We're Home but Not For Long

It's going to be a rough day. After flying all night we're home. We got in yesterday afternoon. We're tired and some of us are a little cranky, though I won't say who. I used to think flying out of Alaska at midnight was bad. Well, its gotten worse. Our flight left at 1:42 am. The good thing is everyone slept. When we finally got home Jason was ready to have everyone pack and repack. All I was willing and ready to do was sleep horizontally in my own bed. I'm pretty worthless after a trip. I need some recovery time. So while he mowed the lawn I sifted through mail.

This morning I dragged myself and Kelsey out of bed. She had a hair appt. at 7:30 am. What was I thinking? 7:30 is fine on a normal day but after a long trip it was torture. Needless to say I went back to bed when I got home. A second later (actually 2 hours later) at 10:30 Jason says he's ready to trade. He wanted the bed back.

Tomorrow we head out for the 2nd half of our vacation. This time we're going south for a Morrow family reunion, trading sweatshirts for swimsuits. It will be the first time Jason's whole family has gotten together since 1999. They had a reunion a few years back but since we were in Guam we weren't able to make the trip. But instead of flying 9-10 hours we're driving 9-10 hours. At least we can stop along the way. Traci and her family are coming too. I'm pretty excited about that. Our first vacation together.

It will be awhile before I blog again. I had hoped to blog about our trip when we were in Alaska but we forgot the cord to transfer the pictures. And now I have to get ready for our other trip. This one's a little more complicated. We have to take everything with us. I'll say this though-Alaska was wonderful. We were able to fit a lot in the short time we were there and saw family and friends. So in a week and I'll return with pictures. .And if you don't hear from me, it just meant I needed a few days to recover.

The Spanking

Jenna keeps us laughing. Yesterday, we caught her sneaking into the candy cupboard. (It's all about candy with her) As we pulled her down off the kitchen counter and back onto the floor she stated, "Don't spank me. See, I spank myself." She then proceeded to swat her own bottom and walk away. Don't worry about it. I took care of it so you don't have to she's telling me. Aren't 2 yr. olds so helpful. . .funny. . .and SMART. Uhh. . .Thanks Jenna.

Jenna has only been spanked once or twice for hurting Eric so it's funny that she felt this was the punishment she deserved. If only she had waited, I would have just given her a time-out.

Moments

Every once in awhile I get a glimpse of what Heaven might be like. These moments are sometimes quiet, other times loud and busy. But whatever they are, time seems to stand still and in that moment I feel profoundly grateful. Being here in Alaska generated a moment like this again. There is just something about coming home to the place and people that created you, shaped you and molded you into the person you are today.

I'm Alaska Grown but still growing.

Time To Fly, I Mean CRY

When I was younger the idea of flying on an airplane would bring butterflies to my stomach. While waiting to board I'd jump up and down, hardly being able to contain my excitement. Now that I'm older it's different. When you're younger the seats fit perfectly for your little body. You even have room to move your body into different positions. If you want to sleep you can curl your legs up and lie sideways. When you're older all you can turn sideways is your head.

Our flight to Alaska was long, uncomfortable and did I mention long. It was only supposed to be 9 1/2 hours and it turned into 10. We have such a big family that we took a whole row and then some. I had the 3 older kids on one side of the plane. They were great. They had their books, ipod, game boy and bag of snacks. I didn't hear a peep out of them. My side was a different story. We had Jenna sandwiched between Jason and I and Eric on my lap.

2 yr. olds make the worse fliers. They are completely oblivious to social etiquette on airplanes. I was determined to keep Jenna occupied and brought the laptop so she could watch a movie. I thought I was smart. I've been proven otherwise with my movie pick. I decided no Monsters Inc. or Finding Nemo. Those are her favorite but she's seen them so many times that she no longer watches but uses them as background noise. I needed something new that would grab her attention. My pick-Ice Age. Could I have made a worst choice? Maybe Bambi. All I heard for the first 20 minutes was Jenna's concerned cry, "Where's the baby? Where's the baby?" In fact the whole airplane heard it and was beginning to wonder about this baby. We ended turning it off.

