Blah-Blah-Blog

Boys Will Be Boys II

2009-03-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

So, the last couple times we tried to post stuff, it didn't work. Then Mom forgot to post for a while. Now that you've all given up on ever seeing photos here again, here are a couple of the boys.

Chad has gone punk on us. Not really. He was just goofing off with some fancy paper clips and his jeans one night, and this is what he came up with. Yes, he has one in his nose, too.

And this is Scott and Mikey when Scott was sick. Mikey looks so sympathetic, but really he just looks for any excuse to be up on the couch. Mom let him stay that day because it really was a comfort to Scott.

And this was our Valentine's Day cake. Maybe some of you saw it on the cover of Family Circle magazine - it's a cookies and cream cake. It was very good. The boys had a hard time waiting until after dinner to try it.

Fireworks - Jan31

2009-02-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

The kids have complained that since Mom got facebook, she never posts anything here. That is NOT true. And here's a new post to prove it. We went to the fireworks the other night. It was fun. Here is a photo of Scott at the bonfire afterward. He is such a serious little guy - we need to work on developing his sense of humor.

Abby and Chad take a minute to mug for the camera during the fireworks. We left our vehicle at the right time, we ended up next to the fire - nice and toasty.

And Chad took this photo of one of the fireworks. Not an easy task with the camera he had. But it turned out kinda neat.

Our Pets

2009-01-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

Molly somehow got hold of her first "mouse" one day. She didn't play with it or anything, just laid it next to her on the couch and went to sleep. We thought that was kind of funny.

Mikey with his first real beef bone. To say he loved it is an understatement. He snarled at Molly whenever she came near, and chewed on that thing for a long time. It was actually a break for Mom since he usually follows her around the kitchen while she makes dinner.

Locks Of Love

2009-01-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

After much waiting and frequent measuring, Abigail and Mom finally cut Abby's hair for Locks of Love. We took off twelve inches, and Abby is happy with it, though it's a little shorter than she expected. Here are the before and after cutting the pigtails off.

And the finished product.

It's a Dog's Life

2009-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

As usual, we partied at the Woods' house for New Years' Eve this year. It was loads of fun. Abigail got to spend time with her friend, Lisa, who is now several inches taller than Abby, as you can see in this photo - they are standing in front of the door, Abby in purple and Lisa in hot pink.

There were about twenty people there. We talked, laughed, and played games until midnight, when we counted down and shot off our confetti. Here are Scott, Chad, Kara and Zach waiting for the countdown.

And while everybody thought the confetti was a great idea, it had been Abby's idea, so she had to rpomise to clean up. It really didn't take long, and she was a good sport about it.

Abigail's Turn

2009-01-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

Abigail loves Christmas music. This morning, she was singing one of her favorites. We don't know if she did it on purpose, but this is what she sang:

"Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French men, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."

Scott is ALL boy!!

2008-12-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

This morning, Scott knocked on Mom and Dad's bedroom door. "Mom, Mikey ate one of the cinnamon Christmas ornaments." Since they are technically edible, Mom answered, "Okay." Scott then said, "I'm gonna smell his poop later, and see if it smells like cinnamon."

Brian and Abby were talking about shepherds. They were discussing that a shepherd would break a lamb's leg and carry it, until it learned to stay near him. They used the word, trust. Scott asked, "Why would he break its leg, then expect it to trust him?"

More Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T21:20:00.001-08:00

Mom couldn't get the smilebox to work, so there are at least three posts today. Enjoy!

This post is of Dad's present. He was pretty sure it was a picture of something. Mom was happy that she surprised him. Dad has a small antique tool collection and he added to it this year. He wasn't really that happy to get it. He was laughing because, knowing Mom's love of all things rustic, he said he thought it needed a paint job. Sheesh! Overall, we had a good Christmas. Hope you did, too.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T21:07:00.001-08:00

We had a quiet Christmas this year - after the big Christmas Eve party, which we have no photos of - thanks, Mom and Dad! Here are some photos of us getting our presents. The first is we're waiting for the go word.

And this second one is of us getting our slingshots - yes, Abby got one, too. She has been delaring it unfair the last couple weeks that the boys have their own weapons and she doesn't. So they all got one. The only disappointed person about this was Dad - there wasn't one for him.

Mikey getting in on the action.

A Harley Tradition

2008-12-25T19:53:00.001-08:00

Buckeyes - a tradition according to Daddy. This year, Mom made the peanut butter part and let us kids do the dipping. Chad spent so much time sharpening a stick, he never did get around to helping much. So, Abby and Scott enjoyed the work.

And while Scott was totally into his work, he also got caught trying to get his work into him. What a ham!

Narnia and Moose

2008-12-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

After watching Prince Caspian last weekend, the kids decided to go to Narnia. Here is a photo of Chad and Scott in battle with - I think Orks (they're Lord of the Rings, right?) By the time they got done telling me the story of their adventure, it sounded like a movie called "Indiana Poppins: Lord of the Narnia Wars." And here is Abigail riding her Snow Griffin. He has a snow saddle and bead reins. He is truly a majestice being. In case you're wondering, a Griffin is half lion half eagle.

And back in the real world, Mom got the bejeebers scared out of her this week, as she sat at Dad's desk. A moose walked by the window. Mom screamed, and the moose didn't even flinch. By the time Mom had the presence of mind to grab the camera, this was all she got - a rear end. Figured we post it anyway, just so you can all see how scared of us they are NOT. I looks little because our house is pretty high - she weighs probably about 800 pounds.

Tristan

2008-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

The Weekend

2008-12-15T10:56:00.001-08:00

The twins came over for a few hours this weekend. We gave them a birthday present - four vehicles that stack inside each other or on top of each other. Here is a photo of Abby showing the cars to Mark as they open it.

And here are Mark and Tristan two minutes AFTER opening it. Playing with the wrapping paper. They are difinitely typical one-year-olds.

And here's Tristan and Dad. The twins love Dad. When he came in and started playing with them, they were gigling and pushing each other out of the way to be the one getting his goofy attention.

Basketball Tournament

2008-12-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

We had another great tournament this year. There were eleven boys' teams. Two of those teams had girls on them and a few of the teams, including Wings - Chad's team - had only five players. All the teams played well, and for the most part had good attitudes. Once again, there were some excellent and close games. Here are just a couple photos from the weekend. Chad practicing his shots.

The team discussing their plays. Chad is getting a drink.

Scott took this photo. Mom thought it was cool how the only thing you can really see clearly is Chad's face. Scott has a knack for getting lucky with shots like this.

