New School Year!

I haven't finished writing about our trip to Alaska. I will get caught up on that eventually, but this is our first week of school. The schools in our area had been in session for about 8 days before we got started due to our trip. We started our school year on Labor Day as that isn't really a holiday we celebrate. To celebrate our new school year, I told the kids we'd go to Becky's, which is an ice cream place not that far from us. On Tuesdays from 6:00 to closing, they offer dogs a free small dish of vanilla soft serve, and we had never taken advantage of that offer although we'd talked about doing it many times over the last few years. Today was the day! After we ate dinner, Nadia drove the kids and I to the park for our back-to-school pictures, and then she drove us a few more minutes to Becky's for ice cream. Milo didn't finish his treat. It was too much for a little dog. He loved it, but he was shivering like crazy after he stopped eating. He's never had something that cold before to eat! I said it was also an early birthday treat for him as he turns four at the end of this month. 

Nadia will begin her classes with Liberty University on September 16, and the co-op at our home will begin on September 24. Two other kids might be joining our co-op later this year. Nadia had her first voice lesson today, and Ian will continue to have piano lessons on Mondays with Lyn DeVito. Nadia has been faithfully practicing the piano, and she's planning on auditioning for district chorus. She has set a goal of finishing two levels this year in piano. Tomorrow the kids will attend art and chorus for the first time this school year at MCS. It will be Oliver's first time ever taking any classes there. All three plan on auditioning to be in the spring musical. We've been told they'll either be doing Willy Wonka, the Wizard of Oz, or Barnum. Bible quizzing and youth group also resume tomorrow, which again are firsts for Oliver. Our first field trip (not counting the ones we took in July/August) will be to the PSU Nuclear Reactor on September 17, and their first homeschool party is at the roller-skating rink on September 18. Here are some things the kids will be studying this year:

1. Ian and Nadia are studying chemistry (Life of Fred and Apologia). Oliver is completing an elementary level chemistry/physics and also an elementary level botany science textbook. Paul is doing a chemistry lab during the co-op.
2. In math the kids are doing Pre-Calculus (Nadia), Geometry (Ian), and 6th grade math (Oliver). We use Life of Fred plus Teaching Textbooks. Ian will also be using Art of Problem Solving. 
3. In history we are studying from 1708 to the present. 
4. Oliver is working on his typing skills, level 7 of spelling, and level 3 of Fix it Grammar. 
5. Nadia and Ian are completing a University Ready Writing course through IEW. 
6. Nadia is learning French through Duolingo, and Ian is studying Spanish.
7. Nadia is learning how to drive, and she wants to get a job so she can have enough money to pay for her car insurance once she gets her license. She has applied for a job at Lingle's (grocery store) but is hoping to get a job at a horse farm or Warrior Run Petcare. 
8. We are working on memorizing verses (or in the case of Ian and Nadia chapters) from the book of Luke. 
9. I'm giving more specific assignments for literature for Nadia and Ian. This week they both started reading Uncle Tom's Cabin and soon they will also be starting The Two Towers, as that is a book many of the kids will be discussing at co-op this fall. Sometimes I will choose what Oliver needs to read on school days, but other times it will be his choice. Right now he's reading books from the Dead Sea Squirrels series, but he'll be reading Sign of the Beaver for co-op later this month.
10. We've started our fifth year of watching World Watch News five days a week all year long. 
11. We continue to listen to audiobooks together as a family. Currently we're listening to The Night War by Kimberly Bradley and Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger. 
12. In our fall session of the co-op we'll be doing chemistry lab, art, book groups, debates, and geography. In the spring session we'll be doing book groups, personal finance, drama, and chemistry lab.

I'm very grateful to be starting my twelfth year as a homeschool mom! Praying for the kids to grow physically, academically, spiritually, and emotionally over the coming year! 

Fairbanks

From Denali we drove a little over two hours to Fairbanks. We went to a BBQ place, and then walked to a ice sculpture museum that was positively a tourist trap, but Oliver had a blast sliding down the ice slide. After we walked around Fairbanks a little, we drove to our Airbnb, which was a two-bedroom guesthouse. Nadia slept on the couch in the living room. Similar to the cabin near Denali, the last road was unpaved with a lot of potholes; however, we were able to take a shower here. We purposefully didn't stay in downtown Fairbanks because we wanted to have a chance to see the northern lights. Using Aurora apps and checking a couple of websites, I had seen that prior to us coming up here, there had only been low activity (1-2 out of 9). I had been praying for weeks that God would enable us to be able to see the aurora while we were in Fairbanks. This was the primary reason we ventured this far north in Alaska and why I scheduled the vacation for the end of August. I was thrilled to discover through the websites and apps that the two nights we were staying in Fairbanks were BOTH good nights in terms of above average activity (4-5 out of 9). Unfortunately, there were two factors that made it difficult to see the beautiful lights. First, it is only dark for four hours a day here. Secondly, it was very cloudy both nights. The first night every time Paul got up to check, he only saw clouds. During our reindeer walk yesterday, other guests were talking about trying to see the northern lights the previous night. One family said they had seen them, but another family visiting from China said they stayed up until 4:00 am and still never saw them. The second night my aurora apps were sending out alerts on a frequent basis, but for many of those hours it was still daylight. I usually go to bed at 9:30, but I stayed up until 11:00 in my attempt to see the lights. Thankfully, Paul got up and checked a few times including at 2:45 am at which time there was one spot in the sky where the clouds weren't blocking the northern lights. Praise the Lord!! If the sky had been clear, it would have been such an amazing evening to see them, but I am very thankful that for the first time in my life I've seen the northern lights! I know they have been visible farther south this year, but this was my first time to see them. Paul and I both stayed out and watched them for about 35 minutes. I had read up on how to take photos of them with a DSLR camera, but due to the limited nature of the display we saw, I just took two short videos and one picture with my phone. The lights we saw were mostly green. Paul got the kids up, but each of them only spent a few seconds on the deck outside and then promptly returned to bed. 

