Brag on Your Man Monday

So- my D-mom friend Shamae at Crazy-Happy-Life has started a new thing which is WAY cool! Brag On Your Man Monday! Our guys often do get over looked in the things they do for us and our family. I know there is NO WAY our family could function without Jeff- he is the leader and head of our home. So- let's all join Shamae by blogging about our guys. AND make sure he sees it- he needs to know how much you love and respect him!
Before Jeff and I married, we discussed kids, working, homeschooling---the whole gammit. We agreed while dating that when we had kids at home- I would be at home, no matter the cost. In 11 1/2 years of marriage, he hasn't failed on that promise. Even after Jada was born and he went back to school full time- he waited tables when he wasn't working. We had never been poorer, but we had never been happier. He works so hard and SO WELL at his job- he's the GM of a restaurant, which by the way, is one of the most grueling jobs out there if you're doing it well. But- what he does even better is being a husband and a father. He is intentional with the kids- making every effort to be available to them- to talk, to pray, to play. And, he loves me unconditionally and has gone out of his way to make sure that he and I are going out on dates every couple of weeks. I honestly don't know how he does it- but he works hard at striking a good balance between work and home. I am GRATEFUL for the sacrifices he makes every day to ensure the security of our home for our family!

Weekend

Hmmm....where to begin. How about Thursday?
Thursday- Can I say migraine??? Ugh. I'm all to familiar with migraines and the one that struck me on Thursday was a DOOZY! I managed to make it through the morning- I actually took the kids to a free movie at the theater. The dark was good for me- but the noise? Not good for a migraine. When we got home- I crashed! Fortunately, Jada's numbers were near perfect that day- she hovered between 100-150 all afternoon long. Thank you Lord! By the time Jeff got home at 6, the kids were hungry and I really needed to be in a dark, quiet room. So- he took them out to eat and I slept. I LOVE my husband! He had been at work since 5:30 am- so he was worn out when he came home!
Friday- Clean up of the aftermath of my migraine. Being as I was on the couch and in bed all day Thursday, the havoc 4 children can wreak on a house is absolutely amazing! My morning started by cleaning the kitchen, then the living room and attempting to start on laundry. By 10 am, I was already worn out. My body feels the after effects of these things for at least 3 days. We were in desperate need of groceries! So- made up my list and headed to Sam's Club. We ate lunch there (cheapest place in Fairbanks to take the family- sad, I know!) and ran into some friends. Sarah and Jake were married when we lived here before and are now expecting their first little one. It's so cool to see them progressing through stages of life! :) We completely filled up the grocery cart and headed home. We really needed to go to Walmart, too, but my achy body could go no more! After rest and dinner, I took the kids to Pioneer Park. My USB cord has gone missing again, but will have pics to share later. Pioneer Park is a somewhat touristy place- they have shops to browse, a train to ride and several really nice playgrounds.
Saturday- Jeff didn't have to work until 3, which is almost like a day off to us. We ran a few errands in the morning, but then came home and I started in on laundry and did laundry all day long! I'm getting caught up- it's just taking a while! The kids and I hung out last night. Popped some popcorn and watched Disney. Total kids night for sure! :) I made it to bed by midnight- which is early for me anymore!
Sunday! Church. Journey Christian Church has become our Alaska family. I missed them so much when we moved and coming back to them WAS coming home. Jeff and I are getting itchy to really get involved again and it's time- we're here and we're settled- and his work will be slowing down. Next week I start teaching the 2's & 3's Sunday School for a month and by the time fall rolls around, we hope to be leading a small group. After church, we have just hung out. Doin' nothing- which I really needed. The kids and I took a walk after it quit raining and soon it will be time to put the girls to bed. Jeff closes the restaurant tonight and is off tomorrow!
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Found at the bottom of my purse! :)

Chena Lakes

Yesterday was hot enough- for Alaska- to go to the local beach! Yep- folks- a whopping 74 degrees here and people head for the water! The kids and I headed over to Chena Lakes rec area for an afternoon of sun and sand. As usual, when recreating, I worry if the d-monster is going to behave or decide to act up. Upon arrival, I checked Jada and she was 69- a little low, but nothing to panic about. I gave her a 100 calorie snack pack (those come in so handy!) and had her sit for a little bit before playing in the water. My mind went elsewhere while they were playing and I managed to forget to check her! Bad mom- I know- but obviously she was fine! By the time we left, she was at 112 and still full of energy. Jada fell asleep on the way home and by dinner she was 189. After dinner, we headed out for ice cream and she was at 212. The novolog just hadn't had the opportunity to work yet- but I knew that it would. We went to a local ice cream place called "Hot Licks" and they did have a sugar free pistachio ice cream. We got her a little cup and I crossed my fingers and hoped that we weren't setting her up for a high. We ran to Walmart, and then came home and got the kids ready for bed. After Jada brushed her teeth, she came to me saying she was "SO firsty mama!". Crap. I just knew she was high. Checked her- and what do you know- 79. And by the way she was acting, falling pretty quickly. So- I gave her a piece of bread and butter- brushed teeth AGAIN- and sent her off to bed. At her midnight check she was at 167 and she woke up at 180 this morning.
Here are some pics of our fun yesterday:

Eli being overly dramatic about "starving"- after he had eaten an entire bag of chips!

Gettin' some fuel!

Sisters!

To Jeff

Happy Father's Day to you, honey!  I am SO  proud of you.  In a world run amuck and with so many families torn apart, you have stepped up to the plate.   You have fought hard to be a Godly father and husband, leading our family spiritually.  You have faced some real battles in your life that the enemy would have liked to have won, because he knows that it would have placed our family on the line.  But you- you gave it all to Jesus and He won the battle for you and has blessed our family with a father who is fully present and who loves his children unconditionally.  This world is in dire need of more fathers like you.  There would be so many less children wounded, wondering who their daddy is and if he really loves them.  We are raising two boys, who will be two more fathers like you, because they have experienced that unconditional love and acceptance.  And, we are raising two girls who have seen first hand a real man who knows how to love his wife and provide for his family.  Every day, you point our family in the direction of our Heavenly Father and every day, I thank God for you and the role you play in their lives.  You can not be replaced.  I love you, Jeff!  Happy Father's Day!

Minus Two

I am minus two children since yesterday!  David and Eli took off to camp yesterday and boy- were they excited!  Our church's children's minister put together a 3 day camp for our kids.  They are about 30 miles out of town in the Alaska wilderness! :)  Yes- it's bear country and no- I'm not too nervous about it.  They are in good care! 

 So- the girls and I have been hanging out.  This morning we met a friend for coffee at Barnes and Noble (love that place!), came home and did a little laundry, cleaned a little, hung out with Jeff before he had to go to work, played some games with my two sweet girls and now just finished dinner.

We spent this last weekend in Anchorage.  We had an amazing time with Jeff's sister and her family!  It's a 6 hour drive- but one of the most beautiful drives in the world!  It takes you through Denali National Park, then Denali State Park.  We had fun keeping our eyes open for moose and dall sheep.  On Sunday night, after making sure Jada's numbers were good and a list of what to do and when to check her, we left the kids with our older nephews and went on a double date with Jeff's sister Kelly and her husband Clark.  We drove down the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet to Girdwood- home of the famous Alyeska Ski Resort and ate at an amazing  restaurant called The Double Musky Inn.  MMM! My seafood pasta was amazing!  On the drive down we saw a bald eagle and a mountain goat!  On the way home- we saw the tide going out! It's cool because the Cook Inlet is one of the few places in the world where there is a phenomenon called the bore tide- basically- when the tide goes in and out- it's a wall of water moving pretty rapidly- rather than a gradual coming in and out that you see on a beach.  It's been on my list of "must see in Alaska" and I finally got to!  I wish I had a picture of it!

Jada has been doing great!  She bounced around a lot over the weekend with being off schedule.  At church on Sunday morning, we ran into some friends of my sister in law's whose little girl was diagnosed with T1 diabetes a few months before Jada.  Her name is Riley and she is 3 1/2.  Jada and Riley got to be in Sunday School together and it was SO strange to check them in together- going over symptoms of hypoglycemia, whether or not to have a snack, etc.  Jada was very excited to meet Riley (they had met before but were VERY tiny!) again and later told me that they played baby dolls together.  It's the first time since Jada was diagnosed, that I have been able to visit face to face with another parent about the ups and downs of this disease.  It felt pretty good!

It was a much needed get away.  Jeff has been working about 6 1/2 days a week and will need to do so for a little while yet.  It was nice to have my husband "back" for a few days and I know the kids ate up the time they had with their daddy.

The boys (on the left) and their crazy cabin mates! 

Twin Bears Camp- Quintessential Alaska!

Blogger Frustrations

I've made several attempts to blog since Saturday and all were foiled in one way or another! Over the weekend, I attempted to respond to comments on my last post and to write a new post, but the Blogger server "failed to respond" and I lost all my stuff- none of it was saved. Grrr.... I was so frustrated! The rest of my attempts have been foiled mostly, by, well.... my children! :) We've also been busy with church, Jeff's job, sickness and now we have added gymnastics to the list.
I think we are getting over whatever it was that we have had. I still do wonder about the swine flu. Mary Beth and I both came down with it after Jada. I had the "chills" the first couple days of feeling sick but Mary Beth had a full blown four days of fever and feeling really cruddy. Jada came through it just fine- even her numbers weren't that bad and she had ketones for nearly a full week- they just hung on and I was beginning to think they would never go away- but they did after the virus ran it's course.
So, as I said, life here is just very busy. Mary Beth and the boys started gymnastics last night. David isn't sure if gymnastics will be his "thing" (even though he's very good!), but Eli is sold. He absolutely loves it and is a very good gymnast! They had a good work out last night and when I picked them up, they were dragging! Just what I wanted to see! LOL! They slept very good last night! It was Mary Beth's first day ever at gymnastics and she had so much fun! I was very impressed with her teacher- she was a lot of fun and kept order at the same time!
Jeff has been very busy with work! I may have mentioned before that this restaurant that he's taken over has a lot of issues. It has also come with a lot of drama! His immediate boss was fired last week- after he had been arrested two previous times for failing to appear in court after several DUI's! He was arrested the first time in Jeff's restaurant and the second time at a restaurant in Anchorage. Talk about drama- I've never seen anything like it! So- Jeff's work load has increased a little bit, but he's doing a great job and the restaurant is making great strides in a short amount of time. I will be happy, though, when he is back to working 5 days a week rather than about the 6 1/2 he is working now! :)
Well- it's time to get busy. I'm going to get a hair cut today (I desperately need one!) and have a sitter coming for the hour and a half or so that I'll be gone. My house needs some attention, too and I think I'll organize the ranks and hand out jobs! :) Hopefully, too, blogger will behave itself and I'll be able to publish this with no problems! :)