Chill'axen with music

 

Fashion Bug

I'm not sure if Abby is sharing her fashion sense with her baby sister, but it most certainly appears lately that Marilyn is going down that road.

Case in point, her choice of slipper boots tonight with her 'jammies:

 

 But she sure is cute!

Dessert Experts



Sometimes you need to end a great day with some great dessert.  Period.  No other reason than that!

Friday Night Leftovers (not the Mary Poppins edition)

We are in full-go summer mode up here in Alaska, ya'll!  Happy Friday!

• Although we won't hit the summer solstice for another 2 weeks, we are enjoying a full 19 hours of daylight each and everyday.  That equates to a sunrise of 4:30am and a sunset at 11:30pm.  Hello Land of the Midnight Sun!
• Never would I have thought we would consider having a Nanny for the kids now that I'm going back to work, but that is the direction we have turned.  Not the live-in, Mary Poppins kind-of-nanny, but rather the full time care in our home Nanny.  With before & after school care required for Thomas, Abby's gymnastics & speech that we don't want to give up, and not wanting to have to wake the kids at the crack of dawn, it just seems like a logical option for us to consider. 
• Marilyn is ready for potty training.  She insists on "going to the potty" several times a day. 9 out of 10 times though this is milla-seconds after she has already gone in her diaper.  Make no mistake about it though, I am happy she wants to sit on the potty and that she has gone potty several times now.  I guess I need to get situated with the reward cup of lollipops in the bathroom, a box of Pull-Ups and some new girly underwear for her!  This is shaping up to be one of the summer time challenges for sure!
• Did I mention that I am perfectly OK with not having to buy diapers anymore?  Bring on the challenge!
• After many years with the iPhone 3, I just upgraded to the iPhone 5 and so far, I'm impressed.
• I know this sounds awful, but is it terrible of me to want to strangle some of the kids that come into my yard (and garage) to play?  I know, I know...I should just be grateful that my kids like to play in our yard and that kids come to us instead of the alternative.  I'll just be quiet about this now.
• Thomas is now jumping off curbs with his bike & trying to "catch air" over the speed bumps. To say that the big kids are an influence on him is an understatement.  And this is only a month after learning how to ride a bike.
• The 1/2 Marathon is in two weeks.  Let's just put it this way... I've fallen seriously off of my running schedule.  I hope it's not too late.

The Airport Run

Only in Alaska is it common practice to go to the airport in the middle of the night.

In order to catch connecting flights in the Lower 48 or once finally arriving up from the Lower 48 - people are just at the airport in the wee-hours of the night here.  Matter of fact, with the dozens of times we have been to the airport, only 3-4 times have been during the day... everything else is sometime after midnight.

The kids LOVE this.  They love that they get to get up (in their PJs) when they should be sleeping & ride to the airport.  This trip, more often than not, usually involves us dropping off or picking up Daddy from a TDY trip.  Whether it is in the middle of the winter, and in a snowstorm no less, OR during the summer when the midnight sun is still beaming brightly throughout the city, the kids never tire of an airport run.

Two nights ago was no different - off to the airport we trekked & dropped Daddy off.  Quiet giggles from Marilyn (like she was getting away with doing something), zoned-out-trying-to-stay-awake stares from Abbigail, and quiet singing from Thomas as he listens to the radio in the back seat are what my munchkins do on an airport run.

And just as quickly as I wake them and carry them to the car to leave, when we return from our airport run, they each go directly to their beds and collapse into their dream lands once again until the morning calls their name.

Elmo's USO World Tour

We were treated this week to a FREE (yes, I said FREE) Elmo's World Show thanks to the USO Tour that traveled up to Elmendorf AFB!  And there was no one more excited than this little fan:

 With a showtime of 12:30, I knew we needed to arrive early if we wanted to get some good seats.  In order to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, we packed a little picnic lunch and ate while we waited in line for about 45 minutes until the doors opened at noon!  If there is one thing I've learned is that you can keep the troops happy & content (regardless of the wait) if there is food! :)  On top of that, we had a few friends nearby in line so once lunch was done, there was running & playing by all which helped pass the time!

 Once inside, the kids each received a light-up-Elmo-Dumaflachy-thingy that was sheer entertainment for all the kids in the theater.  Matter of fact, it was the equivalent of being at a rock concert & having all the fans hold up lighters (or cell phones) - except the kids in the audience were MUCH louder and rowdier than any concert-goers I know!

 We had great seats also... center section and only 6 rows back from the stage!

 

And OF COURSE, there was dancing & singing throughout the entire show... but especially by our own resident Thomas "Travolta" Heck. Where does he get this from?

This year's tour showcases the power of friendship when Elmo and his Sesame Street pals help Katie open up about her fears and excitement as she deals with moving to a new place and making new friends... which almost every military kid can relate to in some way.  It was great!

 At the end of the show, the kids got to head down to the foot of the stage where they were up-close-and-personal with Elmo & his friends.  Thomas (in the red shirt) had the girls right next to him and in front of him and they stood in awe of some of their favorite characters...

