Half A Year Already

Can you believe it? I can't. Baby Nick is growing up so fast, getting so big. I just got out the 6-9month size clothes out of storage and realized I probably should have dressed him in these for the last month. I guess I am trying to keep him little a little longer.
Here is the little Bug, six months old. He is not sitting on his own real well, even propped up with the Boppy he was falling over. This is the one area where Joey developed before Baby Nick. Nick still isn't crawling, but is ever so close. He will get up on his hands and knees, hop forward on his knees a couple times, until his knees are too close to his hands to stay balanced. He will then fall forward onto his face, get back up on his hands and knees, and do it all over again. But he is a pro at scooting. He is so fast I can hardly turn around and expect him to be in the same vicinity a second later. He will put his arms out in front of him and pull himself forward. (Not quite the army crawl, using one arm at a time, but just as efficient, using both.)

He is trying to cut a couple teeth, I think. His bottom two front teeth are closer to the surface, and although they are not cutting through yet, you can feel the ridges under the skin. Now it's just a matter of how long it will take them to pop through. He is enjoying his solid food, at times, not seeming to get enough. I think he is growing like a weed, because he looks bigger to me than he did a couple weeks ago, and usually I can't tell (being with them all the time) until I look back later.

Here is a picture of Bubba at six months, a way of comparing them. (I love this picture of Joey, he looks so angelic!) I still think they have so much in common, as far as their looks go. They have their differences, sure, but there is absolutely no mistaking that they are brothers.

I love watching them interact, because Joey loves to make Baby Nick smile, and Baby Nick just lights up when Joey is near. I will get some video of them playing together so you can see. It's so precious.

I suppose it is lunch time, so I will get Joey fed, and then hopefully be able to get a shower while he is eating! That would be so nice. (A shower everyday for three days in a row? Almost unheard of.)

Growing Up

Baby Nick is SIX months tomorrow! Half a year, already gone. That also means that in two weeks, we will have been in Alaska six months. Sometimes it feels like we have been here MUCH MUCH longer than that, at the same time being hard to believe that so much time has gone so by so quickly.

Here is an adorable picture of Baby Nick eating carrots for the first time. What's so funny about this picture is not that he is covered in bright orange, but that is looks like he is smiling, when in fact he had just gagged himself with the spoon!

Baby Nick will have his six month check up on Wednesday, Valentine's Day (a reminder to all those men who might not realize it's just around the corner), so I will update you on how big he is getting. I will also have comparison pictures for you tomorrow. Baby Nick will have his professional pictures done on Saturday, so within a couple more weeks, I will be able to send those out to you.

It's Bubba's bedtime, so I need to make sure he gets tucked in. I will bring more cuteness to you tomorrow.

Baby Shower

Yesterday we had a baby shower at the church for a couple ladies; Rachel had a baby girl in December and Mindy is due at the end of this month. I have met Rachel before, but I hadn't met Mindy until I was getting ready to leave the shower when it was over. I thought I would take a few pictures and show you some of the ladies from the church that I go to, just so you can get a different picture of my life up here in Alaska.

The lady holding Baby Nick is Sarah, the wife of the new associate pastor. The little girl, Olivia, is about a year old. The babies enjoyed playing with each other. Olivia kept tickling Baby Nick's feet, and Baby Nick kept grabbing at her hair 'puffs'.
Lenore, on the left, is the first person I met at the church. She is the nursery coordinator and is such a sweet and gentle lady. You get a sense of peace when you are around her. Linda is on the right and I have only just met her a couple times, but I hear she is a prayer warrior and someone wonderful to take your problems to.
Here are the girls opening their gifts. Mindy is the red-head on the left, and Rachel has the short brown hair, on the right. I got each of the babies an outfit and each of the mom's a collection of smelly bath stuff so they remember to take time to pamper themselves (very important for a mom to do.)
Here is Rachel with her daughter Tirzah. She will be two months old tomorrow.
Here is Baby Nick enjoying his time with Sarah. He was quite a flirt and gave her many smiles...more than I can usually coax out of him.

Here is a picture of Baby Tirzah with her Grandma.

We played one game, a word scramble, which I tied for first!! I got 19 out of 25 words. We only had five minutes to get all 25 words, so I did pretty good. I almost had a couple of them figured out when time ran out. These are the words I missed:

rodeomothh teatley gefined herette dacler paynpel

They also read a baby story about Mr. and Mrs. Right rushing to the hospital. Each table had a chocolate bar that was to be passed to one person on the right anytime the word 'right' was read in the story, and one person to the left anytime the word 'left' was read. At the end of the story, the person with the chocolate bar got to eat it....I won again!! But since chocolate isn't my favorite, I shared.

Anyway...just wanted to share a bit of my weekend. As an added note: the choir starts practice for the Easter program on Thursday, and I am looking forward to it.

Budding Artist

I wanted to show you the incredible artistic ability of my son, Bubba. He drew this all by himself. Can you see what it is? It is Bubba on a cycle-bike (or bicycle as the rest of us know it as.) Didn't he do a great job? I must admit that I am amazed, but then again, I'm biased.
Joey has shown a taste for cheese like his mommy. We both love cheese, especially Pawn-ju-jon cheese (you may recognize it as Parmesan.)

Today at lunch, we had pasta with butter and pawn-ju-jon cheese. I had Joey say the grace, and usually I have him repeat after me, but today I let him say his own prayer. This is how it went: "Jesus love me. Wash mine booty. Amen" Where that came from I have NO idea.

A new phrase that he has become fond of is, "That's not fair." I'm not sure he always knows how it applies, but he knows the spirit of the phrase. Whenever he says it, he balls up his fists and glares as hard as he can.

Dinner needs to be made soon, so I better get to it.

Scooting Bug

Here is the promised video of Joey "helping" mommy by scooting Baby Nick back onto the carpet. You can see how Baby Nick tries to get away at the beginning, determined to reach the toy he wanted. You can also see what effort Joey puts into it...his tongue sticking out. Let me explain his pajamas...he picked out what he wanted to wear to bed, it just happened to be from two different sets of PJ's. I am surprised that baby Nick doesn't end up with rug burn on his face! But Joey is always careful to be as gentle as he can. I am such a terrible mother, I sometimes ask Joey to scoot Baby Nick just for the fun of watching it!