We switched planes in Phoenix. Unfortunately, our plane had been rerouted and was now landing when our plane to Alaska was supposed to be taking off. It wasn't until we landed that I found out that our connecting flight had also been delayed. Huge sigh of relief!! I'll never forget the advice from the gate agent when I asked if we were going to make it. "Only if you don't dilly dally." he replied. "Can you just tell them we're coming?" I pleaded. We ran the whole way, 20 gates away in a different concourse, lugging carry-ons and two of our five children. Though out of breath and numb in certain areas, we made it. And eventually we fell asleep. (Eric is on my lap-that's how flexible I am.)We now have a new problem, how we're getting home. I can't fathom getting on a plane again. I'm considering waiting until magical transportation such as Floo powder or apparation is available. There has got to be an easier way.

The Alaska I Miss

Someone recently asked me about Alaska. "What do you miss about it?" he asked. I know this sounds silly but the first thing that came to mind was the drinking water. I don't know what made me think of that but it's true. It's cold and delicious, right from the tap! Here is a list of other things I miss:

1. Family. My mom and dad still live there. I'm a 3rd generation Alaskan and I'm proud to claim that.

2. Mountains. They're beautiful, they're majestic, absolutely breathtaking and a point of reference. When I lived in Alaska, at least in Anchorage, I knew that the mountains were East. So while I may not have known where I was at least I knew what direction I was headed. I can't say that about where I live now. I'm frustrated by how many times I've gotten lost and that's even using Mapquest.

3. Camping. Growing up we didn't go on many vacations. In fact, the last time I left Alaska before leaving for college was to go to Hawaii when I was 11. Vacations meant packing up the camping and fishing gear. It also meant lathering on the mosquito repellant and sleeping with a hat and long johns to keep warm at night. Boy, do I miss those late nights around the campfire listening to "Desperate and Dateless" on the radio and not getting out of bed on those cold mornings until the water my mom boiled heated up the pop-up camper.

4. Summers. . .seemingly endless daylight that allowed us to squeeze in many activities-biking, hiking, camping, fishing, rollerblading, softball, etc.

5. Winters. Real winters. Not the winters I have here where we get an inch of snow and school is cancelled. I want to teach my kids how to make a real snowman. I want to sled at Service High, cross-country ski on Hillside and ice skate at Westchester lagoon.

6. Moose. Though they are pretty common thing to see, I still get excited when I come across one. Even while driving I'd pull over just to watch them eat.

7. No Billboards along the highways, just pure unadulterated beauty.

8. Air. It's cool, fresh and clean! One of the first things I'll do when I get off the airplane is take a big Whiff and drink it in. I can smell it now.

9. Fishing. I can still remember as a young girl squeezing my way in between the "old" men for a spot at the mouth of the Russian River. I'm sure they were concerned that I'd get in the way or worse snag their line. There was never a prouder moment than when I was the one that got the "Fish On" and was able to prove that I belonged there too. Traci caught this fish, but I helped her land it.

10. Mom's Deep Fried Halibut. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I just know she'll cook some up when we visit. She knows it's my favorite. Hint. hint!

11. Turnagain Arm. I think the picture says it all.

Of course I could go on and on but I have to go pack. Those things I miss are soon going to be reality.

Our Bang Bang Roof

Bang, Bang. . . Bang, Bang, Bang. That is the sound I've been hearing for the past hour. Bang Bang. We've been wondering when we were going to get our new roof. Bang. We expected them a few weeks ago Bang but with all the rain they haven't been able to get to it until now. They showed up yesterday and said, "How about tomorrow?" There is more rain in the Bang forecast so despite a million other things going on, including getting ready to go on vacation, I gave the Bang go ahead. I was told it was going to be loud Bang and that we might want to find someplace else to go for the day. They're right. Bang. It's loud and constant. Luckily, I was able to get Eric down for his morning Bang nap before the roofers showed up. Amazingly, he's sleeping through it all. I guess when he Bang Bang wakes up we'll head out. Errands and the park Bang seem to be the agenda for the day. We've never had Bang work done before. I Bang feel like a real homeowner. I hope I don't get a Bang Bang headache!

