My Heart Took A Picture

Last night Tanner turned to me during our 20 minutes of reading and said, "Mom, I LOVE to read!"

Right then my heart took a picture. Not only because of the sweet moment but because of the milestone it represents. Last night I really ENJOYED listening to Tanner read.

(I don't know if you've seen the movie Go Towards the Light (a real tear jerker but a favorite of mine). The mother in the movie speaks of how during precious moments in her child's life her heart takes a picture.)

For those of you who don't know reading (child out loud to parent) at our house can be Painful! Torturous! Brutal! And can call upon all the powers of Patience and Long Suffering that exist in the natural world and beyond. You want to know what I asked Eric for my birthday? A night off of reading. Seriously. Don't get me wrong, Christian and Tanner are amazing. They can ride their bikes without hands, do back flips on the trampoline, play soccer like no other little boys I've seen. They are kind, loving, thoughtful, and silly. They love to snuggle and to be read to. They love to look at Zoobooks, to sing songs, to pretend, and to play games. They are smart little boys whose abilities to read thus far unfortunately wouldn't rate them on the national top ten list. But we realize in full honesty, that these two have always tackled life on their own timetable. . . and I have been fervently praying that someday, prefereably before they entered middle school, that I could snuggle up with one of them in their bed and listen to them read without cringing as they sloppily slaughter or struggle through every other sentence.

Last night I not only saw but heard HOPE. Hope in his declaration, "I LOVE reading." Hope in his fluency and ability to read. Hope in that the pages of the book were turning faster than I had ever seen before. Hope in my personal enjoyment AND in his. Hope in the realization that I hadn't glanced at my watch at the usual rate of once a minute. Hope that reading with one of my little boys, at least occassionally, could become one of the best parts of my day!

Thermostat In Overdrive

Driving home from Anchorage today (we had Stake Conference) we noticed that the mountain tops were just covered in snow. WOW!! Scary to think that winter is just around the corner . . . but with this big belly my temperature gage is way off its norm. I was outside talking to a neighbor today in short sleeves and bare feet and was still hot. During our church meetings I kept dipping my hand in my water bottle and then rubbing it on my neck and forehead. I think I am running "baby" hot and sick hot too. But poor Eric came up to me this evening and asked, "Hey, when there is snow on the mountains do you think we could turn the heat on to 65?" The poor man has been freezing to death. Even now as I type, I just saw him roll over and turn on his electric blanket AND I'm contemplating taking a cold shower!

Sunset

I was reading to Sam tonight and looked up to see the most beautiful sunset. I can't remember the last time I saw a sunset (seeing that we have so much light here they almost don't exist or happen so late they go unnoticed. . . but soon we'll be enjoying them around 3 p.m.). It was spectacular and I went out on the back deck to just soak up the beauty of something so simple but rare.

Friday Fiasco

Warning this is Long and Ugly (a.k.a. true confessions of Stephanie):

Friday was one of those days. It started with a scratchy throat. "Uh-Oh," I thought, but the day was planned and I was really looking forward to it. Eric had mentioned that for his birthday he wanted to go as a family to the temple. So I called early that morning and made appointments for me to participate in initiatories at 6:15 and Eric to do an endowment at 8:00. (When living in AZ we did family temple trips a lot since the temple was 2 hours away. We would all drive over to Snowflake as a family. Whoever had the first shift with the kids would take them to dinner and then the 2nd person would watch a movie on the laptop with them in the car. It was a pretty slick arrangement and the kids have always, always LOVED it!!!)

Well, I took a well deserved nap in the afternoon to gear up for the late evening. But I woke up feeling worse and realizing that my scratchy sore throat was evolving into a headcold. Oh well. Little did I realize just how much this sore throat, lack of sleep, and high expectations were going to effect me.

