Merry Christmas

What a blessed Christmas we had this year! It was so much fun to see Samantha open presents and have a good time with her cousins. Christmas Eve started off going to church and then going over to my parents house with Grandpa and the Workmans. It was such a nice night. Dinner, and presents and great conversations with everyone. Samantha had such a fun time with cousin Emily. They played together the whole night. Samantha got a laptop from Leap Frog from Aunt Beth & Uncle Bob! She LOVES it!!!! She played with it all night long!!! After everyone left, we opened up presents with my family! Samantha had so much fun handing out presents to everyone. Samantha got a grocery cart from Auntie JuJu and Uncle Matt, Sit and Spin from Uncle Jeff and a big house from Oma & Papa! She was in heaven! We stayed at my parents till about 1230am drove home.When we got home we left crackers & orange juice for Santa...that is what Samantha wanted to give him. She was so excited and didn't want to go to sleep so we told her Santa was on the roof and that she needed to go to sleep before Santa would come in the house! She was out in no time. We woke her up on Christmas morning and she was so happy that Santa came! So we opened up presents from Pete & Debby she got a Dora tent, some dvd's, a couple of games. She had so much fun opening presents. Her present from Jim and I was a kitchen set! It is so cool looking! I can't wait until Jim puts it together! After we opened presents we then went to my mom & dad's and spent the day with them and Uncle Ron, Aunt Liz, Don, Megan & Peter! Samantha and Peter have so much fun together! Her laugh makes everyone want to laugh when she is with him! Samantha got a drum, and a few more other musical instruments! She loves them! We went back to Pete & Debby's later that night and she played with her other cousins. It was so cute...Debby & Aunt Marilee got the kids monkey pj's and matching slippers. They all looked so cute!
All in all it was a great Christmas! We have so much to be thankful for again! I hope that everyone had a Blessed Christmas

Happy 6th Anniversary!

Happy 6th Anniversary to my wonderful husband! What another great year we have had! We have actually spend more time this year in the same house and same state than we have in the past 3 years! It's been wonderful to go to bed with you everynight and to wake up next to you every morning! We have gone through a lot this year. A lost job, a lost sale on the condo, damage to our condo that we weren't sure what we were going to do, but in hindsight none of that matters. What matters is the love that you and I have for each other. This next year has so many positive things ahead of us! We find out in a couple of months where you/we will be for residency, medical school graduation, and a new job. I can't spend the next year and the next 60 years with you! I love you :)

Prayer

Please pray for the Bonnema family today. I have attached her link to see what her prayer is.

http://ourlittlemiracle.blogspot.com/

Fashion Friday

Thankful

Is thankful for so many things this year

1. God
2. wonderful husband
3. family
4. a healthy child
5. for family who helps out when ever we need them
6. friends near and far
7. a job
8. a roof over our head
9. food in our stomachs
10. med school is almost finished

"Give thanks with a grateful heart" <3

Kid's Say the Darnest Things

Conversation this morning while lying in bed

Samantha: mommy an idea
Mommy: what's your idea
S: let's go to mommy's house
M: mommy doesn't have a house
S: oh nuts

Last night Samantha playing with her Little People Nativity set

Samantha: mommy i need a spoon
Mommy: why do you need a spoon
S: baby Jesus is hungry
M: good enough reason for me

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin Patch

Jim had Monday off and since it was a nice day out, we decided to go to Konow's Corn Maze. Samantha had so much fun. She loved all of the pumpkins and was picking up all of them. It was nice because not a lot of people were there because it was a weekday and that all the kids were in school. So Samantha was able to have a lot of fun and I didn't have to worry about her getting hurt. Once we were there, there was a huge jumpee thing that Samantha and Jim went on, then she climbed through the haystack playground and went through the tunnels, then her and Jim went on a tractor ride in a cow ride and then we went on a hay ride. She LOVED it! After the hay ride we went a big corn pit and then to the petting farm! There were a bunch of little piglets and Samantha was so giddy with them!
Once we got home we carved the pumpkins. Samantha had so much fun looking at all of the gross stuff inside. She was so happy to see the face cut out on her pumpkin. It was so nice to have a family day...just the 3 of us :)

