Happy Birthday to me!

No, it's not quite my birthday yet, but when we got back from Anchorage, there was a present sitting on our porch!! Andy is the best husband on earth and he got me the EXACT camera I wanted. He always gets me the nicest things. I wonder how he knew what I wanted :)

I am now able to get arsty-fartsy and take all sorts of neat pictures.

You can expect my blog to get a lot prettier in the near future.

Now I just have to find the time and actually read the manual so that I can work all of the neat bells and whistles this camera has!

Magazine #1: Cricket

Ellie read 30 books for the school's reading program and has earned her first magazine subscription. She chose Cricket, which is full of literature for children. I love it, because it doesn't have any ads. I hate children's magazines full of the latest, greatest do-dads they have to have, movies they need to watch etc. This is just short stories, poetry, reader recommended booklists, and a small project/crossword puzzle. They also have writing contests for kids. It's just a great all-around magazine for 9-14 year olds.

Trip to Anchorage, Day 3

Ellie took this picture out the back of the truck. This was on Ft. Richardson.
Denali National Park.

What a good traveler!!!

Our Little Adventurers!

It's nice to finally get out of the car!

On the third day, we drove back home. It was a short trip, but we had such a good time!!

We stopped at Chili's on the way back and ate. We don't eat out much, so the kids were excited - and thankfully very well behaved.

I think the hardest part of the trip was the fact that I had to drive by two almost-finished Target stores. I'll have to make a trip down next summer and do some shopping :) I was wanting to drive down next June for the Highland Games anyway. We'll see if I'm brave enough to do it alone with all 5 kids...

Trip to Anchorage, Day 2

Lexie in front of Exit Glacier.
Posing in front of Exit Glacier.

The view from the Aquarium.

They feel so funny!!

Captain Ellie at the Aquarium.

Splish Splash!

Mr. Moose at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Day #2 of our Anchorage vacation, we decided to take a drive down to Seward. I am so glad that we did!! What a breathtakingly beautiful drive! It is one of the National Scenic Byways. There were so many places to stop and take pictures and just enjoy the view. I wish we had more time to spend, because we could have taken a couple of days.

We stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on the way down and the kids got to see moose, bears, elk, and bison up close. It was nice, but I'm not sure it was worth the $25 we ended up paying.

In Seward, we went to the Alaska SeaLife Center. It was a very nice small aquarium, but we spent 4 years going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium which is infinitely bigger and better. The kids still had a good time and the view outside was gorgeous.

On the way back, we stopped at Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. We hiked out to the edge of the glacier to take some pictures. The kids got a little worried when they read the informational board which explained what to do in case of a bear encounter. The part about fighting back if you are being eaten by the bear scared them a bit. Luckily, we didn't see any bears on our short hike. This was probably our favorite part of the trip - and it was FREE :)

We headed back to Anchorage for the night.

Trip to Anchorage, Day 1

They belong in the zoo!!

The Girls at the Zoo

Ellie, Kate, and Lexie.

Denali/Mt. McKinley

We drove down to Anchorage, stopping at some scenic viewpoints to take pictures of Denali (Mt. McKinley). The kids were good little travelers and we arrived at Ft. Richardson early in the afternoon.

We were too early to check into our room, so we headed over to the mall. The girls were going crazy with excitement. Ellie commented that "There is a store for everthing. There is even a sunglasses store!" I had to explain to Kate what "window shopping" was. She didn't like the idea. We left the mall pretty much emptyhanded, except for a movie for Andy and some gumballs for the kids. The really wanted to do "Build-A-Bear" but I wasn't prepared to buy 4 of them (and clothes and accessories!).

We then went and checked into our room. We ended up paying under $100 a night and we had one room with a queen-size bed, TV, and bathroom, another room with a pullout sofa, fridge, microwave, and dining table, and another room with 2 twin beds and a bathroom - all connected like an apartment. Not bad :)

Next, we headed to the Alaska Zoo. It was pretty small, but the kids hadn't been to a zoo in quite some time and they really enjoyed it. There weren't any huge crowds and we could see most of the animals up close. It was definitely worth it.

We were all pretty tired after such a long day.

Off to Anchorage

We're off to Anchorage early in the morning. It should be a fun trip. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures when we get back on Thursday or Friday!!

Just about the grossest thing on earth.

Really.

