3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th of July

We celebrated the 4th in a fun way this year. The Murphys, my sister and her family, came down to Wasilla from their new home of Fairbanks to camp out at our property with us. We set up camp on Thursday evening and came home Sunday afternoon. On the 4th, Nate (brother)and his family came out to have fun with us. The kids all had a great time. They played in the creek on and off all day. They caught fish, dared each other to sit down "all the way", and of course, threw rocks. Quaid and Roanen especially enjoyed that part! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. We skipped the Wasilla 4th Parade this year in favor of having one of our own. The kids got started working on putting it together after breakfast and the event took place about 3, when the Horsmans arrived. At the end, we spectators threw candy at the participants! Here is Isaac, in his "army guy hat".

We were saturated with smoke and the dirt was well glued to faces via marshmallow residue, although it sure was nice having the creek there for those brave (crazy?) enough to wash off in it. Here Brendon helps Roanen roast marshmallows.

Thanks, family, for helping us break in our new property! We enjoyed having all of you there. And a double-thanks to Jeremy, Brendon and Ryley for getting the outhouse built! It's got to be one of the nicest outhouses in town.

Ruth and Nate

The kiddos and their catch. Farthest on the right are Kaylie and Jacob, Ruth's kids.

"The Mama", the elusive fish they finally caught

My Little Helper

This morning after Anna woke up, she came and asked me if I was going to make my bed soon. I usually do that right after I get up, but today I was too intentional on updating my journal first. When I walked into my room, here's what I saw! Not only had Anna made my bed for me, but she'd also picked flowers to lay on it, and written little letters to both "Daddy" and "Mama".

Wildflowers

Look what I woke up to this morning! At 6:30, when I walked into the dining room, I was greeted by this cheery sight. Jeremy must have picked them early this morning before leaving for work. What a sweet, thoughtful guy I'm blessed with!!

Eklutna

The sun was shining this morning, so I shrugged my way out of a commitment (a very casual one, though) and we stacked up our five bikes in the back of the Yukon and drove up to Eklutna, one of our favorite places for biking. We took turns taking silly pictures on a rock at our snack stop.

The End.

June Happenings

The weather has been so unpredictable. I've decided this "abnormal" summer is actually pretty normal. It's so funny that we Alaskans hang on to a summer or two in recent history which was unusually warm and sunny and decide that somehow, that was a "normal" summer. Then when we get summers like this (which is usually what we get) it is considered a quirky, weird summer.

So we've been doing what we do most summers and get outside to enjoy a sunny day as if it is the absolute last day we're gonna actually see the sun for a long time. Laundry backs up. Dust layers itself all over the house. The floor begins to feel sticky on our bare, dirty feet. And this summer, eventually, regardless of the weather, we have the inevitable "house showing" and I have to clean like mad. Even if I have to miss the sun.

The kids enjoyed a rousing game of Monopoly in front of a cozy fire one fine June morning.

Then the sun came out (kinda) and we seized the moment and hiked the Butte.

The Adventures of Tom

We have a new family member. We adopted the little abandoned bunny and named him Tom, after the man from whom we bought our property. He was in the same place on Sunday that we left him the day before. Lucy, our dog, found him. Ryley saved him from certain death and Tom was left no worse for the wear...with only slobber-covered fur. Jeremy pointed out that if our kids were able to catch him, so could anything. So we brought him home and borrowed a cage from some bunny-loving friends. We currently feed him raw cow milk out of a dropper. It's a very laborious job, as this rabbit seems to always be hungry. I think we need a miniature bottle with which to feed him.

The current plan is to keep him until he's bigger and then release him back into the wild. But I'm admittedly getting pretty attached. So, we'll see...

Our Saturday

What a beautiful, fun-filled day we had. We were at the property (checking out the progress on the driveway!) and as Jeremy and I worked around the cabin (I even mowed the "lawn"), the kids started work on their tree fort.

Ryley spotted and caught this sweet little bunny. We all took turns holding and petting it, then we released him back where he was found. We were a bit sad to see him hop off, but "'tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all". It was truly love-at-first-sight. We're dreaming that maybe he bonded with us because he's so young and impressionable, and he'll stay around and occasionally play with us!

Coyote, and Foxes and Bears, OH MY!

