The End of the Year

What a year it has been! I must admit I don't remember too much before May. It was then that we started planning for the possibility of a move down to the lower 48. Things didn't really kick into gear until June, leaving me one month to pack. This was no ordinary move; it was the most mentally strenuous move I have made to date. Having three kids and being away from family willing to help was a challange. Praise God for the awesome friends from Anchorage First AG who stepped in to assist. Gil and Rosi took all three of my kids to McDonald's Playland for a few hours one day. Jeanna Allen took them to lunch and a park on another occasion, giving me an opportunity to pack unhindered. Gil and Rosi also came over to help move our stuff into storage, along with a co-worker of Nick's.

The most challenging part was figuring out what could be packed in the van to be shipped two weeks before the move....things that would be absolutely necessary when we arrived, but that we could do without for the last two weeks. (Not exactly an easy task.) Then I had to figure on what we could pack in two suitcases and four carry-ons, cramming every available inch (keeping the suitcases under 50 pounds). Everything else, except what we took to Goodwill, gave to friends, sold, or junked, was to be packed into storage until we could get it three months after we moved.

But since we have made the move, we have been able to attend and participate with our families in Angie and Steve's wedding, family reunion camping, Nick's and Ethan's birthday parties, Lisa and Brian's wedding, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! How wonderful, how indescribably awesome that has been.

Joey started Kindergarten in September and we both love his school and his teacher. He is blossoming in knowledge and quickly learning how to read and spell. In fact, Nick and I have to watch what we spell in his hearing, because he may just sound it out.

I know I haven't posted anything about Christmas yet...but it has taken me so long to recover. We were blessed to be able to spend time with both sides of the family all weekend long, and while we never really felt rushed, it was a lot of activity and heightened emotions, particularly for the boys. We are all suffering from some stage of a cold, which is also wiping out our energy. So forgive me for the delay in posting about our most wonderful holiday. Although it is now only 11:15pm, I am beyond exhausted. We let the two older boys stay up late to celebrate New Year's, so they just got in bed 30 minutes ago. I will have to keep this short, promise pictures at a later date, and head to bed myself.

I pray everyone has a blessed New Year.

Merry Christmas Eve

I'm sorry that it has been so long, again, but I have been crazy busy....without actually doing anything. The last couple weeks were plagued with fevers, Christmas progams and church and school, Christmas shopping, wrapping, and packing.

We head out in a couple hours to head home for Christmas for the first time in four years. To say that I am excited in a gross understatement. The kids are also excited. We have already written our note to Santa to remind him that we will be at Nanny and Papa Buddy's tonight. The kids' stockings are packed so they can be "hung" tonight.

We have a very busy weekend planned, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It won't be stressful (hopefully), just busy. Tonight we head straight for Mary and Chuck's. Chuck just lost his mom last week so it will be especially nice to spend time with him and his kids. We were unable to make it to the service on Monday, which is why Nick was able to get half of today off. We will stay for the afternoon and have dinner with them.

We were also invited to spend Christmas Eve with Paul. Since we won't be able to make it to dinner, we are hoping to make it for dessert on our way home. It will be really nice to see them.

Then we will head home to Mom and Dad's to put the kids to bed. Last year was almost impossible to get the boys to sleep. I'm hoping tonight will be a bit different. I hope that between the long drive to Portland and the running around we will do tonight, will exhaust the boys so much that they will go right to sleep. We have lots to unload to put under the tree tonight, and a couple of rather large gifts that have to be assembled. I also have a couple pumpkin cheesecakes to make. I haven't decided whether to bake them tonight or early tomorrow....but I'm leaning towards tonight so they can refrigerate over night.

On Christmas morning, we will have our personal family Christmas in the morning. The rest of the day will be spent out in Portland visiting Mary and Chuck again, as well as Grandmama and that side of the family.

We will celebrate Christmas with my side of the family on Saturday. I'm looking forward to watching all the cousins together. Then on Sunday, we will spend the morning in church before packing up and heading home.

It is nice having Joey home for Christmas vacation and I look forward to having another week with him before he has to return to the grindstone. He loves school, and I'm sure he will be ready to go back, but for now, he is enjoying being home.