Auntie JuJu & Uncle Matt's Wedding

My beautiful sister
My little flower girl

JuJu, Matt & Samantha


3 of us
my little dancing queen

My sister Julie got married this weekend!!! Despite the rain in the morning, her wedding was absolutely beautiful! She looked amazing! All 3 of us were in the wedding and we all had so much fun! Samantha did great as the flower girl, even though Jim had to walk down with her she threw her leaves and everyone loved it! She did so good and slept on the way to the reception hall and then partied with us all night long! We changed her into some cute halloween pj at the end of the night! We love you Julie and Matt!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet little princess

Happy Birthday to our sweet little girl! You are an amazing little girl and I can't believe how fast 2 years has gone. She had such a great birthday! It was small and inimate and she had so much fun! Uncle Jeff brought home a blow up Jump thingy and Samantha and Peter jumped for hours in there! This year we had a Dora the Explorer themed party...everything was Dora! She loved opening up presents and she opened them up so delicately too. She loved when we all sang happy birthday to her...she even sang along. It took her 3 times to blow out her candle and when she did she was so excited!

Some fun facts
Samantha weighs - 30.4 lbs - 90%
Samantha height - 37 in - off the charts

loves Dora, Barney, Wonder Pets, & Calliou
loves being read to
loves playing with her dolls
loves to color
loves being outside
loves going to the park
loves to swing and go down the slide
loves walking to the pond to feed the fish

She is a picky eater
will eat any type of fruit
will not touch veggies - so i have supplemented with other things to give her the viatmins she needs for the time being
loves chicken, hot dogs, sausage pizza
loves chocolate (she is my daughter)

loves to talk to anyone who will listen
loves to sing - papa is happy b/c none of us can carry a tune
She loves her Oma, Papa, Mimi and Bob (grandpa)
loves to talk to Jim on the phone when he isn't around

She has been putting sentences together now for a while. She doesn't use sign language too much anymore since she can now speak what she wants.
Jim and I have truely been blessed with such a great baby girl. She just goes along with everything we are doing without any crying or fussing. We couldn't of asked for a better baby during medical school. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of things during this past year, but I have pictures upon pictures to remember some of the other special moments with her.

LMU-DCOM in the News

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=136214&catid=2&sms_ss=facebook

How cool is this...a new medical school in Harrogate, TN already getting national publicity :)

Is Ready!!

I'm ready for this whole medical school thing to be over
I'm ready to find out where Jim will be doing is residency
I'm ready to have a house of my own again
I'm ready to be able to live our life as a family
I'm ready to be settled in a place that I know I won't have to pick up and move again in a year
I'm ready to be the mom to Samantha I know I can be
I'm ready to stop stressing out over all of the little things
I'm ready to be the wife to Jim I used to be
I'm ready to find out if this is all really worth it
I'm ready to sell the condo and move onto something else
I'm ready for our lives to start
I'm ready to start living

Where did it go???

This has been Samantha biggest phrase this month! We have been playing a lot of hide 'n seek lately. She is learning how to pretend a lot more too. It's so much fun to see her use her imagination. Whether its her changing her baby's diaper or feeding her baby or coloring with Barney or playing with her trains.
Also, where did this month go? What a busy month it has been. Julie, my sister, had her first wedding shower! It was a beautiful day and she received a lot of wonderful things. People are so generous. I have been working for a month now. It's going alright. I haven't done much accounting work. I am more of this personal assistant. I have organized his office, got all his bills together and starting to get everything on a schedule for him. It's been kind of crazy, but I think this is going to work out. He seems to be very apprecitive of everything that I have been doing, so it makes it a little more worth it. It's only 2 days a week and Samantha is enjoying her time with "bob" this is what she calls Jim's dad...not grandpa or Pete, which is his real name...nope it's bob!
Today is Jim's last day of Cardiology. Thank goodness!!! This was a very long rotation. He left at 7am and didn't get home until 8 or later everynight. It's so funny how things change because last year at this time he was so into Cardiology...this is what he thought he wanted to do. He has now decided to do EM. He has all of his residency applications in and he has 2 interviews so far! We are hoping that he gets into to St. James in Olympia Fields, IL for either EM or the EM/IM residency. I can't wait to see what God has instore for us in these next 9 months. "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord."