Yesterday morning our first stop was the Museum of the North, which is located on the campus of the University of Alaska. We watched two thirty-minute movies there. One was on the northern lights, and the other was about bowhead whales. We also explored the exhibits. We had lunch at The Crepery. The size of the line gave evidence to how popular the restaurant is! The crepes we chose were pepperoni and cheese (Ian), ham and cheese (Nadia), bacon, egg, and cheese (Paul), whipped cream with three types of berries (Oliver), and Creme Brulé with two types of berries (me). They were all delicious! Although eating PBJ again would have been more economical, I'm glad we splurged and took a break from that to enjoy a special lunch. Our third stop was Running Reindeer Ranch where we spent 2.5 hours learning about and interacting with reindeer, which are the herd animal version of caribou. She has fourteen reindeer in her herd, but we only saw nine of them as some were elsewhere as this is rutting season. The program concluded with homemade cookies and lemonade. It was a very enjoyable experience! Afterward we drove back downtown for pizza and a stop at Safeway. The cashier at the grocery store joked with us about how we were dressed considering it was in the low 60's and sunny outside. He said that Monday and Tuesday had been the nicest weather days so far in 2024 in Fairbanks. We have been very fortunate on this trip because for the two weeks before we came here it had been raining SO much in Seward, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. We are very grateful that the weather has been mild, and we haven't experienced too much rain. Oliver and Nadia appreciated that the tv in our Airbnb had Disney plus, and Nadia enjoyed putting together a 300-piece puzzle on Tuesday night. Over the past eight days we've driven about 800 miles altogether. This morning, we will do one final activity in Fairbanks and then begin driving back south toward Anchorage. 

P.S. I wrote this post on August 28 not September 3!

Denali National Park

As we were driving to Denali National Park, the skies were totally clear, and we could see Denali off and on for about ninety minutes of our drive. We passed the south side scenic viewpoint, but it was only after we passed it that I realized what a gorgeous photo I could have taken there. If I could go back in time, I definitely would ask Paul to turn around. We stopped at the north side scenic viewpoint, but it wasn't nearly as pretty so I didn't take a picture (mistake #2 that day). I have a memory of how beautiful Denali looks, but I don't have a photo because then the clouds started to come in, and it was hidden the rest of the day. The next morning the weather cleared. It was a sunny day, but even on a clear day Mt. Denali is often covered in clouds as it creates its own weather. They say that only 30% of people who visit Denali National Park see the mountain. We saw the mountain on two occasions on this trip, but neither time were we in the park when we saw it. Another guest who took a bus tour told us that the driver said that in the previous 100 days he saw Denali 4 days while in the park. So, it seems the odds are more like 4%. If by some miracle the skies are clear as we drive back down toward Anchorage tomorrow, I will definitely ask Paul to stop so I can take a picture. 

Our first stop in Denali was to get lunch a Denali Doghouse. Paul liked his chicken tenders, and the kids liked their hotdogs. I made the mistake of choosing a bowl of chili. It's scary to think how much we paid for 3 hotdogs, a small container of chili, one order of fries, and an order of chicken tenders. Second, we hiked the Horseshoe Lake Trail. We were hoping to see a beaver as many live in that area, but we only saw MANY beaver dams. Third, we took a 5-hour bus tour into the Tundra Wilderness. They provided us each with a box of snacks and a can of water. We had packed sandwiches to eat on the bus tour. During the trip we saw 7 caribou, several Dall sheep (way up high), one moose, several willow ptarmigans, and an Arctic ground squirrel. Some people on our bus also spotted a red fox, but I didn't see it. On our way to our Airbnb, we made a quick stop at a grocery store. Our Airbnb was a log cabin. It had electricity and running water, but it didn't have Wi-Fi or a shower. We also didn't have much cell service there. The last couple of roads we took to get there were unpaved and had LOTS of potholes. The owner of this cabin is also a Christian. He met his wife through YWAM. 

The next morning, we returned to Denali and took the shuttle to the sled dog demonstration. We were able to meet and pet some of their sled dogs before the program began. After we returned to the Visitor Center via the free shuttle, we ate lunch in our vehicle. Next, we took another free shuttle to the Savage River Loop trail. During that hike we saw three marmots on the ground and more Dall sheep (that were very high up). The weather was gorgeous on our second day in Denali. It was sunny and the skies were clear, except right around Denali. During our drive back, we saw two more caribou. After the shuttle returned us to the Visitor Center, we went on one more hike in that area. Other people who were at Denali around the same time as we were didn't see any caribou, but they saw grizzly bears. I would really have liked to see a grizzly bear (or any bear for that matter) and a beaver, but I'm thankful I was able to see seven caribou and two marmots. 