Andy ran in to work yesterday to do a few things. He decided to bring his coffee cup home since he's on leave for a couple of weeks. When he handed this to me, I couldn't believe my eyes. Was he actually drinking out of this thing? What kind of diseases is he going to contract?? I hope it's nothing that he will pass on to me :)

He assures me that not washing the cup "seasons" it and makes the coffee-drinking experience all that more enjoyable. I am not a coffee drinker myself, but I still don't believe him. All I can say is YUCK!!!! Am I wrong in thinking this is disgusting???

I ran it through the dishwasher and the coffee is so caked on there that nothing came off. I guess I'm going to have to hand scrub it. He would probably just leave it on there.....

Nick's Daddy Doll is Found!

I found him in the unlikeliest of places. He was zipped up in Lexie's lunchbox in her closet. How he got there, I will probably never know :) What's important is we found him and he now has a voice. I will post videos later!

Daddy Doll is MIA

Pow-Mia Flag

Nick's Daddy Doll is nowhere to be found. We've looked under beds, in toy boxes, in laundry baskets, in the cabinets, behind the couches, etc. and 2 days later he still hasn't shown up. Where could he be?? We didn't take him anywhere, so he has to be in our house. Maybe he's a POW in his sisters' room? They have so many stuffed animals, he could possibly be buried. Andy was ready to put the voice recorder into his doll - now we'll have to send out some major search parties.

I have been busy cleaning and organizing in preparation for the school year. I can't start the year with piles of papers and unorganized books. It would drive me crazy :) Pictures of the play room and school room will be posted soon! I am hoping that while all of this cleaning is going on, the Daddy Doll will show up...

Pioneer Park

Ellie riding the big fish (they all got a turn of course!)
Ellie, Kate, and Lexie

Ellie and Kate in front of a funky totem pole :)

Nick having a ball in the fire truck

The carousel is always fun!

Ellie, Kate, Lexie, and their friend Olivia - waiting for the train ride

Today was "Military Appreciation Day" at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. We went on a free train ride, the kids rode the carousel for free, they got to get in a firetruck, we ate a free lunch, and we had a great FREE time :)

Fun ahead :)

Tomorrow is a training holiday and Andy's leave starts Monday. That means he's off from now until September 1st!! It will be so great for us to have all of this family time together. We're planning on going to Pioneer Park this weekend, Anchorage next week, and possible driving up to the Arctic Circle sometime also. Of course we'll be doing lots of last minute things before he leaves so that the house and paperwork are in order, but hopefully we'll mostly just be having fun together as a family :)

I'm off to watch gymnastics....

Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice

Ellie and I have been working on the newest Nancy Drew game for the past few weeks. Of course we can only play for 1/2 hour at a time when the little ones are sleeping or kept busy. Last night, we solved the mystery and finished the game! I think I enjoy the Nancy Drew games as much as she does. Why didn't they have them when I was a kid??

The latest adventure takes place in Venice. The only part that I could have done without was the part where Nancy had to dance for money. Don't get me wrong - there wasn't anything "bad" about it, but I just didn't like the idea tht she was on stage in a cat suit dancing for money. Is it just me, or could that have come up with something a bit more appropriate than that??

All in all, we had a good time solving the puzzles and playing the game. Ellie and I don't always get a lot of time to spend together. It was fun! Now we have to wait for the next adventure: The Haunting of Castle Malloy which comes out in October.

HER Interactive site (which makes the Nancy Drew games)

Update on Kate

Kate woke up this morning feeling much better. She still has a side ache a bit but she's not throwing up and she is able to get up and walk around. She had some toast for breakfast and is now settling in on the couch for a day of movie-watching. Hopefully she will be up to speed in a day or two :)

Another ER Visit

Medical still life

This evening Kate started having severe pains in the right side of her abdomen. She didn't want to move or sit up. The little girl next door was over playing and Kate came inside and laid down on the couch. That's when I knew something was really wrong. She doesn't pass up playing with friends.

We erred on the side of caution and Andy took her in to the ER. We were afraid that it might be appendicitis. Shortly after getting there, she started throwing up also.

The doctors did blood tests, a urinalysis, gave her an IV, and even did a CT scan on her. Andy said that she was such a little trooper. She didn't fuss or cry and she was polite to everyone even though she felt so awful.

Thankfully, all of the tests came back negative and they are on their way home (after about 5 hrs in the ER). They said that it could possibly be some sort of bug that she caught.

We are supposed to take her back if she gets a fever or if it gets worse/doesn't go away. Let's hope that she is feeling better after a good night's sleep tonight.

