After an uber long hiatus.....

Yep, I've been MIA for quite a long while.... I was going to apologize for my lenthy absence but then I realized it's totally okay to take time out to focus on certain areas of my life as needed. And that's exactly what've I've done :) and it feels damn good.....

So needless to say, life has been busy...very busy...
~ I've been spending oodles of time with my kiddos. I love them to pieces & want to enjoy them before *poof* they are all grown up

~I've really been focusing on me & my health. With the help of Weight Watchers & incredible amounts of time in the gym, I have shed 20+lbs in the last 3 months. I still have a bit more to lose but I have made a major dent in the issue.....

~ I have become a Swim Team Mom. D. joined our local pool's USA swim team & is loving it. It's a fabulous program, however, I have become a permanent fixture in the bleachers of the pool.....

~ I have been Christmas shopping. I really wanted to get it done early this year before the shopping-at-the-last-minute panic attacks set in. My goal is to be totally done by our anniversary on the 14th, so when we go on our annual anniversary date there will be no need to visit a toy store.

~and while we are on the subject of Christmas, I am teaching myself that it is okay to have limits. I am not talking about monetary limits (although I subscribe to those as well) but I mean limits in a general sense. Every freakin inch of the house does not need to be decorated. We do not need to attend every single party & I do not need to bake 40 different kinds of Christmas cookies. And you know what ...even while letting a few of these things slide...we will have a fabulous holiday! I have been known to tell my friends that if you make everything special, then nothing is special anymore....I guess it's time to head my own advice :)

~ I've also been working on getting some sleep. I've given up late night TV & internet time to get a full 8 hours ...providing the kiddos are on the same page. But it's a fabulous goal & totally worth shooting for.

~ all in all...I've been striving for a healthier, simpler way of being. I just want to be content...not always frazzled...and if it means I do not write as regularly on my blog, that's okay too... Ciao for now :)

Hot Damn!!!

Just when I think it's a ho-hum Wednesday with nothing exciting, my friend Jen calls & gives me practically the best news I have heard all year....................Target is coming!!! Just a short 12 miles from my house. It's been rumored for quite a while now, but that's always the way it is around here. You can't believe anything you hear...... But today it was in the newspaper...all those wonderful rumors are true! We are getting a Target!!! We have lived in Alaska for 10 years now, & before that we were in England. It has been sooooo long since we had a decent selection of stores that I can hardly believe this. Let me tell you, when good shopping is a thousands of miles away (I'm talking Seattle) Target is like a dream come true. I am almost giddy!!! I am so sick of Walmart, I can't even begin to tell you..... It's funny, there are women who post on 2Peas about how far they have to drive to get to a Target...you know, like 45 miles....what I wouldn't give, it would take me over a week by car. But before long that won't be an issue any longer... ***can't you just feel my giddiness***
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On another note I rekindled an old relationship this morning...I had a date, with Billy Blanks, you know...the TaeBo dude. We haven't 'gotten together' in about 6 years. But this morning I dusted off the tape (yes, VHS...that tells you how old it is) & spent a few minutes with the man......20 minutes to be exact. And tomorrow my butt will burn, but it will be so worth it. There is a swimsuit & a Hawaiian beach in my future (March), so Billy & I will be spending lots of time together. It's a good thing K. isn't the jealous type............

-2.2lbs

So this morning was my WW meeting. I think...wait, I know...I set my expectations just a tad high. Anyone who has ever done Weight Watchers knows that members often experience a large loss their first week on the program. I once sat in a meeting where a lady lost over 9lbs. her first week.**this was my first official weigh in since recommitting, but I have been following the plan for 2 full weeks now...so who knows what I really lost the '1st week'***
Anyway, after I weighed in & took my seat, I was a bit bummed that I had lost only 2.2lbs. I quickly realized I had to get out of this funk if I want to be successful at this long term. Then a remembered something that happened in a meeting I attended right after having R. 4 years ago. A lady was a bit discouraged because for over 2months she was only losing about 1/4-1/2lb a week. Our leader then pointed out that 1/4lb. is one stick of butter. And who wouldn't be thrilled to have 1/4lb less fat on their body.
Until today, I had totally forgotten about that analogy. And as I sat in my seat all depressed, when I should have actually been thrilled, I realized I needed a change of perspective. So when I left the meeting I stopped & bought 3 lbs. of margaine (a hell of a lot cheaper than butter). I brought it home & stacked 9 sticks (2.25lbs) of it out on my dining table. And I looked at it for a very long time. And I realized that I am thrilled to have that off of my body. Then I took those 9 sticks & put them in a gallon Ziploc and tossed them in my deep freeze. Next week I am going to take that bag back out & I'll add to it again.....it may be only one stick or it may be another 9. But I am going to use this as my personal reminder of what I have lost & hopefully in this next year I'll have a huge stack of margarine in my freezer.....then I'll through it all away, once & for all.

