Swings!

End of Summer 2014

This summer, we moved into a new, larger rental house in the Bryant neighborhood, just north of University of Washington. We're enjoying the extra space and the accessibility of city parks and bike trails. We've walked several times over to Ravenna Park, an urban forest, book-ended by playgrounds, complete with great trees to climb and explore (see below). Kyle also recent purchased a new bike with a toddler seat and has enjoyed several rides on the Burke-Gilman Trail with Elsie. Below is a map, marking the biking trail in green.

We also enjoyed our third annual visit to the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, WA. As ever, Sam was excited to ride any ride with a car or motorcycle.

Pensive with anticipation before the dizzy-bears started spinning. Mom was only mildly nauseated after the ride...

Sam's in the last car in the frame, wearing his blue sunhat:

Oh, and Elsa found her nose! She can now point to her hair, nose, mouth, and teeth on command. Ears are 50/50 (sometimes pointing to nose instead). She started taking her first steps September 11th. Very excited. She is cautious and controlled with the new movement. She'll take a few steps, stop and then take a seat. No out-of-control falling (a la Sam) for Elsa. She's in charge...

Labor Day Weekend

So many great Seattle parks to explore this weekend! We flew a kite at Magnusson, climbed all over Woodland Park and biked through our local Ravenna Park.

Of course there were moments of rain. We made home-made playdough that turned out great. Sam pretended to be a chef while I served the "customers" around the room. My favorite was "full of food dish" because as chef Sam said, "It's full of food and it's also a dish!"

Afternoon at Jefferson Park

(Not so) Still-life with Tractor

1 year old

Almost 2 yrs old

 3.5 yrs old

Great Article: Good Night Moon, What Writers Can Learn

Loved this blog post from NYT.
Wish more parenting posts were like this...

Summing up Residency (Part I)

This was an evaluation of my work from my last official day of residency:

"Sara and I provided anesthesia for an open thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in a highly complex patient. She performed a thoracic epidural, lumbar drain, arterial line, central line, peripheral IV, intubation and placement of a bronchial blocker with subsequent one-lung ventilation, all with the skill expected of an independent practitioner.

In addition, the patient required vasopressors, massive blood and blood product transfusion, and treatment of a malignant tachy-arrhythmia during the case. Sara performed admirably throughout the entire case, demonstrated excellent communication skills, was able to provide timely and appropriate interventions to both treat and prevent physiological disturbances, and did all of this while providing excellent teaching to a visiting medical student.

She is ready to practice independently."

Boo-yah!