My first clue to a disastrous evening should have been when I was listening to my cell phone messages on the way to Anchorage. I should back up. . . when moving up here we stayed in several hotels taking with us the beloved Graco Pack 'N Play. This was THE pack 'n play of choice. I had searched it out . . . waited it for it to go on sale. . . and loved it because it was just the perfect colors. . . and have used it with every bacon baby. Long story short we left it in a hotel room in Oregon. Upon noticing our mistake I called and they said it wasn't there. I emailed the manager but never got a response. Just last week I finally gave up the dream and threw away the bassinet parts--oh how that was hard--but i figured with baby bacon #5 i would just have to end up buying a new one after all. Well one of my two voice messages (by the way, thanks for the birthday message Greg) was the hotel manager calling to ask what we wanted them to do with the pack 'n play. Ugh!! It was terrible. I know it is just a Pack 'N Play. . . but it made me surprisingly sad (I can usually just laugh something like this right off). I should have clued into the fact that I wasn't emotionally stable right then and there and surrendered all emotional accountability.

Well, I tried just tried gearing up for a great evening. But unfortunately we made a wrong turn which took us a few extra minutes to correct and I ended up being about three minutes late to the temple. By that time they had filled my spot in the initiatories. I was devastated and had to fight the urge to just sit down and cry. Luckily I was able to participate in Sealings and enjoyed that and just the peace that the temple provides. . . but my heart was just a little sadden that I had not made it there on time.

Now it is 7:30 and Eric and I traded places. . . in passing he mentions that the kids have way too much energy and are more than anxious to start the movie. I quickly jumped in the car and headed to McDonalds because I wanted a shake for my throat and then wanted Subway. I then realized that I didn't have any money and Eric had taken his wallet with him inside the temple. I managed to scrounge up $1.90 in NICKLES. . . enough to buy me a small shake which I had to wait 20 minutes for (overall we have noticed that the McDonald's staff here in AK have a little bit to be desired).

Back in the temple parking lot I boot up Eric's computer (mine met with misfortune in Seattle and ever since the DVD player hasn't worked). Then to my horror the password screen pops up. I try EVERYTHING. All the usual standby passwords, the family password, Portuguese words he uses. The kids offer their suggestions and I'm desperate enough to try them. Nothing. In their sweetness they offer a prayer (which I truly believed helped but not in obtaining the password).

So what do you do when you have two hours to kill? I debated driving home (which in retrospect I should have done) but opted to find a park. We quickly found a park with a small playground and a tire swing (that I believe was an answer to our earlier prayer because parks here are often strips of grass and a bench). The kids happily played for about an hour and then it started to get dark and cold. So at 9 p.m. we headed back to the temple parking lot. where we told fairy tales stories and the kids romped around in the car.

You know how you gear yourself for "Dad" to come home at Five . . . at 4:59 you are doing great. 5:05 passes and you are still holding it together. but by 5:15 you've lost it. you've clocked out. you need him home. it is almost like you've paced yourself all day long for this event of dad coming home, adult conversation, help with the kids, a change in the dynamics of home life. . . and then when it doesn't happen things just start crashing. . . your patience is gone, your spontaneity is lost. . .

I think that is what happened to me on Friday. I was tired, I was sick, I was hungry but I was holding it together. I was sure that Eric was receiving my telepathic vibes that life wasn't going as planned and that I NEEDED him to hurry out of the temple. I had told myself 9:30. . . 9:45 at the latest. Surely he'd be out by then. So when the patrons started filing out the front doors at 9:30 I was sure that every man in a white shirt was Eric. And when it wasn't I was sure he was going to be the next person. . . and he wasn't, and he wasn't, and he wasn't. And I began to crash. I know this is totally irrational. . . but those were really my thoughts. By the time he made it to the van it was just after 10. . . long past my personal emotional limit (not to mention the kids and especially Sam who was begging to go home and go to bed). It was all I could do to gesture for Eric to start the car and head home.

Funny how you just have those days. I suppose they really make you appreciate feeling rested days, the healthy days, the feeling full days, the ready to tackle the world days, the expectations met days, the made it where i was going on time days, the emotionally sound and rearing for adventure days, and just the normal days.