My New Stove

When I suggested to my husband that I would like a new stove I didn't really think anything would come of it. My old stove still worked, okay, not really, but it was something that I'd been making do with and I was sure that I could make do another year. But when he gave the go ahead I didn't look back. I started dreaming of what it would be like to use all the burners on the stove, or having it be digital and clean. Yes, my stove was from the good ol' days. I'm sure it was top of the line in it's time but that time is long gone. After looking online I realized there are a lot of stoves out there. Which one was the best deal with the features I wanted? I started to get overwhelmed so I headed to the library and consumer reports. That's when I found it. The #1 stove was the brand I wanted and had all the features I needed without the fluff. I went back online to price it and luckily because we are in the military and it being Mother's Day weekend I got a great, no make that a fantastic deal. It must have been meant to be. I said goodbye to my old stove yesterday. I didn't even cry when it was hauled away. I was too distracted by my new stove. It shined, it sparkled and when I opened it to look inside there is not a speck of burned on food in sight. Now my mom says that with all that money I saved I need to go out and buy some new pots and pans. Just because the lids don't fit and the non-stick is also long gone. . . Hmm. . .new pots and pans and a new stove, I might actually enjoy cooking again.

Puppy Chow Stand

Yesterday, the kids were out of school again. They already have to go to school an extra 4 days because of "snow days" and yet they are off again. Luckily, it was a beautiful day out and outside they went. (finally-enough of the rain already!) Kate had her best friend over and they decided it was a perfect day to have a Puppy Chow stand. Although the idea the girls came to me first with, before the Puppy Chow, was actually a doggy treat stand (for actual dogs). I, fortunately talked them out of that one and they moved onto something similar but more digestible for humans.

For those unfamiliar with Puppy Chow, it's NOT dog food. It is in fact a dangerous combination of chocolate, Chex mix, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Can you say "YUM!" They sold for a couple of hours and as sales died down we decided to go to the park for a picnic. When we came home, the girls wanted to do something else but Ryan decided he wanted to keep on selling. That's when he hit the jackpot. He quickly learned the best time of day to sell is when everyone is coming home from work. When all was said and done, they ended up earning a whopping $13.60. (thanks in part to a lot of kind and generous people also saying, "Keep the change.") They were so excited Ryan and Kate were dancing in the streets-together, hand in hand. Word is they are going to share a Webkin with their new fortune.

Even Eric helped.

Life With Jenna

When Jason and the kids are gone for the day, this is a sample of the conversation between Jenna and I. It rarely changes. See Jenna has a routine. I can expect to hear the same things that she said yesterday, again today.

"I'm awake! Can I watch a movie?"

First thing she says to me in the morning. No "Hi, mommy." or "I love you mommy" or even a simple "Good Morning." Nope, its all about a movie. She has her favorites- High School Musical, Monster's Inc. & Finding Nemo.

"Chocolate chips when I go potty?"

This is her reward when she goes potty. It works. . . kind of. She goes potty, but it's usually only when she decides she's ready for a treat, not necessarily that she has to go.

"Friends come over?"

A definite plea. I think she gets a little tired of me.

"Go to the park and swing high?" or "Go to Chuck E. Cheese?" or "Go to McDonalds?"
Obviously her wish list.

"Let's read books."

Same books over and over. She's heard them so much she's starting to read them to me.

"I don't hurt Eric."

This is said as I am rushing into the room to the sound of Eric screaming and Jenna backing away from him slowly. Her latest torture is poking him in the eye.

"More juice."

This juice is really generic Crystal Light. She likes her cuppy and usually has more than 1 somewhere around the house. When I ask her where her cuppy is she points to the cupboard. She'd rather me get a new one out than look for the one she had just minutes before.

"I want candy" or "I want gum"

What 2 yr. old doesn't? For some reason she thinks that eventually I'll say yes, thus this is repeated over and over throughout the day. If she's lucky, she'll find gum left out (and when I say left out, I mean anywhere within reach using a stool or even her toys piled high that she then climbs.) She's very resourceful and will remember when gum is left out. She just bides her time. The locked cabinet idea is working, that is until someone forgets to lock it. She makes regular rounds in the kitchen just to check. If it is unlocked, then she is very, very quiet.

