Costume Change Artist

There are so many things I need to blog about, and to catch up on, but I just uploaded a bunch of pictures and HAD to share. Our little Nathan is the world's best 6 year-old costume designer. Instead of trying to figure out what to do every afternoon, he spends his days deciding what to be.... Nathan lived a couple years of his young life as a pirate (seriously, every single day), and then a scarecrow for a while, and then back to a pirate. Well, he's now added a few other passions and possibilities to his list of "what to be when I grow up". Let's hope he settles on something profitable and responsible someday, before he's a husband and father!

Pierre... the mime. Or, sometimes Pierre... L'artiste de Francais!

Chef... Boyardee... uh, Nate!

A clown. He put this costume together ALL by himself. Rachel and Sarah hate clowns—they think they're scary. So, his favorite clown thing to do is to run after them, hide and jump out, and scare them. Good thing he hasn't seen Stephen King's "IT".

Superman (Love the addition of the red underwear to complete the costume!)

Shepherd in the Christmas program... this is the only costume I've EVER told him to put on. :)

This one is an old one (Christmas 2009) but still one of my favorites.

Scarecrow.... outstanding in his field.

This is proof that he literally LIVED in that costume. No matter what we were doing, and no matter where we were going, he was Nathan the Pirate...always.

Dixon Family Camping Reunion 2011

Dixon Family Camp (Reunion) 2011 was held this year at Albert Moser Campground near Preston, Idaho. The beautiful Cub River ran right through the campground, actually right behind our tent!

It has a lot of beautiful ground and tree foliage, and each campground was pretty secluded. Mom and Dad were in charge this year. We had a very fun 4 days near the end of July eating way too much yummy food, and playing our favorite games, Scum and Mill. David and I also taught the kids how to play Kick-the-Can, and we spent a lot of time reading and visiting while the kids played together.

This was Joshua's bug friend he found. He played with it for half the day, and it just sat there on this sweatshirt or his hand while he went about his business.

Steve's favorite past-time at camp

Joshua's "bug tent" he built... everyone needs a canopy!

Cousins Samantha and Macey wearing the "leaf hats" we made. The giant leaves were so fun!

Bryson, Kyle, and Joshua "protecting" the camp... Joshua helped them build these lethal weapons.

On Friday, we went to Bear Lake (one of our favorite places) and set up a day camp for ourselves between all the other people who also love it there. It was crazy busy, but as usual, we had a really fun time.

Josh and his "twin" cousin, Macey (that's only 9 days older). The rule of the day...the sandier the better!

 

Wake up, Rachel! Don't want to get roasted!

Swimmin' in the sand... (The water canons were one of Grandma's surprises. So fun for the kids and grown ups, too!)

Grandma's ring pops were a very special treat! (I have no idea what that white line is... probably a glare. I guess Nathan was  just inhaling the sunshine!)

We had planned to go into Preston on Saturday, but everybody was so happy hanging around camp that we ended up staying there all day. Sunday included the usual Primary and Adult FHE lessons. Mom and Dad taught the kids about the Atonement and the love of their Savior, and Steve and I taught about "Deciding to be Happy".

This is the handout I created, and the whole lesson is outlined on the card.

 We had a killer dutch oven potluck dinner that afternoon. Sunday night, we were forced to our beds early (around 8:30) because it started raining. It poured all night, complete with thunder and lightning and rained so heavily that everyone's tents leaked and Mom and Dad's gigantic canopy actually broke and collapsed. (But, Josh was thrilled to find his "bug tent" still standing!!) It was a mess cleaning up to go home that next morning, but everyone was surprisingly happy and helpful. It made me grateful to have such a loving supportive family that worked together until everyone was cleaned up and packed up, and we all left together. We were so muddy that all the shoes were collected in a garbage bag, and Joshua went home without pants (we gave him a towel, though)! We missed Shaunna and Eric's family (though they sent Landon and Branson from Alaska) and Michael and Krystal, who were unable to come. Here is the beautiful parting picture we took as we pulled out of the campground. It takes my breath away...

St. Patrick's Day

I have a mom that absolutely loves holidays...every one of them, except maybe Halloween. But, that never stopped her from decorating and making us the most amazing homemade costumes (and I always felt bad for kids who had to buy theirs at the store). I'm not quite so gung-ho as she is, but because of her, I love holidays too. The big ones are wonderful celebrations and require much energy and preparation, all of which is worth it. But the simple ones, like St. Patrick's Day, are fun to celebrate, too, and require only a little creativity (or childhood experiences like mine).