Well....I've got to finish the packing so everything is ready when Nick gets home from work to load us up.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Joey and Nick had their Christmas programs at church today. It was the cutest thing, and I'm amazed my heart didn't burst with all my pride.
The pre-schoolers sang two songs; the first was accompanied by the kids ringing bells. Nick rang his bell very well, but never opened his mouth! But he sure looked cute standing up on that stage. They sang for both services, but by the time it was time for Nick to sing again, he didn't want to stand. So he sat with his legs stretched out straight, leaning back with his elbow on the riser above him, and ringing his bells with the other hand. I couldn't stop laughing, and neither could the rest of the church. I saw kind-hearted pointing and smiling up at the big screen in the direction of my son. Rather than wanted to shrink through the floor, I wanted to stand up and shout that he was my son! But I didn't.
Joey did well in his program too, both services. I video taped it, but our camera is kind of acting up and I didn't have a great angle sitting on the floor near the front of the stage. The church will have DVDs available on Wednesday, so I will get a copy to share so that everyone can see. I'm hoping that they make a DVD out of the second service (and they probably will because there were many more kids than at the first service) because I want to see Nick lazin' about on stage.

After nap time, Joey was teaching Nick a portion of one of his songs. I was upstairs doing laundry and heard them downstairs and was cracking up. So I made a little clip of them. Nick, as you can see, has more energy than should be legal and won't quit bouncing, but if you listen close, you can hear him sing along. Actually, it's more of a one-word echo throughout the song! I know I say it a lot, but I just can't get over how incredibly adorable my kids are!

This Is Joey

hi, my name is joey.  i am in kindergarten.  i can read and count.  i like to build.  i like my teacher. i will play with my friend damion.

love, joey

(Joey typed this message almost entirely on his own.  I assisted with spelling very minimally, and only occasionally helped with letter location. I am so proud of my son.)

More Hair

We are getting ready for Christmas programs this week.  Today, Joey had a dress rehearsal for his program at church tomorrow.  It will be so cute.  While he was on stage singing, Ethan and Nick ran around the entire sanctuary, no matter how many times I told them to stay close.  They really were very well behaved even if they did tend to wander.  And cute as ever.  All the other parents enjoyed watching them.  I got lots of "you've got your hands full" comments. Each time I hear that, I think of Angie and how empty my hands are compared to hers, and how enjoyable it is to have my hands as full as they are.
On Thursday afternoon, Joey has a recital at school that I am looking forward to very much.  He will perform with the other afternoon kinders, so it will be a smaller, more focused group.  I will try to get some video of both performances, but it may be a bit difficult.  Nick will be with me at church tomorrow, but he won't be able to come on Thursday, so I will have a busy time trying to keep the boys sat down long enough for me to get video.  We'll see.  Que sera.

Here are a couple pictures of my other handsome boys after their haircuts.  Joey wanted a mohawk, so the lady styled his hair for him.  I think it is very cute. (And I'm not a mohawk fan!)  She also kept a lock of Ethan's hair and is going to send me a "First Haircut" Cerificate.  How cute is that!  I can't wait to get it.

First Haircut

I don't have any time, I am supposed to be headed out the door, but I wanted to get a few pictures up of Ethan's first haircut.  The salon I went to was great!  It was geared specifically for kids and the lady was so good.  Ethan did a wonderful job, only reaching for me a couple times.  Nick and Joey also got haircuts, and they look great, too.  I will post more pictures later, but here are some of Ethan.

I'm A Big Boy Now

As I was getting the boys ready for bed the other night, I was holding a pull-up open so Nick could step into it.  He wasn't cooperating....he was still running "free" around the living room.  But Ethan decided he wanted to be a big boy, too.  So he came over and tried stepping into the pull-up.  I had already changed and dressed Ethan for bed, but he was too cute, so I let him "wear" a pull-up to bed.

Messy Face In Car

While driving home from Portland on Sunday, I gave the boys a snack of Nacho Cheese Doritos.  This was the first time Ethan had ever had these chips.  He devoured them.  But since I was driving, I couldn't exactly control the mess he was making.  His face was so cute I had to have a picture.  But, again, I was driving.  So I asked Joey to help me by taking the picture.  He did a great job!  