My Secretary

Joey is very helpful to me around the house. He loves to unload the dishwasher (of course, he is taking out the dirty dishes as I am trying to get them in). He loves to get things for me to take care of Baby Nick, and he is now scooting Baby Nick around the floor if he gets into something he shouldn't. (Now that is a video I should share!) His new task....acting as my secretary. I only wish we had a translation software for everybody else to be able to understand what he has typed. It's the thought that counts, right? Gotta love him.

Joey Cracks Me Up

Last night, Nick was kind enough to give me some 'alone' time so that I could work on my Bible study. 'Alone' generally means having only one kid around instead of both. So I am trying to concentrate on the study at the same time field questions and comments from Joey. All of the sudden, Joey leaves my room and closes the door behind him. I thought that he finally decided to give me some real alone time, very sweet of him.

After a few minutes, I hear Baby Nick laughing harder than I have ever heard him before. So I creep down a few stairs so as not to distract Nick from whatever was amusing him so. Baby Nick was in his bouncer across the room from the computer desk, where Nick was making silly noises. I sat there for a full minute or two and Baby Nick could hardly breathe he was laughing so hard. I, too, was laughing hard just watching him. As I started up the stairs I realized I hadn't seen Joey downstairs.

So I checked in the boys' room (since Joey wasn't in my room) but he wasn't there. I checked my room again thinking maybe he had sneaked back in when I was on the stairs. Nope, not there either. Then I noticed the linen closet door, slightly open. I figured that someone had just forgotten to close the door all the way, because it is not a room, just a closet. But as I opened the door, Joey looked up at me from the floor with a 'deer in the headlights' look on his face. There he was, sitting with the Costco size laundry detergent bucket between his legs, and scooping soap in his lap! My first thought and fear was that he was eating it. But after several breath checks, no 'fresh breeze' scent met my nose (unfortunately, it would have been an improvement!) After vacuuming the closet floor, my 'alone' time had expired and I hadn't gotten much done on the Bible study.

Tonight, as I was trying to put Baby Nick in his crib (the little pill woke up again as soon as I laid him down), I hear Joey asking Daddy a very important question. "Do you have juice on your cheek?" Daddy's response? "No, it's just a little zit." I had to hold on to Baby Nick tighter because I was afraid I might drop him from laughing so hard. Out of the mouths of babes. Kids say the darnedest things. Take your pick, but that is what I experience every day! Those are the enjoyable moments of my days.

Like father, like son.......how cute is that. Wondering why Nick is missing his goatee? His trimmer doesn't work anymore, and we don't have hair trimming scissors, so he had to shave it off to "trim" it up. I told him that if I could get over how funny he looked to me without it, I might ask him not to grow it back, because now my lips aren't poked with prickly whiskers when he kisses me!! :) (And I don't mean funny-ugly, just funny-different.)

Joey and I have been working on his recognition of letter and their sounds. He recognizes several letters and sounds, but although he recognizes the letter 'F', he doesn't apply it to his words. For example, 'Felipe', he calls 'Ohlipe'. So I tried having him watch my mouth as I said, "Ff Ff Felipe." He responds, "Ff Ff Ff...Ohlipe." Now he walks around the house saying, "Ff Ff Ff...TV. Ff Ff Ff...chair. Ff Ff Ff...highchair." Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess.

Sidebar: As I was sitting in my rocking chair this evening, I suddenly felt something warm and slimy cover my bare toes....Baby Nick was sucking on my toes! This kid will put ANYTHING in his mouth right now. Crazy kid.

Good-Bye, Drive Safe

This is Joey's new standard send-off every time Daddy leaves the house. It is so sweet. I know that he learned the phrase from me, but even without my having said it first, he now says good-bye to Nick this way.

He has also become very interested in playing the "mer-ca-ca" or harmonica as most of us know it. He even tries to add vibrato by quickly tapping the back of the instrument as he plays, but in actuality, he just hits his hand. It's quite adorable.

Baby Nick is still trying to crawl. He is getting increasingly more frustrated with himself that he hasn't accomplished it yet, but it sure is fun to watch. I think he is growing through a growth spurt, because he can't seem to get enough to eat. He is hardly waiting three hours anymore between meals, and he sucks a bottle dry in a matter of minutes. He is getting much better at eating solid food, I think I will start feeding him two solid food meals a day starting next week (when he turns six months.) He has now had peas, bananas, sweet potatoes, peaches (which wasn't his favorite) and today he had prunes for the first time. He ate the prunes really well, surprisingly. Next on the list will be carrots, applesauce, and then squash. After that, I think he will have eaten all the single foods I have seen at the store, and so far, he hasn't shown any allergies. That is very good news for me. The only allergy I have seen in him so far is clean clothes. I don't know what it is about them, but as soon as he gets clean clothes on, he spits up all over them! (If only there were a cure for that one!)

Not much is new here, so not much to blog about, but I didn't want to go too long before having you hear from me. Love to all our family, we miss you so much.

Big Steps For A Mommy

Today, I had a really hard day as a Mom, at least in the department of watching my kids grow up and need me just a little less. But I will get to that in a moment. First, I will explain the pictures.
Nick and I were playing cards on Saturday night. First, we played a few hands of Spit, a game that I grew up playing with my sister Aubrey. Our friends, Trisha and Nicole, played with us a lot as well, and we would have tournaments with the four of us. This is a game that brings me very fond memories, and since I dominate over my husband :) I enjoy playing it still! After we played Spit I taught him how to play Phase 10. With only two people playing, the game moves a bit faster than it does when a big bunch plays, so we were able to finish two games before too long. Baby Nick was taking a nap, and Bubba was just hanging out downstairs. We thought he was playing on the floor, but as we walked into the living room, we found Bubba in the chair, asleep. Since it was after 8pm, we were surprised that he had fallen asleep. Of course, he woke right up and didn't go back to sleep until after 1am! That was such a treat (NOT) having him laying in our bed, first with his head up on our pillows, then down by our feet. At one point, I laid down with him at the foot of the bed. Picture this: Nick on his side of the bed, with his head up on his pillow and his feet at the foot of the bed; Joey in the middle of the bed with his head at the foot of the bed and his feet by Daddy's belly; me with my head at the foot of the bed and my feet up in Nick's face. Add to it one pillow-hogging Bubba and my head nearly hanging off the edge of the bed. All of it to see if it would help Joey go to sleep faster. Did it? Of course not. I finally moved my head back up where it belonged, fell asleep, and found that Joey was finally asleep when Baby Nick joined us at 2am. But since I was asleep first, I am not sure what time Joey finally dropped off at. Oh well, at least he slept.
Here is another milestone for Bug: sitting up by himself. Up until just today, he couldn't even balance on his rear for a second, and tonight he sat up for several minutes, with my re-balancing him only once. When he started to fall the second time, he put his hand down to catch himself. He is getting to be such a big boy. He will be SIX months in a week from tomorrow. I can hardly believe it.