Mikey and Molly

2008-12-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

2008-12-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

So, Mom tried to keep up with Aunt Denise this morning, but she failed. In case you're wondering, Aunt Denise broke her ankle last month. This morning, Mom fell down our front steps - the ones in the photo of Scott below. Her left foot slid all the way to the bottom, while the right foot stayed at the top. Yes, Mom can still do a split. She threw the puppy over the rail. He is fine, and she is bruised, but nothing is broken.

Scott's Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T21:59:00.000-08:00

So, Scott, for some reason, decided he wanted his own Christmas tree in his room this year. We found a tree at Salvation Army - with lights. Then, we looked through Mom's craft drawer and this is what it looks like decorated.

Life in the 'Hood

2008-12-03T23:09:00.000-08:00

So, the kids have been watching an FBI show with Dad and they are all gonna be agents when they grow up. They took some photos of themselves getting ready for a raid or something. As you can see by the hand behind Abby's head, they weren't being all business.

Looking at these pics, Mom has to admit that seeing her daughter with a gun - albeit fake - is a little wierd.

Scott, doing his Agent Don Eppes imitation. Chad, taking charge.

And just in case you are wondering if we've all gone psycho and left our childhood behind permanently, Mom included this photo. We are still kids.

More Thanksgiving!

2008-11-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

Just a couple more photos from Thanksgiving. Abby and Amy visiting. Mark loves his mommy.

"So, Aunt Debbi, you gonna pick me up or what?"

A photo of Mikey that Scott took. It's just too cute.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

We have spent Thanksgiving at home this
year. Our former neighbors, Amy and Tristan, and their twin sons, Tristan and Mark, came for brunch on their way out of town to visit family in Wisconsin. In this photo, Mark was grabbing at Dad's nose and Dad was "honk"ing. Mark had almost as much fun doing that as Dad did.

Here, Tristan introduces Mark to Mikey, our puppy. Mark was not impressed. He really didn't like it when Mikey licked him. He didn't seem scared, he just didn't like it.

The twins' favorite thing about the puppy and kitten was their toy. Abby bought this string with a bunch of different colored feathers on it. At one point, both twins and both pets were all playing with the feathers at the same time. By the time we grabbed the camera, Molly had run off, and Tristan had moved on to Mark's ear. So cute.

This is one of Mom's favorite moments of the day. Tristan wanted to play with the cat under the coffee table. But he couldn't get to her, because he kept smacking his head on the table. He never did figure out to duck his head. The cat just sat and watched him.

So, we had a big brunch and later a big dinner. We have settled in for the night - playing on the Wii and watching DVDs. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving as well.

About the Smilebox

2008-11-24T00:24:00.000-08:00

We were unable to post the video - Mom isn't that internet able. So, the smilebox we just posted is an attempt to give you an idea of how our house is laid out. Hope it helps. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support as we houseshopped.

We had a housewarming party today - it was very fun. Everyone from church came, and a couple we met when we lived in Kenai. We all had a good time. So good in fact, we forgot to take photos. Stink!!

The House

2008-11-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-11-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

So, the cat and dog have acclimated a bit. She is tolerating him. She has tested a couple times to see just how rough she can play with him before she gets in trouble. Poor kitty. she has no idea that in a couple months, he'll be big enough to terrorize her to no end. The other day, Scott said, "Mom, having a puppy is a little bit like having a baby to take care of." Yeah, something like that Scott. Mikey - as he's coming to be called - has been waking up at around 2-3 every morning. Sometimes, he wants to play. Well, it has taken it's toll on Scott. Last night, Mikey didn't even wake him up. Mom woke up to barking and whining. She put Mikey back in his basket on Scott's bed. But even at five weeks, Mikey can escape a laundry basket. A few minutes later, Mikey was curled up in by Scott's neck, sleeping.

All five Harley kids.

2008-11-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

So, a week ago, we went to some friends' house and Scott picked out a puppy. They had found a pregnant Springer Spaniel and were giving the seven puppies away. Last week, we were told that the puppies were four weeks old and they wouldn't be able to leave until their mom until the week after Thanksgiving. So, Scott chose a tiny black one and we were scheduled to visit it today.

This morning, Mom got a call from the lady. The puppy had died. They suspect the mom was laying on them because two have died in the last week. That was the bad news. The good news - for Scott - was that he could pick out another puppy and it could go home today. Since mom wasn't taking proper care of them, they had taken the puppies away from her, and he might as well go home. So, Scott brought Michael home this afternoon. Scott and Michael on the ride home.

Molly is less than impressed.

Molly looks on as Michael eats his dinner.

The bad news for Mom is that Michael is not housebroken AT ALL. So far, there have been no accidents, but we are not holding our breath. We'll have to get a good photo of him before he grows into his head - it's huge. If he doesn't stand just right, his hind feet lift off the ground because he is so front heavy.

Other Rooms

2008-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is our crawl space. It is about six feet high, and the floor is dirt. Dad put some
"shelves" along the wall, so we can use it for storage.

This photo is from Abby's room. It was a mess when Mom went to take the photo, so she's posting this one of Abby's first attempt at decor. Abby stole Mom's Christmas lights and placed them on the window sill, then placed her horses among them. She loves this and Mom thinks it's a pretty good first try.

This is the boys' room. The boys wanted the room to be camo and army. Mom thinks it looks more like a war zone - that's been hit. They like it, though. That window treatment is on purpose, by the way. It's camo and rusty barbed wire fence.

And here is Dad in the crawl space. While you folks on the East Coast may not be impressed by this
"basement," it is actually huge by Alaska standards. Most crawl spaces are a maximum of four feet tall. This one is five and a half to six feet tall. The kids actually play down there sometimes. We will never finish it off, but we are pleased with it just the same.

Kitchen and Living Room

2008-11-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

Well, for some reason, when Mom loads the photos nowadays, they don't come up in the same order she posts them. But here are some pics anyway.

This was supposed to be the last photo. This arrangement is one of Mom's favorite arrangements in our new house. The windows and the glass insulator are from the remodel job that Dad did in St. George. The sayings were gifts, the books are actually boxes and the candle is a courting candle. A few years ago, Abby told one of her friends, "It's for when a boy corks me."

Scott relaxing in the living room. This is our biggest window, and it really is nice. Mom is seriously thinking of just not putting curtains on it. There are no neighbors, and she likes the view during the day. That little heater does a pretty good job keeping the house warm - when Scott leaves his bedroom window closed at night. The picture hanging on the wall is a puzzle from Ollie's we bought in 2007.

Dad and Abby enjoying the living room.

Breakfast at the Harleys' new house. The living room and kitchen really aren't that big. Brian of course, has plane to add on eventually. But for now, they work and we have figured out how to fit. And Mom really does like the yellow. It's so cheery in the cold, dark winter.