Alaska Weather

The "old" seminary teacher here forwarded this in an email. . . it made us both chuckle:

For a good laugh, Almost True

60 above zero:Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Alaska plant gardens.

50 above zero:Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Eagle River sunbathe.

40 above zero:Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Alaska drive with the windows down.

32 above zero:Distilled water freezes.
The water in Eagle River gets thicker.

20 above zero:Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Alaska throw on a flannel shirt.

15 above zero:New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Alaska have the last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero:People in Miami all die.
Alaskans close the windows.

10 below zero:Californians fly away to Mexico
People in Alaska get out their winter coats.

25 below zero:Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Eagle River are selling cookies door to door.

40 below zero:Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Alaska let the dogs sleep indoors.

100 below zero:Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Alaskans get upset because they can't start the Mini-Van.

460 below zero:ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale.
People in Alaska start saying..."Cold 'nuff fer ya?"

500 below zero:Hell freezes over.
Anchorage School District will open 2 hours late.

Bangled Star

I overhead the boys talking yesterday while eating their after-school-snack. Tanner was asking Sam what song he was learning in music class. Sam proudly declared,

"The Bangled Star!"

(I believe which translates to be The Star Spangled Banner. . . but when you are in Kindergarten it is probably a BANGLE of big and confusing words.)

Sitting with Sam

Yesterday I made Burritos and decided to go and have lunch with Sam at school. Hy and I found him sitting at a table surrounded by girls (he was the ONLY boy at the table). It was fun to see his face light up when he saw us and he quickly said goodbye to the lady friends and found a new seat by me and Hyrum. I don't know what I expect at moments like this. . . perhaps music playing in the background or conversation other than "do I really have to eat this?". . . but it was good. I got to meet a couple of Sam's new friends and was impressed that they have five minutes of silent eating so that the kids, the majority of who until that time having been talking and talking and talking, realize that they are actually there to EAT! Last night when I was tucking Sam into bed and talking with him he said, "Thanks for coming to my school mom and eating lunch with me. That was the favorite part of my day. Do you think you could come again?" For something that is so simple, yet obviously meant something to my little boy, I responded, "You Bet!"

Slowly Getting Found

While waiting for an OB appointment, I was reading a magazine called Wondertime. I found an article that really interested me perhaps because it was so applicable to the morning madness, the bedtime blitz, and the Sunday sprint which despite valiant effort and preplanning and postplanning seem to ever creep back into our lives. The articles focus was on slowing down, enjoying the moment, and forsaking the frenzy to rush things along. A source it sited several times was Carl Honore's book In Praise of Slowness. So I came home and put it on hold (I love the hold system here because they will actually go and PULL any book you request in any of the 7 libraries and send it to a location of your choice). I have found the subject fascinating. Perhaps I like it because it confirms what I already truly believe. . . that less is more in so many ways. . . that there is an undeniable beauty and energy in simplicity. . . that slow (other than in the card game nerts) can triumph fast.

I remember hearing Marjorie Pay Hinckley speak once on motherhood. She commented that one of the best things she did as a mother was to let her boy wander the forest during the summers allowing him to get lost in thought and to discover who he truly is. I love that idea. I think as a society we sign up for things so that we can define what we are and forget about who we are.

Perhaps that is why I haven't signed C&T up for Karate yet . . . with the Fall weather there are too many opportunities to play and get lost in their childhood. Perhaps that is why there are piles of pictures that haven't been hung yet. . . there are too many books to enjoy, too many moments to just sit on the couch and look at the views and get lost or better yet get found. Perhaps it is all an excuse to be lazy. . . but perhaps not.

Disclaimer: I had several friends post comments or email about the book "In Praise of Slowness" in which I responded with a disclaimer about a particular story, a skipped chapter (easily discerned by reading the chapter heading) and our censored reading of it. So be forewarned! I tend to read only the chapters in ANY self-improvement book that interest me.

