Rounding the Bend

So, today is the one year anniversary of my move to Kodiak. I have been here exactly one year today, and last year at this very moment, I was driving my rental car into town to purchase some food and to see where I lived. My luggage was late, because I had gotten an earlier flight from Anchorage. It was due to arrive at 10:50 PM. I was in a fog, because I had just flown all day long. I was 30 weeks pregnant, and I was all alone. My family had begun to drive across the lower 48 on that very same day. You need to think about my shopping trip this way - I was an exhausted pregnant lady who was driving around feeling as though it were actually 2 AM, after a full day of travel, because I had just experienced a 4 hour time change. And, even weirder, the sun had not set. I know this, because the sunset is just peeking over the treeline, and I can see it out my window. It is just after 10 PM. It won't get dark for a while.

 We have one year left. Well, a year and a bit. We probably won't move this early, but later in the summer, next year. I don't know where we will move to. I don't have "the list" yet, and DH hasn't spoken to the detailer. We like the Pacific Northwest. Technically, we are already in the Pacific Northwest, but I meant in the lower 48. I really like the idea of moving to North Bend, Oregon. Or, maybe we will move back to Michigan. That would be ok, but not much of an adventure. Cause we've been there, and done that. We could move near my brother in Southern CA. It would be so nice to be close to family. It would be so awful, because there are a lot of people, highways and crazies in Southern California. We could move some place icky, like New Orleans or Miami. I'm not interested in going to those places. We could move some place dull like Elizabeth City, NC or Mobile, AL. But, we will probably end up in one of those places (NC or AL) eventually, so why go there so soon. But, we will move. We will move, because that is what we do.

My little boy is 10 months old now. He started waving and saying "Hiiiii" it doesn't really sound like hi, but that is what he is trying to say. He also said "Daddy" today, as he reached for Dad. He says "Woof", "Dog", "Mama", and other stuff. He crawls everywhere, pulls himself up, and makes lots of messes everywhere. He bites my nipples, he grabs everyone's faces, he pinches arms and pulls hair. He is a big ball of crazy fun right now! We love him!

 My daughter is identifying herself with Lucy VanPelt, from Peanuts. She loves my old peanuts comic books. I have a few dozen. They are old and falling apart. But, I asked her, "Who do you think you are like in these peanuts comics?" Without hesitation, she told me "Lucy". And, its kinda true. She is a bully to her little brother (not the baby brother). It is really hard to deal with! But, I am working on it. She is so sweet and also so crabby. She love chapter books and comics. It was hard to explain that in comics when you see "Sigh" in a bubble over the cartoon's head, they don't actually verbally say "SIGH", but actually just sigh. So, my girl walks around when she is frustrated saying, "SIGH" to everyone. LOL!

My middle son is a lego superstar. He has built so many Lego star wars models. He is really great at this. He hates writing and its becoming a problem. Its not that he doesn't try. Writing sucks the life out of him. I need to investigate typing programs. I already started having him dictate answers for his math worksheets, else we could do math for hours. He just moved into his baby brother's room. I think he loves this. He has never liked to sleep alone, and always wanted a roommate.

 I am preparing for next fall - and making new plans on curriculum. But, we are still hard a work finishing up the current year. Lately, we've read some great stories about missionaries. My son told me that when he grows up, he wants to be a missionary. I love that he wants to tell others about Jesus! How awesome is that?! Currently, I am reading "And the Word Came with Power" about Joanne Shetler who translated God's Word into the Balangaos language in the Philippines. She taught God's Word to a village of head hunters! It is a great story.

 Next year, we will learn American History. I plan to work on this for two years, and have the kids make lap books. We also are going to read some Living Books, and I have founds some wonderful curriculum that doesn't have the liberal slant, as much of the history books I read in public school had. And, most of all, it won't be boring. There is nothing fun about reading a dull text book about history. I didn't enjoy history in school, but the last couple years my daughter and I learned some cool stuff together, and read some fantastic biographies and interesting books about ancient civilization.

Science didn't go very well this year. We used Human anatomy, by Apologia, and it was too difficult. I will revisit science this summer, either learning about the ocean/sea shore or birds. Maybe both. This is the year that I need to see puffins. We are in Alaska, after all!

 Well, this is the start of year two in AK. Its going well so far, and I look forward to the many blessings God has in store for me and my family throughout this new year.