Georgia Bound!

Well, as you might have guessed from the title, we received our next assignment, and we will be moving to Warner Robins, GA in May. This came as quite a surprise, because is was not even "on our radar" as a possibility. But, the Lord knows what He is doing with our lives. We have always taken the approach that God is sending us out to our next mission field, not the Air Force. Anyway, we knew that Nathan would be getting another flying assignment, because apparently the Air Force is in need of pilots right now. So, we naturally thought we would most likely go to Tinker because that is where AWACS are located. But, Nathan will actually be changing air crafts. He will be flying the JSTARS, which is another radar aircraft, but it works more with other services. While slightly disappointed that we will not be moving back to OK, the Lord has given us both a peace about this assignment. And, it is a beautiful location, close to the beach and close to several fun vacation spots. And, it is in the lower 48, where I can just drive home if I need or want to.

Thirty!!!

Welp (as Brooke would say), today is my thirtieth birthday. I am excited. Really, it doesn't bother me to turn 30 years old, because Nathan will always be 5 years older than I am. :) Anyway, I thought I would try to make a list of thirty things I am thankful for...let's see if I can think of that many today...

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving my eternal life.
2. I am so thankful for my husband, who loves me SOOOOO much and shows me more and more every day. He is so thoughtful...he just brought me a McD's sausage biscuit for breakfast. Which brings me to another thing I am thankful for...
3. Sausage biscuits...now, I am not normally prone to eating these, but during this pregnancy, they are one of the things that tastes so good to me. I do not eat them every day though...that would be bad for me.
4. I am so thankful for Brianna. She is the sweetest, most adorable little girl ever. She is such a helper around the house...she loves to dust (thanks Swiffer) and she plays really well with her little brother.
5. Nate is such a joy to have around the house...normally. I can't really say that this week, because he has a double ear infection right now, so he has been rather cranky all week, but NORMALLY he is so fun. His little smile just lights up the room, and his laugh is contagious.
6. I am thankful for this next little blessing that the Lord has chosen to trust us with. I can't wait to find out if it is a boy or girl, and I really can't wait to hold her...yes, I think it is a girl, but I could be wrong.
7. I am thankful for my parents, who have loved me unconditionally, and who have sacrificed so much for me. There is no way I could write out all that they mean to me.
8. Becky...my older sister. Growing up, I wouldn't say that we were not the closest of sisters, but as we have matured, we have become great friends. Now, the only reason we aren't close is because of distance. Miss you Becky!
9. Britt...the older of my younger brothers. Such a servant in all that he does. Lauren is going to have a wonderful husband.
10. Brooke...she is the laughter of our family. In a good way...go Kar-Ate.
11. Bryce...the surprise of our family. But, life would not be the same without the love of this little guy.
12. I also have a huge extended family, for which I am greatful. I still have all of my grandparents- I know I am very blessed in this way. Plus, tons of aunts and uncles and cousins. And, my in-laws...even from a distance, they have been a blessing to us.
13. I am thankful for my church family here in Alaska. We were fortunate to find the sweetest group of believers. They have been such a support for us while we have been here.
14. I am thankful for Alaska. It is some of the most beautiful country in the world. One minute, I can see the ocean front, and then be driving into the mountains within just about twenty minutes.
15. I am thankful for our Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain and especially for his running mate, our Governor, Sarah Palin. She is awesome, and she meant it when she said that she was giving the money back to the people of AK!!!
16. It's PFD Day!!! YEA!!! This year, not only do we get PFD's, but we get an energy rebate tacked on top of it...a total of worth about $13,000. All for my birthday...I think I might go shopping today.
17. Online banking...yeah, I just went and checked...the money is there.
18. I am thankful for the Air Force, specifically the 962nd. They have been a great support system for us throughout the past few years.
19. I would have to say, even though I have loved living in AK the past three years, I am so thankful that this is going to be our last winter in AK. They are just sooo loooong.
20. I am thankful for PWOC...a Bible study group on base that I am just now getting involved in.
21 . Our MOPS group at church...what a wonderful time of fellowship and outreach.
22. I am thankful that I am able to stay home with my children. What a privilege it is to be able to be with them each and every day.
23. I am thankful for Nicole, who watches my children when I am in need of a break, or if I have a doctor's appointment. She is such a good friend to me, and she loves my children as if they were her own.
24. I am thankful for Premier Designs, because they have given me an outlet to make friends, earn money, and essentially, because of them, we have been able to get out of debt...within the next month.
25. I am thankful for naptime...I can't wait for it today. Both of my children were up before 7am today.
26. The Written Word of God...what a comfort it is!
27. Christian Children's songs...I love having Christian music filling our home, and having my children sing those songs all day long.
28. I am thankful for Nathan being so diligent to teach Brianna her Bible verses. She is only three and a half years old, and she can already say five verses. Eph. 6:1, Gen. 1:1, Joshua 1:5-6, John 14:6, and Jeremiah 29:11.
29. I am thankful for the Urgent Care Clinic that got Nate in yesterday so that we could get him on some medicine, and for the referral from Tricare so that we didn't have to pay for it out of pocket.
30. Am I already here...Ok, so I have to say, I am so thankful for the second sausage biscuit I found in the bag from Nathan. He loves me so much!!! I will have to eat that a little later this morning!!

Go Sarah Palin!!

Well, I have to say, we are very excited about our governor, Sarah Palin being chosen by John McCain to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Sarah Palin is a unique person involved in politics. Her life story says more about her pro-life record than anyone's voting record ever could. Two other things are especially great about her regarding her record. She sold the state jet on ebay because of the irresponsible waste that it was. She also fired the governer's chef because she said she can make sandwiches for her kids and herself. It's a great thing to have someone whose main focus is to stop corruption, and we think its long overdue!

Her nickname, Sarah Barracuda is well deserved, and if Joe Biden thinks he's going to run over her in the upcoming debate on October 2nd, he's going to be surprised. It will be interesting to watch, we can hardly wait!

Nathan and Beth.

Brianna was so happy to have her Grandpa Hendricks up here last month



Josh had a great birthday, he got what he REALLY wanted all along!




We went to the Alaska State Fair today with Josh, a rainy day but a real good time for everyone. Watching the kids getting to see all the cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats that they've read about all winter was a big thrill. They both loved the petting zoo, here they are keeping the pigs awake during their nap. They each got to feed a baby calf and goats, too.


Brianna loves to ride horses, can you tell?



Here's Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in the U.S. at 20,320 feet. It is unbelievable to see this every day I fly. Click on this one to see it full size.



That river below the mountain is a glacier, frozen of course, but still looks a lot like running water cutting through the valley.


And driving home after a great flight, there's a moose with her calf in the background. You gotta love Alaska!!


Here's a good picture of Nathan, I'll bet he's thinkin... "Dad, put down that camera, I want to play in the bathtub... PEEEZE " He's our "little man" that's for sure.



Well, that's our update, we'll try to do that more than once every 2 months! Ahem, yeah, I'm talking to you!!

Nathan, Beth, Brianna, and Nathan

One More Thing...

So, I forgot a very important announcement in my last post. My brother Britt finally proposed to his girlfriend Lauren Werner, and they are now engaged to by married. We are totally excited for them!!! The big day is going to be next May 30, so that should make for a very exciting May for us. We are also due to PCS that month, so we will see what happens. If you want to read about the proposal you can check out my dad's blog for a really funny account of it (www.inthemasterpottershand.blogspot.com), my brother's blog (www.brittonclay.blogspot.com) for his view, or Lauren's blog (www.hisfootprintsmyguide.blogspot.com) for her view. They are all really good stories.

Just an Update

Well, I haven't posted in a long time. The last two posts were from Nathan, and I am so thankful for him keeping everyone up to date+ on what has been going on in our lives. Not that I haven't been capable of getting on the computer and posting, but I haven't been feeling the best these days. I have been very, very tired with this pregnancy. And then, of course, there are those fun moments of...well, throwing up. So, posting on our blog hasn't been at the top of my list of things to do.

Let me start by back tracking just a little bit. I went to Ft. Worth, TX a few weeks ago for a conference with Premier Designs. It was a wonderful, fun time. When I first walked in, I ran into Debbie Thompson, who is the mother of a dear friend, and she is a dear friend as well. She took me around and introduced me to all of the missionaries there and it was such a blessing to see how the Lord uses Premier to work in the lives of these missionaries all around the world. Throughout the conference, we were able to hear testimonies from them, and that blessed me so much. I cried a lot throughout those testimonies. Anyway, I had a great time, but I was so glad to get back home to my husband and children. I missed them so much!!!

The day after I got home, we had Mr. Todd Burgess up "in view of a call" (Nathan isn't quite sure why this phrase is used) at our church. We enjoyed a good week with he and his wife, and the next week the church did vote to extend the call, and the Burgess' accepted. So, once again we have a pastor and we are excited to have them up here as of August 15th.

