Blue and Gold Banquet

Ryley's Scout troop held their annual Blue and Gold Banquet last Friday night. Ryley received some important awards, as did his fellow scout buddies. We were so excited to see Betty Bair and Brian and Pat Tracy there - our favorite IDEA staff ;- ) (our homeschoolling program).

Field Trips-Hawaiian Style

We snuck in at the Robinson Sugar Plantation, which is no longer in use. There were barbed wire fences around the plantation, but we squeezed in between and went on a little self-guided tour. We saw all kinds of things here...and we got out before we awoke the bats that were surely sleeping in some of the buildings. We decided it was good we weren't there at night; that would have been scary. (Well, at least, Anna and I decided that. The boys wanted to go back after dark!) There were all kinds of strange noises...a perfect place for an active imagination!

We visited Pearl Harbor, something we'll never forget. The boys really enjoyed that field trip.

At Barking Sands, a beautiful beach off-the-beaten-path (16 miles of sand!) we were the only people in sight! We built an amazing sand castle there, and some of us really got into body surfing in the incredible waves. (That's were the rainbow pic. is taken)

From Cactus to Palms

Kauai is amazingly diverse, for an island that is only about 550 sq. miles big! The south side is desert-like, while the north end is tropical. Many movies were filmed there (Jurassic Park, Lost, South Pacific, Gilligan's Island, Raiders of the Lost Ark and more!) and we now understand why. It is so beautiful that the pictures don't do it justice.

HAWAII

We found out just before we left on our trip that Mom and Dad Horsman were on the same flight out of Chicago as Mom and Dad Coke! They arrived in Seattle about five hours before us, but M & D Horsman waited around with Cokes for us and we were able to spend an hour with them before our departure for Hawaii. We're so glad we got to see them, even for such a short time. I think Anna finally has her grandpas sorted out in her mind!

Isaac

Mummy's Students

Ryley got this model airplane for Christmas. He recently completed it and painted it yesterday.

Today we studied more about ancient Egypt. After our reading/talking, the kids wrapped each other up as mummies.

Piglet

Anna loves her new hat that Grandma and Grandpa H. sent for Christmas, even though Uncle Nate says she looks like Piglet in it!

PICTURES!

Well, I'm an idiot! I lost the kind, thoughtful comments from the last couple of people. The reason this happened is that I had to delete the post in order to remove the picture of Jeremy and me. A true friend hinted that I should remove it by telling me it was too "fuzzy"...then I talked to my sister. Anyone who knows her can attest to her honesty (and really, what good is a sister if she's not honest with you?). She flat out told me to delete the picture because I looked "sick" and why didn't I bother to look at the pic before I posted it? So, Jane and Elizabeth, sorry I lost your comments!

UPDATE

Have you noticed it's been FOREVER since I've updated this blog? (I hope so, as that would mean people are actually reading this thing! By the way, feel free to leave a comment...whoever you are!!:-) Our new camera broke Christmas Eve as we were in the process of taking a family picture. Therefore, as I have no new pictures to post, I thought I'd wait until it got repaired. But I wanted to mention what an awesome Christmas and New Years we had!
Christmas Eve afternoon was spent with some good friends at their annual open house. I made everyone promise they wouldn't eat much, as we needed to save room for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Alaska King Crab. Christmas morning was so great! Santa was generous to every Coke family member this year! (although we have no pictures to prove that!) In the afternoon, about two o'clock, our favorite Alaska family, the Horsmans, came over for Christmas dinner. We enjoyed turkey and all the fixings, this time with no throwing up (as the Horsman kids were plagued with at Thanksgiving)!!
My kiddos all got sick for the week between Christmas and New Years. Things got a bit hairy-and-scary, as Anna's temp hovered at 104 degrees for four days. She literally slept for three solid days and two solid nights...waking only when I brought herbal concoctions for her to sip and another cold rag for her head. The boys also succumbed to the sickness, with fevers, coughing, some throwing up and even the occasional hallucination. (Scary for kids...) Thankfully, Jeremy and I avoided it altogether.
On New Years Eve, we had some friends over for a quiet, cozy night. They shared some amazing firecrackers with us, and that was a huge hit with the boys! The kids hit the rack in intervals as they dropped like flies through the night. The last ones went to bed about 11, and we adults settled in to ring the New Year in busting a gut while watching a hilarious comedy dvd.
What's next?
We are preparing for our TRIP TO HAWAII!! We'll fly out on the 27th and be there for ten days. This is the first ever Coke Family Vacation. The kids are literally counting the days.

