Josephine & Will: Happy Holidays 2013

Dear Family and Friends,
          The Coyne family is growing up and we proved that in 2013. From kindergarten to big boy underwear, and a 9-5 day job to a charge nurse position. We seem to be heading in the right direction and we are all very thankful for that!
          In the spring I made my first trip to Costco in 5 years and didn't buy diapers. A major milestone for many parents. Potty training Will came with a lot less drama than Josephine (surprise, surprise!), but a bit more mess. Poor boy may never learn how to pee standing up because his mommy won't let him. After Will turned 3 we decided it was probably time to free him from his crib. He still hasn't advanced past a mattress on the floor since he continues to fall out of his bed most nights, but maybe when he turns 4. Three has been a challenging age. Will knows what he wants and he is not about to compromise. Luckily his imagination has now caught up with Josephine's and they can spend hours in the world of Ninjas and princesses. He is enjoying preschool three mornings a week and surprises us when he proves that he is actually learning something.
          In September we launched our first born into the world of public school. There were some tears (mostly from her father) and it took a good 6 weeks to settle into full day kindergarten. Six hours a day, five days a week is a lot to ask of a 5 year old and she made sure we were aware of that. Luckily her teacher is fabulous and she has made some great friends. She is starting to read and write, which is exciting for all of us, and our first parent/teacher conference only emphasized what we already knew; she plays by the rules, likes to please, and is sensitive to others (very sensitive!). Despite the long days she still manages to have enough energy for gymnastics on Wednesday evenings and swim lessons on Thursdays after school.
          Jim finally decided that the ridiculous schedule of a nuclear pharmacist was too much for his health and our family. After hearing several times that working night shift was the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day he realized he could no longer ignore it. Over the summer he got in touch with the pharmacy where he was an intern as a pharmacy student and it turned out that they were expanding their compounding area and would be in need of another pharmacist. At the end of September Jim started back at Kelley Ross Pharmacy as a compounding pharmacist working Monday through Friday 9am-5pm. It was hard to go from 3 weeks of vacation to 5 days, but we will make due. Jim is slowly figuring out how to incorporate exercise into his schedule and has already signed up for a few 5-15K races this spring and summer.
          After working on the Oncology Unit at Seattle Children's for 13 years I finally accepted a charge nurse position in February. Before taking the position our unit changed our model of care making the charge nurse position better supported and more involved in direct patient care. It comes with many headaches but I have been surprised that it has proved to be rewarding as well. My years of experience can now be used to help my co-workers care for their patients instead of just my own patients. I have had very positive feedback from my co-workers, patients and management making me feel like it was worth the change. I still only work 2 days a week and it continues to be a perfect combination of work and home. Over the summer I was able to fit in enough training to do a duathlon in June and a triathlon in August. Jim and I are trying to ignore the fact that we are about to enter our 40s!
          Thank you again for the many Holiday cards! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you all the best in 2014!

                                                 Love,
                                                      Jim, Browyn, Josephine (almost 6), and Will (3 1/2)