Thank you to the Bartles!!

Here are the Koehler Kids enjoying their Christams gifts. Autumn wants to wear her hair stick everyday!! You should recognize the boys' pose... just think of the biggest 80's movie!! he he!

Here's Bailey

Winter Holiday

I wanted to take a few moments to thank everyone for their cards and gifts for Christmas. It was our first away from family and friends. We did the web cam thing with my family again on Christmas Eve and got to watch the girls open their gifts. It made things a lot easier!! All in all we had a really good Christmas. The kids got one of their gifts a few days early...it would of been pretty hard to hide him. We adopted a new family member of the four legged kind. He is a lab/hound mix and has the markings of a cow..not kidding!(Hey BB and Mrs. Lehane... maybe he is my good luck for the year of the cow!! HE HE!) He is black and white, and the biggest sweety! His name was "Jelly"...we just couldn't keep that and it took a few days but have came up with "Bailey". He responds very well to it and is already very spoiled! I will try to post a few pic later!!
It snowed all day Christmas day and finally stopped the next evening. It has cleared up and we now have sunny skies, but that brings on the colder temps. We are right now at -13 and have a high of -3 for today!!How do you say "BBBRRRRR!!"?

Well it's Official

Well it is official, I am now a full time college student. I am enrolled at Wayland Baptist University and will start classes in February. It is so scary!!! I am hoping to CLEP some of my required classes before then and they will allow me to use my last four years of employment towards my credits....12 to be exact. NICE! Another nice perk to living here is that the spouses club gives out scholarships that I can get for each term. They will give out $375 per term. That will help a lot. I think I will just stick to two classes each term until Adam gets to pass his GI bill to me next August.
WISH ME LUCK!!

Tonight was Aydens play at school. It was so cute, they did a fabulous job! The whole play was put together, choreographed and everything by the students!! Of course Ayden was the only tin soldier that had issues with his helmet... he was so great though. He had a nervous stomach this morning...I just had to giggle a little to myself. I so remember days like that from when I was young. All of this has brought back memories from when I was in a winter play, I think it was third or fourth grade. I was an elf, and only had one line..but I was so nervous! And I was so excited because my mom was going to be able to come see it.
Ayden came home today with lipstick on his cheeks, he didn't know he was performing for the school today during school. He was saying he was being called "rosy cheeks" on the way home. I touched them up before we had to go back tonight...I only have long lasting colorstay, and he had the roughest time trying to get it off. It was too funny!!

Quite a busy time..

Tis the season to be busy!! We started off the weekend with Austin going to a semi-formal dance with some of his girl friends. I guess Hali was his "date", but he likes Danielle more. And they all went as a group, that way there is no pressure... and I like that a lot more! I feel so old to have a child old enough to be going to these kinds of dances ;O( !!! Saturday was a day where I stayed at home and helped Ayden get caught up on homework and such and Adam went out to finish up Christmas shopping, and I also got all the housework done. Sunday, Austin and I went the church I had found and wanted to try. We really liked it, so I think we found our church home while we are here. We also got in a hockey game on Sunday. Our Aces were playing the Idaho Steelheads...oh who do we root for?!! Happy to say that the Steelheads won 1-0!! I know I will have to root for the home team at sometime..but the Steelheads have been our team for too many years to break it right now!

Ayden has one last play rehearsal tonight and then the play tomorrow. I will blog on it in a few days. I am so excited!! The kids only go to school until Thursday, then we start our holiday break. Two weeks of being trapped in the house with three kids.... AAHHH!! I'm sure we will go to the Arctic Oasis, go bowling, and visit with our friends the Cassidy's. Trying to find inexpensive things to do, and keep them off the video games all day!! ;O)

We ordered chinese food for dinner, and we got Adam the Generals Chicken as always. Austin is always willing to eat weird things for money...and this time he was willing to eat all the hot peppers from the generals chicken for an unknown amount of money...Adam had told him that he would give him all the one dollar bills in his wallet. Austin had asked for $10, Adam honestly didn't know how many he had..he knew it was more than one or two. Austin ended up making out with $6!! I'm not sure it was worth it....The deal was that he had to eat them all at one time...all ten of them!

Autumn Singing

This video was taken before we moved, but I just love it!! This is music from "Camprock" , which she knows every word to every song! I really wish she would get passed her shyness issues... I may be biased, but I think she really has potential!

OH Austin!!!

Yesterday morning, I could of sworn that it was a Monday. I was sitting on the couch, I hadn't showered or anything, when there was a knock at our door. It was Austins little girlfriend, who came over to walk to the bus with him. Nice, nothing like being seen when you just roll out of bed. But that wasn't the bad part. They rushed out the door, running late because Austin was too busy getting a cup of coffee. I then get a frantic call from him on Katy's cell... he dropped his cell phone while running to the bus. He felt himself kick something, but thought it was just an ice chunk. He needed me to go out in the dark and snow to find it.... it doesn't get light until about 10 am. So I put on some sweats a beanie and grab Adams spotlight and head out into the cold. I must of been a sight... even the neighbors noticed I was out there and asked what I was up to. ARGH! I did find it.. in the middle of tire tracks! It had already been ran over and is now broken! Now of course we don't have the insurance on it, it was a cheap and very basic phone. I proceeded to sit on the phone with Verizon for the morning trying to figure out a plan. We could suspend the service on the phone, but we would still be paying for. It's not like we don't have enough phones, he could use the one that we use for the house phone.. or at least did, it now just kind of sits here. But I don't want to pay for Austins phone line and it not being used. The house one gets used when Ayden goes out with his friends and such, and my mom calls it all the time. So to make a long story short.. I remembered that I still have my old phone lying here because I just updated my phone a little over a month ago. It has it's own issues with a certain button not working but it's better than no phone..right. So we did some reprogramming and got Austins number transferred to it. PHEW! So far .. so good. It doesn't seem to want to send pic/video messages like it should, but who cares. As he says, ..."as long as I can text and talk!!"
Who says I shouldn't get mom of the year..... Austin!!