We also had VBS the next week, and I was the helper for the kindergarten classroom. The other Miss Beth and I had a great time with our children for the week. But, because I was battling pregnancy sickness the whole time, I was glad to have that week end. But, my children had a great time in the preschool classroom, which was just for workers children. My good friends Nicole, Melissa and Robin took care of the children.

The only bad thing about VBS was that Nate contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease from our time there. Oh, and I forgot the mention that the week of VBS, my father-in-law and brother-in-law came to town. Most of that week they were gone fishing with Nathan and my other brother-in-law. But, Monday we went on a glacier cruise through Prince William Sound. While on the boat, I noticed Nate had several spots on him. At first I thought it was the chicken pox. But, a quick call to the nurse's hotline told me that it was a viral rash. My friend Nicole's son Cutter also had it, and she took him to the doctor, where we got the official diagnosis. So, that was all kinds of fun. Brianna got a slight case of it, but hers wasn't bad at all.

Then, when we returned from the glacier cruise, we found out that the 3rd Wing Commander at Elmendorf passed away suddenly in his home on base late Sunday evening. Nathan worked fairly closely with him for the past year, so this was a very difficult thing for both Nathan and the entire Elmendorf family. We attended a memorial service for him last Thursday. It was a great celebration of his life, and his love for his family as well as his love for the air force and the people he served with.

This week has passed fairly uneventfully. I had an appointment with a nurse on base to check for the heartbeat on Tuesday, and I was able to have another ultrasound at that time. It is so amazing to see a baby so small have so many distinct features. I have one picture of the little one that shows head, body, arms, hands, legs and feet. And she (my guess is that it is a girl- but I may be wrong) is only about an inch and a half long at this point. Pregnancy and childbirth is such an amazing miracle!!! I look at those pictures and ask myself how anyone could ever think that is not a child?

OK, so enough of my rantings. Hopefully that updates you on what is going on in my life right now. I am going today to have a glucose test done, so pray that goes well. And, pray that I don't get too fatigued. It seems that if I can keep up on my sleep, then I don't get as sick.

Love to all!!!

THE all time Alaska Fishing Trip

Well, Dad and Jon were able to come up for a fishing trip on the world class Kenai river for King Salmon with Josh and me. Dad caught the biggest fish of his life, a 48 and 1/2 inch Chinook salmon that weighed 50 pounds! Even though the rest of us didn't bring a fish into the boat, we were happy for him. Dad officially holds the record in our family for the biggest fish caught in freshwater now. As I joked with Dad about it, I told him I was getting emotional, because I remember when I helped him tie on his first hook! Nice Fish, DAD!!! (Notice he had to hold up the fish with both hands, and the boat supporting its weight!) Click on the picture to get a sense of how BIG this fella was.


As we drove around later, we found a Moose with her 2 baby calves right near the side of the road. Keep in mind, we only had our car between them and us! Great picture, except for the one or two drops of rain on the lens.

This is where it really gets tough. Josh, Jon and I plotted revenge to update the saltwater record. We all broke it individually, Jon had a 50 pounder, Josh netted a 92 pounder, and I got a 159 pound halibut! Dad raked in two 30 pound halibut himself. Someone on the boat got a 205 pounder, it was a great day for J&J smart charters, we'll probably be in the brochure for the next few years!! Stupid water on the lens!
Ever wonder what halibut eat off the bottom that makes them so delicious? I NEVER expected whole crab!! But, I guess it makes sense.
Then, we realized that we could clear off the lens of the camera and yesterday, we were able to get some great pictures on our cruise. Of course, the best ones were of Brianna and how much she loves her Grandpa Hendricks!
Then, Nathan got to play with Grandpa too. Look at that face!
And then, we got the picture we'd all been waiting for, the Suprise glacier in the background with all of us posing for the family photo. Dad and Jon leave tonight after Josh's birthday party, so we'll sure miss them, but it was definitely a trip to remember!!!

Alaska to Texas

Well, here's a few pictures from our trip to Fairbanks, we had a great time!!
We got to do some gold mining, and keep what we found.


Ok, so we didn't really find nuggets THAT big, only a few of those smaller pieces, about $33

But we had a great time swimming in the pool.


Then we saw the Great Alaskan Pipeline. Hey, lets get some more oil in that thing, these gas prices are killing us!



