ARCTIC BABY~

Alaska in July
The house was 65 degrees this morning -
Outside it felt like 53 degrees.
So it was like a shock!
Last night we were hot...
dressed Karley in a summer outfit...
Then what an awakening!
BURR - the milk spicket was half frozen.
We were running around with jackets
and quickly making some hot coffee.

Seeing Karley in this cute Alaskan outfit,
was the boost I needed to begin blogging.
I have had an awesome time in Alaska!
What a blessing and gift.
Karley Grace is precious
and doing well.
Ben, Kimber and I had a great time laughing this morning~
we have enjoyed many many fun, happy times.
After all, the "fam' is on vacation~
and blessed by His creation and
His awesome love for us.

Now...
How do I begin to tell the story
of how great a time I've had~
The true love story of my little Karley Grace~
The simple truth of the love she gives to me~
Where do I start?
She fills me heart - the sweetheart of Grama's heart....
So rather than you hear me sing this lovely song,
how about listening to Andy Williams sing
"Where do I begin (Love Story)" as you enjoy the pictures of Karley.
First copy the http address below,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxEazBfPVFg
Then minimize this blog window.
Open up a new google page.
Paste this web address in the browzer window.

and it will begin playing, then minimize the youtube page,
and you can keep listening Andy Williams singing,
as you take a little stroll
through the beginning weeks of Karley Grace's life~

Karley Grace Tichenor arrived June 17th,
8:12 am
7#, 8 ounces
20 1/12 inches long,
healthy and beautiful~
a true gift from God~
She was born in Wasilla, AK
in a Midwifery...
a water delivery.
Ben and Kimber said the experience was awesome~
All natural, all precious!
To God be the glory!




One day old~
Hey - Auntie Katie...
Go, Scentsy Spirit!!!!


Saturday, June 20th~


Precious Karley and her mommy~


Kimber, Ben, and Karley~

Rocking time with Karley~

Father's Day

5 Days old~
6#, 14 ounces

We sure are tired~

a tender kiss from mommy~

Grama arrived from Idaho~

Karley is 6 days old!

Kimber surprised Ben with

this beautiful amish rocking chair

for his FIRST Father's Day.

Karley even blessed the day

by arriving in time

to be there in person!

Pastor Chris and Laurie Miller

visited little Karley when she

was 8 days old.

Karley is one week old!

I sure love my Grama,
and I know she wuvs me, too!

Grama doesn't realize but I just filled my diapers,
I feel so much better.

The fam~

The fam~

Great Grandma Martha knitted

Karley a beautiful purple blanket,

sweater and booties.

cuddle time~

Grama's first bath time with Karley~

Grama is telling me sweet love secrets
in my ears!

Karley's first visit to

Matanuska River Park

in Palmer~

beautiful lilacs

I like listening to my daddy's heart beat, too~

Ahh, peace - I can finally rest.....
I am learning sign language -
my daddy and mommy say I am above average!

Alaska 'occasionally' has bugs,
so my mommy and daddy bought me
a special netting
to protect me from all
the wild creatures!
I'm glad they love me so!

Can you tell that a storm is coming?

Karley, Mommy, and Grama

went for a walk

around the neighborhood~

It's a wonderful day in the

neighborhood~

Will you be mine~

Here is another picture

of the knitted blanket

from Grandma Martha~

Karley is 2 wks old

and weighs 8#, 3 ounces.

This is the room where

Karley was born.

Ben's thumb,

Karley's little foot~

Jesus holds us in

His big hands, too!

How great is the love

the Father has lavished on us~

...that we should be called the children

of God~

For that is who we are!

How sweet are the feet who bring good news~

'He's got the little, bitty

baby - in His hands'~

The Tichenor family are all holding hands!

The 'fam' had breakfast

on the veranda -

their new deck off the dining room~

The neighbors gave karley this cute outfit.

Thanks, Great Auntie Deb and Unkie Vern

for my cute outfit!