:Dorkey, I know...but I just gotta find what works for me :)

 

All aboard.... the Random Train of Thought that is ....

as I promised here is the update....nothing too exciting...but my update none-the-less.

~I have recommitted to Weight Watchers
once again. I know I mentioned it earlier this year, but once we went on vacation I totally blew it. But I started again at the beginning of the month & went back to meetings last Tuesday. So far, so good..... I have been eating well, staying within my points & working out. So now I'll see what this weeks weigh-in holds.....

~ we have been getting out & hiking as much as we can, especially while the weather permits. Autumn is in full swing here, so we are making the best of it before ski season hits....

~ D. is loving school & even joined the Cross Country team. I am so freakin proud of her. I am so NOT the natural athlete & so for one of my kids to really love sports & exercise really suprises me. What a girl!



~ We had a pretty good weekend. Yesterday I took the kids to really neat place in Anchorage, Bear Tooth Theatre . It's an old movie theatre that the have updated in a fabulous way....they removed every other row of seats & replaced them with tables. And they serve incredible food....you order before taking your seat & they bring it right to your table. It was a blast! We saw Pixar Cars & had an awesome dinner. We (the adults that is) even got to enjoy a Hefeweizen....now how can you beat that????? ( I even budgeted WW points for the beer)

~Thanks to
Greta for tutoring me on the link deal! :) And Em You gals rock!!!

And now it is Sunday night, the kiddos are in bed & I am off to go watch a few episodes of Lost: Season 2. Of course, I bought it already.....how could I not????

Later taters.....

Shout out for more help.....

okay fellow bloggers...fill me in on iPods. Give me any & all info one might deem important in buying an iPod. Yes....I am clueless. And D. wants one for Christmas. So I've got to get researching now..... And although cost will be a factor, I am not so much worried about that part right now because we have the opportunity to get one at about 35-40%off due to a discount available to someone close to us. So let me have it.....we'll just call this iPod 101

Okay...so i am a blog-loser....

I just haven't been able to get my hiney in gear to blog lately.....I promise I'll give you my so-not-exciting update later this weekend......

***Oh, if any of my blog buddies know how to insert a link into a blog entry w/o just pasting the whole link into the document (you know, where your readers can click on the link...I am so not a techie) please, oh please, let me know. I can't figure it out for the life of me. Thanks :)

Why, oh, why did I rent it???

The entire 1st Season of "Lost" that is... holy shizzz....why did somebody not warn me.....all I can say: Lost is so freakin' addicting! Like I have said before, I don't usually get caught up in the all the hype...you know the hottest shows, the latest greatest thing. Actually I normally tend to avoid them like the plague. "Why?" you ask...because I know how I am....once I get wrapped up in something~it is all over. And I hate the idea of being committed to watching a certain program on a certain night at a certain time or face being totally out of the loop. That being said, I have been a tad curious how so many people could possibly be so caught up in "Lost". Well, that was until I made the mistake of renting discs 1 & 2 from the 1st season. That was this past Friday. It is now Wed. & I have already returned to the video store twice & finished all 16 episodes of season one. Uhmm...yeah, those 16 hours I spent glued to the TV might explain the 47 loads of laundry I need to do, or the 95 bills I need to pay, 715 dishes that I need to wash or the 17,000 square feet of floors I need to vacuum & mop. And yes, I am exaggerating just a tad but what can you expect..... My life seems so mundane after watching Dr. Jack Shepard use the spines of a sea urchin as intravenous needles for a blood transfusion or trying to figure out what's in the 'hatch'. I tell you, this show is completely mind-gripping...suspenseful...captivating....totally unrealistic....but it totally rocks all the same. And to make matters worse....I obviously haven't seen Season 2 yet. It comes out on DVD in September....and Season 3 starts the end of September..........I am sooooooo screwed.....