Construction on our "driveway" is now underway!
We were up there the other day and saw these fairly large bear tracks right on the trail, ahead of the excavator. (Isaac's little bear paw is there for perspective.) The tracks were fresh and we know they were made just that morning, as Jeremy had been there the night before and there were none. Also found on the trail was either coyote or wolf scat and fox tracks. None of these signs are unusual for that trail, but these bear tracks were the biggest we've seen yet. Although I do pack a handgun when were playing/working up there, I seriously doubt we'll ever need it. Unlike the Anchorage bears, these still have that healthy fear of humans.

And although at times I'd really appreciate some silence, we are pretty much unable to sneak through the woods.

FamilyFriends

This post title is not a typo. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between the two. Often, they are one in the same. And that pleases God, I believe. Our near 13 years in Alaska have been remarkably blessed both by the natural and the non-blood family our Heavenly Father has brought into our lives. I occasionally wonder where we would be...who we would be...without their spiritual impact on our lives.The DenBleykers blessed us with their presence for dinner and a long evening. "Aunt Marva" and "Uncle/Grandpa Mike" are so special to our kiddos.

Our good FamilyFriends the Morris Family came to see us the other day (all but Jamin, who's out fishing...) We played around on the land and in the creek and had such a fun afternoon.

My dad has been in the state for a couple of weeks doing several horse clinics and we were thrilled to have him here on his big day! Between our family and the Horsman family, Grandpa was well loved!

Missing from the grandkid photo are Kaylie and Jacob, (whom he got to visit in Fairbanks also) and Grandma Horsman, who was unable to come this time around. We missed you all!!

Coming Soon...

An UPDATE! For my dedicated readers (C. & K. D.), I'm happy to announce that eventually, I'll be updating this blog. I could say that nothing blog-able has happened lately, but honestly, that's never stopped me before. The truth? It takes way too long for this blog to load on my computer! I've been avoiding it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. (My, how the Internet has shortened our patience...) So, before I spend time adding pictures & etc., I'm gonna try and fix the problem.
Please check back later.

Random Montage

Here's a smattering of recent happenings.

Cashflow for Kids is our new favorite family game.

Guess what Isaac wants for Christmas? He lost both front teeth within a day of each other.

We went on a seven mile hike yesterday with Ryley's Boy Scout Troop at Turnagain Arm. It was a perfect, beautiful Spring day for a hike and I so enjoyed the fresh air.

This tree was along the trail. It's hollow a long way up, so the kids took turns climbing in it. Sure made for some cute pictures! Hmm...wonder if there were any spiders in there.

In other news, Ryley won't stop growing. His feet are bigger than mine. His jeans fit me. And after snapping this picture of ourselves this afternoon, he remarked, "Man. Even my head's bigger than yours!" (Bunny ears courtesy of Anna.)

The TEA Party (Taxed Enough Already)

The kids and I attended the Wasilla Tea Party on Wed. April 15th. There was a great turn out of "extreme right-wing conservatives". Yep. We're wackos. We want crazy stuff like to have our constitution upheld. And to avoid the socialist agenda that's being imposed on us. What would our forefathers think? I think they'd be shocked to learn about the amount of taxes we're paying, so that others can be free of mortgages they never should have qualified for in the first place. Heck! They'd be shocked to learn that we're paying taxes at all!

Yeah, they'd be sad and disappointed in us. But wouldn't Robinhood be proud? After all, he was the hero of the story because he "robbed from the rich to give to the poor".

After the protest, we went to Kaladis for cocoa and lattes with some friends.

Arizona

Over Easter weekend, Anna and I had the privilege of taking a last-minute trip to Phoenix to surprise my Grandma Steele (Dad's mom) for her 80th birthday. (Doesn't she look great??) Our guys were so generous in letting us go, and they had a great time being "bachelors" in our absence.

Although we got to see gma and gpa just one year ago, when they came to visit, I haven't seen all my cousins and uncle and aunts since 1996. (Not all the cousins were there. We missed Diana, Brian and Cheryl.) I'd never met their husbands or kiddos. We had an amazing time...one which we'll never forget. (Too bad it went by so fast.)

Thanks so much for your hospitality, Heather, Amy and Becky! I love you, cousins!!!

Heather, Amy and Luke getting ready for the egg hunt.

