3-Year-Old Dreams

"I'm a fireman!" Mischievous Eaglet has been quite consistent in informing us that this is what he'd like to be when he grows up. After a brief stint (yesterday) of having his sights set on being a garbage man, today he was back to the original dream.


The full get-up...

















"This is my gas mask." (Thanks Ken! You thought you just gave us a train set!)













"My rubber boots preetect my feet...from smoke, smoke relarms, and fire extinguishers." (Excellent idea. And here I thought they were just nice winter boots for Mommy!) I better post this and go see where that siren noise is coming from...

Just an Aside...

Look familiar to any of you? This is what happened while I was posting my blog this morning!

A Challenge--See If You Can "I Spy..."

I took this picture yesterday evening, with our very cheap digital camera. I was about 50 feet away from the subject, but one could never tell! So, ok. Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it: We had two visitors in our yard all day yesterday, from dawn 'til way past dusk. Can you spy and identify one? One hint: We had caribou again for supper last night. This visitor was very relieved.

Thankful for Family and for Provision!

I'm so thankful that my parents came to live in Alaska, too. This last weekend, my dad went off to the Bush caribou hunting (more to come on that experience!) Mom came over to watch Spunky Cub so Tony and I could take the big boys to an ice skating birthday party that afternoon. That was a hoot, by the way. It was Mischievous Eaglet's first time, and Wise Bobcat's second (the first was a couple years ago on Wasilla Lake--very rough ice, sub-zero temp, and howling wind. Sound fun?!) I wish I had pictures to share, but alas, I only had my big camera with me. Anyway, Mom had supper with us and stayed the night. We watched a movie together that evening, and spent the entire next morning just sitting about, drinking tea, and enjoying having Grandmom with us. I do not take this for granted. So many fellow Alaskans live here with no family at all. I cannot imagine not having my mom and dad around to share our lives with. Furthermore, I cannot imagine not being able to share our children with them on a regular basis. Grandparents are nearly the only other people in the world who love all the nuances in children's personalities and "cute litte kid stories" as much as the parents. A great weekend was made even more fantastic when we were invited over to Grandmom and Grandpa's for a dinner of that delicious caribou he bagged! Just as fantastic was the slide show and narration of the adventure. Wow! I can't wait to post some of his pictures in here.

Iditarod News!

Jeff King took the Iditarod, making his way under the burled arch on Front Street in Nome a little after 1 a.m. this morning. Way to go, Jeff! This makes him one of the few, four-time champions. If any of you out there are unfamiliar with the Iditarod, you really should check it out. www.iditarod.com. It is also a great project for homeschooling families; consider doing a unit next year!

What a blessing!

Last night, after reading a couple stories, Mischievous Eaglet took his Bible storybook and hopped into his little toddler bed. He chose a Bible story, the story of Jesus' ascension. I read it to him, and he had many questions...like why did Jesus have marks on his hands and feet. We have regularly read this and many other Bible stories together over the last 3 1/2 years, but tonight was the first time that he was full of many, many questions. I talked with him about why Jesus died on the cross, as payment for our sins so we could have a friendship with God and live with Him in Heaven forever. He explained to me that "taking away Hotwheels is a bad choice." He then happily exclaimed, "I believe in Jesus!" In the end, he decided to pray and tell Jesus, "I believe in you Jesus. I love you Jesus. Thank you for forgiving my bad things, like taking away Hotwheels." What a blessing to witness our little guy's first step in faith. Please join me in praying in thanksgiving, that this will only be a first of many revelations and commitments for him in his journey in The Son."

"Nap" (term used lightly) Time...

Today I went to retrieve Mischievous Eaglet from his "nap." He promptly informed me he was "riding in a boat in the river, fishing." His boat was composed of a dresser drawer from his mini side-table. The "fishing pole" was a hanger from his closet, which originally held the sweater that he was now wearing (he decided he needed a little more warmth for his "nap.") Note the chapstick drawing on the mirror, and the metal photo album and miscellaneous items in the bed. Note that the bed no longer has a blanket of any type. They were scattered on the floor, along with about 1/2 of his bookshelf contents! Gotta love his imagination, though.

