Mom and Dad, There's a Hole in My Heart

     The past few days have been days of "deep" reflection - as Ethan likes to call them.  They are days when we are thankful for the beautiful scenery that the Lord has blessed us with and for the opportunity of living in Alaska yet again.  We feel so small, and at times unworthy, to be viewing these sights.  Ironically it is in those moments that we all become even more introverted than usual -- thinking of family and friends -- so far away -- that we wish could be here with us.  We think of Baby Jackson, the newest addition on my side of the family that we may not meet until he is no longer a "wee babby."  We think of aging family members and ailing friends that may pass from this life into eternity before we get the chance to hug their necks and tell them one more time how much we love them.  And then we sigh, smile, and carry on, praising the Lord for new Alaskan diversions in these retrospective moments.

     As the sun rose on one of these majestic views on Saturday, we headed into Anchorage to experience our first "Fur Rondy."  The Fur Rondy is an 80-year-old fur trading auction (rendezvous) that now culminates into a week long celebration - complete with carnival rides, snow sculptures, foot races, concerts, dog sleds, and running with the reindeer.  We were all excited and dressed for a full day of being outdoors in actual winter temperatures!  After maneuvering through closed streets in the middle of downtown Anchorage and having Michael only get a little frustrated, we finally found a great parking spot on the 4th level of the JCPenney parking garage.  I say "great" because we were able to watch the Fur Rondy Fun Footrace above the crowds.

Hundreds of runners participate and most wear costumes.  We have decided that if we are all healthy this time next year, we are running the Rondy Footrace!  We aren't sure what the distance is, but it's two laps around 4-6 city blocks.  What we haven't decided is what costumes to wear.  A group of regulars wear long red underwear and bunny boots, so there goes that plan for us!

Long Underwear Group :)

 I think we will have some costume guidance though as Michael's boss, Capt Rex, and his wife, Vicki, run the race each year dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone! They offered to hook us up with "their guy" who has been collecting adult Halloween costumes for decades!

Capt Rex and Vicki

After watching the race, we headed to 5th Street to watch the Rondy Parade.  Talk about fun!  Imagine Faith, NC 4th of July Parade...but in the winter!  The biggest hit for all of us was seeing the number of mini's and Porsches in the parade.  I mean, really? Who brings a Porsche to Alaska?  Much less enough to fill an entire city block full of them?!  From there we hit up the fur auction and nearly had to tie Ethan's little arms down.  He is ready to be a furrier or a trapper TODAY!  He and Michael both bought fox tails for their cowboy hats; so we didn't leave totally empty-handed.  We also walked down to Shipp Creek and looked at all the snow sculptures.  It's amazing what artisans can do with snow, ice, and power tools!  Our favorite so far was the crucifix and something with a horse.  We hope to view them again this coming weekend when we head back into town for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod.

We were worn completely out from our day Saturday that we overslept for church Sunday morning! Yikes! Praise the Lord for grace...and a Sunday evening service, so we weren't without fellowship for a full week! And it was Sunday evening after church, as we sat at home talking about our weekend and the neat people we got to meet in Anchorage on Saturday, that Ethan became SUPER quiet.  For those of you that know him, that can mean 1 of 3 things: 1) He's plotting against you and will surprise you with his plan when you least expect it; 2) He's sick and doesn't want anyone to mess with him; or 3) He's really deep in thought about something of great significance.  In this case: Number 3...

     Without warning he looked up at us and said, "Mom, Dad? I have a hole in my heart that needs a baby sister or a puppy to fill it!!!!"  And like the loving parents we are, we scooped him up in our arms, gave him the tightest hug ever, got our snow clothes on, and went right out and got him a puppy!  NOT!!!! True to OUR natures, we burst into uncontrollable laughter with him sitting sad and forlorn on the sofa.  But he knows that we are considering a puppy, so his dramatic statement did not fall on completely deaf ears.  Once we regained our composure, we did pull him onto our laps and talked about the tremendous responsibility it would be to have a puppy (which would be like having a baby sister!), and we talked about what we expected from him as a pet owner and lover.

Ethan's Self Portrait, 2/15

So here we are...on the brink of dog ownership, looking at breeds, reading books, and budgeting for a new family member.  We have decided that early Spring is our goal for a puppy, as training outdoors will be much easier then and that gives us an opportunity to teach delayed gratification and savings principles to our youngest child. Please pray for us as we work together to fill that puppy-shaped hole in Ethan's heart.  For now, he is learning to be content in this state...honing his artwork skills (so he can draw pictures of his new puppy) and helping me hone mine (he liked the thought of a hat with Beaver teeth)!

Adina's Beginner Crochet for Baby Jackson

Until our next adventure...