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.

My Babies

I miss my little tiny kiddos.

But don't get me wrong. I've really been loving having older kids. It is super fun, and life right now is pretty easy. I know it won't last forever, considering that adolescence is right around the corner, and one child will follow right behind the other through this sometimes rough stage. But for right now, with kids at 11,9,7,5, we're just sailing along. My job is much less labor-intensive, and it is turning out to be more brain-intensive.

But as I look through these old pictures, I pine for the old days. I didn't know if I ever really would, even though people said, "Enjoy these days. They go so fast." I felt so bogged down in the diaper-changing-nursing-potty/training-homeschooling mode, and doing it all at the same time, that I do feel as though I missed some of the sweetness of the whole season.

If I had it to do over again, I'd "stop and smell the roses". I wouldn't strive so hard for perfection, out of myself or my children. I'd throw responsibility to the wind and leave the house a mess for a whole day to sit and cuddle with my baby, read the same book over and over to my two-year old, build blocks with my four-year old, and answer any question (within reason) that my six-year old asked.

Contentment is often described as enjoying what you have (and where you are in life) instead of focusing on and wishing for what you don't. (Wanting what you have, not having what you want.) I'm choosing to be content right now, and I'm so thankful to the Lord for the sweet memories of our family's history.

Conversation, Overheard, or Big Brothers Missed

Our big boys, Ryley and Josiah, are with Jeremy right now on a much anticipated Boy Scout snowmachine/camping trip. This has left the three remaining Coke family members in an unusual, unprecedented situation. The guys left at 6:30 Wednesday morning and we expect them home around 4:00 today (Saturday). The first two days were super fun and relaxing for me. In fact, for the first time ever, I fed my kiddos cold cereal for dinner. And we ate it in front of the tv on tv trays while watching A Night at the Museum. But the third and fourth days, I must admit, have been super boring. I can't believe how different everything is around here. Here are several things I was concerned about. (I mentioned these to R and J before they left.)

1. I'd have to take the garbage out by myself. (Isaac's not tall enough to reach over the sides of the garbage trailer.)
2. I'd have to unload the dishwasher. (That's Josiah's morning chore.)
3. I'd have to clean the BOYS' bathroom! (yuck...that's Ryley's morning chore.)

Although the list does go on, I'm sure you're getting the idea. But I've found out that I had no need to worry.

1. I've yet to empty the garbage can. (The boys empty it once-a-day, usually.)
2. While we usually run the dishwasher twice-per-day when every one's home, I've only run it once-a-day and even then, it's about 3/4 full.
3. Cleaning the boys' bathroom is a breeze when you only have ONE boy missing the target.

I really miss my guys.

Just now, I overheard the following conversation. (Isaac and Anna just came in from outside and they are enjoying hot cocoa together.) At the risk of appearing, um, un-p.c., I'll write it exactly as it was spoken. (Unlike a true media reporter.)

Anna:
Is Barack Obama a Christian?

Isaac:
Well, I heard him on the radio once.

Anna:
Does Barack Obama lie?
We wanted Sarah Palin.
*******************(okay, I did it...I edited for content. I'm trying to be wise, here. If you really want to know what else was said, give me a call and I'll tell you, over my corded wall phone...)
Because we wanted Sarah Palin.

Isaac:
No, we wanted the guy with the white hair.
Sarah Palin was gonna work for him.

Anna:
Yeah. Why doesn't that guy ever talk?

Isaac:
Hey, how many marshmallows do you have left?

Anna:
I have a green and a pink.

Isaac:
Do you need a spoon? I need a spoon.

As I sit here, I can't help but wonder how that conversation would have changed if their older, more enlightened brothers were partaking.

My Valentine

Jeremy's a stud. Seriously. Guess what he did for me??? He bought a sweet smashed up '04 GMC Yukon XL with 37,000 miles on it and with a bunch of elbow grease and ingenuity fixed it all up and saved us a TON of money. After it was all fixed up, including all the new windows we needed, various other parts, and all the quarters it took to vacuum up three windows' worth of glass, we have less than half its' blue book value into it.

Now we're selling the van and the blue book on it is the same as the amount we put into the Yukon!!

And the cool thing is that he did this for me because it's what I wanted. It means way more to me than if he'd gone out and bought one from a dealer. Which, by the way, would have been much easier and more fun for him.

See? I told you. He's a stud.

A Beautiful Sunday

We had a great afternoon yesterday. We loaded up after lunch and went up to "the property". Jeremy took his snowmachine (or rather, it took us) and we made a bit of a caravan behind it. We tied the sled up behind, then Ryley was on his snowboard holding a rope behind that! (Sort of like water skiing.)

It was beautiful with TONS of fresh, fluffy snow. We enjoyed every moment. We arrived home at 7:30 and I made some chicken noodle soup and cornbread. We ate a warm, filling late dinner and crashed into bed.

Happy Birthday, Honey!!

We celebrated Jeremy's birthday on Friday. The kids and I spent the day getting ready for his birthday party in the evening. Daddy chose pizza for his birthday dinner, much to the approval of all the kids. I baked two cakes (one gluten cake and one gluten free) and we decorated. At 7:00, some friends and family came over. We had a great time. The big hit of the evening was playing Rock Band (thanks for sharing it, Nate and Elizabeth!) The kids played for a bit, then we put them to bed (the cousins, too!) and the adults played deep into the night. Our last guests left and we fell into bed at about 1:30!

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate Jeremy!

Creativity

Everyone's pitching in around here to try and make our home appealing to potential buyers. This afternoon the kids worked hard on this snowman in the hope that it would attract anyone driving by.

