Our Baby is Growing Up

Hershey turned 4 years old last Thursday, August 13 (yep, I'm a little behind in posting). We aren't really sure when his actual birthday is since we got him from the animal shelter. All they could tell us was approximately how many weeks old he was when we got him, so we established August 13 as his birthday!

I'll be the first to admit that he is one spoiled puppy, but he's our baby so we spoil him as much as we can! Look at all those goodies....



Hershey normally eats dry dog food, but for special occasions we get him a Caesar meal. His birthday dinner was New York Strip flavor!



Hershey loved his new toy, Kong. The Kong is a rubber toy that holds treats inside of it. Hershey spent a good 30 minutes playing with Kong while trying to get the peanut butter treat inside. He even played with Kong after the treat was gone. (He didn't want to go on his walk after he got Kong because he was having too much fun playing; if you know Hershey at all, you know he never passes up a walk!)

So Proud....

Cody just got his scores back this week from the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Test (part of the series of licensing exams he has to take to become an MD), and he did great! I'm so proud of you Cody! Keep him in your prayers--he has to take another licensing exam in October.

Cody's Birthday Weekend

This Friday was Cody's 25th Birthday! (Happy Birthday Heffalump!) He got to celebrate all weekend long.

On Friday, we both got off work at lunchtime, so we ate lunch at Olive Garden and then we met up with his mom and dad who came to visit for the weekend. He opened his presents--my favorite part of birthdays--from his mom and dad. (Cody got to open his gift from me a little early...I gave him his GPS before we went to the beach so he would have a chance to use it.) We spent the rest of the day shopping around with Sherri, then came back to our house to grill out steaks.

On Saturday, we got up early so we could earn some money with our yard sale. We made $188 for about 4 hours of work; that's not too shabby! Then, our wonderful neighbors, Vern and Becky, hosted Cody's birthday party at their pool. It was the perfect day to go swimming, and we all had fun! Even Jake had fun in the water! Thanks to Sherri for making her famous pound cake. After dinner, Cody HAD to go spend some of his birthday money--he bought the Wii Sports Resort and an extra Wii Motion sensor for his remote. He broke it in the second we got home! :)

After lunch on Sunday, James and Sherri went back to Taylorsville, and Cody and I just enjoyed lounging around for a while. All in all, it was a very busy weekend, but hopefully a very good one for the birthday boy!

Check out the pictures from the weekend below:

Myrtle Beach!

This past weekend, Cody and I were able to enjoy a long weekend vacation at Myrtle Beach with Mary, Jeremy, and Connor. It was so nice to have a vacation, and it was the perfect time to get away. Cody took his Step 2 licensing exam on Wednesday, so it was nice for him to have a way to celebrate the completion of another stressful time. Plus, there are so many changes happening at work right now, so it was nice for me just to get away. And of course, we always enjoy seeing our family! Myrtle Beach is almost my home away from home, as I have so many childhood memories there. I couldn't imagine a more relaxing place to be....

Some of the fun things we did:
*laid out on the beach
*ate at Johnny Rockets and Chili's
*played in the waterpark at the hotel
*went to Broadway and Barefoot Landing (where we got Hershey some treats from the doggie bakery)
*went shopping at Tanger Outlets
*played putt-putt at Cody's favorite place
*ate ice cream at Painter's
*Connor built a car at RideMakerz

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

What is better than homemade ice cream in the summertime?

Cody and I had our neighbors over for some homemade cherry ice cream and Cherry Cola Brownies on Tuesday night. We haven't had a neighborhood get-together in a while, so it was nice to visit with one another. It has been so long, I think this is the first time we have all been together with all the neighborhood babies that were born in the past year or so. Hershey had a good time playing with all the babies--Jake loves to throw the ball to him, Grant loved Hershey's toys, and Sophie liked to watch Hershey run after the ball.

Not everyone can say that they have such good neighbors, nor that they consider their neighbors friends. We are definitely blessed!

Mom's Homemade Cherry Ice Cream
1 can evaporated milk
2 pts. whipping cream
2 c. sugar
6 t. almond flavoring
16 oz. Cheerwine
20 oz. Maraschino cherries, cut up (with the juice)
milk

Mix all ingredients together, except the regular milk, with a whisk and pour into ice cream freezer. Add regular milk to the fill line and turn on the ice cream freezer.


Cherry Cola Brownies
Brownie
1 box Betty Crocker original supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
1/4 c. cherry cola
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp. cherry juice

Frosting
1/2 c. butter
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
4 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. cherry cola
2 tbsp. cherry juice
maraschino cherries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, chocolate pouch, 1/4 c. cherry cola, oil, eggs, and 2 tbsp. cherry juice until well blended. Spread in pan, and bake 28-30 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In large bowl, beat frosting ingredients (except maraschino cherries) with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread evenly over brownies. Garnish brownies with maraschino cherries.

A Special 4th of July Celebration

Cody and I made a special trip to Taylorsville to visit with our new nephew, Jackson Eric Wingler. Cody's brother, Jared, and his wife, Erica, delivered their baby boy on the morning of July 4th. He was born at 31 weeks, so he only weighs in at 4 lbs. 8 oz., but he is thankfully doing very well. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to grow and strengthen.

Three Down, One More to Go...

Well, Cody finished his 3rd year of medical school yesterday--he is now officially an M4! I can't believe how time flies! I am so proud of him! We can't believe it's only one more year before he will be an MD!

Cody has orientation for 4th year today, and then he starts his rotations again on Monday. (They don't believe in giving them much of a break!) I think he starts off doing a PM&R. I think that means Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. (I'll be amazed if I actually got that correct!)

Apparently, 4th year does have some perks:

• Of course, you are the "big man" on campus.
• You get to choose your own rotation schedule.
• No overnight call, and not many call days.
• Several weeks of vacation.

Along with those added perks, comes added stress:

• You start to apply and interview for residency programs.
• You have to take Step II of the medical board exams.

Please keep Cody in your prayers as he finishes his last year of med school!