After scouting for about 15 hours on the road for animals and seeing only a caribou and one rabbit, we come home and see this visitor in our backyard. I risked my life to get a picture this close, so hope you enjoy it!



And of course, a compelling case for the cutest kids in the world.

Tonight, Beth is leaving me with these two for a trip to Dallas for a business conference, so I'm going to need all the help I can get. We're sure going to miss her, and she'll be back real soon. Beth, we'll sing "Deep in the heart of Texas" every night until you come back!

Announcement

Well, I know that I said in my last post that my next post would be about our vacation, but that is going to have to wait for a little while.

So, for the big announcement...we are expecting Hendricks Baby #3!!! We are so excited that the Lord has blessed us with another little baby!!! We have actually known for about a month or so, but we were unsure of when the due date would be. We had an ultrasound this past Thursday, and found out that we are due on February 16th, 2009. So, this next 10 months is shaping up to be very busy. Nathan is very busy at work, will hopefully be upgrading to Instructor Pilot, we will be having a baby, and most likely be moving.

Please pray that the Lord will keep our baby safe and keep me strong and healthy. I have been very fatigued this time...much more than the last two pregnancies. And, when I am tired, I am nauseous. So, that is all kinds of fun. Brianna has been such a help, even though she is just barely three years old.

Lots to Update

Well, it has been a while since I have posted a blog, but for good reason. We have been very busy around here. Last time I posted, Nathan was gone on a trip down to the lower 48, both in Louisiana and in Oklahoma. While he was gone, I got out a new project for the kids. We don't really have a backyard, so they can't just go outside to play anytime they want. But, I do let them play on our back deck. I had this plastic tub, and so I just filled it with rice and put some play cups and scoops and buckets with it. Hours of entertainment, and it cost me almost nothing!!!

The day that Nathan was due to come back from Oklahoma was the first day of the Air Show at Elmendorf. So, I loaded up the kids and took them out for awhile to kill the time until Daddy came home. They had a bouncy house inside one of the hangers, and Brianna wanted to jump in it. So, we waited in line. When it was her turn, she ended up being in there with a bunch of really rowdy big boys. And, since she had never been in one before, she was a little scared. But, she stood in that spot the whole time, hung on to the side the entire time, and had a blast jumping up and down. She did not want to get out.

Nathan got in safely Saturday evening, and we were so thankful to have him home with us. However, he had to work all day Sunday at the Air Show. So, we planned to go and hang out with him there. The start of the "show" portion of the Air Show was this guy who jumped out of an airplane (I don't remember which one- either a C-17 or C-130) and flew the American Flag over the Air Show. That was pretty cool.

We were able to take the kids on their first tour of the AWACS. Now, you may think that we would have done this before, but honestly, when it is such a part of your life, you just don't think to do things like that. Besides, security is usually tight around the squadron. Anyway, we went through and Nathan got to let Brianna sit in the pilot's seat where he sits, and that was cool. This is a picture of Nate and the kids in front of "his" plane. Notice the cute flight jacket that Baby Nate is wearing.

The big attraction to this Air Show was the Thunderbirds, which are F-16 fighter jets. They did a really amazing job! This picture is of two of them flying incredibly close, one upside down on top of the other. I am so thankful that my husband is NOT a fighter pilot!!!

So, after the Thunderbirds flew, I left with the kids and we went home and slept...we were all exhausted. Nathan had to stay and finish his work for the day. He made it home about 6:30, but had to leave to go to a meeting with the Pastor Search Committee that night. He was gone until almost midnight, but they did come to agreement on calling a pastor to our church! Yea!!! Last night they announced it at church, so he will be coming in just the next week to preach and to meet the congregation. We are so excited to hopefully have a pastor soon.

So, my next post will cover our vacation, which we left on the very next day.

I've Been Tagged!!!

So, my friend Lauren(if that is what I should call her...she's my brother's girlfriend- but I consider her a friend) tagged me to tell 10 random things about myself. So...I will try...but I have a pretty boring life right now, so we'll see.

1. As the opposite of my sister Becky, I am actually really good at math. When I was a freshman in high school, I took both Algebra I and Geometry. As a sophomore, I took Physics- which I know is a science, but it is mathematically based. My junior year I took Trigonometry, and my senior year I took Calculus. I tutored high school students during the summer in Algebra when I was in college, and I clepped out of College Algebra. Now, don't ask me where I got this talent for math, or how I am using it today, but I am good at it. So, enough about how smart I WAS...