Now on to the things which have caused me to grow up a little today. The boys and I went to church this morning (Nick had to stay home as he was on call, and spent over an hour on the phone walking one of his employees through a procedure). Joey walked right into the nursery as if he owned the place, like he has for the last few times. But today, I left Baby Nick in the nursery for the first time. As I sat in the sanctuary, I was more uncomfortable, as if I didn't know what to do with myself without at least one of my children beside me. I stared at the front where the number would surely show up saying that one of my children needed me, but not once was I called to the rescue. I suppose I should grateful that I had some time to myself, and I am, but I'm not as ready for it as my kids seem to be.

The next thing that made me grow up today was Joey. About 9:30pm, I was rocking Baby Nick to sleep, and Joey started walking up the stairs. I asked him what he was doing, but he didn't say a word. He just looked at me with kind of a sad look on his face and continued climbing the stairs. About fifteen minutes later, Nick asked where Joey was, and I told him that he had gone up the stairs, but I hadn't heard him or seen him since. We both went upstairs, as I was laying Baby Nick down anyway, and noticed that no lights had been turned on. We found Joey laying in our bed, asleep. He had just taken himself off to bed, not saying a word to any of us. It's enough to break my heart. Usually, when he gets tired, he will climb up in my lap and "rest on your shoulder" or lay down on the couch or floor and fall asleep wherever he is (like he did in the picture at the top of the post.) But tonight, he just carried himself off to bed, as if he felt like we didn't have time for him, or care enough about him to put him to bed. I can't wait to hug him in the morning to leave no doubt as to how much I love him, even though I am sure he doesn't really feel the way he made me feel like he feels. (Don't give yourself a headache trying to make sense of that if 9it doesn't just come to you.)

A funny thing that happened today; Joey was sitting on Nick's lap while he was laying back in the recliner. Joey said to him, "You have hair in the nose." That gave us a laugh, but not so much as what was said next. Nick told him that he had hair in his nose too, but Joey just said, "No, I have boogers."

Superbowl results: Nick and I do NOT watch football, we have no idea who the teams are, which teams are good, or why we should root for a particular team. But we do watch the Superbowl, pretty much just to say we did. Nick decided to root for the Bears because they were coming in as the underdogs. I decided to root for the Colts, for the same reason that I root for any team; they have the nicer uniforms! So we decided to make a little wager on the outcome of the game. The loser gives the winner a full body massage. I can't wait to cash in my winnings!!! HE HE HE

Good Hygiene

Joey has been observing me as I cut and file my nails, and now he feels he has to have his nails filed as well. But being the big boy that he is, he wants to do it himself. He is so cute. You may be wondering why he runs around the house virtually naked in Alaska, but clothes are not something I have been able to keep on him very well these days. After running around the house, Joey will say, "I'm fweady (sweaty)" and take his shirt off. I do all I can, but I don't have the time or energy to follow him around the house trying to get him to put the clothes on that he has just thrown off! What am I to do with all the cuteness in my house!

A Funny Story

This one's for you Mom, filled with your favorite kind of visual!

Yesterday, while Baby Nick was taking a nap in his crib (and thank goodness he was,) Joey was sitting on my lap in the recliner. I laid back in the chair and Joey sat on my chest, trying to pretend I was Daddy and that he could bounce on me. Without warning, Joey leaned forward. I'm sure you can guess what happened. The chair became top heavy and fell over backwards.

So there I am, my back lying on the floor and my feet hanging in the air. I couldn't breath, both because I was laughing so hard and because Joey was still sitting on my chest! Joey kept going back and forth between laughing and being a little frightened. (I don't think he knew how to feel.)

The best solution, would have been to fall over while Nick was home so that he could pick us up. Instead, this had to happen when he was at work. What makes it worse, is that the chair is in between the couch and the computer desk, with hardly any clearance on either side, and the wall directly behind. So, my back is still lying on the floor, my feet are still hanging in the air, and I have no way to get up, because there is no room on any side to swing my legs over to. I was finally able to help Joey get off my lap and stand upright on the floor, but he wouldn't be much help to me.

I sat there for awhile, pondering my predicament, when I tried pushing off the wall with my feet, tossing my legs over my head. Once I was able to push off a few inches, I finally had some room to swing my legs over to the side and get myself picked up off the floor. Needless to say, there was absolutely NO grace involved in my movements. My one regret was that there was no one around who would appreciate the humor of the situation to share it with. Joey didn't understand enough to laugh along! Since then, every once in awhile, Joey will come up to me in the chair and say, "Don't slick, don't slide down in the chair." Thanks, Bubba.

Partial Success, But Success Nonetheless

Tonight, as I was helping Joey change his pull-up after he had done his 'doodee', I noticed he was not completely done. So we rushed into the bathroom and he actually finished on the toilet!! Most was still done in his pull-up, but now that we have had that first break through in getting something in the toilet, hopefully he will find it easier to go in the toilet all the time.

I must say, I'm a very proud mama tonight.

No One Knows What They Are Doing

At least, this is what I have found for any government agency I have dealt with here in Alaska.