We began the morning of March 17th with some of Steve's choice bagpipe music blasting through the intercom system to wake the younger kids. I already had green chocolate chip muffins baking in the oven and green eggs and ham (what my mom ALWAYS fed us on March 17th) on the stove. The milk was already dyed green in the boys' lunches and I welcomed them to my kitchen with a cheery "Top of the mornin' to ye, laddie!" as each of the boys entered the room. (Of course, the night before, I made sure they were all wearing something green, knowing their big sisters would be sure to check first thing.) The boys each smiled and hugged me, cheered for the green muffins and eggs, and Josh and Nathan even danced a jig or two in the dining room while I finished cooking breakfast. I was a little concerned for the girls, though. Their eye rolling and only near smiles all morning made me wonder if there was something wrong with their faces. Perhaps they think they're too old for that stuff now, being so mature and all, but I know inside they were laughing and somewhat grateful to have a mommy as silly as me. I sent them all off to school and work with the phrase, "May the luck of the Irish be with ye today!" ...More teenage eye rolling, but this time with real smiles.

The next day (because the actual holiday evening was way too busy for us) we went to my mom's house for her traditional St. Patrick's Day Dinner... Corned beef and cabbage, cooked carrots, green jell-o and green juice. (It's gotten better over the years, she used white grape juice this year, and real corned beef brisket - it was always kool-aid and a tiny can of corned beef when we were kids. She also added my sister-in-law's Scarborough potatoes to the menu...yum!). I brought cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was amazing to me, even only 5 weeks post-knee replacement, she still had the house decorated with shamrocks, green tablecloths, Irish buttons to wear, green horns to blow, and every tiny detail taken care of (including writing down how many Weight Watcher's points each item on the menu would be). As much as she does, you'd think we were Irish or something. (I think my great-grandmother was half or quarter Irish, but I'm really not sure, so I hope I didn't lie to my kids...)

I smiled a huge smile as I told her about our morning celebrations and shared with her how much I appreciate the kind of mommy she was while I was growing up, so I could have these traditions, and re-create those same memories for my kids. ...And now I wonder how many of my siblings had green eggs and ham for breakfast on March 17th...?

Grateful for my Journal - Our Family Road Trip

When we went to Alaska this past summer, I had each of the kids decorate the cover of a dollar store sketch book and use it as their travel journal. It gave them something to do in the car, but is also a precious reminder of the things we saw and did on our incredible journey. Because the kids were doing this, I also brought along a journal (you'll remember that even though I love writing, I'm not much of a journal-keeper). I'm so grateful that I did this time. I didn't realize how crazy life would get during the months following our trip, and here we are, six months later, and I'm finally sitting down to share our journey on my blog. Without my messy car-vibration altered writing scratched into my journal, I wouldn't remember even half of the details or feelings I've just read about as I sat reading, smiling, and remembering our incredible family road trip. I thought it would be more appropriate to pre-date the entry in my blog so it was more chronological, so I picked a date in July, 2010, shortly after our return.... Our Family Road Trip  <--- click this link to travel back in time....

'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

What a great month December was for our family. We had so many wonderful opportunities to "feel" the Christmas Spirit and so many great events with family that kept my emotions close to the surface and my tear ducts occupied for most of the month.

At the very beginning of the month, Rachel's choir sang at the Festival of Trees they hold every year at the Stephens Performing Arts Center at ISU. We went early to look at all the beautiful trees and the boys got to  sit on Santa's lap. Then while Rachel was practicing, the boys and I worked on crafts they had out for the children to do. The concert was really nice (the Century Choir and Band performed) and the boys were really good. We've never done that before, but enjoyed it enough that I think we might have to make it an annual tradition to at least go to see the trees and Santa (and Rachel if she's performing, too).

