The Jordans- Cherish, Sean, Autumn and Emelia

As promised, a video of Autumn "walking". At most, Autumn can take four steps, but she is improving all the time. It was 22 below zero today out here. Autumn and I spent the morning at the gym. I worked out, then Autumn played. We had a good time, but we are looking forward to warmer weather (one day). Anyway, here is the video.

Last night Autumn took several more steps. It was so exciting. We are going to try to take a video of it so that others can see. The plan for today, go to the movies. We would like to see Bedtime Stories. After that, we are going to see the ice sculptures being put up for the 2009 Fire and Ice show. Remember Christmas day when I told you that Sean had to shovel the drive? Here are some photos from that. I know that some people think that it isn't so bad here, that there are other places that are colder and all I can say to that is---Try living here!! This is our life six months out of the year, not just a few weeks. I am grateful that the winter solstice has taken place. That means we are catapulting towards more daylight!!!!! Snowy Jeep. Snowy Sean. Today is my Grandmother's 87th Birthday. So to Grandma S. Happy Birthday!!!!!

We got off to a late start. Autumn was up past her bedtime because we went to Christmas Eve service. As I made my way downstairs, I was greeted by: Mr Prince. And: Miss Pepper Annie-looking "festive" as usual. Mr Penelope stayed hidden for most of the day. Sean and I made breakfast from a cookbook Phyllis sent me for my birthday. It was an egg, sausage, cheese, and potato pie. It was delicious and a great way to start the morning. Autumn woke up around 830 and we headed right for opening presents. The main gift Sean and I gave to Autumn was her V-Smile. It was one of two gifts she opened by herself (minus the parts the cats tore off). Autumn and the V-Smile. Checking out the gift from the Brumbergs. Autumn really enjoyed playing with the bows on the packages. Autumn and Ooopsy bear from Aunt Julie. The big hit of the day, BUBBLE WRAP! Blocks from Aunt Devonne. Grandma and Grandpa Jordan sent Autumn a ton of stuff to include: A baby stroller walker complete with a baby ...

Sean, Autumn and I went to Christmas Eve service here on post. Autumn acted like a savage on the way over to the church and I had half a mind to turn the car around and go home. I almost started crying. Autumn was fussing and carrying on because she hates wearing her coat. Well, the current temperature was 1 degree below zero. Sean informed Autumn that she was grounded for behaving so badly and Autumn responded by screaming louder. Anyway, the service was very nice. Autumn behaved for most of it. At the end they passed out glow sticks instead of candles. Autumn put hers in her mouth--like that needs to be lit up! It was a nice way to remember the service men and women overseas. It made me a little sad thinking about some of the ladies here alone and for the guys over there all alone. It made me think of next year and how I will be wishing Sean home. Then I look at Autumn and the sadness disappears in an instance. Here are some of our Christmas Eve photos. Please enjoy. Beaut...

Autumn and I began the day shoveling the driveway. That is much more work than it sounds like. I had to get us both suited up for the ten degree weather, put her in the backpack, then head on out. It took us about an hour to finish the driveway and when we came back in, poor little Autumn's face had frost nip on it. She has now had frost nip twice. Later today, we went to visit Snowzilla. Frosty the Snowzilla man is huge!!! The local government is trying to put a stop to Snowzilla citing a building code violation. Well, I say down with the man!!!! Keep Snowzilla up. He isn't hurting anything. Anyway, here is a photo of Autumn and me with Frosty the Snowzilla man. Here is a related article in the Anchorage Daily News.

Today we finally got our photo done with Santa. As most of you know, this has certainly been a trial! Autumn has cried every time we have gone to see Santa. The first Santa Claus we went to (aka Free Slobby Santa), as soon as Sean set Autumn in Santa's lap, the screaming began. We moved along to the next Santa Claus (aka Not Free Santa, but arm and a leg Santa) and he worked with us. Autumn picked up a toy in the store, we handed it to Santa and the rest is history. Here is the photo (yes I know Autumn is not smiling, but she is not crying either---SUCCESS in my book!!).