On the Water

On Friday morning our first stop was the aquarium. Their touch tank was pretty impressive, but in general, it was hard for this one to compete with the likes of the ones in Camden, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Chicago. Our second stop was the free parking lot for the Kenai Fjords cruise. We had a very short ride on the shuttle to the harbor. Before boarding, we got a backpack from the NPS so the kids could earn another patch at Kenai Fjords. They each ended up earning three of the four possible patches/badges. In the gift shop Oliver bought two sticks of jerky - one from salmon and the other from elk. Nadia purchased a bracelet at the same time. The previous night she had purchased an Alaska hoodie. A relative had given each of them $40 spending money for the trip. Nadia's purchases exceeded that total, so she was also using some of the money she made at Camp Susque. We boarded around 11:15 am and returned a little after 5:00 pm. The weather was gorgeous! It was sunny with calm waters and very clear visibility. The captain, who has been doing this for six years, said this was extremely rare. 

During our 5.5-hour trip we saw one humpback whale, sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, sea otters, two coastal mountain goats, two eaglets, common murres, sea gulls, glaciers, and cormorants. We made a stop at Fox Island for lunch, and we saw many jellyfish near the shore. Lunch was delicious! They served an amazing salad bar, rolls, a hot chocolate bar, and three different kinds of soup. Oliver had salmon chowder. The rest of us had the best tomato soup I've ever tasted. Paul doesn't even usually eat tomato soup, and he liked it! He tried the Peruvian chicken soup first but wasn't a fan of that one. The only animal we hoped to see but didn't was an orca. Our chances of seeing one would have been much better if we had come in June, but it's possible to see them until September. On our way back to Seward, the crew gave us freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. After we docked, we bought two footlong subs at Subway for four of us to share. Oliver finished his chowder from the previous night. The cash register wasn't working properly so we couldn't use the gift card I planned to use, but they finally were at least able to accept a credit card. We returned the backpack to the National Park visitor center, took the shuttle back to our van, and returned to our suite for the night. 

Aside from the day we left when we had to get up REALLY early, we've typically been leaving our accommodation around 8:30 or 9:00 each morning. I planned it this way knowing that kids ages 12-16 sometimes like to sleep in. An exception to this schedule was on Saturday morning. We had to be out the door by 7:30 to drive to where we were white water rafting on Six Mile Creek, which is located in between Seward and Anchorage. We arrived at 8:40 and began the process of getting our shoes, helmets, life vests, and dry suits. The suits were far more comfortable than the ones we wore in Ecuador, and they truly kept us dry - even our socks stayed dry! I wore three layers of clothes that day to try to stay warm! We had a short drive to the site where we would begin rafting, and then we had a safety lesson that was rather frightening. Thankfully none of us ever fell out of the raft so we never needed to use the instructions we were given. However, they did make us swim to the raft to prove we could swim with all that gear on in the frigid water. That was definitely my least favorite part of the trip. Nadia and I also really struggled to pull Paul into the raft. Our raft guide's name was Elliot. Oliver picked that raft because Elliot is Oliver's middle name. There were thirteen customers rafting on that particular trip. The other two rafts each contained four adults plus a guide. The water level was lower than normal, which meant the rapids we went through were almost all class 3, and only one was class 4. Had the water levels been higher, they all would have been a class 5. We only rafted the first two canyons, because the third canyon is always class 5, and they have a minimum age of 16 for that canyon. It also costs more to do the third canyon. Thankfully we only had to step out of the rafts at the end. We took off our helmets and life vests and partially got out of our dry suits before boarding the heated bus. We were COLD! The four miles we rafted in between the two canyons was calm, but the rapids at the canyons were exciting! While we were rafting, we spotted a bald eagle in a tree. After we returned, we finished getting out of the dry suit and put our own shoes on. Most of us enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate. I purchased pictures they had taken of us on the trip. 

It started raining just as we were walking to our vehicle. We were grateful it hadn't been raining during our trip. Our next stop was the Alaska Native Heritage Center. We went on a quick self-guided tour of the six life-sized Native dwellings outdoors, and then we watched two thirty-minute programs indoors. The first was a Native Games demonstration. Those young men were quite talented with their jumping and kicking skills! Then we watched a dancing program. Paul spent some time in their museum. We ended up skipping the hike to Thunderbird Falls because it was raining and also because we were running behind schedule. We had dinner at Red Robin in Wasilla, and we also went to a Walmart there to get a little more food. The boys and I are low maintenance when it comes to lunch as we bought bread, peanut butter, and jelly at a grocery store in Seward on Wednesday. Paul and Nadia don't eat PBJ so we have to stop and buy them sandwiches far more frequently.

