More ERA

A couple more pics. The blur in the scenery pic is the propeller. This is an unknown to me mountain in the Alaska Range.

Visiting Steve at ERA

A beautiful Saturday not too long ago, we hurried into Anchorage to join Captain Novak and his First Officer on a flight to Kenai. We have not flown with Steve as the pilot ever! It was sooo fun! Steve flies the Beechcraft 1900 now, a 19 passenger airplane. He was promoted to Captain last November, and he was the proudest, smiliest Captain I have ever seen watching his family come on board! He had a headset ready for the kids in the front seat, plugged in and on the same frequency as his headset. They couldn't talk to him, but they could hear him. We got to board early and tour the new plane, then it was off to Kenai- a 13 minute flight! The scenery was gorgeous- out over Cook Inlet, and over the tundra, then onto the Kenai Peninsula. We saw the rivers we fish on, and the beach covered in ice. We met the friendly ERA crew in Kenai, then returned to Anchorage. The kids enjoyed the flight so much. They got to sit with Steve in the cockpit on the ground, steer, push the buttons, and ask a million questions. Steve's mom, Debby, joined us. She noted that this was her second chance to fly with a Captain Novak- Steve's dad had also been an airline Captain (although his planes were a lot bigger- someday, Steven!). This brought a walk down memory lane, and reminder to Steven of how proud his dad would be of him. We are so proud of him too. Changing careers is not easy. He has stuck with it, excelled at it, and loves it. He is counting his Captain hours each day- getting ready to fly something bigger and faster!

Prom? Yes, we attended 2 this year!

Our Youth Group kids are SENIORS! Wowza! We have been hanging out with them since they were eighth graders- it's amazing to see them now- the braces are gone, they drive themselves places, and look how grown-up they are! We had so much fun watching their big nights. This isn't all of the kids, but the few we could gather for photos! Graduations happen in the next two weeks- we'll be snapping more pics then! In June we get to spend a long weekend in Alyeska with these awesome kids, and then it's good-bye to Youth Group for now. We are so grateful for the opportunity we've had to grow along with these kids- we've been blessed by them more than they will ever know.

Princess Tea Party

Abby planned a "Princess Tea Party," including 3 friends, dolls, fancy snacks, and a craft. She came up with the itinerary, the guest list, and the menu. Abby learned at her birthday party that she doesn't have fun with too many friends at a time. She chose a couple friends that she hardly sees anymore since kindergarten has started: Reese and Claire, and of course her bud, Mayah. She wanted strawberries and fancy cupcakes, and also peanut-butter and jelly tea party sandwiches. Each girl was to bring a dressed up doll, and come wearing a fancy dress. The craft was to make a princess party hat, and a matching one for each girl's doll. Abby had so much fun making her invitations, decorating the house, helping with the cupcakes, and setting the table with real tea cups and fancy silverware. She buzzed around the house for days beforehand! Her party was a smashing success, and she can't wait to plan another!

Easter

Easter is a very meaningful holiday for our family. My favorite memory each year is to hear the kids tell the Easter Story with the Resurrection Eggs- a dozen eggs each with a chronological symbol of the story of Christ's death and resurrection. David asked Jesus into his heart at age 3 while retelling the story with the Resurrection Eggs. The past couple of years we've tried to take time each day during the Holy Week to stop and talk about what was happening that very week so long ago in Jerusalem as Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, shared the Last Supper with his closest friends, and then hung on the cross. David and Abby really pondered this year about each event. Abby really wanted to hear about how much Jesus' body was broken- what did his back look like after the whipping, and what the holes in His hands and feet were like. David imagined a super-powered angel pushing the stone away from the tomb on Easter morning, and both liked to think what they would have done had they been there. We took communion together as a family on Good Friday, and it was amazing to see how much the kids could piece together the symbolism of the bread and the cup. I feel so blessed to share faith with Steve and our children, to place a focus in our house on trying to grow closer to God, and to witness the growing of two young Christians. My own faith felt so big and such a part of me at an early age, I am so grateful my kids eagerly talk, ask questions, and want to learn about Jesus. I can't wait to see what God has in store for David and Abby!

Dying eggs

The Mother-Daughter Easter Tea at church

We took Steve's mom, Debby, with us. It was the highlight of Abby's spring- she had her little purse packed with white gloves, lipstick, the whole 9 yards. We sang "Im a Little Teapot," ate tea party treats, visited with friends, and learned how much God loves us . Abby even went on stage with Mayah (right) to dance and put motions to a song she didn't even know!

We hosted 3 families for Easter dinner and a really big egg hunt!

Kids from left to right: Abby, Claire, David, Evan, Mayah (front), Hannah S., Thomas, Ella, and Hannah J.

Robin's Egg lipstick! Steve has a serious weakness for Robin's Eggs- it's a good thing I couldn't find them at Costco!

Green Day

March 19

St. Patrick's Day was uneventful at our house- we covered our bases with green! On this March 19, Abby decided it was Green Day. We were home together all day waiting for our cable hook-up- which meant I needed to get into the crawl space ("the big hole" as we call it) to get a path cleared for the cable guy- while I was down there, I found a tub of toys the kids hadn't played with in a while- musical instruments, dolls, etc.- so I brought it up as entertainment for Abby. She found a couple of green sheer scarves and designed herself a dress, to which she added a green dress from her "too small" drawer, a green felt hat meant for pets (my crazy mom bought the kids each one last year for St. Patty's day), her green shamrock knee highs from the dirty clothes basket, all of the green hair pretties we have, and green eye shadow. I hope I'm not missing anything green. She then asked for a green picnic lunch in the living room (the cable guy is here by now- I'm sure quietly cracking up at this silly goose). We dined on green milk, grapes, cucumber slices, and crackers with cheese (not green cheese!). This day made me wish my mom could have been here to share our picnic- this is the kind of thing I remember as a kid- dressing up, my mom playing along, making me special lunches in the basement or outside in the playhouse- she would have loved this! And to think, it was all Abby's idea!

March 19 is also my Auntie Carolyn's birthday! Happy Birthday! This photo was taken on Alki Beach in Seattle this past January. We had a special day with Auntie Carolyn - lunch at the Luna Park Cafe, watching sea lions, playing on the beach in West Seattle, and shopping at Trader Joe's. The elastic in Abby's pants broke while we were at the beach- it was hilarious- her pants kept falling down- and I mean down to her ankles! Oh we laughed!

Catching up on March...

I did download the March photos in March, it's just taken me awile to get the blog updated! Goodness! If it weren't for the photos, I wouldn't even remember March!

March 16

We celebrated the last day of Spring Break at the indoor water park in Anchorage, H2Oasis. What FUN! We arrived fairly early in the day when it was still empty, so we had the pick of activities. Abby and I tried the Master Blaster- although it scared her- so once was enough! David took her word for it, and stuck to the Lazy River, Pirate Ship Play Pool, and Wave Pool. Once the kids figured out that they could "swim" in the Lazy River with a life jacket on, that was it. We estimated the number of our trips on the Lazy River to be at least 20- no kidding! The kids were starving and exhausted! We ended our day with dinner at our favorite pizza restaurant, The Moose's Tooth. This is a definitely going to be an annual event for the Novaks!