When we were only about 20 miles from home, Joey decided he had to go potty and couldn't wait.  Since it was dinner time anyway, Nick decided to stop at Subway to let Joey go potty and have dinner while we were there.  After the boys ate their sandwiches and apples, Daddy thought they could have a treat and got them chocolate chip cookies.  I gave Ethan his whole cookie, since I couldn't give him little pieces at a time while I was in the drivers seat.  It was dark out by this time, so I didn't get to see the results until I had parked in the garage and opened the door to get the kids out.  How precious!  He had chocolate nearly from ear to ear.  I couldn't stop laughing.

Boys In Leaves In Pictures

Fun Run

Joey's school put on a "Fun Run" for the students, to get them interested in running; for fun and for a healthy activity.  The High School Cross Country team (district champions) helped put it on, and were there to guide the students in the race and to act as cheerleaders for the kids.  The school was hoping for 30-40 kids to register and were blown away when they ended up with 105 registered to race! 
They raced by grades; Kindergarteners, frist and second graders, and third and fouth graders.  The Kinders went first and ran 1/2 mile, or two times around the short loop they made around the field out back of the school.  The first and second graders ran 1 mile, two loops around the big loop around the school.  And the third and fourth graders ran 1 1/2 miles, three big loops.  In the  picture above, Joey is at the very end of the starting line for the Kinders' race.  He loves to run.

Nick and Ethan were bundled up against the cold to watch the races.  The most important thing Mrs Gunnar, the PE teacher, wanted the kids to know was to finish the race, even if they had to walk part of the way.  To keep trying, put in a good effort.  "Effort" is their life skill word of the month.  Joey did great!  He ran the whole time, only pausing when he wasn't sure where to go next and when he got to the finish line not realizing that he had to make a second loop.  I was so proud of him.  After he was finished, he said that he loved running in the fresh air.

 While the other two races were run, the kids played on the playground.  These boys LOVE swings.  Swings were always my favorite as well.  Nick did very well on the swing by himself.  He loves going high, but hasn't learned the art of pumping yet.  Even Joey isn't very efficient with the pumping yet.  Ethan was very upset to be stuck in the stroller, and with the fact that he couldn't move his arms in that coat.  I let him out for a minute, but he couldn't even stand on the pebbles covering the ground.  It's like trying to walk steady in loose, dry sand, and Ethan is not so steady as to be able to compensate.

After the races were completed, we went back to the gym where they handed out trophies to the boys and girls in each grade that finished in the top three spots.  To every other participant, a ribbon was given.  Joey was so excited to get his ribbon.  He would exclaim, to anyone who would listen, "I won the race!  I won a ribbon!"  He carried around that ribbon for the next few days showing it off to anyone who would stand still long enough.

Each racer had a tag with their name pinned to their shirts.  As they finished the race, the tag was ripped off, their time written down, and then placed in a bowl for a drawing later.  The tags also let them tally who the winners were.  The school had been donated about a dozen frozen turkeys and half a dozen cakes.  Joey's name was drawn for one of the turkeys!!  Since he is one of the tiniest kids in the whole school, the turkey was as big as his torso.  Being frozen and cold, it was very difficult for him to carry it.  I was trying to get my camera out of my coat pocket to get a picture of him winning the turkey, but I dropped it.  The battery was dislodged, so I had to open it up and fix it before I could take the picture.  Joey kept getting closer to me, and wanted me to quickly take the precarious burden from him, but I wanted a picture first.  Poor kid!  I love the look on his face; he looks terrified.  As soon as I got the picture, I grabbed the turkey, alomst dropping it myself, and plopped it down in the stoller.  I'm so glad I brought our big stoller; there is no way I would have been able to get three kids, two blankets, and one frozen turkey back to the car by myself!  We had a great time and Joey came away from the race feeling awesome about himself.  Nothing could be better.