Austin may be 15 going on 16, but he just still loves his Elmo!! JK! He was showing me something on youtube and I looked up Elmo. Austin and Sierra used to listen to this song over and over again.... probably why we tease him so much now! ;O) I swear when you listen to it, it sounds like he says a bad word.... HE DOESN'T. He is saying "what..no", but it sounds bad.
Here are also some pictures of Autumn wearing her wig from Halloween. She is such a goof!!She must get it from her father!!!

The Tree is up, the Snow is on the Ground...It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We had gone out to dinner Friday night and then headed to Home Depot and picked out a Christmas tree. I was so excited and love the smell of a fresh cut tree. We have had a fake one for the last few years, but decided that we didn't want to move it up here. So Adam got up early yesterday morning and headed down our snowy step to get boxes of Christmas decor out of our shed. What a good guy! I still am not felling too great so I just stuck to the basics for the tree. I usually have to decorate the whole house and then some, but knew that I would have the energy for that this year. I absolutely love the tree we got, it is a seven foot Douglas fir... which is my favorite type of Christmas tree. The needles are so soft and the tree is so full.
The boys had a day of snowboarding planned, so Autumn and I were going to do the tree. We usually do this as a family.. but Autumn and I needed something special to do and the boys didn't really care. This was the boys first day of trying to snowboard... trying being the key word there. Adam hasn't really ever snowboarded before either, he is a great skier.. but there is definitely a difference. Austin was the first to be done.. he fell and hurt his wrist, it is still a little weak. Adam was pleasantly surprised at how well both of boys did. I'm sure there will be many weekends ahead where Autumn and I will have to find stuff to do...oh darn. I know that our friends the Cassidy's will be glad to see us.
I kept the tree very basic this year. I stuck to the blue balls, icicle garland and topper, and snowflake decorations. Yes, the tree has to match my giftwrap! ;O) Autumn made me want to sit down and cry for a moment. She was asking where we were going to go... It took me a few minutes to figure out what she was asking, but we always go to Auntie Candi's for Christmas. I felt so alone and isolated, but then I tried to remind myself what the season is about. We will probably do the webcam with the family again like we did on Thanksgiving and that helps. We will have to get Adams parents on there this time too. Then Adams dad will be here in about a month again. The kids are looking forward to that. :O)

Let it snow..??

We were sitting at the table this morning, eating our cinnamon rolls and watching the morning news for the weather. It had reached the high yesterday by 11 am and then cooled off again....the high was 12! So this morning as Austin is heading to the bus stop, it is a balmy -3....and he left his coat in in locker yesterday :O(. ARGH! We have also had some snow lately, in fact it snowed three days straight. I sat in my living room watching it, it is very peaceful...but I am beginning to wonder if it ever stops. We are sitting, according to the news this morning, at 21.8 inches of snow!!! yeah... you read that right! They are talking about how this is going to be a very snowy winter...so now I am trying to look on the bright side. At least we should get the worst our first year here.. that way we can decide if we really like it here...right?!? If we can handle a bad winter than a normal one later will be cake..
The kids are loving it though. Sledding is big here..even just in the neighborhood. Adam had them out for three and a half hours the other day. They are a little sore but that is just because they have too much of Adam in them and were trying to do all these tricks...silly kids.
We made it through the holiday.. a bit of a rough one. I have been having some health issues, but making slow progress and recovery. Adam has been wonderful with all his help. I will post more later when I get test results and such.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Just a short blog to tell everyone how much I hope they have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have been having a rough time under the weather... a lot of time at this wonderful hospital. I truly mean that...I completely understand why/how they were awarded that. They have all been so wonderful and supportive.
But anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the beginning of holiday season!! Love to all!!
Aj

We had the kiddos pictures taken on Saturday... here a few of the results. I can go pick them up tomorrow. I have the hardest time choosing which ones to get... they turn out so cute!

11 YEARS!!

Today is Adam and I's eleventh anniversary. I had been sick most of the week but I did manage to get out yesterday with Austins help, and got him a gift. He has been wanting a new bottle of cologne for a while, and that is what I ended up getting him. I had something else in mind... which I won't say because it may end up as a Christmas gift... but the girl at the BX was handing out samples and it struck a cord...Oh yeah! So I found a cute gift box and stuck in some Godiva chocolates..yummy!
Now you may be asking what I got... I have to say that Adam did VERY well this year!! He took some hints or did a good job remembering and got me a new purse. But this isn't just any purse... he got me a Dooney!! YEAH!! I am feeling loved this year!! So much better than some appliance to cook or clean with ;O)!!!
We are going to go see the new Bond movie and dinner tonight. Very nice that our anniversary fell on my day off....even though I have been gone all week due to illness. I'll try to post pic's later!!

