Hope your Christmas is BLESSED!

OK so Christmas time I guess is officially upon us whether you are ready for it or not. Around this time it is hard not to get caught up in all the "most" have things you have on your list to do. It is easy to get sucked into the hoopla that is the season. However, for me this year I have really tried to set a not stressed logical pace. OK you guessed it...it really wasn't much of my choice as my energy level is stuck on incubate and not on productivity! But as I sit here a few days before Christmas and know that my presents aren't all shopped for, my packages are not all sent, I made the minimum amount of cookies, the presents aren't wrapped, Brahm has a store bought stocking (the one I started for him last year is still in my sewing kit), and the fresh pine bough garlands and wreathes that adorn the front of my house is not even a thought anymore. You know what? I am ok with all that not being done, because as I sit here in the semi dark with only the Christmas tree for light I know that it is not about what didn't get done or what should have gotten done. It is about so much more. It is about the two little faces covered in sprinkles after making cookies, or about the sugar high that they have been on since the baking and package opening has started. It is about snuggling with my daughter on the couch with just the multicolored window trim glowing and talking about all the things she loves. It is about over hearing a sister teaching a brother all the ins and outs of Christmas to finally hear her conclude with "but most of all Brahm it is Jesus' birthday". These are the things that make this time of year great. It is about the unexpected...heck think of how unexpected everything was for Mary! She was not given a list or score of things to do she was to carry the Christ child and see to it that she did God's bidding no matter the cost. So with that, that is my new goal. I will not worry or fuss, but give Glory and Honor. I will not focus in so close into my life that I miss those around me but instead put those around me first and love unconditionally. And hopefully with this shift of focus I will be able to truly ponder all that Christ coming to earth meant, and cherish all that God has so richly blessed me with...even if it is on a sugar high and sprinkle covered. May this Christmas find you loved and filled with the JOY and FREEDOM that only Christ can bring.

Where did the creativity go?

So here we are close to Christmas and everyone is all in a bustle trying to decorate and do things to get ready. Funny, I have no desire to do any of it. I am trying to bake, but haven't even thought about decorating. I am just to busy trying to get the little done around the house I use to to keep up. But the bright side is only one more month and we will met this little monkey that is zapping my energy. So keeping it short but I figured I would give you all an update. The kids are well. They are loving the lights daddy put up outside, and Auden is telling Brahm all the things to look forward to this up coming Christmas. The super cool thing is that she tells him it is baby Jesus' birthday and not just Santa is coming (which) she hasn't said at all. They sing happy birthday together it is sorta cute. They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our tree. Daddy has been working a lot of overtime, but has found time to go snow machining already. However, his hand has been giving him a slight problem so that could be a prayer request. He has been using it more and the cold weather doesn't help. We ventured out last night and took the kids swimming in Homer and they LOVED it. (They had happier faces then the picture below:)...I figured you would like to see them with their..."not enthused" mood on.)We were equipped with waterwings and goggles and though they looked like goobers they were CUTE! Brahm started out with a lifejacket that just turned him on his back, and then we tried the waterwings on him too and it was great! I never knew they worked so well. They have been asking all day if we can go again...we will see. Other then that all is well here. Just doing Christmas odds and ends. I hope you all are enjoying this time of preparation.

Things I love.

So I was just sitting here today thinking about how much time a pregnant lady can sit and whine and complain if she really wanted to...so I am counting my blessings...Here are some of the things I really love.
1. I love the fact that I am blessed beyond measure by a God that loves and thinks I am worth it even though I am not.
2. I love saturday mornings when I try my best to roll over and find my loving husband there ready to pull me to his side and snuggle until we hear the little voices that announce our wake up call.
3. I love weekday mornings when I find a certain unannounced little boy in my bed who looks at me with those big green eyes and says "nuggle momma" (reminds me so much of his dad).
4. I love cold crisp mornings when you can see chimney smoke out every roof for miles...and you know your home is warm and cozy.
5. I love the fact that my dog of six years get very protective and attentive when Jesse is gone. Yet, he lets my kids jump, wrestle, and "love" him and never gets cross.





