Happy Birthday, Scott!!!

2008-11-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago today we were blessed with a little bundle of joy. Whew! He has kept us busy and kept us laughing ever since. Happy Birthday, Scott!!!

2008-11-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

So, Abby FINALLY got her kitty. Mollyjoy is her name. She is seven weeks old - the runt of the litter. Abby hasn't left her alone for a minute since we picked her up last night. Even though Molly peed on her on the ride home. Molly seems to like it here, and is not at all pleased that we don't allow her into two rooms of the house.

Dad said Abby could only keep a cat if it liked him. At first, she wouldn't have anything to do with him. She just wanted to explore. But later in the evening, someone laid Molly on Dad, and she curled up and went to sleep. (No, Brian hasn't become a cat person. He still thinks ALF would make the perfect pet, but he definitely wouldn't put up with an ornery cat.)

And the office was finally in order enough that Mom was willing to take a photo of it. This is Dad's room. Scott helped Mom hang the wilderness border. Fifteen feet at a time. On the first one, they got the last foot put up, and the whole thing came down. It stayed up the second time. We have some things to put on the walls still, but for the most part it is done.

Our New Home

2008-11-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Mom is not ready for the inside of the house to be photo- graphed yet. Too many boxes of junk still. And she has a few more things to do. But we thought you'd like to see what the property looks like. This morning, we woke up to the first good, heavy, pretty snow of the season.
So, Mom went outside and snapped some photos. This is our driveway. There are several roads on the Peninsula that are not maintained in the winter. For us, that road is about a hundred feet past our driveway. Whew!

The corral and back fence. The fence butts right up to the house, for a pet, which we are going to get soon. Abby wants a kitten and Scott wants a puppy. Mom has decided we can get both and get it overwith. We looked at puppies yesterday, but the one Scott was interested in isn't available until Thursday. We may also look at some that a friend has. Mom looked at a cat - a big, black, panther-looking thing. Abby was NOT interested.

This is the view out Daddy's office and Abby's bedroom. The driveway you see here is the rest of the one we use - it's a sort of a U-shaped drive going to two different roads. And you can see the road and the neighbor across the street's drive. This drive goes to the road that doesn't get winter maintenance, so we probably won't be using it much.

And Chad took this photo the other day - the sunrise as viewed from our front porch. Not exactly the photo Mom told him to take, but she was in a hurry and didn't take it herself, so she can't complain.

We Won!!!

2008-11-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

So, no photos this time, but we just got home from Chad's basketball game and he's impossible to live with right now. Wings beat Cook Inlet. It has been years since any Wings team has beat them. And we did. 31-24. Chad made a few baskets - including both his freethrow shots. He also had some good rebounds and assists. As a team the Jr. High team has come a long way since they started together last year. They really played as a team today and we are so proud of them all. GO EAGLES!!!

Harvest Festival

2008-11-09T21:41:00.000-08:00

Once again this year, we went to Immanuel Baptist Church's Harvest Festival. It was so fun. every year is enjoyable, but this year was the best so far. For one thing, they had a jail!! For a dollar, you could write a warrant and have someone arrested. And Mom got us thrown into it. This first photo is of Scott reading the warrant for his arrest. It was for "not doin' his chores." He later had Mom arrested for getting him arrested. But the best arrest story was when Mr. Wood had Mrs. Wood arrested - with money from her own purse. In case you're interested, the guy sitting in jail next to Scott is Joel Conseil, daddy's employee.

This photo is of Heath Boutwell, Dad, and Sam Wood during the pie eating contest. Dad and Sam tied for second. They sure tried their best. Chad entered the Fear Factor contest and did quite well, considering he had to eat some very strange foods. He made it through the first set, and lost in the second set. He was third place, though. Mom was very proud of him.

Some of the teenagers showed up in contumes this year. This one wasn't sure who he was supposed to be, but when we called him Cousin It, he said, "I've been getting that a lot." So, we visited with Alex for a few minutes.

And Abigail found a new friend. One of the young couples had brought their basset puppy, and Abby spent much of her time with the puppy. She also spent a lot of time with a certain boy. We're not totally sure he's truly in love with her, but when she got arrested, he volunteered to bail her out. :)

2008-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

These got mixed up, but here they are anyway. This first photo is of the Harley kids and the Woods twins. Of all things, the twins like watching Tom and Jerry. Our kids do, too, so the other day, they brought the twins home with Tom and Jerry DVDs and watched for a while. Mom just loves watching everyone laugh.

And another one of Scott's famous self-portraits. Can't wait til he has a girlfriend to show them to.

One nice thing about a small church - depending on how you look at it - is that there is plenty of opportunity for service. We have a ladies' group which kept getting smaller and smaller. So, Abigail was asked to join. This is the week she sang her first time. From left to right, Rosa Blooflat, Mom, Abby, Rebekah Wood. Yes, Abby is standing on a crate.

And the twins again. We think Scott is going to be a photographer. Every chance he gets, he whips out the camera. And the twins are among his favorite subjects. That's Mark on the left and Tristan on the right in case you've lost track.

YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!

2008-10-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Dad got a phone call from the realtor today and the closing on the house is next Thursday - that's eleven days early!!!!!! We are SO excited! Mom is especially excited because she was going to have to paint four rooms, move everything and clean the apartment in four and a half days. Now, she'll have fifteen days to do it.

Basketball Trip

2008-10-18T21:36:00.001-07:00

Mom and us kids went to Wasilla this weekend for two of Chad's basketball games. We had fun, though we took a whole school bus for nine people - that seemed a little weird. So here are some photos from the weekend. Abby took this one of Scott.Yes, that's snow in the background.

And here's Chad during a game. They lost both
games. Chad gets pretty bummed when they lose. He enjoys playing, though. And this last photo is of Scott at Wasilla Lake. The church that we spent the night at is right there, so we walked down to the lake and looked at it. Literally, that is all we did - it was too stinking cold to do anything else.

Miscellaneous

2008-10-16T11:03:00.001-07:00

Just a couple random photos of the kids. The boys like to play chess. Maybe they are hoping to be good enough to beat Pop-pop next time he's up for vacation. Look out!!

And this is another one of Abby at the Ladies' Retreat. Mom told her to smile and this is what she got. Nice, Abby.

Ladies' Retreat

2008-10-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Abby and Mom went to the Fall Ladies' Retreat this weekend. We had a really good time. It warmed up enough that we were able to enjoy a walk in Seward on Friday. This first photo is of the view from our hotel room. Sorry about the window casing being in the way, but I couldn't get a good photo right up at the window.

