Snow December 19th

After the big snowfall I took the boys up the street and we stomped across a local potato field to this stone wall where the kids ate snow and admired the beautiful snow covered
land. Here is Jack, Sarah Nolan and Cole taking a little rest.

Our little snow angel. She's still getting used to the cold.

Raggedy Andy at his holiday show. He was so proud.

Jack got to hold the American flag for the anthem.

I'm not kidding, this picture was taken the night before the snow storm. The kids wanted to eat dinner outside in the freezing cold. They are nuts!


The kids are playing together in the next room and I don't hear screaming, just laughing. So I'll take this gift of a moment to update our blog. We were blessed with a snow storm yesterday and wow it is beautiful. I had missed the experience of snow during our two years in Guam, so today I am extra thankful. The kids have been outside more than inside since the snow started at 2:24 (yes, they were watching the clock) yesterday. Cole went right outside and began to try to scrape the small amount of fallen snow on the deck into a pile. I had to laugh, knowing that in about an hour the deck would be covered. After helping Tom shovel after dinner we all sat on the couch and enjoyed a Christmas movie. In our house that is a rare occurrence (all three kids sitting in one place for more than 2 minutes) so it was extra nice. The next morning at 7:30 they were back in their snow gear and out the door to play. The sleds came out and the boys and I went sledding up the hill with the Nolan family. These are the days the kids will remember always.

School was canceled on Friday morning due to the impending snow, but fortunately it didn't start too early and we were able to enjoy Silveira School's annual holiday show. Jack had a special part in it and was so proud to be Raggedy Andy. He and Raggedy Ann sang a flopsy song together. Priceless. After all was said and done Jack told me that when he volunteered to be Raggedy Andy he thought that his costume was a jet pack. Don't ask me where he got that idea. Instead he got to wear red pants, long socks and a red wig and hat. He was such a good sport about it. Cole was happy to be able to watch his brother and he manned the cameras.

We're looking forward to Christmas. Tom will be on call for two weeks starting on Monday, but we will still be able to travel to Annie's house where we will see my entire family! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully Kristin's dog Yankee, who is Opal's daddy, will be OK by Christmas, for he had emergency surgery yesterday because a sock ball caused an obstruction. As many of you know, we had our own sock experience with Opal, so it must run in the family. Opal, poor thing, is recovering from two bad experiences. First, I tried to cut her nails for the first time and went a little too far. She's been wearing our socks on her paw for 2 days now. Then, she helped herself to Haven's HUGE bowl of grapes, which are poisonous. We had to induce vomiting yesterday and today she was understandably very sad. She is suspicious of dog food now, looking to see if it's mixed with hydrogen peroxide. Tom hears her upstairs as we write this and is asking me if there is anything up there we need to worry about. Oh, the joys of pet ownership.

Happy Holidays

This past Sunday Cole woke us at 7 AM to tell us about the snow and we were out playing in it by 7:15 (minus snow boots which I ordered yesterday). Haven has never seen snow, and Jack doesn't remember it, so it was extra special for everyone. We were able to make a snowman before church, but when we got home he had fallen to the ground. So sad. We're waiting for the next snow so we can rebuild him. Jack isn't in this picture because he doesn't like to be cold. Poor thing only remembers warm sunny Guam :)


Tom found Opal's surprise as he rolled Frosty's body :)

I love this picture because I have a black and white picture of Cole doing this very thing at age 4.

Jack before the cold got to him.

Haven enjoying her first snow ever!

We took this picture on the way home from getting our Christmas tree at a local farm. I stopped the car and had Cole get out to take it. He did a pretty good job!

The owner of this Christmas tree farm built this Santa out of old WWII buoys. Took him 8 months to complete it. Santa and also Frosty the Snowman greet us every day as I drive Jack to school.

Finally, here are the kiddos at Cole's insect project demonstration at Melville school. He made a model of a leaf insect and did such a great job!

Give Thanks

Celebrating mom's 60th!

My three beautiful sisters.