I knew eventually it would happen, but I guess I thought my nasty cat, Pepper, would stay clear of Autumn for awhile longer. Yesterday, Autumn was crawling around, following Pepper. Pepper was underneath our dining room table when Autumn put her hand in the kill zone. Pepper growled, then swiped at Autumn. Autumn was so upset by this, that it took a moment for her to let her scream out. Autumn's little arm turned red and started to bleed just a tiny bit. Sean and I comforted her and after a few minutes, all was right with the world. Now what to do with that damn cat!

This year my birthday and Thanksgiving were the same day. We celebrated at my mom's house with about 30 people. We started the cooking process two days before Thanksgiving which turned out to be fortuitous because the oven broke on Tuesday. Dad and Great Grandpa Sam got it working after they took it almost completely apart. On Thanksgiving day itself, there was a fire in the oven. When my mom pulled out some of the foil in the bottom of the oven, she dropped it on the floor and the fire in the oven was now a fire on the kitchen floor. My dad grabbed Autumn and ran outside while my mom, great grandpa Sam and I put the fire out. Overall, it was a wonderful birthday and a great Thanksgiving. The kiddie table.

While in Georgia visiting Grandma and Grandpa Jordan, we had the opportunity to go to the World's largest aquarium. It was an opportunity I just could not pass up. I cannot think of a better way to expand a child's mind then to get them out into the world and experience things for themselves. What Autumn and Cole experienced could never be replaced by watching something on television or even looking at a book. Here are the photos. One of my favorite photos. Autumn and the Jellyfish. Grandpa Jordan and Autumn. I loved the way it felt like we were in the tank with the sea life. My nephew, Cole and his monkey back pack. The touch tank. Autumn's arms were not long enough to reach, but Cole and Devonne got to take the plunge. Grandpa Jordan and Autumn coming off the big slide. Devonne and Cole coming off the big slide. The Georgia Aquarium..

Autumn and I made it home last night around midnight and we are plain tuckered out. I haven't updated my blog in awhile and I have a ton of pictures and other things to share, so I'm going to try and update every few days. Today I would like to share with you our trip to Fantasy in Lights. Grandpa and Grandma Jordan took Autumn, Cole, Devonne and me to the light show. If you live near this attraction in Georgia, I highly recommend you go. We had an absolute blast. Autumn and I were unaffected by the cold-it was just a normal day out for us, but others may have thought it was a bit chilly. We drove around the park and saw all the lights-Autumn wasn't as excited about that as I had hoped she would be, but my nephew Cole loved it!!! Autumn was very interested in all the indoor Christmas displays (minus Santa-he scares her). We walked around and had hot chocolate. Overall, lots of fun. Cherish, Cole and Autumn Fantasy in Lights. Grandpa Jordan, Cole and Autumn.

We survived the airplane ride from Alaska to South Carolina. Autumn did great. She was even a hit on the airplane. She slept through the first leg and during the second leg she got restless, so I let her crawl up and down the aisle. Some of the old people leaned over and pet Autumn's head as she crawled on by. The very last leg, she was tired of it all and fussed a little bit, but not much. Since we have been in South Carolina, my phone has stopped working. I got extremely ill and dad had to take me to the Hospital. Autumn came with because she was sick too. I wanted the doctor to check her out more so than myself, but I looked like hell (I didn't realize this until after our visit). Anyway, they tested Autumn for RSV and the flu-both negative. They tested me for Flu and Pneumonia-both negative. I have bronchitis. They put me on four medications and I am just now starting to feel better. Autumn took her first few steps a few days ago, but I missed it. Grandma C. witnessed it. I...

Today is Bowman, Anna, and Alexander's first birthday. Autumn and I cannot wait to meet them in a few weeks. One year ago, I was 6 months pregnant and I was anxiously waiting to hear from my mother-in-law, Phyllis about Jennifer and Brett. We found out the day before that today might be the day to deliver the babies. I was sitting in Starbucks enjoying some coffee when my cell phone rang. It was Phyllis. She told me that all the babies were here. I started crying. Really there were two reasons I was crying. One, I was so happy that the triplets made it into the world and two, I was worried about the upcoming struggle. The triplets were born 8 whole weeks early. Both the boys weighed just over 4 lbs and baby Anna weighed just over 2.5 pounds. Now, one year later, you would never even know by looking at them that they were preemies. To my niece and nephews, Happy first birthday. You are loved all the way from Alaska!! To Brett, you are a wonderful dad and I admire the wa...