Leg Cramps...again :(

So it begins again...Samantha keeps waking up around 2-3am screaming like someone is trying to kill her. We bring her in bed with us and just rub her legs until she falls back asleep. Sometimes its one minute other times its 10-15 minutes. Hopefully its just temporary and we can get back to all sleeping much better at night! Although her growth spurt is coming at a good time. At least she is still wearing shorts so I don't have to go out and buy more clothes until fall comes. I just love buying her clothes, but I'm trying to refrain from buying fall/winter clothes right now until she absolutely needs them!

Crazy busy summer

This has been one of the craziest, but of the most summers I have had in a long time! In the beginning I packed up a house in a week and moved back to Chicago with Jim & Samantha! Jim has started his 4th year and is LOVING it so far! He has taken STEP II & COMLEX PE and we are waiting to hear if he passes, but I'm sure he did and with great scores! He has decieded that he wants to do EM! I'm so happy to hear this, because I know he will be a great doctor. He is so great in pressure situations. He has already done an EM rotation at the hospital he wants for residency and loved it!
Samantha and I took a road trip to Manitawish Waters, WI for a great week with my aunt & uncle and their family and my Oma (grandma in dutch) & Papa! We had a great time at their cottage. Samantha had a lot of 1st's. She was on a boat for the first time. Swimming in a lake for the first time. She had her first bon fire. She did great and loved every minute of it. I was a nervous wreck going there alone with her, but I think I did a good job myself of not freaking out everytime she got close to the lake. She had a great time with her cousin Peter and she kept up with him every step of the way!
Samantha and I have spent a lot of time at the pool and she is getting more daring each time we go! Samantha and I have had a lot of bonding time this summer. I can't believe she is going to be 2 in 2 short months! She is just simply AMAZING! She communicates so well and is speaking in all sentences. She has learned a lot of sign language and still uses it occassionally even though she knows how to say it! She LOVES to color, play with her babies and her trains. She loves to play outside with bubbles and chalk. I swear I have gone through 10 huge bottles of bubbles this summer! It has been a blast!
Well that's it for now!

God is Good

Please keep praying...God is doing great things and will continue to do great things!
Brooklyn Hope we are praying for you :)

http://ourlittlemiracle.blogspot.com/2010/07/she-is-here.html

My Little Waterbug

Today we made the our first trip of the year to Palos Heights Pool! We had so much fun there. Samantha was a little waterbug and didn't want to come out of the pool after 3 hours! I decided that we were going to walk to the pool. It's only about a mile away. So I packed everything up, put Samantha in the stroller and away we went. It was a beautiful day, we have had so many crappy days lately that I just wanted to be outside! We had a great walk to the pool. Samantha saw many butterflies, chipmunks, birds and airplanes. She was so excited! When sitting at the pool watching Samantha play, I sat back and realized how blessed I am. I'm able to stay home with my little peanut and watch her grow and learn new things everyday. She just amazes me with what she does and how she figure things out. I have a husband who is working so hard in his last year of school and will be able to provide for us. I have my family and my in-laws who are so loving and giving to all 3 of us.
Anyway, so we were at the pool for 3 hours and enjoying our time. I do have some complaints about the pool. I really think they should put an age restriction on how old the child is to be in the kiddie pool. I mean really do 10 year old need to be in there knocking over my child? I think every child who is NOT potty trained SHOULD have to wear a swimmer diaper. I can't tell you how many times I had to ask another child to give Samantha the toy back that she was playing with. I understand if she put it down and walked away, but grabbing it out of her hand is totally unacceptable. Some parents just don't pay attention to what their kids are doing and it irrates the crap out of me! We will continue to go to the pool unless things just get way out of hand. And if it were up to Samantha, we would have been at the pool until it closed! All in all it was a great day!

She finally got the ball

Having a good time with the bucket

just kicking in the water!

splashing...splashing

getting ready to head home!

