Christmas Letter 2009

I know I am not good at Christmas cards; sorry guys! One of the things I've told myself I WILL get right next year. So bear with me if you get our card for next year in October. :) I did manage to put together a letter to let everyone know what we've been up to. So I hope you enjoy!

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Happy holidays, everyone! Our family hopes this newsletter finds you and your loved ones in good health and high spirits! I am actually somewhat on top of things this year! (LOL)

We have been doing well up here in the beautiful state of Alaska since October 2008. This is our second winter, and it is still a little strange to adjust to the darkness. Our sunset begins before 4:00 p.m.!

Alex is still currently deployed in Afghanistan and we expect him home sometime in February 2010. We had a wonderful time with him while he was home on R&R for 15 days in late June. We got some sad news in September; Alex's mom Joan passed away on September 1st, after battling multiple strokes. Although we met each other there for sad circumstances, we were very grateful that we had the chance to visit our kids in Baltimore, as well as catch up with some of Alex's friends from his school days. Alex stays busy with work and also attends the small branch there. We are really blessed to be able to webcam with him quite frequently, so we are thankful for that.




I am doing my best to stay busy with the kiddos--they really do fill up my day! I am enjoying getting to know each one individually and to see their personalities develop. I also continue to enjoy my workouts with the Fluidity bar. Since starting in July of 2008, I have become a Fluidity convert; I absolutely love it! I have dropped 80+ pounds--and shooting for that last 10 now. With that weight loss, I have started to expand my culinary skills to liven up our family dinners…the kids are still unsure at this point, though! On a different note, I wanted to share some exciting news I received during the Thanksgiving break: my brother Marcus & his wife Gabi are expecting their first little one in June 2010! I am FINALLY going to be an Auntie!!



In March of this year, I was introduced by a friend to the website Flylady.net. The things I have learned there have truly begun to change my life. There is such a wealth of information on the site-too much to put into a little blurb- but I felt like FlyLady deserved her own paragraph (LOL). I suppose to sum it up, she helps women gain control over their homes and themselves. I am still “fluttering”, as “Flybabies” will often say, but I’m taking babysteps and getting there. I’ve gotten the kids involved as well--they love to call themselves “Flykids” and sing along to the “Up Kind of Day“ CD. Ammon is mastering the Room Rescue, Ayiana likes to wipe the table after meals, and Lani loves to helps dust and mop!

Ammon Joseph (7) is doing awesome as a second grader at Ursa Minor Elementary here on post. His favorite subject is Computer Lab, just like his Uncle Dan! His teacher has the students log at least 60 minutes of reading each week, and he has recently completed The Phantom Tollbooth. He is a also a big fan of “I Spy” books. Ammon alternates Family Home Evening lessons with me while Daddy is gone, and he does really great. We love the lesson suggestions in the “Friend” magazine each month. He is also eagerly anticipating his baptism coming up in August 2010!

Ayiana Elyse (4) lives up to her Mommy-given nickname of “Daddy’s mini-me” more and more each day. Ayiana keeps us laughing, although we need to remind her (often) that she’s shouting inside. She also loves to color pictures for Daddy almost every day. I keep an open box where the kids can just put letters or pictures as the mood strikes. Ayiana is also learning to read with the EyeQ Phonics system, which I used for Ammon as well. I am hoping she’ll be able to read before she starts Kindergarten in August. She also has a lot of fun doing “mommy”-type things with me--shopping, cooking, etc. We’ll never have empty cupboards with Ayiana reminding me to go to the store!

Noelani Nadine (2) is the funniest little kid EVER. Seriously. She is picking up traits from both siblings which makes for some awesome comedy! Lani is WAY into “din-cess” (princess) things right now, thanks to big sissy. She also loves to do things by herself-she will literally stop me and say, “No-- self!“ Lani is also making a little progress in potty training, so we are excited about that! She adores her Nursery teachers at church-she is usually off to ‘class’ before I get out of the chapel! This will be her last full year before she becomes a Sunbeam! I can’t believe it!

Our family has truly been blessed this year-in spite of Alex’s deployment, perhaps because of it. Although we hate being apart, sometimes it helps us to grow and mature. If you know our family, then you know of Alex’s and my strong desire to get to the temple, in order to be sealed to each other, and also to our children. We’ve had this goal ever since we were married, but as many of you know, we’ve also had stumbling blocks. This next year, it finally seems within our reach. We would ask anyone willing, for your prayers on our behalf in realizing this important goal. Thank you!

In closing, we’d like to thank all of y’all for your friendship and love.
You have truly touched our lives.

May you and your loved ones enjoy this beautiful Christmas season!