Talk about a SuperBug

So the flu bug has hit the Koehler household...and hit it hard. Ayden was the first i think to get it. He missed a day of school last week because of a stomach bug. He was feeling better the next day and back to school he went. I had been having this horrible headache for days, but went on trying to talk myself into feeling better. Then Monday at work, my headache got worse and I voluntarily went home when they asked. I have to admit that I had ulterior motives. Adam and I had plans to go out to dinner with some of his friends in town. We went to Benni-Hana, a Japanese restaurant where the chef threw a shrimp on my plate. You can imagine the look on my face....I tried really hard not to offend him, and asked if Adam could have my share of the shrimp appetizer. He politely did so.
But back to my ramblings... the next morning was when everything came to a head. Autumn came out of her room and said she thought he was going to throw up.... and then proceeded to do so. My head was so bad that I thought it was going to explode! So we both stayed home. I made it until that night, and then it really hit me hard. I will make a long story short.. I ended up in the ER for an IV and some anti- nausea meds. I am still home today with a woozy stomach and headache. I have missed basically a week of work, but they are being really nice about it. Now we are just trying our best to make sure no one else gets sick. We have had complaints about headaches and/or tummy aches, but they still want to go to school. :O)

Someone should hide my shears

So I got up and did my usual routine and all was going well until it came to my hair. It was decent but had been bugging me for weeks, and those who know me know that I can't leave my hair one way too long. So out came my shears and the hair went flying. I was almost done when I realized that I had twenty minutes to be at work and I wasn't even dressed....uugh! So when I got home...and Adam saw that I had cut my hair (and yes... he noticed) I headed off to get some color and finished up. Here are the results.

No Iceskating for You

We all went to the zoo yesterday ( and yes I got the seal to kiss the glass again) and then went ice skating, followed up with dinner at Gallos. All went well at the zoo, we bundled up quite well. We grabbed lunch at Subway and then headed to the mall to ice skate. No, I did not go ice skating but I was tempted. I sat and drank my caramel soy latte, read the paper and chatted with others nearby. The kids (and that includes Adam and Papa) decided to play tag as they skated. Do you see where I am headed yet?.... All was going well, Austin was it and he was skating after Papa. He swung his arm out after him and lost his balance. Now we all know how graceful of a person Austin is....and he went down with every ounce of grace he has!!Adam was right there with Autumn (holding his hand), and he let go of her and kind of pushed her to Papa. Austins put his right hand out to catch himself and he hit the ice so hard his head bounced. We were initially concerned with how hard his head hit because he couldn't see who it was asking if he was alright...which was Adam. They managed to get him up and assisted him off the ice to where I was. He has a goose egg but he says it doesn't hurt. He was complaining more about his wrist. He said he was fine, but that it hurt to move it much. I was watching for swelling/bruising, but nothing was really happening. This was around 2:30. He was done skating so he just watched from the sidelines with me. We were joined shortly by Papa, but the last three can go for hours. We did end up leaving the rink about 3:30 and walked once around the mall. We then went and ate an early dinner, which was good because we were so full, we needed the extra time to digest before bed. After we made it home, Austin and I decided we should go get his wrist checked out to be on the safe side because it was still hurting. Here is where I give props to the hospital up here. It is so much nicer here... but Mtn. Home doesn't give much to complement! We were taken back fairly quickly, had ex rays and then sent back to the waiting room. We were there about ten minutes when the doc called us back. Good news is that it isn't broken, but he does have a wrist contusion....bruised wrist/sprain. Because they are concerned about the growth plates in his hand Austin is now sporting a stylish splint for the next ten days.

A Fun Weekend

Going from bottom to top, here are explaination of pics....
Picture 1 is Ayden recieving his award for "Dazzling Creative Writing"
Picture 2 is a moose in our back yard area
Picture 3 is Papa trying on Autumns halloween wig....anyone else thinking Wendys?!!
Picture 4 is Six Mile Lake this morning (here on base)
Picture 5 is me in Autumns wig....is red my color

The Big Day

The big day went off smoothly and was so worth keeping the secret. I got them off to school, which was a half day due to parent teacher conferences, and then verified with Adam what the plan was. He was going to come home and change clothes, do some running around, then go pick Papa up and bring him home. But the tricky part was coming home and changing before the kids got home. Adam didn't know that Austin knew about Papa visiting, so he was trying to sneak into the house and get some clothes and then go change at the gym. But then Austin came out and asked what time the plane came in... As Adam was leaving Austin and I went to go run Betty through the car wash and then came home to meet the bus. I had told the kids that if they came home and finished getting their rooms clean that I would have a treat for them. I knew Adam would be back soon with the "package". I tried stringing out the room cleaning as long as possible and it worked out perfectly. Adam had went and got a new TV for our room, so we moved our old one down to Aydens room. It doesn't have cable hooked up to it, but he has the DVD player and he can hook up his plug-n-play games to it. Right after we finished that, Adam got home. I had the kids up stairs and was trying to distract them with what we were going to order for dinner when Papa came up the stairs asking "yeah, whats for dinner?" The look of shock and happiness was so worth it... it was truly priceless!!! We have a few appointments today so we won't go do much, but we are planning a big day tomorrow. We have the zoo, ice skating, and dinner planned for tomorrow, and I plan on taking the camera... that way I can share with all of you. Don't expect me to be skating though I prefer to sit on the sidelines with a coffee and cheer them on. ;O)

What I want

I would like to see more people responding to this blog. I will help with any questions you have about doing so....but it helps me feel connected to those who I know are reading this.
Thank you
Love and miss you all!!!