Natural Consequences

We're big on "natural consequences" around here. Basically to us that means that the punishment should fit the crime. And I think carefully about discipline (or at least I try!) before dishing it out.

We have a rule about not playing with mama's camera. Well, the other day, Josiah broke it. The rule, not the camera. Because he's not Isaac, (who would be egged on by finding such a picture of himself on the family blog), I think this "punishment" is a good example of natural consequences. Most good pictures on my camera eventually find themselves on my blog. This pic. is no different.

Incidentally, does he remind anyone of anyone???

Ryley ("valiant one") David ("beloved")

Ahh, Ryley, my valiant one. What a gift from God he is. He carries a load on his shoulders, as does every first born. But he carries it valiantly. He is such a good example for his younger siblings. We've recently realized how much he enjoys responsibility. He seems to thrive on it. He is learning to be a leader and has such a tender heart. We've been working on finding appropriate times for everything. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." Ecc. 3:1 We've also been working on taming our tongues! I'm leading the way in that endeavor, as this is one of my weaknesses. We recently memorized Psalm 19:14, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, o Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." We made up fun actions to make it easier to memorize. I love how the Holy Spirit brings that verse to my mind at appropriate times.
One of Ryley's gifts seems to be working with younger children. He really enjoys little kids and they seem to feel the same about him. He is like a little kid magnet, whether we're at church, the grocery store, or at a the house of friends. He loves it.
Yesterday the other children were all off playing at their friends' houses. Ryley and I had the afternoon together. I think we both enjoyed the silence, although it took him a while to figure out what to do with himself.

Another of Ryley's talents seems to be cooking. He prepared some delicious omelets for lunch. He added to the eggs green onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and chicken sausage. Yummy!

Josiah ("the Lord saves, heals,protects") Charles ("man")

What a man, my Joey-Charlos (Ryley's toddlerhood nickname for Josiah). His scientific and mathematical mind is astounding. His personality is very intense and focused, so we are working on learning to have a "happy heart" despite all those imperfections around us, in others and within ourselves. Josiah and I are learning this together. I, also, tend to be a bit intense and tense. "A cheerful heart is good medicine", says Proverbs 17:22, and we've been talking about how true that is, that our happy heart is literally good for our bodies, and the effect of stress on our bodies is quite poisonous. We'll never get away from "stress", but we do need to learn how to handle it properly. Stress is the #1 cause of disease, even above toxins and an unhealthy diet. I've been sharing with him what I've learned about meditation and taking time to be still and just be in the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit wants to minister to us and speak to us but we must be still sometimes and quiet so we can hear Him. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.

On Tuesday the boys were treated to a very special and exciting science workshop. The instructor was amazing and really has a gift for igniting children's desire to learn everything related to science, specifically hands-on projects. Ever since then, our house has been transformed into a giant mad-scientist lab. I've been tangled up in electrical wire as I cross my living room. I've slipped on the laminate as I step on a battery which rolls away. I've had to drain my bathtub of some very cold shallow water that's been used to float boats with real working motors and propellers in, just so I can have a shower. Shall I go on???

I'm so excited for the boys. I try to remain neutral and not show too much enthusiasm until they show me something new they've designed. It's mostly been robotics, but as I type, Ryley's in his room constructing a burglar alarm, complete with a buzzer. Josiah's in his room also, probably designing something that will blow up. It's just a matter of time before I know what he's up to.

We are truly blessed to have "little Josiah" in our family. (That is a name Ryley gave his goldfish when Josiah was a baby. Sadly, it died. Imagine the confusion when Ryley told the grandparents his bad news over the phone...) The Coke family would be seriously lacking without our dear second-born.

Isaac ("laughter") Jacob ("he grasps the heel")

Hey Aunt Ruthie,

Do you remember this song? I've been working on teaching it to the kids (only when Jeremy's at work...) and Isaac has put his own little spin on it.

What would our family be without Isaac? Probably a bit quieter, with not nearly as much laughter. He is such an important piece of the puzzle. I'm often amazed that we chose to name him Isaac (meaning "laughter") before we even knew him. But we always prayed about our baby names as we were deciding on them. And although we didn't know him, the Lord did. Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." His name was no accident.

Now, his middle name is Jacob, meaning "he grasps the heel". His brothers think that refers to his favorite move to pull when he's laying on the floor and one of them runs by. He grasps their heel alright, and roars with laughter at what happens as a result!

Anna ("gracious") Elise ("consecrated to God")

My sweet little girl and I had the day to ourselves yesterday as the boys participated in a science workshop. We totally enjoyed our time together. We spent our mornings painting, she at the table with her kid paints, and I on Ryley's bedroom walls. Then we shared lunch together, and after lunch, when she would usually be in "Quiet Time", I asked her to think of something fun to do together. She chose to play Sequence For Kids, her all time favorite game, and have a tea party. All at the same time.
My little Anna Elise (or Annalise, for "short", since you can't really shorten Anna) is such a joy. I'm sometimes overwhelmed with thankfulness for the blessing God has given us in her. I love our mother/daughter times and I pray that we will always have a close relationship.
"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." Proverbs 22:11

What To Do In Alaska When It's Too Cold To Play Outside

Ryley snapped a photo of some of us doing P90X the other day. The workouts are pretty long (between 55 min. and 90 min.) so the kids don't usually stay with me all the way through, but it is a way to burn up some pent up energy when you're a kid and can't be outside to play for real long because it's well below 0 (again)...Isn't it interesting that as an adult we don't work out to expend energy, but to gain more...hmm...