Beautiful Alaska

So, here it is. A photo recap of our trip to Alaska.

Brek and I went on an Alaskan cruise with my family. The one MAJOR disappointment was that half our family didn't make it on the ship! Chelsie, Tiffany, Natalie, and their husbands were not able to reach Vancouver in time due to airline troubles, and once the ship left, they were not able to board. It really stunk, and we really missed having them there!


This photo was taken from our ship. We enjoyed beautiful scenery throughout almost the entire cruise.

We really lucked out on weather, I would have to say. I expected it to rain almost the entire time, but the only really rainy days we had were the two days we were on the ship.

The first place we stopped was called Ketchikan, a tiny little town nestled in the mountains. There is no way in or out of this city except by boat or plane. I'm not sure that would be the life for me! But it is beautiful.


The day we spent in Ketchikan just so happened to be Sunday. Soooo, we decided to venture out and try to find an LDS church. Thanks to Lance and his "google phone" we found the church, which was unlike any I've seen....completely made out of cedar inside and out. It was very pretty. We felt a little dumb in our jeans, but were glad to be there, nonetheless.

Another picture taken as we sailed along.

Each night we got cleaned up and headed to dinner where we enjoyed delicious food, and beautiful scenery, such as the picture taken below. (Brek took this picture from the window by our table.)

While in Juneau, we visited Mendenhall Glacier (quite amazing!) We then spent the afternoon whale watching, and did we ever see whales!! We saw humpback whales, some of which were jumping right out of the water! And we were extremely lucky to come upon a huge pod (30 or more) of Orka (killer) whales.



Glacial ice anyone??

That small little guy you see standing there is my stepbrother Lance, who is actually almost 7 feet tall! He looks awfully tiny standing against that great big glacier.



We were told this is not something you see everyday. We enjoyed quite the show!


That boat you see had my dad, Darla, David, and Lance aboard. Those killer whales were probably within 10 feet of their boat. Amazing! We were on two different boats, and the whales came right between us.


Happy Anniversary Dad and Darla!

In Skagway, we hiked through a rain forest for a couple of miles, then floated down a river. It was anything but an adventurous rafting trip, but when the water is only 35 degrees, you're not much up for adventure and splashing! It was beautiful, though.





Our last day on the ship we ran into quite the storm. It was pouring rain, and there were huge swells in the ocean! We did get to see another amazing glacier, however.


The trip ended in Seward, a town named after this guy Seward who was responsible for the purchase of Alaska. Pretty good move on his part I would have to say!


And last but not least, a little bit more of the Alaska wildlife. This bear swam out into the lake and splashed and played around. It was quite the sight to see.



The end.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home

Ahhh, it's good to be home.

After a great week spent in Alaska (that's right folks....ALASKA!), we are finally home. The kids did great while we were gone. Our babysitters, Aubrey and Trevor, did such a great job. The kids loved them! I have been informed that Trevor is an "awesome cook". (This may have something to do with some sort of dessert pizza he made!) And tonight, when I was in the kitchen with my back turned towards Maddy, she said, "Mom! I almost called you Aubrey!"

Saturday morning we were sitting in the SLC airport, waiting for our final flight....(what a LONG trip home!) Anyway, my phone rang and it was 'home' calling.

I thought, "Oh, the kids are probably calling to see when we are going to be home, because they are dying to see us!"

When I answered the phone, it was Josh. Our conversation went something like this.

Josh: "Hi mom, I just have a question to ask you."
Me: "OK, shoot."
Josh: "Ummm, so if somebody asks you to do the kitchen floor, does that mean you have to sweep AND mop it?"
Me: "Yes Josh, it would be great if you would do both."
Josh: "OK, see ya mom."

Nice!

So much for missing us!! J/K Actually, they were way excited to see us, and we were way excited to see them!

We took about a jillion pictures, and I will post some soon. Alaska is gorgeous!! But it's true what they say, you know.

