Welcome Bronwyn!

She's here!  Bronwyn Anne was born this morning.  The birth story is really Mary's to tell, so should she desire it, I'll let her post about that.  I'll just give the broad picture, and that is that everyone is doing great.  She was 6 lbs. 13 oz., and 20 inches.
 
Now, here's some pictures!

Gabriel isn't too sure what to make of all this, but we think he'll warm up soon.

It’s a… baby!

More specifically, it’s going to be a girl!  Our exclusive Alaskan club of boys is going to have to admit a girl.  We’re pretty excited, as are the boys.  However, they’re going to have to think up some new names, as “Superman,” “Martin,” “Batman,” and “Spiderman” seem to be more boy names than girl.

On a somewhat side note, we’re bracing ourselves for a possible onslaught of pink, girly, and all things Barbie.  We’ve been exclusively in the boy universe for almost eight years, and have gotten used to clothes and toys emblazoned with superheroes, dinosaurs, sports, and macho professions.  That other world of pink and frills is a bit foreign to us.  Especially Barbies.  I’m not sure, but I think they’re actually illegal to sell in Alaska, unless they’re the special-edition “Moose Hunt Barbie,” dressed in Carharts and a hunter orange vest, with a miniature high-caliber hunting rifle and Honda 4-wheeler for her to ride on her fabulous Alaskan adventure.  So, to all who may read this (all three of you), please don’t feel inclined to send us girly things – especially Barbies.

October 24, let the fun begin!

Wargo Version 4.0 Release Announcement

For those of you out there who read the blog, we’ve got a special treat for you – breaking news about our next little version of Wargo.  No, we’re not talking about software here, but hardware, of a sorts.  Our next little one is due October 27!  Of course, our boys seems to think very little of due dates and have all insisted on coming early.  So, perhaps mid-October is a more accurate target, but as long as this little one doesn’t outdo Gabriel’s momentous arrival (“ummm, this is bad…” says the neonatologist), we’ll be happy.

 

Here is the picture from the first ultrasound.  Good thing we lose the tails before we’re born!

 

So, any name ideas?  We won’t know for a while if it’s a boy or girl, but we’re open to suggestions!

Adam’s Yellow Belt

Adam recently earned is Yellow Belt.  It’s the first step in his tae kwon do journey, as he reminded Mary a few days ago.  When she mentioned to him that she wasn’t sure if we would be doing tae kwon do in February, he replied, “But mom, remember, my goal is to be a black belt!”  We will be doing tae kwon do in February, and I’m grateful having for such a goal-oriented kid.

I had some issues embedding the video from YouTube, so here’s the link to the video of his belt test.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLBg6-pzXO4

 

Adam with his certificate and the board he broke - on his first try!

 

Seth was excited to be there, at first.  Eventually, sleep caught up with him.

Adam's Birthday

But wait...that was weeks ago... Yes, I know, but life has been crazy here in Wargo World AK. So here is the birthday boy:

and here are the Lego Ninjago cupcakes I made for him to take to school (no they aren't mummies, they are ninjas).

Adam at age 7
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Book: Hardy Boys/Magic School Bus/Magic Tree House
Favorite food: pizza/hot dogs/blue cheese/nachos
Favorite school subject: recess/science
Career aspirations: Ninja/policeman/whatever Dylan P. is going to be
Favorite song lyric: Everybody Dance Now! (sung at the top of his lungs)
Favorite band: Van Halen
Best Friends: Riley A. and Dylan P.
Favorite State: Connecticut

Wargo World Up Close… Very Close

First off, Happy New Year!  We had a great Christmas up here, and are very grateful for all the gifts sent to us and the boys.  One gift the kids really like is the digital handheld microscope given by their Aunt Robin and Grandpa Garvan.  It plugs into our computer and takes great shots.  The boys have been running around grabbing things to get a  close-up view, and looking at their meals and asking “Dad, can I look at this under the microscope?”  Their bodies and clothes have been great sources of amusement, so much so that in the name of modesty, we had to curb their enthusiasm a bit by setting limits of only looking at parts of our bodies not normally covered by clothes.  They’re still getting the hang of it, especially focusing, but it’s providing lots of amusement for us up here in the land of no-TV. 

Let’s play a game!  Here are some of the images taken with the scope.  At the bottom, I’ll list what they are.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

6.

 

 

 

 

And here are the answers!

1. An old motherboard we let the kids poke around in.
2. Adam’s blue jeans
3. A tough one! It’s our computer screen.
4. A felted-wool beret.
5. Adam’s eye.
6. Yum… up the nose.

Our Little Sweatshop

In the staff lounge, there will be a staff craft fair this week.  I’m not too crafty, but the Mary is (like a FOX), and the boys love to sew!  Thus, a few weeks ago, Mary and the boys set out and made a nice big pile of rice bags.  The end results will be sold tomorrow.  Here’s our advertisement!

If any of you are interested in getting your own Wicked Awesome Warmer, just let us know!  They are only $5.00 plus shipping and handling (extra if you’re in the continental US or Hawaii).

Chuck Norris, Be Warned

 

Adam started Tae Kwon Do this summer, before our trip East.  Well, he’s back at it now, and came home tonight with his uniform (I know there’s some fancy Korean word for it, but I don’t know it).  He leapt through the door and posed for us.  The pose is all his, and he said it would be better against a white background.

Another plus for the uniform: Adam said that when he turns eight, he can get baptized in the pants, since they are white.

The Little Mermaid

This link is to our local paper, an article and photo gallery about the production Ben has been working on all school year (and part of the summer). His directing debut! All of us went to go see Daddy's show tonight and it was amazing. Adam and Seth were properly afraid of the evil sea witch, and I even heard Adam singing some tunes from the show as we were getting ready for bed. Gabriel endured the show, but freaked out when everyone started clapping and cheering at the end. He is not yet a theater lover.

Tonight is the last show (perhaps), and I know Ben is looking forward to making room for some non-Disney songs to be stuck in his head!

Happy Birthday Gabriel!

We've come a long way from this:

To this:

What a year!  Happy Birthday Gabriel!