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.

Updates and Notes...

We've been in our new house for about a month and a half now. Like any new place, the surrounding area and the house itself is taking a little time for us to get adjusted to.

Here's the lowdown:

• The restaurants around here are mostly non-chain. Our favorites so far are The Base Camp, The Cookie Jar, Mambo Grill, Sunday brunch at The Pump House; all have something unique that make it a special place. There are many more restaurants in the area, these are just a few of our favs.
• We got a new kitten! The guy who owns the house that we're living in, found some strays. We've chosen a female creme colored kitten with Balinese markings. Her eyes are the most beautiful blue! And she's soooo tiny. I'm guessing that she's about 8 weeks old at the most. I truly believe that she is an angel in disguise; she's playful, cuddly, and she purrs! (our old cat, Pandora, did not)
  
• I think I've mentioned before that things happen around here at a much slower pace. I'm still waiting on some service people to give me a call back...
  
• If one more person says "Welcome to Alaska!" (if there is a problem with something, like waiting for service) or "Have you been salmon fishing yet?", I'm gonna scream at them.
• Gabe participated in Cub Scout camp a couple of weeks ago at Birch Hill recreation area. It was a cowboy themed camp and I think he loved every minute of it. Camp gave him the perfect opportunity to make new friends.
• I put Gabe in another camp this week; a non-denominational Bible camp with a high reputation for fun. We pick him up tomorrow after having dropped him off on Monday. He said that he'd sleep over on the first night to see how it goes...so far, we've not heard from him...I think he's having way too much fun to miss us or his new kitten!
  
• Sarah had her first Alaskan ear infection in both ears a couple of weeks ago.
• Both of the kids' allergies have gotten 100% better since we left Texas! No more allergy meds!!!
  
• I'm ready to get back to work. I think it will be the best way for me to adjust to being here, and it will be nice to get out of the house. Fortunately, one of the little scouts from BSA Camp has a mom that is the recruiter for one of the local hospitals, and after we got to talking....well, you know.
• Living here after being in Texas is like going from 90 mph to nothing...it is a whole new lifestyle that can really be lonely and isolating. We are all trying to get used to it, yet glad that we will be able to tell stories in years to come about living here. As the days go on, it gets easier to adjust to the slower pace, but I admit that in the beginning, it was a shock to my system.
• The weather has been a bit dreary and rainy...the locals are calling for a harsh winter.
• We still need to winterize our cars and were told that we need to "jump on it".
• On Tuesdays, we go swimming with Ruthanne and Katie (her grand-daughter)...Ruthanne is a total sweetheart and really energetic...we look forward to spending time with her. If I haven't mentioned her already, she and her husband, both retirees from Pennsylvania, spend the summers here with her daughter...then they go back to PA for a couple of months and then winter in Florida. I met her while she was watching Katie take soccer practice in the schoolyard...and now, when Katie has practice, Ruthanne will walk on over to the house to visit, and drop off homemade cookies.
• Gabe will be able to walk to school from our house in about 30 seconds.
  
• I've posted some new pics in the "Alaska Bound" album to the right of this page...look for the link and click on it.
• We've been doing some exploring when we get the chance; last weekend, we went to the World Eskimo Olympics hosted every year in Fairbanks.
• I have been asked to post pictures of the inside of our house, and I will do that as soon as I get a chance to take the requested pictures...I'd like to clean up a bit first. We were lucky enough to find a nice two-story to rent out here in North Pole, AK.
• Berry picking seems to be a huge thing out here.
• So far, we've only seen 2 moose...one in the schoolyard and another bathing in a creek on the way to Chena Hot Springs.
• I've already warned Gabe on what to do if he sees a moose while going to or from school. Encountering one who is protecting her babies would not be a good thing...at all.
  
• Haven't seen any bears yet, and that's fine with me!
  

Our new edition

Meet Pichou; pronounced PeeShu, which is french for Bobcat. We got her this afternoon from the guy who owns the house we're renting.

We've got two really happy kids over here!

I'm BACK!

We just got hooked up to the internet yesterday. Over here in Alaska, things can take a while; it's kinda like "island time". AND, it's taking a bit of time to get our boxes unpacked etc...it would have really helped if the house we're currently renting was actually cleaned for us BEFORE we got the keys.

I will post as soon as I can to fill you in on what's going on with us.

Right now, I'm just posting to tell you that I'm back in business.

In a few minutes, I'm going to take the kiddos for a swim with a new friend(s) that we've made (a retiree and her husband from Pennsylvania who spend the summers here with their grandchildren)...she's quite a fun character and I consider her an Angel, because on the day that I met her, I really needed to make a new friend...

For me, adjustments can be a challenge.

Later Ya'll!

Hurry up and wait!

I'm writing to tell you that I have not much to tell you.

Right now, we're waiting on housing. We've just closed on the house in Texas, and are both hesitant to buy over here for many different reasons. We are really low down on the waiting list for Post housing, and the benefits to living on-Post FAR outnumber the cons of living off-Post. Finding a house to rent out here is like looking for a needle in a haystack! And by the time a decision is made on what we'll do about buying or renting, if the "perfect" alternative to living on Post comes up, then you can bet that they'll be calling to tell us that something has come open on Fort Wainwright.

I'm about to go crazy after living in hotels for at least a month now...

The kids and I are doing a bit of exploring and getting to know the area while Phillip is at work.

And that's about all I have to say about that.

(But...however glum this post may sound to you, things will get better after the dust settles...they always do. And I really like Alaska!)