6. I love alittle brown eyed girl who is way to smart for her momma, and comes up with some very funny logical things...like when asked if she is helping her brother and friends Leif clean up...she just looks at you with those eyes and says "I think they are both doing a really good job!"
7. I love the fact that my husband is the type of man that loves what he does and takes pride in providing for his family and is willing to face the cold to make sure others are warm.
8. I love the fact that I come from parents who encouraged me to be me regardless of the consequences.
9. I love the fact that I have friends that though they live thousands of miles away I can still call them my best friends, because they truly know ME!
10. I love living in a place that is simple...survive...and enjoy. I am lacking nothing, but am blessed more then things could ever bring.
11. I love sometime when I am not looking and the kids are quite and I sneak around to see what they are doing (anticipating the worst) I find them hugging and telling each other how much they love each other.
12. I love finishing a quilt.
13. I love finding good deal or as I like to call them "scores"...I love the feeling of walking out of a thrift store, garage sale, or real store with a feeling of accomplishment.
14. I love pictures that are made just for me, showing me and the people I love.
15. I love capturing all my memories in photos...and some day getting back to the dark room (which I love the most in the process)
Well I was going to do twenty but I think fifteen is good for this blog...I am sure I will do more another day. These are just a few of the things that make me smile and truly enjoy life. I hope you all sit back and can think of all the things that make you happy, and focus on those. God has given us the joy of waking up every morning and knowing that it is a new day...we are the ones to mold it and make...I just pray I can make the best of each one. May you all have blessed days as well.

A short snippet!

Well here I am again...it is late...everyone else is sleeping...and I am not. I just wanted to check in with you all and let you know how things are going here. As you can see I gave the blog a bit of a face lift which I am liking. Well I think fall might finally be over...which is bitter sweet. I am hearing the rain and sleet hit the window as I write so yup pretty sure it is over. We are all doing well. The kids are growing and that is always fun to see. Brahm has really come into his own lately and surprisingly able to hold his ground with his sister....yay Brahm. Auden is LOVING learning her letters. We have been doing a letter of the day and then she has the task of finding that letter around the house throughout the day...like in books or on the pictures on the walls...or on the cereal box where ever and every time she finds one we write the word on her card. She has really loved it, and it keeps her busy which is nice. She has also mastered the art of connect the dots which is helping with numbers. All in all it is going the same old same old. Jesse and I got to get away for the weekend last weekend and all I can say is man I sure picked a good one. He has been loving being able be back on full duty. He is also making a bunk bed for the kids and doing a darn good job, I can't wait until it is done...but then Brahm will be out of the crib and able to escape....not sure I am up for that! I am coming down to the wire with this pregnancy...nine more weeks! I also have been struggling with breathing and such, where my doctor told me seven months ago it was asthma and now just told me it wasn't but can't explain what it is...so needless to say I am confused and frustrated. So I am sitting here trusting God and knowing whatever it is He will protect me and the baby. Prayers are always nice...hint hint. Oh and plus not looking forward to the whole birth thing...but worse is naming this kid! We have the worst time coming up with names...and since we have two not so common names with Auden and Brahm we really don't want to go back to Jim, Susie, or Joe if you know what I mean. So the name search continues... Well that is about it here. I am going to shut down this computer and snuggle in for my first long winter's nap, that is if I can sleep with the love of my life snoring so loud...got to love him! Night all.

P.S. Figured you would like a few snapshots...the first is of course of my monkeys (I sorta think they are cute!). Second is the first real picture that Auden created...had a story and everything it was AWESOME! And finally some very pretty cranberry bread I made...who would have guess I could make it look like it did in the book! Ok now for real...night...maybe...the snoring continues.....

I LOVE FALL!

