They Grow Up Too Fast.

These past few days have been milestones in the Tucker family. Just when we figured Summer was packing its bags, along came one of the "hottest" weekends yet. Sunday was cloudless and brilliant, and we had some friends over to celebrate Chloe's third birthday. She won't turn the big 0-3 until Friday the 31st, but we wanted to have the party before Labor Day weekend. A handful of kids spent the day running about in butterfly costumes and making merry. When asked over the months leading up what she wanted for her birthday, she'd always respond, "Pink!" So, that's what she got - a headful of shocking pink hair, which she'll be wowing her friends with till it washes out in several days.

We're also very excited about Malcolm, who enjoyed his first day of kindergarten today. They both looked very dashing this morning, Chloe in her lovely cartoon hair and new pink birthday clothes, and Malcolm in sharp school style, complete with sporty new backpack and lunch box. Stephanie dropped him off and Brandon picked him up, and he had a great time. He'll still go to preschool with Chloe every morning, and finish the day with her there, but between 9am and 2pm, the preschool's owner drives the kindergartners to their respective schools. The preschool is a 5-minute walk from our house, and the elementary school is another 5 minutes beyond that, all on little country roads, so we're not worried (well, maybe a bit). But we know he's in good hands.

It's hard to imagine they've already come so far, though. Just going over past blog entries shows us how quickly they've grown. It was only when we lived in Anchorage that Chloe was taking her first steps, and Malcolm was wearing clothes that Chloe now has in her wardrobe. It all happens so fast.

Otherwise, life is great. This Summer has been the prettiest since we came here. This coming weekend we're going to the Alaska State Fair, with perhaps one more camping trip on the horizon if we can squeeze it in. What little Fall weather we get comes and goes rapidly, with Winter hot on its tail. By October there's snow on the ground, so we're doing what we can to enjoy the warmth while it lasts: barbecues, running around barefoot, picking lots of raspberries, rolling in the grass, riding bikes/trikes/scooters and generally soaking up the rays. We can't imagine a better way to spend our time. We also had a young moose eating our raspberries this evening, so we snapped a photo of the thief before he wandered off.

Love,

The Tuckers

Ch- Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes!

A lot has happened in the past week. Most exciting is Stephanie's new promotion. She's been working hard looking for a new job the past few months, and was interviewing sometimes three times a week, but still no new offers. We've been waiting for the new position to kick in before trying for our third baby, so she was really feeling the pressure. However, we're proud to say she's received a surprise promotion with her current company to Corporate Office Manager, the third highest position among the active staff! It's a huge vote of confidence in her abilities, and a significant pay increase. Plus, we've now begun "work" on the kids' new sibling. We're very encouraged by this turn of events. What's more, Brandon receives his 6-month review next week, which marks his own promotion, also along with a sizable raise. It looks as though our 13 year-long stretch of poverty may be over.

To that end, we have started a new effort. Brandon has been researching charitable organizations that help kids in Iraq. The politics of the war aside, he wanted to do something that could directly enhance the lives of these children who have been so affected. Surprisingly, after days of digging through countless charities, only one was able to offer the service he was looking for. The vast majority of relief groups want only monetary donations, which is understandable given the logisitcal nightmare of sending anything physically to Iraq. However, Operation Iraqi Children, an organization founded by actor Gary Sinise, accepts school supplies and other items for delivery to Iraqi schoolkids. The donated kits are mailed to their warehouse in Kansas City, then shipped every month via Fed Ex to Kuwait. They arrive in Iraq by truck, and are finally handed out at schools throughout the country by volunteer U.S. military personnel.

Whatever your take on the war (and many of you know how liberal our politics are), we ask you to take a look at OIC's website. Many of you already support various charities, and we don't mean to push our views on anyone. But the simple act of providing school supplies for these children of war strikes us as profound and necessary. Malcolm and Chloe really got into putting the backpacks together (even drawing pictures for the kids), which we chose to use instead of the clear zipper plastic bags most of the kids receive. With some frugal shopping at Wal-Mart, each filled backpack cost about $15. Prices down south are likely lower. And of course, it's completely tax deductible.

Brandon corresponded with OIC's Managing Director, who assured him their program is not a function of the U.S. military, but an independent charity which allows soldiers to volunteer their spare time to help these kids. It is part of People to People International, a well known organization founded by Dwight Eisenhower. We look forward to putting together three backpacks every two weeks. We'll update you on our experiences with OIC, and we'd be happy to answer any of your questions. Take a look at their website, and see if you're interested. It's an inexpensive way to make a potentially life-changing difference.

Okay, enough preaching. Sorry about that, but it seemed important enough. Now back to the fun stuff. We just got back from the reindeer farm. The weather today is overcast and cool; very subdued and beautiful. The reindeer were thrilled to see us, till we ran out of feed pellets. We also said hi to the buffalo, horses, moose and elk, including Eddie, the elk king (as we're now calling him). Other updates include Malcolm practicing without his training wheels for the first time, his upcoming ushering into the wide world of kindergarten, and Chloe's approaching third birthday. Otherwise, we're just grateful for Stephanie and Brandon's promotions, and are eager to have another baby. And of course, there's always the Alaska State Fair!

Thanks in advance for considering Operation Iraqi Children. It must be annoying to have someone nag about their pet cause, so please don't take offense. We're just trying to help out these kids, whose lives have been turned upside down.

We love you all. Take care!

-The Tuckers

Dog Days of Summer - in More Ways than One

So here's the odd story a few of you already know: one of our neighbors is the sister of Sarah Palin, Alaska's Governor. Sarah lives here in Wasilla, and used to be the town's Mayor. Last year she became our first Governess. Anyway, she visits her sister next door from time to time. And up until Brandon finished the dog fence, our bulldog Emily used to visit her sister from time to time, as well. She had a habit of waddling off to our neighbors' houses, to the point of taking naps in their livings rooms and eating extra meals. Alas, Sarah and Emily were both visiting one day, and apparently hit it off, even taking photos together Here's the surreal portrait of our little Porkchop and the Leader of the Last Frontier. As a result of this strange encounter, Sarah stopped by our place one day to give us the picture and say hi. It's an odd feeling chatting with the Governor in your driveway like she's just another neighbor, but then again this is Alaska.

In other news, the kids have been enjoying dress-up days at school. Here we have a princess, Optimus Prime and a couple of pirates. Don't you wish high school were that much fun? Summer up here is slowly coming to a close. The days are getting cooler, it's raining more often and our nights are at a "normal" schedule of light and dark. In a month it'll feel like autumn, and there'll be snow on the ground before Halloween. But it's been a great summer.

Nothing groundbreaking to report; we just wanted to share a few extra photos with everyone. Take care of each other.

Love,

Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie, Brandon and the Governor's New Best Friend