Before coming to Alaska, I asked Nick to bring a DMV book with him to pick us up so that I could study it and be ready to take the test and get my license. In the book, there is a list of all the forms of ID you need to bring in order to get a license issued. Now, having only one car, we have to rearrange our entire schedules if I need the car for something. Taking a driver's test with a toddler and an infant is impossible, so we had to either try to catch Nick on a day where he didn't have too much work to do during lunch (yeah right!) or I could go to the one DMV office that was open on Saturdays. This was way back last fall that we tried to get my license. When I got there, I had all the required documents in my hand and went up to the counter where the tests were being issued. The very rude lady (and it was first thing in the morning, so she didn't even have time to be having a bad day) said that I could take the test but they wouldn't issue a license until I brought our marriage license in to prove that my name changed from the one on my birth certificate to the one on every other piece of documentation, including my social security card in which verifiable proof of my name change was required to obtain. Now, it would have been one thing, if I had overlooked the part where they told me I needed the marriage license, but as it was, it was not listed ANYWHERE. They made some lame excuse that they had just started requiring it, but they did not make the information available to the general public. Suffice it to say, I still don't have my driver's license.

Today, I had the incredible non-privilege of dealing with the Social Security office. We had applied for Baby Nick's social security card at the hospital, as we were supposed to, and realized nearly six months later that we still haven't received it. We want to finish our taxes and need his number to be able to get full credit for having him. So I called the Social Security Admin to see what I needed to do since I hadn't gotten his card yet. They told me that I had to go to the local office and reapply for the card. They could give me the number at the office, but I would have to bring in his birth certificate and my driver's license and fill out the application in order to get a copy of his card.

So I get the kids up extra early in order to take Nick to work, drive around for ten minutes looking for a parking spot, unbuckle the boys, yank stroller out of the car, and walk gingerly across the ice covered streets and sidewalks, to go through the security post at the door, and wait in line at the office. (If you get my tone, you can see that this was not an outing just for fun.) I had the required documents in hand, filled out the application, and waited my turn. (Thankfully, since I got there before they opened, I only had a few people in front of me.) As I get to the counter, explain the situation and what I need, the lady tells me that she can give me Baby Nick's number, but in order to send for the card, I would have to show proof of identity. Well, I was prepared, so I gave her the birth certificate. Guess what! Apparently, the birth certificate is not proof of identity! They want a passport, or a state photo-id (which needs a social security card to be able to get one) or a Medicaid something or other. WHAT INFANT HAS A PASSPORT, PHOTO-ID, OR MEDICAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (AND YES, I'M YELLING BECAUSE I AM VERY ANGRY!) Oh, and by the way, they will accept an immunization record, stamped and signed by the doctor. The lady thought she was being very nice when she said, "If it helps, when you come back, you don't have to wait in line, just come to my window." PLEASE, lady. I am not about to buckle the kids back up, throw the stroller back in the van, drive to the doctor's office, get the kids and stroller out of the van, to get his immunization record stamped and signed by the doctor, just to throw the kids and the stroller back in the van to drive around looking for parking that I would have to pay for AGAIN, to yank the kids and stroller back out of the van, and try not to kill us all slipping and sliding over the ice covered world, so that I could be grateful that I didn't have to wait in line!! (What an idiot.) Since I don't need his actual card right now, I will probably wait until I am back in a country where sensible people exist.

The one highlight of my trip, was when I was filling out the application, with Joey sitting in the chair next to me, and he says, "I dropped my booger over there." WHAT?!?!?! While I wasn't paying attention, he had picked his nose, and apparently dropped his booger on the floor. He wanted to get down and find it. The security guy that was listening, laughed and told Joey it was probably better off where it was. I was laughing, because Joey is soooo cute, but I could also feel the heat rise to my cheeks as well.

I never want to deal with another government agency as long as I am in this stupid state.

Freezing Thaw/Thawing Freeze

I'm not sure which. Apparently, every year around the end of January, Anchorage experiences the start of a thaw due to the Chinook Winds. So right now, all the snow has melted off the trees, the icicles are dripping everywhere, and the temperature is in the mid to upper thirties.

The problem with this is two-fold. One; while there is dripping water everywhere, it freezes as it hits the ground, leaving a solid sheet of ice in front of doorways and on sidewalks. This makes things very 'slippaly' outside, as Joey says.

The second problem with this is even worse; it gives a false hope that spring is coming. I have to remind myself that there is still FOUR months of winter left up here. Just when it gets very slushy outside, the freeze will come back, make the entire world a sheet of ice, and start the winter cycle all over again!

I suppose one day I will see the spring again, right about the time of the summer solstice! :)

Joey is sitting in the chair, pouring water out of his cup into his hands. When I told him to stop, he said, "No, I'm washin' my knees!" As if that would make it okay. What a goof ball. I am very proud to say that when I laid Joey down in his big boy bed for nap, I left him alone in hopes that he would fall asleep and not get up and play. When I checked on him about fifteen minutes later, he was asleep and stayed in his bed for the whole time! If I can make this a habit for him during nap time, it gives me hope for bed time!

I suppose it is Joey's turn on the computer; I told him he could play later. So I will give up my time to help him play one of his games.

Bouncin' On Daddy

This is a poor man's trampoline; Daddy! What is most funny about this is how intense Joey is talking to Daddy. If there was sound, you would hear Joey say, as he waves his hands in the air, "Be quiet. B Nick just sleeping in the crib!"

Seven Days Went Too Fast

I can't believe Grandma is already gone. We had so much fun while she was here. We didn't do much more than what we do everyday, but having her here made it wonderful. The boys loved having her here as well because they were a bit more spoiled!

Grandma saw first hand what a pill Baby Nick could be and she determined that it was because his tummy hurt when he was laying on the floor or sitting in a "sleeping" position. She discovered that as soon as she stood up with him, he stopped hurting. So she would pick him up whenever he fussed a little and he got used to being spoiled. (Of course he wasn't hurting....he just wanted to be held!)

While we were on our way home one night, Joey said, "Take Grandma to the ohport?"
It wasn't that he wanted Grandma to leave, it was just that he gets out of the house so infrequently that any reason to leave is a mini-vacation for him. This morning, Joey was sitting on my lap and asked, "Where's Grandma Dooley?" I told him that she had to go back home. He said, "Let's pick her up in a little bit." how I wish we could.

One morning as he woke up, Joey called down from the top of the stairs, "Mommy!" So i stood at the bottom of the stairs to see him and he started saying, "Aunt Angie in the..." He heard Grandma in the kitchen and I believe he had just been dreaming about Aunt Angie being here, because when he saw that it was Grandma instead of Aunt Angie, he buried his head on the stair and pouted. As soon as he woke up a little more, he forgot about his dream and was having fun with Grandma once more.