New Truck

We made an unplanned visit home this weekend.  We didn't know we were coming until Thursday afternoon, and left after Joey got out of school on Friday. 
It has come time when we can no longer survive with one vehicle.  We have worked our schedule really well, but Nick needs he flexibility to visit the other offices in his area on a moments notice, and he can't do that if we have dropped him off in the morning.  And if he takes the van to work, I can't get Joey to school since the buses make no mid-day stops.  (Which doesn't make much sense, but I can understand it.)
So Nick started looking online for a used, mid-80's truck.  He's very picky, and we have a VERY strict budget as to how much he can spend.  Living in a small town does not afford much selection, so he had to look in the nearby big cities.  Of course, Portland just seemed most logical.  And as luck would have it, (if you want to call it luck...I give all praise to Jesus) he found a truck that he liked.....the ONLY truck he liked.  The problem was that it was 200 some miles away, and would most likely be sold by the time we came home for Thanksgiving.  So we just HAD to make the trip sooner.  Oh darn.
We still ran the risk of the truck being sold by the time we would have an opportunity to look at it Saturday morning, but we kept praying, and felt that the trip would be worth it even if the truck had sold.  We would get to see family, and if that particular truck wasn't available, Nick would be able to look around for one.  It's not as if EVERY used vehicle is listed online.
We made the drive Friday afternoon.  Thankfully, Satus Pass was pretty clear.  It had snowed all morning when we checked the weather cameras, but by afternoon, it had all melted.  It was supposed to start to freeze again in the afternoon, so we wanted to gt through the Pass before too long.  There were a couple slick spots near the top, but it was fairly clear.  We got to Mom's just after 8pm, put the boys to bed, and were woken up at 5:30am by our middle child.
Saturday we headed over to my mother-in-law's.  Chuck went Nick to look at the truck, while the boys and I had a blast with Mary.  The boys wanted to rake up all the leaves into a big pile and jump in them.  They had so much fun, and I got some great pictures.  I will get them on the computer when we get home and post some as soon as I can.  We also got to see Angie who just graduated from the Police Academy on Friday!  It was so nice to see her.  And I can't wait for Thanksgiving; Steve and Angie will be there, too! 
Nick and Chuck liked what they saw in the truck, an '87 Toyota, apparently equipped with the most sought-after motor, and only 160K miles.  We are now a 2 car family again.  Although that means I have to drive all the way home (which I don't mind) I'm looking forward to not having to take Nick to work and pick him up every day.
Alright, I was just going to say a few words, and now I'm running late getting ready for church.  So, I will conclude by saying that we will be headed home early this afternoon.  Joey doesn't have school all next week because of Parent/Teacher conferences (ours is first thing Monday morning).  So after tomorrow morning, I will have lots more to post.  Okay....now I'm really late!

Ethan loves getting around on his own.  He knows that when we get to Bubba's school, he can get down and walk to the classroom.  But he tries to push his privilege, and attempts to throw himself out of my arms as soon as I get him out of the carseat.
He loves to get into and onto everything that he can.  Last night he climbed up on the couch.  I don't mind; he can be up there.  However, he decided he didn't want to sit on the couch, he wanted to stand and walk along it.  For a child who is still a bit unsteady on a hard, even surface, walking along a soft, uneven surface is not the wisest decision.  As fate would have it, Ethan saw a toy on the floor that he wanted and tried to reach down to get it.  He went head first off the couch and landed his forehead right on the egde of the viewfinder, or binoculars, as the boys call it.  His forehead promptly swelled up, leaving a dent in the middle of the bump, and colored spectacularly.  This happened just before bed, so we put him down and hoped that he would feel better in the morning.  Here is a picture of what the bruise looked like when he got up.  The swelling is down, but he still has quite a colorful mark.  Poor little guy.

Veteran's Day

In honor of Veteran's Day tomorrow, Joey's school had an assembly about "soldier stuff."  (That's what Joey said it was about.)  They got to see guns and gadgets that the soldiers use, flags, and here how the soldiers protect our country.

One of the neatest things happened just as we were getting to the school.  Miss Bellamy has a couple friends in the Army, one a flight medic, and asked if they could arrange for a helicopter could land out in their field.  The request had to be cleared through Fort Lewis and it all worked out.  As we were getting to the classroom, we were told that everybody was outside watching the helicopter take off.  We made it just in time.  It was so neat to watch the kids watch the chopper take off.  There were cheers almost as loud as the chopper blades and everyone waving as they circled the field before leaving.

Melissa emailed me one of the pictures she took with her phone.

Yaba-Daba-Doo

Ethan was so cute the other morning.  Okay, so he's always cute...but I'm speaking of a specific occurence.  He managed to dislodge his clothing, I'm still not sure how, and made me think of Bam-Bam.

