James the Cat

Although there are five members of this family, we often think of it as six. We have a big, fat, orange cat that is our sixth member. He is a lazy, old, cat, that constantly hacks up hair balls, leaves his fur anywhere he lays (which is EVERYWHERE), and occasionally scratches on the furniture. Despite that, he receives more love than a cat should really get! He purrs continuously and will become your best friend if you just pet him once. He is laid back and puts up with all the chaos and craziness that is often in this house. We often find him snuggled up to his boy in bed at night or sleeping with the girls (if he can get through the mess) in their room. He's withstood all three of our kids' toddler years, moving from house to house, flying in an airplane to AK, going from being an outdoor cat to an indoor cat (course, that was a pretty easy adjustment for him, I think) and dealing with other previous pets. He's quite the cat.

People ask to see him, because they don't believe his size, and immediately they are in shock as to how big he really is. But, then he jumps up on their lap and starts purring and they are hooked, loving the cat right back.What's amazing to watch is the love my children have for him. They all adore him, and he loves them right back. We never have to ask more than once for someone to feed him or give him water, they are all anxious to take care of him. My son can't hardly fall asleep without the cat in his bed at night. The girls love on him(sometimes a little too much), dress him up, sing to him and play with him regularly. I recently found my youngest daughter snuggled up to him. She was using him for a pillow. He didn't mind one bit. In fact, I think he loved it! He leaned in to her and just purred away. So sweet.

Now, I am not a cat person. Never have been. I'm more of a dog person. However, I do believe James has softened me to cats and how loving they really are. Although, I don't love cats, I do love James. I often don't admit it,(otherwise I might get stuck changing the litter box) but, he really is a part of our family. Amazing how pets can do that.

So we will continue to vacuum the shed fur, buy large amounts of cat food (did I mention, he's a big cat?), put up with meowing in the middle of the night, and love on him and care for him. After all, he's family, and that's what family is for.

Just a Good Day!

The sun was shining, it was gorgeous out and we took advantage. We had a fun filled day in the sun, hanging out with friends, playing and just relaxing. Later that afternoon, Carlon took the girls for a ride in the airplane. It was the first time this year. The girls said they saw dozens and dozens of swans. It was a nice little "get away" for them. Meanwhile, Coleson and I took a walk on the beach, where we discussed deep meaningful things, like, which is more fun, hiking or biking, or things like how dirt and dust are two different things (according to Coleson). We watched the seagulls dive for food and enjoyed talking and walking together enjoying the beauty around us. As we were walking, we got to watch the girls and Papa fly by us and land. We finished the night off with some yummy pizza and cuddling! I'd say, all in all it was a good day, no, make that a GREAT day!!

A Poem

PTA
By Coleson's 2nd Grade group

PTA is fine
There are lots of pine.
We see mountains high
and we have a beautiful sky.
You can only come by plane,
we are like a tropical island, how insane.
It is cold all year long,
But in Alaska that's not wrong.

Date Night

Carlon and I have tried to set aside one day of the week as our "date night". This usually happens on Wed. nights, while the kids are at AWANA. So, we have a whole hour and a half to ourselves. Since we have no movie theaters, or restaurants, or malls to shop, or any sort of date-type place to go, we have to be creative. Sometimes being creative means sitting on the couch and playing the wii together, or eating dinner separately from the kids.This last week we sent the kids out the door and decided to go for a hike for our date. It was the first time Carlon had gotten the chance to hike to the falls this winter. Although the trail was quite snowpacked and uneven, we eventually made it. It was, of course, beautiful and breath taking to see the falls. We quickly came down the trail (slid down in some areas), just in time to pick the kids up from church. It was a fun filled evening for all! The worst part was trying to keep up with the kids that night, they had much energy and we had none.

What Happened to Jan., Feb., and March?

These last three months have flown by! If you are reading this, welcome back! Sorry I've been absent for the last three months! Here are a few tidbits from the last few months to get you caught up:

January: We celebrated our one year anniversary of living here in our little village! So many things we have learned and so many things yet to learn! We are loving the beauty and adventure that we are experiencing and feeling at home here in this beautiful state.

February: Valentine's- nearly missed having little valentine's for my kids to hand out to their classmates, because I ordered them online. Thankfully, they came the day of and as I quickly filled out the cards I thought to myself,"One of these days, I'll have this ordering thing down!"

March: Spring/ Breakup has hit once again. We are enjoying the BEAUTIFUL sun! We have snow on the ground, but it is gradually melting away and giving signs of spring. I told Carlon earlier this week, that I was proud to have survived an entire winter in AK...only to get the reply of, "Winter may not be over"! Let's hope I'm right and he's wrong!

Whew, now you are all caught up on us! I will try harder to update or just post more frequently. Those of you who read this, thanks for not giving up on me! Have a Happy Spring!

Sunrise

I just had to share some pictures of our walk to church this morning. I think the worship began as soon as I stepped out my door. I felt like pinching myself to see if what I was seeing was real. The pictures don't do it justice, but I hope you can appreciate the awesomeness that God has shown us. Then, we get into church, which has huge windows to look out onto the bay, and we see a beautiful bald eagle fly by! No kidding! It is a reminder of God's glory and how nothing can come even close to His design.

Getting Caught

The other day, we were all home as a family just enjoying our time together, when Carlon noticed our dining room table had been drawn on. We asked the kids who drew on the table and immediately they all denied ever drawing on the table. After much consideration and thought, our 4 year old approached us and admitted to the crime. Then, we later found another drawing on the table and I asked my 6 year old(who has also been guilty of this sort of crime) if she did it and immediately she says, "No, mom, it says on here, Alianna!" Sure enough, the culprit had signed her artwork! As hard as we tried, we couldn't help but laugh out loud! We're so glad she's loving to draw, and we hope she has learned her lesson. We're also glad she is innocent enough not to forget to sign her name on her art! I love the way my kids continue to surprise me and how I just can't be mad at them for too long!