The second photo is of Abby standing outside our hotel on the boat docks. You can see the ramp comes down almost right from the hotel. Our room was on the top floor, to the left of this photo. We also took some time to enjoy the pool.

The craft project was a scrapbook cookbook of the recipes that we were served at the retreat - and a few others. Lasagne, Heavenly Chicken Salad, Four-layer Chocolate Dessert, among others. Abby made her first cookbook, and plans to make the recipes someday. The lady to her left is Dawn from Sterling Baptist Church. There were a lot of babies this year. One of them, his mother had him on Sunday and she was leading songs at the retreat on Friday. Mom had all her kids in church on the first Sunday of their lives, but that beat all. Mom was very impressed with Chrystal (sp?).

And this was our speaker, Ruth Cynereski. She and her husband started Resurrection Bay Baptist Church twenty years ago. Her son is now the pastor there and that is the church that hosted the retreat. We had a very good time, and are looking forward to the Spring retreat.

2008-10-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, we had a meeting today with our realtor, signed all the preliminary paperwork - we accepted these terms, seller accepted these terms, etc.

And we went to look at the house again. The boys hadn't seen the inside of it yet. The realtor laughed at the kids' enthusiasm. Brian wasn't nearly as amused. It is a very tiny house. The listing says about 1425 square feet, but we suspect that they counted the floor all the way to the walls upstairs - which are two and a half feet high. So, while there is that much square footage, you can't stand up in all of it. And the fact that there are three bedrooms and a loft take away from the size of the living area - kitchen and living room are tiny. There isn't really a dining room.

One of the reasons we went to look at it today was to discuss which rooms would be which downstairs. Brian refused to give up the bigger room for our bedroom, so the smaller one will be the office. Since none of them actually have built in closets, it really doesn't matter.

I have no idea why some of these photos turned out so small. I was going to take photos today and I forgot. Smart, huh? Anyway, you can see the outside here, and the corral. There is a total of 2.17 acres. We are planning a garden and a few pets over the next few years. The kitchen is small, as I said, but bright. I hate dingy kitchens. And the bedroom pictured here is Abby's. I will post more photos later, probably after we get painting. Thanks, everyone for praying for us. We are so excited to be taking this step - and of course, Brian is already planning an addition and a garage. Our closing date is set for November 10. So, if you want to come see it for Thanksgiving, come on up. You may have to help hang pictures and shelves, though. :)

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!

2008-10-03T21:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!! Wasn't it nice of us kids to remember? We should have - Mom's been reminding Dad for two weeks, now. And guess what - he's working. Haha!! But they've got a hot date planned for the evening. Us kids are gonna go watch cartoons at some friends' from church.

Eleven years - whoo!

Kitchen Duty

2008-10-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

So, it's official. We're slave labor. Mom has turned over evening Kitchen Patrol to us. Originally, one of us was supposed to do it per night. But we didn't care for it that way, so she said we could all do it together. And here is proof that we can be in the same room without fighting. We have a feeling Mom is going to bring this up more than once.

And since all work and no play makes the Harley kids dull boys and girls, we had to have a little fun. By the time we were finished, all we had done was make more work for ourselves, because we had to mop the floor besides our usual chores. It was worth it, though.

Blast from the Past

2008-10-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, Mom and Dad are coming up on their eleventh anniversary. This has put Mom in a bit of a nostalgic mood, and we have done absolutely NOTHING interesting lastely, just school. So here are a few photos from the past - no idea if we've posted them here before or not.

Scott (who goes by Mikey or Michael now) in his sumo wrestler outfit.

Abigail at church - we think she was about five years old. Mom made the dress for her.

Abby and Mikey with her "new" Doll House. She loved it. Mom found it at a garage sale for $5. This summer, we sold it for $5.

Chad was into building card houses for a while - think we posted some of those at the time. He really wasn't bad at it.

Dad's Facebook

2008-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, some of mom's friends have Facebook and mom wanted to be able to see their profiles. But she didn't want to do another blog where she'd feel like she'd have to keep up all the time. So, she started a Facebook for the business. It's Harley Construction, if you're interested and she will be poting photos of his work. The bummer about Facebook is if you want to see it you have to have an account. For those of you who do, we hope you enjoy.

Last Sunday

2008-09-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

This photo is actually from two Sundays ago. Chad is standing with Janet Jones on his right and Mrs. Bickish on his left. He is taller than both of them now. That same week, we found out that Chad is out of the girl-hating stage. He and Mom were leaving the apartment building together, he was walking in front of Mom. As they got to the door, so did three other people, all women, two of them young. Chad grabbed the door and held it for the young women, then followed them out - leaving Mom standing behind him, still inside. She has been telling everyone this story and he is embarassed. :) Janet Jones is the lady, by the way, that he goes fishing and camping with her and her husband.
This past Sunday was exciting at Jubilee Baptist Church. Allen Blooflat was ordained. He has been a member of Jubilee since, we think, 2002. He teaches on Sundays first service quite often and has a successful Bible Study at the nursing hom where he is also a nurse. For more on his ordination, check out www.jubileebaptistchurch.blogspot.com

And this is the house that Daddy sided on the river. It's finished now. And of course, after the homeowner saw his work, he offered him winter work. Did we already say that? Oh well.

Dad's Work

2008-09-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

This is a house Dad has been siding. It is right next to the river, which is why it is on stilts. Mom and Dad think the siding is interesting, because it is vinyl siding, but it looks like log. Of course, it's not so good that people would be fooled, but it is a nice look.

In all honesty, us kids' favorite part of this house is that it's next to the river. We went there for lunch with Dad the other day, and Scott and Abby spent the hour catching half dead fish. It was FUN!!

2008-09-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Abby's Birthday Pupcakes

2008-09-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

If you spent any time in the grocery checkout line this summer, you may have noticed the Family Circle issue with Pupcakes on the front of it.

Well, Abby decided she needed those for her birthday. So, we bought a bunch of candy and Mom and us kids spent the evening decorating cupcakes. While they didn't turn out quite as pretty as the ones on the magazine, Abby was impressed - and they tasted good, so the rest of us didn't really care what they looked like.

The Twins - Again

2008-09-13T14:31:00.001-07:00

We found out recently that one of the visitors to our blog is the twins' grandma. So, this post is for you, Grandma Kate.

Chad doesn't spend nearly as much time at the neighbors as the other two Harley kids, but he has discovered that he likes to read to them. His biggest problem with it is that Tristan likes to eat the books.

We're not sure, but we think Tristan has discovered he has lips. He sure is making some funny faces lately. Scott got the camera out the other day, and Tristan hammed it up for him.

