June Around the World

2011 Christmas Letter

2011-12-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

Greeting from Washington, DC, and Merry Christmas! 2011 has been a busy year for our little family. Between Laura’s work, my school studies, and June’s mischief and mayhem the year has come and gone before we could catch our collective breath.

I spent 2011 fully engaged in law school. I finished my third full semester and hit the half way point of law school. After finishing my first full year in May, I started two dean’s fellowships and a program working with a pro bono law firm. For the fellowships I worked for two professors on campus; one included work finishing up a law school textbook on international organizations and the other was a mix of administrative work and research on torture. The pro bono law firm, the Public International Law and Policy Group, allowed me to work on some amazing projects for clients in Libya and Egypt. This year I was also privileged to join the American University International Law Review as a junior staff member.

Laura continues to keep our lives in order. Between play dates, two jobs, running the house, and keeping me sane she stays busy. Laura still works at Cameron Medical in Silver Spring, Maryland. However, she cut back her hours at Cameron and started work at a small urgent care clinic in Kensington, Maryland this March. She loves the area we live in and has really enjoyed being in our Church congregation. Laura also begun doula training and has been very excited about attending births. Speaking of births, Laura also found out that she is expecting our second child in July, 2012.

We celebrated June’s second birthday on December 13th this year. June is more a pistol than ever, and she continues to be excited about life. Over the last year she has learned how to walk, talk, eat on her own, work the Wii remote, and manipulate her parents. June has made numerous friends at church and day care. She has also enjoyed having Uncle Neil and Aunt Kate in the area; whenever she uses the phone it is to call Neil and Kate. June’s enthusiasm and passion for life make her a joy to be around.

We have been more blessed than we deserve this year. Every time I have had a chance to reflect on this last year I have been filled with thanksgiving for all the wonderful family and friends that have blessed our lives. Our lives are full because we have you all. We are excited for our little family to grow and to continue our journey here in Washington, D.C.

God bless every one of you as the year comes to a close.

Much love,
Laura, Jesse, June, and Number Two

Post finals celebration...

2011-12-15T16:50:00.001-08:00

Jeggings...

2011-11-23T09:43:00.001-08:00

Tree hits our apartment building

2011-10-21T20:24:00.001-07:00

This is the giant tree limb that fell on our apartment yesterday. It did not hit our side but the other entrance. As much as I love the trees, this is pretty crazy.

Destructive June

2011-10-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

June dumping decorative rocks on to my key board. Now it sounds like a morocca when I shake it.

Cowgirl June

2011-10-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

June with her authentic Stetson.

Shenandoah dreaming

2011-10-17T06:35:00.003-07:00

From our trip last week

Dead black bear on an ATV...

2011-10-17T06:35:00.001-07:00

We saw this on the way to Shenandoah last week.

Uncle Neil, the desk.

2011-10-02T15:08:00.001-07:00

June at conference...

2011-10-02T12:26:00.001-07:00

Diligently taking notes.

Some more of that June in California...

2011-08-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

A Capitol Fourth and Other DC Adventures

2011-08-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July, the mall, and little June. We went with Richard and Brityn to the mall and happened to bump into Spencer and Brittney, a 1 in a million chance.

Yosemite Backpacking

2011-08-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since the last post. Here are some photos from our backpacking trip to Yosemite. Enjoy.

St. Patricks Day 2011 Throwback

2011-03-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

She loved the green pancakes...

One for the admirers

2011-03-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

June and her tricks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!

2011-01-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

2010 Christmas Hello!

2010-12-25T00:58:00.000-08:00

This is our 2010 Christmas letter. 2010 has been a whirlwind for our little family. We started out in North Salt Lake, Utah. Laura graduated from her physician assistant program in New York City, and we moved to Utah so I could finish my my last semesters at Brigham Young University. Laura got a job at a primary care clinic in Kaysville, Utah. June Beth Ransom was also born on December 13, 2009. It was a crazy run up to start 2010.

I continued to work on finishing up my degree in Political Science and Spanish from Brigham Young University as well as working for a small mountaineering shop in Orem, Utah. Early 2010 I found a job with JetBlue Airlines working as a bilingual reservation agent. I was also fully engaged in sending out law school applications. I ended up applying to twenty or so schools across the US. In late May I began to hear back and was accepted to American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. After deciding to attend WCL we began preparations to move out to DC. We moved out in August and I started law school right after we moved out. I finished my first year with decent grades, and, surprisingly, with a love for studying the law. I am also planning on getting a masters in International Affairs concurrently with my JD. We now live in Bethesda, Maryland and love the Washington DC area.

