What we've been up to...

So, my significant other and I were talking the other day about how it seems like we've been in Alaska FOREVER already and not just the mere 3 months that it's actually been. So, he asked me if I'd put up any of the pictures of things that we've done here and that gave me an idea of several things I could blog about.

Not in any particular order...

Missy's 3rd Birthday...

We've since started on the road to potty training her and let's just say that  she has her good days and her bad. :)

 Buddy's first day of kindergarten! He was very excited even though I was on the verge of tears. He rides the big bus with all the other elementary school kids - which scares me, but the 5th graders at his bus stop keep an eye out for him.

 We went to the Alaska State Fair, which was lots of fun and a new experience for the kids - they loved the little petting zoo and riding on a couple rides.

Buddy and his Great-Grandma on the Ferris Wheel, which she was terrified of, so of course his Daddy got him to rock their seat which just made him laugh and her even more terrified.

Bud's 5th Birthday!

 Carly watching her Great-Grandma cross stitch - which she did often while Grandma was here visiting, little Miss would sit for 20-30 minutes and just watch - it was very sweet to capture.

 One of Bud's birthday presents - a Transformer's backpack!

Oh, you can see the excitement on his face for his dinosaur birthday presents!

Gone Fishing in Hope, AK

It was a cold, wet, rainy day but everyone had fun!

 Skipping rocks our last day in Fairbanks, when we went to see North Pole

 North Pole, AK- Santa was very nice and reminded us all to be good!!!

 On our way up to Fairbanks we stopped to eat lunch and this gazebo was built out of what are called "knotty trees" that have these HUGE knots in them, as you can see by what little Miss is sitting on. There was even a cool little shop called "The Knotty Shop" that was full of Alaska decor and animal statues made out of branches like these.

 This is the great Alaskan Pipeline!

 Captured this up at the pipeline, but couldn't resist, the light just seemed too perfect to pass up.

 More pictures from fishing in Hope. We were afraid of the kids throwing the fishing poles in the river so they mostly manned the fishing net. The nice thing about it being so rainy and wet was that it was incredibly muddy so once the kids stopped walking they were stuck and their little rubber boots were just suctioned into the mud. So, we didn't worry about them wandering off, just about them slipping into the river!

 Bud and his Grandpa

 Me and Bud

I caught a fish!

But had to throw it back because I barely missed hooking it in the mouth, but the rule is that if you hook it anywhere other than in the mouth you have to throw it back. Because they run so heavy you can just cast in and if you jerk hard enough you could catch lots, so hooking in the mouth is a lot more difficult.

Getting used to things...

So, we have made our move to the Great North and began our stay with 30 straight days of rain. That was a new record for the locals, but for me it felt as if I hadn't left Washington and seemed an appropriate welcome.

I'm sorry that I've neglected my blog, it was not done to hurt anyone, it just happened as it became low on my priority list with being pregnant and getting ready to move. Hopefully I can turn over a new leaf and be better. :)

For anyone that hasn't heard, our third, and final, child was born on July 2nd. Our little "Bubba" weighed in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. He looks just like his Daddy and is very adorable, but then again, I am biased. :)

These were taken about a 6 weeks after he was born. Buddy and Missy are very excited and very helpful.
Here is a good side of him... ha, ha...

Car Toys = store full of toy cars (a 4-year old's logic)

So, on Friday we had several errands to do and one of them was to go to Car Toys to see if the correct remote for our DVD player was in - when they installed it over a year ago they gave us the wrong remote and we didn't notice till now. Anyway, back to the story. My 4-year old, Mr. J, asked where we were going, so I rattled off the list: Home Depot, Car Toys, and Cost... "Car Toys!!!" he interjects, "get a car?"

"No, sweetie, there aren't toys there." I reply.

"Mom, car toys, go get car?"

"No, Buddy, this is not a store with toy cars, it is a store with toys for your car."
Which produced a very confused look from my little man.

Needless to say, this conversation went around and around a few times while we walked in the store, found out the remote wasn't in yet, and walked back to the truck. About at the same point I get the kids back in their carseats hubby returns from Home Depot and inquires as to the status of the remote. I told him it wasn't in yet and that they don't know when it will be in (to which he wasn't very happy about because somebody had told him it'd be in on Wednesday.) So, Daddy goes marching off to "talk" to someone at the store, to which J notices and exclaims, "Daddy go in car toys?!"

"Yes, he is."

"Get a toy car?!!!"

And it all started all over again.

Miss C and "her" slippers

So, this past Sunday our little two year old was playing after church and came in wearing her brother's Spider Man slippers. I said to her, "Oh, are you wearing your brother's slippers?"

To which she wittingly responded, "No, wearing MY slippers!"