And Mark is as adorable as ever, and he seems to be as serious as his brother is silly. He'll look at the camera, but it's hard to get him to smile at it. Here's a hint of a smile.

A Note From Mom

2008-09-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege today, for the first time in twelve years, to take a midday shower without interruption. Whoo!!! Hooooo!!! It was so amazing to step into the hall and realize that the kids were playing together, the house was not on fire, and nothing had happened that couldn't wait.

So, for those of you who are mothers: If you could take an uninterrupted shower, bask in that knowledge. Pat yourself on the back for raising children who grew to be independent of you. And, if you have the time, go take a midday shower, just for the heck of it.

For you Moms who can't do that yet, hang in there. Your time will come.

P.S. I also bought my first pair of white capris this week.

Busy Weekend

2008-08-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy weekend this week. Saturday was Industry Appreciation Day in Kenai. We stood in line for forty-five minutes for our free food. This photo was taken during our wait. The photo is not really of Scott, it's of the guy in the background, picking up trash - that's Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska. We don't like him enough to have gone over and gotten our photo really taken with him. :)

Then, we all entered a net-pulling contest. Here is Chad doing his. Of the three of us, Abby did it the fastest. None of us won a prize.
On Sunday after church, we drove up to Russian River Falls. It's a 2.3 mile hike into the wilderness to the falls. We had fun. We didn't see any bear, although everyone else we talked to on the trail had seen one. The last time we went, there was a bear at the falls eating salmon. This photo is us kids on the trail - there is a huge mountain in the background, but the lighting isn't very good.

And here's Mom and Dad at the falls.

And the last photo is of us kids climbing rocks near the falls. Once we got to the falls and saw that there weren't any bear, we were ready to leave.

Happy 10th Birthday, Abigail!!!

2008-08-25T11:28:00.001-07:00

2008-08-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Chad's Birthday Party

2008-08-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

So, Chad opted for a birthday party for his birthday. Three of his friends and some families from church came, as well as our neighbors. We had a good time. His cake was Mom's version of a Boston cream cake, which is just a yellow box cake mix with pudding in the middle and chocolate icing. It's very popular and he requested it. We had ice cream and chips to go with it.

The original party plan was to have a softball game. But, it rained, and not enough people showed up to play. Still, some of the boys went to the field and hit the ball around for a while. Then, there was the torturing of the birthday boy. that's Jared Wood in this photo with Chad, for those of you who know him.

And then we all got together at the house for opening presents and eating. From left to right, Amy Woods, Abigail, Mark Woods, Josh Outzen and Scott.

Catching Up Some More

2008-08-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks since we posted, so we're posting a few times to catch up. This first photo is from our picnic in August. Scott and Liz were dreaming about running the bobcat.

And this is a bug Dad found on one of his jobsites. The battery next to it is a AAA. Chad put it there to give us a comparison for size.

It is really ugly. Mom has identified the bug, but she won't tell us what it is. She is going to make us find out what it is.

This is a house in a subdivision where Dad has done some work. He didn't actually work on this one, but it is Mom and Dad's favorite one in the subdivision.

Catching Up

2008-08-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

So, the kids let their inner farmer out on the ifrst week of August. After having a potluck picnic at the property, we planted some grass. Mr. Wood let us run the machine. We had fun, but we didn't get the grass very even so Dad and Mr. Wood had to take over.

Then, Dad let Scott help with evening up some ground with the bobcat. Again, FUN!!!

Happy 12th Birthday, Chad!!! Tuesday, August 12

2008-08-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Chad

2008-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Just in case we haven't posted this one already, we thought you'd like to see what Chad looks like when he does his own hair.

He'll be twelve next week, and is getting a little vain.

Chad's Adventure

2008-07-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

We're actually having sunshine this week. To enjoy it, on Monday, Chad went on a boating trip on Tustumena Lake. Here is his story:

We unloaded the boat into the lake, and headed out. Tustumena Lake is about thirty miles long. We have to paddle past Caribou Island before we can start the engine, because the lake is so shallow there. Then we started the engine and went to Clear Creek. We parked about a quarter mile from there and ate lunch - boating is exhausting.

We hiked into the woods along a river, then came to a clearing and walked to the edge of a plateau. We hiked from there to the glacier and did our gold-panning. We didn't find any gold.

At the end of our hike, we tried to start the engine. "Tried" being the operative word. The engine didn't start. We paddled to a beach where we could spend the night. And there we slept - on the rocky beach - with nothing between us and the bears except for our sleeping bags. At five o'clock in the morning, Mr. Jones gave up trying to sleep and tried his boat engine again. It started up just fine. Because we were so cold and miserable, we made a beeline for home. I got my share of the great outdoors for a while.

Ya Think?

2008-07-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

We can't figure out how to post that photo and this text in the same post, so you get two posts tonight. We go to this blog sometimes, with mom's supervision, called "totallylookslike.com" So far, this one has been a favorite. We thought you all might enjoy it, too. Do YOU think Clark Kent looks like Superman?

Totally Looks Like

2008-07-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

see famous look-a-like faces

Family Portrait

2008-07-22T21:35:00.001-07:00

So, Oma has been bugging Mom for a picture of the whole family. A few weeks ago, we were playing with a Magna-Doodle and Mom came up with a pretty good family portrait - so here it is - our family as Mom sees it.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

2008-07-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Scott and Mom had a conversation about gods, and the fact that gods are the things or people that we think about more than God. For some reason Sunday at church Scott was very sleepy. He leaned over in the middle of the sermon and said, "Mom, right now, sleep is my god."

The latest photo of the picnic shelter. There are still a few more brackets to put on it, but other than that it is done.

2008-07-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mom is aware that she is turning this blog into the twins' blog, but she has promised that this will be the last photo of them - this week. :)

She took these two the other day when we were babysitting. They were just too cute not to post. Yes, Mark was laying down, that is why his picture is sideways. Aren't they almost the most beautiful babies you ever saw?

More Twins

2008-07-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

We've had so much fun with the twins from next door this week. They came over again yesterday, and Mom snapped a couple photos. Enjoy!!!

Music

2008-07-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Just a note about the music you hear on our blog now. Through our travels on the internet, we discovered that you can put a playlist on your blog. So, the boys (including Dad) and Mom have been creating a playlist of some of our faves to share with you. We have had a lot of fun. You will notice, for instance, that there are two versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - one is Dad's and the other is the boys'. The love songs were NOT Scott and Chad's idea. A couple of the songs are here because Chad had an interesting basketball season, and some are blasts from Mom and Dad's past. Of course, "their" song is here. That would be "His Cheeseburger" by Veggie Tales. :) Anyway, we had a lot of fun putting it together and will probably add a few as we go. If you don't like one, you can skip it and another one will play.

