Under Construction!

Please...Come back! Hello everyone! I know it's been an awfully long time since we've been on this page. Life took over and it has seemed that we haven't had a lot of extra time for doing things like blogging. Now we are in Colorado and some aspects of our lives have slowed down quite a bit. I don't have updated pictures yet, I promise to work on them. So don't be shy, and please stop by often to see what's going on at the Hatfield home!

the latest and greatest...

Well, that should pretty much catch us up on the pics. They are not edited so I apologize for any weird red-eyes or glares you see. I tried to put them in a semi-chronological order, however blogspot is not cooperating with me right now, so check out the dates at the bottom and you will know when the pic was taken. Other than having a lot of bad luck with things breaking (such as the back window of the Titan as seen in the pic) and having another bad breakout of the stomach flu, nothing new is going on in our lives.

We are tired of plunging our toilets because our outside vents keep icing over, and we are soooooooooo very ready to go to Hawaii!!!! Santa brought us a Wii for Christmas which was great, until it broke. Whether it was an electronic malfunction or a Zachary malfunction is still up for debate, but I think it was Zach. So now we have to send that out for repair, along with the rear window of the Titan which shattered during one of our -50 degree cold spells.

Zach has been so sick this last week that Mike is in Fairbanks with him today having him checked out by the pediatrician. He was diagnosed with dual ear infections and the stomach flu last Friday. As of yesterday he still had severe diarrhea and some vomiting. This morning before they left, Zach looked much better and hadn't had diarrhea since last night. After talking to Mike a little while ago, I found out that Zach didn't even have an ear infection and that all of his symptoms were caused by the stomach virus. The Doc gave him a shot of some anti-nausea medication that should help him keep down foods. Mike took him to McDonalds for some playtime and said he was doing well and having a great time!

Needless to say this winter hasn't been too enjoyable, except for a couple of weeks ago when it got up 50 degrees! Talk about a heat wave! We're back in the negatives now though and I guess, where Alaska is concerned, all is right with the world...for now.

Moving on...and Other Things...

Just so you don't get too excited right away, no I don't have any new pictures yet. I've been lazy (to be perfectly honest) and have yet to download the latest pics, however, I will get them done soon because I took a really cute one of Ethan today in his undies:)

I just thought that this would be a good time to do a little blogging to let you all know that I've gotten over my election day blues. I'm moving on now, and hoping that the rest of the country will do the same.

So, you're probably wondering what's going on in the crazy Hatfield homestead...Well, a lot actually. Always, A LOT! Cassy and Madi are homeschooled now (as you already know) and I am teaching pre-school (also repeat info.). Mike just returned from a trip to D.C. (hah! betcha didn't know that!) And I'm getting ready to go to Fairbanks for a weekend of shopping and merryment with my ladies (party;) Cassidy now needs braces and that's going to cost a pretty penny. Madison is just enjoying school and is flying through her curriculum. Ethan is finally, almost completely potty trained (not at night yet), and Zach has two new hobbies...book reading a.k.a read-to-me-books, and screaming at an octive that would make the deafest dog howl. We are trying to rid him of the latter. Other than that, there's not much else to report.

The weather has been steadily cold here, hanging out between -10 and 10 above. Yesterday, the wind blew all of the snow from our neighbor's yard into ours, and I actually had to use the backdoor to leave the house so that people could get in through our front door which was stuck behind three feet of snow. We have a regular old Mount McKinley accumulating right under Cassidy's bedroom window. Winter has been hard for us this year. Even the kids seem to be down in spirits compared to last year. Alaska's summer was a short one this year. Fall lasted longer, but the winter came on hard and fast, and we've had a lot more snow this year than we've had since we moved here. We're doing our best to get them out and about. We take them to the gym, or the indoor playground. We go to the MWR functions and whatever else we can think of to get them off of the couch. We are planning a trip to Hawaii in spring of '09 and that's really helping them to have something exciting to look forward to.