I was genuinely surprised at how worried Ellie was. She was crying and distraught when we thought it could possibly be appendicitis. She went and made Kate's bed and made a beautiful mobile to hang near it. She was right by my side whenever the phone rang with an update.

It's nice to know that even though they fight sometimes, they truly love eachother :)

Finally, a Nice Day!

Waving at his shadow.
Having a hard day.

Waiting for rain.

Doesn't she look so grown up?

Preparing to roll down the hill.

Today it was actually sunny out. It must have gotten up to 65 degrees - but most importantly there wasn't any rain! The kids have spent hours outside playing - rolling down the hill, riding their bikes, and chasing Nick all over the yard.

Vacation

The Alaskan highway glistens from rainfall near Anchorage, Alaska

All I am hearing all day, every day is "When are we going to Anchorage?"

The answer is : sometime next week.

The only place that we have driven to since moving here is Delta Junction (and no offense to anyone that lives there, but it wasn't worth the drive!)

We have decided that even though we don't have the extra cash right now, we need to make the trip to Anchorage while we have the chance. I know that I won't be doing it alone next summer and we might be moving before the summer after that. This is our chance :)

I've made the mistake of not doing all of the sightseeing I wanted in other places we've been stationed. When we were in Texas, I always wanted to go to the Space Center in Houston. After 4+ years there, did we ever go? NO! Did we ever go to Alcatraz while we were stationed in Monterey? NO! I think we only made it up to the San Francisco area 2-3 times. So, we're going to Anchorage!!

When we are going will depend on when we can get a room on post. The rooms at Elmendorf AFB are already booked, but the ones at Ft Richardson can only be reserved 3 days in advance for people who aren't on orders/official business. So, we have to wait to see if we can get a room or not.

If not, then maybe we'll just sleep in our truck. Just kidding of course. But really, a hotel room for a family of 7 isn't cheap. Everywhere I've looked, we don't technically qualify for one room anymore. They want to empty our pockets by forcing us to get 2 rooms at over $100 a piece. Yikes! I had wanted to stay 2-3 nights, but I don't see that being an option anymore.

Maybe we can sleep in a cabin somewhere. Or a tent. That would be fun :) Especially since I've been reading about all of the mean grizzly bears that are lurking around the Anchorage area. Ok, so maybe we'll fork out the money for a hotel.

We're planning on going to the zoo and the science museum and we'll be stopping at Denali National Park on the way down.

The girls have begged to go to the mall also. Doesn't that seem silly to want to visit a mall? We don't have what you could really call a mall here. Do 10 stores in a building together qualify as a mall? I don't think so. I guess I don't blame them since we haven't been to one in over a year (and that's a long time in their short little lives).

I just wish that there was a Target. I could get really excited about that. I'm really having Target Marche withdrawals. We only have Walmart here and it's not the same. There is a Target being built in Anchorage and my friend is actually flying down for the grand opening in October - with empty suitcases! After one year, I'm not that desperate yet. She's been stationed here for 4 years without one, so I understand :)

Well, I have been rambling. Everyone else is asleep, so I need to get back to working on setting up the school room. I was making a lot of progress until I sat down at the computer....

My Birthday/Anniversary Present

I have a birthday and an anniversary coming up. Andy says I'm hard to shop for - I beg to differ. I always give him hints and he doesn't seem to catch them - Sorry Andy, but it's true :) I know he reads this blog. He knows that I want a new camera since he's taking ours to Iraq (and ours is way outdated). I am going to make this very easy for him :)

This is the camera I want:


All you have to do is click and buy :) Now aren't I a loving, thoughtful wife? You're off the hook!!

Journey to the Movie Theater

Movie Reels and Film

We never go out to the movies. First, it's expensive (especially since you can't go to the theater without buying popcorn, drinks, and Junior Mints for everyone). Second, you can't really take a 2 yr old and an infant (well you probably could but I'm sure that the other moviegoers wouldn't be too happy with you!).

Today I told Andy that he needed to take the older 3 girls to the movies. I'm sure we won't be going while he's deployed, so I thought it would be nice for them to go together :) They went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth and they all really liked it. That hasn't always been the case in the past, but this was truly a family film that everyone could enjoy. I'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD to see it :)

I went grocery shopping with the younger two while they were at the movies. Now we've thrown the kids outside for some much needed exercise and Andy is busy making shepherd's pie for dinner and apple pie for dessert. Sounds good to me!!!

The Hug-A-Hero Doll, Part 2

Andy has been cloned!!!!

