Tonight's the night. We have to load the car up to be shipped down to Seattle. Nick will drop it off in the morning, and then head out to Fairbanks for the week.
This is my last day with the computer until I get home. Then I will borrow my parents' until I move in to my new house, because I can't go over a month without my portal to the outside world. It will be hard enough lasting 17 days! Any communication with me from tomorrow on out will have to be by phone.
So, for now, I will bid you adieu, and pray that my blog will not be forgotten in the time that I am away from it. My last post from Alaska. Wow! I have included a blip from my very first blog....
"We have made it to Alaska. This is a period of major adjustments for me. This is the first time I have lived away from my family whom I draw great strength and support from. I miss them all terribly.
I miss them the most when Joey starts talking about "Help Nanny make house nigh-night" and "Aunt Aubrey, Jesse, Rina over soon", which of course means that Joey helped Nanny put the bounce house away and that he wants Aunt Aubrey and her kids to come over soon. Joey also spends much of his time talking about Papa Buddy and the big truck and Uncle Josh's tickling."
We sure have come a long way. It is hard to imagine how much Joey has grown in the time we have been away. Not to mention Nick's growth, and the added member of our family! We sure like to stay busy with the major life moments around here.
Before saying good-bye, I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to my husband, my dads, and all the other wonderful dads that I know. May God bless each and every one of you.
Farewell. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I can't wait to begin the next chapter in Washington. Look for more posts from me around the middle of July.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Ten Month Milestone
Ethan at 10 months old. He was literally shaking with excitement, knowing that he was going to be fed.
Nick at 10 months old. What a ham, even back then.
Joey, aka Chubba Bubba, at 10 months old. He was always such a joyful baby.Photo Update-Ethan
Ethan is such a joy, but he has his serious moments. He's usually "serious" about keeping his pacifier.
I love those blue eyes!
And those chubby cheeks! We call him Chubbs. I guess that's as close to a nickname we have come up with for him. Not that it will stick for long.
Ethan loves his time a church. Here he is enjoying one of the toys we donated to the nursery.
Ethan loves anything "string"-like. String, cords, shoelaces, etc. You get the picture.Ethan turned ten months old today. Or technically, yesterday. I will try to get ten-month comparison pictures up later. I can't believe that in two short months, not only will I be living in a new place only a few hours drive from home, my baby will be turning one year old. Within a two month period, I will have experienced a major move, my middle son turning three, my baby turning one, and my oldest having his first day of school. How much can a mama take at once?!?
Photo Update-Nick
Nick is thinking real hard. You can see the "pondering" finger against his temple.
I don't remember the reason, but Nick didn't get a nap. He couldn't quite make it till bedtime. First, he fell asleep on the floor while eating a peanut butter sandwich. (They were having a picnic.) I went upstairs to switch a load of laundry, and found that he had switched places. Apparently, he preferred to sleep upside down in my recliner.
I love this one, just for the fact that Nick is just so darn cute!
Nick was on "ant patrol." He would find the ants and watch closely to make sure they didn't try to "bug" him. At one time, he took a spade to them, whacking away at the poor things.
This is the face that makes it so difficult to discipline this child. Who could doubt the sincere innocence of this face. Don't believe it for a second!Photo Update-Joey
Joey being a big "cheese." Nothing unusual about that.
Finding a new "toy." Foam! How exciting.
He who has the big stick in the champion!
Joey and Ms. Tina. Tina is determined to marry Joey. Joey told Tina that she could find her husband in the jungle, wearing black pants, blue shoes, and flat hair.
Joey on the slide in the nursery. Yes, he is too big, but I was feeding Ethan, and he was waiting for Children's Church to start.Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Making Headway
At times, it doesn't seem like this place will ever get packed up. We are busy getting all the "obvious" things packed and placed in storage. What do I mean by "obvious?"
Well, we are leaving most of our belongings, including all furniture, up in Alaska, in storage, until we can come back up and get it. So that means, that we have to pack only the very barest of essentials in our van, and not pack is so full that you can't see out the windows. So, for everything that we are "obviously" leaving in storage, or "obviously" packing in our car, that is what we are packing up now. Storage gets packed in our storage unit....things for the car get placed in a corner of our garage.
The other mind-stressing obstacle is that we are shipping our car on the 29th of June, but don't leave until the 9th of July. So, anything that goes in our car can not be something that we absolutely have to have for the ten days we are still here. And, on the other hand....anything that we absolutely have to have while we are still here, has to either fit in our suitcases, or be placed in storage just before we leave. But, if we absolutely have to have it while we are here, than it is safe to say, we absolutely have to have it when we move....and not a few months down the road. So, I have to organize my thoughts enough to determine what, where, when, why, and how I should pack everything.