Well hello there…man it has been awhile! Life here has been a busy one. Since my last entry I am happy to say we now have two FULL freezers and an empty garden. You know when we first moved up here we rented a cozy cabin just outside of Anchor Point and I loved that cabin but the downer was that it was not ours. Now that we have the house and the land that we can call our own we have been trying to hold our own as far as using what God has given us. So with that over the last three years we have put in a huge garden, a greenhouse, laying chickens, and now meat chickens. Up until this year we have not had a whole lot of success on the whole gardening thing. However, this year we took in two gallon bags of broccoli, 180-200lbs of potatoes, nine pints of salsa, enough carrots to munch on, and a bunch of onions. That may not sound like much to those of you in the Midwest but growing things here is really different. So I call it success. On top of the vegetables we have gotten enough money from selling the eggs to the local bakery to pay for the 23 meat chickens my fabulous husband and super friend Jeff just butchered, so they were like FREE! The other thing I LOVE about living on the last frontier is that we are free to live off of the game supply that is here. So in addition to the 55 salmon we dipnetted this summer, Jesse was blessed enough to get a very large moose, his first! Every year he and the men folk in his family take a trip to hunt the large goofy looking animals and this year Jesse and Josh were the lucky two who bagged the meat. So after a fall of freezing, canning, cutting, wrapping, and plucking we (and some of our neighbors) are ready for whatever my lay ahead this year. I am looking back and am very thankful for God’s provision and though the world may seem so unsettled at the moment I am holding to the fact that He promises to provide and protect those who praise His name.I love the progression of these photos...Brahm was "helping" us dig potatoes when we went off to explore, and seemed to find something cool... He was just checking to see if I was checking...

And after many minutes of quiet I went and found out just what caught his fancy...Now that is how all of our broccoli has chewed marks on them!

In other news I am happy to announce that our little Baby Brahm is no longer a baby he is the big two. We got to celebrate him this last weekend with balloons, presents, cake, trucks, family, friends, and a very special web attendance from Grammy and Grampy! He was such a trooper. Never once did he wig out or get overwhelmed. He was super smiley all day and loved his day .

So while I wrote this I was super bummed because our cat of almost two years was MIA for a whole week and we chalked him up to eagle, wolf, or bear bait. But thankfully last night as we returned from our date (thanks to our good friends and Pastor Steve and his family) we got out of the truck and I heard was a very happy MEOW. It was like one of those scenes in the movies when two long lost individuals were running to greet each other…yeah that was Auden, Me, and Buzz. I swear I saw a huge smile on that silly cat face. Even Jesse was so excited he scooped him up and we petted him for like a half an hour.

So now that it is raining and all gross today it gives me a chance to finally write this long overdue entry and finish some of the chores that have been nagging for a few days. I might also get to finish that quilt I have been working on…pictures to come. Hope you all are ready for winter if not have fun enjoying fall while you prepare.

An evening on the beach.

One of my favorite thing to do is go and hang out on the beach with my family. I love the joy my kids get just from running on the sand breathing the fresh saltly air. I love that there are millions of rocks and most of them end up in my pockets because some little person really wants to keep them ALL. I love that it brings out the adventure in all of us. I love the beach. Just a few thoughts. about the beach.

Is this really what I signed up for?

So any of you that know both me and Jesse know that we are two very different people. He is the calm reserved yet adventurous one and I am the excitable cautious one. Well when we first met one of the main things I loved about Jesse was his ability to make me get outside my comfort zone and have an "adventure". Over the last six years with this man there has been many "adventures" that usually ended in me either stranded in the woods, walking through the deep swamp, or trudging through the thigh high snow. So why should tonight be any different. After mowing the lawn and weed eating, I sat exhausted in the fresh cut grass. The next thing I hear is "honey will you help me a minute and bleed these brakes for me." I thought sure I can handle that, no energy required. Now the beast of a vehicle that has been consuming all of Jesse's time, focus, and energy is a rusty 1972 ford Bronco that someday will be the "an awesome moose buggy". For now he is just trying to get it in running order so it will make it to hunting camp next week.

