Post-Boards Update

It has been a few weeks since the last update because I have been studying for my American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam.  Now that I've taken (and hopefully passed) the boards, here's an update of what we've been up to lately.

We've had an unseasonably warm October.  A couple weekends ago, we headed to the "Pumpkins in the Park" event at a local park. It was 85 degrees out, so we decided to ditch costumes for the kids so they wouldn't roast.  The event was just OK, but it was nice to get some fresh air (and a few cute photos). 

Sarah hanging out in the stroller while we waited in line to get into the event.

 Austin meeting a police officer and the McGruff police dog.

There was a "Trick or Treat Trail" put on by various local sponsors, then some games and a snack for the kids.  Here is Austin enjoying his cookie and juice.

And Sarah being smiley!

We have been enjoying playing outside too.  We got the bubbles out the other day and Sarah had a blast watching the bubbles and trying to pop them when they came close to her.

 Watching the bubbles float above her head.

Sarah is on the move these days.  She crawls pretty fast and climbs on everything she can find (including the fireplace which we still haven't gotten around to padding yet!).

One day she crawled under her exersaucer and smiled.

More fun with play time...

Climbing in her little play tent.

 She stands up and cruises really well now. Walking is not far away.

 What a happy girl!

Austin has been really excited about puzzles lately.  He got a few hand-me-down puzzles from cousin Alexis and has had tons of fun with them.  He's actually getting really good at them and is very proud when he completes the puzzle all by himself.

 Sarah wanted to sit at the big kid table too.

 Austin is also having fun learning to write his letters.  Here he is working on an "A for Austin".

 An unrelated picture...Sarah trying her first cracker.  She wasn't quite sure of what to think of it.

Last Saturday, we headed to Texas to combine a trip to see Gramma and PopPop (and Diana and Brian) with my trip to take my board exam.  We were lucky that there was a test site in Richardson, TX (which is about 15 miles from Gramma and PopPop in Allen, TX).  It worked out great and it was wonderful to see them and introduce Sarah to Diana ("Auntie PiPi") and Brian ("Cubby" - short for Crazy Uncle Brian).

In the airport ready to go...

Sarah on her first plane ride. 

We bought her a seat just like we did when we first flew with Austin (still worth every penny!).

She did great on the plane. She slept almost the whole way there and back. When she wasn't sleeping, she barely made a fuss. She had fun smiling and giggling at all the passengers around us.

Austin got to sit by the window and by Daddy.  He did great on the plane too (aided by his backpack full of books, crayons, and his portable DVD player).

 The kids had lots of fun exploring the toys at Gramma and PopPop's house.

 Sarah in the bouncer.

 And climbing on the piano toy.

Uncle Brian ("Cubby") with Sarah.

She smiled at him for a bit, but then got the "Where's my Mommy?" look on her face shortly thereafter.

 Austin out in the pasture with PopPop and the horses.

Austin had tons of fun with a big bubble wand

 ...and the dogs chased him around the yard trying to get the wand.

 We spent some time on Tuesday morning at a local park.

Sarah on the swings with PopPop.

They had a great big playground...

 And a water fountain park...

Austin wanted to go in the water, but didn't want to get his clothes wet, so he stripped down to his underpants (we convinced him to keep his underpants on) and then ran around in the water giggling and smiling the whole time.

Later, Gramma and PopPop took Austin birthday present shopping and then we headed to the outlet mall to get great deals at the Carter Outlet for clothes for the kids.

Austin got a marshmallow pumpkin pop along the way. Delicious and messy!

 And of course, he had to ride the space ship at the outlet mall.

 He got skates as one of his gifts, then had fun trying them out with Gramma.

 Woah!  Still trying to get steady on his feet...

 Playing blocks with Auntie PiPi...

Then "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your blocks down..." (he's been reading "The Three Little Pigs" lately).

We also got to watch some Cronk family home vidoes while we were in Texas.   It is impressive to see some of the same mannerisms in little Steve as we see in Austin.  Also, we discovered that Sarah looks a LOT like Diana when she was little.  Sarah has got my eyes, but the rest looks just like Diana!

That's all the photos and updates I've got for now.
I took the boards on Monday and have mixed feelings about how it went.  I feel like the second half of the day of testing was easier than the first half, but who knows?  I have been torturing myself by going over the questions in my head that I know I got wrong.  It doesn't bother me when they're tough ones I wasn't sure about and I guessed wrong.  What really bothers me are the ones that I knew and still got wrong.  Ugh!  Anyway, now its a waiting game.  I will hear about my score by January 15, though last year, they got results in early December, so I hope it is early again this year. 

Now its back to work for us. Austin has Thursday off school because of MEA.  We're going to head to Rochester for photos on Thursday, so stay tuned for Sarah's 9 month photos and Austin's 4 year old photos!