Happy Hyrum

Hyrum discovered that his pants had pockets.

He walked around like this all day long.

Hy loves to line things up (blocks, "bad guys", trains)

Today it happened to be cups.

Pudding. . . Yum!

Hyrum helping Eric find Christmas Presents for his brothers on Craigslist.com (our new favorite used shopping site--since shipping to AK is so expensive).

Angie and I were talking today about how much we are enjoying our little ones now that they are the only ones at home and the changes we've seen in them. I have to admit that as the school year approached I was a little nervous that Hyrum would demand more of me as an entertainer with his brothers gone. But much to my surprise, it has been the opposite. Hyrum is content to entertain himself and probably enjoys free reign over the toys. He will spend hours playing with the trainset his grandparents gave us or his brother's playmobil or just roaming the house. He will sit through several books at a time and even reads books to himself. He is a great little helper putting all the silverware in the dishwasher for me or pouring the flour into the mixer. What a blessing it is to be home with a happy Hyrum.

• Today I was trying to tempt Hyrum into coming into the kitchen to have lunch. I asked if he wanted a sandwich and I heard him holler, "No thank you." For a second it sounded so grown up and I thought it just could have been Sam (except Sam was at school). I offered him several other things (yogurt, pudding) to which I got several, "No thank you."

• This weekend we were having a family movie night--complete with Eric's famous popcorn. There was an obvious villain at which Hyrum would periodically yell, "Bad choices. Mama, he makes bad choices." Always good to know that your two-year-old can discern right from wrong . . . now if I could get him to clean the bathrooms!

36 weeks BABY!

A few friends have requested this shot. . . and though it may not be very flattering. . . here you go. Here I am in all my greatness and glory. With the exceptions of long nights (and Eric would want me to include grouchiness), I really don't mind being pregnant. I feel like I am smaller with this baby than with Hyrum which makes me hopeful that I won't have to deliver another 9 1/2 lb. baby. . . but who knows what the coming weeks will bring. I do have to laugh at myself when I'm trying to get on my bike and have to use my hand to pull leg up high enough to clear the bar and again when i'm breathless climbing the stairs and again when i've pulled up my pants for the one thousanth time that day. (I'd like to have a heart to heart with the crazy person that invented low riding maternity pants. mental.)

Steep and Thrilling!

On Monday, in celebration of Labor Day (well, this is what we did before the labor of cleaning out the garage, mowing the lawn. . . ), we went on a family bike ride. Near Chugiak High School there are several spectacular cross country ski trails which Eric was fortunate to discover the week before with the Scouts. The kids had a great time riding around and then we found the hills. Holy Moly!!! They were steep, and scary, and thrilling, and challenging, and so much fun. Tanner and Christian didn't even blink an eye and went tearing down the hills with mixed expressions of terror and joy. Sam was appropriately cautious but willing to try anything with Eric by his side. Everyone had such a great time that we unanimously agreed to do the "hill loop" again (this time everyone went flying down the hills and there was nothing but joy). I think that may become a favorite family spot.

Alaska State Fair

It only took me about three seconds to remember why we rarely go to any type of County/State Fair. The answer is simple. I am cheap. I hate feeling nickle and dimed to death at every corner. Silly I know, but that is frugal me. But I am glad that we went, simply because every tourist book and guide suggests the "Famous" Alaska State Fair. And now we can happily check that off of our list: Been there. Done that. Money aside. . .It was fun to see Palmer, Alaska (a place known as "The Valley" and could easily be mistaken as an undeveloped Wasatch front with spectacular mountains). The kids enjoyed the acrobat show put on by some talented men from Kenya while we ate trail mix and bananas I had brought from home (CHEAP ME). There was also the agriculture (the lettuce and radishes were particularly amazing), the livestock (the millions of rabbits all looked the same to me), and a flower display with a maze. Go Alaska!

