Conference Saturday---Alone

I am laying on my bed listening to the second session of conference with my boys playing around me. Cole has been working crazy hours and as we speak is in hour 101 of this pay period....he isn't due home till about 9pm tonight which will put him at 109 hours. Sigh. I am tired, lonely and blessed.

I have plans to highlight my favorite quotes from conference so stay tuned for that. I only caught a few minutes of this mornings session but I have most definitely enjoyed this afternoons session and am already feeling inspired, at peace and humbled.

This will be the fourth night this week that Cole isn't home for dinner. I have plans to make pigs-in-a-blanket for the boys to eat tonight while watching Madagascar 3...they are so excited...doing extra special little things for my kiddos helps pass the time while Cole is gone.

Cameron is doing great in school and has started spelling/reading. So fun!

Joshua went to the Dentist this last week. He did so great. He's such a good kid...and so sweet!

I'll be back soon!

Happy Fall Update!

Hello! It's been so long since I've taken the time to sit and blog :)

Cameron started school about 6 weeks ago. He LOVES it! When he talks about school he lights up....its such a blessing for me to see how well he's adjusting to this new routine and to see for my self what Heavenly Father helped me to know a few months ago. The school he's going to is so amazing. Each time we walk in I feel a sense of peace wash over me....he teacher is great and we love her.

Joshua turned 2 last month. My little boy is potty trained :) He basically potty trained himself. Cole decided that it was time about a week and half before J's birthday. Basically we would strip off his diaper in the morning and put undies on him and then take him to the bathroom ever 45 min- and hour. It was a long first week but he caught on really quick and would help remind us. Now a month later J is in diapers at night and is in undies all day long. He has an accident almost everyday but thank goodness it is always only a wet accident! It's crazy to me that my two year-old is potty trained!

Cole is working like a crazy man and it's make me a crazy mama! Counting our blessing for sure though and are so grateful for this wonderful job!

We've had some crazy fall weather and are so grateful for all of the men and women who kept our town safe and helped return power to us when it was out! In the last month we've had 3 huge wind storms that brought tons of rain with them! Lots of flooding and down trees. I guess it's very common to have huge wind storms in our area during the winter but not normal to have those wind storms in the fall. Normally when the winds storms hit the ground is frozen making fallen trees less likely....but we've had a very wet summer and when the wind storms hit lots of trees fell because the ground is so soft and wet. We were lucky to have no damage and we only lost power for a couple of hours one day. We have friends who lost every thing to a flash flood and one of Cole's co-workers was without power for a couple of days. Oh, it's supposed to snow this weekend....did I mention it's only September!

I love sight and smells of fall.

Hopefully it won't be so long between blog posts next time!

Kindergarten, Ready or not?

I have to admit, I've spent very little time this summer prepping Cameron for Kindergarten. I had lists of things he was going to do every single day...practice his letter, learn to tell time, learn to tie his shoes, and the list goes on and on. Instead we have spent time playing with friends, cleaning our home and learning about chores, we've visited the library a few times and we hit the farmers market every Wednesday. We've rented movies and had family movie night, we've bought games and have had family game night. I've watched my sons grow into friends...even with the 3 1/2 year age difference. Sitting here tonight I was thinking about all that I wanted him to know before he starts school in a couple of weeks and it clicked. Last week I had to take some paper work into the school to finish registering him. There was a paper that needed to be signed by me and by Cameron. Guess who signed his name. Tonight we played 3 games of UNO....guess who won one of the three games...if I had to guess I couldn't tell you how many times we've played UNO this summer. I asked Cameron after bath tonight what game he wanted to play...YAHTZEE....

My 5 year old can play Yahtzee, he can hold his own in a game of UNO and when asked he can sign his name. This summer, I've taught Cameron how to be a good sport when he doesn't win, he can recognize and tell you what every single card in the UNO deck is. He can follow directions, add the numbers on the die and can use his fingers to add number when given a simple addition problem. The memories I will have of my children playing this summer...far out weigh the good that may have come from me keeping a strict schedule with Cameron this summer. I hope and pray that as he grows we can continue to have and make the time for the special things we've done. I hope that I never lose sight of the fun of having my children around.