Here's my caveman in miniature rattling the crib.

I tried getting a picture of his face, but he kept running away.  Finally, he was cornered and I captured the precocious little stinker.

Static

There is a lot of static electricity in our house.  We have to be so careful when we reach out to touch someone, or we can get a surprisingly sharp jolt. Nick was sitting in my chair, which seems to generate more electricity than anywhere else, and the whole back of his head looked like a Koosh ball.  I had to get a picture.

Ethan has been walking around for a couple days with this "horn" on top of his head.  Sometimes it is sticking nearly straight up.  It's hysterical.  I think that it is time to get his first haircut.  He didn't get the curls the other boys had, and with his fine hair, it just sort of frizzes out, especially around the ears.  There's only one person I want to cut his hair for the first time, but it will be exceedingly difficult to try to get an appointment.  It's not as if we just live down the street from her shop anymore.  We'll see.

Boxers

My boys have grown into the "physical" play stage.  Thanks to their Daddy, they have learned to "duke up", or box, with each other.  It started out that they were only allowed to duke up with Daddy, but now they have taken it each other.  They get some really good whacks in there!  I was at the computer and heard them downstairs, so I took a few pictures. I love the looks of elation on their faces, they are having a great time!

Nick is always the one who gets "knocked out."  That's because he enjoys taking a fall.  He's so good at it, too.  I remember when we came home in March and Nick "duked up" with Uncle Josh.  He pantomimed putting gloves on, put his fists up, and then.....fell down, before even one punch was thrown.  What a ham.

Jesse Or Nick?

Jesse, almost three years old, visiting Joey in the hospital....eating my crackers.  He was "sharing." That's what he told me!  So cute.

Nick, three years old.  They could be brothers, rather than cousins!  I love how this picture makes Nick look like he has red hair, when in actuality, it is very blonde.

Bear Loves

None of the boys have really become attatched to anything as babies.  Joey never even used a pacifier.  None of them have dragged around a blanket, sucked their thumb, or had a special stuffed animal that they had to sleep with.

But that has changed with Ethan.  He has become quite attatched to the special bear he got from Aunt Stacei and Uncle Josh for his birthday.  He doesn't have to have it ALL the time, but sometimes, when he first wakes up, he will throw a fit if we try to leave it in his crib.  He will carry it around (usually by one of the legs) and love on it for awhile.  After he gets distracted with something else, we are able to take it back to his bed, but I love watching him love on his bear.   I wanted to show you how cute he is with his bear, and to show Aunt Stacei how loved her gift is.

Punkin Patch

Joey

Nick

Ethan

I have grown quite an adorable pumpkin patch over the years.  I wanted to share it with you.  There's room for more pumpkins!

Happy November!

I love this time of year!  Except for the weather (for I like it a bit warmer), November and December are my favorite months.  I love the Spirit of this season, and I love the feeling that is in the air.  I love Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the fact that nearly all my sisters and I have birthdays in November.

But before November, there is Halloween.  Here are a few pictures of my cuties all dressed up.  We carved pumpkins in the morning, and Nick took the two older kids out trick-or-treating.  They went to all of five houses or so, but the boys had a blast and were thought to be some of the cutest kids ever seen. 

The boys did NOT like cleaning out the pumpkins.  I had thought that, being boys, they would love to get all goopy.  I had them all stripped down to their under garments so that they could get messy and just be wiped up.  But I should have figured that they would not enjoy it.  These boys are afraid of bugs!  They are certainly not typical boys.  Joey and Ethan wouldn't even touch the stuff, and Nick did a little, but he shuddered each time he took out a pinch.

Ethan kept shaking his head "no" each time I tried to get him to put his hand in the pumpkin.  All I could get him to do was point.

Joey wouldn't even touch the pumpkin.  I had to beg him to pretend to put his hand in the pumpkin and smile so that I could get a picture!  He wasn't even happy to do that.  Oh well.

Joey dressed up as a cowboy.  He was the cutest cowboy I've ever seen.  Nick was a pirate, very adorable.  Ethan was a pumpkin.  I know it looks like he is about to fall over, but the truth is, I can hardly get a picture of him because he keeps walking up to the camera before I can get the picture taken.  I kept trying to get him to stand up by the wall, and by the time I was sitting down to take the picture, he would be in my lap.  Makes it very difficult to get a picture of him. So, he is in mid-step in the picture, and it makes him look a bit tipsy.