The first night in Alaska we were in an Airbnb that was on the top floor of our host's home. The next three nights we stayed at a family-owned Inn in Seward. The fifth night we stayed at a bed and breakfast. There were no other guests staying on the top floor that night, so we didn't need to share the bathroom with anyone outside our family. The home was gorgeous! Our room had four bunk beds and one queen size bed. The first five nights Nadia had her own bed. On nights six through eight she had to sleep on a couch. The night we spent at the bed and breakfast was the only one that included breakfast. I brought packets of oatmeal from home, so we haven't had to spend any money on breakfast for me here in Alaska thus far. In Girdwood they each ate one Danish or one donut for breakfast. In Seward they ate breakfast sandwiches that we purchased at the grocery store. The hot breakfast our host cooked was delicious - a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and granola, French toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Unfortunately, Ian threw up because a blueberry went down the wrong pipe. I gave him a Benadryl because at first, I thought it was a reaction to a nut, but there weren't any nuts in the granola. I had to do a bit of a Heimlich maneuver on him for the first time ever to help him. The host family are Christians. We had a lovely chat with her at breakfast. We could have had dinner with them the night before, but the price was a bit too steep. It was actually a better price than what most restaurants charge, but we've been avoiding paying the usual prices by eating pizza or using a gift card. Oliver enjoys trying new foods, and he's had both clam chowder and salmon chowder for the first time on this trip. He had trout chowder in January in Harrisburg. I've begun planning our trip to Louisianna in May 2025, and on that trip, I've decided to include fewer chain restaurants so that we can try more local food. Alaska is a very beautiful state, but it's definitely not a cheap place to visit. I'm thankful we have the resources to come!

Thankful Thursday

 1, Paul, Pop Pop, and I enjoyed watching the boys in their performance of "The Museum of His Story" at our church on August 2.

2. I was thrilled to see Nadia on August 3 and hear about the four weeks she spent at Camp Susque. 

3. The week of August 4 we watched a few movies at home as a family - IF, Fall Guy, and Unsung Hero.

4. We enjoyed having dinner at Texas Roadhouse on August 7 to celebrate Oliver's 12th birthday. I am so grateful that he is part of our family!

5. Oliver had an uneventful physical on August 12, and I had an uneventful dentist appointment on August 5.

6. I enjoyed having lunch with Tab on August 13 to celebrate her birthday! 

7. The five of us plus Cheri enjoyed a We are Messengers concert at a church near our home on August 13.

8. I'm thankful that we have the resources to pay for getting new rear brakes and three new tires on Paul's car on August 8. That car has been used very little over the last year, but that has changed recently as we've been having Nadia drive that car even though it's a bit uncomfortable for the five of us to ride in that car at the same time.   

9. Nathaniel and Julianna spent several hours at our home on August 8. Friends are a blessing!

10. Nadia, Ian, and I served as Compassion volunteers at a concert on August 16. Paul and Oliver also attended the concert. 

11. We got our very first picture of the six of us - meaning our first family picture that included Milo! A friend organized a Sunflower Festival, and we got our picture taken there on Sunday afternoon. 

12. We had a safe drive to Maryland on August 19 and were able to walk through the Utz factory en route to the Towfighis home. Joe graciously got up very early on Tuesday morning to drive us to BWI. We had a safe flight o Anchorage and were able to see Denali from the air! The weather was gorgeous on Tuesday and today (sunny with a high of about 61 degrees). We're so thankful we are able to travel to see this beautiful state and that we are getting very close to achieving the goal of visiting all fifty states! 

13. The Seiberts are watching Milo for us. We'll return the favor for them and watch Cooper in November. So thankful Milo does so well with them when we're away! We're also thankful that our neighbors are giving some food/water to Lily, and their son is also mowing our lawn once in our absence. 

14. We have liked the two places we've stayed so far in Alaska - an Airbnb in Girdwood and Tides Inn in Seward. 

15. We were able to see three moose on our hike in Girdwood yesterday morning, saw a bear cub this morning when we were driving to the zip lining course, saw salmon in Anchorage, saw some fish jumping in Seward, and saw an otter in the harbor near our hotel this evening. The bird we've seen the most often so far has been the magpie. We hiked to the Byron Glacier, and we hiked toward the Exit Glacier. 

16. Today we went zip lining! It was the first time Paul or I had done this, and it was the most exciting one the kids had ever done. We zip lined eight times. Some were as short as 65 feet long and others were as long as 1,100 feet long. We also walked across three suspension bridges and rappelled twice - once down 60 feet and the second time down 40 feet. 

17. We have enjoyed the pizza we've eaten, and we had delicious gelato last night. Oliver enjoyed his clam chowder this evening. 

18. The kids each earned a Junior Ranger badge as well as a patch at Kenai Fjords today. 

19. We encountered a LOT of flies during our hike with a park ranger to Exit Glacier today, but otherwise we haven't encountered any pesky insects. 

20. Everything went smoothly with the TSA on Tuesday, and we are all healthy!

State #48

 

We are in our 48^th state, which was the 49^th state to join the USA! I’m not sure exactly how many states I visited as a child. Some states that were new for the kids were not new for Paul or me, but this is the first time any of us have been to Alaska. Paul and I have been waiting for more than twenty years to go to Hawaii, but since I’m not a fan of cold weather, I can’t say I have had a desire to visit Alaska for a long time. However, I love seeing beautiful landscapes and a variety of animals in the wild, so I have been looking forward to this trip. We wanted to go in the summer so that it wouldn’t be *too* cold in Alaska, and given the kids had Bible quizzing in June and Nadia was working at Camp Susque in July, that pretty much left us with August for our trip. I chose to go towards the end of August because the aurora borealis season begins today. Nadia would have started taking a class with Liberty University this week if it weren’t for this trip. We learned from experience last year that it’s not ideal to be taking an online class while on vacation, so she won't be starting any classes with LU until September 16. Similarly, we normally would have started “back to school” this week, but we are waiting until September 2^nd to begin due to this trip.