"Are you happy?"

I think this is her way of diffusing the situation when I am upset at her. It's hard to stay mad when she asks this of me. But she also just says this randomly throughout the day. I have no idea where she got this from.

"Kids come home."

Around 3:30 in the afternoon you can find Jenna on the front step looking for her brother and sisters to come home from school.

"Do you want to do something."

I laughed the first time she said this to me. It was her way of saying, "Stop what your doing and play with me." But in a much more grown-up way.

"I love ME!"

When I would say "I love you" to Jenna she used to point to me and say it back. Now she just points to herself and says, "I love ME!"

I love this stage. 2 yr. olds definitely keep you on your toes but life is much more interesting and happier too!

Girl's Night Out

It's 8:30 am and I just finished off the last of the carrot cake. I'm in trouble. I told my kid's they could have it for their after school snack. I couldn't resist. It was the best carrot cake.

Last night I had Girl's Night Out at my house. The EXCUSE this time-one of my good friends is moving. When we have a Girls Night Out we usually go to a restaurant but I don't think that's as much fun as having it at someones house. Sometimes in a restaurant it's too loud and you end up only hearing half or a quarter of the conversation depending on where you sit. And if there are a lot of us that could be at the very end of the table, exiled. If my girlfriends are getting together I want to hear all the talk, not just a portion of it. In a restaurant, you order your food, eat it, the checks come and the spell is broken and everyone goes home. But at someones house, if your fortunate to get your kids in bed and they stay in bed, the night is yours. Ours lasted until midnight. We talked, we laughed, we relaxed and we ate.

That's the other good part of the Girls Night Out-the food! I don't think any restaurant can match the tasty food that blanketed my counter last night. You never know what's coming but you know it's going to be good. We had mint chocolate brownies, best-ever carrot cake, cookies, salsa and guacamole, chicken mango salad, spinach salad, chicken roll-ups, spinach artichoke dip. Are you drooling yet? It's the kind of food you never make for yourself. My kids saw the food and Ryan complained, "Why do you guys always get the good stuff?" He's right. My family never gets the good stuff. They are so deprived! With their tongues hanging out I banished them to their rooms, promising I'd save them some of the "good stuff".

Now I'm in trouble because that "good stuff" is gone. I need to come up with something quick. They'll be home in a few hours and I guarantee that that carrot cake has been on their mind all day. It was on mine and that only lasted 15 minutes.

Blog Neglect

I've heard some complaints that I've been neglectful with my blog. First of all I'm glad some people find what I have to say interesting enough to check on me. It's funny how this whole blog thing works. Some days I have a lot to say, others not so much. Mood has a lot to do with it, time definitely has a lot to do with it. Jason has been logging a lot of hours lately. He's been flying every other day-15 hours, not getting home until midnight. Since he's gone I'm left to take care of the rest-so I've been a little busy. I have to give a talk on Sunday so that's always in the back of my mind. I don't mind giving a talk but preparing one stresses me out a little. I always want the process to go a little quicker than it seems to go. So here is a little recap of the past week.

Friday night-Kesley was inducted to National Jr. Honor Society. (No pics because there was no card in the camera.)

Sunday-Mother's Day. I got flowers from Jason. He was so sweet. He flew all day Saturday and on his way home, in the middle of the night, he picked me up some flowers. He actually didn't get home until 2 am and I'm still left wondering what store he found open that time of night. No time for breakfast in bed because of church but I did get my Papa Murphy's Gourmet Vegetarian pizza in bed for lunch. (Since Jason was flying I thought ahead and decided Saturday to pick one up. Sometimes you need to take Mother's Day into your own hands) The kids gave me sweet cards. That's all I want. That and a nap and I'm pretty content.

Monday-I ordered my new stove! Should get it this week. Got a great deal too.

Tuesday-Eric learned to sit up by himself. He's getting so BIG! Wednesday-Lost my first 10 lbs!

