Eagles

Andy already posted some about our trip to Eagle Beach, which really lives up to its name. But I have more pictures and more to say about eagles :). I love that there are eagles everywhere. We are not sure how many kinds of eagles are here and what kinds they are, but the bald eagles are easy to spot. When we rode the tram we got to see one up close that is being rehabilitated, and I was amazed at its size. Its as tall as Sydney and definitely weighs more than she does. Anyway, they are everywhere and I'm always trying to get pictures of them. When we got to Eagle Beach, I counted at least five possibly seven eagles at various places along the huge beach. We had binoculars, but some we too far away to tell still. While Sydney played, I kept trying to catch pictures of them as they came and sat in the surf and then took off. You'll have to zoom in to see them well and if your on a phone, I don't think you'll be able to see them. Try to see how many you can find! We also saw 3 seals or sea lions... we could only see their heads... right off the shore that day! I took a picture but if you zoom you can just barely tell they are some kind of seal. Thats the second to last picture and you'll have to look for the brown spots in the water. I need a camera inside our binoculars! The last picture I took when we went to look for tide pools at Auke Bay. Its still not close enough and kind of grainy since my cameras zoom was all the way in I guess, but you can definitely see the eagle (on the pole if you couldn't find it).

I didn't say it would be easy...

"I didn't say it would be easy, I just said it would be worth it."

Today was a really rainy day. I felt like it was raining this afternoon both inside and out. I'll start with this morning. One of our cars was getting some work done this morning so while we waited for it to finished we went back to a spot we discovered a few week ago. Sydney got to wear her fancy rain gear and splash in all the puddles. Too bad Andy and I don't have rain gear yet and we got soaked. IT WAS POURING. Anyway.... I didn't take pictures today because of the downpour but I do have pictures of our first trip to Salmon Creek Waterfall which is about a 100 yd walk on a path directly behind the Gold Creek Salmon Bake (a tourist mining attraction and buffet). Luckily they let you just walk through and see the waterfall when its not prime tourist hours.

This afternoon started off okay. Since it was raining, we went to visit a friend after dinner. About the time we left there, both Sydney and I started to deteriorate. Now that she's in bed and I can think more clearly, I don't think she actually took a nap today, if she did it was very short. That my have been our problem. Related side note... One of my biggest problems this pregnancy has been headaches. About the time my nausea stopped, the headaches started. I almost always have a dull headache but in the evening it sometimes get a lot worse. Along with the headaches comes a severe brain block. Andy thinks its funny how much I forget things, miscalculate things, can't remember things, go into random dazes, but he doesn't see the evenings when my brain really collapses. So I'm hoping I can blame my brain today for my lack of ideas on how to deal with Sydney's defiance. Sometimes she hits Andy and I when she gets frustrated lately and today she kicked me right in the face :/. I was trying to brush her teeth. My gut instinct keeps telling me to just ignore it and not react and hope it goes away quickly... however she keeps hitting, whining, giving orders (Seriously like "MAMA GO GET ___________ in a very loud voice), and kicking until she gets what she wants or something she finds better. So then I wonder am I teaching her she can be rude, hurtful, and inconsiderate by ignoring it and trying to distract her? Bah... Sydney rarely gets in these moods, but when she does right now I'm at a loss for what to do. I feel like I can't think things through and my brain just freezes up in the moment. Then we're both frustrated. I'm just grateful its not a regular thing and hope to be able to think on the problem and discover the real problem that's making her feel the need to act out. I need to remember to say a prayer really. So for those of you who thought life here in Juneau was all flowers and adventures... Surprise! I have to admit it's really going well, challenging but well. I can definitely feel myself stretching a lot as we adjust to a new work schedule, less friends, less money, less family,  new climate/environment, new pregnancy, new lifestyle, etc. and sometimes it all gets very overwhelming, but EVERY Sunday when I sit in church and listen/look at the people around me or when we have a really awesome day, I can completely feel a reaffirmation that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, doing what God wants us to do.