Croup

This is one sickness I hope Samantha will never get again...but for some reason I don't think this will be the last time. It started last weekend when Mimi (Jim's mom) came home not feeling well at all...the next day I came down with it and then the following day Samantha got sick. She had a 102 temp for 3 days. Luckily, I had setup Samantha at a new peditrican here in Palos. The funny thing is, is that it is the same peditrican I had gone too! I LOVE them, so I wanted Samantha to go there as well. Anyway, the poor girl didn't sleep for 2 nights, she was up coughing, coughing, coughing...well you get the idea...all night long! Poor girl just didn't know what to do. At one point, we thought she had stopped breathing. We freaked out and called the peds doc in the morning. They saw her right away and came to the conclusion of Croup. So she has been on a steriod for a few days, we took some steam showers, her fever has broken, so I think she is on her way of getting back to herself!

On to 4th year!

Cheers...Cheers to the 4th years!!!

You have made it through another year Jim. Samantha and I couldn't be more proud of you. Just one year left and you will offically be Dr. James Kowalczyk!
Jim has finished his 3rd year and again, did very well! All of his 4 year rotations are set up and the light at the end of the tunnel keeps getting brighter and brighter! Jim is still deciding if he wants to do EM or IM/cardiology or a EM/IM residency. He has various rotations setup in both of those fields, so hopefully he can decide which of these he likes better. We have offically left TN and are back in Palos Heights, living with Jim's parents for the next year. God Bless both of our families as we have invaded both houses with our stuff and Samantha's toys. I know they all couldn't be happier that we are back home, as I am, but I also feel bad that we have taken over! We will be here for the next year until we know where we are going to be at for residency...hopefully we can just stay put in our little suburb of Chicago. All in all the move went well. Jim and I loaded the truck ourselves...yes ourselves...our movers NEVER showed up. Thank God for Nick coming over and helping Jim move the big stuff on the truck! It took Jim and I about 8 hours to load the truck...it was a very LONG night. We drove the truck in on Saturday and then on Sunday we had a TON of help from family unloading the truck into our storage unit. Everything we need is unpacked and put into its place. I just keep telling myself this is only temporary and next year we will have our own house again. We are VERY grateful for our families and for them to allow for us to do this. It's going to be a great year! Onto EM Jim goes :)

Packing...Packing...Packing

So our plans have changed once again thanks to LMU-DCOM. At the last minute, Jim's ER Core rotaion at Morristown-Hamblen Hospital fell through. So Jim had to find a new rotation ASAP. Luckily, the school was letting him pick where he wanted to do it and he found out that St. James in Olympia Fields, IL, which is like 25 minutes from where our parents live, has not one student rotating during that time! It was like God telling us this is where you need to be!! This is also Jim's #1 spot for residency! Therefore, since we now have to move back to Chicago a month early, I had to fly down one way and get the entire house packed up! It has been a crazy week! Also, my parents are wonderful and offered to keep Samantha with them for the week! So Samantha has had plenty of time with Oma, Papa, Auntie Ju Ju & Uncle Jeff! She has been so good all week...although the first night was pretty bad...she was looking for me all night! Makes me so sad. I miss her running around all over, but I know it was the best thing. I was able to get the house packed up and not have to worry about her getting hurt! So we have the house packed, the moving truck is coming and we are heading back to Chicago tomorrow for good...hopefully!

Let the Countdown Begin

One year from today LMU-DCOM will have their first graduating class!!! Jim will then be Dr. Jim Kowalczyk!!!! So excited to see what God has in store for us in this next year!

19 months

Over this last month, Samantha has been talking more and more and even starting to put sentences together. She is always so polite saying please and thank you. She is still siging for things even though she knows how to speak them now. Her sleep patterns are still irregular at night, but we have been traveling a lot now so I don't mind her sleeping with me anymore. She is such a cuddle bug and sleeps well. She really is such a happy baby and a good baby. She adapts to anything and everything! There were even a few days that we were really busy that she didn't even nap and she just kept going with the flow. Over the last month, she has almost learned how to ride her tricycle. It's almsot there. A little more practice and I'm sure she has it! Some of her new phrases include:
- i don't know

- where she/he go?

