Tuesday Sept. 30

Kristine and I are meeting at the Imaginarium at 10:30 AM if anyone else would like to join us. I think she called some folks, but my pregnant brain fritzed about calling others.

Next Tuesday, October 6 we're meeting in the Fellowship Hall to discuss chapters 2 & 3. There are two books still on the back table of the church if anyone needs a copy. I just was looking at the author's blog and finding her writing there encouraging and honest (ie, she has hard days with her kids too!!).

Samuel Roy is here!

Samuel was born Wednesday September 24 at 7:48 PM, 20 1/2 inches and 7 pounds 14 ounces. He's a beautiful baby, and man does Marci have a great story to tell about his birth. I thought everyone might enjoy seeing some of his first pictures.

Just Born
Talking with daddy

So big!

Gazing at mommy. Doesn't it look like he's smiling at her!?

Sept 8 & 9 and Books

- The books are here! Yep, my husband found them on the doorstep on Tuesday; they arrived while we were meeting in the Fellowship Hall. I will have them at church on Sunday. If you can reimburse the church $10, that would be great. We'll meet on Tuesday September 16 at 10 AM to discuss chapters 1 & 2 - Nancy is signed up to lead, Kristin signed up for snack.

- Monday is Marci Garland's baby shower! Her little guy is due September 22, and she's registered at Babies R Us for gift ideas. The shower is Monday, 7 PM in the Haven (park in the Chapel parking lot and walk on the path to the house just north of the parsonage).

- We had talked about meeting at Chili's on Tuesday Sept 9 at 8 PM, but Liz Bate has opened her home to us this month! Contact Liz or me if you need directions (I don't feel comfortable posting them on the web.....)

Isn't it ironic?

Hi Ladies,

As discussed at our meeting today, the books had not arrived at my house in time to pass out. While I was still at church talking with Pastor Ken and Pam, my husband called to say that the box was on the front porch. I'll bring them to Awana on Wednesday evening, and also to church Sunday morning. If you want to swing by my house to get it sooner, just give me a call. I'll post the book reading/discussion schedule soon.

Fall Start Up

Hi Ladies,

We start our fall meetings tomorrow, September 2! Meet in the Fellowship Hall at 10 AM, bring a snack to share, and we'll set a schedule for the rest of the fall. Unless the mail arrives before I leave for church, unfortunately we won't have our books (they didn't arrive as quickly as advertised......) We will have childcare tomorrow, though! See you soon.

This Week's Tuesday Night Moms-Only!

For this week, let's get together and support Jenna Smith by attending her bridal shower at Jan Davis' home Tuesday night at 7:00pm! If you don't know Jenna, this could be a great time to meet her! :)

The rest of August and into September

Hi ladies,

I was out of town last week and forgot to update for this week, hope everyone had a good time Tuesday and today, wherever you met! Here's what I have for the rest of this month

MONDAY
August 25th BIG KID BLAST Meet at the Chapel Fellowship Hall for a
special party to send our older kids off to preschool or Kindergarten
with a bang!

Maria and Noah's Baby shower! Yippee!! 7 PM @ Kristi's house.

TUESDAY August 26th - Moms Only @ Tami's house, 8 PM. Leave the little ones with daddy or grandma and let's visit together.

FRIDAY August 29th Powerline Pass 10:30 - Meet at the Chapel parking lot to
caravan to the Glen Alps trailhead. We will hike Powerline Pass trail
and picnic on the way. The trail is jogging stroller friendly and easy
enough for a toddler. We might find blueberries too! Parking fee.

We'll have our first fall meeting on Tuesday September 2 at 10 AM in the Fellowship Hall. We'll pass out the book The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and set the schedule for the fall. Bring a snack to share. So far, no one has contacted me about babysitting/childcare, so please keep that in your prayers. I would like to order books ASAP, so contact me if you're going to participate. I'm not a mind reader! email davidandruth@acsalaska.net or call 677-1464.

"Mom's Only Nights"

Let's meet again at my (Tami's) house on Tuesdays!! The nights for this month is the 12th and 26th. 8:00pm...coffee....dessert....fellowship!!! I've missed seeing everyone so I'm really looking forward to this! See you then!

Beginning of August activities

Hi Ladies,

WOW! The weather is beautiful today! We're meeting at the Chapel @ 10 AM and then driving to Girdwood to play at the big castle playground. Maybe we'll stop for ice cream afterwards.

Tuesday August 5th we'll play at Anchor Lutheran School - 8100 Arctic Blvd., between Dimond and 76th Ave. They have a nice playground with a car, sand play and swings.
Easy to find!

