Summer 2009 summary

Ours has been quite a full summer what with video making projects and a vacation and lots of yard landscaping. But we are having fun and the hot, dry summer is flying by. This has been a very smoky one with lots of forest fires. One was within a few miles of our house! Some folks at our church actually had it come into their yard a bit! But mostly they happen way out in the middle of nowhere.

We have been reminded of how precious these parenting years are. Sometimes we do lose sight of that. We do enjoy teaching our children and seeing them grow. About a month ago we took a family vacation and drove down to Denali, overnighted there, then to Anchorage, stayed three days there, then to Seward and stayed three days there. It was beautiful weather – only got lightly sprinkled on one time. In Anchorage we set up our tent and also a mosquito net structure around our picnic table. We had a bear visit our campsite while we were out visiting the zoo one day. He left some holes in our mosquito net and bent a pole to let us know he had been there! That last night there was a little bit hard to sleep but there was no more activity from the bear.

In Seward we stayed in a yurt – kind of fun! We went to the Sea Life Center and the children got to see a lot of animals there. Then we went on a 4 hour cruise on the ocean and got to see some more animals in the wild: porpoises, puffins, sea lions, eagles, even a couple of whales! We had a lot of fun just spending time together without interruptions from the computer and such. Daddy did all the cooking which was nice for mommy. It was just a great time of getting closer to each other and relaxing in a way, though getting back home was probably more relaxing due to the stresses of living in a tent, trying to keep 4 little kids clean and happy and all the traveling involved!! But we survived and it was a great experience. Everyone really had a great attitude the whole time!

Now we are into Vacation Bible Time week. James is teaching 3^rd grade boys and Iva is teaching 3^rd grade girls. It is not quite the same at our church right now because our pastor is in Texas for a few months. He left the end of May, had his hip replacement surgery July 2^nd and has another appointment in August to see if he is able to come home yet. We miss him greatly but God is working powerfully in his life and in the church here in Fairbanks.

Right now the children are playing school. Abby is the teacher and Jayson and Joshua are the students. Bethany is watching from the restraints of her playpen. She doesn’t go in there very often, just when we really need her to stay out of the way and not get into trouble. She is really a very good baby – calm and easy going. She has always been very quiet and for that reason has been slow to pick up a lot of words but she does like to imitate us and is now beginning to build her vocabulary. She may need some speech therapy because of her cleft issues and for now we are meeting with the speech therapist just every few months to see how things are going and let us know how we can encourage her to say more words. Other than that Bethany is doing quite well and slowly gaining weight and height. She is pretty petite. She will be 17 months old next week.

Joshua will be four years old next week. Being the youngest of the 3 big kids and the 2^nd born boy, he seems to be always trying to keep up with the older ones and is often left out. At this point he is definitely the one who needs the most affirmation of our love and is frequently testing the limits of what he can get away with. This little boy needs the most prayer of all our children right now. He seems to do well one on one with someone. For instance, when alone he likes to play with Bethany and entertains her pretty well and he and Jayson do have lots of fun together when it is just the two of them. They are great brothers.

Jayson will be starting kindergarten this fall and is a very eager learner. He is 5 years old, will be 6 in October. He is growing into quite a little young man, learning to open doors for people and saying “excuse me” when he wants to talk. He is a very active little boy and loves to run and jump and climb. Always very happy and energetic, he is seldom without a smile.

Abby, of course, is my big helper. She likes to surprise people with gifts or jobs done. She is a real giver, more so than any other child I have known. Last year at VBT, twice she won a prize and got to pick what she wanted. After looking over all the things on the table she finally picked out something for her brothers both times. Whenever there is a birthday coming up she wants to go buy something for the person and will also make gifts and cards. Anytime there is something special going on for someone she is thinking about what to get for them. Often she will use her money to buy a candy bar or a pop for a friend or family member. She always shares her candy with us. What a special young lady God has given us. Abigail is seven and a half.

We are having a wonderful time serving and honoring our Lord and Savior. He is faithful and good to us ALWAYS!

Awwww, sweet baby!!! Bethany at 1 year of age just two days before her palate surgery. What a happy girl!! She had her pictures taken just hours before Daddy, Mommy and Beth hopped on a plane to go to Portland. The surgery went well and, of course, the arm splints were reinstated, this time with a strap attached that went across her back which really helped them stay on. Keeping them on, however, didn't necessarily guarantee that she would keep things away from her mouth as can be seen in some of the pictures!