My precious trick-or-treaters! 

Just Icky

We have all been fighting the cold around here for more than a week.  I have had bits and pieces of it for a couple weeks now; some days my sinuses are congested, some days my lungs are inflamed, some days my throat hurts.  Tonight, it's all of the above.  I can't sleep.  I'm so exhausted, I just want to sleep for weeks, but am too uncomfortable to.
Nick came home from work early today with the same thing.  He feel miserable also, but he has to make sure he is fit enough to go to work tomorrow.  It's the last day of the month and he needs to make sure they have a clean close.  He will probably have to work late, and still go in on Saturday.  Poor guy.
Joey has had a bit of congestion as well, but has been a trooper and kept in school.  If he gets really bad, I'll keep him home.  But as long as it is just a bit of sniffles (which happens so often this time of year) he will still go to school.  He wanted to stay home today, but by the time it was time to leave for school, he seemed to want to go and didn't put up any fuss.
Nick and Ethan have also had the crud filling their noses.  They have each had their share of fevers.  Tuesday night was kind of frightening, because Ethan had a temp of 103.1.  None of the kids have ever had a fever so high.  We gave him Tylenol, and within an hour it had dropped to 101.3.  A couple hours later, after he was asleep, there was no hint of a fever at all.  Nick came in our room about 1:00am and he had a low grade fever.  He, too, was given a dose of the wonder drug and slept well (in our bed) for awhile.
At about 3:30am I woke up and started to roll over, but noticed that I was soaking wet.  Nick, who had been laying on top of the covers, managed to soak my quilt, the comforter, sheets, and me completely.  I changed myslef and Nick, but since Nick (my husband) was still asleep, I saved the bed for morning.  Nick was aware of the situation, so he stayed on his dry side of the bed.  I put Nick (my son) back in his own bed.  That left me with nowhere to sleep.  So I climbed into bed with Joey!  A little while later, I noticed that Joey was hanging half off the bed, so I adjusted him back securely in the bed, and what should I discover, but that he had soaked through as well!  At least his was not so disasterous and was confined to a very small area on his side of the bed, so I let him keep sleeping, as there was only another hour or so before morning.  So come morning, I had two beds to strip and clean on top of getting four of us ready for the day.
I have a week of very little sleep, feeling icky, and yet here I am, boring the lot of you with my rambling while drinking hot Apple Cider (so that I could take my Advil).  I had taken Sudafed earlier, but it did nothing for my head, so I reinforced it with Advil.
Joey has a Harvest/Halloween party at school tomorrow.  He gets to dress up in his costume, have cupcakes, and do Halloween activities all day.  He should have a blast.
I'm too exhausted to stay up any longer, and I have nothing more to say right now.  However, since I still can't sleep, I will stay up and try to burn my eyes into closing for an extended amount of time.  Now, if only my boys will cooperate and stay asleep, and in their own beds.  One can dream!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Monday was Joey's first field trip.  The class went to a pumpkin patch which held lots of activities for them; there was a hay maze, a corn maze, a slide, a hay ride, animals to look at (but not pet, unfortunately), a snack, and a pumpkin to pick.  Joey had a blast.  I, unfortunately, could not go because I have the little boys to watch.  Younger siblings are not allowed on field trips.  One of the other mom's so generously offered to take pictures for me, and also offered to watch Nick and Ethan if there is another field trip that I wish to go on.  That was very sweet of her. 

Here are a few pictures that Melissa took of Joey's field trip.


This is Joey's class.  I don't know all of their names yet; in fact, I only know a couple by sight.  Joey is in the top row on the right, and beside him, the cute little blonde in pigtails is Lindsey.  Lindsey is the girl that Joey said is (or was) his girlfriend.  Why?  Because she drew a picture of them holding hands, although she colored his arm the wrong color!
Will is the big kid in front; his mom is the lady who took pictures for me.

Joey is making his way through the hay maze.

Joey is going down the slide (on the left), and enjoying a hay ride (below.)

Joey is pleased with the pumpkin he chose.  Although it is missing a "handle", it was one of the better looking pumpkins picked out by his class.  He sure is a cutie!