I'm totally cheating on this post and stealing it from my sister. We have been so incredibly busy the last several weeks and have no photos to show for it. I wanted to put something on here for you to look at and since my sister was too pregnant to do anything other than take photos I'm going to link up to her blog so you can see it yourself. I won't bore you with all that we've been doing, it hasn't all been boring, but one of the many fun things we have done is come to visit my aunt and 2 of my cousins, who came down from Kansas, at the lake for a couple days. I haven't seen them in at least 4 years so it was great to catch up with them! Christopher and Sophie have fallen in love with Haley and Drew and have been attached to their hips since about 5 minutes after meeting them. I thought they would be shy, but they actually saw this as an opportunity to show off. They have been having so much fun that I actually can't get them to leave so we can go home. But I don't know when we will get to see them again, so I can't complain too much. Ok, enough chit chat, here are the photos:

http://thehowellslife.blogspot.com/2011/07/lake-with-cousins.html

Hope your summer is going well too! Ours is going way too fast!

I'm totally cheating on this post and stealing it from my sister. We have been so incredibly busy the last several weeks and have no photos to show for it. I wanted to put something on here for you to look at and since my sister was too pregnant to do anything other than take photos I'm going to link up to her blog so you can see it yourself. I won't bore you with all that we've been doing, it hasn't all been boring, but the most fun thing we have done is come to visit my aunt and 2 of my cousins, who came down from Kansas, at the lake for a couple days. I haven't seen them in at least 4 years so it was great to catch up with them! Christopher and Sophie have fallen in love with Haley and Drew and have been attached to their hips since about 5 minutes after meeting them. And Sophie has never met them! They have been having so much fun that I actually can't get them away from them so we can go home. But I don't know when we will get to see them again, so I can't complain too much. Ok, enough chit chat, here are the photos:

http://thehowellslife.blogspot.com/2011/07/lake-with-cousins.html

Hope your summer is going well too! Ours is going way too fast!

Well, we are finally settled into our new house. Mostly. There are still boxes that need some unpacking, but the rest of them will just be closed up and line a wall or sit in an empty room for the year. It was such a pain to pack up the last of our stuff that I don't want to unpack it unless we absolutely need it. And if you are like us you don't need about 85% of the stuff you have. You either have it passed down, refuse to throw it away, was a wedding gift that will never be used but can't get rid of, or not really sure how you ended up with it. I think I would live just fine on a desert island if I could have cable and internet with me. And a phone to call someone every now and then. I'd rather email then talk on the phone, but every now and then I like the phone.

We filled up our first week quickly with time spent with our friends, the Khans, and time with both sets of grandparents, with some cousins thrown in along with a birthday party. We made a day trip up to the lake last week and it turned into an overnight. The kids crashed within 8 minutes of the ride back home. Christopher was moved to the couch and Sophie to Christopher's bed. I showered and got ready to go to my in-laws for dinner and we were able to wake Christopher, but not Sophie. She slept in two cars and one bed all in one nap. Poor kid woke up and wondered where Daddy's truck was. We laughed and told her that was an hour and a half ago! Needless to say, the kids have been exhausted and someone has wet the bed every night due to all the fun and exhaustion, but since our life isn't very normal right now I can't seem to get mad at them. Sophie fell asleep last night in the car headed to the BX with Brandon at 6:30, slept in the store, on the couch and I was able to wake her up enough to go potty, change her clothes and put clean sheets back on her bed. This weekend we have another out of town birthday party to attend and more family time. The summer is flying by too fast!

I'll post photos once I download them from my phone. I know, I have a camera, but the phone is much faster and easier! Off to start on the next project! Don't be jealous, it's either laundry or organizing the boxes I still haven't unpacked.

It's been 7 years in the making, but we are finally and officially finished with all medical training. (Insert crowd cheering.) Brandon graduated from residency this week and I am so proud of him! We had the residency banquet Tuesday night and it was filled with loads of laughter, hilarious awards, hysterical videos and a little bit of serious thrown in. I am very proud that Brandon won the "Resident Teacher Award" and have to say, I'm not surprised. He is an incredible teacher and really feels like that is where he is supposed to be at some point in his career. This past year just reaffirmed that.

We had graduation at the Air Force Armament Museum this year and it was really awesome. Who wouldn't want to graduated with lots of history and jets and guns and more surrounding them? Both of our parents were able to come down and support Brandon. After graduation we all went to lunch together to celebrate. My parents headed back home and Brandon's parents took the rest of the week off to spend with us here in Florida.

We have been to the beach, gone shopping, LOTS of eating out, a concert, played, slept, fished, and watched Cars 2. They left this morning and we are going to spend today with more relaxing, maybe go swimming and if we are up for it, end the day with some fireworks. It was a great way to finish out our time here in Florida. We have really, really enjoyed living here and hoping that we will be able to come back very soon.

Here are a few photos from graduation. Brandon's mom has more, but I didn't download them before she left. I will have to get them soon.