Baked Alaska

What could Lil' Monster being smiling about? 

 The weather!!!!!

 

 And the fact, that he FINALLY gets to use the "HOT" tag for our daily calendar.
Several months ago, Lil' Monster complained because we 'never' could use the HOT tag on his daily calendar. He kept asking when we could. I explained, up here in AK we might not ever use it.
Boy, am I glad I was wrong!

 Right now up here in Alaska, we are cookin'.
We LOVE it.
This is our third summer here and we are toasting at lovely mid 70's temperatures. The past several years we were lucky to get into the 50s and 60s. The rain poured and poured.
Summer Solstice meant more daylight - it sure didn't seem like it with the grey skies. We were told that was the norm. How sad it made us. Then we have had two long, snowy, and bitter winters. In fact not 4 weeks ago we had snow and temps in the 20s. For the last several weeks we have had constant sun and temperatures that have been utter bliss.
This Summer Solstice we might just have to stay up all night to see that the sun really does give us 20 hours of sunshine!!!
We have been truly blessed!

Feels like heaven.

Don't you just love he is wearing a long sleeved sweater still? He doesn't own many "warm weather" clothes. The summer clothes he does have, he has already worn and I am currently washing them.

The Land of the Free...Candy

Last year for Independance Day,

we were blessed with BEAUTIFUL weather,

so we went the Distance. (Read about it Here)

This year we stuck closer to home.

We attended the Independence Parade in our neighboring city.

We arrived early and placed ourselves at the beginning mark of the route.

Bundled up, as it was freezing.

By the end of the parade

we could hardly feel our fingers and noses were running.

 Nevertheless, our hearts and souls were warm with joy.

Waiting for it to begin.

As each float, car, or group passed us by, something or other was handed out:

such as flags, sweets, advertisements for local happenings, and more sweets.

This cute group of senior women had a dance they performed.

These deafening bikes thrilled Lil' Monster and about made Mamma deaf for an hour.

Each child received a bag to hold their treats.
Lil' Monster filled his to the brim by the end.

Pabbi and Mamma had to hold his bag so he could have free hands to chase after the candy.

We've never seen so much candy! I, along with other parade-watching Mammas, all tried to give each other their children's candy so we didn't go home with so many bags. Lil' Monster did not even care about the candy - he just liked to chase into the street to grab what was thrown.

Pabbi and I joked that this parade was easier than Halloween. For Halloween, we have to dress the up in costumes, take him from door to door (or in some cases trunk to trunk) to collect a bag full of candy. However, for this Holiday, the paraders have to come decked out and in costumes, with tricks, and they walk block after block passing the candy out....

Motorcycles, sports cars, buses, go-carts....

vehicle after vehicle.

The boy LOVED it!

Since it ended up raining we were unable to have a typical All-American BBQ post-parade.

So we settled on the next best All American meal:

Pizza.

Then we curled up together and Thanked God for our Freedom to enjoy.

We also prayed that Uncle M and his fellow soldiers currently in the Middle East were protected.

Thank you Uncle M for fighting for us.

Thanks Auntie B for your sacrifice.

Happy Independence Day!

...How Does Your Garden Grow, Now?

With all good intentions we planned our garden growing to start indoors and then proceed outdoors.

Sometimes, as parents, our intentions and perfect dreams don't come about.

So we learn to improvise or make due.

Due to the condition of our new home,

digging and planting our indoor garden, outdoors didn't happen.

Instead our pea plants grew and grew and blossomed indoors and then started to die.

We got a couple of pods with some peas. But no more.

So we enjoyed the "practice" bounty albeit meager.

Lil' Monster is reaping what he sowed.

It was small - like him = Perfect!

He was NOT pleased.

He put it in his mouth,

bit it,

and promptly said,

 "I don't Like it."

Maybe next year we will try again with better results.

Pabbi and Mamma 

enjoyed the three other peas.

Forever Family

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we believe in being

families forever.

We believe that families can be sealed together for eternity in a

Temple.

This sealing is a bond that will always last, even beyond death.

We believe that children can be born into this sealing,

 if the couple has been married for eternity in the Temple.

We believe that children who are not born (meaning adopted) under this seal can still be sealed into the family forever in the Temple.

I am so grateful for this principle.

 I love my precious boy!

I am not able to conceive children and I am so grateful God has provided for even such as I.

I find much comfort knowing that I can be a forever family

with my husband AND beautiful son.

 

Click on Links to know:

Why Do Mormons Have Temples?

What Are Temple Blessings? 

 

Temples bring incredible blessings to families.

Our son has brought incredible blessings into our lives.