There really is no place like home!

Bath Trauma

Soooo....

Yesterday I was bathing Luke and Ben. All of a sudden I heard a scream, followed by, "Mom, Ben pooped in the tub!"

I ran in, and much to my dismay, found the declaration to be true.

I told them to both stand up and DON'T MOVE while the water drained out, so I could clean the tub, then clean them (ahhhh, the joys of motherhood). Luke climbed up onto the sides of the tub (one foot on each side) to wait.

Soon he complained, "Mom, it's yucky!! It's stinky!!"

"I know. But I can't do anything about it until the water drains, so just hang tight!"

A moment or two passed.
Luke groaned, then uttered these classic words,

"I can't fight this feeling anymore!"


Good one, Luke.

And Away They Go

Once again, it is that time of year when we load up on school supplies and the kids are off to school. The days are much quieter. Luke and Ben are no match for their older siblings when it comes to noise level and mess-making. They're good, but they're not that good!

The house stays cleaner, we are all more organized, meals become more of a regular occurrence....

BUT....

gone are the lazy mornings of sleeping in and getting a late start on things. Mornings come early around here now! The kids got their first taste of "the routine" this past week, waking at 5:50 and beginning practice at 6:00 am.

Let me just say that mornings are CRAZY! Out of necessity, my kids are quite independent, and even Maddy gets up and makes her own lunch. (Sometimes the older boys help.) Scott and Josh help get breakfast for everyone. With all the practicing, hair-doing, traffic-directing craziness, I feel like I might possibly rival Brek, the ultimate multi-tasker, during those early morning hours!

Once school lets out, the craziness resumes. Between football, dance, gymnastics, piano, violin, and soccer, we do a lot of running! And then there are the usuals....dinner, homework, scripture study, etc.

As crazy as life gets, we are all ready for the change. I am definitely ready for a little more structure, and the kids were excited to see all their friends again. It is so great when the kids get out of school, but, I must admit, it is also great when they go back!

Here are a few pictures of the kids on the first day of school. Not the best turn-out, but with four nervous kids, it was the best I could do. They were SO worried about being late on their first day. Especially Scott! We would have had plenty of time for pictures were it not for the bottle of fingernail polish that crashed on the tile floor and shattered! Yep....pink fingernail polish and tiny pieces of glass everywhere! I have to admit, I was less than thrilled. But the mess was cleaned up, the pictures were taken, and the kids were all delivered....on time I might add!


Scott was complete ready by about 7:30 and spent the next half hour harassing everybody else about hurrying!

If you're wondering what's going on with Josh's hair, well....let me just say, Josh has his own sense of style! He wanted to do something "different" on the first day of school. What a kid!


The boys
and the girls
I love these kiddos!

So Sleepy

When things get quiet in my house, that usually means trouble.

So, upon noticing the sudden absence of any "Ben noises", we went searching to see what mischief he was into. We found this cute little bundle at the top of the stairs.

Summer is exhausting! Play, play, play, and then collapse from sheer exhaustion!

I must admit, this is what I feel like doing most of the time. I feel like I could lay down wherever I am, at any given time, and go right to sleep. Sheesh. Making babies is tiring stuff, I tell you!

The Cat is Out of the Bag

It's been a while.

But I have a good excuse. It has something to do with feeling nauseous and exhausted. I feel like it takes all I can do just to accomplish the day to day demands of my home and family. And let's face it, I don't even manage to do that as well as I should. The laundry is piling up, I can't remember the last time I actually fixed a real meal (does cold cereal count?), the yard....well, let's just say it has been a bit neglected.

But, on the bright side of things, come next March we will have a new little Pilling! That's right....baby #7 is on the way. The word is out, sooner than we had intended. When the kids kept asking, "Are you sick again, mom?" we figured it was probably time to enlighten them. And once the kids know, there is no stopping the good news from spreading.