The Big Surprise is Coming

Papa Bob is coming up for Halloween and the two little ones are still clueless. he will be here Thursday and I am dying with anticipation to see how they will react. They are still having a hard time with the adjustments of not having family nearby, and I am dreading how the holidays are going to go. We have always gone to my families house and had a big get together Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. We are going to try and make things as normal as possible, but we aren't going to be able do our traditions.... so in short it will be nice to have Papa here. I understand and hope no one takes this and feels guilty. If we could ...we would pay for the tickets and have everyone here, or go home. But that will have to wait until next year.... and it will happen next year. So you may have gotten rid of us for now...but we will be back!!;O)

Drivers Ed

So apparently Alaska does not require or even encourage drivers ed..... they do offer it, but it is around $700 and it doesn't lower your insurance much if you do take it.And it is $20 for his licence... HMMMM I am having mixed feelings on this. I wish Austin could get the lessons from someone else... he does things better for others, but then it is nice that I don't have to worry and get him to lessons at a certain time.
We have decided that we will pay for the insurance until he is 16 and can get a job. Then he will have to pay for half of the increase and all of his gas. I think this is fair... but I will be laughing when he realizing how much things cost!!
On another note, Ayden just received an award for his creative writing. This was a boost that was most needed. I think he was/is really having insecurity issues since we moved. He got a nice certificate and goody bag in front of the whole school. Nice!

Thoughts

So after speaking with my boss.. and her begging to keep me, we are going to try something for a while. I am reducing my hours from 40plus to around 20 a week. I will work 9-2, which is while the kids are in school. Austin is out at 2:00, and this way he can now take drivers ed and/or get a job. AND I will be here when the younger two get home. I can be the homework helper and the dinner maker. Hopefully things will work and I can eventually get more hours down the road.. or maybe I will like this and keep it this way. ;O)

A Tough Choice....

I have been debating with myself over a very tough choice, and I think I have come to a decision. Ayden is having a very rough start to his fifth grade school year,... to be blunt , he is failing. I take this personal and am very concerned. I know we went through something similar with Austin at this age, but I won't take or make excuses. I think I am going to quit working at Target. It is taking up so much time, and I feel that I am cheating all of my kids. I want to be able to help them with their school work, cook their dinner.... just be their MOM. I may take a job subbing again, just to have something, but that it won't be everyday. Austin wants and should be able to take drivers ed... not babysit his siblings. Heck...he needs to go get his own job!!I might see how my Pampered Chef biz will do up here, no one else is in the are... but at this point it is just a thought. I need to do something to correct the course of where things are going. I can always work after the kids are more settled in... or just older. I think I rushed into something and didn't give time for all the adjustments to settle. I really need others input... what are your thoughts?

Happy Birthday Adam

So today Adam hit mid 30's...he is thirty five!! He got to open his gift this morning, which was a challenge in itself, and I didn't think that I was going to get him to work on time. We got him a massager mat (shiatsu?) that has the rotating balls and heat. He is always asking for a back rub, and I can't dig in deep enough. Every time we go out somewhere and they have one out to try... he will sit there the whole time I am in the store. So now comes the question of "will he ever got out of the chair?" Needless to say he likes his gift this year. I had a hard time thinking about what to get him. Normally there is something that he is needing/wanting, but he has been on a spending spree lately and has just about everything he has been wanting. Hopefully there will be something that comes to mind in the next few months before the holidays come.... otherwise Santa won't bring him nothin'!!!
But he wanted me to let everyone know that he says a big "Thank You". Between Autumn's birthday and Adam's we have had a taste of what the holidays will be like. We have been spoiled being close to family, that it now seems foreign to not have anyone around. :O{ So here is our request now... have your web cams ready! That way we can see you all!!

All I Want for Christmas.....

Adam and I came home from the commissary to find Autumn in the bathroom... with her mission almost complete.... she was getting freaked out from the blood. I kept thinking of you BB... even I was woozy for a moment. Adam had to finish the job for her, and now we can really call her "Gappy"!! Thought I'd share a pic of here goofy smile!

Can I go back to bed yet...?

