Mr. and Mrs. Jones

Well, my cousin Katie got married yesterday, which is pretty fantastically awesome. I don't think I've ever known anybody who wanted to get married and have kids more than she did, and everybody knew it. There was so much joy in the room that I felt like I could reach out and grab it by the fistful.

The ceremony was beautiful, as they always are, but it was extra special for Dn. John and I. Katie and Christopher asked us to be their sponsors, so we stood up with them holding icons, and were privileged to be a very major part of their day. It was filled with many, many memories for us, as the last time we had stood up together at a wedding was when we were marrying each other. I truly loved standing there with him. I know Orthodox don't renew their vows and such, but it felt a little bit like that for me. :) I felt that while hearing the prayers that were said for them, I was checking off our own blessings. Everything that was prayed for Katie and Christopher, I could see in our own lives.

Preserve them O Lord, as You preserved Noah in the Ark....check.
May they be granted fair children....check.
Bless them O Lord, as You blessed Isaac and Rebekah....check.
Let that gladness come upon them as the blessed Helen felt when she found the most precious Cross...check.

The myriad of blessing prayed for the new couple is all so evident in our own lives. I felt overwhelmed...especially at the end when Fr. Marc prayed my favorite part of the service--"Be exalted O bride like Sarah, gladdened like Rebecca, and multipy like Rachel..." At this point, our unborn baby was protesting me being on my feet for so long, and I couldn't help but think, "Yep, I'm multiplying!"

The reception was also very, very fun. Our girls were dressed up and had a blast. Megan politely declined to go to the kids' activities (can you hear my sarcasm? She had a gigantic fall down fit, and the people in charge had to bring her back), but she sat very nicely with her Dad all through dinner. Dn. John and I ended up being seated at opposite ends of a rather long head table, but every now and then I'd wave at Megan all the way down at the other side, and she would giggle and wave back. I was seated next to my cousin David, and we really had a great time catching up. We only see each other a couple times a year (which is ridiculous, but somehow that's how it happens), and we were able to chat and visit to our hearts' content. Once the dancing started, it was difficult to keep an eye on Megan. She apparently decided that her evening would not be complete if her friend Oscar (who is 5) didn't dance with her, and spent a large portion of time trying to track him down. (Oscar was evidently horrified by the invitation to dance with a GIRL, and spent most of his time hiding from Megan). Marina danced happily for a few minutes, but her bedtime was fast approaching and she faded quickly. The rest of the party, she sat snuggled in my lap until it was time to go.

We left a little early, but were able to catch a glimpse of the couples' getaway vehicle--a dogsled, decorated to the nines (and complete with soda cans tied behind it), hooked up behind a snowmachine. I love Alaska. :)

I don't have any pictures to post, but I am hoping that Katie will share hers in the next week or so, and I'll be able to put some up.

One of the many uses for rodents

My girls spent the morning asking me for squirrel ice cream. Believe me when I tell you that I had no idea what they were talking about. After a couple hours, Megan finally elaborated.

"You know, squirrel ice cream....when the colors are mixed together."

SWIRLED ice cream. Got it. I wasn't about to go hunting down a tree-dwelling rodent anyway, but it's nice to know that you don't actually want me to.

Grief

We live in a small church community, where everybody knows everyone, and we all worship together several times a week in our centrally located cathedral. The community was started some 30-odd years ago by a strong family looking to have a place where people could come and learn about Christ. Over the years, they journeyed together toward Orthodoxy. I was born before the journey was completed, and was one of 300 people Christmated together in April of 1987.

Last night, the Matriarch of our community, the wife of the original founder and a dear friend to all, died suddenly of a stroke.

I am struggling between degrees of shock and grief...I cannot fathom church functions without Kh. Barbara there, or taking a walk down the street without seeing her sitting on the front porch of her house visiting with friends. She was always kind, never exclusive, and always had a moment to comment on the antics of my kids, especially giving me a pat on the back and a kind word at those times when it looked like I was about to lose my sanity. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and I don't know that I remember a time when she was frowning or angry. She loved her family--both her natural family, and her church family--fiercely, and was called "Grandma Barb" by more kids than I'll ever be able to count, myself included.

