To Tennessee or California...

 (Lincoln Memorial in the distance)

Cameron applied for grad school to become a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) this past fall/winter, and he had his first interview mid-February in Loma Linda, California. I decided to stay home and avoid adding more stress to his interview. It was a short trip, and about a week later we found out he was accepted into the program. We are so excited for this change coming up in our lives. He also got invited to interview in Harrogate, Tennessee, and we both were able to get away and enjoy the trip and check out another school. About 24 hours after the interview, he was accepted into the program. The CRNA programs are 28 to 30 months long.

So now we have some big decisions to make! Both schools are great, but their locations are very different. We didn't really get any pictures of California, but we would be in a fairly large city about an hour East of Los Angeles. Or in the remote countryside of beautiful Tennessee. Both have their advantages. 

I was able to snap some pictures of campus at Lincoln Memorial University while Cameron was in his interview. 

 

The Cumberland Gap is about a mile away from campus, and we enjoyed hiking and walking through the national park. It was a bit cool, upper 40s when we were there, but still very enjoyable. This area was gorgeous, but would be even more gorgeous in the summer and fall. 

 

Looking down on the city of Cumberland Gap

During this short trip we visited 4 states: Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. 

 

In the Gap

Tri-State Peak

 (Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia borders)

 

It was a quick trip with lots of traveling, but we enjoyed time together without the girls. We had a blast!

We have some big decisions to make in the next couple weeks. 

This morning we ran a 5K with Leigh, Todd, and Jordan as Kate, Bryan, and Kathy cheered on with the girls. It was pretty low key, which was perfect. Cameron was second overall and I was the first girl. We won shamrock plants. We were also able to see Lindsey, Adam, Montanna and Eden as they passed through. We took a picnic to the park, flew kites, and did a few bubbles. Lots of giggling and fun times with cousins!

One of our neighbors gave Aubrey a mango a few weeks ago. She tried two bites, insisted she loved it, and didn't eat any more. 

 

Spring is here! Cameron and I missed a few really nice days while we were away, but we caught a bit when we came back. Loving spending more time outside. And almost all the snow is gone. These pictures were taken about a week ago. 

 

And we have been back playing at the parks! Love that both girls are pretty good at playing by themselves without too much help. And Aubrey is starting to learn how to pump!

Ada's Accident

Yesterday we were leaving the hospital after visiting a health fair Cameron was supposed to attend. I had placed both girls in the back seat, not in their car seats, just to play around for a second before we were off again. Once we were ready to leave, I grabbed Aubrey and started strapping her in, and Cameron walked around to the other side to grab Ada. He opened the door and Ada fell out and landed on her head on the ground. 

It was the scariest moment I have had as a Mommy. I didn't see her hit the ground, but I saw her fall out of the car and heard the crack on the ground. I didn't react well and scared Aubrey, so we had two screaming girls. Luckily, if it had been any worse, I can't think of a better spot for it to happen besides the hospital parking lot. 

Ada screamed for a bit, and was such a sweetheart at the same time. I don't think she understood what was going on, and amidst the crying and me trying to comfort her, she kept saying, "Thank you." Poor girl. We couldn't quite see how bad she was scraped up because of dirt and mud, but after a piece of gum and lots of hugs, she was back to her normal self. So grateful that she is okay and nothing more than some scratches and bruises. 

Aubrey was so concerned, and could hardly look at Ada anytime during the day without bursting into tears. Aubrey was finishing her lunch later that day, and Ada was finished so I started cleaning her up. I cleaned up her lunch and then got a warm washcloth to clean her cuts. I started to clean Ada up and I looked over at Aubrey who was holding back tears. I told her once again that Ada was going to be okay, but that only caused Aubrey to burst into tears. I think Aubrey had heard us say that Ada was going to be okay enough throughout the morning, so she came up with a reason to justify her tears. She said, "Mommy, I am just really, really tired. So tired. I just need to go lay down." She then took a rest on our couch. 

Kind of a traumatic morning for both girls. But these pictures from dinner couldn't be any sweeter...

Right in the middle of eating, Ada folded her arms, closed her eyes, and said, "Heavenly Father", like she was starting to pray. I sat there wondering if I had time to grab the camera before the moment was over. Luckily, she is getting old enough to realize that she is getting her picture taken and is a pretty good actor. I even love the mess in the pictures, which is saying a lot. None of it matters when we have such healthy happy little girls. 

Ada is getting way too many pictures taken...Here is Aubrey at dinner. 

 

We are also so sad that our friends, the Grundy's, are moving in about a week. Both our girls will miss Marlee, especially when Spring and Summer hit. We have loved having Alyssa, Alax, and Marlee as neighbors, and we will miss them all so much. We wish them the best of luck in Montana!

 

One more picture of Aubrey and her Froofie.