2008-07-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

A couple more photos from early July. The first is of Scott and Mark, enjoying a playtime last weekend. The second is of Chad and Allen Blooflat on July 6, playing horseshoes. This is the good end of the horseshoe pit. The other stake was in grass and there were two small trees between the stakes. We had to put bright tape on the shoes, because without it, we couldn't find the shoes in the tundra.

More Dipnetting

2008-07-13T13:26:00.001-07:00

After posting the link to the Dietzes' blog, we noticed that we did have one decent dipnetting picture. Here, everyone looks on as Daddy loosens a fish from the net. After the Dietzes left on Saturday, we watched the twins from next door. Here is Daddy, Mark and Abby sharing a conversation.
This is a photo of a house Daddy has been working on. Mom thinks these stairs are really neat. The homeowner did the tile work, and Dad did the wood trim.

Dipnetting

2008-07-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Dietzes came down this weekend and we all went dipnetting on Friday and Saturday. Mrs. Dietze got the best pictures. We didn't ask her if we could do this, but we're hoping she doesn't mind. Check out the dipnetting adventures at www.5happyhomesatters.blogspot.com

More 4th of July

2008-07-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Here's some more fourth od July photos. As we said earlier, we went to a parade, then to the picnic at the shelter. We had another picnic on Sunday after. not sure which one this is of, but we had good weather both days, and besides eating, we got in some horseshoe playing and lots of fellowship. And here's Abigail sleeping one night this week. For some reason, she decided she needed to sleep in a box. It could have been worse, at least she was still on the bed.

2008-07-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT 4th of July - Dad took us kids to the parade, then the whole family went to the church property where Dad and Mr. Wood shingled the picnic shelter roof and we had a picnic. Then our family set up tents and camped out for the night. It was so fun, and we were tired when it was all over. Here are a couple photos from the parade.

2008-06-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-06-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Church Work

2008-06-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Dad took Thursday off of his regular work to take us all out for a workday at the church's property. We were up at 6:30 am and left the jobsite at 7:45 pm. It was a long day, but we accomplished a lot and had some fun doing it. Scott has appointed himself picnic shelter housekeeper. At one point in the day, he was informing Abigail that she needed to sweep again because she had not gotten ALL the dirt off the floor. This is what Mom gets for checking his sweeping work at home.
Chad hauling rebar from where the delivery truck dropped it to where it needed to be. Scott and Abby helped with this job, too.
Dad with Bill and Jared Wood, taking a minute to mug for the camera from the trusses of the picnic shelter. It was a good work day, and if you'd like to see more photos, check out the church's blog.

Fun in Anchorage

2008-06-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Our week - as it turned out, because Dad got stuck in St. George a couple extra days - with the Dietzes, was fun. We rode bikes, played in the dirt, watched planes and jets, and went to church. Oh, and we celebrated Nathan's birthday, and terrorized the dog. And don't get us started on how fun it got once we started the pranks - soap on toothbrushes, camo face paint on mirrors, perfume on the boys - it was a blast.

One of the things we did was go to the community center on base. We climbed a rock wall, which was pretty cool. Here are Abby and Nathan climbing.

And here is Scott climbing. He made it to the top - after many tries. And since they were clamped to a pulley system at the top, it was impossible for them to fall, s-o-o-o-
Scott also tried his Spiderman moves. Here, he looks a little panicked because he flipped upside down a little faster than he expected to. But he was in no real danger, grandmas, and this was actually his favorite part of the climbing.

The Infamous St. George

2008-06-10T17:02:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, dad had another trip to St. George last week. So, here is our post about St. George.

St. George is one of the Pribilof Islands. The Pribilofs are a group of five islands in the Bering Sea. If you look at a map of Alaska, find the Aleutian chain and head north of Unimak Island - the second to furthest west of the chain, you will come across the Pribilofs. Only two of those islands ar inhabited by humans, St. Paul being the largest, and St. George.

St. George's population is roughly 170.
The first photo is of the town of St. George. Daddy could tell you which building is which. The building near the center with the green onion-shaped tower is the Russian Orthodox church.

This second photo is of a St. George sunset. St. George is a bird and sea lion sanctuary. The cliffs in the distance are very high and house thousands of birds.

The third photo is of much of the island. The guy in the photo is a bird watcher. In the distance, you can see the town. Even when it's sunny like in this photo, it is cold and windy. Rarely does the wind not blow in St. George. So, there it is. Our report on St. George. Hope you enjoyed.

Last Year

2008-06-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

We have some new photos to post, but Mom hasn't got them ready yet, so here are a couple we hope we didn't post last year after vacation. Both are on Grandpa's farm. The first is of Chad and Calvin swinging in the front yard.

The second is of all the kids on Duke, Aunt Denise's oldest horse. We have a photo of them on the same horse back when Scott was a baby and he's starting to cry. As you can see, he is not quite so afraid of it anymore.

Photos and Check It Out

2008-05-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

Someone requested an upclose photo of Chad, so here they are - some self-portraits while he was goofing off with the camera last week.

Also, for anyone interested in watching the church building progress this summer, the church has its own blog now. www. jubileebaptistchurch.blogspot.com

Building Program

2008-05-24T23:15:00.001-07:00

The building program has started at Jubilee Baptist Church. This month, the picnic shelter is going up. Brian designed it, and we are all excited to see it coming together. Here is a photo, from left to right of Robert Jones, Abigail Harley, Pastor Nick Bickish and Bill Wood, working on the trusses. Yes, Robert is teaching nine year old Abigail how to run the impact wrench.

And here she is doing her job. She seems to be enjoying herself. And before anyone panicks about Abigail growing up to be a carpenter, her daddy is hoping she ends up on a NASCAR pit crew.

This is what the shelter looked like when the crew finished on May 24, 2008. The trusses are together and ready to set, and the walls are ready for them. We're not sure yet when the trusses will go up. Soon, we hope.

2008-05-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple photos from our trip to Seward a couple weeks ago. The Sea Life Center celebrated their tenth anniversary by offering free admission, including a behind the scenes tour and free dinner.

This photo is Abigail at the Sea Life kitchen. She was less than thrilled with the sushi that the animals there eat every day.

Outside, they had set up some games. This one was a race where the kids got to "rescue" an animal. Scott is driving the rescue "truck" here. The ocean is the pool in the background. They had a lot of fun.

2008-05-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Mom's finally getting some photos on here. We're not sure why this is the only picture from Spirit week at school. It was Mideval Day. There was also a Dr. Seuss Day, Patriotic Day, Formal Day and Sports Day.