We had to get a "daddy doll" for each of the kids, otherwise everyone would be fighting over Daddy. It's funny though, because everywhere I turn, Andy is laying around the house somewhere. LOL!

Andy's task for this week is to add messages to the voice recorders that came with the dolls. This will make them even more special to them. Then the kids can push the button and hear Daddy talk to them whenever they are missing him.

There are two sizes - 12 inch and 18 inch. We got the smaller version. I figured that they would be easier to carry around. Also, even though they are reasonably priced, I was buying 5 of them so I decided to buy the smaller (and less expensive) version :)

I am just SO happy with them. What a great idea!!



To order go to: Daddy Dolls

Tori Rolled Over!

She rolled over from her back to her belly this morning :) She sure is getting very strong!

Diaper Duty

Andy seems to have weaseled his way out of diaper duty. He has always been so good about taking his turn at changing diapers with all of the kids. This time though he has protested and somehow won.

I have used disposable diapers on 3 of our children and cloth diapers once (on Lexie). This time, I decided that I would use cloth diapers again. Andy doesn't want to change cloth diapers and says that since I made the decision to use them, I can change them :) Not that it matters anyway since he'll be leaving next month. I really don't see how changing a cloth diaper is any harder than a disposable though.It's not like I'm asking him to wash them for goodness sakes!!

I am using a few different kinds of diapers right now. (I was trying out some different brands). Last time around I only used Bumkins All-in-Ones. They are just like using a disposable diaper, but you have to wash them :) I really like them, but they are pretty expensive. I bought one of them this time in the bug print (that is what Tori is wearing above).

This time, I bought some proraps, bummis, and bumkins diaper covers (which are much more economical). You just change the white cloth prefold inside (unless something gets on the cover). They are really easy to use and cheaper than the all-in-ones. Plus, as she moves up in size, I will only need to buy more diaper covers and not the prefolds. I think I'm saving money by doing this - and I will never be "out" of diapers and have to make a midnight run to the store. I might have to do a midnight load of laundry though :)

I am now looking for a wipes "recipe" so that I can start using the cloth wipes I have also. It's much easier to throw the cloth wipes in with the diapers instead of using regular baby wipes and having to separate them out.

So, anyway for now Andy doesn't have to change Tori. Nick is still in disposables though and Andy can have all of those diapers he wants!! Yuck! Changing a 2 yr old is much grosser than changing a 2 month old :)

I have told Andy that he needs to have Nick potty trained before he leaves. I wish that the weather was nice, then we could throw him outside in some underpants and call it good. I suppose that's what we're going to have to do though. Just shut ourselves in the house for a few days and be prepared for a mess. At least we have wood floors :)

Here is a website with more information on cloth diapering: Diaper Pin

Where is summer?

Looking For Summertime

After our super long winter this past year, I was forever looking forward to enjoying summer. Last summer here was absolutely beautiful - warm days and sunshine. I can't say that this year has even felt like summer yet. We've had nothing but rain the past few weeks - which is great for the lawn, but not so great for summer activities. I just looked at the forecast for the upcoming week - every day is supposed to be a low of 45 and high of 60. How depressing is that for August? I bought the kids a small pool that they were only able to use for one day in June. It just hasn't been warm enough since then.

I just hope that since we're not really having a summer, maybe we won't really have a winter this year. Wishful thinking!

Mysteries

I like BBC movies - preferably of the Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell type. Andy loves to watch anything with lots of action. So, when I watch one of his movies I tend to "multitask" by working on kids' schoolwork or folding laundry. This bugs him to no end, because he insists that I'm not paying enough attention to the movie. I insist that I don't mind if I miss certain parts (ie. shoot-em up or chase scenes). He of course feels the same way when I put in "Pride and Prejudice" for the 500th time :)

A couple of years ago though, we found that we BOTH immensely enjoyed mysteries. We were both paying complete attention to them. You can tell when you're paying attention - when you want the movie paused when you have to leave the room for a moment :)

We quickly worked our way through the Poirots and Miss Marples, Midsomer Murders, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Foyle's War, Rosemary and Thyme and a few others. After the first few shows, you really start enjoying the characters and you just want more, more, more. Unfortunately, we watched all of these series and have since been on the lookout for more that we might enjoy. We've had a few failed attempts that just didn't live up to our expectations and we were starting to get discouraged.