Our play date at Chuck E Cheese was fantabulous!!! It was great to talk to the other mom's and it sure was a lot of fun watching our kids interact with one another. Here are a few shots from today.   From Left to Right: Dlyan, Ava, Riley and Autumn The back of the bus!! Dylan and Autumn talking to one another. Cindy and Dylan Lisa and Ava Angela and Riley Last but not least, Cherish and Autumn.  

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before, but when you leave, I sleep on your side of the bed. It helps me to feel closer to you and not so lonely. The first night that you are gone is always the worst-I wonder if it is the same for you? Autumn slept horrible last night. She didn't go to sleep until after 11 pm (I stayed strong and made her sleep in her crib) and then woke up at 5 am this morning. Her mouth hurts her and I can feel those teeth trying to come through. She crawled all around the upstairs looking for you this morning. Today we are going to the gym to work out and play for a little bit, then this afternoon we have a play date at Chuck E Cheese. I love you and miss you with all of my heart. Your wife.

It is 3:30 AM. Sean just left. Autumn and I will not see him again until December. Sean gave me a big hug, then went into Autumn's room to tell her goodbye. She was all snuggled up in one corner of her bed, laying on her stomach with her rear end in the air. She has no idea. In the morning, she will look for Sean as he almost always is the one to get her out of bed in the morning. It is sad. 5 days until we get out of Alaska for a little while and get to be with family. Sean- I love you and miss you already. Your wife.

When it gets cold outside, you have to come up with activities to do with your kids or you'll go out of your mind. Autumn and I were going to the pool regularly over the summer, but it had been awhile since we last went. We had friends with us today, so we finally took some pictures. Before getting wet.  After getting wet. Autumn had a great time, I had a good time (swimming makes Autumn so tired, I get some quiet time when we get home).      

When I was a young girl, my sister Madeline and I shared a room. My bed was near the window, Madeline's bed was clear across the room near a wall. One night, the moon was shining brightly through my window and onto the wall near Madeline's bed. I got the bright idea to make a hand monster on the wall. I said, "Hey Mandy, there is a spider on your wall." Madeline said, "Hey Cherish, I can totally see your hand." Talk about feeling dumb!!! Anyway, Madeline, this is for you.

I don't know why people have to be so nasty about weight. Sometimes I just want to say what is really on my mind to people when they make their "little" comments, but generally I just shrug it off. SO for any of you nosy people or snide ones, here is what the deal is. I was following C25K at this link: Cool Running. BUT I got too good at running to follow that plan any longer. My pre-pregnancy weight was 116. I currently weigh 134. I am trying to get back down to 125-130 ish. 125 would be optimal. My jean size is an 8, but that is a bit roomy and sometimes I wear my size 6 jeans and I am comfortable in those. Most of my pants are a 5/6. Now I can get my big ole butt in those, but I'd rather lose the rest of my weight first. I do my Pilates once or twice a week (I try to do more, but being a mom often gets in the way of that). I go to the gym once a day. I've been running mainly, but once the pool opens again, I will add swimming twice a week. The bigg...

In fewer than ten days, Sean is leaving for NTC. He will be there for about 5 weeks. I am going during this time to visit family and will not get back to Alaska until December. It is hard to think of the right words for this, but my heart is heavy. It makes me terribly sad whenever Sean goes. I know some people probably think it is not a big deal because it is only a short time. Normally, I would agree, but Sean has to leave a lot. All that time adds up. My heart is heavy.

Today is pregnancy and infant loss awareness day. Sean and I have suffered through two miscarriages before Autumn arrived. We would have a nine year old and an 8 year old had we not miscarried. It is a difficult subject to speak about even after all these years, but it is something I carry with me. I will be lighting my candles this evening and thinking about the babies that never came to be.