Once the brakes were functioning like they should I hear "OK load up...we are going for a ride". Now the kids were super excited because they have had many rides in this "bonkco"(as Brahm would say), but I had yet to take a spin. I found myself hesitant as the past six years of "rides gone a rye" came flooding back to me in vivid snapshots. With two little kids jumping around me edging me on, I crawled in. And we are off! With the two bumpkies on my lap I brace myself as we take not the road but the ditch. It was going smoothly until we turn into one of the many gravel pits that surround our home and come to a bridge that spanned the North Fork of the Anchor River, but the metal gate told me we would not be using it. Yup, I was right! With a quick left turn we plowed through a few small trees and there was what I was afraid of...the river bank. As if she could read my mind Auden pipes up and says "Look mommy, that is the river we go through!" All I can think is "OH CRAP", but instead I say "oh wow, really?" Looking over at my husband, while I squeeze my babies for dear life, all I see is a smile from ear to ear...now I know I am in trouble. Closing my eyes and hugging my children I pray "Dear Lord get us through" when I opened them we were.across..Yay..that was not so bad. After lots more tree slashing and bumping we got back to the forbidden road. Once on the gravel road my pulse returned to normal and I chatted with the kids about how pretty the rising moon looked and how breath taking the mountains were.

Now my kids are just as different as Jesse and I are. Auden is always up for an adventure were as Brahm is OK with just playing it safe. It was really funny to hear the difference in their comments. Auden was "Wow mom, look at that" or "Yay a bump" and Brahm was giving me a play by play almost seeming to mark each thing passed as a triumphal obstacle "oh no, big hill" "Tree!" "Bump". Well it was getting dusky by now so we turned around and headed back down the level lovely gravel road, back through the tree "path" and back to the river bank. I was not too worried this time, we made it last time and it is the same crossing so what could go wrong! Well you know there is a point in a situation that you can tell things are going to go south pretty quick, well that moment was when we were half way across the river and Jesse says "hey lets go down river a bit". OH CRAP. Not twenty feet down the river we pass a spot were Jesse informs me there is a hole on the other-side,and I am just thinking "Glad we aren't over there!" A few feet later my gunghoe daughter informs daddy that we really should not go much further. So he listens and starts to turn around. Now this whole time I am sure my grasp on the kids is getting really tight and I feel Auden getting pretty ridged herself. Just as we are broadside in the river I am reassuring them that "Daddy knows what he is doing and he would never hurt us". Just then we go a little deeper onto the other side..the same other side with the hole! Yup and before we know it we are in the hole! All of a sudden I feel very wet and very cold water creep up my pants legs, now it was also filling my shoe...OK now it is almost to my knees! We are in deep....water it is to the hood! I look around for the door latch, I am about to bale while I still can get my babies to safety. Jesse pulls me back in and told me to stay put and I realize we can't get much deeper. So there we sit. I think to myself "least the motor is still running" just then it quits. Now you remember what I said about my kids being so very different well I now find out that in a crisis mode they are the opposite. Auden is wigging out and shaking and crying all she could say is "we shouldn't go for bronco rides we should just stay home" and then there was Brahm who was just sitting back almost lounging and calmly saying "Oh God, please" (which I realized I was saying as a prayer as we slid into the hole) and "Dang it". At that point I realized that this is a time when we need a lesson in faith. So while Daddy tried the key yet another time. I decide to sit calmly (which is NOT my style) and pray with the kids. At that moment I felt cool as a cucumber. Auden was still shaking, Brahm was following along with my "Oh God please start the bronco" and pretty soon it sputtered to life. Yay! We backed up so that we were out of the hole and the water rushed out of the cab but not far enough for us to be out of the river.