It was amusing how matter of fact she was, so I just kindly reminded her that they are her brother's but that she can borrow them because he isn't using them. She was fine with that and looked at me like it didn't matter what I said because she had the slippers on and wasn't going to take them off.

Just thought I'd share with everyone.

P.S. If you've tried to view my blog in the past couple months and weren't able to, I apologize. I made it private because it was hacked and I had an ad from India show up as a comment and wasn't sure what to do about it, so I just made it private thinking I'd get around to inviting everyone to view it, and, well, that obviously never happened. So, we'll see how things go being public again.

WOW! It's been awhile...

So, it's been awhile since I've posted anything on my blog. A lot has happened since last January and I can't believe that September is almost over! So, in an effort to keep this from being a novel, I'll just try to catch you up.

June, went to the park and took pictures... only in WA would you still need a jacket at the park in June!

July, Mr. J marched in the town's 4th of July Parade with his preschool class...

...and celebrated his 4th Birthday!

August, went to the zoo with all the cousins (at least on my side of the family)...


...and celebrated Miss C's 2nd Birthday!

We ate spaghetti for dinner, so she is missing her dress, and hence looks a little funny in her undershirt and bloomers.

September marked back to school for J, another year of pre-school (and speech therapy) to improve his speech delay...we still don't know if we'll have him start Kindergarten next year or wait.

We also went to Seattle for a day with visiting family...

the kids loved the BOATS and the water...

and we learned that the smaller crane in this picture is the same as one in CA that inspired George Lucas when he was making "The Empire Strikes Back". At least that is what I think the tour guide said, all of my "Star Wars" friends will correct me, I'm sure.

September also marked my 30th Birthday, which was a blast! Little J took a great picture of his mom and dad before we went out, but Big J is completely against having his picture on the web, so sorry, I can't share it with you.

Well, that's about where we're at, everyone is doing well! Oh, and over the summer I have become COMPLETELY obsessed with the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer and am counting down the days until New Moon is released in theaters...57 days left!

Water, water, EVERYWHERE!!!

For any of you that have been watching the news, you are aware that a good part of WA is flooding. Well, this one is particularly bad. I am very grateful to be nice and warm in my house with lots of food in the fridge. We are fortunate in that our house has not flooded, and doesn't look like it will, however, the small town we live in has become and island unto itself. As we were out taking pictures today one neighbor commented that they now have river front property! But, when everyone has river front property, some with the river running through their property, it loses its appeal.

So, while I should be blogging about Christmas, or folding laundry, I'm not, I am sacrificing my precious time to blog about this record-breaking flood and share with you some of the awesome pictures I got!

So, this is what my hubby had to walk through to get home. He ended up parking his truck at the church and hoofing it home. As my mom put it, "I knew he'd get home, I just didn't know what rules he'd have to break to do it." Lucky for him I was able to drive to the other side of the bridge that he had to walk across and pick him up so he didn't have to walk ALL the way home in soaking wet shoes!


My honey took this pic of the river from the bridge he had to walk across because they closed it to traffic - this is a main bridge going into town. (Since I am blogging this I am trying to not be specific in case their are any creeps reading this :) )

So, this picture is of the highway to the south of us. We sat and watched a truck pull up to the edge of the water, and you could tell they were debating whether or not they'd make it through. We were shocked at how stupid of an idea that was and that they were even considering it. But, they came to their senses and turned around.


And this is the highway to the north of us. This picture really surprised us because we were able to go much further on the road last night. This water over the roadway is only .3 miles away from our house. There is a family from church that lives further down this stretch and they are completely isolated in their home, it is surrounded by water, but at least they are warm and dry inside their house.


This is a picture I took of my feet. I am standing in the flood water, it is about up to my shins with my rubber boots on.
This is some flood water rushing over a small road or driveway - it is hard to get an idea of how fast the water is moving from a still picture, but my camera doesn't do video, so this will have to do!
And here are a few other pictures of the flood.

We thought that when it wasn't raining this morning that the rivers would start to recede, but we'll just have to see. It is now pouring again, so we'll just keep praying that things don't get any worse! Also, people are worried about any wind that might come along and blow down any of our water logged trees. At this point if you lose power it could be a week before it gets back on because they are saying we'll be flooded for a couple days and then its a matter of time until the power crews are able to make it to your neighborhood.

My dad was telling me of a small neighborhood (3-4 homes) and the bridge to their neighborhood washed out. Well, their homeowners insurance doesn't cover the cost of the bridge and it will cost them around $40 K to replace the bridge, and after paying for the bridge once, they don't have the money to pay for it again. So, who knows when those people will be able to get out!

We do hope that all of our family and friends are safe and warm - our prayers are with you!