So here is a run down of my Saturday. After getting out of the shower I threw some clothes on, brushed out my hair to put a beanie on. I walked over and picked Autumn up from her sleep over at Madeline's. Adam wanted to take the kids to the zoo and go ice skating. I had gotten him a pair of jeans and a shirt that wasn't going to work, so I figured that I would return them. I rushed and got the kids ready, along with myself...which was not turning out too well because of the beanie on my head...it did a number on my hair. Well to make a long story short, I was feeling rushed to get to the car and all I remember was grabbing my purse and then seeing the ceiling and the excruciating pain in my leg. I fell down the first flight of stairs. Its only nine steps but on my golly... it hurt! Adam came rushing back in from the garage. He said he heard a big boom and then me scream "ouch!!". Don't worry, nothing is broke. I do have a good bruise and I think I may have twisted something, but I will manage just fine. I went along and "walked" the zoo, then I watched as they skated. Ayden and Autumn are both getting better, they can make it around a few times before one of them falls. ;O) At one point Autumn fell as she was standing at the wall talking to me,and as she was standing up laughing a comment got made that she was now acting like me.... hmmm.

Life, Work, and Such

Work has been going better for the last few days. Things have started to slow down and we are all getting a better grip on how to do our job. My pants have went from a size ten to where now my eights are starting to fall down during the day. I am seriously thinking about getting a pedometer to track how much I walk each day. Not to mention the bending, lifting, carrying, and such. My legs and feet are so sore... the other day I was icing my feet before I went to work!! But this too is also getting better... maybe by Thanksgiving my body will be adjusted. ;o)
The kids are so excited about the amount of snow we have. Adam has got himself and the boys ready for snowboarding. Autumn is not ready to partake in their adventures. At this point she has no interest in snowboarding... she has her heart set on ice skating! Ayden got her a pair of skates for her birthday, and Adam took her Saturday. I am thinking that while the boys learn to snowboard, maybe I will put her in ice skating lessons. She has been wanting to go everyday... actually she wanted to do it while we were in Idaho, but the hour drive every week was a hindrance. I'll let you know what the decision is later....
Austin has been going and hanging out with his girlfriend Katy everyday. I haven't got to spend too much time with her yet... so since I have Friday off and the kids are out of school, she gets to come and hang with us for the day. I figure we will head to a mall, that way there isn't too much pressure or anything. She is very cute and seems sweet. Short compared to Austin... but nowadays who isn't.;)
And Ayden is still Ayden... He is going through some growing pains, so maybe he will actually grow some this year. He is actually starting to make comments about his size and having a bit of problem with a bully at school. He got garbage canned today.....and believe me, it WILL be the last!! He has quite a few friends, but the size difference is starting to make a difference... both with the boys and the girls. I just keep reminding him that everybody grows at different speeds. I was the smallest until the summer between sixth and seventh. Then I sprouted to the size I am now....That seems to help his mood.
Well I have rambled long enough...everyone else is sleeping, I guess I should get there too.

What a week...

I had a three day weekend to get ready for this week at work,... and I don;t think it was enough. We had our VIG (Very Important Guest) opening Tuesday Night, and it was stressful, but fun. We had a band playing, and all sort of food catered. A fun night where we each could have one guest come in and see the store, and even shop before the store officially opened. The media was there to cover the night, but then they did the inexcusable. They did a breaking news story to the public that Target has now officially opened. So much for a soft opening!!!:o( We have been so swamped at work... and I really shouldn't be complaining, but I am frustrated by the way have been handling things. We spend all day getting our re shops back out on the floor, and I am unable to do my job. I take this personal because it reflects back to me while all the bigwigs are in the store. And they create a bigger problem... they see empty spots on the floor and want them filled... and instead of getting the things that belong there through re shops (things that have been tried on/returned/ abandoned somewhere else in the store) they want to bring new product out that isn't supposed to be out on the floor yet. And most of these people are the kind of people that has never worked retail before, but have a college degree and think that they know a better way. I'm sure we all have known this type of people....So I go to work in the morning, and do it all again and do it with a smile. I keep telling myself that as long as I am doing my best, that is all I can do. Our grand Opening is Sunday,... I'll let you know how it goes! :o)!!

Austins Scary Creature

After we had gotten up so EARLY on Saturday for Austin to take that test at school, we found out it is next weekend! But it gave me a funny story....I had left Austin at his school because a coach said the test was in the gym. I headed back out to the highway (the gate next to us is closed on the weekends). As I was getting close to the exit, my phone starts ringing. My purse was in the floorboard on the passenger, so I couldn't answer until I had gotten off the highway. So instead I got a voicemail with Austin telling me that it is next weekend followed up with a shocking yelp. He knew he should walk back out to the street so I didn't have to go all the way into the school, his school is down a wooded drive. As he was walking he heard a rustling and saw a big brown something out of the corner of his eye... and let out a surprise yelp. It is the season for bears to be out foraging for the last bit of food before the hibernate... this is what he thought was coming out of the woods at him. I would probably be jumpy too!! Instead, it as a baby moose... which could be just a dangerous. Mommy moose was nowhere to be seen, but that doesn't mean anything. They can be a mile away and still hear their baby! That's a mom for you!! :O)

What a day to have a party.....

We had decided to have Autumns party on Sunday, and the weather decided to test us. My very good friend Kim came up from Ninilchik, which is about a three to four hour drive in good weather. She said she had some rain and some snow on the trip up, but nothing too bad. We had Autumns little friends show up at 1:oo, ate cake and did presents, then headed out to the movies. As we were ready to go, it started sleeting very had, but blew over quickly and nothing really stuck. I think this was our test because as we were coming out of the theater it was starting to snow,.. and snow it did. In twenty minutes we had and inch or two sticking to the ground.We have snow in the forecast for the next two days... so needless to say, I will be spending my day off looking for snow pants. The kids can be sent home if they don't have them, along with winter coats, gloves and hats. They take this very seriously because the kids go out for recess until it is -10 degrees.... as someone who had recess duty, this is freezing!!!

