Back From Fairbanks

We had a good time in Fairbanks. The drive up was beautiful; the sun was warm and shinning, the sky was blue, and Denali could be seen from the road, not covered in clouds as usual. The boys did fairly well. Ethan was a trooper. Not a word of complaint. Okay, not a sound of complaint, either. The older boys were not too bad. Nick still has a hard time being cooped up in a car seat for long periods of time, and the drive to Fairbanks is at least six hours. So we tried to stop enough times to allow him to stretch his legs, without turning the trip into a ten hour trip.

We left the house at 6:30am, stopped to fill the tank, stock up on bribes (snacks) and get a bite to eat at McD's. By the time we were really rolling, it was about 7:00am. At 7:30am, Joey asks, "Are we getting close yet?"

I could not stop laughing. Finally, Daddy took over the conversation. "Do you see the clock? What are the numbers on the clock?" Nick asked Joey.

"7...3...1." Joey replied.

"When the clock says 1...3...1 we'll be getting close. That is still six hours away. After lunch, after quiet time. We still have a long drive."

"Look! There's 7...3...2!" Joey exclaimed.

Again, I was incapacitated with laughter. The rest of the conversation continued with Joey saying, "there's 7...3...6, there's 7...3...9, there's 7...4..0." Thankfully, he was distracted after that, and only noticed the clock once every hour or so. It would have been a VERY long trip if he recited the time every couple of minutes.

On the way there, I taught them a new song. It made me think of my Uncle Greg. We practised a few times on the way home, so when we finally arrived, I made a short video of them singing it. You can't hear Nick very well, but he is actually singing most of the words. I was very impressed. Joey wouldn't stop dancing around. It was hard to keep him in the frame.

I will have more to say about Fairbanks and more pictures, but for tonight, I must get some sleep in my own bed! I've been looking forward to this all week.

Off To Fairbanks

Last week, Nick's technician in Fairbanks quit. So he was required to drive up on Wednesday to spend the rest of the week up there. He came home Friday afternoon to spend Memorial Day weekend with us, but is needed back up in Fairbanks this week.

So we decided to make it a family trip. Apria is putting Nick up in a hotel, so we will be able to stay with him. The boys and I will probably spend as much of our time as we can with Roger and Barb, Sarah and her family, and hopefully Brenda, too. It has been two years since we've seen them and it will be nice to see them again.

I will be out of contact until we get back on Friday afternoon.

We have been experiencing gorgeous weather lately. It has been so nice to open the windows for some fresh air, see the sunshine and blue skies.

Ethan cut his third tooth on Saturday (May 23, 2009). It is his upper right front tooth. The one next to it should be making its appearance soon.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week. We are anxiously waiting for July to arrive so we can see everyone again.

Nine Months

Nine months ago yesterday, I gave birth to my third son. Nine months ago today, I brought him home. Nine months! What an amazing miracle having children is. So, on to the comparison pictures.

I just had to put this one in to show off those adorably chubby cheeks!
Joey, at nine months old.

Nick, at nine months old.

Ethan, at nine months old.

Joey and Ethan had their check-ups with the doctor yesterday. They are both healthy and happy kids. They are growing well. Joey had his physical and last two shots needed for school this fall. He was not happy about the shots. He threw the biggest fit of his life over them, refusing to walk for most of the rest of the day. Ethan didn't have any shots, for which I was glad, but they did a finger prick to check the iron.....iron level was excellent.

Joey was weighed and measured; he is 36 lbs 4 oz, which places him in the 20th percentile. He is 41" tall, placing him in the 10th percentile. He is turning out to be our short, skinny kid.

Ethan was also weighed and measured; he is 20 lbs 10 oz, which places him in the 50th percentile. He is 30" tall, placing him in the 95th percentile.

I have left the kids alone downstairs for too long, and I need to go make lunch. Have a great week. It has been beautiful weather here lately. I have enjoyed seeing the sun and blue sky; I've missed it.