 ... even getting to shake hands with each of them as they exited the stage and said goodbye!

Awesome show USO!  Thank you so much for this treat!

The Journey Continues...

On one hand, it seems so long ago. On the other hand, it feels like it was just recently.  Almost 16 years ago this coming Fall, I was only 23 years old and I was hired for my first teaching job.  Anxious was an understatement.  My principal at the time, who knew nothing of me, took a chance on a young teacher with no experience.  I am forever grateful to Mr. Richard Bounds for seeing in me the potential to positively impact the lives of teenage students in his high school.  Additionally, he hired me as the Head Coach of the Girls' Soccer Program to turn around a long-ignored female sports team.  My first year of teaching in the classroom and coaching on the field was intense, busy and nonstop... to say the least.  I spent 7 days a week working that year - during the week at school, on the weekends, at home, late night in my classroom - to try and stay one step ahead of my students and my players.  Such was the life of a first year teacher/coach.  I was blessed with a tremendous teacher mentor, Ms. Nancy Hale, that first year who steered me straight, gave me honest feedback both professionally and as a mother-figure, and offered me guidance and her mentorship so that I had a good start to a teaching career.  I will forever be grateful to her as well for taking a chance on me and investing her time, effort, expertise and love in me with hopes that I would pass it forward to my students. 

 

I am completely humbled and amazed at the level of support and encouragement I have received over the years as I shared my aspiration to become a school leader.  To have a Principal and Asst. Principal who took me under their wings, supported, encouraged, and gave me the opportunity to push myself and grow professionally. I was encouraged to take risks and do what was needed to help my students. I was provided a light so I could see along my journey, but never was I given the map. My opinion was valued and my voice was heard, but most importantly they each put the needs of our students and staff before their own. They have embraced a school culture that is built upon trust and autonomy. And just as importantly, Cindy Gates and Lee Hale have modeled effective school leadership in a way that I one day hope to more fully understand.

 

After moving from Florida to Alaska because of our family's Air Force obligation and having the opportunity to be a stay-at-home Mommy to my 3 amazing kiddos for the last two years, my journey has taken a turn and will now continue on in a different direction.  As of today, the School Board has approved my selection as the new Assistant Principal of Service High School here in Anchorage.   I graciously accepted this offer. The excitement and jubilation are huge and I'm ready to exercise my professional brain once again, although it is certainly bittersweet knowing that I will not be at home full time with the girls & to see Thomas off to 1st grade each morning.  But, I'm reminded that it wasn't so long ago that I handled a more-than-full-plate with my teaching career, the kids, and Brian deployed (twice)... and my kiddos did just fine.  If anything, they thrived just the same.  We learned how to savor & love each moment we had together and I know that we will find that again.

 

I am anxious, eager and ready to make a huge difference in the lives of my future students and colleagues when my summer comes to an end in the middle of next month, and my journey continues as a School Administrator up here in Alaska.

 

 

Part Sweet Girl, Part Carnivore Beast

I'm talking about Abbigail.
The girl loves meat.
For breakfast, for lunch and for dinner.
The girl loves all kinds of meats.
Bacon is her absolute favorite...
...but bologna, ham, sausage, steak, pork chops, hot dogs, chicken, and moose satisfy her cravings just the same.
When we happen to have a meal that doesn't include her carnivore cravings, we hear about it.
She's quite vocal about it too.
Sure she enjoys her fruits and vegetables, but nothing compares or tastes as good to her as meat.

She may be our sweet little girl, but she is most certainly part carnivore beast!

Racin' Superstar Party - Celebrating 6

It was a great day to have a Racin' Birthday Party for a certain 6-year old!

We went with cupcakes this year for ease & convenience AND because I'm on a cupcake kick!
Because I didn't have a tower to hold all the yummies, a friends suggested that I just wrap empty boxes, stack them and create my own cupcake tower!  It turned out pretty festive, if I do say so myself!
 

 The Loot Bags for all of Thomas' friends who joined us to celebrate:

Color-coordinated bags, homemade stickers that matched the invitations, and inside a new Hot Wheels car, matching pencil, racing tattoo & a little candy!

For our lunchtime celebration, we kept the food simple because we weren't at home.  We ordered up a sub platter, chips, juice boxes/water and homemade candy racing cars on a stick.  Yum!!!

Thomas was lovin' being the center of attention as his friends screamed sang Happy Birthday to him!

Abby and two of our dear neighbors, Liz & Sam



The party-goers & the birthday boy!

Thomas is very blessed to have such dear friends in his life up here in Alaska.  Some are "new" friends, some are "old" friends (that is completely relative when you are a military family moving around & given that we have been here less than 2 years).  Thank you to all of them for making this day extra special & celebrating with us!

Bathing Beauties

When summer time temperatures heat up like they did this last week (we had an 8 day stretch of sunny and 75* temps), there's really only one thing to do with the kiddos in Alaska: