Tis the Season

 We got a real Christmas tree this year.  I love it!  Our pre-lit tree that we bought at Michaels about 4 years ago almost started on fire two days after we put it up.  As soon as I plugged it in the morning I heard a buzzing noise, then smelled melting plastic.  I quickly unplugged it and next thing I knew there was smoke.  Thankfully I was there or the thing could have burned that house down!  Just a little word of warning.  Don't trust a pre-lit artificial tree.  Now here is a little taste of our decorations at our house :)

 This ornament was purchased on our first trip to Alaska about 6 1/2 years ago.

I made some gingerbread houses again this year.  This is becoming a fun tradition!!

Kodiak!

Reese and I just got back from a trip to Kodiak, Alaska.  We are packing up and moving there in January!  Going from San Diego to Kodiak will be a shocker, but I think it will be a welcome change.  We are looking forward to a change of pace.  It's a lot more relaxed up there.  I think it is literally a one stop light town.  Reese's job is going to be a lot more mellow too, which will make a huge difference for our family.  Reese's mom flew down to watch our kids, so it was just us for a few days.  It wasn't really a relaxing trip because much of it was spent flying and house hunting.  But it was fun nonetheless.

I think this was Fort Abercrombie recreation area.  This is near to our future home!!!

My first Kodiak bear sighting.  We went for a drive on the last day.  There were people gathering on a bridge taking pictures so we stopped.  There was this mama bear laying on the side of the river.  Her  cubs were laying just up and to the left of her in the picture.  It made me a little nervous once I saw the cubs.  This wasn't the first time I've been in the company of a bear.  Click here for my last encounter

I am so glad we got some pictures though.  Those Kodiak bears are HUGE!

A beautiful view on our drive.

 And here is our new home!  This was taken back in the spring by the realtor.  When we were there, there was snow on the ground.  It is 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms on a 1/2 acre lot.  About 1/2 of the lot is wooded which will make for a lot of fun for Lane! It is probably about 1/4 mile from Lane's new school, which is a small, quaint elementary school.  The house is on top of a hill in a small cul-de-sac of about 6 houses.  I am so excited to have more room and a yard!  I am hoping to build a greenhouse in the back yard.  Apparently you can have some luck growing veggies in Alaska with a greenhouse.  So the inspection is tomorrow, pray that it will go well.  Also the appraisal needs to come in around what we offered for it or the sellers may have a problem.  So pray that that goes well too.  We need to get this house ready to move into the end of January!

 So on our way back we had a 7 hour layover in Anchorage.  So we took a cab and headed out into the 8 degree weather to downtown Anchorage.  We went out to dinner and to a few bars to hang out.  GASP!  Yes I hung out at a few bars... would that be considered bar hopping.  Oh my.  It was good people watching for sure.  So this last place we hung out at has this huge block of Tillamook cheese on the counter.  People would come up and hack away at it.  You can't really tell but I am holding the cheese slicer up in my hand, ready to cut away a slice.  It was really weird and random and quite the conversation starter.  Reese and I had fun just the two of us.  It made us really excited to get up there.  I think it will be a good change for our family and be quite the new adventure.  Like I've said for years,  "Bloom Where You Are Planted."  Whether I am in Washington, California, or Alaska.  I hope that I will do my best to be the best I can be wherever I am.  And I pray that I can show God's love to others in the process.  This military life is a hard life, but I have been reminded time and again that God has chosen to plant me in these different places for a reason.  I just need to TRUST and allow Him to work.

Retreat

 We had a post deployment retreat for Reese's job last weekend.  The first night there was a formal dinner for the adults.  And thanks to my friend Kristen who lives near the hotel we didn't have to put our kids in the childcare!  She kept them over night and the kids had a blast.  Reese and I got to hang out with our friends and catch up.

 Lauren, me and Leah.  As we were taking the picture Lauren's husband Tom commented that this was the culmination of the last five years.  I about cried.  We all commented about how many more gray hairs and wrinkles we may have developed over the last 5 years.  We've seen our guys through some grueling training, and two deployments.  Between the three of us we have given birth to 6 babies in the last five years and had to say goodbye to one of them.  Yes, I think we've earned everyone of those gray hairs and wrinkles.

 Reese and Tom

 The next day we got to watch a half pipe show.

 Tony Hawk was the special guest.  It was awesome.  Lane got front row seats and got to meet him as well as many other skateboarders and BMX riders.  Lane was stoked!

Estelle is 2!

 We had a little family birthday for Estelle this year.  Just us!  She loved opening her presents and of course eating ice cream cake!

 I felt bad we weren't having a party so I made some decorations and party hats.

 We got her a Little People princess castle.  She loves princesses!

 Sweet kids!

It's hard to believe that she is 2!  Estelle has turned into quite the spunky little thing.  She is very friendly and silly.  She loves to yet "no way" if we are trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to.  She is a very picky eater.  Music is her thing!  She loves to listen to, dance to and sing music.  Happy Birthday sweet Estelle!

Disneyland with the Jansen's

 The first week in November my sister Michele and her family came down to Disneyland.  We met them and stayed at the Grand Californian at the Disneyland resort and did three days in Disneyland.  It was a blast.  The first night Estelle started throwing up during the night so her and I hung low that day while everyone else went to the park. Thankfully no one else got it and we enjoyed the rest of our trip.  The next morning we did the Critter Breakfast.  The kids thought it was great and so did we.

 Estelle's Minnie ears!

 We got Estelle and Hazel matching shirts while we were in Seattle shopping.  They thought that was fun to wear the same shirt.

 Radiator Springs is so fun.  We got to do all the rides this time.  The Radiator Springs racers was a hit with Michele and I!

 Another matching shirt day  :)  And the boys found matching hats in Radiator Springs.

 The guys aren't much into waiting around to have pictures taken with characters but Michele and I snuck away with the girls for a few of them.

 A favorite was Minnie's house and meeting Minnie!

These boys had a blast.  We are so blessed to have cousin's my kids ages.  They love all their cousins!

Halloween 2012

 We had a fun Halloween!  Lane is really into football so getting a Seahawks uniform was perfect.  My friend Kelly had got Estelle some wings and a tutu a while back.  She was a butterfly fairy. I really didn't think she would put it on.  Every time I tried she would freak out.  But we got it on her that night.  And once she figured out what she was getting in her pumpkin, she was all about Halloween!

A Sister's Weekend

 At the end of October I flew up to Seattle to meet my sisters for a weekend of shopping.  It was so fun and MUCH needed!  We all live in different towns (me in a different state), so we don't get together as much as we'd like, especially without kids.  This was the first time for me, in a LONG time that we has done this without one of us having a little baby along.  We got to do some fun shopping.  Of course the biggest stop was Marshalls, we all found some great buys there.  It was wonderful to sit in a restaurant and take our time.  Being around my sister's is always a mood lifter and a source of encouragement for me.  And the think the most fun part about it is how silly we can be together, and we don't judge!  :)

Yankee candles are my fave!  Had to hit the Yankee Candle store in Bellevue Square and check out all the holiday scents!

Lane's 8th Birthday

 Next on the list to catch up on is Lane's birthday!  He turned eight in October.  No party this year, we did a trip to Disneyland instead (pictures to come).  But of course we celebrated as a family, and we usually start his day off with a birthday pancake or waffle like on his 3rd birthday (below).

 We donated a Boxcar Children book to his class in honor of his birthday.  He is into those books lately.  He got lots of games for his birthday and his big present from us was a Spy Gear video camera remote control car.  He has affectionately named it Drover.  He's been having lots of fun with it.

 I made Lane's favorite dinner, Orange Chicken and of course his favorite, root beer to wash it down.

 And for dessert I made him Grasshopper Pie as he requested.  Estelle like it too!