It's Christmas Time

Since getting back from Missouri Andrew's schedule has been crazy and the kids and I have been a little sick. It wasn't until Sunday morning when I realized that we had not put up the Christmas tree! 

Everyone helped pick up the living room, daddy moved the furniture, I did a quick vacuuming, I turned Christmas music on, then we was ready to put up the tree. As the kids get older it just gets funner! This year daddy and I didn't have to do much. We let the kids do it all. I handed out ornaments one at a time and told about each one. 

Daddy stood back and supervised while the kids used the stepping stool to place each ornament on the tree. Lance got the honor of placing the tree on top! He was so proud!

We hung our stockings in the window. 

Once we was finished with all the Christmas decorations we had another surprise for Lance & Lexie; we was going to visit Santa Claus and his reindeer!! The kids were soooo excited! We all changed our clothes then sat down with daddy to make a list. 

Once we arrived at Santa's house at North Pole we got our number and was told it would be over an hour wait. The nice thing about Santa's house is that you don't have to wait in line. You can wonder around the huge gift shop that is filled with lots of toys, thousands of ornaments, t-shirts, and lots of other goodies. You can even buy fresh home made fudge or go outside and watch the reindeer. 

I know you are thinking that my kids are underdressed but the truth be told it has been kind of warm here lately. Yesterday, was 30! 

Once Santa's elf called our number we all got excited. The kids had been so excited about seeing Santa and they knew exactly what they wanted for Christmas. Lexie ran right up to him and immediately started talking to him. She asked him lots of questions even "do you like my sparkly boots?" 

When he asked what she wanted for Christmas she quickly said "I want a mermaid! Happy chewed mine up!" I had to explain to him that happy was our dog and that she chewed the arm off Lexie's

Mermaid Barbie. 

Lance was so good as he quietly waited his turn. 

Lance told Santa that he was a "air pump for his bicycle, a pogo stick, and a yoyo" I am not sure where any of those ideas came from. Lance even gave Santa some brownies like he did last year. I love that the kids weren't rushed with their visit with Santa. 

Apparently Lexie thought that Santa would give her a mermaid right then. She didn't understand that she had to wait for Christmas Day. As we walked away from Santa she began to cry "wait, where's my mermaid! He forgot my mermaid!" She was heart broken and her feeling were hurt! 

She instantly had real tears, giant crocodile tears at that! My poor little girl! Santa felt so bad and the Elves were laughing. I found it kind of funny but I hurt for my little girl too! 

We had a wonderful weekend hanging out with daddy preparing for Christmas, but all the fun had to come to an end. Daddy left last night for work in Tok where he will be for 2 weeks. The kids did really good as he was leaving. Not a single tear was shed. Tok is accessible by road so weather permitting the kids and I will make the drive to go visit next weekend. 

We love having our own little family to create traditions with. I can't wait to read them the real Christmas Story!! The kids have such a grasp on things now. I am sure they are going to love it!

Happy days.

One big difference we have noticed after being gone for two weeks is how short the days are now. Our days are now sunny from 10am to 3 pm. We aren't in pitch darkness, though. We have the Auroras and a very long sunrise and sunset. Here in Alaska we are always gaining or losing 30 minutes of sunlight a week. Soon we will be on the upside and gaining daylight with each week. 

Yesterday Lance asked me "mom, why is it already dark?" I explained to him that in the winter it will be dark, but in the summer we will have tons of sunlight to play. 

The kids have had colds this week so we haven't been going outside or anywhere. I don't want it turning into something serious or spreading it around.  I told Lexie that she couldn't go outside because she was sick. She then replied, "awe, I want the snow to go away! I want to play on the beach!" My silly girl, we have a good while before the snow is gone.

I snapped this picture of Lexie with this crocheted hat on. She says it is her beach hat. 

Lance loves to "shave" with daddy. More like, rub shaving cream all over his face and pretend to shave. 

