Rescue at Sea...by Chris!

Chris saved 4 lives today!

A 50' fishing boat caught on fire. The Coast Guard was called out. When they got on scene they approached the vessel engulfed in flames. The searched for a few minutes for survivors and noticed a raft; then a head popped out of the raft...they were alive!

Chris was lowered down from the helicopter and swam against the current toward the raft. He then assisted each survivor into the basket that was lowered from the helicopter. Four lives saved today! And a hero is born! (Good Job Chris!)

Here's a few news articles from the local papers & PR from the USCG:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=936920

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=936920

http://www.adn.com/2010/07/11/1362469/fishermen-rescued-after-boat-catches.html

Fireworks

Last night we fired off the few fireworks we bought for Forth of July. We didn't get to do fireworks on the 4th because the weather was pretty bad; so we had clear skies last night and we jumped at the chance.

The four of us went outside and did a couple of small fireworks and some sparklers. We lit off a few small-ground-fireworks and gave Emily some sparklers. About her 4th sparkler go-round, she had two in her hands. She lost grip on one of them and it fell to her pants, still burning. We all flipped out and she panicked. Chris rushed to her to get the sparkler free from her pants, but she refused to let go of the second sparkler she was holding. We continued to panic and shook her arms trying to free the second sparkler from her grip. At this point the 1st sparkler fell to the floor and burnt out; Chris then yanked the 2nd one from her. The whole time she was screaming and Chris was yelling.

Luckily no one was hurt. but I'm not sure if she'll be able to wear the pants again. :(
Aww...kids and sparklers...maybe next year.

Here are some pictures before the catastrophe:

Streamers (vacation flashback)

Yes, I'm still trying to catch up with our totally awesome vacation back in April.

We arrived at the cruise ship terminal; it was sad to say good-bye to the kids. I had never spent a day away from Ethan, and have nearly spent every day with Emily for the last two-years. It wasn't easy leaving them, especially to go do something fun. But, we NEVER get a vacation; our last vacation was our honeymoon, nearly 5 years ago. So, we were well-due for some time for ourselves.

We arrived in Long Beach and spent an hour or so going through the check-in process. It wasn't too bad, especially considering that there are as many people on this boat as that live on our island!

We arrived to our room and found it was festively decorated to celebrate our birthdays! Our "second excuse" for deserving a vacation was because we were both turning 30 this year and we wanted to do something COOL for our birthday! So, we went on a cruise!

There were streamers all around the room, on the ceiling, a banner on the wall, festive fountain decorations, and a very nice wine & fruit basket on the dresser with a sweet note that read: "Happy Birthday! Love, Mom, Dad & Lisa"

It was the coolest thing ever and the BEST way to start off our cruise!

Later that evening the waiter at dinner surprised us with a birthday cake, and embarrassed the hell out of me! Also compliments of mom, dad, and Lisa.

Mommy, I awake!

To my surprise on Saturday morning came little Emily running into the kitchen at 9am, shouting... "Mommy, I awake!!"

I was shocked to see her, she was still in bed last I saw. Normally when she woke in the morning she'd stay in bed calling for Mommy or Daddy, until one of us went to her and watched her get out of bed. But, now it is apparent that she feels confident enough to get herself out of bed in the morning. She was so proud of herself for getting up and out all on her own...she smile was from ear-to-ear!!

The next morning...the same thing. Sunday we were all still sleeping, and we awoke to the dogs barking as Emily wandered upstairs stating "I awake!"

That evening, Sunday, Chris put Emily to bed, closed the door, and went on picking up the house. About 15 minutes later Emily opens the door from her room..."Daddy, I awake!" He reprimanded her and put her back to bed.

This new confidence may be an issue if she thinks she doesn't need to go to bed, or we often hear "I not tired." This midnight sun doesn't help anything either...the sunlight POURS into our house and everyone has difficulty getting to sleep!

Christmas in July

My kids are very spoiled. There is an instant thrill when we get that flimsy orange post card in the mail...you rush to the post office to get your surprise...and it's always a white box.

Usually I'll walk in the door with the surprise, and the minute Emily sees me carrying that package she rushes to me "Present for Me?!?!"

The kids got two packages this week, one from Grandma & Papa & Lisa, and one from Grant (sorry Mel & Scott, she's only giving credit to Grant...it's cute. I'm sure its because we sent him a package for his bday, so she just thinks he's returning the favor.)

Emily is wearing the butterfly shirt tomorrow to school, and she loves the flags and fishy game! Thank you so much for remembering us way up here...You guys are so thoughtful and your boxes always bring a smile to our faces. We'll be thinking about you all this weekend!

Gifts from Grant

Gifts from Grandma & Papa & Lisa

Towel Animals - Vacation Flashback -

One of the BEST FEATURES of the Carnival Cruise was coming back to the room after our daily outing to see that, not only did they clean the room, but they also left us a present.

The towel animals were AWESOME and would always bring a huge smile to our faces! Here are some pictures of our friends who joined us on our cruise...

This was a stingray.

Chris really liked the elephant on day 2

Night 3 was a dog...too cute

We think this was supposed to be a pig, but it just looked satanic; especially so when it's head fell off and we were tossing it around like a basketball. (lol)

And, they saved the best for last...the monkey. We found this guy hanging from the ceiling; he was absolutely ADORABLE!

Laundry Mess

So, I know I was supposed to do a follow up about the laundry. Well, as of one week after the previous post there was still a large pile of laundry in the middle of my living room. I finally ended up hiring a babysitter to sit with Ethan and play with him while I finished up all the laundry. It's crazy!


But, as of one week later...here is what my sad couch looked like.





I think the saddest news of all, however is that by the time it was FINALLY cleaned...more laundry had piled up and I can see this vicious laundry-cycle starting all over again! (I need a "scheduled" laundry day where I ONLY do laundry!)

I can't wait for the kids to get older so they can do their own laundry...humm...I wonder if I can teach a 3-year old to do laundry?? Humm...might be worth giving it a try!