The first day she was here, Joey couldn't remember what to call her. He would switch back and forth between Grandma Dooley and Grandma Mary. He wasn't confusing the people, just the names. But after that first day, he got it right. We sure miss her already!

Joey is always talking about people back home with Baby Nick. For example, he once said to Baby Nick, "Wanna see Grandam Mary amorrow? That be fun, B Nick!" Yes, it would be fun to see Grandma Mary tomorrow.

Baby Nick is eating solid food about once a day now. He has rice cereal and we mix it with a fruit or vegetable. He has had peas, bananas, and sweet potatoes. After he finishes his sweet potatoes, he will try peaches! He has seemed to like them all, but bananas sure disappeared a bit faster than the others.

Trying So Hard

Baby Nick is so close to crawling. He has very strong arms, as he usually pulls himself forward...but he does not have the strength to hold his body up if he moves one hand forward. He does not stop moving, however, he keeps spinning on his tummy and pulling himself towards whatever he wants. He is so fast, too. Once he does start crawling, I am going to have to put the gate up to keep him local!

Loves From Afar

It has been so nice having Grandma here. She is such a blessing. She is always doing something to help, whether it is to take care of the kids, or to help out with the housework while I take care of the kids' needs.
Baby Nick is giving loves to Nanny and Papa Buddy. He doesn't give kisses quite like Bubba does, but he can drool with the best of them!
I have got to go pick Nick up from work, so I must sign off for now. I love you all so much and I miss everyone of you.

Our New Pet

We have a new pet. According to Joey, his name is Big Black....Big Black Moose. This was the first time I have seen a moose, and it was right outside our dining room window. Joey was up at the table playing with some Play-Doh and says, "I see a aminal." Usually, he might see a bird and say so, so when he said 'aminal' I thought it might be a moose. And there he was. I am guessing that it is a baby. It could be a mama, but as big as he was, I still think he was too small to be full grown.
He was eating the tree limbs in our back door neighbors yard. I'm sure he was wishing for something a bit tastier, but of course, this is all that is available right now.
I went outside, wearing my husbands' boots, trying to get a closer picture, and at a better angle. I went out the back door, where the snow doesn't get shoveled, and the snow came up to past my mid-calf. I was not even close to touching ground. Every careful step I took made a "crunch" sound and the moose would look up at me wondering what I was going to do next. All I needed was for the moose to decide to charge...I wouldn't have been able to run very fast in such deep snow in boots that are much too big for me!
He sure is big for being a baby! When he got too close to the window, Joey started getting a little scared and wanted to be held. I didn't even have to hold him, he was clutched on me so tight! I had to assure him that the moose would not come in the house. The rest of the day, he kept asking for the moose. I would love to see another one.

Genius

I had to share the genius of my son. He was sitting in the chair drawing on his Magna-Doodle and draws this....
He turns to show me and says, "This the letter 'Q'." What a brilliant young boy!!

She's Here!!

Finally, Grandma's here. It is so nice to have her. All four of us went to pick her up from the airport since the kids were awake anyway. The boys and I stayed in the car while Nick went in to help Grandma with her luggage. It was almost 12:30am by the time we left the airport. When we got home, we gave her a quick tour, watched Joey bounce off a few walls and visited for a little while.

I had the best of intentions to get us all up and ready for church yesterday, but since we didn't get to bed until 2:00am, that didn't exactly happened. So we had a lazy morning and then went out for brunch. After we ate, because we had a completely empty fridge and pantry, we spent the next three hours doing our grocery shopping.

We spent the rest of the afternoon putting groceries away and visiting. For dinner we had purchased a rotisserie chicken and prepared Cesar salad, so we didn't have any cooking to do. It was a very relaxing day (not that shopping is relaxing, but the rest of the day was.)

Today, Nick went in to work for a couple hours to make sure their new driver was comfortable enough with his responsibilities and then he came home. He is taking a couple days of while our company is here.

Grandma's sister Edna is up from Juneau to visit her daughter Cathy, so the four of us girls will go out for a hot fudge sundae this evening. (We really wish you were here for this part, Mom.) Nick will stay home with the boys, so I will make sure to bring him a treat as well.

A couple things on the menu this week: Grandma's Stroganoff, which is absolutely delicious and one of Nick's favorite, and Fettuccine Alfredo, which is one of my favorites. So anyone who wants to come is more than welcome to join us! (Nothing draws people close like great food, right?)

Singing A Happy Song

There is a song that I remember from long ago, one we sang at VBS. It makes me giggle because the words are different laughing sounds. So those of you who know this song, sing along with me:

Ho Ho Ho Hosanna
Ha Ha Hallelujah
He He He He saved me
I've got the Joy of the Lord.

Joey Is A Sweetheart

For the last week, Baby Nick has had episodes of uncontrolable screaming. For no reason at all, he will start screaming so loud and hard he can hardly breathe. Nothing I do makes him stop; whether I hold him, put him down, give him his pacfier, take it away, coo at him, shhh at him, bounce him...etc. Nothing. Most of my efforts just get rewarded with a renewed strength in his screaming. Needless to say, after 45-60 minutes of this, I get a bit more than frustrated. Sometimes I have to put him down before I feel like I might lose control and hurt him. I would never hurt him intentionally, but sometimes I just have to step away before I feel like I could.
In one such episode this evening, I put Baby Nick down on the floor so I could take a break from his screaming. Joey came over and, laying half on top of Nick, gave him a hug, rubbed his head and spoke comforting words to him. It was so sweet I had to capture the moment on camera. You can see how unhappy Baby Nick is, but what you can't hear, is the intensity and volume of his screaming. Unfortunately, Baby Nick was not comforted by his brother just as he wasn't comforted by me. As a mother, I am supposed to be able to make my children feel better, comfort them, and take away all their hurts and fears. Not being able to do so makes me feel like I am really no mother to him at all, rather, just a caretaker. It's so discouraging.

