life in alaska

2011-01-24T13:43:00.000-08:00

Here's the twins pre-buzz...

I'm hoping our friendly neighborhood moose isn't the one who was hit and then "disposed of" the other night down the street. He was cute.

2011-01-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

2011-01-24T13:37:00.001-08:00

Explanation of below: the littles tear up the couch a dozen times a day. It becomes their indoor playground. And I couldn't resist posting a pic of my little construction hotties.

2011-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

2011-01-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

January's nearly over! It's getting lighter. I noticed it was nearly light at 9:30 this morning :)

I'll post some pics of the kids and some of Alaska to catch up a bit to speed. They're growing lots! I'll try to youtube a couple video clips today but it'll be sporadic. I don't usually put longer stuff on facebook, but I'll link some footage of the kids playing in the snow and stuff like that.

January 2011!

2011-01-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's slowly growing lighter. Not a lot of snow on the ground. Most of what we had melted during the little thaw we had a few weeks ago. Owen looks outside and says, "I see the snow! Snow hebby." (heavy)

I just put Carson in a timeout. While he was sitting there I was talking to him about what he had done.
Me - You know you can't hurt people, right? Is it okay to hurt people?
Carson - No.
Me - Is it okay to hurt people to get something you want?
Carson - (thinking for a moment) - Um, yes?

2010-08-30T16:17:00.001-07:00

Homer, Alaska

2010-08-20T14:23:00.001-07:00

This was the little clip I took in Homer with the kids. Basically, we had a lot of fun, got wet and sandy, roasted some hot dogs, and tried to keep the babies out of the ocean and the fire. It was our "last hurrah" before school started.

our "last hurrah"

2010-08-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

We spontaneously drove down to Homer Sunday for a last fun thing before school started. We camped on the Spit - a 2-something mile sand spit out into the ocean for you "outsiders" - and it was our first official family camping trip. Wow. I'll upload a little video clip later. We had fun, nearly lost our minds, didn't lose any kids.

first day of school

2010-08-18T16:15:00.001-07:00

It's the first day of sixth grade for Riley, fourth grade for Logan, and first grade for Emmie.

My little spiderman

2010-07-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Carson was crying over something and I was holding him, comforting him:
Me - You're precious to me.
Carson - Yeah
Me - You're a great little man.
Carson - Yeah, I'm like a spiderman.

Emmie and Logan watching porpoises, Emmie licking the railing

2010-07-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

I tried to get all 6 looking at the camera, but...you can imagine.

2010-07-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

2010-07-15T00:11:00.000-07:00

2010-07-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

2010-07-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

Mom & Dad, the twins, Riley and Brady

2010-07-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

2010-07-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

At Whittier with the kids today

2010-07-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

2010-07-02T12:15:00.001-07:00

Owen is talking more and more! He went from a few words here and there to sentences overnight. Yesterday I put music on for him to dance to (his favorite thing) and was dancing with him when he yelled "No! Stop! You can't dance!" at me. Today he said "I get up!" when Jeff was changing him, and "I get down" to get out of his high chair.

I was scolding Carson this morning for something mean he said to Brady, and Carson burst into tears. I went over to him, hugged him and said "I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" to which he replied, sobbing, "No! You hurt my toe!"

2010-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad I didn't stress over Logan and Riley getting little pen knives. They keep losing them. They find them in a pocket, have them around for a day or so, and proceed to lose them for weeks at a time. So there's less to worry about there.

It's still bright sunshine outside - and nearly 9:30 at night. Sunset is about 2 hours away! Still kinda freaks me out. We have one day from when we get up until about naptime, then it's like a whole other day from about 4:00 or so until 11:30. We call it "second afternoon" along the lines of the Hobbits' "second breakfast."

Cousins! Brady kept running away...

2010-06-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

This was on the train to Seward

2010-06-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

2010-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

2010-06-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Resurrection Bay with Riley and Logan

2010-06-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Riley in Seward

2010-06-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

2010-06-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

2010-06-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Let's see...current recent kid sayings and cute-isms:

Owen - "I get to eat!" (at dinner)

Emmie - (getting dressed for church) "Underwear is essential."
Me - "Yes, it is."
Emmie - "Do you even know what 'essential' means?"

Owen - any time music comes on he runs to the coffee table to get up and dance on it. Yes, he's fallen off a couple times, but no real damage. He seems to have a real preference for rock, but will also dance to us saying "Go Owen, go Owen..."

June in Alaska

2010-06-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

This place is gorgeous. We are loving the summer here. When it hits about seventy-five the kids complain that they are "burning up," but it's just been great weather.

Owen is getting to be a real person - he expresses himself adamantly now and isn't ashamed to throw himself down and bang his head on the floor if he doesn't get his way. I'm hoping he grows out of that one. He says lots of words and phrases, including: what's dith?, stop it, I see it?, I eat, I ub you, wi-wee (Riley), Emmie, bay-yee (Brady), I dood it! (I do it), bye-bye, hello, tickle, tickle-boo (peek-a-boo). He loves to follow the kids wherever they go, including the back yard and the trampoline...

Brady is a hoot. He tends to be a little slower-paced than Carson (but who isn't) and takes his time with things. He eats slowly, loves to sit with me and read, explores the dirt and finds worms and bugs, just kind of observes and enjoys things. For a while he called himself "Baggy," which has kind of stuck as one of his nicknames.

Carson is still always on the go, and usually running to get there. He loves the trike he got for his birthday, loves Logan's skateboard, loves things that go fast and are dangerous. He went up the ladder to the treehouse (about 10 feet up) - the ladder wasn't supposed to be propped up - without even thinking twice about it.