Daddy's work schedule has been nuts. Tuesday night he worked really late then didn't have to go in until noon Wednesday which meant working late again. Yesterday, he didn't go in until 4pm.  It was hard on the kids especially Lance when daddy had to leave for work. Normally he is gone when they wake up and in a few hours will be home. Lance hated saying good by to daddy. 

We have done lots of fun inside activities like making ornaments, painting, and baking cookies. Since I don't have an extra pair of hands helping me; wait, let me rephrase that. Since I have two sets of extra hands helping me, I am not always able to take pictures of everything.  

Baking together is one of the kids' favorite things! They love taking turns measuring, mixing and taste testing. They especially love frosting and decorating the cookies.

 

Momma's Pampered Chef gadgets are so much to play with!!

Happy loves to roll over so so Lance or anyone can rub her belly. Well, lance discover that Happy has "nibbles". It was SOOO funny!! I told him that the "nibbles" would be used to feed her puppies milk. He then began to count them. He came to the conclusion that Happy will have eight puppies because she has eight "nibbles". 

I just love my silly little boy. Speaking of silly, Lance was wearing sunglasses the other day when He looks up at me and says "these glasses make your face look much better!"

I am so in love with my little family! God has blessed us beyond measure. Each day brings something new. I enjoy each moment with my precious children and loving husband. My heart is so full of Joy!

Family Update

Since getting back from Missouri we have been having to correct a few bad habits that were picked up. lance learned some not so nice words and actions which Andrew & I had to quickly get rid of. it wasn't easy but each day has been better.

The kids are constantly changing and getting into something new each day.

Christmas is coming up and we have been thinking of a few things that would be perfect for the kids. Lance wants a pogo stick for Christmas. I'm not sure that one is a good idea. 

Lexie loves to change her clothes multiple times a day. Tights are her favorite to wear. I have found her several time laying on the floor yelling for help while trying to get them on.

Lexie's cast should come off December 9th!! We can't wait!! 

The kids Christmas pictures are also on December 9th.

Temperatures here are pretty cold. -20's all weekend. It is absolutely beautiful though! This weekend was pretty deceiving. The sun was shining and it looked like a beautiful day to play outside. Well, at -25 degrees, it was just a touch too cold. This week we have some cloud cover moving in and temperatures will be warming up into the teens. 

November ended up being my best month ever with Pampered Chef! I had my highest sales and my team grew like crazy which ended up in a promotion to Advanced Director!! I am so excited! 

Andrew is learning how to work in the cold weather. He enjoys his work, but hates that he can't finish easy jobs at quickly. With it being so cold things freeze up and just take longer. 

We have found a house on 50 acres that we just Love!! The house needs a few small thing fixed, but for the price it is a steal! 

That's the latest update for now. Life is always changing and you just have to go with the flow. We are adjusting to the cold weather and learning what works best. 

I'll end the post with Lance's prayer from last night.

"God is good, God is great, help Lexie's arm to get better and please keep my family alive."

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day the kids and I spent the morning helping mom get ready for all the visitors. All my sibling and their families were coming over for lunch.

Once everyone arrived we started sitting the table. We had the biggest spread of food!!! It was all so amazing! 

It was pretty warm that day so the kids got to play outside. Lance's favorite place was the sandbox.

After lunch the kids and I headed to the airport. I had no idea how traveling on Thanksgiving Day would be, but I pleasantly surprised to find the airport dead. There wasn't hardly anyone there! All the stores and restaurants were closed. They were even super relaxed at the security gate. We didn't have to take off our shoes or jackets either. Our flight was only half full too! 

Since Andrew missed having a thanksgiving meal with us he prepared one on Friday for us. He did everything all by himself. He made a ham, mashed potatoes (real ones), stuffing, and peas. He even bought an apple pie for us to enjoy later! 

I'm so thankful for my wonderful family and all the blessing God has bestowed on us!

