As it turns out...

Sarah did have a small Urinary Tract Infection for my birthday (and I think she had something else, virus-wise, working on her system too). The doctor who examined her that night, called on the following Sunday to tell us that Sarah's test results/cultures came in positive for a UTI, so we started her on antibiotics.

She was also teething...4 molars were trying to work themselves out of her gums. As I write this post, I think it's safe to say that those few weeks of torture are over with.

It's amazing how a child's character can change when they start to feel better!

Choo! Choo!

Phillip will be leaving soon to go on his humanitarian mission, so he's spending a lot of time at home with us (just waiting on the word "Go"). This past Friday, he, Sarah, and I were running errands when we came up with the idea of going down to Denali National Park on a train for a fun Saturday trip.

We'd planned to surprise Gabe (since he loves trains), and were gonna tell him that we were going to drag him out shopping for truck tires, but ended up telling him anyway about the trip when he came home wanting to make plans for a sleepover with a new school friend.

He kept telling us on Saturday that he was glad that he didn't press the sleepover issue.

Enjoy the video above of little sister helping herself to big brother's ice cream. Don't forget to watch for the little dance of attitude at the end. And, I've posted pics in the Alaska album too.

By the way, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are not sure how long Phillip will be gone for, but we do know that when he's not here, time can really drag on. Loneliness can really get to you, if ya let it...and it's a constant fight, I tell you. Most importantly, we want Phil and his friends to be safe until the mission is complete.

This week's news and media.

Gabe started the 3rd grade this week. He says that his teacher is strict, and he does things the correct way in her class because he's too afraid not too. We met her; and Phillip and I like her. I sent him to school with $10 on the first day to pay for his lunch (just in case his lunch account was not updated in time); he didn't have to use it, so he kept it in his backpack..."Mom, I still have the money you gave me. I'm gonna use it to buy a recorder for music class okay?" he says.

(He's growing up way too fast)

Though he's the new kid at school, he's making playground friends slowly but surely and with no doubt, he'll have fun this year.

My 35th birthday was yesterday. Here I am, modeling part of the gifts that I got from the kids. Gabe said he picked this one out, because the others were "too dull".

Yum! Chocolate cake with Bavarian creme filling!!!

Pichou jumped into the tub with Sarah twice this week. I'm not sure, but I think she is part puppy; she didn't really mind that she got wet. She's so playful and so sweet, and she's getting quite spoiled too. Wherever we are, she is. I'm so glad that she joined our family!

To get an idea of how tiny she is, compare the size of Sarah's pacifier to her.
(she's only about 11 weeks old right now)

The two video's above are of Felinas Deathicus, a.k.a. Pichou, putting the hurt on one of Sarah's dolls, and of Sarah talking to her Ya-Ya earlier today.

Instead of having an early birthday dinner last night, we were at a First Care clinic with Sarah. She has been a little sick for the past couple of weeks; first with a small cold and head congestion, and some mystery fever that she spiked yesterday afternoon (about 104 degrees). The docs seem to think that she has a virus that is trying to work it's way through her system, because her ears, throat, and chest all looked and sounded good to them. We even hooked up a small "urine catcher" bag to her to get a small sample to check for a urinary tract infection (she told me yesterday that she hurt...pointing down below). She got sick again in the middle of the night last night, and still is a little feverish now; though you can't really tell by the video. If she's not better by Monday, I'll bring her back in to see the pediatrician. Thankfully, her fever goes down when she has Motrin or Tylenol "on board".

But after the clinic, we had dinner, came home, and cut into that awesome cake you see above.

Oh, and a funny thing Gabe did last night:

Phil and I were trying to explain what the old show "The Fresh Prince of Belair" was, because Jaden Smith (from the recent "Karate Kid") is the son of Will Smith, the main character on TFPoB. In explaining rich and snooty (the Belair type) to Gabe, Phil says "You know...people who don't have to cut their own grass". A moment of silence follows, and then Gabe pipes up with "But...YOU don't cut your own grass.".

Ohhh, you would've had to have been there to appreciate the humor! (We've been having someone else cut our grass for the past few years due to deployments, MTP school, and moving)

Lazy Saturday...

Phillip has to work today. He is preparing to leave on a short humanitarian mission, so the kids and I decided that we would go explore a place that we've had on our to-do list for a while now.

We went to the Fairbanks Ice Museum! Cool! (no pun intended)

And to prepare for the cold weather that is slowly creeping upon us, I will have an auto-start installed on my car this upcoming Thursday (about $600, Thank Ya very much) and will have it winterized (block engine heater, etc...another $350) on the 27th...FUN! FUN!

You can see more pics of the museum if you go to my Alaska photo collection to the right of this page.