Today I found on Amazon.com that three of these series have new DVDs coming out in the next month or two!! Hooray!! We can watch more Inspector Lynleys, Midsomer Murders, and Foyle's Wars (and I though that Foyle had retired!! Apparently he was pulled out of retirement - lucky for us!) I just had to share my excitement :)

Congratulations Andrea and Dan!

Congratulations are in order. My little sister got married on July 26th to her best friend Dan. I wasn't able to make it to the wedding since Andy was gone and the thought of making a trip alone from Alaska to WA with 5 kids was frightening to me. I will have to just enjoy the pictures and pretend I was there. I know that it was a wonderful day!

I just have to comment that I think it's so funny that Andrea and I went completely different directions in the age department. We're only 2 years apart, yet I married someone 12 years older than me and she married someone 7-8 years younger than her. I guess you just never know who you'll fall in love with :) We are both proof that age really doesn't matter.

Andrea and Dan -

I'm so happy for you both! I promise to give you guys a little bit of time before nagging you about a baby - remember though that my kids are waiting for cousins :)

Errands

Andy is home today and we've been busy running errands. He mowed the lawn, we got his truck registered in Alaska, we went to the farmer's market, I bought organizational stuff at Wal-mart, I turned in books for credit and bought new ones at the bookstore, and Andy is now busy grilling shrimp for the kids. They had better enjoy it while they can, because I won't be cooking any while he's gone!! Funny, I grew up on an island and yet I really don't like seafood. Does canned tuna fish count? I really just don't like the "fishy" taste and smell - no oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster, and I hate most types of fish also. YUCK!! I can eat a little fish when it is like a fish "steak". I don't like to be picking stuff off the bones. Wow, I got off on a tangent :)
Anyway, tonight I am going to work on organizing some of the kids' school stuff. We're also going to watch "Nim's Island" with the kids and I'm going to look around online for a new camera. Andy will be taking ours to Iraq and I'd like to replace it with something new and improved!! Any suggestions?

Gas Prices

I have to rant just a little....
We're sitting up here in Alaska on tons of OIL and we're still paying over $4.50 a gallon for gas!! It seems like everywhere else in the U.S. the prices have come down, but we haven't!
Ok, I feel better now that I got that out of my system :)

Extracurricular Activities

It's that time of year again. The time to start signing the kids up for various classes for the year. I have a lot of decisions to make. How busy do I want to be? What do I want to commit to? How many days a week do I want to have to leave the house? Up for consideration are: Gymnastics, Dance (Ballet, Highland, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Acting etc.), Piano Lessons, Swimming, Girl Scouts, PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel - for me) and a local homeschool get together (for field trips and themed days). Can I fit it all in and still be sane?

I also need to consider how much I want to spend on classes this year. I should have about $1900 of "PE money" from the charter school. That should pay for part of gymnastics and dance for the 3 girls. Also, while Andy is deployed, each child gets 4 free classes on post a year and 2 free sports registrations. Swimming is offered on post, so I wouldn't need to pay for that - 4 sessions a year is enough for me anyway. I like having a month or two break in between sessions. PWOC is free and Girl Scouts doesn't cost much at all. I also have to consider how much I am going to be spending on fuel. Andy won't be here to help pick the kids up, which means that I'm going to have to sit and wait for them to be done. If I'm sitting in the car when it's negative 30 degrees out, then I definitely have to keep it running!!!

So many decisions to make.....

Welcome Home Daddy!!

The smile says it all!

Movie Watching

I was delusional when I thought I was going to spend my late evenings getting caught up on my chick flicks and BBC historical dramas. Andy has been gone for 5 weeks and I have watched 2 movies - and even those had to be watched in 5-10 minute increments. Watching a movie is not quite as enjoyable when you have to get up to break up a fight, or get someone a cup of milk, or clean up a mess. It just takes something away from the movie-watching experience. I have concluded that if I want to sit and watch a movie in complete peace and quiet, it would have to happen at about 2-3 in the morning. I could probably do this, but then I would be useless in the morning which is not an option for me :(

I actually have 4 netflix dvds that have been sitting here the entire time Andy has been gone. Just waiting to be watched. Maybe he can watch them this week :)

The two movies that I did watch were pretty good. The first one was "Amazing Grace" and the other was "Penelope" which I watched with the kids.

Amazing Grace is about William Wilburforce, a British politician who fought for the abolition of slavery. It was actually a great movie. Of course, it has Ioan Gruffudd in it (of the Horatio Hornblower series) and I generally like anything that he's in.