I know I'm not the brainiest person, and often my thoughts leave my head before making any kind of sense, however, it is even worse now. I have no ability to form a coherent or cohesive thought.
That being said, we are making headway. We have most of our "obviously" storage things packed and in storage, except for those things that we use on a daily basis. Our kitchen, for example, has a lot of things that can be put in storage now...but that means I have to be able to foresee whether or not I will need it in the time we have left or not.
Speaking of the time we have left, only 22 more days. We leave three weeks from tomorrow!! The count is on. Joey is wavering between wanting to move immediately, not waiting for three more weeks, and not moving at all. Thankfully, it's not up to him.
The boys are doing fairly well for the most part, but occasionally, they have trouble accepting the fact that their things are disappearing before their eyes. It will be even worse when we load the car for shipping, because we will have our TV, Wii, Playstation (which we use for watching movies), and computer in the car. What are we going to do with no entertainment at home (as all their toys are being packed up and stored a little at a time) and no car to go anywhere else! I think those ten days will be the hardest of my life, and the worst of them will be the last three.
We will have to rent a U-Haul on Sunday July 5th to move all our furniture to storage, since Nick will not be able to do it after work during the week. We will have to leave at least our mattresses so we have something to sleep on, but other than that, we will look like we are squatting on the property for those last few days. We check out of here on the 8th and will spend one night in a hotel before leaving in the morning for the airport.
Please pray for strength and sanity for me. I won't even have time to recuperate after we leave because we will jump right into my sister-in-law's wedding which Joey and Nick are ring bearers in, and then directly into a week long camping trip. Both of which I am beyond excited about....but I think that I will be in overload by the end.
I can't wait to be home to see everyone. Blessings to you all, and have a great night.
Well, we are leaving most of our belongings, including all furniture, up in Alaska, in storage, until we can come back up and get it. So that means, that we have to pack only the very barest of essentials in our van, and not pack is so full that you can't see out the windows. So, for everything that we are "obviously" leaving in storage, or "obviously" packing in our car, that is what we are packing up now. Storage gets packed in our storage unit....things for the car get placed in a corner of our garage.
The other mind-stressing obstacle is that we are shipping our car on the 29th of June, but don't leave until the 9th of July. So, anything that goes in our car can not be something that we absolutely have to have for the ten days we are still here. And, on the other hand....anything that we absolutely have to have while we are still here, has to either fit in our suitcases, or be placed in storage just before we leave. But, if we absolutely have to have it while we are here, than it is safe to say, we absolutely have to have it when we move....and not a few months down the road. So, I have to organize my thoughts enough to determine what, where, when, why, and how I should pack everything.
I know I'm not the brainiest person, and often my thoughts leave my head before making any kind of sense, however, it is even worse now. I have no ability to form a coherent or cohesive thought.
That being said, we are making headway. We have most of our "obviously" storage things packed and in storage, except for those things that we use on a daily basis. Our kitchen, for example, has a lot of things that can be put in storage now...but that means I have to be able to foresee whether or not I will need it in the time we have left or not.
Speaking of the time we have left, only 22 more days. We leave three weeks from tomorrow!! The count is on. Joey is wavering between wanting to move immediately, not waiting for three more weeks, and not moving at all. Thankfully, it's not up to him.
The boys are doing fairly well for the most part, but occasionally, they have trouble accepting the fact that their things are disappearing before their eyes. It will be even worse when we load the car for shipping, because we will have our TV, Wii, Playstation (which we use for watching movies), and computer in the car. What are we going to do with no entertainment at home (as all their toys are being packed up and stored a little at a time) and no car to go anywhere else! I think those ten days will be the hardest of my life, and the worst of them will be the last three.
We will have to rent a U-Haul on Sunday July 5th to move all our furniture to storage, since Nick will not be able to do it after work during the week. We will have to leave at least our mattresses so we have something to sleep on, but other than that, we will look like we are squatting on the property for those last few days. We check out of here on the 8th and will spend one night in a hotel before leaving in the morning for the airport.
Please pray for strength and sanity for me. I won't even have time to recuperate after we leave because we will jump right into my sister-in-law's wedding which Joey and Nick are ring bearers in, and then directly into a week long camping trip. Both of which I am beyond excited about....but I think that I will be in overload by the end.
I can't wait to be home to see everyone. Blessings to you all, and have a great night.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
It's Official
I have less than a month left to remain in Alaska! We fly out for Seattle a month from yesterday. We will be out of our house a month from the day before yesterday.
The only thing hard for me is leaving the church. I love the church I go to, I love the women in the church. Besides my family, I have never met a more wonderful, loving, and godly group of women. Mama Joyce claims to be in denial about our departure and won't accept that we are leaving until we are gone. I'm going to miss Mama Joyce. She is an absolutely incredible woman of God. She has been a "surrogate grandma" for me while I lived so far away from mine.
