Forget Bunny Ears

Forget the bunny ears because in Alaska we roll with the moose antlers.

Pat's quilt

I am so excited that I finished a quilt! I made this quilt for Aaron's pilot buddy, Pat, because he's just awesome. Seriously, he's a great friend to Aaron and gave my kids a Wii for Christmas. The blue squares that you see a lot of is this Penn State fabric, where he went to school, and I have some Navy fabric in there too because he's a Naval Aviator.

One block out of the whole quilt is different...see it?

My friend saved the quilt by quilting it on her machine! I think if I would of had to hand quilt it it would of never been done.

I know...improper tagging but I was in a huge rush to get it into the mail that day.

Just glue it together

Last week when I was getting some beans ready to can I heard this huge crash. Jackson had grabbed this huge candlestick that I have in the dining room and it fell on his head. It took over 10 minutes to get the blood to slow down just so I could see the wound. I wasn't sure if it needed stitches so I glued it together with New Skin. (Love that stuff). This scar just might make him look more manish when he grows up...like a beauty mark.

100th Day of School

At Kali's school they made a huge deal about it being the 100th day of school. She made this pretty crown and just looked too cute to pass up a picture.

Miracles Happen

Yesterday was the most wonderful day ever! Our prayers were answers and how grateful I am to a loving Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for my trials and always hope to learn something so I can be more prepared and better at my next trials. I feel so much gratitude. Yesterday morning when we received the news I just couldn't get myself off my knees. I felt like I could pray all day and give thanks. I felt like Ammon in Alma Chapter 26 (which is my favorite chapter in the Book Of Mormon).

11:...my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice my God.

12: Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things.

16:...Yea, who can say too much of his great power, of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

I can't even explain how much gratitude that I feel in my heart. I'm just so thankful. God is good!

Memory Lane

I just found this picture on my friend's MySpace page. I'm on the top row second from the left. This was graduation from AIT. Our eyes are all red because we're about to all separate. We were the "Black Lions" and had been so close for so long. I left for Korea while Ginder, my best budd two people to the left of me, left for Germany. Betton, bottom row and all the way to the right, went to Texas. O the joys of basic training. Ginder and I (Grubb) are the ones on the bottom in the lighter sweatshirts. I wish we wouldn't of lost track of each other. We were hanging on my bed, which had been seen thrown across the room on several occassions for not being made properly (it was great entertainment to all my friends). We called it the "executive office" where we would meet.Betton labeled this picture, "Grubb, Ginder, and Betton. Where you find one you find all three." So true. We were all inseperable.

Revelation

Lately Aaron and I have been going through some trials- not as a couple, we're fine. It's just hard living in limbo. *When are we going to finally be together as a family again? *Where is Aaron going to live next month? *Are we going to have to move when Aaron finds a job? *Aaron needs a job. These are just the things that have been starting to worry me. A couple years back I switched our radio station in the car and at home. I used to listen to some Hip-Hop/Rap-whatever music and felt so ashamed on day when Kali was singing a really catchy lyric. I had never really thought about the lyrics to this song until my child was singing it. I was mortified just thinking if the Savior was standing beside her and she started singing it how would I explain that. The station got switched and all we listen to is Christian music now. I, meaning me by myself, will still listen to some songs (especially when I'm working out) but not when little ears are around...anways back to what I was talking about. So I was driving to get the kids from school and the song Revelation by Third Day came on and it was like someone was singing my heart for me at that time. I broke right down in the car. Here's the lyrics:

My life has led me down this path that's ever winding/
Through every twist and turn, I'm always finding/
That I am lost again/
Tell me when this road will ever end/

Give me a revelation/
Show me what to do/
'Cause I've been trying/
To find my way /
I haven't got a clue/
Tell me should I stay here/
Or do I need to move?/
Give me a revelation/
I've got nothing without You/
I've got nothing without You/

The chorus of this song just hit me so hard. I know that things are so uncertain right now but I really feel like my Father will take care of us- no matter what the outcome. I also know that he answers all prayers and keeps all promises. I'm worried about things but I really do take comfort in the fact that he'll walk beside me and carry me when my knees are too weak to walk through this trial.