I want to share a particular experience I had on Sunday. Our Sunday School lesson included a discussion about the parable of the ten virgins, and we were discussing how to fill our lamps. As we were making a list of things we could do on the board, the discussion turned to those who live their lives valiantly and consistently follow the commandments. We talked about the virgins who had previously prepared, had watched, and waited for their chance to follow the bridegroom as opposed to those who had idled away their time beforehand. Although it was not a big part of the discussion, doing the Lord's will consistently even if it isn't convenient or easy really struck me and immediately brought my mind to our family and our particular struggles right now. It reminded me of a General Conference talk given this April that struck me when we were making the decision to move and again about a week ago when I reread it on a particularly challenging day. Elder Kent F. Richards ,who is surgeon, begins his talk with a story about pain and what he has learned as he intentionally inflicts pain on people every day for their own good. He then shares an excerpt from a talk by Dallin H. Oaks, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 'As Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught: “Healing blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to Him who loves us best. Sometimes a ‘healing’ cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are ‘healed’ by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.”‍ All that will come may be “clasped in the arms of Jesus.” ' The first time I heard that quote, I immediately wrote it down in my journal. I typically make a list of the things I write down from conference and try to focus on one or two changes/principles a week. Isn't it ironic then that when I got home to look at my list this Sunday, that same quote feel on this exact week?... I don't really believe in irony but see it as direction from the Lord. Elder Richards continues, "Our great personal challenge in mortality is to become “a saint through the atonement of Christ.”‍ The pain you and I experience may be where this process is most measured. In extremity, we can become as children in our hearts, humble ourselves, and “pray and work and wait”‍ patiently for the healing of our bodies and our souls. As Job, after being refined through our trials, we “shall come forth as gold.”' I truly feel like we are in the midst of a refiners fire, but I simply cannot deny the fact that we are here for a reason whatever it may be. The evidence given me just on this one Sunday is undeniable. A scripture I also recently came across in the Doctrine and Covenants reads, “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high” (D&C 121:7–8). I keep coming back to that, and I feel like I would be ungrateful if I didn't write down and give thanks for the constant reassurance and strength we are being given to bear what has been a difficult change in our lives, even if sometimes it makes me want to cry and scream (I'm trying to blame that on the pregnancy too :) ). And I'll say again I cannot deny the fact that again and again we are reassured and as Andy says "Things will get easier and better. Just wait and see." He tells me this practically every other day and I love him for that.

The full text of Elder Richards talk on pain and the Lord's atonement can be found at:
https://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-atonement-covers-all-pain?lang=eng

Bathrooms, Beaches, Porcupines, and Rock Music

Amy and I decided that it would be a good idea to try to potty train Sydney, so we said "bye bye diapers" last weekend. It has been an adventure. We have been trying to stay home more this week to make it easy to get to a toilet quickly, but we have gone on some small trips to try to prevent extreme boredom from setting in. We went to the beach one day, to let Sydney run around. It was a little bit windy, and Amy dropped a wrapper. Watch the video.

Amy also saw some white things in the water and wanted to take Sydney to look at the "birds". I said they were buoys, but Amy was convinced they were birds. I decided to just stay in my seat instead of making the walk to see nothing. At least Amy and Sydney got to get some exercise. We went on a picnic at the beach, and I forgot to bring a knife to make the sandwiches, oops. Good thing I had gloves in my backpack.

The other day when I came home from work, I saw a porcupine crossing the road by our house. I told Sydney about it in the morning and now she thinks that I look at porcupines for work. She always asks if I am going to work to see the porcupine.

Sydney has also taken an interest in rock music. She likes the song Rock You Like a Hurricane, but has some trouble with the lyrics. Watch the video here.

What she is saying is "Here I am, rock you like an american train." I applaud the effort.

