Living Outside the Box in Mexico

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT...

Well, if you haven't heard the news already...Ella is happy to announce that she's expecting a new brother or sister! Mystery Baby #2 is on its way in Mid-December, and we have chosen not to find out the baby's gender, as we did with our first pregnancy. We are excited, and I have been soaring through the pregnancy well (although feeling very large and uncomfortable earlier than I remember the first time around)! I guess that is one gift mothers are blessed with...the ability to forget all of the aches and pains (and the delivery!) that you have to go through to get one of those amazing little kiddos!

I flew down to Juneau (Alaska' capital city...about an hour flight South from Skagway) today for an ultrasound. Juneau has no roads leading in or out, and therefore is only accessible by plane or ferry. I took a little puddle jumper that seated 8 passengers (actually the largest I've ever flown in between here and Juneau), and had a beautiful flight over the snow-capped mountains, and down through the misty Fjord that leads up the "Inside Passage." I can't help but stop and think of the words "Be still and know that I am God." This land takes my breath away year after year...it is such a magnificent witness of the creation! Anyways...the ultrasound went well, and we have a healthy, growing baby in my tummy! I discovered that I have a borderline case of gestational diabetes, which means I need to watch my sugar intake, so as not to create an over-sized baby in my tummy (Yikes!). It's probably a result of my poor diet in the summers, as well as my lack of exercise lately. We just don't get much fresh, healthy food in the summers, and exercise is almost slim to none. I am looking forward to getting back into a healthy groove...I had such healthy habits with my first pregnancy, and went walking each and every day! Soon!!

One funny choice we made with this pregnancy was not to tell Jared's family, since Jared wanted to tell them in person when they arrived here on their cruise in late August. That meant when they arrived I was already 5.5 months pregnant...and showing! They couldn't believe we had kept it a secret for so long...but hey...they hadn't asked! Pretty funny...

Since the baby is due just before Christmas, we won't be traveling much this year. Since it is a Alisa's-Family Christmas (every other year Alisa's family gets together for a joint holiday), the Saville family has elected to come spend their Christmas in Leavenworth, Washington! Yay! We have rented a cabin for the whole family (11 adults and 5 children), and are looking forward to snuggling up for some good quality time! Some of the family may be enjoying skiing, and shopping around town, but having JUST delivered a baby...I'm not quite sure how many of the outdoor activities I'll be participating in!


THE SUMMER IN SKAGWAY...

Is OVER!!! YAY!!! We had 5 intense months this year with cruise ship tourists arriving in Skagway every day (about 1 million total visitors this year...with only 7 short blocks of shopping district, and endless tour options). By the end of the season, our business hours shrink significantly, and you will see (below) our adjusted hours for the last few weeks. Here are some photos of our store in action...
We are exhausted, and are thrilled to close our store at the close of this season. Now is the time of year that we do inventory in our store, pack up all of our personal belongings in our travel trailer, and move them to the store for safe-keeping.

We have attached the notorious car-top carrier on our Saturn Wagon, and will pack it full of business files, clothes, and whatever else we claim we can't live without. This is the "mother of all car-top carriers"...it's what the Saville family used on their van for family vacations growing up...and let us tell you...it still gets double-takes on the freeways! After all, it is probably upwards of 15 years old, and they simply don't make them this attractive or aerodynamic (ha!) anymore! Alisa's parents claim that they tried to sell it at a garage sale one year in Kansas, but no one would buy it. Thank goodness for that...because you can fit about twice the amount of baggage in this old carrier than new ones on the market! Therefore, it has been a huge blessing with our bi-annual move to and from Alaska!

So, with all that being said...it is time to head South. We are leaving for the long drive to Washington State this weekend. It is about a 2,000 mile (3-day) drive to Washington...and we're hoping that Ella will be well-behaved! Ella's always been pretty sweet about bearing this drive to and from Alaska each year (not to mention the other drives we've taken...such as driving all the way to Kansas, Atlanta, North Carolina, and Utah)...so we'll see how well this fiesty 2.5 year old will take it this time! She loves her new "Cool Chair" (big-kid carseat) that we got her a few months ago (as pictured below)...so hopefully she'll enjoy the greater freedom this seat allows, as opposed to the more confining types for infants.

We will be moving into our previous apartment building in Kennewick, Washington (Tri-Cities) by the end of the first week of October, and head out on a short trip to Utah (and perhaps beyond?), before locking ourselves up inside our apartment in anticipation of our "Estimated Date of Confinement." Speaking of that...did you know that "EDC" is the medical term for a baby's due date? It sounds like such a wonderful date to anticipate...the date of CONFINEMENT. Oh well, I guess that's parenthood in many ways...

Best wishes to all as Autumn heads your way. Skagway's Fall has already begun, and is soon to disappear entirely to winter. We now have permanent "Termination Dust" feathering the mountain tops (see the snow on right!)...sending the tourists and seasonal locals scattering in all directions...hoping for a taste of summer down South before Fall takes over the Northern Hemisphere! We will join the crowds scrambling south from Alaska, and will hopefully see many of you soon!