- i know

- bath please

- fishy eat

- no thank you

On other news, Jim is almost done with his 3rd year!!! So exciting! He has one more rotation in TN and at the end of June we officially make the move back to Chicago! I'm so excited. We will be living with my in-laws for the next year as Jim does various rotations in Chicago and in Michigan and then he will be back in TN next year for a couple of rotations. The end is almost near and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter each day! We are so proud of him.

Samantha & Uncle Jeff on his graduation day

My brother Jeff graduated this past weekend from Olivet Nazerne University with his degree in Criminal Justice. He is still in the process of looking for a job, but I know God has something wonderful in store for him. The perfect job will come along. My sister's wedding is getting close only a few more months away. She has picked up her dress and the bridesmaid dresses are now in too! She has almost finished registering. This summer is going to be CRAZY, but it is going to be so much fun!!!

18 months

Happy 18 month birthday baby girl! Where has 18 months gone? You make me laugh everyday!Here are some things you have learned over the last 6 months

- learned to eat by yourself with a fork & spoon although every once in a while you still want mommy's help
- eating more table food than baby food
- you know what sounds a cow, horse,sheep, cat, monkey, dog & cat make
- your favorite meal of the day is breakfast - you love pancakes and french toast
- you love to cuddle with Oma
- you love to play with your babies
- you love to be outside
- you love to feed Uncle Jeff's fish with Papa
- you have learned how to go up and down stairs
- you know sign lanugage for "more" "i love you" "milk" "please" and "help" and Auntie Ju Ju has been trying to teach you more
- your favorite TV show by far is The Wonder Pets
- you love to dance to music
- you have all of your teeth in and your 2 yr molars are coming in already
- you watch races with grandpa
- you love to hug and kiss
- you know where your eyes, nose, mouth, hair , head, arms, legs and ears are
- you have attempted, and almost succeeded in getting out of your crib
- you love to pretend to talk on the phone
- your vocabulary consists of
mama
dada
oma
papa
mimi
bob (this is what you call grandpa)
Ju Ju (this is Auntie Julie)
yes
no
up
baby
i don't know
nite nite
nose
eye
thanks
hi
bye-bye
fish
doggie

I'm sure there are more that I'm missing, but I think that is a good list

Samantha you have been such a trooper over these last 18 months. We have moved once and we have traveled many times back and forth from Tenneessee to Chicago. You do great in the car. Although sleeping hasn't been your thing for the last few months, its ok. I love waking up to you kissing me and saying "up mama". You are such a lovie. You have been going to bed about 8:30 pm and waking at 3:00 am to come in bed with me and then sleeping until 7:30. You also are taking a 2 hour nap still in the afternoon (please don't stop this...mommy LOVES this time).

What more can I say Samantha, you are the center of our world and we love every minute of it. You have so much love. These next 6 months are going to be so much fun. You are learning something new everyday. Samantha we love you more than words can say! Happy 18 month birthday baby girl!

Easter

He is Risen...He is Risen Indeed!!
This Easter was different than the others. It was Samantha and I up in Chicago. Jim had just finished a rotation and couldn't come up becuase the next one started on Monday. So I wasn't sure what Easter was going to entail for me. I usually go to Good Friday service, but this year I opted out. I didn't want to put Samantha in nursery, as she doesn't do very well in there, and I stayed and spent time with my brother, Jeff and his girlfriend Allison and we made the desserts for Easter. I did go Easter morning with Samantha. It was a wonderful service. I always feel uplifted everytime I leave. The rest of the day consisted of being at my in-laws and everyone was over for dinner and then we had the annual Easter Egg Hunt with the entire Kiers family! What a blast that is. Since Jim wasn't there, Auntie Ju Ju helped Samantha find eggs. There were hundreds of eggs. Some with candy and some with notes to get prizes that didn't fit. Samantha got, bubbles, princess pillow, Easter beenie baby, some DVD's & books.

Spring is in the Air

The weather over the last week has been great! Samantha has enjoyed the outdoors all week and has had so much fun. We have spent time outside by Oma & Papa's, she has gone for many walks in her wagon, she has gone to the pond to feed the fish, and has watched many of Uncle Alec's baseball games. We have enjoyed the last 2 months in Chicago so much. Here are a few pictures of this past week

Uncle Alec playing baseball

3rd Year Almost Complete!!