I don't have a single doubt about Cameron starting school. I believe he will be an excellent student and I know that he will succeed at anything he puts his mind to. He is such a smart and funny little guy. He's so brave, kind and thoughtful. He is the best big brother and really loves his little brother. I'm so lucky to have him as a son and I can't wait to see what school brings for him!

Sunday, August 5th, 2012

This is a mommy post to help me remember some of the things my kids are doing...if you aren't interested in the in's and out's of my kiddos then stop reading now :)

Cameron is showing signs of being ready to learn to read. This morning while we were getting ready for church he asked Cole why the light switch said "no" on it....Cole looked at it and said "what do you mean?" and then after looking at it said "oh, Cameron is says on which is no backwards" :)

At church today, both boys sat quietly....which in and of it's self is a miracle. While listening to members of our ward share their testimonies Cameron was doodling on some paper...I looked over to see him drawing the letters Ll and H...I asked him which letters he wrote and he told me--a big L and an I and an H....He had copied off the front side of the paper which was a lined sheet for the letter L so I knew that he had written a little L not and I. I corrected him and he said...I wondered we it didn't have a line at the top and bottom :)

Joshua has become so animated....this evening he was wrestling with his brother and they had so much fun together.

Peace and Comfort

It took us several days to settle back into a routine after returning home from Oregon. We had to readjust to the constant daylight, again. It always throws off sleep schedules. I think I was more affected than the kids were. Thank goodness for blackout curtains. 

Now that we are finally settled in, I have time to think again. We've had an interesting few days. Saturday morning Joshua woke with a nasty diaper....I figured it was something he had eaten. Those nasty diapers continued into Sunday and still I wasn't convinced that he was sick. he didn't have a fever and was acting normal so again I figured it was something that just hadn't sat right with him. We went to church and although he doesn't stay in nursery I still feel bad about having taken him when he was sick. Anyhow, his diapers continued and actually increased. He became lethargic as Monday started. For the last four days Josh and I have basically sat together and we haven't done anything! I've kept up on the dirty blankets, sheets and jammies from Josh and the dishes but I haven't had time for anything else as the poor little guy only wants mommy. Monday is when the phone calls started. 

Monday afternoon we got a call from some good friends in Oregon letting us know that they are expecting a precious little boy. We are so excited for them and we know that their sweet son that they already have will be a wonderful big brother. A couple hours later they called again to let us know that he had been offered a job with the local school district. We were even more excited about this piece of news. The next morning I got a call from a friend here in Alaska needing a friend...her husband had been let go from his place of employment. My heart broke for the family of five, having been in that similar situation just over a year ago I know how it feels to have to make new plans and readjust the plans you had. A few hours later, my best friend in Oregon called to let me know that she hadn't gotten a job she applied for. Seriously. 

I am so glad that we are blessed with amazing friends. I feel grateful that they feel comfortable calling to share their news with us, good or bad. By the end of the day Tuesday, I became aware or several other friends and family members that were either having a very hard time or celebrating over great news. I was swimming in my own thoughts trying to figure out how to help each individually. I offered up a prayer knowing that our Father in Heaven would be the only one that could provide the comfort that each of my friends need. I have seen miracles worked in my own life, sicknesses healed, comfort provided, peace or mind and of heart. I have felt the peace that can come from the comfort that is provided when turning to our Father in Heaven. Countless times and in so many different situations I have felt that peace and comfort. I pray that each of our friends felt that peace and will continue to feel the spirit in their lives. I know that prayer are answered, it may not be in our time but they will be answered. 

Tonight I am praying for my sweet baby boy. He is on the verge of dehydration and I am so worried about him. I hope this bug passes quickly so that I can have my crazy toddler back!

Oregon!

