What you've been asking for

I've had some requests for pictures of Alaska. Here are a few but we recently cleaned up our hard drive and I'm not sure how to get to a majority of our pictures. They really don't do any justice but it might give you an idea.

I also had some questions about the whole scar issue. Well, it all started when Carsten was six months old and he decided that he needed a horn on the top of his head, so he started to grow one right over his soft spot. By 11 months it was pretty big and needed to be removed and so they cut it off. But the stitches didn't quite hold and his head went through a large growth spurt thus creating a very large scar on the top of his head. Luckily his hair covers it up. Josette was born with a hole in her diaphragm that needed to be repaired and all organs returned to their proper place at 4 days old. So thus the battle of the scars was born. We have gotten to really know the pediatric medical community in Alaska especially since there is usually only one of a particular speciality in the whole state. I tell you if anybody wants to become a pediatric surgeon and move up here you would be set.

The other little note about Alaska is that during the winter Alaskans love to shop. The stores are always packed. The first Target will be opening up here this next fall and I will probably stay away for the first six months, just so I won't go crazy with all the crowds. A DQ opened up just this summer and I thought after being open for a month it would be safe to go, I was wrong. We waited for an hour in the drive through just to get a blizzard. We did go out on Black Friday and after Matt took the kids I tried to go into Penny's and shop a little, after 10 minutes I dropped the items I had and got Matt. I was done and wanted to go home. But...we had to get luggage and so we created our own little sight as we weaved through the store, Matt pulling two suitcases followed by Sophie, Benjamin, Carsten and me carrying Josette, each of the kids pulling a suitcase. It was great looking at everybody's face watching the little parade, I wish I had had a camera.