Fantastic dinner at Cav restaurant in Providence

Thanksgiving dinner at the Varneys' house

Three thankful children


The Varney family has a lot to be thankful this fall. Time with family, good health, adjustment to our new home and schools, new friends, new church family, ... the list goes on and on. Last week Tom and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We also celebrated my mother's 60th birthday. For Thanksgiving we traveled to New York to celebrate with the Varney gang. What a wonderful weekend it was. The kids woke the first morning to a 5 minute spell of flurries. Cole immediately ran outside and stood with his mouth wide open, trying to catch the flakes in his mouth. Jack looked all over for his shoes and by the time he found them the snow stopped. Poor kid. We keep reminding him that there is more to come. The Varney kids are truly dreaming of a white Christmas this year. It's always hard to say goodbye when we leave, but we are truly thankful that we are only a few hours away and not halfway around the globe. That being said, we really miss our Guam friends and think of them often!

Fall 2008

Good thing Haven had her bathing suit on at the beach today!

Jack didn't have a bathing suit on, but that didn't matter

Fall trees in Rhode Island

Jack and Haven at a local farm

Jack, Cole and Ryan on our Sunday hike

Cole, Haven and Jack

We love fall! The only thing missing in Cole's opinion is leaves in our yard. We have a few border trees but not much yet. Cole has tried to make a pile to jump in but it's pretty small. From what I hear we need to drive to upstate New York where Gramma and Grampa Varney have more leaves than they know what to do with! Save us some for when we visit over Thanksgiving! It really has been a beautiful fall. I appreciate it so much more now that we are home. Today was parent teacher conference day and so the kids were off. We spent the day with some friends and ended up at the beach at around 2 PM. It was about 60 degrees. When I told Haven we were going to the beach she insisted on putting on her bathing suit. She didn't understand that we don't swim in the ocean in the fall. I let her wear it under her clothes and she was happy. Needless to say, she went swimming despite the temperature :) Jack ended up in the water too.

The Varney gang is doing great despite one bout of croup and stuffy noses this past week. Tis the season! Cole is doing great in school and making some friends. We went hiking with his new friend Ryan at a beautiful sanctuary this past weekend. Jack has lots of new friends at school and just loves it. We are so glad we decided to give him another year to mature before starting kindergarten. Tonight he was so cute at bedtime. He told me I couldn't buy him anymore stuffed animals for his birthday because he won't know what to name it. If you saw his collection of stuffed animals you'd understand why! Haven is sweet and sour these days, but more sweet than sour of course.

Tom is not very busy at work but it gives him lots of quality time at home. I'm thankful for that. As for me, the kids and Opal keep me busy 24-7. I've enjoyed seeing my family over recent months. Sometimes I think about going back to work and I try to do medical reading here and there so I don't forget everything I learned during my medical training. Right now I'm enjoying my season of motherhood. In the wink of an eye it'll be over. We found a small church less than 5 miles away and I'm thrilled. Well, that's about it.

To all my friends in Guam, you have to laugh at me. I've been complaining for months how hard it is to find a good time to call Guam. I was expressing my frustration to Tom last night and he broke the news to me that I've been calculating Guam time incorrectly since we moved here. My window to call has just increased, so expect to hear from me soon! I miss you all and think about you often.

The schoolyear begins!

Jack getting down to business - playing!

Jack's first day!




Opal will miss the boys! Daddy sends Cole off.



Haven and Abby. I love to dance! I'll miss you Cole!

Haven and her big brother.

Waiting for the bus.

Wow, it has been a long time since I've updated our blog. Now that I don't have to have all eyes on our puppy it frees me up to do a few more things around the house! Cole and Jack have settled into their school routines and all is well. Cole is in second grade. He loves school, and his teacher Mrs. Frost, is superb. She does much needed movement breaks and teaches them fun songs in the process. He has been making friends and having fun at baseball, gymnastics and now cub scouts. We have a lot to be thankful for as his road has been quite bumpy. He drew a picture yesterday and there was a smiley face right in the middle of it. I asked him if it was the sun, or perhaps the man in the moon. He simply said "that's because I'm happy". That picture speaks volumes and I will treasure it forever. Jack is loving preschool. He has made friends quickly and is very studious according to his teacher. Each week he has to collect items that begin with the letter of the week. He loves it and fills his bag with such pride! Other than school he enjoys coloring, legos, transformers, and gymnastics. The dog bite below his eye has healed for the most part and he will have a small scar to remind us of Opal's puppy days. Opal has calmed and we don't see any aggressive tendencies around the house. Of note, Jack and Haven have been better about invading her space:) Haven is up at a neighbor's house right now, which is why I have finally had the time to write this. I am in a babysitting co-op with my friends and Haven is just so thrilled. She loves to be with kids. Thursdays I have put her in a dance class with just 2 other little girls. She LOVES it and it is so perfect for her at this age. Other than that she is just my buddy and goes with me everywhere, usually with a smile on her face. Her name suits her so perfectly. Tom passed his oral boards and is now board certified! What an accomplishment. He is working here for the Navy and will soon be putting in some extra hours at Newport Hospital. So all is well as we start the fall season. We are all so excited to watch the leaves change and to feel the crisp air as we've waited 2 years for it! We wish you all a happy and healthy fall.

