Fourth of July 2008

We had a great Fourth of July. We started off with a good old fashion parade, all the kids care about is gathering candy. Actually they do a good job of waving and putting their hands over their hearts when they see a flag. We met up with our friend Meg and her two boys so it was fun wrangling the crew.
After the parade we went to a church BBQ it was fun and the boys had their first experience in a super cub. Our friend Jay was great and explained all the goodies in the cockpit to them. We got to love our independence....
Love and free candy,

Eklutna Camping Trip

We took the boys camping at one of our favorite spots Eklutna Lake. It was a great time we hiked around the lake and the boys threw tons of rocks.

Baby Eli decided he did not appreciate camping and screamed until about 11pm refusing to go to sleep.

Luke woke up bright and early and announced to the whole campground that that he was looking for " Squeaky" the squirrel that lived in the tree in our camp spot. You could hear Luke yelling, "Squeaky, where are you?"
"Oh, there you are, come here Squeaky!"

We walked around the lake and the boys decided it was so hot they had to remove their shirts, Corgan Style. Anyways they were so cute, they hugged and then Luke told Caleb he wanted to marry him. They are so sweet.

Jarrett is getting fit for sheep season, he woke up early and ran ten miles around the lake. I wish I could do that!

He Finally Said It!!

I am a very patient woman......but this little guy was breaking me down. All he would say was Da Da Da Da, he has been saying it for months. I rehearse Ma Ma Ma Ma, then he looks me straight in the eye and says, Da Da Da, all with a smile.

Sooo, he finally said Ma Ma Ma. My patience have been rewarded.

Love and baby babble,

Eli and His Tricks!

Eli is just ten months now. He is VERY busy. He managed to get into the powdered sugar while mom was distracted. I should have learned by now if it is quiet, there is sure to be trouble to follow.

So at ten months Eli is:

• crawling fast as lightening
• has five teeth
• has sweet fuzzy hair
• stands on his own
• walks along anything he can hold onto
• eats anything he can hold onto
• climbs up on everything
• is able to back down the stairs and even gets off the bed ( We always say, "Turn around and go down")
• is very friendly with everyone
• giggles
• gives the cuddliest hugs(he actually wraps his arms all the way around you).
• Best of all he watches his older brothers

We are truly blessed.

Love and Sugar Tooth,

Uncle Traveling Ted

We were blessed with my mother's Uncle Teddy coming all the way from Arizona to see us. His gift to himself for his 80th birthday was to take time off and travel to Alaska. We were so glad to be a part of his adventure. Uncle Teddy has endless energy and makes friends where every he goes. I especially enjoyed watching him play with the boys.

We got to take Uncle Teddy to Eklutna, the zoo, our favorite restaurant, Wyatt's birthday party, Talkeetna, Seward, Whitter. He was even here to cheer me on for my first triathlon.

I hope I have as much energy, work ethic, wisdom, and adventure as my great uncle teddy when I am 80.

We can't wait for his next trip, maybe he'll get to hunt something!!

Love and fun guest,

Gold Nugget Triathlon

Well on a whim and a fit to prove a friend wrong I decide to sign up for the Gold Nugget Triathlon. It is an all women triathlon. It fills up with over 1000 ladies in one day. It is for people of all levels. Thank goodness!

So I was mulling the ideas over and I casually mentioned it to a friend and she chuckled and asked me what year I would do that........ I was instantly motivated. She didn't even know that her comment was what drove me to complete the tri and to complete it this year!!!

But I really could not have done it if it weren't for my trainer/coach Autumn, who would run with me at all hours of the day. She was the best coach and a better friend!

Then during the race, I love how my family and friends chased me like the paparazzi. It was all a very memorable event.

Chuckie Cheese's

The boys have a great reward system... when we witness them doing positive things around the house they get a bean in the jar and when the manson jar is filled to the top with pinto "reward" beans they get to go to Chucky Cheese's . They filled the jar so we went and a great time was had by all! Gotta love those tickets! Caleb loved skeet ball and Luke enjoyed the Bob the Builder ride.

Knik Glacier~ Boys Only!