One More Day

Just one more day, and I will have my Grandma here!!! I am so happy about that. She keeps thinking that we will want her to leave as soon as she gets here, but both Nick and I are very excited.
This is my little helper, always wanting to take care of Baby Nick like Mommy does, feeding his baby brother. Whenever Bug is taking a nap in his crib, as soon as he wakes up, Joey starts running for the stairs yelling, "Hitonim!" At first it took me awhile to distinguish what he was saying, but I finally figured out that he was telling me he wanted to say 'hi to him.' He loves climbing up on the crib and talking to his brother. I love seeing the love between them.
Here is a picture of my youngest cutie-patootie! This outfit was a gift from Grandpa Paul given to him the day he was born. During the upheaval of the move, I had forgotten what size it was and I thought it was 6-9months, so I hadn't gotten it out for him to wear. Last night I was reorganizing the boys' room a bit for Grandma's visit and I found the box with these clothes. I double checked the size and found that it was 3-6 months, and it's a good thing I did, because I would hate to have waited until he was too big to fit in them. But since it is not a one-piece, he will probably fit into them for awhile. He is getting close to needing 6-9 month size in the one-piece outfits.

Speaking of Bug, he just woke up. Gotta go!

"Let's Go Home."

For the last few days, Joey has been saying 'let's go home,' even while we were sitting in our house. I always answer the same way, "We are home." Although what I would really like to say is that we can't go 'home' right now.

This morning he said, "Let's go home. Wanna see Aunt Stacei." Now I know that he too, still thinks of Oregon as 'home'.

Joey has another cold. He had a fever of just over 100 degrees this morning. We actually woke him up to take his temp and give him some Tylenol. His fever broke fairly quickly and he has been fever free the rest of the day, so far. But he has a terribly stuff, runny nose and a small cough. I pray he gets better quickly so he can enjoy the time with Grandma Dooley. (Only three more days till I pick her up at the airport! YIPEE!)

Baby Nick is doing well. He is getting better at eating his cereal, I don't even have to pair it with a small bottle anymore. I think I am going to mix some peas into the cereal in the next couple days. That should be fun, watching him taste a new flavor. Nothing could be more funny than watching Josh and Stacei torturing Rachel with peaches when she was a baby!

The neediness of Joey's cold is coming out full force right now, so I better go.

Leaps and Bounds

It was just one week ago that I posted a short clip of Baby Nick up on his hands and knees. Yes, I had to help him get up to that position. However, now I don't. Even though he can only hold it for a few seconds, he can get up on his hands and knees by himself. What's more, is he can get up on his hands and toes, as if doing a push-up! Here is the proof.
It's scary to think how fast he could be crawling. What a treat it would be for Grandma Dooley if he started crawling next week while she was here! (I don't think I could be ready by then.) I keep telling myself that I will be ready whenever he becomes more mobile, but I think I'm just fooling myself.

With Joey having taken his time with each new development, watching Baby Nick speed through these milestones is a bit hard to process. I could hardly pose Joey on his hands and knees at seven months old, and here I am trying to handle the possibility of my five month old crawling in the very near future. He is very strong, but he hasn't figured that he can (or that he needs to) move his hands to be able to go anywhere. But once he does.....

To Each His Own

Here is a picture of my two boys, being boys, being brothers, playing on the floor together. Joey was picking up blocks and showing them to Baby Nick asking, "Eewwzat? Thas blue! Thas right, B Nick!" It was so cute. I can't wait until Baby Nick is at an age where he can actually play along. It will be fun to watch.
Some things about the two boys are the same, and some are very different. For example, something that was so precious about Joey when he was a baby was how he hummed when he was going to sleep. Every time he was rocked to sleep, he would hum, from the time he was three months old until he was a year old. Baby Nick has started to hum every once in awhile, although his is half hum, half moan.

Something that is different is the odd things they do. Joey used to make this weird sound, kind of in the back of his throat. No one could imitate it, and it can't even really be described, at least not in words that I know.

Baby Nick however, is a spitter. It is so funny to watch. Hopefully, I can get the web cam working and make a video of it with sound so you can see it. He was doing it all morning in church and I couldn't stop laughing. It's a good thing that I was sitting alone, or I may have disturbed the person next to me. Below is a picture of him spitting. The picture is funny enough, but wait until you can hear him do it "in person." What a goof!

"Thas Okay; Don't Worry."

This is Joey's new phrase. He is so precious. For example, when Baby Nick is fussing, Joey will come up to him, rub his head and say, "Thas okay; don't worry." Today, when Baby Nick knocked my plate of food off my lap, spilling it all over my jeans and the floor, Joey comes up and gives me a hug and says, "Thas okay, don't worry. I'll pick it up." And last night, when I was sent to bed early with a horrible migraine, Joey lays down beside me, puts his hand gently on the side of my face and says, "Thas okay, don't worry."

He touches my heart so frequently with his care and concern for those close to him.

He has also started saying, "Sanks" instead of 'taintoo.' (Thanks, instead of thank you.)

We picked Nick up at the airport about 1:00pm on Friday and dropped him off at work. He called about 5:00pm and said he had another 2-3 hours of work, because even though he confirmed with the office that morning that he only had two stops to do, he in fact had four. Plus, he has about 15 to do on Monday. So we didn't pick him up at work until about 7:00pm Friday night. Joey wanted me to honk the horn at Daddy when he came outside, so I strategically waited until his back was turned to lock the office door and blasted the horn at him. He, of course, jumped high, not expecting that, and Joey laughed hard and said, "Do it again!" So I honked again. Joey loved it.

The best part of my day so far was a phone call from Mom. I wasn't expecting to hear from her at all while she is sailing in the BVI's so it was extra special to get to hear her voice and tell her I love her. It's funny, I miss her even more when she's gone, even though I'm "gone" all the time.

Grandma is coming in SIX days! I am getting very excited. When Joey and I talk about her coming for a visit, he always says, "Grandma Dooley come for 'zert?" Well, I'm sure we will have dessert at some point when Grandma is here, but she is not coming just for 'zert.

I am also counting down the days until Mom and Dad come; six months from last Thursday! (I wish that count down wasn't so long, but I'll live.)