Originally the plan had been to drive down to Maryland on August 20, but when Alaska Airlines changed the time of our flights, we decided to drive down on August 19. We left our house around 9:30 am. Our first stop was to drop Milo off at the Seiberts’ house. He and Cooper were very excited to see each other again! Our second stop was at the Utz factory in Hanover. We had a self-guided tour of the potato chip factory, and we each received a free small bag of chips. We arrived at the Towfighis around 2:30 in the afternoon on what was their first day of school. Everyone except for Andrew was there. It was the first time in 5.5 years that some of us had been in their home in Maryland. We all slept in the basement since we were getting up so early. Ian had a very hard time getting up at 4:35. Joe rode with us to the airport, and he drove our van back to their house, so we won’t have to pay for airport parking. Thankfully, they only live 30 minutes from BWI. I had gotten our boarding passes on Monday morning. We printed the tags for our luggage, dropped off three suitcases, and breezed through security because Paul and I got TSA pre check in June. We didn’t have to take off our shoes or remove laptops from our bags. The best part was that we went through metal detectors. I was so, so relieved. I had asked others to pray about that, and God answered our prayers.

To be on the safe side, we had left their home at 5:00 am, as our flight was to begin boarding at 6:30. I know the official recommendation is to arrive two hours early for a domestic flight, but arriving 90 minutes early was definitely plenty early as we were at our gate about 45 minutes before it was time to start the boarding process. We got breakfast at a McDonald’s near our gate. Eating breakfast that early wasn’t ideal considering we traveled four time zones west, but they don’t serve (free) food on flights these days, and McDonald’s was much cheaper than ordering through the airline, and we also had a lot more choices. we experienced a lot of turbulence on that flight, but we arrived safely in Seattle. We landed on time, but then had to wait 30 minutes before the plane could taxi to our gate. Our connecting flight was at a gate that was close to where we arrived, but we didn't have much time to buy lunch. If we had more time, we would have gotten lunch at Wendy's. Also, we discovered the food prices were ridiculous at the Seattle airport. We only had time to go to the bathroom and buy some very overpriced muffins and Danishes before boarding our second flight. The second flight was much smoother. We landed about 15 minutes later than scheduled. We picked up our luggage and then took a free shuttle to the valet parking lot where our rental car was located. 

By the time we started driving the minivan we rented through Turo (which is basically the rental car version of Airbnb), it was about 3:00 pm in Alaska, which felt like 7:00 to us. The first thing we did in Anchorage was visit the Anchorage Museum. We got in free through our ASTC membership. It was a combination of a science museum (including a planetarium), art museum, and history museum. Paul enjoyed it the most. The rest of us were a bit too hungry and tired to get much out of it. Our next stop was Moose's Tooth Pizza which has very positive reviews online and is a very large restaurant. The pizza was very good! The food prices here in Alaska are very high so we expect to eat a lot of pizza this week as that's typically the cheapest way to feed a family for dinner at a restaurant. 

Before we drove to our Airbnb in Girdwood, we went on two short walks in Anchorage. The first one was at Potter Marsh. We saw some birds, an eagle nest, and some salmon swimming around. Next, we traveled up in altitude and walked the short Anchorage Overlook Trail. If we had more time and more skill with hiking, we would have done the Flattop Mountain Trail which started at the same location. Finally, we drove to Girdwood. Shortly before we arrived at our Airbnb, we stopped at a bakery where we bought two very overpriced donuts and two very overpriced cheese Danishes for Paul and the kids to have for breakfast today. Because we were flying, we didn't bring as many groceries with us on this trip. I had packed oatmeal packets for my breakfasts, Kudos bars for Ian, trail mix bars for me, and fruit snacks for Oliver and Nadia. We also stopped at an ice cream place that was in the same location as the bakery. Nadia and Oliver each got a fruit smoothie, and Ian got a dish of ice cream. The guest suite we stayed in was lovely. Paul and I had our own bedroom, and the kids slept in the loft. It also had gorgeous views out the large windows. I went to bed early in light of the fact I had started my day at 4:15 am and was adjusting to a four-hour time change.

The weather on our first day in Alaska was gorgeous. It was a clear, sunny day. We were able to see Denali while we were flying to the Anchorage airport. The temperature was around 60 degrees when we were walking to the museum. Today it was cooler, and it rained a lot. We left our Airbnb at 8:30. Our first stop was the Lower Winner Creek Trail. The trail was 5 miles long. Most of the time there was a light rain. The highlight was seeing a total of three moose during our hike. The first two moose we saw were very close to the trail. The moose closest to us was only about fifteen feet away when we rounded the bend and saw him. We saw the third moose on the return trip, but he was farther away and in the midst of trees, so it was hard to get a good picture of that moose. We had lunch at the Subway that was right next to the bakery we stopped at yesterday. As we were about to leave, the Airbnb host sent a message that we left a library book there. Thankfully we were only about 8 minutes away, so we went back to retrieve the book before driving to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. I had opted to skip the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. Due to how cold and rainy it was, we spent more time driving around and less time walking around the site. The highlights were a four-week-old musk ox, and a bear that was having a blast twirling a large stick. Our last stop in Girdwood was to do a 2.5-mile (round trip) hike to a glacier. After this hike, we drove to Seward. We had dinner at Klondike Pizzeria, got some groceries, and then went to Sweet Darlings for dessert. The kids and I had gelato, and Paul got some fudge. Usually on vacation we stay at hotels that have a free breakfast, but on this trip, we will only get a free breakfast one morning. We got food for four people to eat three breakfasts, all five of us to eat two lunches at the grocery store, and ice cream for the kids to eat the next two nights, and that cost a little over $100! I'm sure I'll be in the same sticker shock in Hawaii if we make it there next August. Finally, we checked into Tides Inn, where we will be staying for three nights. "Checking-in" at this inn involved calling a phone number, and the person told me which room was ours. The key was in the door! The kids like this unit very much because it has four beds (in three different rooms), a couch, and a kitchen. We're very thankful that we can see a part of our country we've never seen before and looking forward to more special experiences over the next eight days!

