"Say That You Remember...Dancing in September!"

Another school year gets underway tomorrow for Emery and Addie. Each has evolved over the last year along with our family. As we get closer to the arrival of another little DeMill my thoughts have stepped into the realm of reflection. Our first year in Ohio zipped and bounced from one experience to another in similar fashion to a tornado on the plains...we had little to do with the twisted turns of fate life dealt us. We do not know what the future holds for us except for the small bits of concrete planning. This is how our first year went here. We didn't know what each day was bound to hold, but in retrospect it has been a grand journey so far.






















As September rolled around last year we were still greenies in the Midwest. We were continually adjusting and readjusting to our new surroundings. Our new home was in the final stages of construction, Emery became a full fledged school girl, Addie attended a head start funded by the district four days a week (they provided lunch for her every day. Let me tell you that was something to get used to, but I happily did it!) Shyler's intern year was underway and by September we were feeling like residency wasn't too painstakingly difficult. We were living in an apartment at the north end of Grove City that provided a spectacular view of the Columbus skyline and although some of the neighbors were a bit sketchy, it was home for the five months we resided there. It was a small living space, but we made memories there and we were happy. Dashle was a toothless little beefcake learning about the world around him and seemingly excited about life regardless of the circumstances.

We toured Kirtland last September, splashed in the waters of Lake Eerie, used our imagination time and again to turn a monotonous day into an eventful one. We laughed at ourselves and the silly games we invented, experienced our first, true bike parade and relished in our baby boy who had his first haircut this time last year and often felt content dozing off in any position or situation.


















"So what does this September hold?" you may ask. Things are a bit different this time around.


Shyler is a 2nd year resident now and considered a full-fledged orthopedic surgery guy. He has been flooded with the demands of his specialty since the official inception of his 2nd year. Dashle's toothless grin is gone, he is down to one nap a day, and he runs from one destination to another with little regard for debris or sisters laying on the floor. Emery is a 1st grader and her reading capabilities are soaring. We're excited about the progress she'll inevitably make this year and the leaps and bounds her education will incur. She and Addie are both playing soccer this fall and Emery will soon delve into piano lessons. Addie is still doing preschool, but with a twist this year. She is going to be a peer model in a classroom which also welcomes IEP children (kids with special needs). We anxiously anticipate the great friendships she'll develop with kids from different walks of life and the growth she'll experience as her peers and teachers look to her to be an example. As for me, well I admit at least physically things are very, very different. Big belly, chubby face, waddling instead of a normal stride, hot tempered, tears on a whim, you get the picture.









































September 2009: Look for another edition of Britt's reflections to kick off a new school year. Here are some topics bound to grace the pages of this blog:

Baby #4: Four Kids! What were we thinking?
Addie's Kindergarten Year: Ahh! Finally!
Residency Year #3 Underway: Shyler? What's a Shyler?
Dashle! Drop that Hammer: How to prevent your two year old from destroying a new home.
Pregnant No More: Why am I still cranky?

Discuss amongst yourselves.