Kids + Camera= ????

So Friday night the kiddos & I loaded up and headed to Elmendorf AFB for the dreaded commissary run. If you have ever experienced a trip to the commissary, then you know what I mean.....if you haven't, then consider yourself lucky. And in case you are thinking "If it's so stinking awful, then why do it?" Well, groceries on base are about 1/2 the price as shopping off base and when living in Alaska (where all of our food is shipped in $$$) that is HUGE. Anyway, it's an hour drive to the base & the kids were dreading the trip, so I was trying to be upbeat & make it fun. D. spotted my camera on the front seat & asked if she could take a couple pics. Sure...why not....it's digital...I can erase it all later. And, yes I deleted about 40 photos of complete blur. But here are a few of the better ones..... Capturing her brother doing what he loves to do..... Thank you Uncle Bud :)
This is R.'s self-portrait..... okay...we have some work to do here :)
And D's self portrait......

And me giving D. the 'enough already look'...although it really didn't turn out half bad. Go figure..... I may even use this for a bit of changein my profile pic...hmmmm

Okay...so she's growing up.....

I am sooooo not ready for this. First it was her toys....see before we went to Ohio in June we had a yard sale with some friends & got rid of a bunch of stuff. As we were prepping I encouraged her to go through her toys & pick out stuff she doesn't play with anymore. Nada! She was insistent on keeping her things (which is really unlike her~ normally she is hyped to send out the old to make room for new). So fast forward a month & a half. Our guys go to Georgia for a week & it's just us girls. Well we revamped her room....new bedding, new cutains, a new lamp & a new bookshelf. In the midst of all this, she went through her walk-in closet & got rid of 95% of her toys....no kidding. I was shocked. She says "Mom, I'm getting too big for all that stuff. Besides I'll still play with Brother & his toys, okay?" Uh, sure, whatever........

Later in same week, we are in Fred Meyer & I'm looking at CD's.

D: Mom, can I go over there (points) & look at the IPods??

Me: Uh, do you know what an IPod is?

D: (with the clearest 'duh!' look I've ever seen) Yeeeeaaahhhhh.....you know the thing that you download music onto & listen to the songs you want. Do you me to show them to you????

Me: No...that's okay...I know what they are.

D: Then why did you ask??? (at this point she wasn't being smart, I truly had confused her.)

She goes off & spent a good chunk of time looking in the IPod case. The she comes back & the first thing out of her mouth:
"Mom, do you think I can ask for an IPod for Christmas?"

What???? I was ready for her to get rid of a few toys...you know, the little annoying Polly Pocket pieces you find everywhere, but I was soooooo not ready for this!

Then, we make a trip to Walmart & she asks to look at nailpolish. No problem. She has some money of her own & wants to know if she can buy something....sure thing.....I about fell over when she asked for little girls press-on nails. I had no idea they even made these!!! Well, I let her get them, but only for when we are gonna be home for a couple days. Dang this girl is changing & I am so not ready for it..........

So how did I treat my "baby's-growing-up-too-fast" blues?? I spent the evening finally organzing my scrapbook cubes that I got for my birthday back in March...yep, March. Can you say slacker? And doing so I got inspired to create a few new things...I'll let you know how it goes:) 

Some rainy day fun

So it's been rainy here for like forever & I'll be the first to admit it sucks!So what do we do...we load up 2 women, 6 kids & 2 dogs and head out for a 3 mile hike. Oh yeah! Armed with our rain jackets & puddle boots we head to Crevasse Moraine to let off some steam. As soon as we arrive, my dear Schotzie found a huge puddle at the trailhead & went diving....ewwwww, nasty wet dog.
But the kids were much better behaved & kept the stomping to a minimum (fearing loss of life or limb at the hands of Mom)! They had fun though & got some really good exercise.
And if 3 miles of hiking the steep hilly trails wasn't enough, when we got back to the van the girls begged to climb the 'sledding hill' & come back down the 'hidden trail' (read:mega steep). Hey, knock yourselves out!
And in case you are wondering, I'm serious about this being a sledding hill. And the 'stairs' the girls are climbing are just old railroad ties buried in the hillside to keep people from plummeting to the bottom. You should see the kids sledding on this sucker in the winter...it's nuts! 

