Meet Aussie

The strangest things can happen when you go on vacation without children, especially somewhere foreign and exotic like Australia! Somewhere relaxing with nice hotel beds and having the luxury of getting a full nights sleep and getting up and going to bed whenever you want.

I'd been feeling rather poorly and gaining weight at a rather familiar rate, so I went to visit the doc and had some pictures taken of my insides to see what was causing so much discomfort. The heartburn, heightened senses, headaches, fatigue, slight nausea and swelling around the abdomen had to only mean one thing...and alien like parasite:

Introducing Aussie! We don't know if Aussie is a boy or girl. Aussie is already half way cooked.

The baby had its hand up to it face.

Little Bitty toes!!

I'm #1:

See the bitty foot! Baby is lying on its back with the legs crossed:

We feel excited and prepared for number 4. We're using our time now to get our home in order and establishing good routines and stressing the importance of helping and obeying. With the first two I wanted to be prepared physically (clothes, toys, blankets, etc...). With Backpack I didn't really do anything but buy diapers and get a nursery ready. With little Aussie I feel as though we need to take care the logistics of our lives. But we're not worried. We just do the best we can and pray for a healthy baby!

Alaska day 3

Day 3: It is always best to start the morning off with some chocolate so we went to what is Alaska's (and quite possibly the worlds) largest chocolate fountain.

The sign says 3,400 pounds of real liquid chocolate

Kyle about to break the rules of no tasting...I think we all broke that rule.

Dad and Troy just trying to figure out how many cups of hot chocolate this would make.

Here was our mode of transporation, it was a bit tight when we were all smashed in but the price was right and it got us everywhere we wanted to go.

After the chocolate we decided to run get supplies before fishing. We loaded up the truck and drove off. We were driving down the road when the hood of the truck flew up!!!

We screamed and pulled over to the side. Dad confessed that he had popped the hood (with out telling us) before we went in the store so we wouldn't forget to put oil in the truck, unfortunately we forgot to put the oil in and that the hood wasn't latched. Because of this little incident Dad lost all driving privileges for the rest of the trip (he didn't seem to mind all the sleeping and reading that he was able to do). We slammed the hood down as best we could and I drove towards the house. It was while we were on the highway that the hood flew up again. It turns out it hard to see where you are going when that happens so I pulled over to the side as fast I could (with lots of screaming from the others). We decided to tie the hood down for the rest of the trip because it was so bent up.

After facing near death on the highway we decided to go fishing at glacier creek. Kyle was the first to show his fishing skills.

Dad and Troy were right behind him, we were catching pinks but they were lots of fun.

After some pointers from Troy (my fishing skills are about as good as my driving skills)
I even managed to pull one in.

Then quite a few more, this was my biggest one.

Troy is a natural when it comes to this stuff

Dad use to yell at me all the time when we were little about throwing rocks in the water when he was fishing but I guess its ok if you can splash someone while your doing it.

We caught quite a few fish

The trick is to guide the hook into their mouth.

In the end everyone came away happy.

We had to go get Adam from the airport so we drove back to town, while driving there was a Dall sheep standing on the side of the road, nearly as close as the moose was but we figured we would see so many that we kept going so we would be on time to get Adam. We never got a good look at one again for the rest of the trip.

1 giant chocolate fountain, 2 flying hoods, lots of pink salmon, and 1 Dall sheep.

Travis' Alaska Adventure (31 July - 9 Aug)

Day 1: A long day of flying but finally I arrive in Alaska, Dad, Troy and Kyle pick me up and we cruise around Anchorage in dad's pick-up. We slept in the house Dad's school lets him use for the summer.

No fish

Day 2: The adventure begins!

We wake up...

for the most part.

The first excitement of Alaska was to fix a fence that Dad's students built, with a little Tubbs jimmy rigging we got it so you could hardly tell that it wasn't level. The neighbor even came out to watch us.

The second adventure was building sheds for Bob Mead, we got there when they were finishing the floor and left when the buildings were standing. It was nice to see that not much had changed from the high school days when we were building sheds. Troy still knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Kyle and I managed to "good enough" our way through. It was nice to work together again but I missed some of the arguing and fighting that we usually did about where the board or nail should have gone. I guess we're just getting too lazy in our old age, now we just do what Troy says.