Look, Mommy!

Spunky Cub is feeling quite proud of himself and his accomplishment. "Look, Mommy! I can balance on a rocking chair!" Note the puffed out chest and cheesy grin--he now produces both on-cue whenever we hold up a camera.

Brothers' Storytime

This morning the boys spent some good, quality-time together...Wise Bobcat read his new book aloud to Li'l Eaglet. All 3 boys are continuing to mend from this nasty bug we've had here; hence, we are staying in and taking it easy again today.

Abstract Art!

OK! So look at the "ink blot"...what do you see?

We "straw painted" today...the boys would dip a straw into paint, and then blow it out the end onto paper while moving the straw. They had a blast! Note that the picture didn't come out real well, because I was standing in the SUNSHINE!! Aaah...it really is Spring! (Even if it was ten below zero this morning. In Alaska, we can't be too picky...)

Hey Bro! Let's Ditch the Straws!

The only problem was that soon they forgot about the straws and it was finger painting time! I love the freedom of childhood!

Exploring Science

After Art, we caught up on some Science. Today's focus was on sound vibration. Here is Li'l Eaglet, demonstrating our home-made "sound pipes." We've really enjoyed our Science program this year, and the boys have learned and retained so much. Fridays are very fun, as we generally save the "Discover and Do" DVD for the end of the week. We watch one of the experiments, and then try to duplicate it ourselves.

After 2 Days, the Fast is Over?

Spunky Cub was back to eating this morning. I was so relieved to see him enjoying food once again. Unfortunately, it all came back up a few minutes later. Poor baby. Please pray for restoration of health for this little one. He has thankfully had no trouble keeping milk, water, and soymilk down, and he did have a couple saltines for lunch. Also, the nasty diaper blow-outs seem to be done. My over-worked wash machine is happy about that!

Creative Storytelling

We hear lots of Thomas the Tank Engine stories these days...mostly from Wise Bobcat, as that is the thing he is into lately. The stories range from 5 minutes to 20 minutes (no, I'm not joking nor even exaggerating) when told orally and are eerily word-for-word according to the books. That being said, we are also occasionally blessed by the much shorter, wilder, completely original versions of these stories by 3-year-old Li'l Eaglet. We enjoyed one of these during lunch today. It was quite cute, I thought: "Mommy? I have a story. It's called Thomas and the Skunk. Thomas was taking Annie and a Clarabel and then a skunk ran into Annie and a Clarabel! AND, *eek!* it stinked up all the passengers!" (lots of re-enacting, including sound effects) "AND THEN--the skunk ranned into James! *eek!*" (lots of re-enacting, including sound effects) "AND THEN--the skunk ranned into Henry! *eek!*" (lots of re-enacting, including sound effects.) I've noticed that whatever is fascinating Li'l Eaglet at the time is what tends to make it into the stories. Yesterday it was Electric Eels.

Hazards of Motherhood

Nobody told me that when I became a mother, I would risk a toenail in my eye as I clipped my one-year-old's before putting him to bed. Any other red-eyed moms out there?! :)

A 5-Year-Old's Theology

Anyone who knows our Wise Bobcat very well, knows that he is WAY into spiritual matters. Last night at supper, he came to the table and very seriously asked me a typical "Wise Bobcat question:" "Mommy, do we sin every day?" I told him that yes, we do sin everyday. He gave it some thought, and then, shrugging, mentioned that he is a good boy. I affirmed to him that he is a good boy. "But," he replied, "we all do bad things sometimes." "Yes," I affirmed him again. Giving it some more thought, he added, "That's why we all need Jesus...because Jesus is ALWAYS good. He is the only one who is always good. Well, Jesus and God. " He then turned his precious little face to the sky and recited with such love and awe, with hands gesturing, "Oh Lord God Almighty, who is like You?" Tony and I sat in awe. We had just witnessed our little 5-year-old boy in a pure and genuine act of worshipping his Lord and Savior. What a comfort to know that he is secure in the arms of his Father, and what joy it gives us to see him enjoying his relationship with our God. What a privilege to see the words hidden in his heart, spilling out in fullness and application.