Laura has really enjoyed practicing as a physician assistant. Her first job in Utah involved long term patient care, physicals, methadone treatment, as well as urgent care. She was often time the only clinician in the office and enjoyed the challenge. After moving to Washington DC she took a few weeks off to get the house ready, play with the little one, and prep for finding a job. However a job fell in to her lap via a friend from church. She is now employed in a internal medicine clinic in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her work is similar to that in Utah, however the new clinic is old school. It does not have a computer system, everything is done on paper. The patient load is also much higher. It has been a challenge for Laura to adapt, but she loves the work.

June is a pistol. She just turned one on the 13th of this month and has enjoyed life to the fullest. Her most recent developments include walking and saying Dog, Duck, Ducken, and hi. She is as sharp as a tack and knows her heard, mouth, nose, how to give a kiss, and how to scream like a banshee. She has been the light of our lives this last year and is a pure joy.

With all the moves, new beginnings, and getting used-to-things we are excited to be in one place for more than a year. We love where we live and have been blessed beyond measure. We would like to wish our family, friends, and acquaintances a wonderful Christmas and a relaxing break before the new year starts. We have been blessed more than we deserve, and we would ask your forgiveness for not sending you each a personal letter. Thank you for your help support and friendship, it really means the world to us. God bless everyone of you this Christmas season and as we all prepare for a new year.

Much love,
Laura, Jesse, and June

Kate and Neil Babysat and this is what they did

2010-11-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

June Ransom, Pumpkin Farmer

2010-10-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

On the way home from a law school get-together we stopped at a little farm house selling apples and pumpkins. June wasn't in the best mood so not many smiles.

June and Clara

2010-10-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

June meets Clara, summer 2010.

June at Zoo

2010-10-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Junie Junie the little Lemur

2010-10-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Kate and Neil got June this costume for Halloween this year (actually for the Steven Colbert and John Stewart rally).

June the Tech Wiz!

2010-09-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

June just loves banging around on the computer. She will grab for the computer even if she has 1,000 of her toys around her. The next Stevia Jobs????

June v. Rumba

2010-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Some footage of June at Kate and Neil's house fighting their rumba.

June and Russ

2010-09-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

June is a daredevil, and loves to be scared.

Since Jesse and Laura won't post...

2010-07-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

I will! June went to the doctor today (or some I'm told) and got two shots. I got to watch her this afternoon while Jesse was getting his car's oil changed and she was just a delight. I even got some great footage of her rolling around.

Click on the film for an HD version!

June's foray in to the world of soild food

2010-05-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

A photographic journey of June's first experience with whole foods.

USA- Sourthen California

2010-03-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Little June goes to the beach in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! Our flight from JFK to SLC was full and there were hundreds on standby. We decided to reroute through Long Beach, CA. How fortuitous. Our layover was 10 hours. Once we got there we rented a car and hit the beach. The weather was amazing, the beach beautiful, and life was good. We wanted to get Tacos on the beach but we settled for some random burger joint. Laura got a hold of a few friends and we headed up to Simi Valley to hang out with Emily. Her friend Jalise was also able to meet us at the airport.

It was a great diversion and I think June enjoyed the beautiful weather and sun. And yes there is more to explore...

USA- Maryland

2010-03-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

Great Falls, MD

They had these crazy locks that allowed boats to travel upstream.

June visits Maryland! No offense to those from MD, June did not do a comprehensive tour of the state. Its just not one of those states that warrants a full tour. Now I may be mistaken, but for June's tour around the globe, a visit to Great Falls and Silver Springs will count.

Great falls was pretty sweet despite the large amount of trash strewn around the area. The locks in the canal were interesting as well. Laura and I were just off the plane and pretty tired so we did not stay long. One of the things that I miss about the east cost is the history. Everything has a story. The Ethiopian in Silver Springs, Maryland was fantastic. The DC area does have some amazing places to eat. June was entertained by the running water and good company.

USA- Washington, D.C.

2010-03-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Little June goes to the Capital! While we did go through New York City, we have decided that airports do not count. This trip was a huge success. We visited various museums, historic sites, and amazing restaurants. June loved watching all the people in the packed museums. It was also June's first time out in the rain, because it did rain all weekend. It was also June's first ride on the subway. She was Amazing!

Two Amy's pizza, some Ethiopian place in Silver Springs, MD, and the Native American Museum cafeteria were amazing culinary experiences. It reminds us why we miss the East Coast. I am not sure how June liked Ethiopian flavored breast milk, but she seemed alright.

JetBlue standby worked like a charm. We did have a scare leaving SLC to JFK, but we ended up on the top of the list for standby and made it. Coming home was pretty crazy. The return flight from IAD-JFK-SLC filled with passengers of a canceled Saturday flight and we had no hope of finding a seat. So we hopped on the flight to LGB. During the ten hour layover we rented a car and drove SoCal. We were able to see Laura's friend Emily in Simi Valley, and we were also able to introduce Junie to the Beach. All in all our first foray with Jetblue with June was amazing! More to come...