Friday August 8th is hiking at Campbell Creek 10:30 - Meet at the Campbell Creek Science
Center parking lot and we’ll hike to the creek, throw rocks and eat.
Jogging stroller friendly. The Science Center is off Elmore Rd Hiking there doesn't involve much up/down hills like other places around here, they have a nice walking path.

Looking ahead again - Here are some book ideas and I'm open to others.
The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver

Give me your input; I'd like to order the books by August 25th or so.

July 22 & July 25

July 22 10:30 AM playtime @ Oceanview Elem. 11911 Johns Rd., off Klatt

July 22 8 PM mom's only sanity evening - we haven't had any volunteers to host while Tami is taking a break, so how about we meet somewhere? Borders is open pretty late, plus they have books (my favorite) and coffee (a close second favorite).

July 25 Prospect Heights 10:30 - Meet at the Abbott and Lake Otis Fred
Meyer (Starbucks side:) and we’ll caravan to the Prospect Heights
trailhead, hike to the creek and picnic. It’s a wide, jogging stroller
type trail, but not too far for toddlers. Parking fee.

Looking Ahead

I'm hoping to be involved as much as possible this fall, but with Little Guy due in October, I know there will be weeks that we won't be able to attend. I'd like to start setting up things for the fall though, and wanted to know your interest areas. We can set up speakers for 2x/month, we can look at some book studies, we could pursue another Bible study like last fall/spring. Any other ideas? Leave a comment so we can start planning. And we'll need babysitters again..... I like meeting in the evenings 2x/month and would like that to continue. Tami asked for someone else to host for this month, any takers or ideas of where to meet?

July 8 & July 11

Tuesday July 8th Wickersham This elusive park has a nice play structure with
baby swings and a bridge over a creek. On Lake Otis heading toward
Tudor, turn left on Waldron (light) then right on Campbell Pl., and left
on Wickersham Dr. There is only street parking with a little walkway on
your right to the park

Friday July 11th Euklutna Lake 10:00 - Meet at the Northway Mall parking lot
(Carrs) and we will carpool/caravan to Euklutna Lake. It’s a long drive
but it’s paved all the way now! We’ll picnic and enjoy the jogging
stroller friendly trail beside the lake. Parking fee

july 1 and july 4

This Tuesday, we're playing at Trailside Elementary, found up Abbott Road. Here's a link to to find the school playgrounds. http://www.asdk12.org/depts/Demographics/boundary/elbnd.pdf

July 4th is Be with Your Family Day (ie we're not meeting, just in case you were wondering =) )

Friday June 27 Change

Hi ladies,

Cathy's kids have the stomach flu, so we've opted to not drive out there this Friday. (Poor mommy, it was her anniversary today!) Plan B is now to meet at my (Ruth) house at 10:30 and walk to Hamilton Park. From there, we can take turns staying with kids and walking to Bell's Nursery to inhale the beauty of fresh plants, gorgeous housewares, and delicious coffee. I'm going to bring a picnic lunch for my kids, there's picnic tables and lots of green grass, plus a preschool sized playground. If you need directions to my house, call me 677-1464.

FYI, if you want something for free, come to my blog and sign up if it's something you're interested in. =) (I'll try to get it posted by 10:15 PM Thursday). Otherwise, you can just come see pictures of Baby Boy from the ultrasound earlier this month.

June 24 & 27

Tuesday's morning playtime 10:30 AM - Carlson Park

Head downtown on the highway
Turn right on Northern Lights
Turn right on Lake Otis
Turn right on Cornell Ct. ( it's not far, I think it's next to a church)
and then just go straight until you run into Stanford Dr. and the park.

Tuesday evening - leave your little ones at home and head over to Tami's house for dessert and adult conversation! 8 PM -????

Friday June 27th Palmer Picnic 10:00 - Meet at the Northway Mall parking lot
near Carrs. We will carpool/caravan to Cathy Watkins house and walk to a
really fun playground to play and eat. Any stroller will work and the
walk is only about 20 minutes.

Some Pictures

I enjoyed taking pictures of the kiddos last week! Here's some cute ones for your viewing pleasure.

Summers @ Tami's

Ladies,

We're still meeting at Tami's house for the summer, here's the details.

2nd & 4th Tuesday of every month / 8:00pm - ??? / Dessert, Coffee, Tea / Fellowship If you need directions, contact me or Tami. Hope we see each other there!

