M.Div

My brother, Andy, graduated from Western Theological Seminary last week with his Master of Divinity degree.  We left Kate at home with Aunt Tess (it was our first time to leave her with someone besides my mom!) and got to be there for his graduation ceremony.

I have to admit, it felt pretty homey to be back in Dimnent Chapel with Tim Brown speaking:)

Andy dipping his hands in the water representing baptism

Hugs from Tim Brown

And being hooded!

Getting their final words from Tim Brown

Andy & Samantha

 All of the supporters

my parents, Sam's parents and grandma, and Matt & I

So proud of him!

Andy and I

Side By Side

Have you ever heard of Side By Side? It's pretty much the best invention ever.  It's a ministry of the Christian Medical and Dental Association for medical spouses (that's me!).

When we lived in Columbus, there was a very active Side By Side group (SBS), run by a wonderful lady named Beth.  I wanted very badly to be involved with the group, but since they met during the work day - and I worked full time - it wasn't an option.  I think there was also a Tuesday night group, but our small group met that night, so that didn't work out either.

Anyway, fast forward a few years and I am now a momma and not working outside the home.  I didn't know if Side By Side even existed in Grand Rapids, but after doing a little digging, I found out that it did, and it was started by my childhood pediatrician's wife!

I started going to the Wednesday morning group in January, and it has been so wonderful to meet with other women who can truly understand this stage in our lives and the struggles that go along with being a 'medical wife'.  This is in their brochure:

Spouses of those in the medical field are faced with challenges and sacrifices that are unique to medicine; when our friends gripe that their husbands had to work 50 hours that week, we smile wishing that would be our case.  Many women struggle with resentment, exhaustion, loneliness and isolation, often moving frequently wherever their husband's career takes them.  There is a common bond between the wives of medical spouses, and something special about the support that we can offer one another.  Together, we hope to grow in our walk with the Lord and apply the Bible to our lives, while cultivating and developing relationships that support one another as we journey through life.

Isn't that just great? Already, I have felt so welcomed and supported by this great group of women - and all their little kids:) And I am so thankful for the opportunity to be involved with SBS.  These women are already becoming so dear to me, and their passion for the Lord is so very encouraging.

"Standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side"

Philippians 1:27

happy birthday, andy!

We celebrated Andy's birthday last Saturday at Bistro Bella Vita.  It was really yummy and so good to spend time with family.

Kate did such a good job! Don't you just love her headband?

Yay for family! We missed Adam and Bryan:(

peek-a-boo

Kate isn't quite old enough to understand peek-a-boo, but we play all the time anyway and sometimes she thinks it's funny.  Most of the time when we play peek-a-boo on the floor, she gets more excited to be covered up than to get uncovered.  We'll get there:)

Matt caught this one on video a while ago, but I couldn't figure out how to upload it to the blog.  I'm thankful for a husband who is more tech savvy than I am:) Hopefully more videos will be coming soon!

outside!

Kate played outside while my mom and I worked on re-edging our mulch beds last Friday.  She could barely see because of her hat, but she had fun for a while...then she got hot...and hungry...and tired! But it was still fun and we got a lot of work done:)

Thanks for your help, madre!

where, oh where, can my baby be?

She looks so grown up! What happened to my newborn?

hanging out with daddy

Matt worked nights in April, so we had a lot of random hours together during the day.  We went for lots of walks, played, watched the Tigers, and worked on lots of little house projects.  Kate really enjoyed her time with daddy!

her new thing is sticking out her tongue:)