Love, the Janeys:
Alex, Heidi, Ammon, Ayiana,
& Noelani

For the Beauty of the Earth

I had an AWESOME morning. Woke up 'on time', even though I SOO felt like going back to bed. Nice scripture study. Workout was good. Harder than I anticipated, but that's a good thing, right? Means I'm working hard. At least I hope so. Sat down for breakfast. No one is up yet, so I can actually taste my food. Nice. Then I look over to the side door. It's drizzling. So that's what I heard earlier before I went downstairs. I can hear it again through the cracked kitchen window. I love how my window is over the sink. Love it. Two houses ago it was an old, blank, greasy wall. Yuck. So I continue eating my organic granola and drinking my organic soymilk. My one organic indulgence. And, yes, they are separate. I do not mix cereal and milk. The soft dripping of the rain soothes me. I pause. Still, no one up. I say a quiet "Yay!" to myself. Then close my eyes and just enjoy the moment. Looking out the door and just eating my cereal. Who knew such a simple thing could be so wonderful? I say a quiet prayer of thanks. I want to keep my quiet while I can, after all. A couple tears roll down my face, and I keep them there. A few more come, and then I wipe them away. Then I hear sounds of Lani playing in her bed. This is a little different - she usually runs out of her room when she wakes up. I guess I'm not the only one having a good morning. Well, I'm not gonna mess with a good thing. Certainly gonna milk this. I smile to myself. This is great. I'm finished with my cereal now, so I quietly take my bowl and cup to the counter. I walk into the girls' room, surprised to see Ayiana still asleep. Lani is singing to herself, so I lay down next to her bed and listen. I thought she saw me come in, but she hasn't looked my way yet. I brush her leg with one finger. Nothing. A few seconds later, she finally sees me. I get a beautiful smile. Then, the first words of the day: "Byoo-poo, byoo-poo! Mom. Byoo-poo, byoo-poo!" She is soaking wet, but the jammies are not too bad. So we go and get a diaper from the bathroom closet. And the day begins.



Now, it is almost lunch time. The sun is peeking through the clouds. The world is wide awake now. Someday I will have a house in the country. But not too far away from a Cheesecake Factory.

My Un-Birthday

You may not have known this, but Wednesday was my un-birthday.

I had been folding towels on my bed this afternoon, and was almost done, so I took a little break and just laid down to chill. Ayiana told me to close my eyes because she had a surprise for me. So, long story short, I dozed off. I woke up to Ammon & Ayiana talking to each other in hushed tones: "Hurry up, put this in there..." What the...? So, I roll over, and see a pile of small, just random toys on my bed. Then they both come into my room, each carrying one side of the 'birthday cake' (like it is SO heavy!) from the set I got Ayiana for her birthday, singing "Happy Birthday" to me! Awe! "It's your birthday, Mom!" Ayiana says, matter-of-factly. They set the 'cake' on my bed, and then proceed to tell me about each 'gift' as I open them. So, of course, I had to grab the camera.

After a couple pictures, Ammon boldly announces, "...and Mom - here's the best gift of all!" I turn my attention from the girls, and he is holding up a small, red, tattered Book of Mormon that our dogs had gotten to a while ago, but I never wanted to throw out. I welled up a bit, and said, "Yeah, you're right, buddy, it is!"

As parents, we try so hard to teach our children correct principles. I have such great kids. Sometimes, my efforts feel in vain. We kneel when we pray, not lay in our beds or sit when we are physically able to kneel. I encounter a lot of moaning and groaning with this. Oftentimes, getting reverent for family prayer in our home takes longer than the prayer itself. I wonder sometimes if I am getting through to them, when all I see at Family Home Evening is the back of their heads. But then I listen to their personal prayers, and their spirits shine through. They are not trying to impress me with eloquence. They are having a sincere, genuine conversation with their Heavenly Father, and they are speaking from their hearts. To some, it may not seem like a huge payoff - a child's prayer. But their words are not merely words. As they pray each day, these words are gradually becoming the fiber of their little beings. I love to see their spiritual progression with each day, each week, each month... It is truly amazing. Ayiana prays right now for "Mommy to get married" (she means 'sealed'). :) Ammon's prayers get stronger each day. He is becoming more and more focused on his upcoming baptism (a little over a year from now), and reading the scriptures before his baptism day. He names each book of scripture every night: "The Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price." I love it! I could not ask for more right now, but even as I write this, I know that my Heavenly Father will bless me with even more than I can fathom!

Reminiscing with my Ammon Cheese rocks!

