Sunrise in Alaska

Hawaii has nothing on us. NYC skyline... bring it on. Hands down, I am blessed to live in the most beautiful place that I have ever seen.

After taking Kailyn to school on Friday, I ventured out to take some pictures for my new photography class and ended up refreshing my soul.

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It was an amazing morning. The air was a little chilly, and I'll admit that I was thankful for my warm truck with a cup of coffee waiting for me! But I was excited for the excuse to get out by myself and enjoy the quiet as the world wakes up.

There is something about hearing the wings of an eagle as it soars overhead looking for a meal. Or wondering what that sound is and finally realizing it's the ripples of a duck swimming away because you've startled it. Seeing the steam begin to rise off the water as the air warms a little faster than the water. The colors, the smells... it is all almost overwhelming and you can't help but feel alive and thankful. And such a small piece of such a big world. But a piece just the same.

Photography Class

So I was having some weird headaches a few months ago. Still get one every so often, but the scariest part to me was that I had white lights floating around so densely that I could not see. Which led me to the doctor, who believes that I have occular migraines. Great. They are not the worst headaches I get, by far, but they aren't really fun either.

Since we are trying for Baby #4, the doctor says there is nothing that can be done about said headaches. I can just take preventative measures. No more chocolate. No more coffee. I didn't hear any others after that.

Hmmm... makes me think the headaches really aren't THAT BAD. I mean, there's not much worse than a life without coffee and chocolate. OK. There's a lot worse, but for me, those two things really help me be tolerable to the rest of society. Really, I am CRABBY when I am tired and without a chocolate fix. So not healthy but so very true.

The other thing that she suggested was that I take time to myself each and every day. Whether it's a 30-minute walk, quilting, reading a book, taking a class.... anything that involves just me doing something that makes me relax. Sounds great and easy in a dream-world, but a little trickier in mine.

What I have done is tried to set myself up so that these things are available when I do have time. Brian fixed the treadmill. I finished my craft room. I read at least 20 minutes each night. And I signed up for a college class.

I COULD NOT WAIT for the first night. I'll just leave it at this: our Tuesdays are just short of CRAZY. When I got to the classroom, I was so excited to be back in a learning environment. And in a "fun" class.

I was looking forward to the relaxing atmosphere of a freshman/ sophomore level class again. Whatever!!! We have an assignment, a quiz, and 2-4 hours in the lab... every week! There's also a research paper! I was a little put off by the amount of time this class would require, but finally decided that it would be worth it to learn how to use my Nikon.

Here are a couple of pictures from my first "shoot." No edits yet, he just wants us to get in the habit of trying new things and taking lots and lots of pictures. The major hurdle that I need to get over is learning to step out of the picture to be able to take a picture. Especially with little guys, it's hard to not be an active participant in the play!!!

Christmas... Before & After

Christmas morning with three little ones is so magical.... with minimal regrets I took only before and after pictures. For the majority of the middle, I sat back and enjoyed my family and the blessings that they bring.

Cleaning the kids up

Changing up our routine a little, I asked Brian to clean up the kids while I started dishes. I thought that he was being so sweet and also vacuuming the floor.... then I came out to this:

I haven't laughed so hard in a while. But... it got the job done! No complaints from this momma, I guess!

Christmas Tree... Check

It felt weird crunching through an inch of snow instead of a few feet, but we found our tree just the same!! The outside is finished... now onto decorating the inside!

Here's the one.... right before we chopped it down! It's always such a fun time when we make the final choice.

Nearly a year later...

What can I say other than having two babies has been a roller coaster that I would ride again and again and again. No posts in almost a year is sad to me, but then life has still been lived and documented in other ways... I will move on.

