Pitch Black

It is currently 9:00 a.m. and black as night outside.  Literally.  Nolan just announced, "It's still dark out there mommy" and I haven't mentioned a thing.  I have come to realize though that being the early morning seminary teacher has come as a true blessing for my first winter of darkness.  I am up so early that I expect it to be dark and then never realize what time it should actually be light.  Friday I was sick though and called a substitute (named Doug - who then called a different substitute).  I had the hardest time getting out of bed at a reasonable hour more from the darkness than from being sick.

There is something very predominate in Alaska called S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder, aka. winter depression).  They sell these lights called "Happy Lights" that people sit in front of for 30-60 minutes (with their eyes open, but not staring at the lights).  Another interesting option is called "Dawn Simulation" and it is a treatment involving timing lights in the bedroom to come on gradually, over a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours, before waking up. Thanks to the very early stimulation of seminary, I have not experienced (yet) the effects of seasonal affective disorder.  I will be in Utah during the shortest day of the year.  We lose 6 minutes of daylight everyday until then and then we begin to gain 6 minutes a day.

I just laid Ethan down to change his diaper and unzipped his footie pajamas to discover he was naked and there was a poop-filled diaper wadded up in the foot of the pajamas.  He was promptly thrown into the bath (where he again pooped) and the pajamas are headed to the wash.

I need to add some pictures from the final days of my sister in Alaska as well as some of our Christmas decorating.  We have had fun.

Last night we lost power for about 2 hours.  It was cold and very, very dark.  I did my seminary lesson by flashlight and the minute I closed my manual, the power buzzed to life.  Doug had to pull out the flashlights that were being reserved as stocking stuffers for the boys and they had tons of fun.  I can't tell you though how many times we were told, "Turn on the lights!  It is dark!"  Luckily, we had our fireplace up and running, but as soon as the power was back on, Doug was on the internet looking for a generator.

Yesterday and today, our roads are like a big sheet of ice.  Doug and I have both plowed into the large snow pile across the street trying to make it around the corner.  We are lucky the snow pile is positioned appropriately because it is all downhill to the lake from there.