Five Things We Learned about BlackTopping

Look real close at the picture. Not the cute little boys on their bikes. . . but what they are riding on. A driveway right? Looks black and smooth right? Look a little closer. . .

In Alaska it is a common summertime event to black top/resurface your driveway (it helps prevent cracking in the winter since your driveway is usually under a sheet of ice for SEVERAL months at a time). It is a simple process of pouring black tar-ish type goop on the current driveway and smearing it/painting it until it covers the driveway. Well, our first attempt at this has definitely been a learning experience. This is what we learned:
1. Do the Math! (We didn't. And ended up going back to the hardware store THREE times to buy a 5 gallon bucket of goop. I was home alone finishing the job when we ran out for the second time. I loaded the kids up, unloaded the kids and went into store, paid for the 5 bucket gallon, loaded the kids up to find out that they were all out in the yard, unloaded the kids for a refund, and finally called Eric who was golfing in Palmer and near a Lowe's)
2. Stick with the same Brand. (For the reason above we had to buy a different brand and if you look at the picture you can tell that it is a different color of black. I'm sure our neighbors love us)
3. Pray for good weather for several days. (We had gorgeous weather the first day and then a sporadic, monsoon like, rain burst which left some interesting patterns and deposits on the driveway)
4. Put out the fans. (We have a North facing house and there are parts of the driveway that don't get much sunshine. While I was gone trying to pick up the third installment, a neighbor's dog ran through the driveway, onto the deck, and into the garage making and leaving doggie footprints everywhere. Later that same day Sam had a temper tantrum and ran through the driveway leaving HIS footprints. After smoothing and scrubbing, the next morning a different neighbor came over and her THREE dogs. When I opened the door the dogs ran through the tar and INTO my house. What a nightmare and what a mess. That is when I brought out the fans. I was ready to be done with this project)
5. Have a sense of Humor. (Our driveway looks horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. But it makes us smile. Next year we will do several things different, but in the meantime it isn't so bad having something that makes you shake your head and laugh.)

Bound by Brotherhood

Priceless.

First Day of School

Can you tell who is the most excited?

Every morning Hyrum gets on his "car" and tries to sneak off with his brothers. We tried it the day we registered for school and quickly discovered that it goes about 1/4 mile an hour and isn't extremely energy efficient. Luckily he loves the bike seat on the back on my bike and can easily be coaxed to get buckled in.

The boys LOVE riding their bikes to school. It takes about 4 minutes to get to their elementary school. Christian is in charge of the bike lock, Tanner is in charge of the keys to the bike lock, and Sam is responsible for opening and closing the garage door. It is a pretty slick system and keeps them all together.

So far so good. We love the boys Elementary School. Each boy has 19 or 20 kids in their class, which is much smaller than when we lived in Flagstaff. Sam's teacher aide showed him around the classroom this morning. He seemed so thrilled to be there with his lunch from home and snacks to share. He was up and dressed before I could even get C&T to open their eyes. I hope the enthusiasm lasts (for the next 13 years).

Sam's Kindergartner Eval

We met with Sam's teacher, Mrs. Bailey (ironically MY Kindergarten teacher was also a Mrs. Bailey), for his Kindergarten Evaluation. Both Eric and I were really impressed with the care and professionalism that Mrs. Bailey showed in her classroom. Sam was so excited to met with her and did a great job as they worked one-on-one for about thirty minutes. At one point she had him copy a tower she had made with blocks. He tried and looked and studied and tried again and finally got it right. She said that it was the longest she had ever had a student try and complete it without giving up. So hooray for Sam. I think he will be a great little Kindergartner!

C, T, and S in Action

After two years of owning heelys (thanks to their Aunts and Grandparents), Christian and Tanner finally figured how to use them the week we moved to Alaska. They've been heely-ing maniacs every since! And this clip also contains Sam and his first duet. He's still an amazing little pianist. . . already passing up Christian and going strong.

Hyrum's Five Little Monkeys

My first attempt at including a video in the family Blog.

WaterFalls, Lakes, & Bears--Oh My!

A Pair of Bear Cubs. . . our first "dangerous animal" sighting. Wish the boys could have seen them. They sure look cuddly and cute upclose (especially for something that could potentially rip your face off). . . but we definitely kept our distance knowing that Mama Bear was somewhere close by.

Thunderbird Falls. . . a bit of a huff and a puff for me! But a Great 1 mile hike to the Falls!

Eklutna Lake. Now Eric thinks we need kayaks.

Yesterday Eric made arrangements with a sitter and took me out on an adventurous date. We hiked to Thunderbird Falls and then walked part of the trail on Eklutna Lake. The highlight for Eric was seeing two black bear cubs on the side of the road. We stopped (staying in the car of course) and watched them for several minutes. We ended our evening at Taco King and then Office Max (you always have to run some errand without the kids and we thought we'd branch out from the usual WalMart stop).

Favorite French Toast

This is our Family's Favorite French Toast Recipe (Rachel Ray):

2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar (not a typo!)
1 T. cornstarch
2-3 drops Vanilla
1 c. milk
2-3 pinches nutmeg

Mix together (looks a bit custardy). Dunk break into mixture and cook on griddle. Yum!

Definitely not something that is Weight Watchers approved, but great for special occassions.

Up Close & Personal with Hyrum

Hi! I'm Hy-Mum. I LOVE getting my picture taken and happily scrunch up my nose and grit my teeth for pictures. My mom says the nose scrunching reminds her a lot of my Aunt Kari who was apparently a nose scruncher back in the day. My mom says I look good with my hair buzzed, but do you think it makes my nose look big? . . .

I've just started singing the Alphabet Song . . . so not only am I devilishy good looking but brilliant as well!

Don't Mind the Dirt Under My Fingernails. . . just proves I'm all boy!

Cute toes. . . and it is a good things pictures don't smell!

Words to EFY Song

Any Priest of Mine
Any priest of mine better be proud of me, even when I’m ugly he still better love me.
And I can be late for a date, that’s fine, cause I’m running on Mormon Standard time.
Any priest of mine will say it sounds just right when my mastery scripture is off a word of two;
And anything I do or say better be okay if I have a talk on Sunday.
And If I feel obliged—to date more boys—I wanna hear him say “Amen” (echo), “Amen” (echo), “Amen” I like it that way!
Any priest of mine better walk_the_Lord’s Line;
He better show me a clean, double-datin’ kind of time.
I need a priest who knows how the D&C goes—
He’s gotta be a hard workin,’ nice talkin’, Pres. Hinckley-approving kind-i-ind!
Any priest of mine!
Any priest of mine better disagree when I say another laurels lookin’ better than me.
And when he gets his call and he is dressed in black, I’m gonna say “Mmm, I like you like that!”
And when I tell that boy “I’ll wait for you!” I wanna hear him say “Amen” (echo), “Amen” (echo), “Amen” I like it that way!
Any priest of mine better walk_the_Lord’s Line;
He better show me a clean, double-datin’ kind of time.
I need a priest who knows how the D&C goes—
He’s gotta be a hard workin,’ nice talkin’, Pres. Hinckley-approving kind-i-ind!
Any priest of mine!

Brother Bacon

Here's Eric at his Seminary Building here in town. It is such a fun building with just one classroom, a teacher office, and a secretary office. They pull out the 'ole extension chord in the winter so they can plug their cars in while parked in the parking lot. But so far it looks to be a perfect fit! Eric cannot wait until it is filled with students (10 days) starting at 7:20 until 2 p.m. Wahoo!

Eric just got back from being a session director at the EFY in Rexburg, Idaho. He loved every minute of it!!! One evening (for the record he called EVERY evening), he called and asked what I thought about him dressing up as a nerd to go to one of the dances. I thought it was a crazy idea but just up Eric's alley. He asked if I were there would I go to the dance with him dressed up like that? I said, "Sure I'd go to the dance. . . but maybe not with you."

Eric had a great time getting to know so many kids and were impressed by their strong desires to choose good, act good, live good, and be good.

Buzzed Boys

With the power of parental persuasion, I was able to talk the boys into letting me buzz their hair. (yes, yes, I know what you grandparents and aunt Michelle think of this "concentration camp" hairstyle. . . but i think it is darling and perfect for our low maintenance lifestyle). The past couple of days I've overhead the boys asking each other, "Can I rub your head?"

Christian's Creation

While Eric was gone EFY-ing, I found that we desperately needed something fun to help us pass the dreaded hour between four and five p.m. One day we made cinnamon bread together. The kids were more than helpful pouring generous amounts of Sugar and Cinnamon on the bread dough before helping to roll it up. As part of the second batch, I gave each boy his own dough and let them have at it. This is creation with his creation he called, "Snake & Ball." (and don't think the shirt off the shoulder didn't catch my attention. perhaps it is part of his artistic flair ?!!?)

Hy-Mum

This is our little Hyrum. He says his name Hy-Mum. Right now he is enjoying testing every request and pushing every boundary. Luckily for us, we just place him on the stairs and he can come off when he is happy. Sometimes it is just a few minutes and other times it is five or more. . . but we eventually hear an, "I'm happy" and see him waltz back into the room to play. He is a character. And like our Tanner as a toddler, he has the perfect prosac poster-child position down (meaning when he is angry or frustrated he just flops himself belly-side down on the floor and rest his head in his hands). But look at him now. . . can you believe he is anything but an angel?

Samuel Van Beethoven

Sam just loves the Piano. It is so cute to see how excited he is to play, practice, and pass-off his songs. He is just buzzing through his books and keeping right up with Christian who started at the same time. I am so proud of him. Tic Toc is his FAVORITE right now. I'll see if I can get the video to download so you can see him in action.

Family

I picked up a silly Nintendo 64 at a garage sale the other day (something I swore I would never purchase but thought it was something that Eric would LOVE to do with the boys and something that he had mentioned he wanted for Father's Day(which we celebrated on Sunday)--he really wants the Wii). But I figured for 15 dollars we couldn't lose and then we can get rid of it in the Spring.

So the boys have been totally motivated to earn time to play. They can each earn up to 30 minutes twice a week (Wed & Sat) by doing three things each day: working on developing a talent (they've all chosen piano), reading, and doing a "big" extra chore. It has been so fun to see them so excited about the piano. Sam especially is really, really, really cute. He's learned four songs and just beams with any praise. He is so proud that he can play the piano all by himself and he is a quick learner. A BIG perk of this new program is that Christian and Tanner are becoming better readers. They love to read Curious George books and I can hear them laughing at the silly things he does.

There is just something wonderful when life seems to be clicking and all the coggs feel like they are turning. Who knows how long the magic of the Nintendo 64 will last. . . but I can tell you as of this minute that we have definitely gotten our moneys worth!

Temple Trip

Last night we were able to go to the Anchorage Temple for the first time. It is such a beautiful temple and we feel so LUCKY to live so close (it takes us about 35 minutes to get there). I cannot describe the feelings of peace and joy I feel when I am inside the temple. . . but they seem to fill every bit of me till almost bursting. It is such an amazing blessing to go to the temple!

Something interesting about this temple. . . what makes it Alaska. . . when you enter you walk to a coat room of sorts where you take off your shoes and hang up your coats (I've never seen that in another temple). That seems to be the standard EVERYWHERE in Alaska. . . that you take off your shoes when entering a home. We've had utility people take off their shoes or bring plastic booties to put over their footwear. Sam doesn't wear shoes and tracks in dirt on the bottom of his feet, so the no shoe policy isn't doing much for our carpets right now but we hope it will become a habit come this Fall when shoes are worn more frequently.