It's Raining, It's Snowing,......

Ok, so the weather I was dreading started earlier than forecasted.My friend Evelyn and I decided to run and grab a lunch yesterday, only to discover that it was half rain and half snow. And this weather continued all day. But I have to describe the difference in rain here vs. back home. It rains hard here, but the rain feels different. At home when it rained hard, the raindrops were hard and heavy. Sometimes it felt as though the rain was beating you down.... here it is like the rain is "finer". It is hard to describe because it is raining just as hard and fast, but it feels more soft and "fine". So even when it was snowing yesterday, it was surprising when we got as wet as we did because it didn't "feel" like it was coming down that much..... even though you can see it really coming down. After work Austin and I ran a few errands and got to see a glimpse of the mountains that surround us, and now they are completely white... I'll try to get a picture today once the sun comes up. (yes, I am up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday) Austin is voluntarily taken a test at school today. It's called the H.S.G.Q.E. It stands for High School Graduation Qualifying Exam,.. I guess they won't graduate until they ace this test, and if he does well on this now, he won't have to come in on the days they administer... so i know this is his motivation of r coming in on a Saturday morning! :o}

It's getting cold

We are now down to the twenties at night and our high is around mid forties. Our friends up in Fairbanks already have snow. It has been snowing there for about a week.... BRRRR! The kids are excited and telling me how much they want it to snow, I'm just not sure I'm ready. We have snow in the forecast for Sunday, so I guess I will have to get ready!! :)
We watched the BSU vs. Louisiana Tech game last night, but unfortunately it made us all homesick. Adam was so upset he left for a while... I really thought he would be the one that loved it here, but he is on a countdown to "going home"! It is just too big city for him. He doesn't like the traffic... you'd never know he was from southern Calif anymore! He wants small, small town.... I want middle size town... so we have agreed on Twin Falls for retirement. : O )

Party Planning Mode

Autumns birthday happens to fall in the middle of next week, so I am having her party this weekend. I am unable to do it after her birthday because it is our grand opening at Target. Of course this didn't dawn on me until this weekend... so now I am trying to do last minute planning. I think we will stick to going and seeing a movie, then returning for cake. I am trying to keep it simple, but yet have fun! We will be going to see "Igor". I'm not too sure about it... haven't seen too many previews, but it is the only kids movie playing. Now my big debate is the cake. I have always made the cake, but I'm running out of time and debating buying cupcakes from Costco. I guess we will just have to see how things go :o)

This day has gone to the animals!!

We decided that we would go check out the zoo today. Autumn is doing better and sun is shining!! It was a whopping 39 degrees when we got up this morning, but it warmed up nicely to about 50. As we got in the car and were leaving the house, there were two moose at the end of the street. One of them is the young bull moose that has a volleyball net stuck in his antlers... see what happens when you try to impress the ladies! :O)
We got the zoo around 10:30, and we decided to buy the family annual pass. It was only $75 and we can even get grandparents in for free when they come to visit.... hint, hint. The zoo is nothing like one I have been to before. It is all dirt paths, winding through the trees. Very natural! They have nice amenities for the animals though, plenty of room to roam for the bigger animals. We really loved the wolves! We got there as they were releasing them out to eat. They let them out in groups of two, starting with the eldest. As they let the first ones out one of them was snarling...scary! They have their food hanging in the trees and stuck down in burrows. They definitely weren't like animals that were used to be caged up... they still acted very wild. We came back and watch them a few times, and once actually made the hair in the back of my neck stand on end. The pack of wolves were all watching and sneaking toward something. I stood there watching and they were keeping an eye on a mother who had three young children tottering behind her. They were actually hunting her kids!!
We also enjoyed the tigers and bears. I couldn't believe how close the were to us. The coyote was bigger then what we are used to seeing also. We will definitely be going back many times. We want to see the otters and seals, but for now their area is being repaired and renovated.

Prayers for Autumn

Our girl has been sick with pneumonia for a week now. I took her in for her follow up this morning and if she doesn't have a better pulse/oxygen level in the morning, they are going to admit her! She isn't complaining about anything.. and I thought she was getting better, but her levels are low and her chest sounds tight. We have put her on a steroid and have to do a nebulizer treatment every four hours. Your prayers will be appreciated! : )

We have SNOW

Today is the first full day of fall, but we have been thinking a lot more about winter. The mountains have been getting more and more snow capped everyday. Everyone one here has been warning us that soon after the leaves turn, winter is here. Well the leaves are not only turned... they are starting to fall!! The highes forcasted for this week is in the forties.. so I'm sure that we will be in the snow soon. It has rained everyday that we have been here so far, so I am thinking and wondering if it will snow everyday???These pics were taken from the Target parking lot..

The Furniture is In

We had the furniture redelivered yesterday. Adam, Austin, and I took it around back and up the stairs, then got it in through the living room window. Better yet, we didn't put a mark on it... take that lazy delivery men!! It is finally starting to look like a HOME in here. I will post more pics later, but for now I have to get kids ready for school and me off to work. I get to start my new training today : )!