It's the End of the Year

2008-05-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the school year is over. The kids had an exciting last week, with final testing, pizza party, throw a pie in a senior's face and field day. They really enjoyed this past school year.

Last night was the Awards Program. Scott left with the first place for all the Field Day athletic categories for his age - standing jump, running jump, 50 yard dash and softball toss. He also received a trophy for being in the 5000's club. He got fifty 100's on tests this year. Only one girl got more than he did. He also received the music award for the Lower Learning Center -for being the most improved.

Abigail took second place for some of her athletic categories - second place for standing jump, second place for 50 yard dash. She also received a 2000's club. She got twenty 100's.

Chad did well in the field day, too. He received third place for softball toss, and first place for running jump, and third place for standing jump. He received a Bible Quiz'em certificate for winning the monthly quiz - twice. He also earned the National Physical Fitness Award "signed by the president." Chad got a 1000's club trophy for twelve 100's.

We will be homeschooling next year again. This should last for a couple years, and is only because we want to save that money for a house. Hopefully, by the time Chad is in ninth grade, they will be back at Wings. They will be participating in sports and music at Wings again next year.

Trip To Homer

2008-05-05T18:20:00.001-07:00

On April 28, Scott and the other kids from the school who had earned Honor Roll in the third quarter got to go on a trip to Homer. Mom went with them.

Here are a couple photos of Scott enjoying the ocean. In the background of the first one, you can see a few of our group at the campfire.

In this photo, Scott is the only one we know. He was excited that he found a crab shell, a live crab and some shrimp with his friends. It was a fun trip.

Devotions

2008-04-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting family devotions tonight. After reading about how God made Adam and Eve, Dad asked if we knew why God used a rib from Adam to make Eve instead of just making her from dust, like He had Adam. Scott's guess was a gem. "He didn't want to waste the dust?" And despite Mom and Dad's best efforts to pull devotions back to a serious topic, the thing the kids learned tonite is that women would have been a waste of dirt.

Carpenters

2008-04-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Mom thought you might enjoy this. The other day we all went to a job site with Dad, while he made some measurements and talked to his client. As we sat in the truck, we watched another guy working on the house.

He did something that Mom thought didn't look right and she said, "That's not right."

Scott replied, "You don't know, Mom. You don't carpent."

Apparently, that's what carpenters do, they carpent.

Updates

2008-04-03T22:50:00.001-07:00

Thought you all might enjoy a self portrait Scott took of himself last week. He is such a handsome devil, isn't he? Smart looking, too.

And here is an update of Abby's friends, Tristan and Mark, from next door. They will be four months next week and are adorable. We spent part of this evening with them. They were telling us all kinds of stories. Mark is the twin on the left in blue and Tristan is in green.

More David

2008-04-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a little backwards. Here are more photos of the play. this first photo is of Scott in the final battle scene. All the boys in the play spent more time choreographing their battle scenes than practicing their lines.

This is the kids with the director of the play, Rosalind. Some of you might remember when we lived in Kenai, Abigail spent a lot of time with Rosalind - kind of an extra grandma. She and Rosalind still have kind of a special bond. Rosalind is a
wonderful lady.

David: Shepherd to King

2008-04-03T21:59:00.001-07:00

Well, here are the photos from the play. The play was about David's life until he became king. This first photo is of Abigail as one of the women who sang "Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands."

Abigail also carried signs and reset the stage for the play. She had one line besides the singing. She has decided in her next play, she ants more lines.

This photo is of David and his men. You can see Scott there toward the left. Abigail is just to his right with her back to us. David is the one with his arm in the air. David was played by a hyper active little boy named Ricky. He did a very good job.

This last photo is of King Achish getting ready to go to battle against Saul. He is conferring with his warriors about David going with them. Notice the littlest warrior. Yep, that's our Scott.

Both kids did really well in their parts and the director was appreciative of the extra help they provided.

What Dad's Been Up To

2008-04-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

If you click on the Archives, August 2005, you will se a photo or two of the kids helping Dad clear coat his new trailer. Well, After nearly three years, Dad has got the trailer at its peak performance. These two photos are what the trailer looks like now. The shelves on the left and front have been there for a while. The second photo is of the new shelves on the right.
Dad now has boxes for everything - including a few boxes. :) He loves having everything in its place.

This photo is of the project that paid for the new shelves in Dad's trailer. This is a t-shirt rack. While you see these in stores everywhere, Mom and Dad added the rope trim for a unique, rustic, Alaskan look. So far, Dad has made seven of these. Yes, that means there are seven stores where Dad's workmanship is showcasing t-shirts.

Boys Will Be Boys

2008-04-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, Dad, Chad and Mr. Wood went on a men's retreat this weekend. Unfortunately, there are no photos of Chad to share with you all. He went tubing, to sermons, ate, played, and had a great weekend. But all we have to show for that weekend is two videos of Dad and Mr. Wood being boys. This one is Mr. Wood driving on a lake and Dad laughing. Dad drove, too, but his video isn't as good.

A Whole Month?

2008-03-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a month since we posted anything. We have been very busy. Last week was Spring Break. We spent the week playing, practicing for the play and swimming.

Abby and Scott were in a Spelling Bee a few weeks ago. Abigail got second place in her age group. Scott didn't do as well.

The same weekend, Chad discovered a new hobby. He had the opportunity to be the school's mascot for a couple of basketball games and he was great at it. He danced when the team made baskets, listened in on the other team's time outs, had a "fight" with one of the other team's coaches. When a little girl accidentally pulled part of his tail off, he grabbed his bum and ran for cover. Made everyone laugh.

Abby and Scott are in a play next weekend. It's about David. They are palying several small parts - a brother, a warrior, a dancing lady, and such. We'll post some photos next week.

Try Again

2008-02-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

That last post was supposed to have two photos. Here's the other one. Everybody on the bus. Chad is just about in the middle of the photo. You can see a green blur in one girl's hand. The teens were all given sponges - yes, plain cleaning sponges - at the teen rally. For the entire ride home from Anchorage - two hours - they had a sponge fight. It was great fun. They decorated the sponges with pictures and words and threw them at each other. Mom and Mr. Ruffridge didn't mind because at least they knew what everyone was doing, and since sponges are soft, no one was going to get hurt. Mom said it was fun to watch everyone whenever a sponge veered to the front and hit Mr. Ruffridge, though. The whole fight would stop, and they would wait for a minute to get yelled at. After he didn't, they would continue their fight.