2. I really like to cross stitch. My Nanny taught me when I was about four years old. I remember sitting with her as she did really detailed cross stitches, and I sat there and she showed me how to make a row of stitches. I would practice on my own right next to her. She was a really good teacher. I haven't done this since I had children.

3. I also really like to scrapbook, but even though I buy all of the stuff to do it, I haven't scrapbooked since my daughter was born.

4. I like singing, and I like to listen to songs on the radio, but if you ever ask me who sings what song, or the name of a song, I honestly have NO CLUE!! I am terrible at knowing that kind of stuff...I am just content to sing along and not pay a bit of attention to all the fluff inbetween the songs.

5. My husband is the only man that I have ever kissed! I love and cherish this fact, as I know he does.

6. I have traveled to five foreign countries. Mexico, Canada, Thailand, Dominican Republic and Argentina.

7. I really don't like being outside. Not a nature girl. In the least. I do it, but I don't always like it. Nathan has to really urge me to go do stuff outdoors with him and the kids. I mean, a walk to the park is OK, but fishing the Russian, hiking...not my cup of tea.

8. I can belch with the best of them. Much to my family's dismay- especially Becky's. And, I usually only do this around my family. And, I really can't help it. :)

9. I have a really hard time sleeping when Nathan is gone. So, please come back soon Babe!!! Since he has been gone this time, I have been sleeping with Brianna. Let's just say, my back hurts a little. Little feet have that effect.

10. Well, since I am having a hard time here, I'll just save my last random fact for another time. Sometime, when you all least expect it, I'll post a random fact about myself. Can you tell I like suspense???

Adventures in Kenai

Ok, so we headed out late Tuesday morning to just get out of town. The only plans that we had were to let Nathan fish at the Russian River, and to stay at a hotel with a swimming pool that night. We had a great time. It took Nathan some convincing to get me to take the kids to the river front because I wasn't to excited about sitting next to the water with the kids, in bear country. But, he promised to stay close, I had the bear spray, and the kids had their life jackets on. So, we went. It was a lot of fun. Especially since we got to see Nathan catch a salmon within the first ten minutes we were there.

Here is Brianna sitting on the ramp to get into the water. It was an absolutely beautiful day!!!

Here is the salmon that Nathan caught within the first few minutes. He actually hooked a few more, but they fought off of the line. We also got to see a couple other guys catch some salmon. And, Nathan also caught a Dolly Vardin (sp???), which is just a certain type of trout...apparently a rare kind. I was really glad people were catching fish, because it helped keep Nate occupied. Otherwise, he just cried because he wanted to get in the water.

Towards the end, Nathan took Nate out into the water and let him touch it. It was cold!!!

So, that night, we went and ate at a fun restaurant called the Bear's Den. They are famous for this huge burger that Brianna got. Actually, we all four shared it. It was really good, and for feeding all of us, it was worth all of the $16 we paid for it.

After dinner, we just went back to the hotel and swam for awhile. The kids had so much fun, and so did Nathan. Actually, I am not sure who had more fun. I forgot to take the camera with me, so I don't have any pictures of swim time. Oh well!!!

So Wednesday morning we slept in, checked out of the hotel, and then went to eat at this little bakery in Soldotna called "The Moose is Loose". It was a really fun place, and they had the most amazing donuts ever. They were absolutely huge, and off course they were delicious.

On our way home decided to just take it easy and stop at various places along the way. One time, we saw some horses crossing the road, and their was a sign for horse back riding, so we decided to stop so the kids could see the horses up close. The people were really nice, and offered to let Brianna take an impromptu ride. I followed along behind her on foot, and Nathan actually got in the car to see her riding for part of the trail. It was a lot of fun. Definitely the highlight of the trip for Brianna. The above picture was taken at an air strip that was nearby. The lady in the picture is Casey, who was her guide.

Overall, we had an amazing time and we are so thankful for the fun times we have had this week. We just took Nathan to the airport, so I am a little sad that he had to leave us. I always hate it when we are separated. I know, being a military wife I should be used to it, but it never gets easy. We don't have too much planned for this next ten days while Nathan is gone, but I am sure we will find plenty to do to fill the time. We'll keep you posted!!!

A Fun Day

Nathan has this week off of work. The plan was originally to just stay home and do fun things each day with the children, but since Nathan is on the Pastor Search Team for our church, our plans had to change. They are leaving Wednesday evening to go to the lower 48 to interview two potential pastors. So, please pray for Nathan. He is leaving from there and going to OK for a week for work. So, also pray for me while he is gone.