That next weekend, we had our annual Brown Family Christmas party, which was far from traditional this year. Steve's parents bought us all tickets to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Hale Centre Theatre in Salt Lake for Christmas. (I think there were over 50 that they paid for.) Oh, what a fun event. Bryson got to sit in the front row next to Grandpa, and Nathan was sitting on the edge of his chair the whole time. We all loved the performance so much! The theater is so fun with it's sunken stage and audience all around, that you feel like you're part of the story, too. Bryson said to Steve on the way out, "Dad, I think I would like to go to the theater more often." We wondered if he'd like more to be part of the play...he spent most of his day quoting Tiny Tim. Josh really loved it too. He actually hugged "Mr. Scrooge" on the way out. It was so fun, and such a wonderful treat for our whole (extended) family to share in the spirit of that classic tale together. Following the play, we went to a church building and had our very traditional lunch, game exchange, musical present game, collection for "Secret Santa", and family program. That also was very special with the sweet testimonies that were borne following the program. After we cleaned up the church, we went to a friend's of Steve's parents who works at the temple with them. They had a "ride on" model train with a mile or more of permanent track through their amazing property. We started in their heated garage/shop where we sat and watched "The Polar Express" until it was our turn. We had instructions and then got on the train. It rode through the property past more lights and yard decorations than I've ever seen in one place, to a place they called the "North Pole". There some cute little elves, took us into a room where Santa sat and the kids all got to sit on his lap and put in their requests and talk with him. He then showed the kids a candy cane and explained that it represents Jesus. We all sang "Silent Night" together, and then "reverently" left to return to the train. The second half of the train ride was through the rest of the property where we passed large "billboard" prints (mostly of paintings by Simon Dewey) with spotlights on them and listened to sacred Christmas hymns and songs. It was such a fun outing, and gave the kids an opportunity to think about the fun of the season, as well as the true meaning of Christmas. It was such a fun day with the Brown Family, a great time together, and a wonderful way to bring the Christmas spirit into our thoughts and hearts.

We spent an extra night in Utah so we could go visit and attend church Sunday morning with my Grandma Law (my dad's mom) in Provo. That was a special treat for her, and for us. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon with Steve's mom and dad and left in time to hit Salt Lake City in the dark. We drove around until we finally found a parking space in a lot, bundled up the kids, and walked a few blocks to Temple Square. The kids couldn't believe how beautiful all the lights were and loved the story and huge nativity on the lawn between the visitors center and the tabernacle. We wandered around for about an hour until we were tired, and then headed home. It was really the very best way we could have ended such a fun Christmas weekend together.

The following Friday, Steve and I took the three biggest kids (Sarah, Rachel and Bryson) to Salt Lake City for the Tabernacle Choir's Annual Christmas Concert. We were so grateful to my mom for volunteering to have the little boys spend the night with her, and to Steve's friend who works for the church's public affairs department was able to get us tickets. It was a miracle of sorts. David Archuleta and actor Michael York were the special guests. What a fun concert! There was something for everyone to enjoy. There were dancers, the Temple Square bell choir, an organ solo, a very touching story, and the conference center decorations were incredible. The music that the choir and David sang were everything from traditional carols to original compositions, sacred hymns to festive songs. It was such a fun concert, and something we would LOVE to do again! One of the best parts, though, was running into Steve's parents there. The concert was the culminating event of an interfaith conference that his dad had been asked to speak at. Their reserved seating was in the row right in front of us! It was fun to share the concert with them as well.

The very next day, Saturday, we headed to Boise for the Dixon Family Christmas party on Sunday. Sarah had a double date that her cousin set up for her, so we had to be there by Saturday evening. They had a lot of fun together (went to see lights, eat pizza, slide down icy slides at the park and play games). She was really grateful for a cousin with good friends that went to all that trouble to make sure she'd have fun. The next morning, we went to church with my sister, Kristina, and the had the family part that evening. We always do our "Christmas soup" dinner and treats and then act out the Nativity. It was a tradition we did as children, that has survived the years and is now part of our children's Christmas memories as well. Instead of reading the Christmas story from the Bible or another book, we sang the verses of "The Nativity Song" in the Primary Songbook and had the kids enter the "scene" as we sang about them. It was a very nice, quick way to review the story and act it out without all the chaos we usually have. Nathan was Joseph this year and chose his older cousin, Macey to be Mary. The other kids just picked what they wanted to be. The funniest part of the program this year was when Mary and Joseph entered and Mary just dropped the baby (a doll, thank goodness) into the "manger". As part of the program this year, we added a story called "Mary's Treasure Box" that I read as my mom and Macey acted it out. It's a story about Mary as a grandmother, telling her granddaughter, Sarah, who is James' daughter, about Jesus and the events in his life. For each thing they pulled out of the treasure box (like gray wool, straw, a flute, cloth, gold, frankinsence and myrrh) they talked about where it came from what it represents or what we learn from it. It was such a wonderful story. (I had photocopies of it because we used it for our program at our Relief Society Christmas Breakfast.) I would love to add it to my collection, but it's pretty expensive (maybe out of print or something). Anyway, it was a great program and we had a really fun time together.

