Bridge Troll. Beach. Boards.

We finally found it. The Fremont Troll.

We'd heard a lot about him, but never seen him for ourselves until last Sunday. We went for a drive and there he was under the bridge...

Lainy wasn't sure about him. (I think she saw the real-life car he is crushing in his left hand.)


But in the end, she decided he was pretty cool too. She even sat on his car-crushing hand (tentatively).

We also went to the beach. (Last week with some friends, and yesterday just ourselves.) We love Seattle.

Here's Lainy with her buddy Jackson. Aren't they cute?

My friend has a pretty awesome camera and she was nice enough to take a picture of us. Didn't it turn out awesome?

Our big news this week is Brad takes his Boards on Saturday. He's nervous. If you'd keep him in your prayers, we would really appreciate it! I happen to know he's going to rock it (there's no way he can study for 14 hours a day for 6 weeks and not do well), but still, pray for him! We can't wait for this hurdle to be over!

My heart is heavy.

Remember that little girl I asked you to pray for? She passed away today.

I hurt for her family.

Even though I've never met little Preslee and I haven't talked to her parents in a long time, their story has touched me and overwhelmed me in unexpected ways.

I can't imagine what they're going through. I've been praying for a miracle for them. I've been hoping and praying that they wouldn't have to walk out of that hospital and go home without their baby girl in their arms. I think that would just be too hard.

They must be stronger than me.

I admire their courage for sharing their story with so many. I admire their faith in God's plan for them and their little girl.

As I've followed their story this week, I've been reminded of what is really important in my life. I've held my girls a little closer and tried to treasure my time with them more. It's felt more urgent this week to make sure they know how much I love and cherish them. Their little lives feel more precious to me right now.

I hate the way it came, but I'm thankful for the reminder. I am so blessed.

 I'll continue to pray for Preslee's family and hope you will too. She has touched my life.

Mariners vs. Yankees

Last week we finally made it to a Mariners game. The med school buys a section of seats and sells them to students at a discounted price (Thank you UWSOM). When we learned the M's were playing the Yankees, we decided we couldn't miss it. Brad even put aside his studying for the night. I think he needed the break, and we were thrilled to have him around for an evening.

Our game happened to fall on the hottest night of the year. It was 95 degrees outside and 91 degrees inside our apartment. Needless to say, we were excited to get out of the house. 

When we got in the car to go to the game, we discovered our AC had broken. It was awful. I was sure Leah was going to get heat stroke. I sat in the back of the car between her and Lainy wiping them with cool wipes, giving them water to drink and ice to hold as we made our way through the rush hour traffic to the game. I'm sure we looked like a hot, sticky mess when we finally arrived. We were just happy to be there!

We had a great time. Though our hot dogs cost more than our tickets, we felt like we had a true all-American experience at a baseball game. The Mariners were even ahead until the top of the 9th inning when A Rod hit a triple and scored the winning run. Then the Yanks brought in their star closing pitcher, Rivera, which brought the game to an end very quickly. A bit of a bummer, but we had fun anyway!

Look at poor Leah. Can you tell she was hot?

Lainy might have had more fun watching the mascot than the actual game...

Leah finally fell asleep around the 7th inning when temps dropped into the 80's.

There's A Rod right before he hit his triple. I guess they keep him around for a reason...

We finished our night by getting fresh Krispy Kreme donuts with cold milk. Mmmmm.

Thanks for a fun night Mariners and Safeco Field!

Prayers for Preslee

I just found out about a tragic accident that happened last weekend to a couple I know in Rexburg. Their little 18-month-old baby girl fell into a canal. Two miles downstream, a farmer pulled her out of the water and started CPR. Amazingly, she's still alive. They're in Salt Lake City at Primary Children's Hospital waiting to see if she'll pull through.

So, if you would, pray for little Preslee and her family.

They are posting updates about her progress on their blog if you'd like stop by:
patrickandashley.blogspot.com

6 Months?

I cannot believe that this:

Has turned into this:

C-R-A-Z-Y

Isn't she the cutest baby ever?

People say she looks like me. Secretly, I'm thrilled.

I love her big brown eyes and the way they almost close shut when she smiles big (which is very often). I love that she smiles at anyone and everyone (even the scary looking homeless guy we saw yesterday). I love her cute little voice. I love that she sings/yells whenever she's excited. I love that she's sitting up all by herself. I love that she's eating bananas, sweet potatoes, and rice cereal (which means she's sleeping better too). I love that she is fascinated by her big sister and I'm excited for them to be good friends. Basically, I love everything about my little baby girl.

Except for the fact that she's growing way too fast!!

Happy half birthday Leah Girl! We love you to pieces!