Anyway, back to our fun day...since Nathan was home, we went to the zoon, and then to Chucke Cheese with the kids. It was a fun filled day. First though, we went on base and bought a new camera, because the old one isn't working. So, I had lots of fun learning the new camera and taking lots of pictures.

Here is Brianna picking wild flowers at the zoo.

Here is a cute picture of Nate.

Here is a big brown bear. He was picking the green leaves on our side of the fence. It was so cool because he was so close to us.

Here are a couple of polar bears. Nathan took this great photo!

And, here are our cute kids having fun at Chuckee Cheese! We had a really fun day but we were totally exhausted by the time we were finished.

So, today we are heading off to the Russian River so that Nathan can fish, and then we are going to Soldotna, just for the fun of it. There isn't much in Soldotna, but we are staying at a hotel with a swimming pool, which is a rare thing. And, there are a couple of fun restaurants there. So, I'll post more about that part of our week in a few days.

Long Time, No Blog

Well, lots has happened since I last blogged. I have been meaning to write for awhile, but it just hasn't happened. So, let me start with where we left off.

We left OK Saturday, May 24th, which was also Brianna's third birthday. I also came down with some sort of bug that day, and thought I was going to die. Not really, but I didn't even want to get out of bed to pack my suitcase, let alone fly all the way home with two children by myself. But, the Lord gave me the grace to make it home. Thanks to my mom and sisters who helped get me packed and watched the kids that morning. And, my children weren't too bad on the flight home. We all actually slept part of the time, so it was OK. Not good, but OK. We were glad to be back home with Nathan, which made it all worth it.

So, Sunday I got up to try and go to church. I still didn't feel good, so I laid back down, still planning to get up and go to church. I slept until 11:45, waking up to find that Nathan had just taken the kids to church without me. I felt a little better after all that sleep, but I still didn't feel great. But, we had promised to take Brianna fishing when we got back, so we packed up and headed to church camp in Wasilla for Memorial Day. It was a good time, even though I didn't eat much and drank a ton of ginger ale.

To make a long story short, I was sick for about five days. But, thankfully, I am feeling much better now. I am still trying to get my home in order from being gone so long and then being sick as soon as I got home, but things are looking better.

Last Wednesday, I went to my last appointment with my foot doctor. My bones are completely healed, and I can now enjoy whatever shoes I desire. Time to shop!!! No, really, I still can't run or do anything high impact, but for the most part, I am good to go!

We celebrated Brianna's birthday with her (and our) friends at the park last Saturday evening. It was a lot of fun just getting together and letting the kids play and visiting. I will have to post pics from the party on another post. Soon.

So, that is what has been going on around here. Not much this week except getting things in order- cleaning, grocery store, etc. Oh yeah, and I have to get ready for a garage sale with our Sunday School class this weekend. That sounds like tons of work, I mean fun.

Thankful Thursdays

Well, today is mostly about Brookie, and my trip here to OK.

1. I am thankful for a younger sister like Brooke. She is the laughter of our family, and I say that in a good way. She is a beautiful young lady, both inside and out. She is a joy to be around, and very helpful with my children, which she has nicknamed "her babies." I am so proud of her accomplishments with piano, and her determination to be an accompanist for Daddy's choir. I am also proud that she finished cheerleading even though she sometimes didn't want to. She is a special young girl, and I know that the Lord has a special plan for her life.

2. I am thankful that Brooke has given up her room here at the house for the past two weeks so that the kids and I can stay at Mom and Dad's house the whole time we are here in OK.

3. I am thankful that Brooke is a talented pianist and is able to play "Hallelujah to the Lamb" for the rest of our family. Oh yeah, and for the school choir tonight. (Side note: pray that the Lord will calm her nerves while she plays tonight.)

4. I am thankful that the children and I were able to come to OK for Brooke's graduation.

5. I am thankful that graduation is tonight, and that we all have new dresses to wear. We've had a lot of fun shopping on this trip. And, that Daddy has a new suit to wear. More fun shopping!!!

6. And, even though I have had a wonderful time here and I enjoy spending so much time with my family, I am so thankful that we are going home on Saturday. We miss Nathan so much and we are ready to be back home with him soon.

Fun in OK

So, I have been in Oklahoma for a week now. It has been a very interesting week. Let me just start with the flight up here.