Love is the flag flown high

from the castle of our home~

This flag is flying high

on Hatcher's Pass~

My mommy and daddy are teaching me
to praise the Lord...
to raise my hands
and sing praise to Jesus.
My favorite scripture so far is
The Lord is My Shepard.
My mommy and daddy read the
Bible to me during my awake time!
I am sorry about sometimes falling asleep
while you read.

Ah, Mommy, how much do you love me?

Grama made this wall hanging

for Karley~

Karley's quilt is hanging on the

end of the crib. You can see the dust ruffle.

Also, the gown that Ben wore when

he was baptized 31 yrs ago

is hanging on the light stand.

This beautiful, priceless gown

is 120 years old!

Here are the curtains that Grama made for

Karley's room.

Come to Alaska's State Fair~

in Palmer....

1/2 mile from Ben and Kimber's home~

Katie and Amy are flying up to Alaska

to run the Scentsy Booth for Kimber

for 4 days. So -

all four sisters will be together for 6 days!
And the two little baby girl cousins will see each

other for the first time!

My mommy and daddy love me!

I am special~

Ben and Kimber enjoyed the water, kayaking,

while Karley and Grama bonded

on the shore of Matanuska Lake.

Mommy and daddy are napping,

so Grama and I are spending quality time.

My Great Auntie Deb and Unkie Vern gave me

this special SOFT blankee.

I like it and so does Grama - it has purple on one side.

Along the shores of Matanuska River~

oopsy doopsey - Karley has a strong yellow mustard shot!!

Victory Bible Camp

40 miles from Palmer.

a poor, hungry fox - along the road to

Bonnie Lake.

Sorry this is picture is out of order.

Missionary pilots in training

are taught to land and take off

on this mountain -

on the saddle horn way up high.

This is a picture of the air strip for Kingdom Air~

Emily and Josh had a date in this airplane.

JC Harding flew this airplane recently from Longview, TX, to

Palmer, AK - with several LETU flight students.

We met them, orchestrated by God, on July 4th.

Dwayne King is on the left. He is a missionary pilot to Russia -

the first pilot to graduate from LETU,
and first missionary pilot to Russia.

He teaches students the language, how to build,

and also how to land on mountains.

The man on the right is

Richard Best. He learned to fly from a descendant of

the Wright family - and that is the honest truth!

His wife is the daughter of, JC Harding, who started flight at

LETU, and who signed Emily and Josh's flight papers.

Ben, Kimber, and I just 'happened' to meet them.

Dwayne King's son, Dave, is the one who flies the directors around and makes all the

Alaskan Discovery Channel documentary movies, etc. He runs a helicopter business

from this airstrip as well. He built a motel for the directors to stay at while making the

Alaskan movies. Again, a small world~

Mr. JC Harding is in the middle of the picture.

Cameron is on the right - a flight student from LETU, and

friends with Josh and Emily. He flew to Palmer to fly

all summer in Alaska. It is tough but someone has to do it!

The people at Kingdom Air and Frontier Air

were SO friendly to us - like we were family or something!

We stayed at Kingdom Air till after 10:30 pm~

Karley was exhausted and hungry!

She did great though.

We had to stop along the way to feed her late night snack to her.

We watched July 4th firecrackers at 10 pm - in the daylight!

An 80 yr old friend in Palmer knitted Karley a sweater and hat~

I am tired - it never gets dark in Alaska!

Getting ready for my bath~

I didn't even cry~

The fam' eating out on the veranda~

I can't help it if I am like majorly cute and sweet!!!

Mom thinks it is super dooper that I can hold my head up

all by myself. I admit that I do get tired after awhile though.

I like snuggle, cuddle, mommy time~

I would like to intruduce to you~

The Ben Bower's family....

Tasha is holding little Jada - 2 yrs old,

Ben is on the sofa, Rusty is in front - he is 3 1/2 yrs old.

Skylar is on the sofa between her daddy and Ben and Kimber.

I went to college with Ben's mom, Mary Beth.