So much has happened in the last year - all of the milestones that come with having kids - Aiden rolls over, sits up, crawls, has teeth, stands, and just about walks. He's had his first birthday, enough chocolate to satisfy the next four birthdays, and has already left the state twice. Charlie is a riot; a total ladies man. He loves his tricycle, trains, trucks, cars, planes, and, um, princesses. And sparkly jewelry. But most of all, he loves his sister. She's pretty cool. And she is in Kindergarten now. A bonafide big girl. Just ask. She can ride a two wheeler, loves the water, and has had her first sleep over.

There's just too much to tell... so, I will do what my scrapbooking friend suggests when it comes to organizing pictures: "start with the present and work your way back when you have spare time." So, let's be realistic. Be sure to check back in about 15 years and I will try to have some of those oh so very sweet baby pictures, but until then, all I will commit to is a glimpse of my little peanuts, and an overview of our trip to Hawaii. And I mean "our" as in Brian and I's. Yep, just the two of us!

OK. As reported. Here are the SUPER CUTE BABES!!

And here is where my handsome, most fabulous husband in the whole world took me for my first trip away from my kids. I'd say he definitely did good! I certainly missed my kids, but the fabulous, wonderful, ever-present sun helped me mope right through it!! How I long for that heat right about now! And seriously, where do you go on vacation when you live in Hawaii? To the snow? This is the view from the lanai... I think that I would have my groceries delivered because I would never ever leave my house if I lived here.

Our first full day there, I talked Brian into a touristy snorkeling trip to Lanai'i. We both had so much fun, and we were totally that couple... holding hands while we swam face down with the turtles, fish, and coral, falling in love all over again. It was so cheesy, but what can I say?? I got a good one!!!

The water was so clear that you could see the fish from the boat. It was AMAZING!!

Wanting to get back on the water but not necessarily in the water, we went on a submarine tour on Friday. It was definitely different - I would recommend it for sure. We cruised around a shipwreck, saw tons of fish up close, and learned lots of new things. Plus, we had a really funny tour guide. That always helps.

You can see the sub coming up in the center of the picture.

Moohaahaahaa.... I snuck in a few more of the kids. But come on... how could I resist? This is what I had on my nightstand =).

And here is what we had hanging on our fridge. Kailyn, ever the artist, hid Brian and I each a picture in our suitcase. Of course, I balled when I found mine!

Here's my completely random activity. Followed by my completely random spiel. This is me at the tattoo parlor. For the second time. Here's the spiel: If you ever wanted a tattoo... consider the henna ones. Or maybe the kind that come free in the cereal boxes. Because this kind stays. Whether you like it the next morning or not. Found this out the tough way - as in, I came home from Mardi Gras vaguely remembering that I got one and it hurt REALLY BAD. And I HATED IT. Almost immediately started looking into getting it removed, which, by the way, also hurts REALLY BAD. And costs way more than the original $50 to get the tattoo added. So, over a decade later, I still had remnants of that weekend at Mardi Gras. And I didn't want them anymore. So, I had Kaib at Lahaina Tattoo cover my blob with a beautiful blue forget-me-not, the Alaska State flower. Aaaaahhh. Much better. And I will comment that scarred tissue is quite tender. It was not really the funnest time that I had in Hawaii.

Dad's Birthday

December 2nd marked the 60th anniversary of the day my dad was born, and it was just as I would have asked if I did indeed ask for things like that. It snowed all day... and not just any snow. It snowed BIG, FAT snowflakes just like dad loved. I will always think of him when it dumps like that because he really thought it was cool. He loved to just sit at the window and watch it snow. Kind of how some people like to look at a fish tank.

We had a birthday cake, and Kailyn made him a picture that we attached to a helium balloon in hopes that it might make it up to heaven. You just never know... But I hope that somehow, he does know. I hope he knows how much he is missed and loved by this entire family.

This pretty much sums up how Aiden feels about not knowing my dad. I agree.

Charlie & the Spoon

He is offically feeding himself! Yeah!!

It's a little messy, I'll admit, but we have two dogs, so really, it's a win-win situation. Everyone's happy here!