we left town and our
friend Jared came to get the cap and gown.
It's hard to believe that it's all over and
that we are on to the next stage of life.
We our so proud of our Dad.
It's kind of weird to think now that
people will call him Dr. Black... but please
hold off your calls and emails about medical
questions. He charges now:)
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