Did I mention how small the living room is??!!! :o)

Field Trips,Furniture,and Such

The kids are very excited about the field trips they get to do here. Ayden already got to go on his first field trip. It was on Friday and they went over to a training obstacle course on Ft. Rich. The whole class had to work on the course as a team, it is to build communication and teamwork in the class. They had an absolute blast and needless to say he came MUDDY! It was nerve recking to send him after reading the waiver about the risk of injury and death... but it was from the Army, and they want to cover their butts from any possible lawsuits. Mr. Newsome explained it to them and us worrisome parents to relieve our worries, and in the end I am glad we let him participate. Autumn will be going on her first field trip on the 6th to a theatre (like the Philharmonic). She doesn't really understand what she will be seeing... she just loves the thought of going on a field trip. We'll see if she thinks it was all that once she goes.... I wish I was able to go with her, but I will be working. Speaking of work, I thought I should mention how well it is going for me. I have been promoted and gotten a raise already!! I knew being a freak about details would work out in the end. I am now a "Brand Leader", which entails making sure the women's department is always in tip-top shape. I am going to be spending my days making sure the pants are folded right, straightened, the clothes are on hangers the right ways and sized correctly. It all sounds boring and there is more to it than I can explain, but presentation is huge to stores. I know I hate shopping in a store when its a mess... think of ROSS... no matter how good the deals are, you get frustrated when you have to dodge around the messes to get something off the shelf. Well anyways, I am excited and looking forward to the challenges. So far I am enjoying my experience working with Target... maybe a little sick of Khaki and red already, but I can handle it.
We were supposed to have our furniture delivered yesterday, and they even brought it to the house. But after they got the over sized chair in and then the couch half way in, they asked us to sign an addendum. We very quickly refused because we noticed rub marks on the chair as the were bringing in the couch (which they had stuck in the walkway). So needless to say, they took the furniture back and we are still waiting to hear when we will get another delivery. Next time we will just have them deliver to the house and Adam and I will bring it in. We already measured and will have to bring it in through the living room window... did I mention how small the living room in this place is??!! HE-HE! I just keep telling myself that it is just temporary....just temporary!

Work vs Stay at Home

So I have been a Target employee for three work days now, and I am struggling with my decision. This week I have a great schedule of 9-4. I like this schedule because the bus comes to pick up Ayden and Autumn around 8:45 and drops them off at 4:10. I leave as they get on the bus, and get home right as the bus is dropping them off. I know I won't be blessed enough to get to keep this schedule once the store opens.. it will be like black Friday until January!
But here is my dilemma... I am still expected after working this shift to still know what is for dinner, cook it with a smile, be on top of the kids school work, laundry, dishes,.... and so forth... AND do so with a June Cleaver smile and attitude. I am miserably bored staying at home or a B*%&^@ if I work (or so I'm told). What is a girl to do?
Thus far I have enjoyed my job at Target... more work than retail usually requires since we are setting up the store. I have a new respect for putting things back where they belong!! I guess I will continue this week and see how it goes, but at this point, something has to give!

Saturday well spent

Autumn got to have her first sleep over last night. She made friends with a girl in her class, Madeline, who lives in the culdesac across the street. They were so cute, I swear they have the same identical giggle! After we got her home, we headed out to do some more furniture shopping... they boys opted to stay home and play the Wii. We had the phone book with us, and we literally went to every furniture store in the city. We thought we found some that would work, so we came home to remeasure.... good thing because it would not of fit. So with measurements in hand we headed back out. It is a zoo out because everyone one here just received their PFD money, this is the money that the permanent residents receive, but we found what we wanted and now we just have to wait for delivery... which should be sometime Saturday. :o)
Oh yeah... on our way back out, we saw some more moose. This time it was a momma and baby.

Decor and such

Today has been pretty productive. I headed out soon after the younger two and got some needed things for the house. When I got home Adam and I headed to the Bx for a new propane tank and such. When he wanted to head to Home Depot, I had him drop me off at home. I got busy and got quite a bit done. It usually happens that way.. no one home to interrupt.: )
Aydens room is being done in a sport theme since he is our athlete. His Auntie Candi got him so cute throw pillows before we left and they look great... So "Thank you!!" I also found a neat clock and such so his room is really starting to come together. I still need to get his shelf put up, but since it is so long I need Adams help... otherwise it would be all cockeyed. :o{ I also want to find a cool rug, but his room is almost finished.
Austins room is also coming together pretty well. His is more of like a travel theme. We have made a border out of old license plates at it looks neat. Then we got some old looking advertisement signs/tins. I am still looking for a headboard for his room. I just can't find one that fits the vision in my head. When he got home he was really excited about getting it put together. I love it when they appreciate the work I do!! I can't wait until the other two get home so I can hear their reactions.
Autumn wanted a big girls room, which was fine since she has had the same decor since before she was born... and she is turning eight in a few weeks. I think it was about time. We got her a beautiful handmade quilt for her daybed. It is all flowery and sophisticated. I gave her this teddy bear that my mom and sister made when I was a teenager, it is also floral. She is stoked! I hung up my Kincaid in her room today, it doesn't really go anywhere else in the house and she thinks it beautiful... so Ta-Da! She will jump up and down for excitement. : )
If only the rest of the house was coming together as nicely. We are still looking for furniture to fit the living room, so hopefully this weekend! There just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. I will post pictures soon so you all can see!

