Is it fall yet?

School starting means fall is coming. But, not when school starts in August and it's still 110+ degrees outside. The kids were super excited to start school, and things have been going well. It took me a while to adjust to getting back in town, getting supplies, sending them off, and learning that Emilee's class is part of a pilot program her school is starting this year. All good things, though. I actually was excited to send the kids to school - I finally understand that one now.

Rachel's birthday. She picked out purple frosting, and we made lightly tinted purple cupcakes to go with it. No big party this year. We did invite one other family over to celebrate with us.

We had been talking for a long time (each time there were repairs) about getting rid of our old van. It was bittersweet. The kids were more attached than I thought. And, even with new/netter features, I miss some of the old things such as the tape deck (we listened to old tapes from Grandma & Grandpa C some of the time -- classics from childhood trips like The Ugly Duckling, The Gingerbreak Man, Hansel and Grettel, and Rumplestiltskin) and the individual lights in the back for the kids (they would sometimes turn on one or two to read with at night, but now there is only one central light in the back).

Britt had one of his 3 vacation weeks. Unfortunately the kids were still in school that week. Since we couldn't take a trip anywhere, we decided to do something fun in the valley. I found coupons for LegoLand here, so we went one afternoon as soon as we picked the kids up from school. We had them eat in the car on the way over so we wouldn't waste any time there.
It did not disappoint. We had a lot of fun, and we stayed almost 3 hours; I think the kids (Logan especially) would have stayed all day.

...

Alaskan Adventures Week 6

7/31-8/5

Britt built a fort (or something) with the kids on Sunday morning to pass the time before church. After church, the ward had a linger longer that we stayed for and enjoyed sandwiches, salads, chips, and ice cream. The kids were a bit wild in the gym, but they're just being kids, right? We wanted to try to get in a visit north of Anchorage for Britt, so we took off for an evening stroll around Reflection Lake. I wasn't able to find it on the map (I found Mirror Lake...close enough, right?), but we drove north anyway. It was cloudy, so I didn't feel like Britt got the full beauty of the mountains and the drive, but it was still nice. We decided not to stop at Mirror Lake once we got there but continued north for a bit just because (and we had a couple of sleeping kids in the back). We ended up getting to Reflection Lake. We got out an walked around a bit there. It was very pretty and peaceful, but there were mosquitoes all about. The outhouses there were the worst ones of the whole trip (and believe me, Emilee and I used a lot of outhouses this whole trip). Britt and the kids tried skipping rocks in the water. We had to keep our visit quick because it was getting late (yet again).

Monday was a laundry day, I think. And, it was rainy, too. We made treats almost every rainy day. After FHE we played a game of Simon Says that went on way too long.

On Tuesday, the soccer group we joined in with had their last games and a BBQ at a park. The kids were thrilled to have Britt there watching them play that evening. We all enjoyed beautiful weather (it rained all morning) and good company and good food at the park. We stayed a bit late still visiting, I think because we felt like it would be the last time to see them. The kids didn't get to bed that night until 10:30!! I had tried packing some of our stuff on Monday and Tuesday to keep Wednesday an easier day.

Wednesday was the day we were to leave...well in the middle of that night. We went to one last picnic in the park with the ward. We enjoyed the play area and looking at a lake at that park, too. We finished packing things and got hyped up for our flight. I also tried to clean so there wouldn't be a big mess left for Dad. Britt has an uncle who has a lodge in Alaska; he was passing through Anchorage that night, so he stopped by the apartment to visit. He stayed until 10, and I barely got the kids down before he left. Emilee was too excited to sleep that night, and I figured sleeping for one hour wouldn't help me, so we stayed up and slowly set things out to go to the airport. That turned out to be one of the longest nights of our lives! The kids did really well in the airport despite it being in the middle of the night. We snacked and they played on tablets. The flight was to leave at 1:25am. Around 1am, they announced a delay due to mechanical issues. At 1:30, they said the flight was cancelled. It was weird trying to figure out what to do. I called Britt to come pick us up. At this point, the kids started going down hill a little; they didn't like that we were changing plans and having to head back to the apartment. We didn't get back to the apartment until 3:30 or so. I think I only slept from 4-7am due to my anxiety and trying to figure out what our new flight would be. Unfortunately our new flight would be the coming night at 12:45am. Two nights of no sleep!!