FISH ON!!!!

So we went fishing out of Whittier with some friends this weekend & had a fab-u-loso time! It was wet,it was foggy, it was raining & it was fun!

So here I am with my catch of the day...a beauty of a silver salmon! Boy will that baby be good smoked :)

Robert did pretty well himself.....but he wasn't too keen on hold the dead fish :)

Desi rocked~ she caught her limit (2 silvers) that day!

Me & my girl....we had such an awesome time. Have I mentioned lately how much I love that kid......

I loved just looking at all the boats in the harbor. It was just so peaceful

And I just love the look of this hotel, right on the waters edge...

Anybody want a shrimp???

No? Then how 'bout a bucket of them??? We only left the shrimp pots out for about 5 hours (normally you try to leave them atleast 12) & we still got about 75 shrimp...75 HUGE shrimp! De-lish!

More photo love :)

Diet Coke....a girl after my own heart..YUM!

My boys on the 4th of July

let's get this one out of the way & move on to happier topics...

This is my baby girl about 24 hours after the dog bite.....but before it abcessed. Needless to say it got much worse before it got better. But a month and a half later things are looking better everyday.........

So I finally got the photos uploaded from our trip......

and I am slowly going to start sharing them. Enjoy............





Here are my super travelers waitng for the plane to Ohio....... Thank goodness for Gameboys :)















Within 24 hours, my kiddos were living it up in the water!

*The photo of D. to the right was taken about an hour before the dog bite incident. Seeing it just tears my heart out...it's amazing how quickly things can change... it kills me to know that a part of my baby girl's heart is forever changed.

After a uber-long hiatus.....

I'm back. We were in Ohio for an month & I really truly intended on posting while I was there...but things got complicated.

First let me say that all in all in was a good trip...I was thrilled to see my family & we had some really great times. I can't wait to go back again soon:) Yes, I even find myself fantasizing about moving back there, but as we all know, it's not quite so easy in real life.

Yes, things got complicated.....we arrived in OH on June 28th & spent the first night with my family in Louisville. They next morning I packed up the kids & we headed south an hour plus, to my dad & stepmom's place in Bergholz. I thought we were off to a really good start.....'thought' being the key word here. After we had been there about 3 hours, I went out on the 4-wheelers with my dad to check out some improvements that have been made to the 500 acre piece of land they own. When we arrived back about 1/2 hour later, one of my sisters tells me that D. has been bitten by their beagle. I go rushing into the house to find my baby girl (yes, even at 8, she is still my baby girl) has be bit in the face. To be honest, I really still can't talk about it a whole lot. I thought I could...while I was there...but I was surrounded by people who were going through it with us. But once I got back to Alaska, I've found it very difficult to talk about without completely falling apart.........
I will say this...she is okay...there are scars...we had a really rough time of it. In addition to the initial incident, 2 of the wounds abcessed significantly & she ended up back in the hospital. After hospital treatment )including opening those wounds back up to drain them), loads of antibiotics, & lots of TLC, we saw an awesome plastic surgeon in Canton who said things are looking really good . She is left with one very small scar & 2 slightly larger scars with knots of scar tissue underneath. The surgeon said we should not expect these scars to heal anymore than they already have, as they are keloid scars. They will eventually have to be corrected with plastic surgery.......but that's a long ways away.
D. seems to be doing well emotionally...she'll talk about it with people she trusts but is still dealing with the whole situation. Lying in bed last night I was trying to figure out why the is so hard to deal with now, almost more so than when it happend. The best I can come up with is that while in Ohio, we were kind of forced to cope. We were out of our element & just going through the motions.....but now we are home, in our comfort zone and finally allowing ourselves time to heal....and it's hard. Like I've told several people close to me, it's absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with...worse than high-risk preganancies, worse than losing loved ones...just the worst...it's my baby & I couldn't protect her..I just want to be able to take it all away ..any that all on that topic for now......