The sermon at church today was about living indebtedness, not only financially, but in unforgiveness as well. He read from Matthew 18: 21-35, the parable of the unforgiving debtor. This servant owed his master ten thousand talents, which in today's equivalent would be 2.5 billion dollars! After begging for mercy, the master released him from his debt. The servant went to another servant who owed him one hundred denarii, about 10,000 dollars. After having been forgiven a 2.5 billion dollar debt, you would think that he would be forgiving of this smaller debt, but instead, he threw the guy in prison until the debt could be paid in full. The master heard of this and turned him over to be tortured until he could pay every cent. The pastor pointed out that the master did not release the second servant as you might think that he would. And although there is nothing further said about it in the bible, Pastor said that he believes its because no one can be released except by that person who holds him in bondage. Therefore, we should not hold anyone in bondage, but rather, forgive them as Christ forgave us. For as Christ warned in Matthew 18 vs 35, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." By forgiving others, you too, will be released from the bondage of hurt and offense.

Praying you have a terrific day.

"I'm Bizzin' On The Floor!"

Can you guess what Joey is doing? It sounds like it could be frightening, doesn't it?
Try this one: "Biz me Mommy."
'Biz' is 'Spin'
So when Joey is bizzin' on the floor, he is spinning on the floor!
Besides the bubbles, this is Joey's second favorite thing to do lately. He loves to run around in circles or spinning in the computer chair.

Joey is so sweet with Baby Nick. Every once in awhile he will ask to hold baby Nick. He still wants to help me change diapers, especially the "gross" ones. Right now, he is sitting in the chair with his 'brudder' and has his arm draped on top of Bug's head (I guess it is supposed to be like he has his arm around his shoulder.)

Baby Nick is working on getting up on his hands and knees all by himself. Sometimes he gets pretty close. Yesterday, after I helped him get on his hands on knees, he got himself up on his hands and toes, and held that position for a couple seconds! He is very strong. But he is demanding my attention (very loudly) so I better go for now.

Have an exciting day.

Nearly Half A Year

I can't believe how fast time seems to slip by. It was just last week that I was in the hospital giving birth, right? In fact, it has been five months, nearly half a year! (Which also means I have been in Alaska for nearly half a year.) The time I spent at my parents' before I moved is still so clear in my mind. It was such a blessing to stay with them and has been some of the best weeks of my life. Whenever I remember that I have left, and am no longer able to stop by, the feelings I experienced the day I left come back full force, as if I were leaving all over again. So it hardly seems possible that my Little Guy could be five months old already.
Here is a picture of one of his firsts; the first time he ate a meal in his highchair. He is getting better at eating cereal. I think he is finally realizing that it is food, and he spends less time fussing about it.
He looks like a little boxer! He's so cute with the hood up, and it is such a warm outfit, it's great when we go outside.
Here he is; five months old! When he looks so cute and happy it's hard to imagine he gives me any grief, but believe it, he's not always so easy. But I love him anyway. I think that I forget that I love him when he is being difficult, so I have to work on that.
Here's Bubba at five months. You can definitely see a difference in their size, and the color of their eyes. But I still think they look similar. There is no mistaking that they are brothers! I agree with Aubrey; Joey looks just like me, and baby Nick looks more and more like his Daddy.

We get to pick up Nick today, he's going to take a stand-by flight, hopefully getting on at 11:00am. When we pick him up, we are just going to have to drop him off at work, because he has some stops to do here in Anchorage, but it will still be nice knowing he is home. It will especially be nice come bedtime. I may not get any sleep while dealing with Baby Nick, but at least Nick will be able to take care of Joey if he gets up. If Baby Nick is sleeping when Joey gets up I can take care of him, but it's extremely difficult if both boys are up at the same time in the middle of the night. They both want to be rocked, and although I can hold them both in the chair, if they fall asleep, I can't carry both of them to bed at the same time because they both take two hands to lay down!

Joey is excited to pick Daddy up at the "ohport." "Let's get him" he says, but I have to remind him that it is not time yet. The concept of time is still too difficult to grasp.

Well, Baby Nick just fell asleep, so it is my best chance to go take a shower! Better take advantage of it.

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

At least since Sunday night.

While I was packing Nick's suitcase for the week, Joey made a discovery that he was very excited about. He was exploring the zipped pockets in the suitcase and found the stash of bubbles I had packed when we moved from Oregon. Joey loves bubbles! I had completely forgotten about them. Maybe I subconsciously left them in the suitcase.

Since finding them, all Joey has done is blow bubbles and make me blow bubbles. I don't think I have enough air left to blow any more!

When he woke up at 12:30am and wanted to rock, the first thing he said when he came downstairs was, "Blow bubbles?" Even when he is half asleep, he wants to blow bubbles. And when he got up this morning, without even coming over to give me a hug and snuggle, which he usually does, he went straight over to his bubbles.

I have been replaced.

We are surviving while Nick is gone. Bedtime is still the most difficult time because the boys don't seem to want to sleep at the same time. But other than that, we have been doing well. Nick thought he might be coming home Thursday night, because the work is piling up in Anchorage without him here to deliver the equipment (they are still looking for a driver.) But he informed me this morning, that because he has one delivery to make in Fairbanks on Friday, he won't be home on Thursday. But he will probably take an earlier flight on Friday, so he can come back and do the work that is waiting here. It will be nice to have him home. The time seems to slow down when he is gone. It feels like it should be Thursday today, instead of Wednesday. I still have to make it through two more bedtimes without him. We can do it!

Warmer Weather Ahead

I can't stay warm. It is so cold out right now. Currently it is -11 degrees and only expected to warm up to -4 degrees today. I looked at the extended forcast and found myself excited for Friday. At this point, it is supposed to be 32 degrees on Friday!

How pathetic is that, that I look forward to 32 degrees as if it will be almost like summer!

At least I'm not in Fairbanks with Nick; it was -35 degrees when he got in yesterday!

Isolation

I thought I was isolated when we moved to Alaska...far away from all my family. But until today, I didn't know the meaning of isolation.

The boys and I took Nick to the airport at 5am this morning. I have never been good at good-byes, but since we were getting ready to move, good-byes have been nearly impossible for me. So I was a little teary as I dropped Nick off at the airport. Of course, my enhanced emotional state may have something to do with the early morning hour, and the fact that I had never gone to bed the night before.

Today has been relatively calm. Once we got home, the boys fell back asleep pretty quickly and slept until 10:45am. That was nice, gave me a chance to doze in the recliner. Once I left the airport, I called Ange, because I knew she would be up at that time of day. We talked for almost two hours, and it is always such a blessing talking to her. I believe she is an angel living among us. I always feel refreshed in my spirit after talking to her.