I will miss Adam, Rachel and Tirzah. Rachel has been my closest friend since I've been up here. She and I trade off babysitting. She has always been so gracious and eager to help with the boys if there is somewhere I needed to be. I, in return, would watch Tirzah for her when she needed it. I always felt guilty for the unbalanced trade; she had to watch three extra kids for me; I only had to watch one extra kid for her. But the kids love playing with each other and have fun when we are together.
I will miss Gil and Rosi and their little Kaio. I have just recently been getting to know them more and I am very tempted to pack Kaio in my backpack on the plane just to force Gil and Rosi to move also! They are both so passionate about their faith, their relationship with Christ. They are a blessing to be around.
I will miss Mindy and her family, whom I was also just starting to get to know and enjoy. I will miss the Allens and the Kings as both of them are also leaving this summer, off to wherever the military takes them. I will miss Lenore and her heart for the children in the church. I will miss Tina, the women I went to college with. Tina was a special "welcome" gift from God, a direct connection to my past here in my present. I will miss Pastor and Alice.
And I will especially miss how everyone in the church adores my kids. Not that they don't adore all the kids, but there is nothing better for a mom than for her kids to be adored by people who are not required to adore them!
Well, I am supposed to be getting clothes for the boys so I can get them dressed, so I better get going. Hope everyone has a blessed day. And please pray for me today that I get more accomplished in the packing department.
The only thing hard for me is leaving the church. I love the church I go to, I love the women in the church. Besides my family, I have never met a more wonderful, loving, and godly group of women. Mama Joyce claims to be in denial about our departure and won't accept that we are leaving until we are gone. I'm going to miss Mama Joyce. She is an absolutely incredible woman of God. She has been a "surrogate grandma" for me while I lived so far away from mine.
I will miss Adam, Rachel and Tirzah. Rachel has been my closest friend since I've been up here. She and I trade off babysitting. She has always been so gracious and eager to help with the boys if there is somewhere I needed to be. I, in return, would watch Tirzah for her when she needed it. I always felt guilty for the unbalanced trade; she had to watch three extra kids for me; I only had to watch one extra kid for her. But the kids love playing with each other and have fun when we are together.
I will miss Gil and Rosi and their little Kaio. I have just recently been getting to know them more and I am very tempted to pack Kaio in my backpack on the plane just to force Gil and Rosi to move also! They are both so passionate about their faith, their relationship with Christ. They are a blessing to be around.
I will miss Mindy and her family, whom I was also just starting to get to know and enjoy. I will miss the Allens and the Kings as both of them are also leaving this summer, off to wherever the military takes them. I will miss Lenore and her heart for the children in the church. I will miss Tina, the women I went to college with. Tina was a special "welcome" gift from God, a direct connection to my past here in my present. I will miss Pastor and Alice.
And I will especially miss how everyone in the church adores my kids. Not that they don't adore all the kids, but there is nothing better for a mom than for her kids to be adored by people who are not required to adore them!
Well, I am supposed to be getting clothes for the boys so I can get them dressed, so I better get going. Hope everyone has a blessed day. And please pray for me today that I get more accomplished in the packing department.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Humming Bird
I saw a humming bird fly around my house the other day.
It wasn't the beautiful, colorful kind.
It was black.
It wasn't the nectar drinking kind.
It was the blood sucking kind.
These mosquitoes are HUGE!!!
It wasn't the beautiful, colorful kind.
It was black.
It wasn't the nectar drinking kind.
It was the blood sucking kind.
These mosquitoes are HUGE!!!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Term In Purgatory
Most of you know by now, so I can safely post it on the blog; we are moving to Yakima, WA! Nick has been offered a position there, a bit of a step up, which can only help him advance in the company in the long run. The best part about it, we will only be about 3-4 hours away from home! We are very excited about this move, a little overwhelmed by the process, as we probably only have a month to get everything packed and ready. We are not sure yet when he will start in Yakima, but we are guessing end of June beginning of July. If we haven't moved before July 9th, we will leave on vacation as planned, and just not return to AK.
My time in purgatory is coming to an end!
Okay, so I'm exaggerating on the purgatory part. It has not been as bad as that. But I have missed being close to family as much as, if not more than, I imagined.
I hear the boys running crazy, so I better make this quick. Have a great week. Happy June 1st.
My time in purgatory is coming to an end!
Okay, so I'm exaggerating on the purgatory part. It has not been as bad as that. But I have missed being close to family as much as, if not more than, I imagined.
I hear the boys running crazy, so I better make this quick. Have a great week. Happy June 1st.
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