Emmie made it through her first year of school without half thinking about it. She takes things as they come, seems to enjoy life, and always has hilarious comments to make. I loved having her do school half-day since I kind of had her to myself for a few hours that way.

Logan turned nine and is loving his Alaskan life. Jeff has let him have a small knife (like a Swiss Army knife) and Logan said he was really glad we moved here because Jeff NEVER let him do half the stuff he does now when we lived in AR. He's been helping to build a treehouse (along with Riley) with an elder from our church who is building kind of a mini-mansion of a treehouse for the kids.

Riley loves to read, and usually has a book in hand. She's a huge help with the "littles" as we tend to call the three little boys. She's still such a positive person, a little optimist. She'll be eleven in July.

I haven't blogged much this past year (computer and time issues) but will try to keep putting pics and updates at least semi-regularly. They tend to swarm me when I sit down at the computer...

Little O!

2010-06-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

My youngest wild Alaskan rose

2010-06-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

My eldest wild Alaskan rose

2010-06-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Logan's mock of the girls' "rose pose."

2010-06-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Owen didn't recognize Jeff for a few minutes when Jeff came home from hunting.

2010-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Crashed out at the end of a busy birthday - they turned 3 today!

2010-06-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

My concession so that fifteen years from now I don't hear "I never had my own birthday cake!" = split a box mix in two. Not fancy, covers the bases.

2010-06-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

Carson loved digging.

2010-06-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

Cake, ice cream, dirt - what boy could ask for a better birthday?

2010-06-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

I think Brady's favorite present was...dirt. Not really. Well, maybe. The one-dollar bucket from Target rocked his world.

2010-06-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Carson loves his "bike".

2010-06-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

I said "Owen, look!" and he answered "cheese!"

2010-06-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

The snow was too hard for a snowman, but we've had more since then.

2010-01-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

This place is just extreme

2010-01-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

This usually works out better when C is the dragon and B is the knight...

2010-01-15T22:43:00.000-08:00

This isn't just a costume for him...it's a way of life.

2010-01-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

Em's gotten braver and will go down alone now...it's a big hill!

2010-01-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

This is where we like to take the kids sledding - taking a latte and watching the sunset is fun too

2010-01-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

this is maybe ten minutes from home

2010-01-15T22:12:00.000-08:00

This lovely moose was in the pickup line with me today while I waited at school for Emmie.

2010-01-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

OOOOOH I'm so in love with him.

2009-12-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

This is my little garden gnome.

2009-12-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

I love this grin

2009-12-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

2009-12-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Owie-cheese

2009-12-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

My first moose close encounter

2009-11-29T22:08:00.001-08:00

We had a moose at the front door tonight. It was very cool. Jeff was bummed at me for opening the door and letting the twins look out at it, but as SOON as it moved toward me I shut the door. I promise. He wandered around the front yard a bit, then headed off to check out what the neighbors trees tasted like.

Little O, delighted with himself after dnner

2009-11-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

Moose nibbling my tree.

2009-11-29T22:06:00.000-08:00

Moose at my window!

2009-11-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

She lost 2 teeth since this shot, one of which was kicked out by her sister "on accident"

2009-11-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

Valley of the Seven Glaciers...or something like that

2009-11-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

This is when Lance and Todd came in August

2009-11-24T21:46:00.001-08:00

At Alyeska at the top of the tram...yes, that's a glacier

2009-11-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

Jeff, Lance, and Todd having a moment together on the mountain

2009-11-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Snow on the mountains before we had any down here

2009-11-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

2009-11-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

Riley

2009-11-24T21:38:00.000-08:00

messy marshmallows

2009-11-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Owen loves water!

2009-11-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Roasting marshmallows out back

2009-11-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Brady shoveling the back yard - minus his mittens

2009-11-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

Drawing today after Kindergarden (as she does every day!)

2009-11-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

My sweet Em

2009-11-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Sweet little O

2009-11-24T21:09:00.000-08:00

He was hamming it up for the camera

2009-11-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

This was Owen playing today

2009-11-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Oh, Emmie!

2009-11-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

Praying for the Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Carson LOVES sledding

2009-11-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

Bundled for snow...three minutes and Brady's mittens were off. Carson played out for a while though.

2009-11-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the twins a few weeks ago

2009-11-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

I sheared the little sheep

2009-11-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Two elders took us out and caught shrimp, which we cooked and ate on the boat. They were amazing.

2009-11-24T20:35:00.000-08:00

Don't have a bad bear day...

2009-11-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

Brady, still with curls and pacifer (which are now both gone)

2009-11-24T20:29:00.000-08:00

Emmie and her little friend making clover chains

2009-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Crazy beautiful drive up to the camp Jeff spoke at in August

2009-11-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

My house!

2009-11-24T20:23:00.000-08:00

This was Logan's first salmon

2009-11-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

Kenai Lake - check out the turquoise water - it's glacier-fed.

2009-11-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Carson and Brady in a "bear box"

2009-11-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

Check out Jeff and his shotgun...

2009-11-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

I think this was my first glimpse of a glacier

2009-11-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

A momma moose with her calf

2009-11-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

Riley in a BlackHawk...a little scary

2009-11-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Carson ALWAYS has something on his head - this is before I cut their hair

2009-11-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

The kids love it when we see the train...

2009-11-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

One of Carson's many get-ups

2009-11-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

Panning for gold - Logan

2009-11-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

This was back in June overlooking the Turnagain Arm

2009-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00