♥ my surgeon

After four years of undergrad, four years of medical school

& five years of residency Barth is officially an Orthopedic surgeon!!!

The past week has been really surreal, hard to believe we made it. I couldn't

be more proud of my husband and all his hard work and dedication he put into

the past several years. You are my inspiration. USC here we come!!!

These pictures were taken at the graduation dinner, it was an awesome night!

our normal pose....

our "polo" pose that barth insisted we do....

tawna don't be mad I used this pic....I love it!!! (especially barth's description of it)

To my ortho ladies...I am going to miss you all so much. Thank you for the incredible

support system you all provided. Not sure I could have made

it through without you. Can you believe we are done?!

the boys...not acting like doctors

love u girls!

auntie tawna

We were so blessed to have auntie tawna stay with us for a whole six days. The girls loved waking her up every morning and getting in lots of quality time during the day. Ella (aka dotty...new nickname from her auntie) became best buddies....they colored the afternoons away, did crafts, sidewalk chalk, played outside, painted their nails and toes.....she was in heaven with all the attention. Barth and I got to enjoy a date together, courtesy of Auntie, to celebrate our anniversary...thank you tawna!!! I of course loved having her around, laughing the day away, going shopping, getting our hair done....

We love you so much and hope that you will come back really soon to visit...sending you lots of kisses and hugs....we miss you!!!!

showing off their crafts

enjoying dinner on mommy and daddy's date night

love u!!

bedtime cuddle

pomp & circumstance

My sweet little girl is now a preschool graduate. Where does the time go....seriously?!

We were so blessed to have Auntie Tawna (barth's sister) in town for the big day. Typically it is just me and the girls for all preschool related events, so we were pretty excited to share the day with her. We got a big suprise just before Ella made her grand entrance....Daddy!! He was able to sneak out of work for about 20 minutes to see his Ella graduate, we were super excited to say the least!!

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you Ella. You have grown so much in the past year and are becoming such an incredible little lady....

my sweet pea...i loved their little hats

the guests of honor

thank you for making time in your busy day to come daddy!

Ella and her beautiful auntie t

enjoying her much deserved cupcake

Ella and Miss Celina

they really love each other

enjoying their last day on the playground

a lucky lady

(posted a day late..crazy day yesterday)

Seven years and one day ago I married the guy of my dreams. He was more than I could have ever asked for. Our marriage thus far has been an incredible journey. I didn't know what to expect when we dove right into Barth's third year of medical school shortly after our wedding. It was such a whirlwind experience, filled with lots of firsts for us both. It was a time of learning for each of us...to say the least. We learned to make the most of our time with each other (which often times was only an hour a night, if that) and we just made it work. I remember the night that Barth matched into his orthopedic residency 5 years ago...I suddenly gained the title of the "orthopedic widow", which is what I later learned is the label us ortho wives are given. Although it has been a challenge I wouldn't change one thing about the past 7 years. I have experienced more happiness then I ever thought possible and my love for my husband only seems to grow stronger with each passing day. We are just days away from his graduation, and I could not be more proud of the person and physician he has become....I am truly blessed beyond words.

Thank you Barth for all that you are to me. For bringing so much joy into my life and for loving me unconditionally. For helping me to grow in every aspect of my life. I love you more than my words will ever be able to express. Here's to many more anniversaries. I love you babe!

p.s. I love that you still give me butterflies

  

missing you like crazy

This past monday we welcomed Simone, Ariana and my mom home. It was a much anticipated event. It had been two and a half months since they left, but it felt like ages. We found skype to be a huge blessing and were able to talk on a daily basis (when our schedules allowed it)...not sure how we would have made it through the days without it.

It was so much fun to watch the girls and their first interactions with one another. It was like they couldn't get enough of the other. The kisses and hugs just kept on coming....pretty precious!

waiting with grandpa

grandpa's girls

the girls are "hiding"

Ariana's first glimpse of the girls....love the pure joy on her face

Chloe kept rubbing ari's face....just couldn't believe she was here

BFF'S

 we ♥ u ari

together at last...

Pool time

We christened grandpa and grandma's pool this last week. It has been a renovation in progress for the past several months and it's completion couldn't have come at a better time. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, add a pool and incredible backyard to that and you have the perfect combination.

love her

no need for words here....

vicky g's

definitely a favorite hang out in our family...Victoria Gardens (a.k.a vicky g's...we think it sounds better) is one of the many outdoor malls we have in California. When the weather starts to warm up, this fountain is full of kids soaked to the bone. We didn't have a change of clothes for the girls, but that did not seem to slow them down.

soaked, but still loving it