Summer fun

It's 8 PM and all three kids are asleep. Tom just scooted off to Melville Pond to try to catch a big fish and I have some time to myself as well (Opal is sleeping next to me) We are all doing terrific. Cole is doing climbing camp at a huge rock climbing gym about 30 minutes away and having a blast. Jack is still into the many transformers he received for his birthday. We have found a great preschool for him. He will be with kids his age that are taking another year before starting kindergarten, as well as a few kindergarteners. Haven is almost in underwear full time and no longer uses her pacifier. What a big girl! I'm keeping busy with the kids and Opal, who is just the best puppy we could have ever asked for. I've made a few friends but mostly have spent time with family this summer. Last weekend we had all of the Ferguson grandchildren at the Cape and wow was it wonderfully hectic! Next week we head to Maine for a few days with the Varney gang and we are very excited. Tom has started work and his first case is booked for next week. Newport Hospital is quite a change from Naval Hospital Guam and Tom looks forward to operating there. Well, I guess that's it. I wanted to post some pictures from recent weeks. Enjoy!

Tom and Cole relaxing aboard grampa's boat "JOY"

Molly and Lauren, or is it Lauren and Molly:) I have it down now but
initially it took a bit of guess work

Grampa, Haven and Opal

The kids were all crowded at the bow of the boat and I just
loved to see their feet gathered together.

Grampa found a sailor boy!


Row row row your sailboat?

Never a dull moment with uncle Geoff

The Ferguson grandchildren!

Haven, Jack and Cole enjoying dusk in Pocasset


Girlies in red - Mae and Haven

Jack and his giant birthday teddy

Opal and Haven - love at first sight.

Opal at 2 months.

It Is Well With My Soul

Here's a video from the party. I tried to upload a different one but it was too long. As you can see, I'm multitasking during this one and thus the video is pretty sloppy. Oh well.

Celebrate John

Well, once we made the long journey home from Guam I vowed not to do any more long trips for a while. However, for someone as important as John Austin we decided to journey to Syracuse, New York for a celebration that his family held at a beautiful lake park near to their home. I literally woke up the morning of, decided we were going, found a sitter for the puppy, threw clothes in a basket and off we went. The kids were up for it and so was I. Tom thought we were nuts but we did it! After living in Guam anything is possible. John Austin is doing so incredibly well and still there is still so much more progress to be made over coming months. Praise God! It's had to believe it's been 4 months since his car accident. The day started with pouring rain but the weather was absolutely beautiful when the picnic began. We enjoyed time with family and friends and it was great fun to watch the many cousins and second cousins playing together on the playground. Haven was actually born within minutes of my cousin Jessie's twins (Jonah and Elijah)! After everyone ate Uncle John gave a short speech and then we sang a few hymns that were important to John and his family during his recovery. What a wonderful day. The next morning Jessie and her gang, Uncle John, and my cousin Owen joined us for breakfast at the hotel and then we had to make the long journey home. On the way out of Syracuse we stopped at Aunt Evelyn's grave site. We all felt her absence at the picnic. I stood by my mom and was comforted knowing that though her body rests here, she is in heaven now. Here are a few pictures from the day. I have had trouble uploading the video so I'll have to try it again in a separate post.


As you can see, twins run in our family! The twins on the right (Jonah and Elijah) were born minutes before Haven. The twins on the left are Molly and Lauren, my sister Annie's kids.


This is only a portion of the Davies and Ferguson gang. I can't imagine what a family reunion would be like. We're thinking towards a Harrison reunion next summer to coincide with my grandfather's 90th birthday.
The happy couple, John and Laura. Wish I could have gotten their three little ones in the picture too but they were either on the playground or in someone's arms.

Cole lost his front tooth on the car ride home. The matching one is loose too and I can't wait to get a picture of that one!