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...