The boys played nicely when they were awake, and the took a couple hour nap in the afternoon at the same time, giving me an opportunity to sleep as well. We had sandwiches for dinner, because I didn't feel like making a big dinner for just one and one half of us. We have had a fun evening playing on the floor and I am trying to prepare myself for bedtime. Hopefully, Joey will fall asleep quickly so I can focus on getting Baby Nick to sleep. I would try putting Baby Nick down first, but he doesn't seem to be close to ready, and I don't want Joey up any later than it already is. If I can get Joey to sleep, then Baby Nick can sleep and I can spend a few minutes putting the dishes away and picking up the toys in the living room. That way, I can start tomorrow with a clean house. Joey is really good at helping me pick up his toys, but after he picks up the toys I ask him to, he usually gets twice the amount back out while I am trying to pick up the rest. So it is easier if I just do it by myself after he's asleep.

Well, Joey is proving to me how very tired he is, so I better get him into bed. Day one down, four more to go.

We Must Be Starving Our Baby

Contrary to the image that is portrayed above, Baby Nick is not being starved by us and forced to find something to eat on his own!

I thought this made a cute picture. He was just rolling around on the floor and got himself close enough to the toy box. In his exploration, he found that the lid was not too far from his mouth, and if he stretched just enough, he could eat it. He must of chewed on that corner for two or three minutes! (And I can tell we have our work cut out for us in teaching him manners; he talked the whole time, with his mouth full!)

Unbelievable!

I can't believe it! Not even five months old and Baby Nick can stay on his hands and knees for a few seconds! He is working on getting up on his own, and he gets close, but his legs scoot out from under him before he gets all the way up. But as you can see, with a little help from me, he can actually stay up. It's scary to think how quickly he will learn to do it on his own...and then he will be off like a shot!

Fun In The Snow

Daddy made a slide out of the snow from shoveling the walkway for Joey to play on. As I tried getting a short video of him having fun, he had to sneak in an opportunity to through a snowball at me! The little stinker. Thankfully, I wasn't standing right at his feet, and that is all the further the snow went!

Shirrin' The Poidin'

Joey is such a big help, both to Daddy (shoveling the walkway) and to Mommy. Here is Joey stirring the pudding, or as he says, "Shirrin' the poindin'" When asked what kind of pudding he made, he replys, "Amanas." We can't wait to eat the Banana Cream pudding Joey made for us!

Freezing Cold.....Still

Yes, it is still freezing cold. Of course, it will be freezing cold for several more months still. But, with the cold, comes some amazing wonders of nature. This first picture is of an unsuported arch of snow that is hanging over the fence out our backdoor. I find it amazing how much weight is staying up in the air completely unsuported.

These following pictures are of the eaves of the house next door. It is one long row of beautiful icicles! It took four pictures just to get them all in.

You can't even see how long these two are, they go past the top of the fence!

Just wanted to share some of the cold beauty up here in Alaska!

Freezing Cold

If you wonder how cold I get up here, maybe this picture will help illustrate for me. This is a picture of the door frame from the inside. In my vast knowledge of household hardware, I know that the pictured part is called the striker. (Of course, my brother-in-law Gary was the source of this knowledge. I have to give credit where credit is due.)
If you can make it out, the white that you see on the striker is not just a reflection, or even a worn spot. No....it is a fairly thick layer of FROST. Yes, frost....on the inside, where we try keep it about 70 degrees. No wonder I spend my days shivering in the cold while fully bundled!

Little Guy

I can't believe how big my Little Guy is getting. Except for the last three days, in which he has been grumpier than usual, Bug is getting to be so much fun to watch. He smiles and laughs quite often. The most fun thing to watch, is Baby Nick responding to Joey. If I can get Joey laughing really hard, then Baby Nick usually laughs in response to Joey! It is so cute and funny, it gets me laughing. So here we are, two boys sitting on Mommy's lap and all three of us laughing for no apparent reason. I'm sure if a stranger were passing by and saw us through the window, they'd call the authorities to haul away the loonies!

I had to include this picture. Nanny and Papa Buddy got Baby Nick new socks for Christmas, something he needed very much. They are a bit big, which will serve him well for many months. But they fit now without falling off, so we don't have to wait to use them.

This picture was taken to show off my husbands stylishness. (And yes, that is a word in my dictionary.) The socks come with the top folded down very nicely, twice. Nick felt he needed to unfold the sock and pull them all the way up. As you can see, Baby Nick hardly needs to wear pants if we pull his socks all the way up. Naturally, Nick got a big kick out of himself! I just roll my eyes at his antics.

Snow Fall

This is for all of you at home who enjoy watching the snow fall. We got only trace amounts of snow through the month of November, and now have been making up for it. Since last night, we have gotten several inches, maybe even close to a foot.
So enjoy this little clip of the beautiful snow falling and imagine you are here in Alaska with me; you are certainly welcome.

18 Days and Counting

Our first visitor from home will be here in 18 days! My Grandma Dooley will be staying with us for a week. I can't tell you how excited I am for this. Nick will take one, maybe two days off to be able to spend time with her as well. He sister, Edna, should be up from Juneau to see Cathy, so hopefully we can all get together and do something fun. After Grandma comes, I only have to wait six more months for another visitor from home!

Dinner must be made, so I must go.

Happy New Year

Seeing as its New Year's Eve, and that it is totally unusual (yeah right!), we decided to let the boys stay up until midnight. It looks like Little Guy made it and Bubba conked out early!
What the picture doesn't show is that this was actually at 5pm, and Bug had just woken up from a nap and Joey hadn't yet taken one!

I know I show a lot of pictures with them sitting together, but it is not because I pose them this way. I think it is extraordinarily cute that every time I set Baby Nick in the chair, Joey says "Want to sit with Brother." And he climbs up in the chair with him. That is why I take pictures like this.

Joey has always shown a tendency to mix up the sounds in his words (much like Mommy, Aunt Aubrey, Nanny, and Aunt Megan.) One of the things he says a lot now, whether he is throwing something at me, or making sure I'm okay, he says, "I jocka." Which means "I gotchya." Again, he is switching the 'ch' sound in the middle for the 'g' sound in the beginning. It's not a perfect match, but its close enough.

Since it is now technically the New Year.....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! May this year bring you closer to all those that you love, especially to your God.