Four cheers for Mom's smoothies!

Every night after dinner I HAVE to have something sweet (thanks mom). I mean I crave something sweet. It doesn't have to be a lot but I really need it.

And it makes it so hard to eat the right thing when I feel like if my arm was covered in chocolate I just might eat it. So the other night I made up a smoothie that is Fat Free and Sugar free (well it has some natural sugars). I tested it on the kids and they absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! So we have one every night after dinner. A total must now.

Here's the recipe:

1c of frozen strawberries
1 c of fat free milk
1/2 package of fat-free sugar-free white chocolate pudding

I first put the strawberries in my food processor and dice them down so it looks like shaved ice. Then I add the milk and pudding mix and blend until it's nice and creamy. Sometimes I add a little bit of fat free cool whip for the kids but you really don't need it. It's so delicious.

Try experimenting. The other night we used Fat-free sugar-free banana cream pudding with the strawberries and it's my absolute favorite now. We have also tried ff/sf vanilla pudding and put in a banana with the strawberries and it was sssoooooooo D-LISH! It's so good and the thing is you don't have to feel guilty about drinking it. Enjoy.

Cub Scouts

Caleb has just started his long career of scouting. Yesterday we sat alone together and just hung out and worked out of his scouting book. It was great for us to have some alone time together.

I car pool with another family and take the boys to scouts. Caleb loves it because after scouts the youth play dodgeball till 9pm- he feels so grown up to be able to hang out with them and stay up late.

It's a Party

Today I had some friends over for a Mary Kay party. Okay..so I've never bought MK but it all started as sort of a joke because I'm still applying makeup the same way as high school so I learned some new skills. Everyone just brought their kids over and it was so much fun.

It was hilarious to catch the little girls getting into the makeup also.

Marlana WAS going to go to Wal-Mart after wards but as you can see someone would probably thought she was a child abuser by looking at her child with black eyes. I think the little girls had as much fun as the big girls.

Fast Sunday

Since Caleb's baptism he's had so many questions about when he should start fasting; he really wants to. So Sunday he wakes me up and asks for some cereal. I told him fine just pour what you're going to eat. (My kids tend to have eyes much larger than their stomachs). I took a shower and got ready and walked out into the kitchen to find that Caleb only ate half of his cereal.

"Caleb could you please come here. Why did you eat only half of your cereal? Did you pour too much?"

" No Mom. I'm fasting the other half."

Talk about a gut buster.

Mom's Beauty Shop

About a week ago Caleb and I made an agreement that if he couldn't keep his hair oiled that I was going to cut it. He cried because, "everybody keeps their hair long mom! All the boys have long hair!" Gosh...it made me feel like I had gone back in time and he was trying to be a Beatle or something. He didn't do it so the barber shop opened. I cut his hair and Maddy needed on so this is the finish product. It was supposed to be a bob that just kept getting SHORTER! AHHHH! This is the only pic I have of her and it's blurry because I took it on my phone. Aaron said she looks like a mini Jessy and when I went to the store the other day the lady was like, "You're little girl is so cute! I can't believe how cute she is! And I've never seen a little girl that age have the same haircut as her mom." Okay...I had to tell Aaron so he could laugh. I did explain to her that it wasn't supposed to look like mine...I don't know if she believed me.

So Kali started begging me to get her haircut. I at first said no but remembered when I was little my mom let me have whatever hair style that I wanted. I know some parents who don't let their much older children have any decision. So..I thought about it for a minute and changed my mind.

I asked her what she wanted and she said a shorter bob. So I cut it almost to her shoulders. What I didn't take into account is that her hair is so curly and when you take all that weight off it will make it lighter...curlier. So, this is the end product. I cried. She loved it. Everywhere we go people tell her how cute her hair is, and I lip "thank you" behind her back. But now it's starting to grow on me. She likes to wear a headband which makes it look cuter. I think I'm going to leave Kali's hair to a professional.