All week-RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! I'm supposed to be outside enjoying the sun by now. They say we've had over 22 inches of rain this year. I really want to get to my flowerbeds and all those weeds. My roof still isn't fixed either.

Besides that, it was just the usual chaos and fun.

Excitment at the Dinner Table

So during dinner tonight Jason begins the conversation like this.

"My plane got hit by lightening last night."

"What???!!!"

How's that for a jaw dropper?

"It struck the nose of the plane. That's why we were late coming home last night."

He didn't come home until 2 am. And here I thought it was because of the large patient load.

"When we landed the plane had to be inspected to see if we could continue our mission."

This was taking a minute to register. First, this was the last thing I expected my husband to say and second, he just said his plane was hit by lightening!!!

"When they inspected the nose they noticed there were a lot of holes and the paint was blown away."

"Did you feel it when it hit?" I asked.

"No, the plane was already shaking from the turbulence. We were flying between storms."

This conversation just kept getting better and better.

Let's just say I hugged him a little tighter tonight and then I reminded him that some things are better left unsaid.

My 1st Grade Project

I just wanted to share with you the desert diorama that I spent hours working on tonight. I'm actually quite proud of how it turned out. I wonder if I'll get an A. I think I deserve an A even though I did put it together at the last minute. I really worked hard on it and of course I learned a lot about the Sonoran Desert (that's in Arizona in case you're wondering). I really wanted to do a good job. I'm particularly proud of the backdrop. That was actually a collaboration between Jason and I. But I made sure the cacti stood up straight and tall, the rocks were glued down and wouldn't fall out and of course I did a lot of research on each animal to make sure it is authentic to this habitat. Yep, I feel really good. I can't wait until Ryan comes home tomorrow and tells me what grade I got.

A few pictures of Jenna and Eric

My mom made these dolls for me when I was a little girl-a Cabbage Patch Doll I named Crystal and a Raggedy Ann Doll. These are Jenna's favorite things to play with right now. She literally drags them all over the place.
My mom embroidered this vest for Kelsey when she was about Jenna's age. Spring is here.Daddy time. Eric is funny to watch because he has such a nonchalant attitude about being 6 ft. in the air.

Eric is the only one who likes lying on his stomach. All my other kids just screamed their head off. I'm now finding him rolling over and sleeping on his stomach.

Ryan's Black Belt

About a year and a half ago, Ryan decided he wanted to take karate. They have a Shotokan karate program at our YMCA so I signed him up. They say karate teaches self-discipline and self-control and when Jason deployed the first time, this was an area Ryan struggled with. The program has been great for Ryan and it has been fun and exciting to watch Ryan discipline himself to earn his different belts. Last Friday, Ryan tested for his black stripe and graduated to the adult beginner class.

Way to go Ryan!

Birthday Shopping

After receiving birthday money from Grandma Morrow, my girls knew exactly what they wanted to do with it-go shopping! Last year for their birthday, Grandma Morrow was in town and she took the girls to the mall. They shopped for clothes and shoes, stopped at the chocolate shop and had a great time together. The girls had so much fun they wanted to do it again but since Grandma wasn't here they had to settle for good ol' mom.

It's only taken us a month but we finally had an evening free. I decided to first treat Kelsey and Kate to a manicure, pedicure at the local Beauty School. This is the first time they've ever done something like this so they were pretty excited. Kelsey got the pedicure and Kate got a manicure. I don't know where Kate gets her long, and I mean l o n g nails from. I consider myself lucky if I can get my nails past the tips of my fingers, which really is never. My nails have never forgiven me for biting them all those years when I was younger. Once our nails were dry, we headed to the mall and we shopped and we shopped until mom dropped. My girls got the clothes and shoes they wanted. The only disappointment of the evening was the chocolate shop was gone. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

By the way, did you know that after 22 years Jelly shoes are back? I remember having these when I was 12. They were my favorite! My girls thought they were so cute they couldn't wait to get a pair. I'm going to have to dig through my photo album to show them mine.