So now we are getting back in the swing of things. Re-bonding with our dog, visiting with friends we missed like crazy & gearing up for the school year that starts August 22nd. Over the next few weeks I'll try to share photos & details of the trip.

Later gators....

Headed in the right direction????

our food habits, that is.......I am thrilled with Safeway's newest line...Safeway Organics.I finally feel like 'packaged' foods have made a step in the right direction. Believe me, my kids get their fair share of sugar-coated-crap, but I try to find a sense of balance. You know, try to offset all the junk with a bit of good. So Safeway definately has got my business with this line. And as if being healthy wasn't enough, the prices are great too...well, compared to all the other healthy food sold up here. (On this one) Safeway rocks!!! Now if they would just create organic Diet Coke? I'd really be lovin that. How about tequila....you think it's organic???

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So let me tell you about my day....
My friend Kim & I have planned for the last couple weeks to have a Girl's Day out. And it took loads of planning & organization, but we got it all worked out for today. This was a particularly big deal as we have never done this before..the 2 of us, no kids......hmmm, what a thought :) So our big girls were going to Girl Scouts Day Camp & we had a sitter lined up for the little guys. We were set. The boys had soccer camp from 9-10:30am but another friend (who also has kids in soccer camp) said she'd drop the little ones off at home, where the sitter would be waiting. We were golden.....or so we thought. I get up early this morning to be sure I was ready for a 9am departure....we were to hit the road right after dropping the girls off at GS camp. We would be free until 4pm. As I get out of the shower I hear the phone ringing....it's Kim. Our friend who was transporting the boys called her to say her kids weren't going to soccer camp due to the light rain. Mind you, soccer camp is "rain or shine". Okay...we can deal with this....time to regroup. So Kim arranges for her father-in-law to transport the boys & all will be well. Girls are off to GS camp & we head to the soccer fields....it's now 9:10 but we are just a tad behind schedule. We arrive at soccer to see all of the coaches with the 'big kids' group (ages 7-10) and 3 of the littler kids sitting in the pavalion with a mom. Hmm? Coach says (in his uber-thick British accent) "We canceled for the little guys since nobaody came".......what??? we are only 10 minutes late & 3 others are here...the only 2 that didn't show belong to our friend who bailed this morning. "We'll try again tomorrow" he says. Okay...regroup again..... we call the sitter who lives next door to Kim & see if she can watch the boys a tad early. Uhm....yeah, but she needs atleast an hour to get ready. Okay.... that's not really early but we'll just wait it out.....what choice do we have. So we hit the coffee stand & head back to her house to wait on the sitter. At 10:30 the sitter shows up like she just rolled out of bed in her pajama pants, flip flops, and a ratty pony tail......this took an hour???? If that's true, then girl must have been lookin really rough this morning. So at 10:40 we pull out of the driveway...an hour & a half late, but we are grateful to just be on our way. Then I jinxed us.....I said "Do you hear that??? Silence...isn't it beautiful." Not 2 freaking minutes later my cell phone rings.....crap, it's a number I don't recognize.....who could it be??? Yep, the First Aid Tent at Girl Scout Camp. On that side of town it had started to rain pretty heavily & D. had managed to get her shoes filled with water while playing tug-of-war. She was freezing.....poor thing was sobbing when she got on the phone. "I just want you to come & get me Momma" she begged. At that I just motioned for my friend to continue straight instead of merging into a turn lane to head for the highway to Anchorage. So we go pick up my girl...... we decide just before picking her up, that we'll just take her with us. Out of our four children combined she is the oldest & is hands-down the easiest to take withh us on a day such as this. There's just one problem.....her shoes are soaked. And a trip home would mean 1/2 hour in the opposite direction. She has spare socks, but who takes extra shoes to DAY camp??? So a detour to Payless (in a nearby stripmall) is necessary to get girlie some shoes. She was thrilled....she ended up with Patriotic Airwalks (knockoff Crocs). Finally we get on the highway toward Anchorage (an hour away) at 11:39. A mere 2 1/2 hours late. After travel time, we have a whopping 2 1/2hours to ourselves....well, ourselves & an 8year old. But we weren't about to be beaten...we hit the ground running & made a major dent in Nordstroms. I found some cute shorts for the trip & some much needed undergarments. Oh yeah... you gotta love having your daughter along to try on bras...fun, fun! And that leads us to the quote of the day:

D: Mom this is crazy??
Me: What?
(as she points out a very lacy, revealing demi bra with rhinestone straps)
D: Why do they have all these fancy bras???? It's not like anybody's ever going to see you in it.
Me:(gulp) Yeah...pretty silly isn't it. (As I pray that she keeps thinking this way for a very long time!)

