Merry Christmas!

How was everybody's Christmas? We had a very nice day here. Grandma and Grandpa, and Nana Sue and her son Brock came, and Aunt Tracy and Uncle Eric, too. It was very nice to have everyone here, to enjoy the good food and company, and take time to appreciate all our blessings.

This is Taylor and Sarah, and no, it is not May 22, 2004. I really need to get my camera's instruction manual out, and take the date function out. I don't like those yellow numbers in my photos. But anyway...
Sarah, getting excited about finding Barbie clothes in her stocking. Andrew and Amy are in the background going through their "loot."
Amy broke her right arm 2 days before Christmas. Poor thing has inherited her mother's tendency toward klutziness. She was putting a dish away by standing on the kitchen counter, and when she jumped down, she slipped on the wet kitchen floor her brother had just washed.
This was a couple of weeks ago, we went to my dad's house and decorated a gingerbread house and his Christmas tree.
Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you enjoy every minute of your time with family and friends, and that the coming New Year brings you many, many blessings!
Love,
Alicia

Halloween

Yes, yes, I know, it's been a long time. And I actually did write a post telling you all about it, but then I deleted it. Not because I lost my temper this time ; ) ! There are some legal issues going on with our foster child, who is back home with his family (and this is not particularly good news). So let's just say, things have been rough. There is a very hurting little boy out there and the system let him down. And it let us down, too.
So, that all happened a few weeks ago, and we have been enjoying some peace and quiet and taking a break from foster care, just relaxing and remembering what our family is like when there is no one here with major behavioral health issues. I'm not entirely sure I want to go back to it. We'll see.
Anyhoo, here are some photos of my little Halloweeners.





I know a lot of people don't believe in celebrating Halloween, but I have to say I really enjoy it and I think it's good for the kids. The whole "Halloween is all about demons" argument never sat well with me. Halloween is all about dressing up and having fun, and if you really want to get into the religious argument, it's about chasing demons away! It's about scaring off the bad guys and confusing them, traditionally, and also about honoring the dead (pumpkins were smashed to feed hungry spirits). My kids look forward to it every year; it's our last hurrah before we're shut inside away from our neighbors for a long cold winter.
Which it really is; it was 15 degrees out Trick-or-Treat night. I got more big kids and fewer tots trick-or-treating than ever. And judging from the shaggy-dog like fur on the moose, it's going to be a long, cold one.
Other news; I've started a new job providing children's groups at the office where my husband works; it's part time for now, and only evenings and weekends. Which is plenty for me! Homeschooling is going well, housecleaning not so much. I am flying to Atlanta next week; Paul is attending a conference there, so I'm tagging along for a much needed break. After that, I have grand jury duty for 3 months. Because I just don't have Enough to do.
Sorry for the long wait for an update. It's just life, getting in the way as usual.

We've Got Crab Legs!

Thank you Ron and Mary and Grandpa, for the delicious crab legs! There was enough meat to feed this family of seven, plus some to nibble on the next day. As promised, your photo of the girls with the claws!

First Day of School

Last Friday, my babies had their first day of school! I homeschool under an umbrella school, Family Partnership Charter School, and they provide enrichment classes for us to choose from. So Friday was the girls' first day of kindergarten, and Andrew had 3d grade classes at the same time. Here's Sarah, in purple, and Amy, in pink, getting ready to go.We took them out to breakfast for their big day. They were so cute, and excited.

Here's where I get choked up. Big brother walking his sisters to the front door.

We got there early, so the girls got to help their teacher get the classroom ready. Here they are settling in and waiting for the rest of the class to arrive.
Their teacher has been our sponsor teacher since we started homeschooling; she checks off on my curriculum and learning plans, and visits us at the end of the year to review what the children have learned. She's been absolutely wonderful to us, and the children know her well, so there were no tears when we said goodbye; they were right at home with her.
So, another milestone has come and gone, and I have to say, I was so proud of how well they did. They were so confident and outgoing, it did my heart good.

It's Dirty Laundry Time!

So, I'm nothing if not atrociously honest. And a lot of you have been asking about my blog's great disappearing act. So how do I say this?...

Let's see..................................

....Welllllllll..............

Okay. You see,...I may or may not be married to a man who is an avid gamer (that's video games, for those less technologically savvy out there). And we may or may not have had a horrendous argument around the subject of whether it is a wise and considerate thing to talk to your online video game buddies over your Xbox headphones while I am sleeping...at 3:00 in the morning... And the word "immature" may have been randomly thrown around by two supposedly mature adults, in reference to not only video gaming, but also blogging. And a certain bloggess that may have been me, might have lost her temper and deleted her blog in order to prove some kind of point. Or something. Only to find out later that people actually do intentionally visit her blog just to see what crazy stuff the gang in Alaska has been up to. That might be what happened.

Or maybe the computer just ate the whole thing. I donno.

So I guess I don't really deserve any cool blogger awards right now, as the whole darned thing is gone forever. But I will write more and hopefully earn back some coolness. For now though, it's back to square one with my bad self.

Anybody else out there want to air some dirty laundry with me?
I'd feel so much better!!

*Disclaimer: aforementioned husband is not immature or irresponsible at all times, and has done a great many things to appease said angered wife, including not playing online during her sleep and buying her a new sewing machine. Beleaugured husband also pleaded with wife not to be rash in deleting her blog, but alas!

Happy Birthday, Taylor

Taylor turned 14 on August 5! He went camping with Aunt Tracy and Uncle Eric the following weekend, and then came home to his birthday party on Sunday.

Taylor, waiting patiently for presents (that's Jake, in the cage, and Andrew, out of the cage).



Aren't the girls getting so big? I didn't realize until looking at this picture. Taylor is 5'6", taller than me already. That's Tracy on the couch beside Paul, with Sarah climbing in his lap.


Grandma gave Taylor a Chinese calligraphy set. He also got a couple of Redwall books from Grandpa, and various art supplies from his siblings. Also, an air mattress, some gift certificates to Old Navy and Barnes and Noble, and clothes from Aunt Tracy and Uncle Eric.

Grandma, sitting in front of the newest member of our family, a snake named Flick.

Tracy and Eric.
Taylor's other guests included his great-aunt, Sarah Jane, who was here in Alaska visiting my dad. Her childhood friend and the friend's husband were also here with Grandpa. Taylor's birthday cake was a carrot cake with German Chocolate Cake (creamy coconut and pecan) frosting. Paul made Spicy Mongolian Beef for dinner, and a great time was had by all!