life in 'ska

 

 

 

I don't think I realized that the sun wouldn't ever really look like it's up. It goes up to about 10 o'clock's worth and heads back down! Sunrise is about 9:30, and sunset is at 4:00 today. Different, eh?

I'm going to try to get some pics on today, but we'll see if my computer will let me. It's dying a slow death.

Quick updates on the kids:

Riley is doing great in 5th grade and LOVES to read. She's always got a book in her hand. I love that about her.

Logan just did a diorama for his 3rd grade class on a chapter from Charlotte's Web. It was fun - I did the hot-gluing. I love the way his very practical little mind works.

Emmie is loving Kindergarden. Especially snack and recess time. Those consistently top her list as faves. Today she said to me, "I love Alaska, but I'll always love little old Arkansas."

Carson is such a fierce little man - everything is done full speed ahead as hard as he can. He hugs hard, hits hard, loves hard...you get the point. He's always in trouble and always SO sorry.

Brady loves to sing me songs, and loves to sit down and talk. The latest thing he loves to talk about is his favorite color - green. Last night I told him "that's my favorite color too!" and he answered "me three!" Then told me "my green is red, and my red is purple." Whatever that means. He loves to "hing a hong" = sing a song.

Owen is nine months almost, and fully mobile now. For a long time he could only crawl backwards, but he's corrected that and now nothing stops him. He loves exploring the house and eating old Cheerios that he finds.

Today it's warm - up to about 35 degrees. So compared to five below that's something!

The other day we were talking about new friends Emmie has made when she was suddenly really sad and said, "I wonder if Esther's given up on me?" She breaks my heart!

She'll start Awana tomorrow night, and I think she'll love Sparks.

Brady woke up around 5 this morning and I heard him say (to himself) "OH! Good Morning! How you a-day? I doing great!" after which he went back to sleep...

Riley is learning things about tundra and glaciers in her science class! And they took a field trip last week which she was describing to me and used the words "and we walked into the boreal forest." I have to say that freaked me out just a bit. It conjures images of werewolves, for some reason.

This morning I was waking up the kids, reminding Riley she has a field trip. Of course, that made Emmie a little jealous, so I told her she will have a field trip sometime this year.
Me - Em, your teacher said your class usually takes a train up to Palmer
Em - (no response)
Me - and the school bus picks you up there
Em - WE GET TO RIDE THE SCHOOL BUS?????
(I wonder if Mrs. Pauls knows they could probably skip the hard part and just load the K-class on the school bus and still have them all wowed.)

Also funny to me: Brady was saying something over and over that I was choosing to ignore because I didn't want to stop what I was doing. "Uh muh. Uh muh. Uh muh" with paci in his mouth. Finally Carson came over, looked me in the eye and said "He wants more." (Sippy cup in hand.)

Life is flying by here in Alaska. The days are shortening, the leaves are dropping, the kids are schooling.

A lot of you want to know how Riley, Logan and Emmie are adapting to school. They are in week 3, and it's the best week by far. R & L are learning to work faster. It's not a homeschool pace, not by a long shot. They are enjoying their teachers though, and making new friends. Emmie, when asked about K, usually answers "I don't want to talk about it" or "you know I don't talk about that." If indirectly asked, she'll confess to enjoying it.

Carson and Brady just got their heads buzzed as a result of a botched attempt (of mine) to trim their hair. Jeff came home and said of Carson, "He kind of looks like Martin Luther." So I buzzed it. They look manly.

Carson likes to speak in commands. "Wipe it." (pointing to nose.) "No, Brady." "Give it back." Things like that.

Brady starts every morning by finding me to say "Good morning, Mom! How you a-day?" He goes on long hunger strikes, then wanders into the kitchen to say "I hun-gee, mom."

Owen is still Mr. Perfect Baby. Even though he's had a cold and kept me up all week. Last night he "checked to see if I was awake" (as Jeff puts it) about every 45 minutes so I'm kind of delirious right now wait am I awake?