The next weekend was Christmas, and we loved sharing that week before it together with everybody home from school and work, finishing shopping and wrapping, watching movies, playing games, building puzzles, and just being together. Rachel's piano recital was that Monday, and of course, she did a beautiful job. My brother, Michael and his wife Krystal, came and spent a night with us and we had a wonderfully fun time together. With the exception of a head cold settling in on me and Krystal, it was such a fun visit and we were grateful that they spent part of their vacation time with us in our new house.

I think more than all the things we saw or did to celebrate before Christmas, I really loved all the new experiences we had, and that we were together enjoying them. We got pretty spoiled on our trip last summer and really liked having so much together time exploring and discovering new things. I think I loved all these events because they seemed kind of like an extension of those wonderful memories. It was a very busy month and lots of traveling, but these memories we made together made this a year we'll always remember.

2010: Our Year in Review

If I was into sending out Christmas letters with our postcards, I would have sent a letter that was way too long, bragged way too much about my wonderful family, and still wouldn't have even touched on the enormous amount of gratitude we feel  for all we've been blessed with this year.

I do know, however, how much I love reading about all of my treasured friends and loved ones' families, so for those who took the time to search out my blog to see what we've been up to, here's our year in review (and what you would have read, had I sent out a Christmas letter this year)....

The two most exciting things we can share from 2010 is our family vaction this summer and our move this fall. We spent the first half of the year saving our pennies and in June, we packed up our Suburban to the very top (not kidding) and drove to Alaska. We spent almost a month traveling through Canada and Alaska. We drove about 8,000 miles in our car, rode to the top of the Space Needle, hiked a glacier, saw the ocean and lots of wildlife, caught our “first fish”,  rode a ferry, dug up clams, played with cousins, swam in a hot spring, camped in the rain, and had many other grand adventures. We had a wonderful time together and have so many happy memories! In August, a wonderful opportunity and blessing was dropped in our lap, and we took it and moved forward with faith! We moved moved into a new pre-loved house that is just perfect for us! It has lots of room inside and out, and is absolutely beautiful! We really like our new ward, and love that we have so many new friends already. We've all adjusted pretty quickly, which helped our new house feel like "home" almost from the very first day. It's just where we're supposed to be!

Steve (our Daddy) still works for U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson. He loves his job, and also had an opportunity to help his boss get re-elected by working part-time at night and on weekends on the primary campaign. By June, he wasn't quite busy enough, so he accepted the Mayor's appointment to fill a vacant seat on the Pocatello City Council. It's been an eye-opening experience, and as much as he loves working with the other members of the board, he's really had to make some tough decisions and then stand behind what he feels is right and best for Pocatello. We're so proud of him. As entrepreneurs do, he's also found time to pad the family income with his direct mail business which helped out a lot during the campaign season (and our move) with 65,000 pieces of mail we designed, had printed, labeled, and sent out for several candidates. He has also been crazy busy this year getting our old house ready to rent, working out the little kinks in our new house, serving on a couple of other community and state boards, spending incredible quality time with his family, and tinkering in a couple of other business ventures. He was also recently called as the Cub Master in our new ward. He really likes having the opportunity to be the "funnest" 10 year-old in the ward!

Julia (Me, the Mommy) still loves being a stay-at-home mom. My kids are my life and I love that I have the opportunity to be totally involved in their activities and schools. This was also a year of change and growth for me as I discovered and learned much about myself and developed many new physical and spiritual strengths. I end the year much healthier and happier than I started it, and much more the person I want to be. I spent  a few months preparing for our trip and then a few more preparing to move. It's been a crazy year, but so many blessings have been thrown our way, I know that the Lord has watched over and blessed me to be able to keep up and be the kind of mother and wife I want to be. On our 3rd Sunday in our new ward, I was called to serve as the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. In the short time I have served there (almost 2 months now), my heart has been changed, and I've seen the Lord's plan for our family start to unfold. As you can guess, I haven't had a lot of spare time for hobbies this year, but I still love baking, blogging, and reading, and playing with my family the most.