It was a night flight, and Nate did not sleep. Well, only 30 minutes or so, so that doesn't count in the grand scheme of a 6+ hour flight. But, surprisingly, I did OK with it. I had an incredibly nice gentleman sitting next to me who was willing to help out, and we somehow made it through the flight to Dallas. Then, on the way to OKC, he slept the entire time. And, needless to say, we slept all day at Mom and Dad's house, until we had to pick up Bryce from school.

It was Bryce's birthday, so we went to Chucke Cheese for dinner, and had a blast. Brianna still talks about how much fun she had, and that she wants to go back. Not anytime soon, as far as I am concerned.

We had a great weekend with Bryce, Britt and Lauren. We just took it easy and visited grandparents and hung out at the house. I bought the kids a blow up swimming pool, which they loved, other than the fact that the water was really cold.

Mom and Dad and Brooke got back Tuesday evening. I was so glad. Nate had started discovering that he could get into everything, and it is nice to have some extra hands to help keep him out of stuff. He really is quite the busy body. If we don't keep the doors shut, he will get into any room or cabinet. And, he loves to climb up onto the kitchen table. And eat the dogs food. And feed the bunny tissue paper. But, he is so adorable.

We had an interesting day today. We intended to go to the mall, but barely even made it there. We had to drop off stuff at the school, visit my Nanny, and visit my Pepa. At my Pepa's house, we found out that my aunt had just been in a car accident, so we hurried out, and I left my purse there. It is hard to shop without your purse. So, Britt had been called to interview for a job just as we were leaving the house, so we took him to his interview. We then went to the mall to pick up my dad's suits, buy him some ties, and then we had to go back and pick up Britt. By that time, we had to use the restroom, so we stopped at ta gas station. We then drove around OKC aimlessly looking for somewhere to eat. We ended up just going back to the McD's by Mom and Dad's house to eat so the kids could play.

Whew!!! And that was just this morning!!! This afternoon I spent with Britt and Brooke just hanging out and shopping.

So, tomorrow is another day. We don't have much planned, but I am sure that whatever we do, it will be an adventure.

Fun Pics

So, here are some fun pics we have taken recently. We bought Nate a lifejacket, so of course we had to take a picture of the kids wearing their life jackets.

This next picture is of the snow that we got a couple of weeks ago. On April 25th, we had a record snowfall in Anchorage. It snowed 15.5 inches in less than 24 hours. That is the highest amount for that day of the year- EVER! And, it is the third highest recorded snowfall in Anchorage- EVER!!! This picture was taken off of our back deck.

OK, these next two pictures are of Thunderbird Falls. Last Saturday evening we needed something to do, so we decided to hike to the Falls. It is pretty close to our home, and it is a pretty easy hike. Only like a mile both ways. You can see that even though we recently had a huge snowfall, most of it has melted off by now.

And, here we are at the Falls. Uncle Josh went with us and took this picture. Notice that Brianna is wrapped up in her Dad's sweatshirt. We forgot her jacket, so Nathan had an extra sweatshirt in the car, and it served as a coat for her quite well. And, she was really cute.

The kids and I are heading off to OK tomorrow to visit family and be there for my younger sister Brooke's high school graduation. We are so excited!!! But, we are really going to miss Dad. But, I think he has big plans to do a lot of fishing while we are gone. We will be posting updates of the trip while we are gone. If you are in OK and want to see us while we are there, you can reach me at my parents home. Hope to see you all soon!

Thankful Thursdays

Some of my friends who blog do this thing called Thankful Thursdays, where they list things that they are thankful for. Well, I am starting this today. Yesterday was mine and Nathan's fourth anniversary. So, my list today is about Nathan.

1. I am thankful for a husband who loves the Lord and desires to lead our family according to His plan for our lives.

2. I am thankful for a husband who made it a point to take the day off of work to spend our anniversary together. (He does this every year if at all possible.)

3. I am thankful that despite everything not going as planned yesterday, Nathan still makes me laugh and he did whatever possible to make it an enjoyable day.

4. I am thankful that Nathan is the most wonderful father to our children. One of the many things that first attracted me to Nathan was his love for children. He is so talented when it comes to communicating, teaching and playing with children. Our children absolutely adore him, and of course we adore our children.

5. I am thankful that Nathan works hard (almost) every day to provide for our family. The (almost) is there because there are those alert days...

6. I am thankful that Nathan balances me. When I am emotional, he keeps me on an even keel. When I am wanting to spend more money than I should, he doesn't let me.

7. He is my best friend. I love him, and his love for me is evident every day.

This Past Week

Well, I would have to say that this past week went by in a fairly uneventful manner. I stayed home a lot, and tried to get a lot of house cleaning done. I don't think that you can tell that from they way my house looks right now, but I did work on it.

On Wednesday, I had yet another appointment with my foot doctor. I am now able to wear normal shoes, as long as they have a shell to them. So, no flip-flops, or anything with a soft bottom to the shoe. Anyway, now although my bunions don't hurt so much, the rest of my foot is a bit sore from learning to use those muscles again after not using them for almost two months. OUCH!!! But, I am not complaining, because I get a lot of foot massages and a little soreness is better than the constant pain I had before.

So, while I was at my doctor's appointment, my good friend Nicole watched my children for me. It was during their nap time, but they did not nap. She said they were good for her, so that was fine. But, Nate fell asleep on the way home, and slept for about an hour. He then woke up so cranky...bedtime could not come fast enough that evening. Brianna stuck it out a little bit longer, but finally gave in to the sleepiness during dinner. It was so cute that I had to take a picture.

Thursday, I again stayed home and cleaned. Nathan had been waking up with a cough for a couple of mornings, so I decided I needed to really clean our bedroom. So, I dusted everything (and we have a lot of wood in our bedroom), I did all the laundry, I changed the sheets, vacuumed the bed, vacuumed the floors. You name it, I did it. Subsequently, Nathan is no longer coughing, but I am. That is why I am posting this a six o'clock in the morning.

Friday, was a great day. I went to my monthly MOPS meeting, which is Mothers of Preschoolers. We had a great time of fellowship and prayer. I love the group of ladies that the Lord has put in my life to encourage and uplift me.

Saturday, Brianna and I went on a little mommy-daughter date. It was so cute...when we got in the car, we were pulling out of the garage, and Brianna asked me, "So, are you going to talk to me or sompthin?" (That last work is "something" in Brianna talk.) So, we turned off the radio/CD player and just talked about her day. It was so sweet. A friend from MOPS who is moving was selling some of her girl clothes and boy clothes, so we went shopping for the kids at her house. Her children are just older than mine, so the sizes worked out perfectly. We then went to the commissary to grocery shop. It was a really good time with Brianna.

That evening, Nathan and I got to go out on a date to one of our favorite places here in Anchorage. It is the Bear's Tooth Theater. It is unique because they have taken out every other row of seats and put in tables, so you order your food (which is from a local pizzeria called the Moose's Tooth) and sit in the theater and they bring you your food while you watch the movie. It is so much fun! We saw the Bucket List, which was a pretty good movie.

So, there is our week in a nutshell. This next week, I just have more cleaning to do. It should be fun!

Adventures at the Mall

So, yesterday we had a lot of things to do. First, we had to go by the hospital on base to have more blood work done for Nate. (Nothing serious is wrong, he just has low iron, so they like to check every once in a while.) Then we went out to Gymboree at the mall to redeem my gymbucks- Nate needed clothes for the summer desperately. So, we were there, and the little area where the kids get to play and watch TV is right by the little boys clothes. So, I let Nate get down and walk around a little bit. As I was looking at a shirt that said "Mommy's Little Monkey" on it, I looked down to check on Nate, and he was gone. Mind you, I was just a couple of feet away from him this whole time. So, I start looking under all the racks making my way to the front of the store. I was about halfway through the store when a man says, "Hey, someone's kid is walking out into the mall!" I said, "Is it a little boy?", he answered yes, and I tried to run after him. (Luckily I dropped the monkey shirt at the door, or we would have had another interesting situation on our hands.) However, keep in mind that I still have walking boots on both of my feet, so I just hobbled quickly after him- I am sure that was a sight. Another nice man in the mall stopped him on the other side of the mall, so I could actually catch up to him. Of course when I did all this, I left Brianna in the store, so I got back into the store, and Brianna was walking around yelling, "Mommy, where are you?" Needless to say, I felt like a horrible parent at that point. I was just glad that both of my children were safe with me in the store. Nate spent the rest of the time in either my arms or the stroller, and then as I was checking out at the cash register, he started chewing on some cords coming out of the table. What kind of sick is that? The other ladies in line were laughing about it, and I just smiled and said, "He is all boy!!!" And, I did buy the monkey shirt...I figured after all that, he deserved it.