June 10 and June 13

Hi Ladies,

This Tuesday we're headed to Lyn Ary park, Foraker Dr. & Illiamna Ave. (N. Of Turnagain Pkwy). It has Coastal Trail, baby swings, play ship and climbing wall. I'll probably be there by 10:30, isn't that the "official" meeting time for the summer???? If you're like me and sometimes need help finding the parks, here's the muni's official map. http://www.muni.org/parks/Playgrounds.cfm

Friday's outing is Eagle River Nature Center. Meet at the Northway Mall parking
lot (Carrs) at 10 AM. We will carpool/caravan to the Nature Center to hike,
browse and picnic. Dirt trail is jogging stroller friendly. $5 parking fee.

This Week

Hi ladies,

We are meeting at the Fellowship Hall tomorrow for one last time (?) this spring, and the babysitter is coming! We're done with the study book, so come and enjoy each other's company.

Here's the info for the rest of this week and next:

Friday May 23 - 10:30 Hike at Kincaid - meet at the Chalet

Tuesday May 27 - 10:30 Klatt Elementary playground 11900 Puma St.

Friday May 30 - 10:30 Hike from Abbott Loop Community Park on Elmore
Rd. across from Coventry St.

I found a blog and website that I thought would encourage everyone, plus give us some ideas for this fall. On the website there are also some Christian heroes books; when we were sharing our books the other week, I mentioned that I'd love to find some like this, and the Lord showed me where! Isn't He great? Haven't ordered any yet, but know we know where to find them.

Happy Mother's Day to us

In honor of well, ourselves, we're meeting at Southside Bistro at 8 PM this evening (May 13) to enjoy some dessert together. Hope to see all of you there!

Book List

We met at the Chapel today and exchanged books that we like, so I thought for those who weren't able to join us, I'd put the list up here on the blog. If you have others you'd like to recommend, please add them to the comments section. I'll try to list by recommender, so you know who to ask about about more details you may want. There were a couple books that I missed, so gals, if you want to add what I forgot, go for it! I've added links to the books, most to Amazon, but some I linked directly to the author or publishers website. Enjoy!

Kristine recommends:
Thirsting for God in a land of Shallow Wells by Matthew Gallatin
Created to be his Helpmeet by Debi Pearl
Last Child in the Woods - Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

Nancy recommends:
Honey for a Woman's Heart by Gladys Hunt
Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt
What Every Child Needs by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall
What Every Mom Needs by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall
Family Fun Cookbook
Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller

Rachel recommends:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E Prentiss
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper
Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
A Chance to Die (about Amy Carmicheal) by Elizabeth Elliot
(the following are children's books)
A Weekend with Wendell and Owen both by Kevin Henkes
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
Katy No Pocket by Emmy Payne, illus. by H.A. Rey
Little Peep by Jack Kent
llama llama red pajama by Anna Dewdney
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illus by Patrick Bensen
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illus by Jane Chapman

Ruth recommends:
Powerful Prayers for your Children by David and Heather Kopp
sew what! Skirts by Francesca Denhartog and Carole Ann Camp
Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood by Dr. Bill Sears and other family members
Gate-Keepers of the Home by Nancy Campbell (a Bible study)
The Family Meal Table and Hospitality by Nancy Campbell (another Bible study)
Be Fruitful and Multiply by Nancy Campbell
Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

Tues March 11

We're headed to the museum today! But make sure you're not at the one downtown, we'll be at the Alaska Museum of Natural History on 201 N. Bragaw. For directions, look at their website here. We'll be there for Tinker Time, which runs from 10 to 12 noon.

This evening is our Fellowship Time at Tami's house. The festivities begin at 8 PM! Hopefully my kids will be in bed by then, otherwise I guess Dave will be doing bedtime. =)

Tuesday January 22

Hello Girls! I hope everyone can join us on Tuesday at The Haven, Chapel's newest property. We'll be meeting at 10:00 am to discuss the direction of our group - new ideas for outings, activities, ways to keep each other accountable, getting to know one another better, and Bible Study. Please bring something to keep your kiddos busy and all your ideas. If you feel like baking or stopping by the grocery, bring something yummy to snack on. Coffee & Tea will be provided. See you there!

Tues January 8

Christmas is over. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Now life is back to a normal schedule, including Mom's Group. This week is a 2nd Tuesday, which means Fellowship Time. How about we let our little ones play in the Fellowship Hall (I know mine are a bit stir crazy from being indoors during this cold snap) and we just visit together? I'll bring a snack to share, you are welcome to do likewise. I'll have a sign up for leading/snacks/fellowship for the next few months. Next week, January 15, is the beginning of our Colossians study. It's in the same book as the Philippians study, so don't worry about needing to purchase another book. We still need 2 people to help with childcare, so go ahead and recruite! Even if you find someone that can only come once or twice, that would be great. And remember, there is monetary compensation plus a reward in heaven. =) Contact me if you have any questions, and Rachel too (she gets back on January 10th).