Sarah (17) has had a pretty good year. It's been a healthy one (heart-wise) with relatively little action in that department. She found out this year that she has a pretty severe case of Scoliosis, which has caused much more heartache and many more challenges, but takes it all in stride and remains her sweet little self. She is a senior in High school, and is beginning the new year with college and scholarship applications dancing in her head. Besides our family trip and moving, the highlight of her year was attending EFY at BYU-Idaho. It was such an amazing experience for her and she came back a changed teenager! She loves to spend time with our family, and all of her extra time with friends (live or on Facebook).

Rachel (14) has become the best traveled member of our family. In March, she went on the American Heritage Tour with other 8th Graders in the community. Her favorite things were spending time in New York City, and seeing "Wicked" on Broadway, and making so many new friends! She earned all $3,000 herself (with help from her terrific parents) and had a wonderful experience. She also started high school this year and absolutely loves it! Being in a "real school" now, she can wear make-up, "real clothes" and make many new friends. She stays busy with piano lessons (taking and teaching) and friends, and thoroughly enjoys having her own room!

Bryson (11) is in 5th Grade now and still loves school. He was recently released from his occupational therapy and had grown and matured in such amazing ways. We hardly ever see evidence of his Asperger's anymore, and his confidence is apparent in his constant smile. His drawing talent has continued to blossom as he draws everything from the most detailed dragons you've ever seen to cartoon mice with goofy grins. He absolutely loves scouts, and earned his Arrow of Light just before we moved. His new scout leaders are amazing and he is looking forward to camping and many other adventures in the spring with his new troop. With our move came a whole handful of friends just down the street, a few he already knew from school. Having so many friends to play with all the time is a new thing in his life, but just one more blessing that came with our new house.

Joshua (7) is in 2nd grade and has discovered the joy of reading. He loves non-fiction the best, and any information he can gather about space, electricity and mysteries of the natural world are the best. He still loves to take apart and build things, but has discovered a new love for science experiments. He loves to draw, too, but his drawings are usually of mechanical or body systems, or data charts from his experiments. He also loves to play the wii, run around the yard, and play with his brothers and friends.

Nathan (5) is spending his last year at home with Mom. He is such a fun boy. He spent the first part of the year being a pirate, and the last part of it being a scarecrow. He often changes several times a day, and mom has to be careful to keep up. He also loves to draw and shows much promise of following in his big brother's footsteps. He started sounding out words this fall and has recently "published" his first book, "The Wizrd of Pos." He also loves running errands with Mommy, reading books, visiting Great-Grandma Mangum, and following his brothers around and playing legos with them.

Our family has been blessed beyond measure this year, and knowing that our Heavenly Father loves and watches over us is among our greatest treasures. We are so grateful for our forever family and all the amazing things that have happened this year to help seal our bonds of love and friendship. We pray that you, our family and friends near and far, have also felt the love and blessings of God rest upon you this year. We love you and hope you all have a merry Christmas and an amazing new year!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas...

Here's what our Christmas postcards would have looked like, had they arrived in any of our family and friends' mailboxes this year. We got them back from the printer a week or so before Christmas, but they had a problem with all the shadows around the pictures, and had to be reprinted. I'm hoping to send the new ones out next week (yes...a whole week after Christmas) just to make sure everyone knows we still love them and were thinking about them again this year!

Our Family Road Trip

As taken from my journal, and pictures added...

June 9, 2010
     Yesterday was the first day of our family road trip to Alaska. We've been saving and working extra hard for the last 6 months so we'd have enough money to not go in debt for our vacation. It feels good to have actually earned this trip.
      We drove from Pocatello to Seattle in one day, stopping only 3 times for bathroom, gas and food breaks. We couldn't believe how good the kids were. Nathan sat in his car seat and drew all day as happy as could be. He almost filled up a 100-page doodle pad. The kids watched movies, we played a game of virtual hide and seek and sang some obnoxious travel songs. We had a fun and very happy day, considering how long we were driving. We stopped in Auburn, just east of Seattle.
     Today we're going to see the Space Needle and up to Vancouver. We saw some beautiful country across Oregon and Washington. Some of the mountain passes in Oregon were absolutely gorgeous. Northern Washington, like near Auburn and Seattle, were so green...waterfalls on the freeway. It is so beautiful here. So green...