The kids and I had the opportunity to take an 18 day trip to Oregon the day after Cameron got out of school. Thanks to a wonderful friend and colleague of my sisters the flights were free making the trip possible. This friend contacted me at the end of February to see if it was something I would want to do. My sister had been struggling with postpartum baby blues and her friend thought that a visit from me would help clear them up! so unbeknownst yo my sister I planned the trip and did not tell her. You see, I talk to Amanda on a daily basis at least once if not five times a day...seriously, our husbands have joked about charging us for the time we spend on the phone. Keeping a secret from her is sooo hard. Last year she tried to surprise me for my birthday...but there were to many clues and weird signs allowing me to figure it out. I knew I needed to be sneaky. I kept quiet to her for 6 weeks....the week leading up to the trip was the hardest...I was here making arrangements, returning library books, prepping meals for Cole, deep cleaning the house, packing and finishing Cameron's last week of school. Every day she asks what are you doing today and I would have to keep most of what I was doing to myself so she wouldn't catch on. Thank goodness we flew at night....and arrived before we normally talk each morning. Not being able to get a hold of me all day would have been a dead giveaway. It was worth the trouble though....she was the only family member in Oregon that didn't know we were coming. We surprised her at her work. I meet her friend, Brandi there. Brandi arranged for Amanda to come in. I was the first person she saw when she walked into the building. It was so fun to see the look on her face when it all registered. it took her a second though!

Our trip was awesome! We had great weather and the kids played outside all day everyday! With their cousins around they had so many kids to play with. We were able to spend tons of time with Grandmas and Papas, and Aunts and Uncles too! I was able to visit with my friend Ari who just happened to be in town and the same time I was. I love visiting with friends and was glad to be able to spend time with her and meet her new little guy. I had the opportunity to visit with some other friends as well.

It was an awesome trip, but we are glad to be home and back to normal routines and sleep schedules!

Not much planned for the summer....a quick trip to Fairbanks here in a couple of weeks and them maybe a trip down to Homer. Looking forward to the start of school.

goodby pre-school!

Cameron finished preschool yesterday. It's bitter-sweet. We are all looking forward to summer but we were also sad to say goodbye to Cameron's teacher. He has grown and changed so much this past year. It's hard to describe, but i have watched my shy, quiet 5 year old blossom into an outspoken inquisitive young man. He is so smart and asks interesting questions. He definitely keeps us on our toes.

Camerons teacher, Ms. Rada, was such a blessing. She was so patient and kind to her class. At headstart, the teachers make monthly visits to the homes of each child in their classroom. When Ms. Rada would come over she would always have activities planned that had been tailored to Cameron and what he needed to learn. I remember one visit she raved about Cameron and it touched me deeply. Moving from family to none, I feared that we had set him up for failure. The first few months here in Alaska were very hard for him. He was sad most of the time because he missed his family. He didn't want to go to church because he was afraid none of the kids in his primary class would like him. Once school started we started to see that change. He seemed happier. Although, Ms. Rada was complimenting our parenting when she said what she said about Cameron...to me it was just another confirmation that we as a family are doing just as we should.

We've been counting down the days till school gets out....mainly because I'd like to sleep in :) But when we woke yesterday Cameron was a little sad. It was the last time he would ride the bus with Mr. Fred and the last time he would see most of his friends (we are not in Wasilla city limits...the headstart program he was attending was in Wasilla and most of the students in his class will go to different school...we will go to a Palmer school due to boundaries and such)...it would be the last time he'd see Ms. Rada, although sometimes we run into her at Wal-Mart. We had made her a quilt to thank her for such a great year. I'll be honest, I was definately choking back tears as we said our goodbyes....I'm a big baby, but for me it was the close of our first chapter here in Alaska. We've made a home here and the school and the staff there were a part of that. I know we will find that at the elementary school Cameron attends but for me yesterday was so much more than the end of a school year.

I love this quilt....I hope Ms. Rada does too!

Cole was home one day when Cameron was getting off the bus...Cameron  loved it when Daddy would get him on or off the bus!

Thank You Ms. Rada for such a wonderful year :)