Then And Now

Three (or almost three) years may not seem like a long time. It will soon be Memorial Day weekend....which is the weekend that Nick moved up to Alaska three years ago. I, of course, followed three months later after the house was sold and Nick was born. That has been nearly half our married lives. But when you look through the growth of a child, three little years seems like a lifetime.
I have been thinking about how much the boys have grown since we have been up here, so I decided to post "then and now" pictures. The first two are of how little Joey and Nick were when we moved here. The next two are of Joey and Nick as they are now. The last one is of Ethan....just because he wasn't born when we moved here, that's no reason to exclude him. After all, he is here now, therefore is included in the "now" pictures!

Joey has always been a "Gerber baby" kind of cute. He has a very soft look about him. As I said to my mom the other day, he looks kind of fluffy! In this picture, he is showing off his strong muscles.

Joey is now our scholar, even though he hasn't been to school yet. You can see in this picture that he has written the word "frog". He sounded it out by himself and wrote it down. He likes to make grocery lists for us, and is working on sounding out words like 'milk', 'corn', 'dog food'. (Not that we have a dog, but he usually has several imaginary pets; all of which are named Sparky.)

Nick has always had a unique way of manipulating his facial expressions to add such an impact to what he was saying....both verbal and nonverbal. He, too, looks like he's showing off his strong muscles.

Nick is still proficient in his unique facial expressions. It is hard to find a "normal" picture of him. However, when he take him to get his pictures professionally done, and half to pay for them, he tends not to smile.

And then there is Ethan. He is so precious, and goofy, and lately, crabby. Yes, he is teething again. The upper two front teeth are trying to make their way through, which does not make him happy. But he still has his moments of goofiness, such as putting his feet "up on the table" when he is eating. And I absolutely love it when he lays his head on my shoulder when I have him sitting on my hip.

Three more precious kids I can't imagine.

A Little Behind

No....I'm not talking about my kids' derrieres. I'm talking about the fact that Joey turned 5 years old last Tuesday and I still haven't put pictures up. He has grown up so fast and is proving to be a very smart boy. I no longer fear that he will be behind when he starts Kindergarten just because he never went to preschool. He can read and write several words by sounding them out. He knows his numbers even into the hundreds. He is starting to add numbers, with help. He makes me proud.

He had a Kung Fu Panda cake for his birthday. He loves to play 'hee-yah' with his brother, inspired by the movie.

Joey got a new fishing pole for his birthday. He and Daddy went out on Mother's Day, after church, to break it in. He also got some books from Uncle Josh and Aunt Stacei, a savings bond from Nanny and Papa Buddy, paint and paper from Grandma Mary, and some new clothes, flashcards, homework books, and a Leapster game from Mommy and Daddy. Thank you, everyone, for the gifts and all the phone calls.

Ethan got to have his first few bites of cake. He loved it! I think he will be very happy to have some for his birthday. Ethan started clapping yesterday (May 12, 2009). (I have to keep the dates in for future reference.) He is such a sweet boy. I think he is starting to teethe again. The front two top teeth are next to come in. He is starting to wake up during the night again, and he is acting grumpy for no apparent reason during the day. That is why I think he is teething. The teeth are closer to the surface, but not necessarily ready to cut through yet, so we could be in for the long haul again. Oh well. Gotta feel bad for him; it's bad enough getting something stuck in your teeth, let alone having your teeth cut through your gums.

Well, I have left the little ones downstairs while I made a quick note about Joey's birthday.....so I better get back down there to make sure everything (and everyone) is still standing.

Chatty Boy

I just wanted to give everybody a taste of the adorableness which is Ethan Riley! Ethan is an impatient eater; not only does he want to have his food immediately, he wants to be done as quick as possible so he can play with his spoon. The two times he is the most talkative is when he has something in his mouth, or when he is falling asleep.