The boys went to Knik Glacier with Jarrett and got the classic boys and weapons photo! Gotta love it!

Happy Easter!

We celebrated Easter with family
we colored eggs, hunted eggs, ate eggs, had a yummy dinner, and ended it all with a bonfire.

PJ's and the Boys!

This is what you see around our house around 7pm. Pretty cute in my humble opinion.

Baby Eli is 6 1/2 months now. He is doing the army crawl and getting around exceptionally well.

Love and soon to be sleeping babies,

The Iditarod

Well the Iditarod is in full swing here right now. I was particularly interested this year because a friend is participating in the world's last great race. So we went to both the ceremonial start in Anchorage and the restart in Willow.

We took a shuttle (school bus) up to the restart. My boys loved the ride, this was their favorite part, followed by playing at the playground, and then a distant third watching the start of the Iditarod.

Love and snow dogs (as Luke would say),

Shopping at Costco with the Boys

So as a mother of three boys, going grocery shopping will be one of those things that I will hopefully look back on with fond memories. Right now it is a bit like trying to complete the Iditarod. But I took a few pictures of a few things I see often, like Luke in the back seat, or baby Eli in the shopping cart. They are just everyday blessings I want to remember.

Love and ordinary memories with glasses,

Happy Birthday to My Husband, the Hunter!

Okay, I have to post photos of my husband, he is a great hunter. He is also very humble so you wouldn't know that he was honored for his accomplishments by the Alaska Bowhunters Association. Have a look at his Sitka Blacktail and his Dall Sheep he got this year, both with his bow.

Love and Studly Husbands,

Chilly Willy Days

Our church participated in a Chilly Willy Day. It was a great idea to gather in a western theme and get a break from winter. The kids had a great time. There was a chili cook off, pie contest, horse rides and then a bunch of great games . Everyone was dressed up and we know how much my boys love to dress up. Caleb won the cake walk right off, of course, he selected the cake that looked like a treasure chest........ so the cake was great until the Lukester got it! He drug it off the counter and was eating with a toothpick. Yeah, that's our boy. He was without clothing, his favorite way to be!

Love and eating off the kitchen floor,

The Cook Is In!!!

Jarrett was kind enough to make us a yummy dinner complete with fresh french bread. Yummy your the best!

Then Caleb decided to help cook he created the master piece salad, his words not mine. He loves to make the salad, I think it has a lot to do with cutting everything with a knife. I loved the olives on the end of the baby corn. A true master piece.

Love and yummy dinners,

Winter Trails Day

We went to Winter Trails Day. The Borough Rec Dept. among others sponsor a day that encourages people to get out in the winter and try,ice skating, snowshoeing, and skiing. They provide all the equipment free with snacks and instruction.

This was Caleb's first skiing adventure. Luke choose to stick close to the snacks and the snow cave. Baby Eli stayed home with grandma.

Caleb the Party Planner

So Caleb is known for his "Great Ideas" and often we will discuss his "great ideas" like vacationing in Mexico, a trip to Disneyland, or a quick trip to California. However, discussing them is usually as far as it goes, until Jake gets involved. Caleb's newest "great idea" is to plan parties, for example we go to church and Caleb invites everyone to his pirate party. I think he is using his imagination again until Jake comes up a asks when is the party and he is bring the cake. So we had a Pirate Party and then a Star Wars Party. I'm glad we have friends that help Caleb realize his "great ideas!"

New Year's at the Cabin!

We went to the cabin for New Year's!





So you know you are an Alaskan when you leave at -15 in the dark to snowmachine 40 minutes to your cabin with three kids, grandma, and her dog. It was a very interesting evening, Caleb requested next time we go to the cabin can we PLEASE go in the light.

This was Eli's (4months) first trip to the cabin. He was snuggled in his down contraption between me and grandma. He fell asleep before we even left the parking lot.

Grandma nested in the cabin, she went through and cleaned and rearranged everything. We drug out three bags of junk after she was finished.

Caleb tried his hand at ice fishing, but he only fed "the bait steal." We were so proud of him, he outlasted everyone. He was pretty far out on the lake, he is the little dot in the photo.