As we continue on with this wonderful journey called medical school, I can't believe Jim's 3rd year is almost complete. Only 2 more months and it's done! Jim just has 2 months of IM left of his cores and then he moves on. Over the last few months Jim has completed OB/GYN, Surgery, Psych, and Peds. He has enjoyed all of them, but he still continues to want to do either Cardiology or Emergency Medicine. He is actually looking into getting certified in both since he can't decide what he wants to do.
He has almost all of his 4th year rotations scheduled. Almost all of them are in Chicago with a couple of them in Michigan. Jim is taking STEP II of COMLEX and the PE exam in July and then he can start applying for residency. I'm so excited for the next year in our lives. We are hoping that he can get residency in Chicago so we can be back with all our famiy and friends again!

Piggy Tails

I have been waiting for this day since the day she was born! I was so happy when I was told Samantha was a girl! I wanted a little girl to dress and to put in piggy tails! She can be such a little fashionista sometimes! Here are her first piggy tails!

A fun GIVEAWAY!!!

Chronicals of a Babywise Mom is hosting a giveaway! It's a blanket that will stay on while taking a walk! It's such a great idea! I know I have the issue of keeping blankets on Samantha while we take a walk! Check it out here http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2010/03/prodcut-review-piggies-in-blanket.html

Growing Spurts

We were doing so well. Sleep came back to Samantha and it has been taken away AGAIN!!! She is going through another growing spurt. Her poor legs are hurting her. I have to rub them multiple times in the middle of the night to get her to fall back asleep. My MIL told me last night the same thing happen to Jim. She said he would wake up screaming with leg cramps for hours at night. I hope that doesn't happen to Samantha, but I'm guessing its going to.

On another note, Samantha had her 1st haircut the other day too. She looks so much better now that her bangs are out of her eyes. It made her look so grown up. I can't believe how big she is getting and how much she changes on a daily basis. She is such a joy to have and makes us all laugh and smile each day. Her other new milestone is that she is now sliding down the stairs. This makes me VERY nervous, but she is doing such a good job; knock on wood, she hasn't fallen down any stairs yet :)

On our way Getting her hair cutAll done :)

All on her own!

So Friday night, Jim and I decided to go to Applebees for dinner with Samantha. As we are sitting there, I'm starting to feed Samantha "her food" and she grabs the spoon from me and starts feeding herself!!! I was shocked...I mean she knows how to pick up food and put in her mouth and occasionally she will get something on her fork but for the most part she just uses her fingers. She ate the whole container of sweet potatoes on her own! So we decided to then order her Mac and Cheese from the kids menu. She ate that too! All of it with a fork!!! She is getting so big. I joke that she doesn't need me anymore to help her with things, but I know she will always need me. It just she is going through all of these big milestones and I feel like she is growing up so fast. I thing I do know is that daughters ALWAYS need there mothers and I want Samantha to know that I will always be there for her.

Girls Weekend

Last weekend was so much fun! All of the DCOM girls got together for the weekend. We had so much fun. Lots of catching up, sharing all of our happiness and struggles that we are all having, hot tubs, wine, and great food (thanks Shelia) . It was a great relaxing weekend for me to get refreshed. I LOVE Samantha more than anything, but it was great to have a weekend to myself. Jim and Samantha bonded all weekend and she did really well for him...I was kind of nervous, but it all turned out well.
Here is the cabin that we stayed at: http://www.cabinsofthesmokymountains.com/gatlinburg-cabin-rental/Smoky_Mountain_Lodge.html

Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

Here's to a new year!

Happy new year...about a month late!

Well here is to a happy and healthy 2010! 2009 was a challenge. I lost my job in April, and Jim was starting his 3rd year in medical school. We were both shocked and confused, but in the end it has worked out 100%.
Goals for 2010:
1. Lose weight for Julie's (my sisters) wedding in October 23, 2010.
2. We sell the condo
3. Jim conquers and passes STEP 2 of COMLEX and PE
4. Start and catch up with Samantha scrapbook
5. We start talking about adding a little sister or brother for Samantha (also reason why goal 1 is in place)

I think this is a good list to start with. I know as the year progresses, goals will come and goals will change.