We pretty much wasted that Thursday. I was tired and didn't feel like doing much - we should have done something amazing. That night both Rachel and Emilee stayed awake. Arrgh! That meant no sleep for me before the flight either. I even tried moving the clocks ahead one hour to get the kids down before the flight. It only worked for Logan. The kids did okay in the airport (again snacks and tablets). They were so excited on the plane. They (Logan and Rachel) cheered and were loud at take off. I think it took about an hour before they fell asleep. This flight was just over 3 hours.

 Then we had a layover in Seattle for three hours. I thought that might be a bit long, but it worked out perfectly. The airport in Seattle was fun. We got to ride a subway from one terminal to another. We ate breakfast while watching planes land and take off. We went to the kids' play area for almost an hour. Then it was time to trek over to our gate. The time passed quickly. I tried to get kids to sleep again on that flight (another 3 hour one), and Rachel and Logan slept for about half of it; Emilee sat in the row behind us and had fun being a grown up and not sleeping. I slept a little. There was more drama to be had. Our neighbor who was to pick us up in our van couldn't get it to start that morning (luckily he was trying it out early), so he called me while we were leaving Seattle; I was able to text Britt and Melinda to work things out while we were taxiing. So, when we landed in Phoenix just before noon, Melinda picked us up, and luckily we all fit (including luggage) into her vehicle.

It was good finally making it back home. I was so glad that Melinda was able to stay the whole rest of the day. I kind of flipped out as there was one thing after another to deal with once we got home (leaking sprinkler system -- still not fixed, meet the teacher at school, ultrasound appointment for me, how to get the van started), but we were blessed to get some things worked out easily. The kids were so off and tired that day. Sleep was very welcome that night. Britt was supposed to stay one extra week. I had the weekend to get the kids prepared and ready for school. The next Wednesday (the day of Britt's flight home), Britt was told to stay in Alaska (indefinitely) while the next person to go up waited for approval on his Alaska medical license. That was a very frustrating week, and it was difficult to explain to the kids since we had no idea of the timeframe. Again, we were blessed, and Britt was able to come home one week later (though we didn't know until that next Tues that he would come home Thurs).

This whole trip was quite amazing overall. I's so glad we were able to go to Alaska and have so many neat experiences. I'm  grateful for God's love and blessings. We were blessed to find friends while we were there, and we got to be with Britt instead of apart.

Alaskan Adventures Week 5

7/25-7/31 (I realized it's hard for me to keep up with dates, so I'm including them on this one at least.)

Monday was a little rainy in the morning and cloudy for the rest of the day. [It sure was good we did the hikes and things when we did before the rainy weather came.] We had invited the family from the ward that we've been hanging out with to come to dinner and for FHE for that night. So, we spent part of the day cleaning and preparing for that (which means baking new cookies because what else are we to do on a rainy day). Britt made it home early enough to play with the kids a bit that afternoon. We enjoyed having the other family over. The kids even helped tell pioneer stories for FHE. It was a good night.

On Tuesday we went to soccer again. This time we convinced Emilee to play. And, guess what? She had fun. Logan actually did a lot better at this practice and made a goal (though he was totally in the goalie box when he kicked it in). The kids played a lot in the apartment, and Rachel has started acting like a ninja or something to get rid of bad guys. The kids have also been playing doctor/hospital quite a bit. That evening I took the kids to a park close by. It had rained earlier, so some equipment was wet, but it didn't stop my kids from having fun.

Wednesday was another ward picnic at the park day, so we went to Russian Jack Springs park (I think it was our third visit there). No one showed up from the ward until it was almost time for us to leave. The kids just love parks, so they made friends anyway and had fun. We brought chalk this time since the girls had fun using it at the last week's park lunch. That afternoon we babysat for our friends for a bit. The kids had a lot of fun playing together. It was high intensity, though. So much excitement, such short attention spans. We crammed in a lot of different games in two hours (puppet shows, building with magnet shapes, button-button, ball outside-in front, playing in the field on the other side of the garages, plus snack time). My kids were so pleased to have friends over.