Stair Sledding

I got a huge box in the mail yesterday, thanks honey. After I opened it and took everything out I asked Caleb and Kali to take it out to the garage.

I was a little distracted because I was making dinner but noticed that they were laughing their heads off. I went to go check it out and they were all sledding down the stairs.

It's amazing how a box can bring so much fun.

Jackson stood at the top and watched all the fun. Madeline pretended to go down which really was her sitting behind the box and watching it go down the stairs. You can't tell from out pictures but our stairs wrap and there is another set that goes down stairs. So they figured they could go down one set and swing around really quick and go down the second.

65 and counting

Thanks to some awesome in-laws/ grandparents who are willingly coming up here to watch the kids I'm going to Texas in 65 days!!!!!! Aaron's graduating and I get to pin his wings on. So of course what did I do today? Ran on the teadmill for 3 miles. Tonight is biggest loser so I'll run another 3. I have to look good! (proud Ali? I thought so).

Trapped in the House Day 2

We are having a really bad storm here and school was actually canceled yesterday...and today. So yesterday I finally made a BDU purse that I saw many moons ago. It's just a sample of the real one I want to make. I haven't purchased all the name tags that I need to make the one in my head.

But it gave me something to do during nap time. Now for today...I'm thinking pajamas for the girls. My mother-in-law gave me the pattern moons ago and the fabric but I just haven't gotten to it. So today will be the day.

"Kali I mean it. You better stop or Santa will give you Coleslaw for Christmas." - Caleb Larsen

The things kids say...

The other day Caleb and Kali were fighting with each other, surprise, and I could hear the whole conversation over the baby monitor. I called them upstairs and talked to them about the things that I hear. Now that Caleb's baptized I can say things like "you should know better you've been baptized." So after the talk Caleb starts walking away and I asked him where he was going. In a Eeyore voice he says while he's walking down the stairs, "I'm going to go repent now."

Once There Was A Snowman Who Caused Legal Problems

There's a man who lived in Anchorage and every year he builds a huge snowman. And every year the city threatens legal action against him if he doesn't destroy it.

Aaron and I were watching the news and the story was on about how in the middle of the night someone built the snowman for the man. He said he woke up to this HUGE 16' snowman in his front yard. We really didn't care who built it but wanted to see it. So we went on an adventure one night and found him. Some nice people who found him took a picture for us. Good memories.

Baptism Day

One of the proudest days as a parent.

Caleb's baptism day was a miracle, seriously. I had called the bishop and asked if the previous Saturday Aaron could baptize Caleb. He said that baptisms are only held on the first Saturday of each month with no exceptions because things were getting out of control. Guess what day Aaron left? The first Saturday of the month, January 3rd at 11pm. So Aaron was able to baptize Caleb that day.

It was such a good day. We bought him a new suit as his gift and he was so proud to wear it.

Caleb and one of his good friends were baptized on the same day. Hopefully in 11 years I can take a picture of them together again but going on missions.

Polar Bowl

The day after New Years we went bowling as a family. Backtrack, for New Years I planned a progressive dinner with four other family. So in all there were 17 kids and 10 adults. It was some crrraaaazzzzzyyyyy fun! First we went to one house for dinner, our house for dessert, and then the next house we played some games. One was we raced husband against wives. you have a string hung on the back of your pants by a clothes pin. You then have a clothes pin at the end of the string. Now it only hangs down about 18 inches. You have a empty milk jug on the ground and you're trying to put the clothes pin IN the milk jug- no hands involved! It looked so bad but was hilarious. Okay, back to bowling....

Caleb insisted that he didn't use the baby bumpers so Aaron gave him a couple of pointers.

Kali mommying Jack.

Later Mads dropped this on her foot and wanted to quit. So I would carry it to the line for her and she pushed it on down.

Always in the mood for a picture. It was ethnic hair day and boy did she look cute.