We were still in about thigh high water, and the engine gave out again. As we sat there I kept telling the kids that God would help Daddy get us out, and I believed it with all my heart, but I was also thinking..."Will it ever change! I can't go anywhere with this man without getting into a predicament!" So as I once again looked at the now very quite Jesse, smile gone, I knew we maybe walking home. Trying the key a few more times it seemed to be telling us that there was not much more life left in this beast. As the turning-over of the engine faded into a faint groan. We all stopped and prayed one last desperate prayer and out of the blue...the engine roared to life! Now this was no freak coincidence this had to have been a true act of God because there was no way that motor should have started let alone sound so strong and powerful. As both kids and I were screaming "Yay! Thank you God", Daddy got us out of the river and on to the road home. Jesse and I looked at each other and laughed and I reassured him yet again that I would never go anywhere with him again. However, I am sure that is not true because secertly I love our "adventures". I think the whole evening can be summed up with what Auden said on the way home: "We were stuck in the river and God helped Daddy get us out. Mommy, God is really Good!" I agree Auden I agree.This is the beast known as the bronco...notice on the door panel there is a water line...well if you follow that water line and imagine if you can a front panel and normal hood being there you will see that the whole front end was emerged in water. The engine was underwater for a good ten minutes...it should not have started...God is good indeed!

All things summer and no time to blog.

Well hello there everyone! Summer in Alaska is very different then back home in that you never sleep and do everything there is to do all in like two months. So that is my excuse to why it has taken a month to update. So lets see since I last posted...here is the brief summary: Everyone found out I was pregnant (thanks to the constant puking)...surprise; Jesse crushed his hand with a jackhammer at work; Jesse and I ventured to Pennsylvania for a friends wedding; the kids have grown twice as big since summer started (must be all that sun). So there you go...oh you know I wouldn't leave you with just that as an update! So to flesh it out.

First things first, back in April we found out that we were pregnant with #3! After some complications and a lot of throwing up, we are well into our fifth month and all seems to be well. The baby is due January 10th. Auden says it is a girl but like the other two we are not going to find out. So we will all just have to wait and see...

As for Jesse, he was letting the air out of a jackhammer hose by running it out and the hammer jumped and crushed his hand between a metal platform and the hammer...resulting in what looked to be a clean break of his fourth metatarsal aka ring finger hand bone. After seeing a surgeon it was agreed that he should have surgery, where they found it to be way worse then thought. Instead of a clean break it was crushed into small pieces and they also had to reconstruct the ball of his knuckle. So one big metal plate and eight screws later it is fixed. He has had a cast on for a month now and has two weeks to go. Luckily the powers that be at work found some line inspection for him to do that does not require the use of his right hand. Lets just say he is learning to write with his left hand very quickly, but after five weeks off work he was ready to go back. Two more weeks of the cast and then it is the slow train ride to recovery town.
The nice thing is that since Jesse was already off work we didn't have to take vacation time to go the Pennsylvania like we were planning. My good friend Megan was getting married out there and I was a bridemaid. So thanks to Grandma Karen and all the "Aunts and Uncles" (as Auden calls them) Jesse and I got some much needed together time over the week we spent sight seeing with our best friends Kendall and Katie Sawyer. It really was amazing to stand were so many historical things happened. We stood in Independence Hall where they signed the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, saw the liberty bell, ate the the same tavern that our founding fathers ate, walked the same streets, and stood in the feild were 52,000 men died in the battle of Gettysberg. Seeing all these things really put it all into prospective how much so many have sacrificed for the freedom we take for granted. The more I thought about it and how amazing it is the more I thought about how so many are still sacrificing for us to keep that freedom. I am truly thankful for all our armed services. I also got to thinking that our government should really be made to have a feild trip to those places every year so they can be reminded what it is all about. And that God and the Bible was the basis of that freedom...if they don't believe it look on the liberty bell where it is engraved with the words of Leviticus. Ok I am off my soap box!

While we were gone the kids had a blast at the Cress'. Brahm learned to talk like a big boy, and must have added like twenty words to his vocabulary now he can say some prettly long words. Oh and he got louder, if that is possible. Auden told me it was because everyone talks there and he is smaller, and that is why he has to be louder. In a way she is right but I really think it is because she never stops talking and that is the only was he can be heard. Since coming home I have also noticed that they both have really learned to play together, the other night they were out "playing soccer", it really was Auden kicking it in the woods and making Brahm go get it but they were having fun. They are growing up so fast, it is no longer baby things but big kid things like bunkbeds, tonka trucks, riding a big horse and not a pony at the fair, wanting to go to dance class, and boycotting sippycups. Were does it all go? I am loving it, they are sooo cool! So I will leave you with pictures of all the fun. Thanks for sticking out the dry spell. May your Fall be blessed.

