"Winter Time" - Steve Miller Band

Well Hello!!!

I very much want to get back into my updates via this blog, not Facebook.  So, instead of trying to catch up over the past year, I'm going to just start working backward from where we are today :)

My latest revelation is how big our little girl has gotten.  Most of you may know she started pre-school at the end of August.  After 6 months of debates and number crunching and wearing my husband down ;-), we enrolled Bug in a Montessori program.  Our biggest concern was running into the situation where she would choose to put together a puzzle for 3 hours day after day instead of choosing a variety of activities that would in turn teach her many things.  The Montessori argument to this is that the child needs to learn the skill the puzzle is teaching them.  And once the child masters the skill, they will move on to other activities.  Well, I'm am more than happy to say that is not the case.  It's been just about a month of a good solid routine for her, and the things I'm seeing warm my heart more than I could ever imagine.  When we walk down the hall, she greets her classmates by name with a wave and a big smile, when I pick her up numerous kids want to say good-bye and give her a big hug.  She clears the table of her dishes and asks if the dishwasher is clean or dirty (and puts dishes in the dishwasher if they are dirty).  She has always wanted to be independent, but never seemed to know how to ask to do something on her own or how to do something on her own.  She asked me this afternoon while I was making her lunch if she could make her own sandwich.  I have seen a change in her interactions with her brother, she plays with him more and wants to be involved with him more...some of these things may just be here growing up, but there is something that leads me to believe it's what she has learned while she's been at school.  We don't get much feedback from her about what she does in a day (which is common at this age), if there is a product from her activity (like a painting) she will tell us about it, but when she does tell us about activities she is thorough and detailed and proud :)

I just never imagined at 3.5 she would be potty trained (through the night), brushing her teeth, changing her clothes, clearing her dishes, pouring her own drinks, drawing pictures on blank paper, and asking to learn to tie shoes...My favorite part is watching her interact with other adults and kids.  She sometimes asks really outrageous questions that don't make any sense (she is 3...) but watching her follow the electrician through the house, grilling him about what he is doing, and then reporting everything back to me in a very matter-of-fact tone is rather amusing.  :)

My personal life has gotten busy.  It would be easier to list my part-time jobs:
CrossFit Fairbanks yoga instructor (2 hours a week)
CrossFit North Pole yoga instructor (1 hour, maybe more a week)
Child Care worker for PWOC (3 hours a week)
Website manager for a construction company (2-7 hours a week)
I'm also play-dough Mom at school for August and September (maybe October)
I have started washing the linens for the Church on Post
And I've picked up a women's Bible study at Church

It's all become the perfect balance of volunteer and work, I feel like everyone gets a little piece of Libby and I don't feel overwhelmed.  I've learned that when you're overwhelmed and overworked, you're maybe doing something wrong, or your priorities/intentions are in the wrong place.  When you're on the right path, things will settle where they need to be and you will be used where you are needed :)

I am currently in the process of incorporating Essential Oils into our daily life.  I've already dabbled in using them for common colds, fever, bruises, congestion, coughs and cleaning and I'm loving every second of it.  I hate how cleaning agents make my hands crack and peel, I hate the idea of the kids walking around on bleach cleaned floors, and I love that I can alleviate sore muscles for the hubby and stop spending money on over the counter meds that are synthetic and sugary.  There will probably be a lot more to come on this!!

It's taken a year and a half of being in Alaska, but now that we have experienced a winter and a summer, and have settled in to being a family of 4, I'm so happy our Army Journey has taken us here.  It's been a long sometimes out of breath feeling journey to get to this point, but I finally feel like I'm living the life I am supposed to be living.  Don't worry, I don't want to retire in Alaska!  I am just loving the experience of being here, I feel prepared and loved and successful :)