Before I close, I just want to send out Happy Birthday wishes to my Grandfather, Fred Bell (Nov. 4th), my sister Robin (Nov. 6th), my mother-in-law Barb (Nov. 19th), and my Grandmother Jane Bell (Dec. 11th). You didn't get cards and I'm sorry, but we didn't forget about you all. We love you and hope that you had or will have a wonderful birthday this year!

Last, I just want to ask for prayers for some friends of our family...For the Browers and their baby boy Timothy, may God keep his little heart safe until the doctor's can do their part...For Brooke's husband, may God continue to heal your ailments that you can enjoy this holiday season with your family...And for the Smith family, may the Lord bless you and keep you, bringing you peace in this hour of sorrow and know that Dick is in a place where he will no longer suffer earthly heartache. A-Men

Confessions of an Alaskan Mom/Voter

I talked to my children all day about how important today was. I told them that today was a very important day in American History. I told them that it was very important for their father and I to vote, and that one day they will need to vote too.

Then I put my warm coat on, my hat, my gloves, and my snow boots. Next, I had the kids, all four, put on their hats, gloves, and snow boots. After that mission was accomplished, we all departed our warm, cozy home to face the 10degree weather and two-feet of snow, to load up in the truck and drive to the polls. The children all patiently, and some sleepily, waited for me to go inside and cast my vote. When I returned to the truck, I described what it was like and how easy it was. I also told them that I am glad that I did it and I am proud to be one of the many Americans who would help decide who the next President of our nation will be.

After driving home, unloading everyone back into the 10degree weather and two-feet of snow, we returned to our nice, warm home and settled in to watch the election results. The kids enjoyed it almost as much as I, asking every so often, "Who's winning now?" Then something happened that really, really bothered me.

Before the California results were televised, and before the Alaskan polls were closed, the next President of the United States, Barack Obama was announced! Now, I realize that by this point it was no surprise that Obama was going to win the election, and most certainly not California however, isn't that a little like announcing the winner of a football game during the 3rd quarter just because the leading team is ahead by twenty points? Most announcers wouldn't do that because it's rude. After all, it truly is the "Principal of the Thing".

Yes, I know that when the final tally comes in, my vote will be there. But tonight, when history was made, my vote was still sitting in Alaska because the people here weren't even done voting yet. Did my vote really count? Should I tell my kids one day to stay in the lower 48, preferrably the eastern part of the United States because "The time zone thing really puts a downer on elections and New Year's!" Of course, now I'm thinking that returning to Ohio one day is much more important than I ever thought!:)

Well, to all of you Americans that voted today, whether it was in a swing state, eastern, central, mountain, pacific, or Alaskan time, be glad you did. Especially if you got an "I Voted Today" sticker. The little old lady at my election center that was passing them out forgot to give me one:( Maybe I should have taken that as a sign...

WE HAVE NOT BEEN EATEN BY BEARS...

YES...we are still alive and well here in Alaska. After a full and busy summer, we returned home (via airplane, not car) and jumped right into a very hectic school-year. I am now teaching pre-school out of a friend's home, and we are now home-schooling Madison and Cassidy. I'll give you the long version sometime if you'd like to know. On top of that, I still have one toddler and one pre-schooler to manage. Sounds crazy, huh?

I have missed blogging and having the opportunity to share my life with everyone. Not that my life is that interesting, but it's a great outlet for me:) I did find out that my fan base is larger than I thought! Many of my readers came out of the "blog-lurker's closet" when I was in Ohio for the summer. I'm so glad that so many of our friends and family have enjoyed checking in on us. Maybe this year you could leave a "hello" or two, also?;)

I wish I had the time to share with all of you how much fun we had this summer and all of the wonderful things we did, but sadly :( I don't. So I will just end this post by saying, If we saw you while we were in Ohio and West Virginia, we're soooo glad we did, because we've missed you. If we didn't get the chance to see you, then we are still sad and regretful, because we really, really wanted to and just ran out of time :( You all know who you are! Love you XOXO

Here's some pics of Ben, Liz, Christian, Jacob, Chloe, and Robin's visit to Alaska last May. We had a blast!

Here's Robin, Liz, and me standing in front of the Mountains in Seward, Alaska. Beautiful view isn't it?