They DO Exist!!!

We finally got to see our first moose on base. It was just outside our neighborhood and walking towards our street. We were on our way downtown, and glad I carry my camera in my purse now!! :o)

Life without Internet

We finally got moved into our house. I am still having mixed emotions on the place. I can't believe that I got rid of almost half of our belongings before we moved here,.. and my stuff still doesn't fit! When we went to the housing office, they warned us that the bedrooms were small....we weren't too concerned because we don't spend that much time in our rooms. But the bedrooms are plenty big.. it's the most important rooms that are too small. My kitchen won't even hold food and dishes. The cabinets are weird sizes and there are only 4 of them. I do have more counter space and I guess that is why I thought everything would fit. Then we have the living/ dining area. They are one room and it is about the size of my bedroom. We are now looking for a sectional couch that we can manipulate into the space. We love our couch but we can't all fit on it, and there isn't enough room to add a recliner or love seat. Not if we want to be able to pull out the dining chairs and sit at the table to eat.
We are positive that we are sharing the housing area with Army. Fort Richards is connected to our base and shares our BX, Commissary, and hospital. Which is just fine, but I truly think they are all the rude people we have dealt with. Our oh so lovely neighbor is one of them. The day we were moving in, he let us feel so welcome. And anyone who has lived on a base knows what it is like when the movers are here. It is a big truck, and they can't help but block someones way. That is just the way it is... we live on a court and share driveways. That's life! but our lovely neighbor comes walking over rather quickly, drops the F'bomb and yelling about how dare we block his way. He was in the movers faces and yelling at me, in which I just sat there stunned....what was I supposed to do about where the moves parked the truck?! How did he move in and not inconvenience anyone else? ARGH!
But now comes the kicker about the house.... I can't get rid of the smell of cat urine/litter box!!I have steam cleaned and scrubbed and tried everything we can think of. The housing office says they never noticed it but did treat the one area they knew of that had urine....anyone have any suggestions?!!

We're Moving Again

Yes, you read the title right... we are moving again! But before you freak out, we are moving into our military house!! : - )!! We got the call today that our household goods have reached Alaska, so we talked with housing and we get the key to our house a week earlier than we planned... it will feel great to have our own place again!! I will post pictures once we get things set up.
For those of you who are curious... today was laid back and we did not go to the Arctic Oasis. I am fighting a sickness....mainly from the climate and elevation changes. SINUSES!!Argh! So I took my time and got every bit of laundry done. I went to the BX and got a pair of shears so I could give the boys a haircut.... I didn't know that my stuff would be here in two days at the time, but they needed/wanted a cut so it was fine. I also finally found snow boots for Austin, size 13 is harder to find. When he got home he tried them on... and they fit.. but just barely, his toes are at the end. Darn Sasquatch Feet!!!I also found a coat and he seems to like it, I don't understand the resistance to wearing a coat... but I think it is starting to sink in how cold it is going to get. His friends have been telling him what we have been, so now he seems more willing. Geez!! Like I want to spend money on useless stuff...or we just want to make him look like a dork!! :)He does that on his own! HE-HE! Now you know how much I adore him... but if you really know him... you understand me here. I do have a video from our trip up here that I could show you all.... but I love you all too subject you to it!!!

What a Mall....

We are on a mission to find a winter coat for Autumn, which is why I have mentioned shopping so much. But I have to say it is so nice to be where there are stores and malls without the hours drive!! :-) I found the most awesome mall today.. it has an ice skating rink, movie theatre, all the major stores we like, a huge Fitness Now. This mall is on the south side of Anchorage, and it seems to be the nicer side of town...cleaner, and the people are friendlier. I actually had people smile at us!!! I definitely foresee a trip there in our future!! : -)
After school today we went back to the Arctic Oasis as a family. This was Adams first time there and it was fun to see him try the rock wall with Ayden and Autumn. I got a small work out in while they did this. Then we all ended up in the game room playing ping pong, air hockey, and Adam taught the kids to play shuffle board. All in all it was a pretty good day!

Back to the Arctic Oasis

After we did some more shopping today, I took the kids back to the community center. They have not stopped going on and on about the rock wall. It is a 31 ft wall with four climbing spots. They are all harnessed in and it is hooked to a counter weight machine, so they can't fall and hurt themselves. Even Autumn tried this time and did very well... she made it about half way up. It really wore them out and we were only there about a half hour!
We plan on going there a lot more often.... this way they can play and I can work out. I even got new shoes... thanks to Fred Meyers (an additional 60% off clearance). We have done quite a bit of shopping, but it was hard to plan clothing when you are in 100 degree weather when you are packing. I was told that it gets warm up here... 80 in the summer. But this year has been a record breaking cool and wet summer. We have had to get more warm clothes until our stuff get here and we are preparing for the coldness of winter. :-)
Well I have to get these kids ready for school! I absolutely love their schools so far....I can't believe everything they have in their curriculum!!