Our priest--and Kh. Barb's oldest son--recently gave a homily on remembering to be thankful in all things. I am trying to remember that this morning, and I am thankful. I am thankful that she passed away suddenly, instead of prolonged by the chemo she was about to undergo. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to grow up around a woman who embodied Christian kindness and hospitality. I am thankful that Megan shares her name, and is old enough to hopefully remember her as time goes by. I am thankful for the example of faith she has always shown.

With the spirits of the righteous made perfect, give rest to the soul of Your servant, O Savior. Keep her in the blessed life, which is with You, the lover of mankind. Memory Eternal Kh. Barb.

Monday mornings

It seems the hallmark of a relaxing weekend around here is a disastrous house. No matter where I walk this morning, I seem to be ankle deep in toys, pillows, art supplies, etc. So, like the industrious wife and mother that I am, I have decided to blog about this phenomenon instead of doing something about it. That will come after I get dressed.

It never ceases to amaze me how the weekend throws off the daily routine. I tend to blame Dn. John for this, since when he is home, I never feel like doing anything--cooking, cleaning, you name it. Now, I realize that my own inherent laziness is most likely to blame, and that I am just using him as a scapegoat. However, the fact remains that the house is--99% of the time--completely trashed by Sunday evening, and none of us have eaten anything of substance for 48 hours, unless someone else brought vegetables to coffee hour.

This then feeds into the typical Monday morning madness...I clean like a crazy person, and then, these days at least, collapse into a heap of uselessness around 1 pm because I'm exhausted. So, the house will most likely be clean by the time my husband gets home, but the jury is still out on whether or not he gets dinner tonight.

Wednesday's Plan

Today's plan--conserve energy. I have a lot to get done most days, and I feel great in the morning, then practically collapse around 1 pm from exhaustion. So I'm going to slow it down a great deal this morning, sit and rest a lot, and hopefully make it through the day without falling apart.

Today, with my nephew's help, I am hoping to get the house emptied of things that don't belong inside. After emptying and rearranging the office/baby's room on Saturday, we have various piles of stuff that need to go to one place or another (shed, neighbor's house, Salvation Army, etc). So if we can get them out of here, it will go a long way towards being ready to bring the baby's stuff IN.

Dn. John has only one project to go before we'll be done with the great rearranging project we started a few weeks ago. Our old computer desk needs the keyboard tray fixed, so we can move it to the shed and put it on CraigsList. (FYI, if anybody needs a computer desk, please call me). Once the computer desk is gone, the crib, rocking chair, and all the baby gear can come inside and start getting sorted, washed, put away, etc.

Yeek! We're getting close--34 weeks on Friday!! :) It's exciting.

Today

It's been an interesting day. Among other things, I loaded the washing machine with clothes, then walked away without starting it. Also, my nephew accidentally locked the keys in the running truck (I have my sister's truck while she's in Hawaii), so we got to call the Anchorage cab service to come open the truck. I went to write him a check, and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "We don't take checks," he says, in this very "DUH" tone of voice. Well, excuse me, Mr. Barely-Speaks-English! I've never used the cab service in Anchorage in my life.

Anyway, I am now exhausted and ready for a nap.

Weather, and oh yeah--my husband is awesome

It. Is. Cold.

Today's forecast for Eagle River predicts a high--a HIGH--of six below. Weather.com puts the current temperature at my house at -13. Thankfully, the cold snap is supposed to break tomorrow, and by Wednesday, they are predicting a balmy 22 above. I feel like I should break out my shorts and flip flops in preparation.

I realize, of course, that I live in Alaska and I should be prepared for the cold. I am. But it is a simple fact of life that anytime you walk outside, and your nostrils freeze together, it is a little nippier than just plain ol' "cold." I can usually tell when it's dipped below zero, because the air takes a sharp bite, and it feels like needles are stabbing your face. My usual coping mechanism is simply not to leave the house. I will be employing that quite a bit today.

Thanks to MLK Jr., and the fact that my husband works for a bank, Dn. John is home today, currently playing an early morning Wii game with the kids. Over the weekend, he successfully moved the computer downstairs, reloaded the operating system, and--da da da da!!--GOT THE PRINTER WORKING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST TWO YEARS!!! He is awesome. Of course, the first thing we realized is that we are out of printer ink. Ah well.

My children both woke up at the delightful hour of 6:30 am today. I shouldn't have been surprised, especially since Marina started asking to go to bed at 7:15 last night. She fell right back asleep, but Megan was wide awake and rarin' to go. Dn. John--again, wonderful guy that he is--got up with her around 7 and let me sleep until 8:30. Marina didn't make an appearance until 8:50. We are having a quiet, relaxed morning, which is always nice. This afternoon (or later in the morning, whichever) I am hoping to get the utility room picked up and reorganized (it has undergone some serious rearranging, the result of which is that it's immensely difficult to walk through right now), and my illustrious hubby is going to finish clearing off the old computer desk. Once is warms up, I'm hoping to get another guy over here to help him move it out to the shed, and then the baby's room will be ready for the crib! We are clipping right along.

In any case, I hope everybody has a great day, and that--wherever you are--it is warmer than it is here.

Christmas Pictures

Some videos from Christmas

The weekend update

We had a really interesting weekend. It started Friday night, with me getting some completely random burst of energy and cleaning up a bunch of the house, including (gasp) vacuuming the upstairs, which was crying out to be clean. Saturday, I got up and cleaned a little bit more, vacuuming the stairs and picking up the entryway. I was sitting there thinking that it was too bad our house wasn't getting blessed that day when suddenly, ring ring! Fr. Robert called and asked if he could come and bless the house that afternoon. Why yes, you may! In between the cleaning and house blessing, we rearranged our utility room, moved our small computer desk downstairs (yes, we have two. Long story), and started on the transformation of utility room to laundry/office. Dn. John's current project is attempting to get the phone jack in that room to work so we can actually move the computer downstairs and get rid of the monstrosity of a computer desk that I am sitting at right now.

Sunday dawned with Marina having the most galactic meltdown I think I have ever seen from her. I couldn't figure out what in the heck was wrong with her until we got to Liturgy, and I realized that despite just walking to church in 10 degree weather, she was flushed and her face was burning up. We stayed through the Baptism, then Megan camped out with my sister and I took Marina home. She spent the rest of the day either in my arms or her Dad's, burning up with fever and completely lethargic. We couldn't get her to eat anything until ten o'clock that night. I'd put her to bed around eight, and then she woke up at ten, with no fever and starving. She wolfed down a few crackers, and then went back to bed, but was up three or four times during the night. I suppose that's a result of her sleeping off and on all through the day. In any case, this morning she has no fever, she just about ate her weight in breakfast, and is running around as her normal little self. Whew!

Today we are getting a late start, as both kids slept in until 9. I'm hoping to pick up a little bit to return my house to it's Saturday afternoon, house-blessing glory. My nephew will be here today, and I get to put him to work hauling some random stuff out to the shed (never underestimate the value of having teenagers around).

Oh, AND in super cool news, Marina fell asleep last night right as my peanut butter cookie craving hit. I had grabbed my Mom's recipe last Friday at the bakery, as every other recipe I've tried recently was not peanut-buttery enough for me. This just goes to show that you should always ask your Mom first. The cookies were awesome, and I am thrilled to have a recipe I can count on.

We are at T-53 days and counting until my due date!! Baby was stretching last night, and I got kicked/punched in both hips and my ribs simultaneously. I am starting to be afraid that I am percolating what will end up being a ten pound infant.

And again...

Marina's turn to be sick. She's been on the couch with a raging fever all day, completely lethargic, and drifting in and out of sleep. This is the first time she's let me put her down in the last three hours, and I strongly suspect it's because she is currently unconscious. Here's hoping that this is the last of it and we can all be healthy again. Starting tomorrow.

Sickness again

Megan is sick today, with one of those nameless bugs that strikes from time to time. She is running a fever, has a headache, bodyache, etc. She does not handle illness well. I picked her up early from school, since her teacher called and said she was lying on the floor in the corner, sucking her thumb. That's about as unlike Megan as you can get! In any case, she's been lying down all day, in my lap when I can swing it, and dozed off for a little while. She's currently in my bed, and I can hear her sort-of moaning from time to time. I hope she is able to fall asleep again. Marina is passed out in her bed, so the house is actually really quiet right now.

I'm sure this illness is compounded by the fact that both kids got up at 4 am this morning, thinking it was time to be up for the day. Uncool. Those Rogers girls are going to bed early tonight!!

New Years Resolutions

1) Survive childbirth.

2) Learn to make pie crust, for crying out loud!! How hard can it be, and why do I suck so badly at it????

3) Yell less.

And there you have it folks. My plan for the year.