June Around the World!

2010-03-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

We are announcing the launch of the one and only June Around The World Blog! With her grand entrance in to the world as of three months ago today, we wanted to share her world travels with everyone. Please enjoy the ride, because we most certainly will.

Smiles

2010-02-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

June has now developed some awesome face muscles, and as a result some beautiful smiles.

Happy Holiday Month!

2009-12-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

December is one crazy month. Curtis's birthday on the 2nd, Neil's on the 7th, my parents anniversary on the 18th, June's was born on the 13th, Christmas eve, Christmas, my birthday on the 26th, New Year's Eve, our wedding anniversary on the 22nd, Holly's birthday on the 29th, kateandneil.com's anniversary on the 29th. It is a crazy month. It has been special this year thanks to June and having so much family around. I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope this next year will be as awesome as this last one. Here are some photos of the festivities!

June's New Year's eve bath. She got this awesome in-tub fish cover to make sure she was warm. She enjoyed it. She is also having trouble controlling her eye muscles. She was so comfortable.

Pink Leopard Print for the New Year's outfit.

Its been one week...

2009-12-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

So the clan is doing well. June is a spitfire just like Laura. She is sleeping well, eating well, and is just amazing. Laura is also sleeping, eating, and doing amazing. Today is our two year anniversary. We celebrated with long naps, random meals, and a perilous drive down to Provo to pick up a friend and take her to the airport. It was one of the less romantic anniversaries that I have had, but it was nice to spend time together. Here are some photos of June.

Little June's Little Mullet

She does not like her mittens

December 13th a day that will live in...

2009-12-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Laura's side of the story to follow. Saturday morning, the 12th of December, we woke up and Laura was 42 months pregos. That is two weeks over due. In the current medical world she would have been induced four days before this. Just to give you a reference. We got up and went snow shoeing in order to induce labor. It did not work. We had an ultrasound planned for 2pm with Brianna our amazing midwife.
We got to her office and the man with the ultrasound had bailed; we rescheduled for Monday. Brianna did an exam and made the comment that she thought that June was coming soon, real soon. She even called her assistant midwife and made sure that she had the Sunday open. What a wise and prophetic observation.
We drove around Salt Lake and saw the lights and I noticed Laura was getting uncomfortable in the car. Not a novel occurrence at this point in time, but I did take note nonetheless. We got home around 6pm and started to settle in. Right around 7 Laura asked me to go to the store for her for some supplies. I got back and Laura was in the tub. She was complaining about cramping and pressure and thought it might be gas. Bad gas. By 8 pm she was commanding me to apply counter pressure to her back.
By this time we both had guessed that this was more than gas cramps. She could feel the contractions and they seemed not to stop. It was pretty much an hour before she felt like she could get a break between contractions. I called Brianna at 8:30 and told her that this was the real deal. She called Kathy her assistant and Kate a doula friend. Right around this time I started to set up the birthing tub. Russ, Laura's father, helped me finish filling it up with air and then the water.
Brianna arrived right around 9:20. By this time things were in full swing. Three minute contractions with about 15 seconds in-between. No rest. Just after 10pm Kathy and Kate were here and all five of us were helping Laura with her very intense-no-break contractions. We got her out of the tub and she labored on the floor for a few hours. All the time Sue, Kate, Kathy, Brianna, and I were applying counter pressure and massaging her legs. Right around 12am she started to have really painful contractions and started to push. A few minutes later her water broke. It was like a super-soaker spraying right at the couch. (Please forgive me for the image, this was how I remembered it, bear with me) None of it got anywhere, fortunately.
After that around 12:30am Laura switched from her back to her knees leaning on the the ottoman of the couch ( Kateandneil.com we did cover the ottoman with a towel). She started to push full time right after that. She progressed perfectly and just before 1:50 I saw a little patch of head with some dark hair. At 1:53 the little head popped right out. It was wild. With the next push I reached down and grabbed June as she came out. Brianna helped me pass June though Laura's legs. And that was that.
It was a life changing experience for me. June is beautiful. I am so blessed to have such an amazing wife and such a wonderful child. Life is beautiful and more so with such beautiful women in it.

Little June et al.

2009-12-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

With the start of something wonderful, I hope that this blog can help share. June Beth Ransom was born last Sunday, the 13th of December, at our home. She is amazing! One savvy guest, it might have been me, commented that June, "...looks like Joel." If that is true then Joel is one beautiful man, because June is gorgeous. Please enjoy the ride with us!

Photos and Story will be published post haste.