Medical Appointments

Thankfully, the five of us are generally very healthy. Aside from my broken ankle in 2021, we haven't had any surgeries, hospitalizations, or doctor appointments aside from physicals for several years. Despite being healthy, we still see a doctor at least once a year for a physical, see the dentist at least twice a year, and the boys typically see the orthodontist once a month. This year I've made more appointments than usual. Paul has only seen the dentist. I had a pap smear and a mammogram plus an extra trip to the dentist for a small filling. Nadia has only seen the dentist plus had a physical.

Oliver had his twelve-year-old physical yesterday. He grew three inches in the past year and is now 5 foot two inches tall, which puts him in the 87th percentile, and he's still on track to reach his projected height of 6 feet tall. He gained ten pounds over the last year, which means his BMI is still at the 5th percentile. I was happy to see that he weighed 82 pounds because the goal had been for him to weight at least 80 pounds for our zip lining adventure in Alaska next week. He was happy to be told he wasn't getting any shots at his physical, but then when we were at the orthodontist yesterday afternoon, he found out that he needs to have two teeth pulled next month, and he dislikes those shots more than immunizations, and I have to agree with him on that assessment. 

At Ian's physical in January, we mentioned we thought he might have sleep apnea. This led to a referral to the pulmonologist at Geisinger. They had scheduled his sleep study for next week, but we cancelled once we received the estimated charge. He met with a pulmonologist in Hershey where they charge far less for a sleep study. That doctor said he needed to see a cardiologist and an ENT. The cardiologist appointment was a waste of time and almost $400 because he said Ian doesn't have a heart murmur. The ENT appointment last month was a waste of time (not sure yet if it was a waste of money as we haven't received a bill) because they told us they don't do nose surgeries on those under the age of 18, and they knew when I scheduled the appointment that it was for a 14-year-old who has hypertrophy turbinate. She suggested we take him to an ENT at Geisinger, Camp Hill (to see Dr. Wilson), or Hershey. On July 24 I called the office in Camp Hill and left a message. On July 25 I asked the ENT we saw to send a referral there. Having heard nothing in the meantime, I called and left another message at the ENT in Camp Hill on August 12. This morning, they told me that they had received the referral but hadn't contacted us because they don't work with our insurance. I said that we don't have any insurance. They for some reason thought we had UPMC insurance, which we've never had. So later they called back and scheduled an appointment with Ian for December 3 in Hershey. Because they won't repair a deviated septum prior to the age of 18, we are not sure if we should wait so that Ian wouldn't have two nose surgeries. It seems wise to find out the results of the sleep study first. If he doesn't have severe sleep apnea, we might wait until he's 18 to fix his nose and just let him continue to be a mouth breather. I called the pulmonologist in Hershey on August 5 to request that the follow-up appointment after the sleep study be done by phone or video instead of in person given the length of our drive to and from Hershey. I never heard if the doctor approved that or not, so I called yesterday to follow-up as I had said on August 5 we would need to reschedule if it had to be in person. We have to drive down there to get the results because the doctor wants to do another exam. I'm not too thrilled with his examination skills since he thought Ian has a heart murmur, and the cardiologist said he doesn't. But I rescheduled his follow-up appointment by one week so that it won't interfere with our homeschool co-op. Either Paul or I will be taking Ian to Hershey for three doctor appointments from October 29 - December 3. At the orthodontist yesterday, I asked when he would begin working on Ian's lower jaw because he's been in phase two for six months. He said he'll start next month so Ian will have two orthodontist appointments next month, and he's also going to get another x-ray (per the request of the orthodontist) when Oliver is having two teeth extracted. 

We do have dental insurance, and it is definitely worth the monthly premium we pay. We don't have vision insurance. Last week I called and scheduled appointments four of us to see the eye doctor in December/January because the last time we saw the eye doctor was December 2022. We don't have medical insurance, but we've been members of a Christian medical sharing program for almost two years. So far, we've only had one medical bill reimbursed (dermatologist for Paul), but I anticipate receiving reimbursement after Ian's sleep study. I am going to research the cost of health insurance again this fall to make sure we are still making the correct choice by going with Samaritan instead of insurance. The ENT office I spoke with today said the first appointment will cost $250. Since we received $18K back from the insurance this year, the line item on our budget for medical expenses currently shows a negative number despite these extra bills. 

Twelve years old!