And yes, we do think it is good news! We are very excited!

AND, in answer to a question that may have crossed your mind....

"Yes, this baby was planned."

You may think we are crazy, and the answer to that question is "Probably so!" But, as I thought and thought about what to do, I felt so strongly the truth that there will be "joy and rejoicing in your posterity". As I watched my children, their little day to day interactions, I was constantly reminded that family is where it's at! For example, when Scott would put Ben on his shoulders and carry him around; when the kids would sit around the kitchen table, giggling at Luke; when Syd would go into Ben's room and "help" him go to sleep by entertaining him....not wanting to hear him cry; when Josh would say, "Come here little buddy!" and help Luke get his shoes on; when Maddy would put her arm around Luke and help him go buy a snow cone at the baseball field....etc., etc., etc.

The moments are endless. They are quick, fleeting moments, but they are there none-the-less. We are a family. We love each other and we help each other. And I have a feeling it will just get better and better!

I know things will be crazy, and I know it will be hard. But I also know that there is nothing greater I could be doing right now.

Was I scared? Yes. I was worried that perhaps I couldn't handle the challenge. I was worried that my family might suffer, knowing that pregnancy and newborns aren't exactly easy. But then I felt an overwhelming conviction that the Lord would help me.

So, here we go again.

We can't wait! (I especially can't wait to get past this stinkin' first trimester!) But, one thing I know for sure....

In the wise words of my father, "This too shall pass."

And then we will have another beautiful little baby! Which brings one word to my mind.


JOY!

The Fun Never Ends!

When summer began this year, I thought to myself, "This is going to be such a relaxing summer. We really don't have much planned. I hope we don't get bored!"

HA!

What was I thinking????

Apparently I wasn't thinking! I forgot that baseball is all consuming for a month or so. I forgot that I have two kids with birthdays in June, and a niece and nephew both getting baptized in July. I forgot that I had girls camp....oh, and I must have forgotten that they put me in charge of the food! I must have forgotten that I had a family reunion. And I must have forgotten that you actually have to train a little bit if you plan on doing a triathlon. (What's that all about?!) Oh, and of course I forgot about swimming lessons....and gymnastics camp....and weeds that never quit growing....and kids that NEVER quit making messes....and....and....and....

You get the picture.

But I'll tell you what I didn't forget. My brother is coming home from his mission on July 22nd!! Yeah! We are so excited! Being the baby brother in a home full of girls, he is the first to serve a mission. We are SO proud of him!

I have taken a million pictures this summer which I would love to post, but where's the time?! (Did I mention Brek gave me a new camera for my birthday?! And did I further mention that I L-O-V-E it!)

Anywho, the pictures will continue to sit on my laptop, flashing across the screen every now and then....that is when we leave my laptop open. You see, we try to avoid that ever since Ben destroyed my keyboard by popping all the keys off! (Did I mention Ben is a monster? A very cute monster mind you, but a monster, nonetheless. He is one strong-willed, fiesty, little dude!)

And his brothers are teaching him all sorts of tricks. Yikes!

And So It Ends

On Friday night, we made our last trek to the baseball field for the year 2009. Goodbye Fun Dips....Luke will miss you. Goodbye popcorn....Ben will miss you. Goodbye snow cones....you will be missed by all.

No more kids begging me for money. No more wind storms blowing dust in our face.

But, on the other hand, no more excitement as the kids run across home plate. No more cheering when Maddy hits the ball! No more cheering when Syd gets a double play. No more cheering when Josh pitches three strike-outs.

Goodbye baseball. We will miss you...the good, the bad, and the ugly.


(Oh, and just for the record, Maddy turned into quite the little ball player. Who would have thought?!)




One thing I love about Maddy....she always has a smile on her face!






Josh goes for the steal....sliding into home....

and he's OUT! (By the way, when Josh looked at all the pictures I took, this was his favorite one, even though you can't tell he's in it!)