More Trip Photos

2008-02-10T11:37:00.001-08:00

Quiz Time: This is two of the teens from Chad's school, Alex and Rebekah. During quiz time, whoever got the answer to the questions right, got a sponge full of shaving cream and chose which of these two to throw it at. Chad's group tried to get him to volunteer for this job, but he chickened out.

Another trip with Mom

2008-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Chad got to go with Mom for her basketball games this weekend. While there, the group also attended a teen rally. Here are a couple photos of Chad participating in the games.

He had a lot of fun, and stayed up for thirty-six hours. Both Mom and Chad were very tired when they got home.

More Basketball

2008-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple more photos from Abby's weekend with the basketball team. This first one is Abigail on the bus with the entrance to the Whittier tunnel in the background. Yes, there is a door on the entrance. It is actually a train tunnel that they let regular traffic drive through at certain times. Whittier is a hole in the ground. Mom got queasy because the mountains are so close and so high. She also forgot to take any pictures there.

In the mirror behind Abby, you can see a little bit of Mr. Ruffridge, the principle at the school, and the bus driver.

Here is a photo Abby took before the game at Whittier. The team is getting ready to play. Both the boys and girls played on the same team because Whittier doesn't have enough kids for two teams.

Basketball

2008-02-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Abigail got to go with Mom to Whittier and Palmer this weekend, for the Basketball games. We spent hours and hours on the bus. Here is a picture of Abby and a couple friends - Alisha and Sunny - reading Calvin and Hobbes.

The girls lost both of their games. We'll post a photo or two of Abby's view of the games later.

Youth Service

2008-01-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it hasn't been completely boring here. Mom forgot, in her last blog, to mention that Jubilee Baptist Church had a Youth Service a couple Sundays ago. Chad and Scott participated. Chad read the morning Scripture and Scott took the offering. Both did a fine job. Chad was scared to get in front of everyone, but since Mom had mentioned that he should preach something he had learned lately, he got off easy. Jared Wood led the song service and Sam Wood preached. The Wood girls provided special music and Rebekah Wood played the piano for the whole service. It was a great opportunity for all of them to minister.

Monotany in Alaska

2008-01-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone -

We're doing well here in Alaska. We don't have any new photos to post, but thought we'd leave a note. We're still doing pretty well in school. We got report cards a couple weeks ago. We did better the first quarter, but Mom and Dad are encouraging us to do better again in the third quarter. Scott and Abby are going to be going on an honor roll trip this month, and Chad has earned a free day off of school. We are excited about those rewards.

It's cold again here. Today it's been in the single digits. When we got up this morning, it was -12. We went to Anchor Point with Dad. It was a beautiful drive, since dawn lasts a couple hours. The mountains were pink the whole time, and the inlet was misty purple. We read from a book, ate some snacks and had some fun. And we saw the sled dogs getting ready for the start of the Tustemena 200 race. Abby wanted to stop, but we weren't dressed for standing in the snow for half an hour.

The rest of the day has been relaxation and play. We went outside to sled and dig in the snow. It'll be dark soon, so we'll need to be in. Then we'lll work on our math facts and spelling words.

2007-12-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

Abigail is pleased, along with our neighbors, Amy and Tristan, to announce the birth of two new playmates. Mark and Tristan were born last Wednesday, and came home from the hospital on Sunday.

Abigail has been enjoying them, probably almost as much as their parents.

Mom is bribing her, when she gets her homework done, she can go next door to play with the twins.

Tristan, the baby that Abby is holding, is the bigger of the two. He currently weighs about five pounds (his parents know exactly how much).

Mark, the smaller one in front of her, weighs about four pounds. He has a dimple on his chin. His parents are happy for that. One of their concerns was that they wouldn't be able to tell the boys apart.

So, Abby is a happy camper for a while. She is really enjoying her time with the babies. She spends as much time as the adults let her just sitting and holding one of the babies. Yesterday, she even got to feed Mark.

Christmas Program

2007-12-15T00:39:00.000-08:00

So, the kids were in their first Christmas Program last night. They are in elementary choir at school and they sang a few songs. They were also in a play as extras. Scott had to play tag for a few seconds, and he did his aprt very well.

This is their whole choir and class - from kindergarten to sixth grade. The boy standing on Chad's left is Jesse, one of his fellow basketball players. The boy behind Scott, looking in the opposite direction from everyone else, is the one this year who waved to his mom from up front.

Here is a close up of the boys singing. Despite the red-eye reduction feature on Dad's camera, everyone had it bad that night.

And this is a close up of Abby singing. She loves to sing, but gets very frightened at the thought of being in front of people. She has survived a few instances, though and is learning to love it.

Basketball tournament

2007-12-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Well, Chad's basketball season is over. His team won some and lost some, but for the most part, the best thing about the season was watching Chadley's game improve. He handles the ball better, he made his first shot, his team attitude has improved. He's very excited about playing again next year, and is going to practice on his own until then.

Unfortunately, Mom and Dad din't get any still photos of Chad's season. They did get some video of him playing, but aren't computer savvy enough to get it on here.

The tournament this weekend was very exciting. It was double elimination, so they had to lose two games to be done. Wings lost their first game, won their second and lost their third. But that third game was the most exciting game of the whole tournament.

For one thing, the teams were never more than two points apart. Sometimes, Wings (Chad) was in the lead and sometimes Fairfill was. Wings had had some opportunity to watch the other team play. One player (#1) had very quick hands. He would meet the opposing team at the halfcourt line, steal the ball and make a lay-up.

Well, Wings had decided that he wasn't going to do that during their game. Several times, as two of them were struggling with him to keep the ball, Chad sacrificed himself. When #1 tried to steal it, Chad literally threww himself on top of the ball. One time, he landed so hard he knocked the wind out of himself. But #1 didn't get the ball.

For the final several minutes of the game, the two teams were one point apart, just switching who had the highest score. It was very exciting. Mom and Miss Jenny were keeping score and running the clock. They said it was very hard to do their jobs because it was so exciting.

After we lost, Mom dragged us to the other games. She said it was good sportsmanship to cheer for the other teams, even though Wings was no longer in it. So, we did and it was a little fun. But Chad said cheering is not as fun as playing.

Abby's Birthday

2007-11-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

These photos are a couple months old, but we thought we'd share them anyway. We went to the Dietzes' for Abby's birthday in August. That was her one request - "I want to see Kaitlyn on my birthday."

So, here she is with Mr. Dietze and Scott and her birthday sign.

And here's her birthday cake. Kaitlyn made it. Apparently, Kaitlyn likes making birthday cakes. So, Mom says we'll be going to Dietzes' for every birthday from now on. :) Not really.

Anyway, we've seen the Dietzes several times this year and we've had a good time each time. We are going to their house again for Thanksgiving. We can't wait.