Losing Track

I'm starting to lose track of what I have and haven't blogged about, so I'm gonna get some of our smaller excursions out of the way tonight. Above are a few pictures I took when we went and walked on the "Brotherhood Trail." I'm not really sure what its real name is. This spot is a hot spot for tour buses as it follows the Mendenhall River. Its located right in the middle of the valley. (You can see the river going out to the channel on the map above.) Its also a hotspot for mosquitoes, and we forgot our bug spray that day. We won't be going back there without out. Sydney however is learning to be quite the little walker. We pushed her a mile in on this trail, and she walked almost the whole way out. Mostly at a relatively good pace. We could see the parking lot when she finally sat down and and said she "need to go night night." Haha, literally that's what she said. Andy says one of his favorite things about Juneau is that there is a ton of stuff to do, its not far away, and its all free. There are lots of flat and some even paved trails as you can see that are very accessible and still beautiful. This particular trail has three parallel trails one paved, one wide and dirt for horses, and one more wooded for real hiking.

One a rainy day we drove up into the canyon behind downtown Juneau and to a trail Gina told me about called "Flume Trail." Apparently it used to be just that. A flume where they made electricity off the adjacent "Gold Creek." (I don't really know what a flume is.. if you do my explanation probably sounded ridiculous.) Anyway, I find it funny how here lots of bodies of water are called creeks and streams and when you get there they are like raging rivers of death. Andy keeps telling me it might just be the time of year, but I think whoever is naming places around here is seriously confused about the difference between a stream, creek, and a river. As you can tell since its the top of an old flume, the path is completely flat, raised, and made of wood. Its not very long but there are great views up the mountains and lots of little waterfalls for Sydney to play in along the way. There were also tons of side trails, but we haven't got our bear spray yet, or a gun,  and I'm pretty nervous to go anywhere off main trails because of the bears.  

Our House

My house still isn't clean enough for me to feel like taking pictures of the inside of it. But I've got some pics of the outside, the yard, and Sydney's new best friend.

Those stairs lead up to our section of the house. You can see Nemesis in her new favorite perch and our bear proof garbage can with a metal lid :).

This is our yard. If you look closely, you can see that it is full of balls, strollers, ride on toys, and a swing set with slide left here by the owner. Its like a park!

This picture is for a size comparison. Sydney is almost 3 feet tall.... and the trees surrounding our house and yard are....... huge. If you look closley you can see a fence in the background. Just beyond that is a "creek" this is more like a slow moving river where ducks frequent!

This is only glimpse of the inside you get so far ;). We don't have tub in the bathroom... so this is our solution. So far Sydney likes it okay, not as much as she liked being able to roll around in a real bathtub. I'm still searching for bigger, better solution.

Proof that sunny, warm days in Juneau exist and are a lot more frequent than I thought they would be :). This is Sydney's new best friend Silas. He lives in the downstairs part of the house and will be two here in about a week.

One of the hardest things for me about moving to Juneau was seeing Sydney so lonely. She missed having other kids to play with and literally chased people down at the park or on trails to talk to. Some of Sydney and Silas' first encounters were pretty rough as these two figured out their roles and tested each other's limits, but they are playing so well together now. It's so perfect. And they really really play. Some of their favorite games are "race" in the swings, tag, catch, push each other on the trike, push each other in the stroller, throwing leaves at each other and racing to look for ducks. We have a few other friends now too, but it is soooo happy to see that Sydney found a friend that she LOVES. She is teaching Silas to talk more, and he has definitely helped her generosity in sharing because he is a sweetheart. If she hears Silas outside, its all over, and if we go outside and he's not there, she immediately runs to his door and wants to knock on it.

Today they were obsessed with sitting on the stair seen above and having me take pictures of them. At one point I pretended to be taking pics and took a video so you could get a glimpse of their interaction. :)

PLEASE go look at this... I can't make blogger post my videos anymore (If you have tips on that please help)

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=3Ect3DVyyYYQ

I just love how they keep scooting closer to each other. Maybe I'm just a mom, but this video makes me so happy.