June 10, 2010
     In the last day and a half, we've ridden to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, crossed the Canadian border, ridden a ferry to Victoria, slept in a hotel by the ocean, visited a famous 100 year-old Victorian castle, had lunch with some local totem poles, and barely missed the ferry back to Vancouver by 5 minutes and had to wait 2 hours for the next one--first in line.
     The kids are still doing well. Most of them (everyone but Sarah) have a runny nose and various stages of some viral thing--coughs and runny eyes... but they're such good kids.
     The Space Needle was a fun stop. We have tow kids very afraid of heights--Sarah and Josh. Sarah actually considered staying at ground level--until she realized she'd be all alone for about an hour and Steve insisted she come. She loved it up there and felt very good about "conquering" her fears. Josh was totally fine, after seeing on the way up that the construction of it was solid and sound, until I suddenly lifted him up to see over the bar. He grabbed my neck and started to cry when he buried his face in my neck. I felt so terrible scaring him like that. Not sure what he thought I was going to do, but I guess his security was gone the moment his feet left the "ground". Nate was so excited to see the Space "Meedle". Little Einsteins went there in one of his movies and he couldn't wait to go there himself. It was so cute!

Boys exploring the straw maze we found at the Seattle Center

Playing in the fountain at the Seattle Center

A view from the top

Joshua felt a lot better by the back wall, just "facing" North
instead looking down over it!

     The border crossing was an interesting event. They pulled us out of line and made us go inside where yet a 3rd officer asked questions about us and our travels, looked over our paperwork (passports and birth certificates) yet again, and made us sit and wait about 10 minutes. Then he called us over and told us to have a good trip and gave back the papers. And just like that, we were back on the road--in Canada. One thing we learned through that experience...Canadian border patrol officers are very serious. Not even a smile cracked with Steve's light tone...like when they asked if any of us were traveling with over $10,000 in cash and he said, "No, but that would be nice...." Stone face... It was weird. The kids were a little nervous about being in trouble or arrested, but we decided it was either a routine random pull-out, they didn't like Steve's tone, or they couldn't believe all 5 kids really belonged to us! :)

     The hotel was a welcome rest that night after the ferry ride across the ocean to Victoria. We made macaroni and cheese and little smokies in the kitchenette in our room and went to bed early. The next morning, we got ready, had breakfast, and went to see Craigdarroch Castle. It was really cool. The kids like museums and the house was restored beautifully....incredible woodwork and stained glass. It was so pretty.

Rachel playing the antique Steinway

     We stopped at a park (I think it was Liberty Park) and Steve took the kids to see the totem poles while I made sandwiches. Then we got back in the car and headed to the ferry port... and missed it by 5 minutes. We passed the next 2 hours watching a movie and Steve and I tried to rethink our steps to make up for lost time and figure out how far to drive today.

A view of the Parliament Building from the park
(Victoria is British Columbia's Capitol)

     The second ferry ride was much better on the way back. We learned about the play area on deck 6, got there early enough to sit together and by the windows, and took a walk outside on the deck to see the water below us. It was much more fun and went a lot faster. The very cool thing about the first ride, though, was the group of orcas, or killer whales (don't know which) that we accidentally saw surface on the trip over to Victoria. That was really cool. After dinner, we hit the road again for another 5-hour stretch to Williams Lake, BC.

     The road is windy through the mountains--such beautiful country...tall, tall mountains, tunnels through them, trees--all kinds everywhere--and waterfalls down the side of the mountains. I hope the rest of Canada looks like this. What a beautiful place God's world is. How blessed we are!

June 16, 2010

     We arrived in Houston, Alaska on Monday, the 14th. Our last 3 days to Alaska we pushed hard, drove fast and spent whole days in the car. Because of all the rain, we stopped each night to sleep at a hotel. The pickin's were pretty slim in a few of those little towns. Williams Lake had a hotel with only 1 non-smoking room left. It was old and run down ("junky" as the girls called it) that smelled like stale Indian food. There was a restaurant in the hotel. But it was a place to lay our heads that had a shower and a flush potty. The next day we traveled to Fort Nelson--about another 12 hours in the car--and got in about 12:30 or 1:00 a.m. The hotel we picked that night was really nice and the last 2 rooms they had available were adjoining rooms. We wish we'd had more time to enjoy that hotel. It was really nice. The next night we stayed in Whitehorse--the capitol of Yukon. We stayed at an economy hotel that was nice and clean, but older, and they only had 1 non-smoking room available. The boys slept on the floor in sleeping bags there, too. We drove through so fast, we didn't really get to see the towns or anything, arrived late, slept in, left and drove all day. Some of the roads were pretty windy, but after Watson Lake, the Alaska Highway was pretty straight for awhile and so beautifully groomed. It was an amazing drive. Can't even describe how beautiful, and the pictures we took really don't do justice to the scenery.