Missouri Trip

We had a great trip to Missouri. The best part about this trip was that Andrew got to be there for a week with us.

We weren't the only ones who made the trip to Missouri. Andrew's brother Jason and his family flew in for a week.

Plus, Grandma Conway came in from California and Aunt Diane from Pennsylvania came in for a few days. Having so many people to go visit was a touch over whelming at times. My parents live about 45 minutes away from where all the Conways were staying. We spent allot of time on the road driving to visit everyone. Lexie didn't mind that though. She loved pointing out all the horses and cows which she would say were PaPa's. Poor Lance didn't like leaving my parents house at all. He just wanted to stay and relax.

Andrew spent allot of his time hunting. He took Lance along a couple of times. Lance just loved spending time with his dad. 

The first few days we spent adjusting to the 3 hour time change. Sunday morning we had planned to wake up and attend church but we didn't even wake up until 11. We did better with each passing day an by the next Sunday the kids and I were able to wake up early enough to attend church.

We loved getting to visit with Grandma Conway and Diane even if it was just for a couple days. Lexie really took to Aunt Diane because of all the jewelry she wears. 

Monday was kind of hard finding something fun to do. Our first choice was closed. The park or anything like that was out of the question because of Lexie's arm. Grandma treated us to movie which ended up being perfect.

After the movie we drove out to my sister Sarah's house for dinner. My sister has a small chihuahua that had a puppy. The kids were in love!!! 

We attended 4 birthday parties while in Missouri; Uncle Jason's 30th birthday, Emma & Lydia's 8th birthday, Haylie's 7th birthday and Megan's 15th. 

Most of our trip was pretty relaxed just spent hanging out with family which was prefect. I don't like to plan much. I always feel rushed to get places on time. So no plans is perfect for us!

One thing Lance was really looking forward to was fishing so Andrew made sure to take him one day along with Austin.

Friday evening I met some of my Pampered Chef family at a Mexican restaurant. It was great catching up with girls and chatting.

We had a great time in Missouri visiting family and friends. After two weeks though the kids and I were ready to be back home. My dad was sure to send us home with a cooler full of deer meat. 

Our flights went by super smooth and before we knew it we arrived home in Fairbanks to -25 degree weather. 

We are blessed with such wonderful families! I always look forward to each visit. I'm not sure when we will go back again. Maybe in the spring. When summer comes we really don't want to leave Alaska. We love having visitors and showing off our awesome home. 

Week 3 of Thankfullness

Day 15: God’s Love. God loves us so much that He sent his Son to die as the sacrifice for all.

Day 16: New Salem Baptist Academy. I went to school my whole life at NSBA.  Our school was very small and many would have considered us sheltered. I am so thankful that we were sheltered from the perverted things of this world. We had Godly teachers that really loved us and taught us so much more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Day 17: our House: I will admit that I am not crazy about our house. It is allot smaller than our last house and we have super close neighbors, but it is our home. We are kept warm and safe there. We are making so many memories and have filled it with so much love. I am looking forward to buying a house of our own and adding our special touch.

DAY 18: my Family’s health: I am so thankful for the healthy little babies God has blessed me with. They were both born full term with no complications (Lance was 7 pounds and 3 ounces and Lexie an even 8 pounds). They have continued to grow and stay healthy. We have had little things come up lately with Lexie, but nothing that is life threatening or on going. I can’t imagine what a mother of a baby with a deadly disease goes through.  I am also thankful for the health of Andrew. He is a strong man that is able to work and play with his family.

Day 19: My health. God allowed me to carry two beautiful children to full term. It’s amazing what the female body can do. Even after their births I was able to breastfeed both children till their first birthday. I know that might not seem like something to be thankful for, but so many women struggle with breastfeeding and are not able to do it. God also gives me the strength each day to care for these little miracles.