Penelope was a modern-day fairy tale type movie. It is about a girl who was born cursed with a pig nose. To break the curse, she thinks she has to marry a blue-blood like herself, but she naturally falls in love with someone else. It of course has a happy ending :) It was cute as a family movie (rated PG). It' s always nice to find something we can watch together.

2 VIPs are flying in tomorrow

One of them is the most important man in the world - my husband :) The other one is the President. They're both flying in tomorrow afternoon. Let's just hope that the President's arrival doesn't delay Andy's flight. We are anxious to see him after over a month apart. He is looking forward to being home again, although I think the 60 degree weather is going to be a shock to his system after being in an oven for over a month.

President Bush is going to be giving a speech for soldiers and airmen on Eielson AFB tomorrow afternoon. He's stopping here for fuel on his way to Asia, but I guess he decided to say "Hi" during his pit stop. I am going to be watching my friend's daughter so that she and her husband can go and hear him speak.

Imagination Library: Month #2

Here are the two books I received in July through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program. They are hardback and the kids have really enjoyed them. I just signed Victoria up also, so I will start getting 3 a month once her registration goes through. Hooray for free books!!! It really is an amazing program if your community has it.

Sticky Mosaics

No TV channels and we're already having a great time! The girls are busy tonight doing "sticky mosaics". They are kind of like paint-by-numbers but with little foam stickers that go onto numbered squares. Easy, but fun. We got the "princess" version in the mail today and they couldn't wait to start! The girls (4, 6, and 9) are all happily listening to music and quietly working on them together. They are excited about their masterpieces and want to hang them on the wall somewhere.

Nick is busy dancing and throwing a ball around the office. At least he's finally staying out of the art carts and leaving them alone :)

I found more versions that I would like to try later - it really is keeping them happy, busy, and quiet. Those three things don't always happen all at the same time! I am thinking that they might be good to have on hand for a little girl's birthday present also. We have another version with famous Roman Art that we will be doing along with our Ancient Rome studies this year. That is how I initially found them :)

I really am trying to get better about having arts and crafts for them to work on (besides crayons and paper!)

Straight from Kate: "Mom, this is much more better than watching TV!" I'm glad that they think it's more better :)



This is what they have been listening to while working:


When we lived in Monterey, we often saw her peforming at the library or some sort of children's event. She was really good with kids during her programs and her music is so nice to listen to.

Sweet Tori

I just have to say that so far (knock on wood) Tori has been by far the easiest baby I've had. She is smiley and happy when she is awake (unless she needs to be fed or changed). Otherwise, she quite happily goes to sleep in her crib. All 4 of the other kids always wanted to be nursed to sleep and then I could never transfer them to the crib without them waking. I can set her in the crib awake and she will actually go to sleep. Thank God for small miracles :)

Goodbye Satellite!

Miniature Igloo with Penguins Watching Tv

Yes folks, we have taken a trip back in time. We are again living on bunny ears only :) After much frustration with our dish not letting us watch anything but CNN (Yikes!), I finally made the call to the Dish Network tech guy to talk me through the problem. What is the problem you ask? One simple word: trees. Yes, trees. When our service was started last winter, there weren't any leaves on the trees and it seemed to work fine. However, ever since our trees have been covered, we have been having spotty or NO signal. Our dish is one of those 6 ft across things from the 80s - apparently we can't use a normal one you attach to the house here where we live.

They were nice enough to let me out of the remainder of my contract without a fee. I have saved myself $55 a month. I don't want the kids watching so much TV once we start schoolwork again anyway. I thought I'd be watching it more in the evenings, but with Andy gone I can't even sit down for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Good riddance :)

Kate is soggy :)

Kate spent a very wet, but enjoyable week at camp. She got to come home every evening and then return in the morning - which is a good idea for the 6 yr old set. They did archery, horseback rides, hiking, Bible study, canoeing, arts and crafts, and all sorts of other fun things.

I am really proud of the way she interacted with the other kids. There was a girl who showed up a couple of days late to camp. She was the "new girl" and was also on crutches (permanently) and moved around slowly. Kate quickly befriended her and bought her some pretty bracelets at the camp shop. She also waited up for her when going to various activities. Kate's camp counselor ("Twister" - they all had weather names this year) went out of her way to tell me that she was so excited about the way that Kate had showed her kindness this week. I've always known that Kate has a big heart. I am very proud of her :)

She is sad to be done with camp, but excited that Daddy should be home in a couple of days!! She will miss her new friends and all of the great counselors at camp.