 

    We also saw a lot of wildlife those 4 days: bears... black and maybe a grizzly, moms and baby cubs (they were so cute!), two wild horses, moose (and 1 baby with a mommy) elk, bison (buffalo, also with calves), sheep (dall sheep with large round horns) deer, and a ptarmigan (arctic grouse) among other birds, lots of seagulls, geese and... (of course) mosquitoes!

     The last stretch of our driving was after we stayed Sunday night in Tok, Alaska. The Westmark hotel there was really nice, too. There was lots of room for the boys to run--and run they did. I called Shaunna (our phones finally started working again, now that we were back in the US) and sat in a porch swing enjoying the fresh air. The kids slept in our room with us--it was big enough they brought in 2 roll-aways the girls used. We made dinner in the room and watched a movie together before we fell asleep.

     Oh! Sunday it rained most of the day. We had decided to stop and set up the camp stove and eat hot food we already had so we wouldn't have to buy anything but gas along the way. Well, it rained and rained, and finally we saw a rest stop and Steve said he'd cook (warm the chili) in the rain. When we stopped, the rain slowed to a sprinkle, and by the time we had all the stuff out, it had stopped completely. IT stayed away until we had cleaned up and started back on the road again. Thais trip has been full of little miracles like that--the only rooms left at midnight being adjoined rooms or non-smoking, rain stopping while we explored Seattle or made lunch, seeing orca whales when such a thing is very rare on the ferry. We have been abundantly blessed on this trip. Safe arrival after 6 days and 3,000+ miles of highway and no problems--with the car or the kids. They passed around a snotty nose and hoarse voice but are all mostly better now.

     We had a very warm welcome by the Lees ("Welcome to Alaska" posters and everything) and are so happy to be here playing with them. Their house--the log home they built--is absolutely gorgeous and it's hard to not be just a little bit jealous. There is enough room for an extra family when you put boys and little ones on the floors and couches. I went on an incredible 4-mile walk with Shaunna yesterday to the river and back. The cool air was invigorating and it was fun to have such conversation and fast pace. I could really get used to doing that in the mornings, and being in this beautiful piece of Heaven.

      Today we're headed to the Kenai Peninsula to camp. We're going clamming and to see Exit Glacier, take the kids to the Sea Life Center and Steve and I are going deep sea halibut fishing on Friday. I'm really excited, but a little nervous, too. It's wet and rainy today, so I hope the sun will shine down on us soon and will enjoy our stay near the ocean so much more. Landon (my nephew) asked Heavenly Father to bless us that the sun would come out so we wouldn't be so miserable. Hopefully that's part of His will today. :)

June28, 2010

     It happened. The rain stopped all while we went clamming, walked to Exit Glacier, through most of our fishing charter, and on through the week. It has amazed me this whole trip that the rain has stayed away just where or when we really wanted or need it to. With the exception of a rainy camping trip--rained most of the night, both nights--our every hope and wish has been granted. It's like Heavenly Father has blessed our trip and wants us to have the best time we can--it's been so amazing!

     Well, my journal was in the car all while w were at Shaunna's and I was so busy having fun and playing that I didn't write while we were there. So, here's a recap of what we've been up to at Shaunna's house (hopefully I'll write more someday and fill in the gaps)...

     Monday: arrived in late afternoon, kids were bounding off walls, so excited. Grand tour of Lees house... so beautiful!

 

     Tuesday: Stayed home and played all day, slept late, lots of resting, washed and repacked for Seward trip

     Wednesday: Left at 7am to Ninilchik to go clamming, Nathan got cold, Josh got stuck in wet sand and soaked,  and so did Sarah (fell in helping Landon get unstuck), Bryson came in cold, and Rachel stayed out for the long haul. We had a great time, though, and I was surprised they all touched the clams and played as long as they did--it was really cold. Luckily, Shaunna had boots and waders to take care of everyone in both families. Bless her! Drove to Seward in rain. Camp set up, no rain again til after dinner.

