Car Shopping

Today we went shopping for a new car for Ryan. We decided to leave our Honda Accord we'd driven since before Braden was born in Ohio. Because this was a momentous occasion, we all decided to tag along in case our opinion was needed. Braden and Emmry were perfectly happy. They cared little about the car, but as we did not yet have cable and they had been deprived of television for a week, they were more than happy to watch cartoons in the children's lobby. Unfortunately, the babies could not be so easily entertained. After an hour of coloring, taking walks through the show room, and playing in the drinking fountain, they decided the dealership was boring and thought they'd spice things up a bit. The shirts were the first to go. I fought them at first, but seeing I was outnumbered, decided a shirtless baby could be forgiven. But when the pants started coming off, I decided an unclothed baby could not. Thankfully, as we were on our way out, Ryan was on his way in. I don't know if it was the look in my eye or the two naked babies I was dragging, but somehow he got the picture that we were at the end of our car shopping experience for today.

Dad's Homecoming

Ryan flew into Utah last Saturday, officially completing our move from Ohio. We were thrilled to have him back with us and he showed his value right away. That night, Emmry was suprised to find a baby quail in the garage. It could have only just hatched and must have lost its way from its mother. Braden quickly stepped in as its protector and guardian. Despite the consistent pleas to keep the quail, we convinced the kids they needed to return it to its mother. But where that was we were not sure, so we advised the kids to put the bird in the bushes. It did not matter how far away the the kids went though, the quail always followed them back, trotting behind them. Ryan, in his great sympathy knowing the bird would not survive the night alone, put the poor bird out of its misery, unbeknownst to any of the rest of us.

Monday, we celebrated Ryan's return with a trip to Lagoon, Utah's local amusement park. I must say, I think it was a successful trip. We spent too much money, walked way too much, ate too much junk food, and Ryan and I were both motion sick when we left. The kids of coarse, couldn't wait to go back!

Tuesday we packed up the car and headed for the last leg of our trip, Arizona. Perspective is a very interesting thing. If ever you want your kids to be thrilled with a 12 hour drive, take a 30 hour drive first. Emmry couldn't believe we would only have to drive for one day and that we would sleep in our own beds that night.

Of coarse a Huffman road trip wouldn't be the same without someone throwing up. Chloe made it all the way to the Utah boarder before she could take it no longer. Luckily, we have learned fruit snacks smell good whether going down or up.

Now that we have completed our move and have been Arizonans for a few days, we've learned some valuable lessons: don't touch a prickly pear cactus; don't go barefoot outside; don't buy chocolate chips and leave them in the car (though the chocolate chunk cookies turned out pretty good); a shady parking spot is well worth the walk; and heat is a great motivator for getting up early to exercise.

In Limbo In Utah

Being in limbo between homes can get a bit old, except when it becomes an extended vacation. Our time between homes has been a month. Ryan has been staying with friends in Cleveland while he finishes up his residency and I have been in Utah entertaining the kids. I thought life would calm down after packing up and leaving our home in Ohio, but if visiting family and friends, and attending events such as a homecoming, birthday parties, and a wedding, didn’t keep me busy enough, being a single parent of four did. We tried to make every moment in Utah count though, since we so infrequently get to be with family.

Braden always enjoys visiting Utah. For him, it means staying up late, getting up early, and participating in one of his favorite passions... playing video games. Braden has become quite skilled at Grammy and Papa J's Wii, setting nearly every possible record. He was also able to work on another of his passions, climbing. Braden enjoys the challenge of seeing how high he can climb to the top of nearly anything. He'll climb trees, swing posts, and even light posts. This despite his fear of heights. His last passion was also fed. Braden has recently developed a great passion for animals. His three-year-old dream of growing up to be a “tree cutter-downer” has been replaced many times over by now, most recently with the desire to become a veterinarian. Fortunately for him, Aunt Maggie arranged for a visit to a friend's farm with horses and chickens, and her sister-in-law's new puppies. Braden has waited quite patiently to get a dog, and I guess we're all out of excuses now... oh, except our rental won't let us have pets!

The highlight of Emmry’s visit was the wedding and all the preparations for it. She took her first trip to the salon with me and Grammy to get her nails painted to match her dress. The color? Pretty Pink of course. She loved getting to dress in a fancy pink dress with her cousins and be a flower girl at her Uncle Brian’s wedding. Though she was utterly disappointed when she learned she would not be throwing flower pedals, she was somewhat appeased when her new aunt gave her the task of carrying her train. Emmry has since been making plans for her own wedding. She will have nine flower girls. Some will blow bubbles, but some will definitely throw flower pedals. Her groom will be Calvin, a friend from Ohio now living in Utah. But she tells me there is one problem: Calvin doesn’t like to kiss or hug. She had the chance to remedy this at a two day sleepover, but it seems that they mostly played dog and cat, and tea party. I told her not to worry, that any boy that will play tea party is worth waiting for.

The babies I toted from place to place, some of more interest to them than others. They are good sports though and found their own entertainment when the event did not suit them. For example, at Boondocks when the older kids were miniature golfing, the babies were taking off their shirts. I solved that problem with duct tape. When the older kids were driving go-carts, the babies were taking off their shoes. I solved that problem with duct tape. When the older kids were driving water boats, the babies were trying to take off their diapers. I've been through a lot of duct tape.

The Buzz game was a highlight of the trip. Braden and Emme settled right in with their cousins, did little watching, plenty of eating, and a lot of laughing. Hadley and Chloe didn’t find the game quite as interesting, but found much interest in the concrete floor and what had been dropped onto it. By the end of the game, well the end for me, the girls were shirtless lying on the ground which was covered with who knows what. They had eaten a huge amount of licorice, cotton candy, popcorn, soda, and I’m not sure how many cheese crackers they had found on the ground. About the 7th inning I decided their stomachs and my nerves could handle no more and we called it a night.

The highlight of our limbo in Utah for me was my trip back to Cleveland for Ryan’s graduation dinner. I was unsure how I would feel returning “home.” I worried that the tears that were not shed earlier, would come. But they didn’t. Instead, I felt like a visitor in the place I had only just left and had called home for four years. Everything seemed oddly familiar in a distant way. Surreal, I guess. Our home had stood empty for several weeks, was overgrown, and strangely did not feel like ours. It was wonderful to see the familiar, neighbors and friends, and return to the Clinic for Ryan’s graduation dinner. Ryan will join us tomorrow and we will be back together as a family. Braden says he hardly remembers him (tongue and check), Emmry cries for him, and the babies say “dah” every time the phone rings. I simply miss him.

Graduation

Last Saturday Ryan and I, and his mother Ellen, were able to celebrate an event 13 plus years in the making. Ellen and I boarded a plane Saturday morning bound for Cleveland and for Ryan's graduation from residency. It was a wonderful moment to celebrate his accomplishments, or more accurately, our accomplishments. Ryan and I met nearly 15 years ago and during that time at least one of us has been in school or training. With this graduation, our educational goals we made so long ago are finally completed. It has been a long road, but we are so happy to have both received an education in something we love. Ryan expressed to me that he was a little disappointed we were finally done and wondered what goal we were now going to look forward to. I told him retirement!