Some Highlights from our OBX Trip

feeling better

So, I am fine now. Things have become a little more normal for us and I am going to make it here just fine. I really appreciate all the emails and calls I received in response to my whiny, frustrated email last week and just want to tell you all thank you for being the best friends and family ever!!We had a great weekend together as a family- we went to the beach, Sunken Meadow State Park, about 25 minutes away and it was really beautiful and fairly relaxing. We also met some great dogs and kids that live here in the apts. and the kids' favorite evening activity now is to go throw balls to all the dogs outside on the big lawn in front of our place. The kids and I took a walk the other day to a park that has a pond with ducks, a swimming pool and fun trails so I am enjoying finding the new places around us. There are so many restaurants and every store you could ever want (H&M's everywhere!) or imagine within 10-15 min. Manhasset is a beautiful area of NYC and we are lucky to be in such a great place. Dave is very happy with his residency so far and comes home saying, "I am so glad we decided to come here" everyday. The people are very friendly and just love the kids and love seeing Dave in his "dad" role since they knew him w/o kids for the whole month. He's excited about the training he's receiving here at North Shore University Hospital (that's the name of the hospital for those of you who keep asking- "now, what hospital is it?") and thinks it's pretty cool that he gets to wear black scrubs- he looks great in them!Our ward is very exciting, since it just became a ward in Nov. 2006 and there is lots of service to do! It is about 50% Hispanic and the missionaries translate sacrament meeting and the relief society divides for the lesson, Spanish and English. I was called to be the secretary and a teacher in the RS and Dave as a counselor in the Elder's Quorum. He has been out with the Bishop three nights this week alone, and just got home tonight from speaking at a funeral of a man he met on Sunday (he past away later that night very unexpectedly). He is speaking at the Bishop's youth fireside on Sunday and just loves all these opportunities. I think the Bishop is pretty excited to have a good, right-hand man. The Primary has about 12 kids, but Zanna and James both had a great time on Sunday. I just love the way the church is the same everywhere you go and you always feel loved and accepted no matter where you are.This is long, so I will go, but we are happy and look forward to visits from Dale, Mindy and Bryce, Mom and Dad Mumford and anyone else who wants to come!!Love you all,Mel

long day on Long Island

So, here I am in Long Island and I am exhausted!!I had one of the worst parenting days of my career today and I haven't seen the sun since I got here- which many of you know makes me unhappy. But, I am confident that things can't get any worse, so I look forward to a better day tomorrow and a whole weekend with Dave home. Since I am so used to days without him, I feel like any time he is around is just an amazing bonus in life. That month apart was good training for me on how to survive residency.Anyway, this morning I tried to go grocery shopping with the kids and I barely survived. James was the worst he has ever been and my arm hurt so bad by the end from trying to hold him and push the cart at the same time. I had to hold him so tight cause he was squirming and wanting to get down, but every time he got down he was either running away from me or trying to open something or pull the bottom item off a beautiful stacked display. He also was eating ice off the raw meat freezer and turning and running the other way every time I said "please, come here James." I was one of those pathetic moms chasing their kid down the isle at the store and then once I finally picked him up, he would hit me in the face and yell "NO!" It was awful. It took all I had to not do the same to him. The whole situation was worse because I couldn't stand looking at the price tags in the store. I paid $4.40 for a gallon of milk and yogurts were $1.00!! (I didn't buy those ones.) I need to do some grocery store research 'cause it cost a pretty penny for what I bought today. Then, to make things even better, I accidently went in the isle where you have to bag your own groceries. By this time, James was laying on the floor by the bags in everyone's way while I bagged everything and tried to get out of there as fast as a I could. After strapping him in with a fight, we were on the road and when I pulled up to our parking lot I realized that I didn't have the parking pass that lifts the arm-thing to get into the close parking lot. So, I headed to the main entrance of the hospital to see if I could go grab it from Dave, who was having an awesome shift in the ED. I ended up leaving the kids and the groceries with the valet parking guy who said I had 10 minutes or else I would have to pay $5. Well, I had no idea where I was going, and after winding my way to the Emergency Dept., which is huge, I finally found a second year resident who knew Dave and led me to him. I had to interrupt a class to get the parking pass, and everyone's first impression of me is the sweaty, stressed-out mom who leaves her kids with total strangers in New York! Anyway, it took me 14 minutes to get back to the van and I had to talk my way out of the $5 bucks, because that is a whole gallon of milk! They let me go and James had fallen asleep so I was a little relieved since he always transfers well to his bed, and I just couldn't wait for nap time.Well, not today. With James in one arm, and load of groceries in the other I head up the path to our building and the sound of the elevator woke him up and by the time we are to the apt. he was fully awake asking for food!! AHHHHHHHH! So, I send him and Zanna inside and tell them to stay inside since I have to go back down to the car to get the rest of the load. My arms are aching by this point and the humid, thick air is not helping the situation or my hair, for that matter. Anyway, when I come back up there are James and Zanna at the elevator and he has spilled a whole bunch of pretzels on the floor outside the elevator. I gave the bag to Zanna and told her to go to the apt. While James and I clean up his mess. Zanna obeyed, but set the bag of pretzels on the edge of the counter and the whole thing falls over and empties onto our kitchen floor. I was so done at this point and sent them to their room for "quiet time" so that I could calm down and not yell my head off. I told them not to talk to me for a little while and I just relfected on everything that happened and thought- this couldn't get worse. It didn't, I got a few minutes to myself, and them we had a fun wrestling/tickling match to become friends again. I made good dinner for them and after threatning early bed time many times, they finally ate all their food. I think they are adjusting well- NOT!!!! They were spoiled and entertained for 6 weeks in Utah and now they just have us (usually just me) and a whole new home. I'm sure it will get better, it has to.Really though, it is so wonderful to be back together as a family and the reunion at the airport was a lot of fun. James told Dave about his party the whole way home and Zanna never stopped talking until she fell asleep. I think Dave was a little surprised how much energy it takes to be with them, but he loved all the attention he got too. He has done so much cleaning, organizing, and arranging and the apartment looks really great and will be a great home for us. We still have some decorating to do, but I really was impressed with how set-up and ready the place is. We look forward to any visitors!Well this is a marathon email, but I had to write to get it out and to look back on when we are all settled. I am making it a goal to never go grocery shopping with both of the kids again, we'll see if that works!Anyway, thanks for listening and it was so wonderful to be with most of you and we miss you all like crazy.I'm going to bed-Melanie