Dad says he doesn't talk back to Marcia nearly as much anymore.

After a long day of building it was time for a good dinner of someone else's ice cream, its amazing how much better free ice cream tastes.

It was still light out around 9 pm so it was time to go for a walk and try out my new camera. I bought it just for this trip and read the manual on the plane so now it was time to put the skills to the test.

While walking Troy found a new friend. Dad and Kyle made a big deal about Moose being one of the most dangerous animals in Alaska and more people being killed by them then bears. I was afraid that Troy would get mad at the moose for eating some of his berries.

Here you can see Kyle and Dad trying to decide to keep walking or run the other way. Finally they gave in and came over to Troy and I.

I don't think the moose was as excited to see us as we were to see her. We went back for more pictures and saw here calf with her as they were walking away.

1 fence, 2 sheds, 1 moose, no fish

A Fish named Trouble

A few months ago we signed Trouble up for swim lessons. They bumped him from the pre-school level to the real deal. He passed with flying colors and in the next session he'll do level 2 even though he's not old enough. We haven't signed him up the last two months because of our crazy schedules, but we hope to get him back into it this Spring. He has shown a great confidence in water, mostly due to him having these lessons.

Can you spot Trouble in this picture? He told Travis, "I have some bad news. I'm the only boy in class." He's also the littlest! Kickin' away
Front Float

Back Float

Back Paddle

Dumbbell Floaters to help the kids kick to the other side of the pool

Fireman Pole to get use to being in the deep end. The kids grab on and go underwater.

Jumping off the diving board

oohh so cold...

Great jump!

We had him in lessons two summers ago, but he was so cold and miserable that I didn't think he ever want to go again. So he's really surprised us! The one thing he'd get into trouble for is letting go of the side and going underwater...and scaring his instructor in the process. That is Trouble for you!!

Happiness Can Be Found In Our Families

This weekend we were able to, as a family, sit down and enjoy a wonderful General Conference. For those who are not familiar with LDS (Mormon) traditions, General Conference is where we get to hear from the Prophet, Apostles, and other major church leaders; this happens twice a year. General Conference consists of two 2 hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday (so 4 sessions all together). Even though there is no 'theme' and subject matter isn't commonly discussed between the speakers there always seems to be underlying message or connection. This weekend there was a TON discussed about families. The talks are powerful. Simply for the lack of a better word, General Conference is AMAZING!

I found this quote by Marlin K. Jensen, and chuckled to myself at his last statement:

"Begin in 2 Nephi 5:6 with Nephi's observation: 'I . . . did take my family . . . and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters.' Here indeed is a significant key to happiness--one's family.

"There is no other organization that can so completely satisfy our need for belonging and happiness like the family. Why do we yearn for home and loved ones? I believe this yearning is a universal, God-given instinct that all people in all cultures are blessed with. I also believe that a loving Heavenly Father gives it to us because within the family we experience most of life's greatest joys. The sights, sounds, and associations of family and home are among our most treasured memories and provide our fondest anticipations.

"Sometimes after an enjoyable family home evening, during a fervent family prayer, or when our entire family is at the dinner table on Sunday evening eating waffles and engaging in a session of lively, good-natured conversation, I quietly say to myself, 'If heaven is nothing more than this, it will be good enough for me!' "
Marlin K. Jensen, "Living after the Manner of Happiness," Ensign, Dec. 2002, 56

Really I chuckled, so I wouldn't cry :-) If I could always tap into that feeling of times I've experienced perfect joy with my family I believe I'd be better tempered and more patient with my children and husband. Because isn't this what life it all about: being together, loving each other and having fun. I'm grateful for the Gospel and the knowledge it brings into my life. I'm grateful for the Atonement and the joy it brings me. I'm grateful for families and how it gives a little slice of heaven.

And to all my faithful blog-reading buddies, I promise to jump on the blogging band wagon once again. Thanks for making me feel like what I have to write and show is important (even if it isn't that great!!).