Our trip around the state!

So here are the pictures I promised...better late then never. Above is the fam at Hatcher's Pass in Palmer, AK.
The Falls that run through the mine at Hatcher's Pass. I am a sucker for waterfalls.
We're so HAPPY!
The kids at the first night. At Paxton AK (somewhere between Glenallan and Fairbanks.)
So nice not to have to pitch a tent every night and not fight the mosquitoes.
Auden and her "Alaska Railroad" It was a fun time there in Fairbanks.
Brahm loved the slide the best...I think this was his vacation!
OK are there even words for the cuteness coming from this child!
The Merry- go round Jesse almost took down when he tried to get on the horse with Auden.
Staying in the top bunk made her week. She would ask to go to bed. Music to my ears.
Jesse and the kids in Denali national park.
The mountains of Denali National park.
Our last stop was willow to see the ever lovely Aunty Helen and Uncle Pauly! We love them. It was just our luck that Uncle buddy and Justin were there. The best part was the hour or so that Uncle Pauly played fetch with our daughter oh I mean the little dog named "Moldy". Look at all those smiley happy faces. Ok so that is a quick run down of our trip. Hope you enjoy.

Why is there poop on the stairs?

Ok so the title of this one should explain why I have not posted anything in a month or so, I have kids! This past month has been super busy. After mother's day we spent the last weekend with may parents in a great trip to halibut cove and then picked up the kids and finished with a beach house in Seward. Then they headed back to Wisconsin and we tried to get a bunch of stuff done before we left on our motor home trip around Alaska. That is right we played tourist. We rented a motor home and hit all the "cool" places in our home state. The kids loved it. They liked the bunk beds the best. I was planning for the worst with no naps and all sleeping in the same place but it was great. Now since being home we have celebrated my 27th birthday and finally got the garden in (better late then never). So now that I have given a really really short play by play of the last month I feel accomplished! I don't have the energy to post pictures at this time...but just think it will keep you coming back for more. Oh and about the title so with each of my children I have found there is a poop story. However, with Brahm there has been a few. This morning, after getting Brahm out of his PJ's (OK it was more towards noon but who is keeping track) I decide to let him run all Nat-u-ral for a little while...bad idea. I ran to the bathroom real quick like and am walking out when I hear Auden say "Um mm Mommy...Brahm pooped up the stairs!" I was not sure if I heard her right so I said "What?" Yup, I heard her right! As I turned the corner to go up the stairs I was greeted by little brown foot prints....all the way up the stairs! Only to find a very messy poop covered boy sitting on the top of the stairs. All he had to say for himself was "yucky mommy" as he took another pull off his sippy cup. I took one look at Auden who was keeping her distance but was still sitting next to him and another at him...and decided right then and there (after the first moment of panic subsided)....I am thankful for poop episodes because it helps you remember that life is funny! So, with that I hope you all find humer in the poopiest of situations. Ok well then until next time....

Mother's Day

Well it was a great Mother's day. My hubby is top notch. I had a day of leisure. I got breakfast and a picnic at the beach and I didn't even have to plan it! Jesse's family came down for the day and my parents were here so it was a day spent with all those I love. It was great. As always I will let the pictures do the talking....Auden loving her third smore. She had a blast flying kites and chillin with the family.

Uncle Jed teaching Brahm the fine art of flying kite. The best part was that we tied it to a log and a car was driving on the beach and snagged the string and it dive bombed the windsheild...It was great.


Brahm thought this whole having his own log thing was the cat's meow. He was just hanging out.


Granddad helping the kids get their kite going.



Grandma Karen, Aunty Jenna, and Aunty Jamie waiting for a fire to be made. Oh and Jo and Jed having a photo shoot in the back ground.


Brahm and Cousin Tate having a cold one over the cooler. Aren't they handsome. It was a great Mother's day!