Amazing Race, huh I mean Week

I Love the Amazing Race. We have watched it every year since it started and had tv. Someday we will get to participate but until then I just pick my favorites and my not so favorites. I loved the hippie married couple from Oregon but they have been the first to depart. I already have a strong dislike for Tina. I have yet to decide about the rest.

We have had some gorgeous days with blue skies and crunchy leaves on the ground. It is so amazing and we didn't get a chance to go on a single hike.

I did get to go on S.'s field trip to collect salmon eggs for their fish tank. Every year the second grade gets salmon eggs and then in the spring let the fry go in the creek. There is an Anchorage School District collection site for all the schools to get their eggs. It was very interesting to watch them get the eggs from the female and a the milt from the male and fertalize them right in front of us all. I learned a ton. Like until water is added they aren't fertalized. A female salmon will lay about 2-3 thousand eggs and only 2 will make it back up the creek. I was a bit curious as to how many questions this 2nd grade class would have regarding this fertilization process but there were none. I didn't even have to worry about the "talk" at home. This photo was right before all the eggs were spilled.

S. ran in her first race and loved it! Before the race we had a conversation that went a bit like this:
Me: Make sure that you follow the kids ahead so that you don't get lost. You'll be going through the woods and tunnels.
S: Well Mom I'll be in the lead so what do I do then?
Me: Does that me you're going to RUN the whole way?!
S: Mom I'm going to win it!

Matt and I also got to attend a fancy dinner for the World Affairs Organization as a guest of Matt's work. I was a bit worried about attending a dinner with leading community leaders and Matt's big bosses but it turned out great. Our table had some very interesting people from all walks of life. One English artist was visiting from Beijing where she had been taking portraits of the workers building the Olympic avenues. And 6 others just like that. The food was even good. Our steaks were cooked perfectly, which is truly amazing for a large group. The only bummer thing is that we weren't able to get one of those great pictures, I guess that happens when you're photographer is 7.

this is my life?!!!

I don't know how many of you do this but daily I sit back and think, this is my life. I have a wonderful supportive husband, 4 incredible kids and I live in Alaska. It truly blows me away because it is nothing like I would have guessed when I was 23 and returning from a mission. I'm sure when I'm 100 I'll say the same thing. I never really envisioned what my future family would be like. I guess there were children in the picture but 4 seemed like a big stretch.

We went for a fall walk this evening and the kids were racing ahead of us. S. with a multi-colored stripe hat, and sunglasses. B. with an army green rain coat, bright blue shorts, black church socks, blue water crocs, and to complete the look a red fleece hat that velcros under his chin with a small bill (a size too small). C. was looking a bit sharper with a green moose hat, rain boats and his white collared shirt with a red sweater. As this motley crew was running ahead I turned to Matt and said, "they are ours!"

I just feel very blessed by a loving Heavenly Father!

Our best cake eater ever

Josette officially turned the big 1. I decided to finally be a good mom and make a child's birthday cake and since Josette is our moose baby...well at least I tried! Josette fully appreciated it though. She dug in with both fists and when that wasn't fast enough she leaned over and tried to lick it . I don't know if that is a sign of things to come but it made for the best first birthday cake eating I have ever seen. Happy Birthday Little Girl!

Trying to get at the cake from another angle.

Could there be a happier baby?!

How to be the coolest kid in 2nd grade

As of yesterday morning Sophie became that "cool" kid. I remember being in the 2nd and 3rd grade making braces out of paper clips. While Sophie sat in that orthodontic chair I told her how I had wanted braces so bad that I did this. I had forgotten about that but all the kids wanted them. At what point braces became "uncool" I'm not sure but for right now life is good. All the kids in her class keep telling her that they'll have to get braces soon too. The only down fall is that she was growing up way too fast and now it just skipped a couple of years. Nobody will believe us now when we tell them her real age.

Sophie is modeling her new hat and sweater compliments of a very talented Meme who has been knitting like a crazy women.

I have officially gone crazy as I run all the kids in different directions. I guess this will be the next 17 years of my life. We are doing a mom (joy) preschool again, which I love. This year though I've split up B. and C. because they 1) they are on different learning levels and 2) they really need some time apart! B. and C. have become so overly competetive. Now competition is good. I fully support a good competetive streak but it is total meltdown if one is done before the other. B. was even saying that his stitches were worse than C's! It is a sad day when B. is excited to visit the ER and is pulling us by the hand to make sure we take him. It was his first visit and he was sure proud. Everyone at church knew about how he tripped on the wooden stairs and cracked his chin open. In the long run it is going to save us a ton of money if I get a nursing degree just so I can learn to do stitches.
I guess two plates of lasagna will do you in!

Our best 1 year checkup ever

We met with Josette's surgeon for her one year check...it was great! She is doing really well and as of right now it doesn't seem like she should have any more corrective surgeries. We'll go back in a year to make sure that her chest forms correctly (it's a little malformed at the moment) but that too will hopefully continue to fill out as her lungs grow. The best way to illustrate how far she's come is with the x-rays.

This was the x-ray taken about 5 minutes after birth. The right side is intestine, the heart is to the far left corner and her lung is the black space beneath the heart.


This was taken this week and it 's wonderful! Heart is in the middle and two lungs!



Modern day medicine is wonderful!

PS We still love those WSU Cougs despite the shellacking they received today.

You can't soar...

My Grandpa always used to say "You can't soar with the eagles if you're up with the turkeys." That was the story of our very short summer. We spent too much time with the turkeys and things did not get done as they should have. That is the nice thing about school, it forces us to get up and soar with the eagles. I get work outs in, breakfast for everyone and kids dressed by 9:00am. Sophie loves school and is so excited for this year. She attends a charter school with only one class in each grade so she knows her teacher and all her classmates already.

Life is always eventful in the Mower household. We enjoyed a great weekend spending Friday night an the state fair. There is nothing like the lumber jack show. The jokes are the same each year and the guys are getting older ( they are over 15 now..) but we love watching them saw, chop and log roll. The kids were laughing hysterically.

Saturday we got to blueberry picking. A spectacular day on top of the world. It was the first time Matt had been able to go on a hike with us.

There is still Hope

We have a great nightly routine in our home the last week. Sit in front of the tv and cheer on people in incredible shape and comment on their muscles. I just got done seeing a 38 year old women win the marathon and a 41 get a silver in a all out swim sprint. It makes me think that there is still hope for me to get those amazing muscles.

I love the Olympics! The kids have really gotten into it doing their own Olympics. Gymnastics and now racing is occurring nightly in our basement. The front yard shares gymnastics and volleyball. Matt and I try to pick what events the kids would do. So far Sophie gets volleyball, Carsten is the swimmer, Benjamin the shooter, and well, Josette is badminton.

Now to watch Phelps win #8.