Bum Knee

My knees have been bothering me for a couple weeks now. After my first boot camp, when I realized I would be running, I knew I needed to get new shoes. Jason and I headed over to Sports Authority and I got myself a new pair of comfy, expensive Mizuno running shoes. Who knew shoes cost so much? The minute I put them on my feet I knew why. My feet were in Heaven. I could definitely tell a difference and thought that maybe running would not be so bad with these dreams on my feet. Then, after a couple boot camps my knees started hurting. I thought maybe I lunged wrong or maybe my knees were just getting used to running, especially since it was outside on the hard pavement. I didn't know what to think, I just knew I needed Motrin, which I have never needed before!

I decided to give my knees a little break, more than just Sunday, so I didn't exercise today. But it was such a nice day I decided to take Jenna on a walk to the park. I put on my running shoes and enjoyed the beautiful day. Everything was great until later-more pain-more Motrin. I mentioned this to my friend and she said, "It's your shoes." "It can't be my shoes-these are good, expensive, brand new running shoes!" Yeah, bummer, because I think she is right.. Anyone else experience this? Now what do I do-get new shoes? What I really need is a new knee. I will definitely have more empathy when I hear others complain about their knee problems. It stinks!

Broken Record

The best thing for me to do when I get overtired is to just go to bed. Otherwise, I get cranky over the littlest thing and then feel guilty about it later. Tonight we were straightening up the house for the night (I know, I know, it sounds like cleaning is all I do) and my kids kept ignoring or forgetting what I was asking them to do. Frustrated, I reminded them once more and then said under my breath, "I'm tired of sounding like a broken record." It took me a second to realize my kids have no idea what a record is, much less a broken one. And that just made me crankier! I'm going to bed. . .

By the way the reason for my crankiness. . .
1. Jason had to work today and wouldn't be home until 10 pm.
2. I stayed up too late playing games with friends last night.
3. I didn't get a nap.
4. It hurts to walk. My knees are killing me. I don't know if its from running or lunges or both.
5. I felt a little too ambitious and took all 5 kids to the grocery store.
6. At the store I had to get 2 carts because Eric's car seat left little room for food.
7. Jenna kept trying to climb out of the cart.
8. Throughout the store I listened to complaints that whoever was pushing the other cart kept running into the back of them or over their toes.
9. Tired of reminding them over and over that the grocery store was not their own personal playground. See, they made up a new game that you can only hop on the black squares and not the white.
10. I hate unloading and putting groceries away. I was already wiped out just shopping for the stuff.

You get the idea.

15 Years!

Yesterday, Jason and I celebrated our anniversary-15 years! This was the first time in a couple of years that we've had a chance to be together for it. Last year, Jason was packing for his deployment to Africa. He left the next day. The year before that he was already deployed to Germany. But this year we were together and we really wanted to make the most of it. We thought of taking a cruise or flying to Hawaii or maybe the Caribbean. In the end, we ended up doing what I have been wanting to do all winter long. . .we cleaned, straighted and purged our garage. It was the best! What better way to reminisce than by going through all the junk and stuff we've accumulated through our 15 years together. Who wants a beach when you can have a clean garage?! Just in case you think I'm insane, I really want the cruise! We wanted to go for our 10th anniversary but ended up moving to Guam. Add children to the mix and getting away has become more complicated. But one of these years it's going to happen, just not this year.

I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned that it was our anniversary to the kids until I asked Kelsey if she would babysit so her dad and I could go out to dinner. I should have seen the twinkle in her eye. . . While Jason and I went out to eat Thai and get massages, Kelsey was rounding up the troops.

When we came home we were met by this sign on the door. Then in the kitchen we found heart shaped chocolate chip cookies,cookie dough (in bowl), milk and to top it off, an anniversary toast. They made sure to inform us that they also straightened the house and folded clothes. (Just in case we didn't notice)

Do I have the best kids or what!!!!!

This is our toast penned by Kelsey.

Anniversary Toast

Here's a toast to the two of you

As you celebrate together.

You're the poster kids for happiness

In sunny or stormy weather.

Your love continues, warm and bright,

May it shine throughout the years.

You're an example for the rest of us,

So here's to you:

Three Cheers!

It was the Perfect Anniversary!