If emotions are rollercoasters....

then my life is an amusement park. You know for the most part it's pretty fun...some bits keep you on the edge of your seat, never knowing what thrill is just around the bend. And, of course, there are the areas that make you wonder "Who the hell thought this was a good idea??". All-in-all it's good though. We are happy, healthy, & well taken care of. Each & every day I count my blessings...... but you know there are the days when a girl looses her head....I was there this morning. Just a little cry-fest....totally self-imposed, worrying about things that are really minor in the big picture. Today I was freaking out about our upcoming trip....
~how will I fit "IT" all in?? Seeing all my family, making sure I spend enough time with everyone & don't end up with a lapful of regrets at the end of the month.
See, my parents divorced when I was like 2 or something...long before I could remember it. And growing up it seemed totally 'normal'. It's only been since I've been a mother myself that I've realized how abnormal it really was. Sure, loads of kids come from 'broken homes', but it wasn't until the last 7 or 8 years that I understood how much that can suck. Really suck. My parents are both great & I love them both to death. And no, I have never wished them 'back together'. Nope, I can't see it. But what I do remember is trying to share holidays & weekends and stuff. That stunk....not just for me, but for everybody. And now I am getting ready to go home for a visit. A friend called me last night & asked if I was getting excited......then it hit me. I had a massive knot in my stomach & my heart hurt...you know, the heavy feeling in your chest. At first I couldn't figure it out.....then it dawned on me. I was already trying to figure out in my mind how I was going to 'split' my time. Nobody has said anything, it's just what I associate with home. Damn. I am 32 years old & I really need to get over this. So I talked to my dad, & my mom, & my aunt & my sister & my hubby and I cried.....and I've cried some more. My 'face' from this morning has been transfered to a pile of tissues littering my van, my bedroom, my livingroom.....okay you get the point. They've all assured me it'll all be okay...and deep down I know it will. But I still worry. It's times likes this (and a whole lot more) that I think it would be easier to just move back east so everyone was closer and trying to see everybody in both mine in K.'s families wasn't so hard. I don't know...maybe someday...
And just when I didn't think I could cry any more...my little man came & wiped my tears. "I love you Momma. You wanna buy me some ice cream?" Yep, this is the part of my 'amusement park' I love.

And too cute not to share.....

This photo is from this past Sunday.....my girl's 8th birthday. I can't believe she has gotten so big!!! We spent the day at my Mom's....a few presents, a freaking fabulous dinner of crab legs (D's favorite) & at D's request, banana splits for dessert. The kids got to end their day 4-wheeling in the woods. G-ma rocks!

Okay so Blogger is jacked up.....

& it won't let me put more than 2 pics per post...

So R. goes to play at his friend K's house & comes home looking like Pigpen from Peanuts.....infact, I am sure he smelled like him too. The very first words out of his mouth:
R: Mommy, can I play Gamecube?
Me: Not until you take a bath, dirt-boy
R: Why???? I just taked one the other week.....
Me:Eeeewwww... Don't let people hear you talk like that. They'll think I don't feed you either.

So someone please tell me how my cutie-pie goes from looking like this to looking like THIS.......

And believe me..this picture doesn't even begin to illustrate the degree to which my son has gotten filthy. God really challenged me when he gave me a boy......I had NO idea!

