Home Again!

So, I think this has been the coldest winter since we've lived here, and I'm not just saying that because I'm used to 70 degree weather:)  It's been around -20 the whole time.  Normally it's only that cold for a week or two :P

The cold makes for some pretty pictures though.

Nondalton all covered with snow.

A couple days after we got back Ms. Regina had us all over for supper.  We taught everyone some of the new dances we learned.

We had our first Shabbat at home in four months.  

Quentin made a very cool Yeshua menorah.

When we got home our water was frozen then a week later our power was out all day.  The joys of winter in Alaska. (cooking takes longer on the wood stove)

During the school year we baby sit a little girl for two of the teachers.  She has gotten so big since the last time we saw her!!  The little boys and Sarah love playing with her (and giving her mohawks).

It took her a little while to decide she likes the swing being as how her head is at the perfect height to get hit by it every time she walks by.

Sarah and the little boys are getting used to bringing the wood in everyday again.

A one day stomach flu has taken our family by storm, picking us off two or three at a time, well all except for me:)  Now I'll get sick since I wrote that :P  It's funny how different everyone is when they're sick.  Sarah was one of a group of three that got sick one night.  She just calmly says she has to throw up then finds "her" bucket and gets sick.  Benjamin stays asleep the whole time and you have to practically hold him over the bucket.  Caleb and David freak out and call for their mommy.  While we were in Israel we all got whooping cough.  I was the first one to get it and being as how it's called the 100 day cough I should be getting over it next week.  Yay, I'm happy.  Maybe I'll be able catch my breath during basketball practice:)

I made another movie out of our video clips from our trip back to Alaska.  It shows us visiting friends and family in the lower 48 and traveling through Canada.

Trip Back to Alaska from Paul Brendemuhl on Vimeo.

Hanukkah Celebration & Caleb's Birthday

The day we left Grandma Effie's happened to be the last day of Hanukkah. Our friends, the Froeses', were having a Hanukkah celebration near Winnipeg.  So, we spent the afternoon and evening celebrating with them.  We spent the afternoon talking about the book of Daniel then we ate supper.

After supper we lit the Hanukkiyas. 

All the kids.

Afterwards we did some dancing.

The next day we started heading up to Alaska, visiting a few more friend on the way.

Benjamin and Sarah

The 31st was Caleb's birthday.  We worked it out to spend his birthday and shabbat in Whitehorse, Canada.

He turned nine and we had cake, snug in our motor home with all the windows frosted over.  

Being as how his birthday is on New Years Eve everyone celebrates his birthday.  The Canada Games Centre celebrated it with a huge New Years party.  Everything was free and they had snacks, games in the soccer field, a dance, an obstacle course set up in the pool, free skates for the ice rink, fire works and a bunch of other stuff.  It was a lot of fun.

The obstacle course was harder then it looks:P

Sarah and Benjamin had trouble with skates.

We even talked dad into going ice skating.

North Dakota

Well we've been home a week and a half.  There were record high temps in North Dakota and southern Canada and I found out where all the cold weather was hiding:P  It's been from -30 to 30 ever since we got home (and the above 0 days only lasted two days).

We spent a week at Grandma Effie's in North Dakota.  Our cousins came down for a day visit.  While they were there we took the chance to get family pictures.

The whole family.

Grandma and the grand-kids.

Dad, his sister Debbie, and Grandma.

We spent a night at the Lorentzen's house.

What happens when our family gets around video games.

This was how warm it was, Christmas Day and Sarah in short sleeves jumping on the trampoline with no shoes.

Sarah loved dressing up in mom's wedding dress.