We're getting ready to close on a house in about a week, and are very excited to settle in and put roots down. We just enjoyed having Todd and Lance here for Jeff's installment service - both the service and the old friends were a huge blessing to us. We were taken out on a boat with them and two elders from Anchorage Grace to Blackstone Bay, fed fresh shrimp (pulled up, cleaned, and cooked on the boat) beside some glaciers. I couldn't stop saying things like "Oh my word this is crazy. No one gets to DO stuff like this." I'd say Alaska is growing on us.

Here's to all of you who've been suggesting the name change. You're right, I know. I'm slow, though, and dislike change and so I've taken over two months to change the name from 'saw to 'ska. Besides, I don't like being told what to do :) my sisters know that's right.

So here I sit in Alaska on a Friday night thinking it's a break because, while Jeff had to go out tonight at least he took two, and the most nutso two are asleep, leaving me with Emmie, Owen, and my cup of coffee. If only I could post pictures! Since I can't, words will have to do.

Let's see. Carson tried to chase a moose the other day. It ran down the street in front of the house, and all my kids were out playing. I called for Logan and his friend Miles, who were about 10 feet from the moose, for them not to startle it, and when Carson heard me, he yelled "MOOOOOOOSE" and ran for it. Not good. People have freaked me out about how moose trample people, and I was glad the thing ran away!

This place is unbelievably beautiful. Some friends took us to a place a couple of weeks ago that was mind-bogglingly beautiful. We drove about 2 hours, then went by boat (on Kenai Lake) about 30 minutes, and arrived at a little campsite. The lake is blue-green because it's fed by glaciers, and the mountains were lush green and fuschia (with Fireweed), steeply dropping off into the lake. There's snow and glaciers in spots on the mountain tops still (this was the end of July) and the contrast is stunning. The twins played in a bear-box (metal box to put your food in so bears don't get it) most of the time, and the others just had a blast building the fire, roasting marshmallows, driving the boat, shooting guns (yes, Jeff let them)and generally enjoying Alaska.

Today our LR house closed. We're buying one here that should close, if all goes well, September 10. We'll be really glad to get settled - unpacking stuff will be like Christmas! The kids have forgotten a lot of what they have packed away (so have I, actually.)

Emmie just locked herself out of the house and (gasp) rang the doorbell! The twins are asleep, so that's a cardinal sin.

Hopefully in a few weeks I'll have picture-posting ability - there will be lots to show!

My recent blogging attempts have been completely thwarted! Once I got out alone (small miracle) found a coffee shop with wi-fi, got online and ready to upload some stuff and - blip - my battery died with no available outlets nearby to plug into. Then the other night I went to 3 (THREE) different places before I found a place A) open, B) with wi-fi and THEN, just as I got online I heard "Borders will be closing in 10 minutes" so, it's just not been working out!

Here are some recent quotes.

Saturday was the 50th year of statehood celebration for Alaska, and I took the 3 olders and O downtown to check it out. We were standing at a tent watching a potter do his pottery thing, and he was talking about what he was doing, explaining stuff to the kids. He got to the point where he was beginning the clay on the wheel, and formed it up into a tower, then pushed it down, tower, down, tower, down and Emmie finally said "Do you even know what you're doing?" and cracked up all the people watching him.

Emmie is now telling people she spells her name "EmmY"

Today in Sunday School a little boy in her class said "I don't want any girls near me! to which she replied "Then who's gonna nurse your babies?"

Some quips:

Every time we get where we can see the ocean I say "look, guys, the ocean!" and after a few days Riley answered one time "Yeah, yeah, the muddy beach." The inlet has pretty extreme tides, and when it's out the mud flats go on forever.

Then the other day I was exclaiming over the mountains, which are dramatically beautiful and she said, "Mom, to an adult the mountains are like WOW, THOSE ARE REALLY BEAUTIFUL and whatever but to a kid it's like, oh yeah pretty. Now what can I do."

Brady's first attempt to say "motorcycle" = maint-uh-hi-hi-co-co. So we keep saying it over and over.

This morning when he thanked me for breakfast he said "Dank, Pee-pie." Which I think meant "thanks, people" because I say to the kids "okay, people..." all the time.