Day 20: America. I constantly hear people complaining about our government, but the truth is we are extremely blessed to live in this country. The fact that we can even openly complain about our government and not be killed is huge. While in Minneapolis I was riding in a cab with my Taxi driving who I could tell was not from the United States. He was listening to the radio when something was mentioned about out president. I comment something about the state of this country to which the young man replied “You don’t know how good we got it here. In my country in Africa you would have been killed just for saying that. No one comes to your village while you are sleeping to slaughter your family and take you prisoner.” Wow! Perspective! He really got me thinking about how blessed we are to live here.

Day 21: God’s awesome creation! Living in an amazing place like Alaska has really made me so amazed of God’s creation. I constantly catch myself just standing in awe! The mountains, the ocean, the auroras, the snow, the animals; everywhere I look is just breath taking!!! 

Missouri Bound

We made it to Missouri!!! This past weekend I really wasn't sure that we were going to get to go on our scheduled day or even at all. Thank God, Lexie made a full and speedy recovery from her tonsillitis.

Since I wasn't sure that we were going to get to go I literally was packing up until the very last minute. Luckily, the kids are out of the baby stage so traveling is way easier. Our flight left at 1:30 Wednesday morning so I didn't exactly push for the kids to go to bed. They stayed up playing with daddy while I closed out several Pampered Chef shows and finished packing.

One thing I absolutely love about the Fairbanks airport is the size. It only has 6 gates!! We arrived at 12:15 with more than plenty of time to check our bags, get out tickets, go through security, go potty, and still have a few minutes till our plane started boarding.

The kids did absolutely amazing on our flights! They were both asleep before takeoff and slept the entire flights. We had a 6 hour layover in Seattle, which I was totally dreading, but it turned out great. We burnt up time by riding the train around to all the different gates.

I made sure that we got in the very front so the kids could look out the window. First thing Lance asked when he seen that we were at the very front was "where is the conductor?” A man in a suit was standing at the front and Lance looked at him and asked "are you the conductor?" The man explained to Lance how this type of train didn't need a conductor.

The kids made a new friend. We found an empty gate and decided it would be a nice place to play. Another mommy with a little boy joined us. The mommy and her son were German and didn't speak any English at all. Lance & Lexie started playing with him right away. They ran around playing tag. It was so cute when the little boy started talking to the kids. Lance just gave him a confused stare and Lexie said “why you talking like a baby? Talk right!” It was so hard to explain to the kids that he couldn’t understand them. They eventually got over the language barrier and began playing again. One of the cutest things was when I brought out my laptop and stayed playing Scooby doo for the kids. The little boy sat down with the kids and with huge excitement said a very long sentence to me. The only part I understood was “Scooby Doo’. It was funny. I just looked at his mom and gave her a big smile.

My sister, Julie (AKA Aunt Juju) and her husband, Justin, picked us up at the airport. We were all super excited to see Aunt Juju and Uncle Justin. We made a quick trip to Cabela’s and then to Steak & Shake before heading to my parent’s house which is over 2 hours away from the airport.

Our full day of traveling actually went by pretty fast and so smooth! We have flown tons of airlines, but I can definitely say that Alaska Airlines is hands down our favorite. We always receive the best customer service and they guarantee your bags to you within 20 minutes from parking at the gate.

Today was a nice relaxed day. The kids and I slept in till almost noon (which is just 9 for us). We ran to town to do some errands with grandma and take a couple things to grandpa at work. The kids spent the day playing outside looking for bugs and frogs. They don’t quite understand that most of the little critters are tucked away for the winter.

This evening we went to a play at my niece Haylie’s school. Lance and Lexie loved watching all the kindergarteners and 1^st graders sing the silly songs about turkeys and Thanksgiving Day.

I am so thankful for modern transportation which allows us to travel so quickly to family thousands of miles away. We can’t wait till Saturday when Daddy, Grandma Sue, Great Aunt Diane, Uncle Jason, Aunt Ashley and cousins; Amelia and Barrett, arrive!