Amy and me

Uncle Don (Dad's brother), Anna and Laynie

The cousins with Grandma

Aunt Cheryl and Preston

Laynie, Anna, and Gracie

Luke, Anna and Laynie on Easter before church

Anna and the tortoise (the mama...the dad's name is Goliath, but we can't remember hers.)

The Beautiful Horsman Ladies: Aunt Karen, Allison and Danielle

FIVE

Thanks for the "tag", Shannon. I feel like I've been procrastinating on doing this, but then, blogging is supposed to be fun, right?

Five Things I Was Doing Five Years Ago:
1. Anna Elise was 7 months old. We were in our new addition to our house.
2. I was on the Women's Ministry Team at WBC and staying WAY too busy.
3. I was, of course, homeschooling, but in a drastically different way than I do now.
4. The fact that we were done having kiddos was "trying" to sink in.
5. My relationship with the Lord was reaching exciting new heights in ways I never expected.

Five Things On My To-Do List Today:
1. CLEAN! I have three house showings this afternoon. (What am I doing on the computer??)
2. Fix breakfast and enjoy reading out of the Bible, The Moral Compass, and Little Men together.
3. Put a roast in the crock pot.
4. Get nervous about the three house showings.
5. Enjoy a relaxing evening playing Cashflow for Kids together, then catch up with Jeremy after the kiddos go to bed.

Five Things I'd Do With A Million Dollars
1. Keep and pay off our house, then rent it out.
2. Fund our project on our property, maybe making our log home into a B&B.
3. Go on missions trips as a family and help struggling people make a future for themselves.
4. Support WAY more missionaries, then go visit them, bringing lots of stuff along for their families. (Especially for their teenaged daughters!;-)
5. Take our family on a roadtrip around the states.

Five Places I've Lived:
1. Illinios
2. Wisconsin
3. British Colombia
4. Norway (for a month...does that count? I really lived when I was there!)
5. Alaska
**When I was 21, I'd lived in 24 different houses. sigh

Five Jobs I've Held:
1. Grounds-Keeper aka garbage-picker-upper at the Christian camp in Wi. when I was 8.
2. Babysitter
3. Camp counselor
4. Waitress at a posh country club
5. Truck-unloader/stocker at Target

Five Things I Want To Be Doing In Five Years:
1. Be in love with and married to Jeremy for 17.5 years!
2. Taking Ryley in to get his drivers licence.
3. Be totally without a mortgage and hopefully be finished with our new house.
4. Have a huge, awesome, established, thriving garden and greenhouse.
5. Be planning our first family short-term missions trip.

Five People I'm Tagging:
(I have no idea if these people have been tagged yet. Hope this isn't redundant.)
1. Elizabeth
2. Karla
3. Jane
4. April
5. Ruth (if you ever get your computer set up and visit my blog;-)

There. It's off my to-do list! Next I'll post pictures of my AMAZING trip to Phoenix!!

FOR THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

Here's to you love I don't know how you do it day in and out. I get to have my own time when I am at work but for you the breaks are few and far between. Our kids will call you blessed in their adult years. I have the best friend God could give someone. I hope you had a great time in Az. I love you. Me:)

The Weekend Was All Relative

On Saturday, the Murphy family (my sister and brother-in-law) arrived in Alaska. Brendon is a helicopter pilot with the Army and he's been transferred to Fairbanks. We're so excited to welcome them here! It's been almost five years since we last saw each other, but the kids acted like old friends. They were here in Wasilla visiting us and Nate and Elizabeth until Tuesday. We spent each day all together, with a total headcount of TEN kids!! We potlucked our meals and had a really great time.The Girl Cousins (minus Avelyn) enjoyed dressing up, applying makeup, and playing with dollies.

The Boy Cousins wrestled, played outside, and built with Legos.

On Saturday, the Murphy's first night here, we put the kids to bed at our house and the adults played Rock Band until 3 am. We decided it would be easiest to leave the finally-sleeping kids all here at my house and the adults and Avelyn went to Nate and Elizabeth's for the rest of the night...or actually, morning. The cousins were so excited when they woke up and were still here. I heard Jayna first at about 7:00 saying, "Girls! Look! We had a sleepover!!" I made pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and they played hard for the rest of the morning.

Here's the whole gaggle of cousins. Uncle Brendon, with Jayna and Anna.