A Tragic Day

Yesterday, December 20th, 2007, our beloved dog, Pike, was killed. She was hit by a car in the early dark hours of the morning. The unfortunate person who hit her was kind enough to rush her to the vet, but it was too late. I got the call about 8:45 am. After the kids and I cried for awhile, Ryley asked if we could go see her one last time. So we drove over to the pound and met up with the officer who called and gave us the bad news. They had her wrapped in a blanket in the back of the truck, and she looked fine...like she was sleeping. Her injuries were obviously internal. All the kids got to pet her one last time. She'll never be forgotten, and in the spring, we'll bury her collar and make a little plaque for her.

Special Times

I cherish opportunities, within our six member family, for rare one-on-one moments. Last night, after all the other kids were sleeping, I heard faint singing coming from Josiah and Isaac's room. I peeked in and Isaac was still awake. I remembered back to the afternoon, and realized that he had fallen asleep during Quiet Time. No wonder he was still awake! I motioned to him to sneak out quietly and invited him to join me in the Christmas baking. (Jeremy was at poker, so I was trying to be productive for the evening.) We had such a special time together, and I think that's just what Isaac needed after our traumatic day, and just in general, as a middle child who seems to sometimes get lost.

Life With Boys

We bought a gaggle of crickets at the pet store yesterday, for Angel. There were more than any lizard should eat in one sitting, even on Thanksgiving, so Jeremy said the boys should store the rest in the garage...they would go dormant in the cold air out there. This morning, Ryley decided to "wake" some up, for Angel's breakfast. Isaac, ever the mischievous one, thought it would be funny to put one in the vent. Unfortunately, we've found out before just how "funny" that is, as I was one time kept awake all night with the echoing of the cricket's lonely call through the entire duct system. Try getting a cricket out of a heat vent! Impossible, you say? No, not for Ryley. He successfully retrieved that culprit and promptly fed it to Angel. But can he do it again?

Now, for the good news of the morning! Josiah would like to share the specs of his "ship of the day" with you.

this is my lego creation, my biggest this month.It has a satellite blaster, a detachable ship, and Machine guns

It travels at the speed of light.

It has lazer guns,cannons and an escape pod.

Fun, Food, Friends

Last Sunday we spent the day with our friends Cody and Nikki at their house. We enjoyed an awesome display of yummy treats. Jeremy and Cody spent some time working on the attic project. The kids stayed busy bouncing back and forth from the kitchen (and the food) to the basement (and the air hockey, pool table, and drum set). Later in the day, some other friends come over to join us. Cody even taught Anna the Tango!

The Nutcracker

Anna and I went together to see a local dance school's rendetion of act two of The Nutcracker last Saturday morning. She loved getting all dressed up and watching all the girls in the beautiful dresses up on stage. Maybe in a year or two she will be able to join them! We sat with our friends, the Lacrosses, whose youngest daughter danced in the ballet. In these pictures, Anna and Elizza (her baby) are sitting on Becky's lap with Mark in the background. She's also pictured with Cassie (our favorite babysitter EVER) who is home from college for the holidays. After the ballet, Cassie came over to spend the day with the kids while Jeremy and I went to Anchorage to do some Christmas shopping, go out for dinner, and even catch a movie! The kids had a great time, also, as always. Cassie took them out for hot cocoa, then to an awesome sledding hill, where they were joined by some guys who had mounted a shopping cart on skis and were taking turn strapping each other in for a wild ride. Hope the boys didn't get any crazy ideas...

NOW it feels like Christmas!

Finally...we have SNOW! I think this time, it will actually stay, too.
Yesterday we spent the morning working on Christmas-Ryley and I made a double batch of Pepparkakor cookies, Josiah made a necklace for his friend for Christmas, and Isaac and Anna were busy with projects of their own...mostly play dough. This afternoon, after a busy morning at church, we got home and the kids insisted on getting out to play right away. At last, enough snow for a snowman!!

'Tis The Season...

Today we went hunting for the Perfect Alaska Christmas Tree. We think we came pretty close. Every year, we try to find a better tree than last year. Of course, they all look so much better outside. Then after we haul it home, stuff it through the front door, smear the hardwood floor with sap, and stand back to admire it, we look at each other and ask, "What did we think was so great about this tree? Is this really the best we could do?" We have to answer ourselves with a resounding, "yes!" As Jeremy pointed out tonight (while I grumbled about the bare spots and asymmetry while stringing lights), the TREE has nothing to do with the tree...it's all about the hunt. What awesome family memories we make each year, as we tromp around what we hope and pray is state land in search for the prettiest scrawny tree around.

Grandpa and Me