Since Sunday evening, I have wanted to post something, but it had to be something that made me excited. But nothing. Until tonight. I know I should probably be in bed, but, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to remember as much if I waited until tomorrow. So here I am. The day went pretty good, as well as can be expected with a squealy almost 2-year-old and her strong-willed, sometimes smothering, siblings. (Say that five times fast, ha ha.) Well, now we are to the end of the day. Everyone is clean, story and prayer, hugs and kisses, let's go upstairs now, get in your beds. I sing Twinkle, Twinkle and I Am a Child of God for the girls, personal prayers, okay, tell me the Sleep Rules, Ayiana. Night, girls, stay in your beds, 'kay? Next is Ammon's room. I walk in, he's playing Legos as usual. "C'mon, bud, let's say prayers." He gets onto his bed, kneels down. So he says his prayers. Very cute, as always. "Okay, what song do you want?" "Oh, but I wanted to look at my magazine real quick." (My mom sends him Nat Geo for Kids.) "Okay, real quick." So we find a page with 7 interesting facts about the Earth. He really liked the coldest temp ever recorded, I think it was -124.6 Fahrenheit, in Antarctica. My number kid. So then we finish reading, and I sing the song he picked: Tell Me The Stories of Jesus. "Okay, 'night, buddy..." I start to say. "But aren't you going to tell me a story?" he asks. What the heck is he talking about? We just read story and I just read a magazine page with him..? I am getting a little annoyed at this point, because I still have to clean up in the kitchen, and I feel that tugging at my brain. But I indulge him. "Well, what do you mean?" I ask him. "Not like a story from a book...I mean, like a story about your day, or when you were little, or something like that." WHOA! Umm, okay... That hit me out of the clear blue. Trying to not show the somewhat stunned look I probably had on my face, I sat back down next to his bed. I thought about it for a second, and then it came to me. I told him how his uncle and I used to climb out of the skylight in a house in Germany and sit on the roof. When it snowed we stockpiled snowballs like ammunition. Who we had planned on throwing them at, I don't remember anymore. A German farmer, whose horses grazed in the pasture next to our home, once yelled at us to get down and then told my mom (at least that's how I remember it). We got a scolding, big time! He got a kick out of that. So that story reminded me of another high-up adventure my brother Marcus & I once had. My dad would occasionally take us to the base gym while he played racquetball. There was an overlook where you could see down into the racquetball courts, so we liked to go up there by the old exercise bikes and huge fans and watch our dad kick some butt. One day (I think it was Marcus' idea), we decided to jump off of the overlook onto a huge stack of thick exercise mats. I remember being scared, but I did it anyway. There was a booming SMACK! on the mats. Marcus' turn. SMACK! I didn't remember when I told Ammon, but I think Marcus landed on his back and got the wind knocked out of him. Well, some way or another, my dad, of course, finds out what we did. We may have gotten our ears yanked, and I DEFINITELY remember a lecture about being the oldest and the example...oh, some good times! We laugh about it now, of course. Ammon was cracking up, and it jogged his memory about a story of his own. I have such a great son. I'm so grateful that I ignored that voice that was nagging me to just go wipe the dining table. Love you, Ammon Joseph!

Releasing the Salmon

Ammon's first grade class has been raising some salmon eggs this year, and today we went to Taku Lake in Anchorage to release them. First we met at the school to scoop them out of the tank, and then we followed his teacher, Mr. Uson, to the lake. Ammon was a little cranky at the school, and didn't want to participate, but then, once we arrived at the lake, he enjoyed himself. I am glad for that. He loves the outdoors. All of the kids loved seeing the seagulls and ducks around the lake. We even saw an eagle swoop down and snatch a fish out of the lake! I wasn't fast enough to get a clear picture, but I at least got a fuzzy one! His teacher joked and said he would be charging the kids fifty bucks, and that he had planned the whole thing... He's got a great teacher! So, after we released the fish (I think the count was 276), we followed the small stream to a bigger stream, where Mr. Uson told the kids some more about where the salmon would end up. He told us that only about 1% would come back to spawn. We had a great time! Living here in Alaska really does give you an appreciation for the springtime! The temperature was around mid-60's, and Ammon was complaining of being hot in his fleece...ha ha!

Trying to keep up...

Well, this will hopefully be pretty short, because I need to get to bed soon. A lot of changes have occurred in our family since I last posted. I am really going to try to keep up better with this blog. I apologize. By now, probably no one has read this since the Christmas letter, because they know I hardly post on here.

So, let's see. Alex left for Afghanistan shortly after my last post. His tour is for 12 months, and he will be home for an R&R in the beginning of July. He's been keeping busy with church, work, and working out. He gives his first talk in Afghanistan this coming Sunday on the Atonement. He will also be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood soon, which is a HUGE deal for all of us, especially since he's told me that my dad (who is serving nearby in Iraq as a contractor) has said that he will make the trip to ordain Alex! It's also special because this will mean that we will FINALLY be able to be sealed in the temple! We have waited such a long time for this!

As for me, I have lost an additional 20 pounds since the Christmas letter. I have 30 more to go, so hopefully I can reach that by R&R time! :) Just keeping up with the kids and the house takes a lot of my time. I was also released today from my calling as a Primary worker. I'll miss those kiddos! My new calling is district Visiting Teaching supervisor. I have no idea what's in store, but I am willing to learn!

Ammon is turning into such a boy. Bodily functions provide endless laughs for him lately. He loves playing with his sisters but is also struggling with the responsibilities of being the oldest. I am glad I am able to empathize with him.

Ayiana is certainly living up to the meaning of her name, "eternal bloom". She is always surprising us with her wit and attitude. Right now she is waaaay into Ariel. She is still learning to share with her sister.

Noelani is such a sweetie pie. She loves to give kisses and hugs...and the occasional bite. She adores Nursery, and I am so glad that I did not have to struggle with that issue while Alex is away. She loves Dora and Kai-Lan. Since I cut her some bangs, she has recently called herself "Ba-Pap" ('Backpack' is her name for Dora) while looking in a restaurant mirror!

Well, that's the update on the Janeys for now. Hopefully I will be back soon!