Mary Beth and Greg live in Marion, Kansas.

I wanted Ben and Kimber to meet them.

Tasha is involved with MOPS at the church where they attend,

Wasilla Bible Church.

Mary Beth is coming out August 5th to help Tasha and Ben.

Their 4th child is due August 7th.

They are a lovely, precious family!

Sometime Karley gets alittle belligerant!

She likes to be swaddled, and it makes her look like a hotdog!

Well, this time she rebelled and totally got her arm out of the blanket

as well as her jammies!!!

Karley is wearing her fuzzi bunz 'diapers' for the first time.

The specialty cloth diapers are supposed to be 'leak-proof"

They have snaps rather than velcro or baby pins.

If you are interested in reading about them,

click here.

We have had such a great time together in Alaska.

My time here is drawing too quickly to an end.

Come Thou Fount of every blessing~

Tune my heart to sing thy Grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing~
Calls for Songs of Loudest Praise.

God has performed an awesome miracle this

week in my family.

While enjoying my precious grandjewel,

I was also the central dispatch for my family this past week,

as we all joined together in praying

for my brother Daniel.

Sometimes the Lord lets us go clear to the bottom,

so that all we can do is look up.

He allows the reins to be pulled from our hands,

and leaves us with the choice of either trusting Him -

completely or

just rebel and become angrier.

This evening my brother called me,

singing on the phone, asking if I had heard this particular song.

I said - do you know how long it has been since I heard you singing?

He said.....probably 20 years......I said, you are right!

I had tears as I told Kimber.

He said.....I told the lawyer, "8 days ago, I didn't think God loved me.

Now I know God loves me, but I don't understand why.

And I know, now, that I love Him,

and it is not based on whether I have Reidan with me or not,

whether I am in jail or out of jail~

Yes, I had tears.

God answers our cries - even from

solitary confinement!

Read Emily's blog.....

notice her subtitle - to her blog ...

THE STORY OF GOD'S DELIVERANCE...FOR HIS GLORY ~ DANIEL 6

Can you believe that Daniel's birthday is on the 6th of the month..... :o)

and also read what she
wrote in honor of her Uncle~

God did deliver Daniel from jail, from false accusations,

first with a 100,000 bail on him, to releasing him without any bail,

and Daniel does have a song in his heart~

He is a different man

a different brother,

a different worker on the job,

and will be a different daddy when he sees Reidan again.

To God be the glory great things He has done

and will continue to do.

Yes, pray that the prosecution will drop all charges

and that Daniel and Reidan can be re-united again, soon.

He told me,

I would NEVER choose to be thrown in jail,

but what I have gained is so valuable to me

that I would do it again.

I sent an email to Daniel -

sharing words to a song by Sara Groves~

Less like Scars

You can listen to the song on youtube if you would like.

Here are the words....

It's been a hard year, But I'm climbing out of the rubble

These lessons are hard- Healing changes are subtle

But every day it's less like tearing - more like building

Less like captive - more like willing

Less like breakdown more like surrender

Less like haunting more l remember

And I feel you here, And you're picking up the pieces

Forever faithful

It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation, but you are able~

And in your hands the pain and hurt

Look less like scars and more like character

Less like a prison - more like my room

Less like a casket - more like a womb

Less like dying - more like transcending

Less like fear, less like an ending

And I feel you here

And you're picking up the pieces

Forever Faithful

It seemed out of my hands,a bad situation

but you are able

And in your hands the pain and hurt

Look less like scars

Just a little while agoI couldn't feel the power or the hope

I couldn't cope

I couldn't feel a thing

Just a little while backI was desparate, broken, laid out

Hoping you would come

And I need you

And I want you here

And I feel you

And I know you're here

And you're picking up the pieces

Forever Faithful

It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation

But You are able

And in your hands the pain and hurt look less like scars

And in your hands the pain and hurt look less like scars

And in your hands the pain and hurt look less like scars and more like character.

Awesome words - Forever Faithful