Here's a pic of Ben and Mike violating Exit Glacier in Seward, AK. Soooo sorry, Mister Park Ranger! Next time they will have adult supervision!


Last, but not least, here's the Bells' seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren having a great time at the Wildlife Conservation Center just outside of Anchorage. We really miss those nephews and that niece of ours! Love you little guys...

the last first birthday...

On March 28th Zachary turned one. Our little surprise, the one we had never imagined, has arrived and grown, and now he is already one year old. For his birthday, we celebrated with friends and tried to make it as much fun for him as we could, though the larger part of the celebration was for us. A bittersweet reminder that we have decided to begin the next chapter of parenthood and stop with the child-bearing.

I couldn't have asked for a better turn out. And thanks to my friends who helped me pull it off without a hitch. Kathi Jurva helped me make "Pupcakes" for all of the kids. They were soooooooo stinkin' cute! Exactly what I had imagined!

So here is a brief synopsis of Zach's special day and how the events evolved from one to another:

First, Andrea handed Zach his very own specially made (by Momma of coarse:) cake. He's not sure what to do with it at first, but with a little encouragement, this turned into....



this. A cute little chocolate covered boy! Then this became...



This! Fun in the tub! But what fun is a bath without a buddy? So, the solo tub became the...



Double tub. You just can't keep toddler boys away from the water! It's impossible!


Here's a pic of the playfully perfect pupcakes! We got the idea from the March issue of Family Circle magazine. Look familiar?


And since we have ended another first year of life, a note to "Baby Zach" as he's called 'round these parts...

When we moved to Alaska, we never ever thought that our first year here would be marked by the arrival of such a loving, sweet, and adorable baby boy. It hasn't always been easy taking care of you and your big brother at the same time, but your seemingly abundant patience has made many very long days, a lot more bearable. When you smile at us, your bright blue eyes twinkle, and somehow we know that everything is going to be okay. We thought there was no more room in our world for someone new, but you have proved us all wrong. Now we know our lives are complete because God has sent you to us. This last, first year of life for us, has been a rollercoaster, but you...sweet, sweet baby boy...you have made it one of the best. I wish that you would always stay small and let me kiss your chubby cheeks, while you throw your head back and giggle with delight. Oh, how I wish you could stay small and not grow big like your sisters and brother before you have done. You will never know how much you have captured the heart of every member of this family...

sooooo, sorry....

I have been a bad, bad, blogger! I am sooooo sorry that it has been over a month since my last post. Although, nobody has been commenting, so I wonder "is anybody out there?"

Our lives have been crazy insane. We came back from vacation and immediately jumped into Easter, and then Zachary's first birthday. After that it was April and I had to get going to the gym. I am doing the Golden Nugget triathelon on May 18th in Anchorage and I need all of the help I can get! This will be my first triathelon (not a full, but what is called a sprint. I'm learning as I go...) And I am going to be teaching pre-school in the fall as well as homeschooling Madison, so I had to work really hard to catch up on my Montessori 3-6 course that I am taking. I had work due on the 17th, which I had to extend to the 25th, but "WHEW!" I finally got it all done and now I can b-r-e-a-t-h-e, or at least catch my breath.

Only for a minute, though, because in less than two weeks Ben, Liz, Christian, Jacob, Chloe, and Robin are all coming here to visit! Yippee! Then, we all fly back to Ohio together on the 22nd of May. The kids and I will be there for a couple of months until Mike does the big cross-country road trip to pick us up and then we all do the road trip with our new pop-up back to Alaska for another year of snow and darkness. At least we will have the daylight and warm weather when we return.

I also have a lot of catching up to do on my household chores. I think I lost Zach in the laundry room the other day because the pile of clothes was so deep. I guess I'm not supermom after all. It turns out that when I have to do schoolwork, I really don't get a lot of other things done, except taking care of the boys' needs. Who would have thought? Anyway, it's really late, but this week is a sort of down week for me so I PROMISE to catch you up with some fun photos! If you stop by, please leave a note so that I know you were here. The blog was getting kind of lonely without any comments from my regular remarkers!



See...this is what happens when you get really, really busy!