The Alaska State Fair

The Alaska State Fair is usually in August extending over Labor Day weekend.  This year we had not had a family outing so we thought we'd attempt the fair.  In the past, our older girls haven't even known that it even existed so we didn't feel like we need to introduce them (as it isn't one of Tim or my favorite things to do).  But this year we happened to pass by the fairgrounds in Palmer when they were setting up the rides.  Heidi is a smart girl and there was no way we could keep the fact that the fair was just around the corner from her.

So on Family Day, we packed up and made the 2-1/2 hour drive to the fair.  We joined many other families and the fairgrounds was crawling with children.  The first thing we did was head to the animal barn.  If you've been reading my blog long enough, you'll know that we all love animals.  It was a joy to hear their squeals of delight while we tried to keep track of everyone.  Craig started in the backpack but wanted to get on eye level with the critters so we let him down.  Natalie had a habit of wandering (I think she got that from her mother) and was temporarily lost while she headed to the turkey pens.

After seeing the animals and grabbing some caramel corn, we headed to the kiddie rides.  Craig and Natalie spotted the cars.  The both lit up.  Each had their own interests though.  Natalie enjoyed the cars going up and down while Craig was pushing all the buttons in the car and really wasn't paying any attention to where he was going.  Good thing the cars were all on a track.

Heidi and Jess got their first taste of a roller coaster.  You can see their faces in the second car from the left.  It was a thrill that just whetted their appetite for more.  Each got two rides as this was all our budget would allow and there were promises of rides at a theme park someday...someday.

Jessica snuck in just under the height requirements for the big swing.  Of the two rides, I think they preferred the roller coaster best.

 We couldn't go to the Alaska State Fair without getting a picture with the Giant produce.  Alaska is known for their giant produce.  The long summer days produce prime growing in the Palmer area where they grown huge cabbage, pumpkins and broccoli.

After three hours at the fair, we had had our cotton candy, caramel corn, seen the animals (also those of homo sapien variety) and ridden the rides.  Craig was cranky and finally fell asleep in my arms which meant that I had to carry him all the way to the car.  A lot of use the backpack was.  We hit the grocery store and hit the road for the trip home.  An exhausting day, yes, but which one isn't with our brood.

Buttercup Update

Every time Natalie is asked to pray for a meal we hear something like this..."God, thank you that we can eat our food by ourselves and the chickens eat their food by themselves. Amen."

Even though the chickens no longer reside at our house, their memory is not gone. Just recently, Heidi saw the owner of the chickens. He told her that an owl had gotten Blackberry, but that Buttercup had grown up into a nice big Rooster! A Rooster named Buttercup!!! Maybe he could have fit in with the hens on "Chicken Run" better than his counterpart, Rocky. Mr. John said, "It's a funny thing. That rooster is a loner and just walks around in circles. He doesn't interact with the other chickens." I'm not surprised. He doesn't think of himself as a chicken-he's a kid. He's probably bored too-no flying lessons or gourmet made meals out of green bean ends. He's probably thinking..."Those were the day! I had attention every day. I got to be cheuffered in a bucket. They clothed me like a baby! Oh, for the land of the Hand's."

Night Prowlers

We've had night prowlers lately. Doors opening and shutting. Little feet padding down the hallway. They've entered our room...and we've even found them in the garage. Scary!

Checking Out a Different Pediatric Surgery Center

August 1st we checked out a different pediatric surgery center other than Seattle Children's Hospital.

Craig was born with an epigastric hernia. We were told that he would need surgery sometime to fix it-a minor surgery. We dragged our feet knowing how rough it was with an infant that can't communicate with us. So when Craig's vocabulary exploded in July and we found out that Natalie didn't need to have her Fontan surgery, we decided to schedule Craig's hernia surgery at Providence Hospital.