 My baby turned twelve years old this morning! I'm so thankful for the twelve years we have been able to spend with Oliver so far. Twelve months from today I'll be the mom of three teenagers! Every life is a miracle. We're not always aware of all the times our lives have been spared, but in Oliver's case we're aware of some of those instances. The first that comes to mind is in May 2012. The staff at the hospital wanted to do an emergency c-section to save my life, which would have ended his life because he wasn't quite far enough along to be considered viable. I begged them not to, and I prayed fervently that God would stop the bleeding and spare his life. Thankfully, God answered those prayers. The day after he was born, the NICU staff informed me that the previous day they weren't that optimistic that he would live. There have been other scary moments since then, but thankfully the Lord brought him through those hard times and enabled him to flourish.

Oliver's birthday party took place two weeks ago because I thought it would be special if four of his cousins could attend. For the past eleven months we had planned to celebrate Oliver's birthday on Long Island with Aunt Janet. However, Hurricane Debby altered those plans. Considering Aunt Janet currently lives in Reno, we had reservations for four nights at a Holiday Inn, so it seemed challenging to come up with alternative plans if it was raining most of the time we were out there. We scratched the plans (which included visiting five NPS sites, the private beach, and Bronx Zoo), and made some new plans. We said Oliver could choose where we went to dinner tonight. He chose Texas Roadhouse. We'll pick up donuts today at Dunkin for breakfast tomorrow. I got a DVD from the library of a movie he's been wanting to see for a few months, and Julianna and Nathaniel are going to spend about 7 hours with us tomorrow while their mother is at work. Oliver had opened some birthday presents on the day of his party, and he opened one from Pop Pop last Friday. This morning, he opened the gifts from us, which included two puzzles, three books, one Lego set, a pair of wireless headphones, some Pokémon cards, and a pogo stick. Next year, Lord willing, we will be celebrating his birthday in Hawaii! 

I usually include a list of descriptions on each child's birthday, but when I looked at his list from his half-birthday in February, everything I listed there is still true. When we go to sit-down restaurants, Ian and Oliver still order off the children's menu, but we're making an exception tonight for Oliver because he wants to eat seafood, and there isn't any seafood on the kids' menu at Texas Roadhouse. I love Oliver so much. Of my three kids, he's the one who tells me he loves me the most often, and he also often writes a love message to me on the sermon outline at church on Sunday mornings. He repeated fourth grade so he *could* have already been in the youth group for a year, but as of May he's been attending the youth group instead of Kidzway on Sunday mornings, and next month he'll begin attending Bible quizzing and youth group on Wednesday nights. Memorizing is a challenge for him, so I've been giving him a head start and have already been working with him on memorizing verses from Luke for Bible quizzing. He had five lines in the musical last week, and although he didn't speak loudly enough, he did remember his lines! He will be taking art and chorus at Meadowbrook Christian School for the first time in his life this school year, which means he can also be in the spring musical. Middle school here we come! 

Thankful Thursday

1. On July 12 and 19 Paul and I attended two more lessons of Intermediate Cha Cha. Paul didn't want to go on July 26 and doesn't want to go tomorrow, so it seems we only will have attended 4 of the 8 lessons we paid for. Maybe this means we should just wait seven years before we try again, but I'm thankful we had at least four nights of dancing together for an hour and learning some new steps.

2. On July 13 four of us toured Fort Roberdeau and attended the Napoleonic Grand Tactique at Old Bedford Village. 

3. The boys attended a manufacturing camp from 9-3 July 15-18. It wasn't their favorite camp, but there were parts of it that they enjoyed such as the tour of Playworld. 

4. On July 20 we were able to visit Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site for the first time and spend four hours with 10 members of the Towfighi family, which meant we met Brenden for the first time. 

5. From July 20-27 Micah, Joel, Nathan and Julianna spent a week with us. The cousins had a blast! Five of those days they attended a Stronghold foam sword fighting camp from 9-12 in Danville and then had a free hot lunch and played on the playground in Watsontown.

6. I enjoyed teaching a lesson (as a substitute) on the second half of Amos in our Sunday School class on July 21. 

7. We were able to talk to Nadia on the phone on July 21. Talking only one time over a span of four weeks has been challenging for me, especially as I've also received very few text messages from her. Hopefully I'll hear from her more often when she goes to college as this has been hard for me, but I'm grateful she could have this opportunity to serve at this Christian camp. Now it's only TWO days until she's back at home. I can't wait to hear all about her time there!

8. Paul has done really well on the stock market over the last two months. We are grateful! 

9. Yvonne got a good report at the cardiologist this week. This is an answer to prayer! 

10. My nephew, Adam, was baptized this week in Lake Michigan in Chicago. I really enjoyed watching the videos of his testimony and baptism! This was also an answer to prayer!

11. The boys have been participating in a theatre workshop at our church put on by a Christian radio station in New York (Family Life). Nadia and Ian had attended their workshops at another church (farther from our home) in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Last year they didn't participate due to schedule conflicts. Ian and Oliver both have small parts. Ian is Galileo, and Oliver is C.S. Lewis. Pop Pop plans to come up tomorrow to see their performance at noon. 

12. Oliver's birthday party was a success. We celebrated early so that four of his cousins could participate. Micah, Isaiah, their cousin Dominic, Nathaniel, Xandir, Sincere, Andrew, Pop Pop, and Ben also joined us for bubble ball soccer, glow in the dark dodgeball, pizza, chips, and cake!

