September/October/November - A Time Of Change

Again it's been a while since I posted and our lives seem so different from my last post. It's amazing how fast our lives have been changing! September and Ian came to live with us in time to keep the school from closing. My mom and dad flew them up dropped them off and then went back home to pack things up. This was the end of September. We rearranged things in the trailer to make room for everyone to sleep.

We also started working on remodeling Darrell and Donna's old cabin scrapping off the old sod roof and putting on a new stick framed tin roof. Then Ken left October 17th for AZ. He pulled Darrell and Donna's 5th wheel down to Yuma. Picked up a box trailer in Phoenix and then went to Prescott Valley to start packing up my folks. He had alot of challenges on his trip and it became a much more costly venture then it should have been. Including a tow bill in Canada of almost $2,000. as well as a minor fender bender with my mom and dad's car and trailer. They got home to Alaska the first week on November.

While they were all gone and it was just the kids and I we had some adventures of our own. I started teaching a children's church group at the Manley Baptist Church.

Ok, So I mentioned that we got September and Ian to the school in time for count to keep the school open. However we quickly learned that the school and the kids were a BAD fit. We ended up withdrawing them from the school and enrolling them in the district homeschooling program Raven Correspondence School. We are still waiting to receive our curriculum, but I purchased some learning drill workbooks that we have been using. It has been a challenge but i firmly beleive we made the right choice and it will be better for them in the long run. It didn't hurt the school as they ended up with 3 other new students to make a secure count.

We had frequint visits from our crippled cow and her calf. Donna even got some great shots of the cow looking in her windows as Otis (a toy poodle) barked at her.

One of our two baby chicks disapeared and then the hen abandoned the other chick. So she has been living in the house. She spends some time in her box and some time haging out on our shoulders or on the couch.

Then we had Halloween. I'm not a huge fan of the creepy side of Halloween, but the kid in me still likes to dress up and beg for candy. Since here most of your costume is covered by coats we have stated a tradition of Halloween hats. We order hats from my sister Rebecca who is a true crochet artist. The other up side to the hats is the kids then use then year after year to play dress up and they are functional outside as we always order them with ear flaps and they can be fleece lined for extra warmth. You can check out her awsome handywork at desertdiamondcrochet. She also sells her patterns and has come out with a great new line of Christmas hats. We started our Halloween adventure at the school Halloween party. The older two kids didn't want to participate in any activities but Lisa and I won the mummy wrap.



Repunzle




Mike from Monsters, Inc




Sully From Monsters Inc



Alaska is by far the most unique place I have ever been. This of coarse spills over into the tradition of trick or treating. After the school party we met up with our friends Rose and Greg and their three boys. We drove from house to house as the houses are quite spred apart (something that makes the village of Manley unique as most villages are tight).Of coarse we were also trudging through snow. So from house to house we went visiting along the way. We didn't make it to every house as with all the little ones getting them in and out still tends to be a pain. In the few houses that we did hit however we were able to fill a 5 gal bucket 3 times. As unique as how you trick or treat is what you get. LOTS of candy as per tradition, but also notebooks, markers and other school supplies. Then there are the homemade goodies some very unique to Alaska like smoked Salmon strips and some more traditional like popcorn balls. Also packs of raisins, microwave popcorn, fresh fruit, bags of chips, etc..etc... All of these things however pale in comparison to the best possible treat of all. A PUPPY! Yes, thats right a puppy. A cute little husky mix named Kesha. How do you tell 5 kids no when they are offered such a cute little ball of fluff? Well weree I'm concearned you dont..lol.. Of coarse I'm just as bad as the kids and would have 100 dogs and other furry things if I could. Just my luck Ken was still gone so the puppy was a suprise when he got home. We changed her name to Miss Kitty wich was chosen by Oak. The name fits and she really seems to like it. She's very smart and as cuts as can be, though all puppy and full of energy.

The day after Halloween as it should be was one giant sugar rush with the kids still running around in the hats.



Ian - Dinosour Hat, September - Littlest Pet Shop Kitty Hat


The moose have still been hanging around and September took some nice shots of the prints in the fresh snow.

Just after Halloween Darrell and Donna left for sunny Arizona. I got to help them do the last minute winterization stuff and then waved them off as they flew south for the cold months. It was really hard to watch them leave and even harder everytime I look at the empty house. I can't beleive how much I miss them. I knew that I would but not as much as I do. I even had a dream the other night that they came home early and I made them a huge welcome home breakfast lol...While I miss them, on mornings like today when I wake up to -40 I'm glad that Darrell is out working on his bike in Sunny AZ instead of trying to work on something in the shop at -40 or walking around out in the deep snow back and forth.

Ken, Mom and Dad had their own adventures travel from Arizona. Flat tires on the 52' box trailer, jackknifing the little trailer with the Highlander, various part falures on the semi. Even on the last few miles home. They came accross three guys in a rental SUV who had blown out a tire and couldn't the spare down. They ended up limping it to our house were Ken helped them get going. In addition just as mom and dad pulled in the yard a tire fell off the trailer. It was after 8pm before they were able to actually come in the house and visit everyone after their long absence.

Now to continue working on the Scott's old cabin to get it livable. They have since finished repairs to the floor and now need to do the insulation, put in a new window and a wood stove. Until it's ready to live in we are all 9 living in our little trailer with add on.

Diesel and Miss Kitty Bonding

Sunday Morning

Yesterday my mom had to go into Fairbanks. She woke up and was feeling very dizzy and her blood pressure was sky high. I'm waiting to hear back on the result of her dr's visit.

 Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

PS sorry about all the typos I tried to go back in and correct them but seem to be having difficulties .lol...