And did I tell you how thrilled he is to pee on trees??? And not just out in the woods either...at the park, at the soccer field...I even had to drag him away from one (toward the public restroom) while visiting a local garden center with a friend the other day. It doesn't help that said friend also has a 4 year old son fond of 'give the trees a drink'. I think I just need to start carrying a margarita around in a sports bottle. Whatcha think? I call it liquid sanity :)

Strangers out my window........

so I am diligently vacuuming my floors this afternoon & using the attachments along my baseboards (I know, all this detail is just way too exciting!) when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Huh?? There were 3 strange men standing out on my back deck. And just before my heart came completely out of my chest, I realized they must be the guys here to install our fence. I knew they were supposed to be coming, but they were also supposed to come on Saturday, Monday, & Tuesday....so I had just kind of given up hope. But taa-daa!!! Schotzie girl now has her own little playland!! And believe me, while I am loving the fence now....I will be LOVING the fence come January when it is butt freezing cold outside! Who wants to take a dog out to pee when it is -25 degrees Fahrenheit??? I never thought I'd be so happy to see $1700.00 worth of chainlink in all my life!!! Some people carry pictures of their children...I'll be carrying pictures of my new fence. **Can you say dork??** So I just now need to come up with a name for this sweet thing....any suggestions???

The last day of spring......

tomorrow officialy marks the beginning of summer & let me tell you it is awesome here in the Land of the Midnight Sun!!! Alaskan winters may suck, but summer ROCKS!!!
So far we have been having a super busy summer.....picnics, soccer camps, birthday party, Girl Scout camp, hundreds of moquito bites, a wicked summer cold, chicken pox, a 4year old with horrible (words truly can't describe how bad this is) smashed finger........
okay maybe summer hasn't been all fun & games so far, but we are enjoying it none-the-less!

The Narnia party was awesome & D. was sooooo suprised!!!! We had a houseful of giggling girls....man can those girls go the distance when it comes to staying up late. Who'd a thought??? D. also got some really awesome Narnia presents from her friends. One girls even made her a custom Narnia frame. I'll share more pics once I can find them amongst the thousands of files on this bloody PC.

Other than that, we are gearing up for our trip...just one week to go & so much to do here at home in the meantime. But we are all getting excited to go see our family in Ohio......look out Stark County.....here we come!!!! I mean really....just look at the type of rifraff that are headed your way....be very afraid ;)

A boy.....$100......& a hooker......

Get your mind out of the gutter!!! Last night we went to Anchorage & got my boy a 'hooker'....it's official name is Adams Trail-a-Bike. It will hook on to my bike & he'll be pulled along. There are pedals for him to use but at this point I'm well aware they provide me very little assistance. R.'s little friend K. informed him it is called a "hooker". What can I say...they're 4! So last night R. too got a hooker at REI. $100 well spent! The boys are so excited for the weekend to take their hookers out on the town! And the big sisters are equally excited that we can actually go on long bike rides because we won't have to worry about the little dudes keeping up.

Fashion imapired.....

so I am sitting in my Weight Watchers meeting today & this lady walks in.....she is a well known realtor in our area. She is wearing this awful loud print blouse with an equally gawdy fushia denim jacket, a neck scarf (uhm...did she not realize it was 75 freaking degrees outside!) while carrying a lime green purse that was big enough to carry a small child. As if this wasn't bad enough she these HUGE 'I-am-attempting-to-channel-Paris-Hilton-sunglasses' throughout the entire meeting. We live in rural Alaska, lady...no paparazzi to avoid here. And to top it all off she wore the ultimate...... Yep, a dimante Bluetooth. I couldn't help but chuckle. When are people gonna realize a Bluetooth is NOT a fashion accessory. WTF? Now I am not knocking technology...I have a Bluetooth myself....but for in the car. And it looks more like this ....


I just don't get 'it'.....it's an item of convience but it sure the hell isn't stylish. And unless you are the Pope or the President or something, you can not possible tell me you are so freaking important that you have to have your phone attached to your ear 24/7. I seem to remember just 10 years ago when most people didn't have cell phones & we all managed just fine. I guess what I am trying to say is that I personally think people who wear their Bluetooths all the time look pretty ridiculous. ***If I have offended some of you I apologize, but since this is my blog, I'm gonna tell it like I see it!**

Next order of business.....
I am still at work on D. girl's party. We are busy chosing a image for her cake. Our local bakery does the computer image cakes & so far this is what my girl has chosen

I think it'll look freakin awesome!!!! Just 9 days until the big event!!! Wahoo! And while I am counting down...3 more days of school & 34 days 'til we go home for a visit!!! Someone is getting excited....and that someone is me!!!