Thursday the kids put swimsuits on at home and playing different games all morning (including doctor with swimsuits still on). That evening warmed up a little bit, so after dinner I let the kids put their swimsuits back on to go splash in a creek at a park. It wasn't as warm as some of the days, but we were running out of time to try this out. The water was cold, so the kids didn't stay too long. Another church group was there doing face painting and promoting a week-long summer camp; the group had come from Arkansas, I think. The girls jumped at the chance to get painted (even though I told them they'd be washing it off in less than an hour when we got home). Logan decided he wanted his face painted a little too late; they had to clean up and head out at 8pm (what the heck were we still doing at the park?!).

I think Friday was a recovery day with some dress up. Our friends offered to babysit my kids that evening so Britt and I could go to the temple together. Well, sure enough, Britt didn't get off work in time to go, but I still went. My kids enjoyed pizza and a movie with friends. And, I enjoyed going to the Anchorage Temple - it's the smallest one I've ever been in. Maybe Britt enjoyed a little R&R time that night? Actually, he did a super clean on the kitchen that night. Thanks!! Again, another late night getting home and to bed.

Britt had the weekend off again.so we had a packed schedule for Saturday. Despite wanting to leave earlier, it still took us half the morning to get on the road. We hiked to Byron Glacier this time as we were told we should be able to touch it. On the way there, we stopped at a gas station so Emilee could go potty. Britt encouraged me to get tasty snack, but I never want to spend money at gas stations where prices are super inflated. Plus I had a whole ice chest full of food and drinks. I did end up buying a loaf of bread because it's price was the same as grocery stores, and I didn't think I'd have enough for the next week. Britt about died when I told him what I got and why. As we were having a discussion about it, Logan heard us say bread and got super excited and asked if he could please have a piece of bread for a snack. Britt and I lost it there and couldn't stop laughing. The girls also really wanted a plain piece of bread to eat, too. Our poor deprived children who want bread as a road-trip snack. I think we scared the kids with our uncontrollable laughing and crying (let's face it, we were tired).
We ate lunch at the car before starting out (that's how late we were getting to our destination that day). The hike was a good, easy one. We enjoyed going off the main trail to play on rocks in the creek-bed. The kids climbed a big rock that they weren't sure they could do on their own. As we got to the end of the managed trail, there were warning signs about the possibility of getting hurt going on glaciers. The glacier was still a ways off, up the mountain more. But, close by was a chunk of snow & ice (the beginnings of a glacier - or part of the glacier that had come off?? probably the former). We trekked around and had fun playing around there. Rachel had to go potty, so we hiked back around some rocks for privacy; this girl is our wilderness child, I suppose; no shame or fear using the great outdoors for her private business. We could have spent a whole day here playing and enjoying nature, but we wanted to get back to town for an air show. It sprinkled a little as we hiked out. The big kids sang songs and were very happy as we tromped along. Rachel, poor thing, fell asleep in Daddy's arms (poor Daddy's arms). Since Emilee and I needed to go potty and are not so comfortable using the trees, we stopped at the nearby visitor's center (we went there on our first weekend excursion). This time the lake had chunks of ice floating in it!! We were thrilled and felt like we'd finally seen something truly "Alaskan."

 At the lake/visitor's center

   We stopped home briefly before the airshow and hoped we'd make it before the Blue Angels started their show (the last act of the day). Unfortunately, when we were two cars away from being admitted, the soldiers started turning everyone around. We were pretty bummed. It all worked out (probably for the best) as we pulled over a few blocks away from the entry gate. The kids got to sit on top of the car for a bit. And, we all got to see the Blue Angels fly right over us a few times. Pretty cool. The kids equated it with some TV show they've seen with flying rockets; I told them this came before the TV show. Once we were ready to head out we didn't have to wait in any lines, we just left. We picked up pizza and went to the park to eat (Russian Jack Springs again). Then we went home exhausted.