Field trips and a party

The past 2+ weeks we've had a taste of what life will be like after Nadia graduates from high school. The last few field trips we've taken as a family of four instead of a family of five. Since Nadia doesn't really enjoy many historical field trips, I'm sure she doesn't mind that she missed them. On July 13 we visited Old Bedford Village. They hold a variety of special events throughout the year. Paul chose this weekend which focused on Napoleonic Grand Tactique as that is very uncommon whereas Civil War reenactments are held at a wide variety of sites. Paul just focused on the special lectures and demonstrations they were doing. The boys and I did some of that but also walked around some of the historic village. Paul especially enjoyed the lecture on espionage during the time of Napoleon. My favorite part was the instruction on the history of how brooms have been made over the years. Our next stop was Fort Roberdeau, which was a fort used for two years during the Revolutionary War. 

From July 15-18 the boys participated in a manufacturing camp from 9-3 in Milton. I signed them up at the request of my friend, Tab. A couple of weeks before the camp was to begin her two boys were the only two signed up, and they were going to cancel the camp. It wasn't the boys' favorite experience, but there were parts they enjoyed. On the second day they had a field trip tour Playworld (playground manufacturer in Lewisburg). On the third day they had some experience with using CAD to design a playground. This week they are participating in a foam sword fighting camp from 9-12 with four of their cousins in Danville. They participated in one of these camps last summer at another location. Next week they'll have their last "camp" of the summer - a theater camp from 9-12:30 at our church. 

On July 20, we visited Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. The kids had earned Junior Ranger badges from that site through the mail when it was closed due to COVID. Sometimes when we visit a national park site that's not well known I find myself wondering why on earth it's a NPS site. That was NOT the case this time. It was interesting to learn about what happened there, and unlike most NPS sites, there was a hands-on experience in which we each made a stove plate (albeit not from iron). The park ranger who gave a talk we attended couldn't have been more passionate/enthusiastic about the site, and her enthusiasm was contagious! We spent about 2.5 hours at the site, and then we drove to Camp Hill to meet 10 of the 11 Towfighis (all but Andrew). We had seen 8 of them multiple times recently, but we hadn't seen Jenna since December, hadn't seen Yvonne since February, and we had never met Brenden (who is 3 months old). We spent about four hours together at Jenna's apartment, a playground, and Cracker Barrel before driving home with Nathan, Joel, Micah, and Julianna who are spending one week with us.

Oliver's birthday is August 7, but I decided it would be special to have his birthday party while some of his cousins were here. His first "big" (for our family anyhow) party was in 2022 when I rented two lanes of a bowling alley for two hours and invited his friends to join us. Last year we celebrated his birthday at an amusement park in Pittsburgh; he didn't do anything with friends for his birthday last year. His birthday party this year was by far the most expensive birthday party I've thrown anyone in my life, but it helped knowing the money was going to our church. We paid for one hour of bubble ball and one hour of glow in the dark dodgeball. I invited fifteen kids in the hopes that at least twelve would show up. Six of the kids were Ian, Oliver, and four cousins. Amazingly all fifteen said they could come for at least part of the time, and one family asked if they could also bring their cousin who was visiting them from Ohio. Two kids backed out the day of his party, and Ben came for only the second half of his party. This meant we had thirteen kids for bubble ball and fourteen for eating and dodge ball. Paul's dad also joined us, so we had seventeen people including adults. I brought chips, drinks, and paper products and ordered pizza that Paul picked up during the bubble ball. Paul's dad brought vanilla cupcakes and a chocolate peanut butter cake that Aunt Millie made. We three adults *thought* we would only be spectators, but the finale to the party was a round of kids vs. adults glow in the dark dodgeball. Xandir's aunt joined us, but we were still outnumbered 14:4 so Ryan had Ben play on the adult team which made it 13:5. Needless to say, the kids won. Throwing parties is totally NOT my thing. I wouldn't mind never being in charge of another party the rest of my life, but I want birthdays and other future special occasions (ex. graduation from high school) to be memorable for my kids, so I will do my very best. Oliver received nerf guns from the Towfighis and Xandir, an Amazon gift card from Nathaniel, Knoebels ride tickets from the Schrecks, some money, and some fireworks and Snickers from the Seiberts. Julianna was the only girl invited to his party. The kids we invited ranged in age from 8-16, and all of them are homeschoolers. It was the first time Nadia wasn't at one of her brothers' birthday parties. She will be with us for his actual birthday. I was very impressed with Xandir's generosity. He made Oliver a really nice birthday card, and he used ALL of his own money to buy the nerf gun. He was a few dollars short, so his dad had him do some more chores to earn the remaining money. Wow. What a kind and generous thing to do for a friend! My kids have certainly never spent that much money on a gift for a family member or friend, especially considering it was all of the money he had. 

Because the foam sword fighting camp is 30 minutes from our home and lasts for three hours, it doesn't seem worth it to me to come home after I drop them off. I've been spending the time walking, listening to audiobooks, and talking with friends. Yesterday I called Kay, who is in her late 80's and recovering from a knee replacement. Today my friend, Cheri, came and walked with me for part of the time. According to my phone, I walked 7.6 miles yesterday and 6.7 miles today. Speaking of phone calls, I talked to Nadia on Sunday!!! I hadn't heard her voice in two weeks which had been challenging for me. It was wonderful to hear about her first two weeks at camp. Just eleven more days until she is home sweet home! We're planning on one more field trip before she comes home - a visit to the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art on Saturday.