Lots of Snow

It snowed quite a lot this last week.  When Deborah took the trash out it was blowing almost blizzard conditions.  Why my children don't wear coats outside is beyond me...  She was wearing her snow boots, but she said the snow was so deep it started coming in over the tops of her boots.

All the snow has allowed the kids to make a little money shoveling snow for a neighbor.

Christmas Drumming

The only thing this years school Christmas play had to do with Christmas was the preschoolers singing Jingle Bells.  This year every one played drums that "Mr. D" had taught them to play.  Mr. D is from Kodiak and he came here for a couple weeks and taught all the kids at the school to play drums.  On Saturday he came to our house and taught us to play and on Sunday he came and worshipped with us and played his drums.

Mr. D split the kids into several age groups to perform. The Highschool kids did a great job.

 Mr. D talked Dad into playing with the adult group:)

After everyone got done drumming the Nondalton Dance Team sang and danced a few songs.

Deborah's Birthday

We now have two teenagers! 

Deborah turned 13 on the 18th of December.

Deborah has a sweet spirit.  She has already shown a deep love for the Lord and we pray that she continues to grow in her faith.

Stargazing

Dad, Quentin, Anna, Joshua and I spent a couple hours outside watching the stars.

It was a clear night and we saw some shooting stars.

Quentin wanted to do it the night before because there were even more stars out but Dad did not feel like it so we talked him into doing it the next night.

Quentin`s taking the pics so he`s not in them.

Chopsticks

Our next door neighbor Skye won a "Kung Fu Panda" DVD as a door prize and brought it over so we could watch it with her.  Although I don't recommend the movie unless you spend some discussing with your kids the difference between Eastern religions and what Christ did for us on the cross, the Special Features at the end are great.  One is of a noodle chef making noodles, incredible.  In the other a girl shows how to use chopsticks.   So, the kids found some skewer sticks to use as chopsticks.

Benjamin and David quickly figured out how to make it work.

I've been reading "Farmer Boy", by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the kids.  Every time I read it we get hungry and I feel like cooking all the delicious dishes she describes.  On the night the kids pulled out the skewers for chopsticks, Almanzo's Mom had just made chicken pot pie and I got a craving for it, so I made up a big pan of my own version.  It turned out pretty good...

Paul spent a year in Korea so he is pretty good at it and was able to give us pointers.

Bibs and Boots

Benjamin is getting pretty good at dressing himself.  He loves to practise and doesn't want me to help until he gets really stuck.  He often comes to me dressed like this when he wants to go out and play in the snow.  It breaks my heart to tell him"you did a great job getting dressed Benjamin, but we've got to take it all off because the bibs have to go on first!"

He's always a good sport about it though.  He laughs at himself as I help him take everything off, put his bibs on, and put everything back on again.

It reminds me of kids and shoes.  Until they get to be about 5 or 6 all of my kids put their shoes on the wrong foot about 90% of the time.  You'd think it would be 50/50.  Last Spring when we got the mud boots out we had two size 11's for the left foot and none for the right foot.  They fit David great so I didn't buy new ones.  He was 50% correct all summer!

Thanksgiving

Three turkey's and 27 people!  

I threw in my 22 pounder because I wasn't sure if two turkeys a friend offered to bring were going to show up. The turkeys showed up although their owners never did.  We had plenty of leftover turkey which is always nice.  

In addition to thanking God for the way He provides for us continually, we had a special time of prayer.  70 years ago, in November 1938, the people of Alaska were offered the opportunity to provide safety and shelter to God's chosen people.  As Jews were being driven from their homelands in Europe, they were looking for safe havens.  Because Alaska was not yet a state, it was hoped that immigration quotas could be bypassed and so it was proposed that Jews be brought from Europe to Alaska.  According to newspaper articles interviewing Alaska residents, they didn't think the European Jews would be well suited to Alaska.  And so, after many months of deliberation and mostly due to Roosevelt's lack of support, the idea was rejected in August of 1939.  Hitler attacked Poland September 1st, 1939 sealing the fate of millions of Jews.  So, on this Thanksgiving, 70 years later, we prayed that God would forgive Alaska for not receiving His people 70 years ago and that if the need arose again that He would allow us the opportunity to help His people.

Deborah, David and Benjamin made cookies a few days before Thanksgiving.

Quentin has become our expert fried bread maker.  Fried bread is a favorite here in Nondalton along with Nevagee, which is Crisco, milk and sugar whipped up and mixed in with blue or black berries.  It is usually eaten frozen and is a good substitute for ice cream.

Lavonne and her Cheda Mary.

Cheda means grandmother in Denaina, the native language here in Nondalton.  It is pronounced "Cheeda".