You can see the little bulge of the epigastric hernia in Craig's belly in the below picture. It hadn't really gotten any worse since his birth, but the surgeon told us that he had see school-age children present with complications from hernia's like this because their parents waited to have the surgery.
The day of the surgery, I woke up with knots in my stomach. Even though I had been talked through the surgery and was told that he may be under general anesthesia all of 15 minutes, my mommy's heart kicked in. I had a fitful nights sleep before surgery morning. I was unsure how my boy who was unfamiliar with hospital environment would accept being separated from mom and dad.

Natalie and Tim were in Anchorage with us. The two older girls stayed home. I took Craig and left early for the hospital. The plan was that after Craig was taken back for surgery, I would go get Natalie and Tim to be there when Craig came out of surgey. After we waited almost the whole two hours in a small intake area before getting an armband for "the patient," (I wasn't impressed) Craig was given his Ativan so he would be mellow when taken back to the surgery area. Because we were at a surgery center that had both adult and pediatric surgeries, protocal was a lot different and parents weren't allowed to be back with their child. Having gone with Natalie back until she had been put under for her heart cath in July, I tried to persuade them to let me go back, but didn't succeed. By the time they came with their little wagon and blanket for Craig, he was sufficiently "mellow" and all he could do was smile as he rolled away.

They weren't kidding when they said it would be a short surgery. Twenty minutes after I left the waiting area, I was buzzed to come back. The gal at the desk said that the recovery nurses wanted me to come back because Craig "was NOT happy!" And he wasn't! I was told that kids this age wake up from anesthesia very upset sometimes. The worst thing for my little man was that he didn't like his IV in his arm. He tugged and pulled, arched his back and pushed against me as I tried to hold him. He did calm down a bit after some apple juice and "happy juice" through is IV. To say the least, it was a quite different experience than I've experienced with our two million dollar daughter after her surgeries.

Craig was a champ. He didn't complain much about pain except for an occasional "owie." Tylenol and ibuprofen kept his discomfort under control. Below you can see the cute little airplane bandage that the assistant surgeon (NP) put on Craig's belly.

Craig's recovery went well and we are thankful that the Lord brought us through one more surgery.

Here Chick-Chick-Chick

Tim is a farmer at heart and loves to have animals around. When a friend proposed the opportunity for us to "chick sit" for the summer, Tim jumped on it. He knew our girls would love it...and they did.
The chicks started out being named by Jess and Heidi. The yellow one was Buttercup and the black one was called Blackberry. They lived in a little cat carrier in our garage with a light on them but quickly outgrew their tiny home.

Heidi learned some skills in craftsmanship from her daddy as they made a bigger cage for their chickens. The girls did a good job feeding and watering them too.

The chicks had a lot of play time. Each of the kids wanted to hold the chicks and as they got older, Heidi and Jess took them everywhere. They tried to teach them how to fly. They slid them down the slide. They carried them down the road in buckets to show to our neighbors. They had them perched four feet in the air, under an umbrella, on a bar attatched to the slide. I wish now that I had gotten a picture of this one. Those chicks were tough.

It was a sad day when we returned the full-grown chickens back to their owners. There were many hugs and some tears when we left, but the chickens were now part of a larger flock and many other animals on the little farm. Though we don't know for sure the fate of Buttercup and Blackberry, I have a feeling that if they ended up on someone's dinner table, they weren't very tender. Those were two tough chickens to endure a summer with the Hand kids.

Breaking the Silence

I've gotten to the place where it's been so long since I've updated the blog that I don't know where to start. So, this will be a more pictoral update of our Summer and Fall.

We had a beautiful Fourth of July. The kids love playing at their Aunt and Uncle's house after the parade. Craig "Cheesing" it up for the camera.
The Three Amigos in their patriotic t-shirts.

Natalie is displaying her self-taught shaving skills. I was told that she "was shaving like Daddy did."

She also checked out the baby powder in the cupboard at the same time. And I found powder in hidden places...days later.

Craig found his new love for a ball and bat. He loves to hit balls with anything he can find-paper towel tubes, sticks, toys and anything else that he can find. It's just too bad that this T-ball stand didn't even last 24 hours for him.