The Spirit of the Season

Santa Has Come to Town

Even though it was negative some odd degrees tonight, it was magical watching Santa pull into our little town on a reindeer pulled sleigh to light our town's Christmas tree.  It was really fun listening to our school's choir sing Christmas songs while we enjoyed free hot chocolate and cookies.  The kids were sad (read furious) that I didn't remember to bring sleds for the hill.  I am glad we didn't though.  It gets dark at 4:00pm these days and I really didn't love the idea of trying to see my kids slide down the hills in the dark.  Super fun way to bust into the holiday season. (thank heavens a friend got this video.  I was busy trying to keep Joaquin from frost bite and keep my eyes on the rest of my crew since Fernando got stuck at the hospital).  Luckily, we got an accidental sneak peek when we found the best parking spot of the night.  I happened to see some Reindeer in the adjoining parking lot and suggested that we take a look while everyone was distracted by the freebies.  While watching the reindeer romp around the parking lot, Talia saw Santa.  We quickly (upon her insistentce) over to see him.  He politely asked everyone's name and then took a picture with us.  He also then politely reminded us that we should have been waiting for him over by the festivities.

Biting off Too Much?

A resounding yes--I have bitten of more than I can chew on many counts (my backside and middle can attest to that) but now I have really done it.  Frustrated with the various fundraisers forced onto my kids at the various schools they have attended, I decided to do something about it besides gripe.  I am hosting a Turkey Trot for my school the day before Thanksgiving in hopes of getting more funds for cross country skis.  Nothing says "the Holidays" like running in below freezing temperatures, right?

Is that an Idol?

While walking onto the grounds of the Alaska Museum of Art, Tiago saw this sculpture and asked, "Is that an idol?"  Though difficult to see from this picture, it happens to be a metal statue of a walrus, polar bear, eagle, and a few other arctic animals swirling in a wave of . . . .intrigue?  Anyway, I am glad he listens to the scriptures and we had a great discussion between art and worship.

Peeks from Up North

We are in love with our new home.  I wonder if I will ever stop being almost moved to tears while walking around here (especially since winter brings weather cold enough to freeze those tears mid fall). Here are pictures from a hike we did awhile ago.  It was amazing. 

The hike meandered around this beautiful forest and brought us to this gorge. We hopped into this cage to hand tram across this glacier runoff river! 

Tiago was really into this "huh" pose all day.  I tried not to giggle every time he did it.  He would even take a cute one for me and then ask me to repeat the picture with this pose.

I think this was the last time we forgot to take our hiking back pack in the car.  I think that as uncomfortable as it was for Fernando and I to carry him, I was probably even more uncomfortable for Joaquin.

This water was such an amazing color.  In fact all the colors here are incredible.  While we were down by the water, this couple struck up a conversation with us.  Ok, actually, I started the conversation apologizing for ruining their moment after I saw their private picnic set up.  They were totally friendly and welcomed us up to this heaven on earth.  Then they insisted on taking a picture for us.  All I had was my iPhone, but he had this rockin' camera since he was a former journalist.  I am glad we all kind of coordinated.  I just wish that we didn't look so tired and I didn't look like a giant lording over my kingdom.  Still, it was nice of him to take it.

Kidnapping

Living in Alaska has proved to be a very unique experience. We have enjoyed so many beautiful things, but aren't in love with the weird fees that come from being not in the lower 48. Shipping is redonculous. The internet for our home is like paying for a cell phone plan with limits on gigabytes used. Most interesting was the charge from our cable company. We owed $789. The charges were for unreturned equipment and unreturned clients. Fernando and I wondered where we might have put that client so stealthily. Too bad we didn't think of sending a ransom note and then may be they would have been paying us. On the same vein of kidnapping or kid napping. Talia is going through that undesirable faze where she doesn't feel like she needs a nap, but desperately needs one. It is so sad how she falls asleep instantly while in her carseat around 3 when we pick up the kids but has to wake up for all the obvious reasons. The girl then can't fall asleep until 9 at night. Poor thing.

New Chapter--Graduation

June 7th marked the end of residency. It just so happened to also be the same day that the movers were packing up our home. Thankfully, my dad had come out to help me on our epic drive up to Utah so we could have the required adult there at the house at all times while the rest of us went to the graduation. The graduation was held in some building downtown San Antonio. In classic Tovar style, we slotted too much in with too little time. We raced downtown and dropped Fernando off with Mia near the entrance. I planned to park in our usual $2 place conveniently located a few blocks from downtown. Looking back I should have just forked out the $10 and saved us the hassle, but something in me just can't pay extra when I feel like we don't have to. The other kids were distraught that they didn't get to go in with Fernando and proceeded yelling and screaming which made me have a very difficult time navigating streets I never travel on which in turn made me miss my turn and put us on the freeway. We had only minutes before the thing started so it made me even more in capable of thinking. I finally looped around and found a spot. We jogged the whole 3 blocks over, dropping the keys out a few times and only once stopping for a cross walk. We found Mia waiting for us in the foyer and went in to what turned out to be the longest graduation in history. (or least it felt that way) I was then very grateful for the run with my two most restless kids.

We proudly watched Fernando pick up his diploma? and shake hands with special people we never saw before or will see again and then waited through a myriad of other specialities.

Did we bring anything to distract the kids? No. Thank heavens Tiago never leaves home without some little toy. (this time it happened to be some little Mario Bros characters which means the people sitting near us got to hear graduation proceedings to the tune of the mario theme song mixed with sound effects of blowing up things, Mario sayings, and stomping noises.) I had both of our i phones which was tricky splitting between 3 kids. Near the end, Tiago had finagled the boy next to him into letting him give running commentary on his iPad games of choice. Finally, after singing all three branches of service theme songs which was really kind of fun, we were done. Well, the kids and really Fernando and I were done probably before it started, but we left. As we were leaving, I felt the need to get the keys out. I am glad I did because I couldn't find them anywhere. Luckily, from picking them up several times on the run to the event, I knew that they could only be somewhere in the near vicinity. I asked the people in charge of clean up if they would keep an eye out for them. We looked on the floor near our seats, we looked everywhere we walked, we looked in the nearby hotels, and nothing. While searching, we bumped into some friends and neighbors who offered help, but really there was nothing to be done. My house was in chaos and I had no clue where the extra key would be. Everyone was off to special lunches in celebration and we had no extra car seats to send them home with people anyway. Here we are outside one of the Hotels we searched in vain for our car keys. Our friends kindly offered all sorts of help and to take our picture.

In the end, the only thing that could be done (and should have been done in the beginning) was to pray. So as a family, we gathered together and asked for help. We needed to find the keys to get home to the packers, get food in the kids, and get out of our too hot for Texas clothes. The prayer was short but sincere. Then, looking back one more time at our seats, I found the keys wedge between our seats. Tiago and I were the ones who found them and we instantly said a prayer of gratitude. Several prayers of thanks later, we walked to our car, keys in hand. And on back to our miraculous adventure called moving. poor quality due to iPhone video capacity while holding an infant and trying to walk in crouched position walking sideways