We called Rachel our "Gap Girl"

 

      Thursday: Hike to Exit Glacier and Alaska Sea Life Center

 

Branson, Landon, Rachel and Sarah / Carston, Joshua, LaKell, Bryson and Nathan

 

Nathan and Carston were "bad scouts" and kept leaving the trail

 

Tickling the anemones and starfish

Nathan was so excited to see real jellyfish. He watched them forever!

      Friday: Kids camped in rain with Lees, Steve and I went on halibut fishing charter. So fun! Caught my limit of halibut, 3 rock fish and 1 silver salmon--I was the only one on the boat that caught a salmon--felt pretty proud of that one! Such a great time and beautiful, calm ocean. Saw orcas, dolphins, puffins, and sea lions, all in their natural habitats--definite bonus. Cleaned up camp in rain and drive home. Home late.

      Saturday: Recovered, cleaned up, played, took 4-mile hike (around the block) with Eric and all the boys, rode tiny train--Nathan and the other boys loved it!

Rachel, Branson, Sarah, Bryson, Josh, Carston, LaKell and Nathan - Missing Landon

 

 

     Sunday: Church and Father's day. Treasure hunt for dads with matching ties, clues and "X marks the spot". Moose backstrap steak for dinner and pies for dessert. Nice day. Incredible husband. Love him SO much!

     Monday - Reindeer farm, "Snotty" kept sneezing on us...yuck! Kids were much less timid than expected--especially Nathan. He was so cute petting the babies and feeding those huge mouths from his hand.

 

 

     Tuesday: H2Oasis water park in Anchorage, fun double seated tube water slide--Rachel and I loved this! Pirate ship, shallow pool, lazy river, etc. Our kids were done way before the Lees, but we all had fun. Introduced the Lees to "Dippin Dots" ice cream (one of Steve's favorites) and went to see Toy Story 3--cute movie, just a little intense for little ones in one part. Laughed a lot, loved it! Movie theater gave us all coupons for free popcorn and small drinks--fun to each have our own! :)

     Wednesday: Steve and Eric took the boys fishing at the Johnson's in teh Lees' ward, nice ptople--let the kids ride the paddle boats and they caught tiny fish--first one for Josh. Girls went shopping in Anchorage, souvenir shops downtown and the mall.

     Thursday: Independence mine--explored old mining camp. Hatcher's pass--beautiful. In the morning Steve and I went to Wasilla. He got the car serviced, vacuumed and washed for our trip home while I went to visit Sarah Noel--nice visit, she seems happy in Alaska. Washed clothes, bought groceries and packed.

     Friday: Loaded the car and crammed in a canoe trip at the lake down the road, and roasted hot dogs and s'mores for lunch that we wanted to do all week, just before we left. Always came home too late, to bed too late, slept in too late. That Alaskan midnight sun is pretty crazy on the body.

     Oh! I forgot...Sunday night, late (10:30pm to 4:00am), Eric and his friend, Rod, took me and Steve salmon fishing on some rivers and creeks to get our kings. It was a slow night, no bites, but beautiful, peaceful, incredible, and I became a great caster! :)

     Headed home now. Sad, but anxious. I just can't believe it's over already!

     Friday night, we stayed in Tok, Saturday night in Teslin, and last night in Fort Nelson. Sarah and Bryson got coughs while we were at the Lees, so they've been feeling yucky--Sarah's been throwing up the last 3 days (with the coughs). Now Steve and Josh are coughing, and Josh and Rachel have both had earaches. It appears it's time for us to return home and get ourselves back together again. Kids are still doing well, considering the long days of driving and not feeling very well. To Edmonton tonight (seeing the largest mall in North America tomorrow morning), stopping at the Sign Post Forest and for a dip at Liard Hot Springs along the way, and then to Kalispell, Montana the next day, and home the next, if all goes according to plan.

...and that's where my journaling ended. I'm really not a very good journal writer. Obviously, we returned home safely, were really glad to be in our own beds again, and everyone got well again. You can tell by the pictures we had a good time on the way home, too. We had such a fun time together, and still laugh when someone mentions some of the funny little things that happened on our trip. The time we spent playing in the car was among some of our favorite memories, and everybody's been a little different since we got home. The kids became very aware of the little miracles that seemed to happen every day, sometimes several a day. It was definitely one of the best things we've ever done for our family, second to being sealed together forever and starting this family in the first place!