December concert, travels, and first look at baby!

We decided to stay in the village for Christmas break until one week before I realized I wanted to be with my family! I knew this first Christmas without Natalie, my sister, would be hard on everyone.  We bought plane tickets, messaged my family in the middle of the night (according to their time zone), and went to bed hoping they wouldn't mind too much with our change of plans.

Elim's Christmas program was a hit with Santa handing out free slushies and cookies. Zax got to go to school for a half hour everyday to practice We Wish You A Merry Christmas with the first grade class.

Ila was thrilled she got to join the preschool class to sing on stage. Both kids are in denial they are home schooled and call the teachers at the school their teachers 😂

Crew and I hanging out on the bleachers at the program.  It is so weird to see pictures of me here because in the village I've given up everything but soap and moisturizer!  It's the "when in Rome" concept. 

1st grade Christmas party gift exchange!  They pick names a couple weeks before and buy presents for that person.  My sister Holly shopped for me and mailed the gift for the girl Zax is sitting next to.

Jack was Santa and visited every classroom with books and stickers for the kids.

And the flights home for Christmas begin! Crew is the hardest to fly with and here he is in action! 

I had my first prenatal appointment in Champaign.  At the time of this picture, haha, I am 12 weeks pregnant and measuring a week ahead, but my due date is June 30th still.  My mom babysat so Jack and I could go to the appointment alone.  Now that was a treat.  Even though it is my 4th baby, I still forgot how much it looks like a baby even at 12 weeks.  We will have the gender ultrasound at the end of January in Anchorage since the village clinic doesn't have an ultrasound machine, or a tech!

We finally saw a Santa they didn't know! In the village they recognized the Santas and were getting confused!

We had great cousin time with the Martin girls. We went bowling on this outing.

Christmas eve cousin picture at my parents house in Champaign IL!   Holly's 3 girls on top, my 3 in the middle, and Amy's 3 on bottom.

Nerf guns on Christmas day!  The kids had been wanting these for months. 

Annual Bucey karaoke performances! Jack choreographed this one with the kids! "Sweet dreams are made of these."

Amy won with her performance to a Cake song.  Choreographed to perfection!

Oh Gary!

Game night!  I resisted playing this game because strategy games are not my favorite, but I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it.

The electric animals at the mall are too funny!  Crew wouldn't let Zax steer and Zax was a great sport about it.

We drove 2 hours to Indianapolis to meet up with Bucey cousins and while playing Crew puts his foot on top of a basketball, fell over and then screamed.  We drove back to Champaign and visited Convenient care to get x-rays.  It was inconclusive!  He may have fractured a bone on his shin, but additional x-rays in 10 days will determine that.  For now he has a splint and I have a very fussy kid.

Back in Anchorage on our way home to Elim, we found a yummy place to eat that just happened to be at a mini mart.  Run by Asians, they serve EVERYTHING!  Cheese steaks, hot dogs, sweet and sour chicken, smoothies....and it was tasty.  We were looking for a Thai restaurant that turned out to be closed so because of the cold we settled on this place quickly.

Now in Nome we waited in the Bering Air airport for hours to discover our flight was cancelled for the day because of fog.  Crew withstood his hunger with an Isagenix meal bar! 

Two nights in a hotel in Nome before the weather cleared and we were cleared to fly!  We got to eat out a couple extra days, but we also had to sleep in a hotel.  The first night they ran out of pack-n-plays, now that is just plain torture.