My Alaskan Life

Eli is getting so old!

2010-06-07T01:30:00.001-07:00

Eli is getting so old.... I mean a mustache and everything.....

He cracked me up when he showed this to me, he thought he was so funny. I only let you guess what the adhesive was that keep that little gem of a mustache in place!!

Never a dull moment!

Love & facial hair,

Reflection Lake ut

2010-06-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great Sunday drive with our buddies they are so adventurous!

We headed to Hatcher's, the Butte, Old Glenn, then Reflection Lake.

Caleb & Eli..... are they sweet.... if you only knew;)

This spot was so beautiful that Caleb thought he should pose for a photo.... he's a real natural!

Eli was fascinated with the Knik River.... Twin Peaks in the background

Ahhhh the little buddies.... Eli has picked this flower for me... he insist I put it in my hair...."Put it in your hair mommy."

Boys... can they ever resist throwing rocks?

Mat Peak Trail

2010-05-31T01:11:00.000-07:00

We tried out the family friendly Mat Peak trail. It was beautiful. We had lots of stops along the way.......

Like for Eli and Luke to enjoy the view and eat their smoked salmon & cream cheese bagels.

OR for the boys to stop and whittle with their pocket knives.

Eli gave the trip a two thumbs up..... I would too if Jarrett carried me :)

Ahhhh......

2010-05-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

I miss my blog! I miss keeping my electronic journal. I love to review our little trips, thoughts, & milestones. So after some gentle encouragement, thanks Kiana, the blog is to be renewed. I will be back dating, it is my secret way to drive any readers crazy, but really, it helps me keep my crazy life in some chronological order..... so bear with me.

Love and the end of writer's block,

First Trip Butte Trip 2010

2010-05-24T00:46:00.000-07:00

We made our annual beginning of the summer pilgrimage up the Butte. The boys are getting so big they practically run up the trail.... except for Eli who claims his leg hut if he wants more than 50 yards. So I guess I am not quite ready to retire the big blue Kelty yet. I can't imagine the day.....

Eli is the little speck on the top left. Caleb is trying to look as if he has the mountain in his hands and Luke is just being feisty.

I had the boys convinced that if they all put their hands on the marker at the same time that they would release "the force" .... Yes, Star Wars is going strong at our house right now!

Luke Graduates from Preschool

2010-05-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

Luke graduated from preschool today. He really wanted to wear his papa's tie and look fancy for graduation. He was so excited. He did a great job of sing and performing. He sang exceptionally loud and used his creative license to lead the class on verses out of order... it was so cute. He smiled the whole time. His teachers complimented him on always being helpful and making good choices!! Those are great qualities, Luke!

Luke had a great big smile the whole time~

Luke & Miss Sharon

Luke & Miss Cindy

We wrapped the celebration at Moose's Sub's. Luke insisted on wearing his graduation hat to celebrate.... he received may compliments. What a nice community. THEN we went and visited his new elementary school, where his new principal gave him a tour of the whole school. Luke is sure he will love it there!

Caleb's 1st Grade Field Trip

2010-05-07T01:19:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of volunteering for Caleb's walking field trip it was a great walk, field day activities & pizza. Ms. Spindler was in charge of tag. She sure has a lot of energy.

Caleb had a great time & his friends never miss a photo opt.

Ms. Spindler was a great teacher kind, caring, professional and always positive. Thanks for a great first grade year, Ms. Spindler!

Mt Baldy ~ Eagle River

2009-06-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

We were looking for an easy new hike we haven't done yet. SO we settled on Mt. Baldy. It was listed as easy and only 1.5 miles each way... I guess that would be if I didn't misled my family and we end up bushwacking our way up the side of the mountain. It was very steep. The boys were troopers though.... Jarrett, what a dad, he hauled Eli all the way up and back. I think it is just good training for sheep season! Next time Jarrett better read the directions.

Love and directionally challenged,

What the Hail??

2009-06-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Crazy ~ I think the skies are angry! We just got 1 1/2 inches of marble size hail in ten minutes. I love the thunder and lightening. We don't get a lot of storms of this nature up here. It was a treat.

Love and hope no dents in the car,

Gold Cord LakeLuke

2009-06-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

We hiked up to Gold Cord Lake. It was beautiful. The trail has been improved and the boys loved it. Luke asked if we could hike this 1,000 more times. We call this our secret lake.

It even snowed a little.

Jarrett, Caleb & Luke are all in this picture. Can you find them? It's like Where's Wald0?

Luke is acting like a red stag for his photo! That kid has a great imagination.

Half Marathon ~ Am I to stubborn for my own good?

2009-06-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

So way back in January my friend Jolene convinced me we could run a half marathon. I took the bait, it went well with my new year's resolution and signed up. So that was about as much preparation as I put into this event. I mean I trained for the Gold Nugget Tri and I ran with my buddy Autumn but I kind of forgot about the 1/2 marathon.

Then Jolene got a better offer to go to SF and dropped the 1/2 marathon...yeah I was a little bitter :) How could she get out of it.... she had a great excuse but still. SO what was I to do??? Well then Autumn stepped and said she would run it with me. So we set up a training schedule and totally ignored it! Then we went on vacation, my mom left so no one to watch the kids while I trained..... you get the idea, I had a lot of excuses.

So we come home from vacation on Wed and Thurs Autumn calls and asks if we are still on for the 1/2 marathon. NO I didn't want to do it, Jarrett wasn't home so no one to watch the kids. Aren't kids the greatest excuse to get you out of whatever you feel like bailing on???? But I digress, so I tell Autumn if I can find a sitter I will do it. So I call Stacey, thinking she would be busy and not able to watch the kids and guess what..... yeah, she could watch them....... so I call Autumn back and tell her we are on. Okay we are on??? she asks. Yeah aren't we???? I ask. We are both trying to call the others bluff so we won't have to go through with this torture session but neither of us will give in. WOW we are stubborn. Mind you I have never really ran over 5 miles, once I ran 7 only because we got lost. So I am really hoping she will bail.

I pickup our bibs on Friday then Saturday rolls around, Stacey shows up ( I was hoping she wouldn't) so the bluff still stands and I go over to Autumn's. She is ready, we jump in her truck and head to the race. It was kind of raining..... no not enough of an excuse to bail. We discuss strategies to run/walk as necessary as to not cause any permanent damage.

So the race starts the adrenaline begins to flow, we are weaving through the crowd and the next thing I know it has been 8 miles and we are high-fiving because I have never run this far. I feel good the weather has cleared and I roll the idea around that I could actually run this whole thing. Autumn is great support and a great running partner. So we make it to 11 miles where it hurts and it would be so easy to stop, but we don't let each other. Long of the short we make it, I tear up at the end proud to have completed challenge. There would be pictures but we didn't tell anyone we were running do to fear of failure!

All I can say if thanks so much to my girls who helped me accomplish a goal!! It felt great, I look forward to the next one... If I remember.

Love and sore muscles,

Sikta Part II ~ Tom Young's Cabin

2009-06-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sheldon and Meggan set up a great camping trip for all of us after their wedding. We took their new boat out to a cabin to stay a few days. The cabin couldn't have been more picturesque. On an island with a white sand beach, hot springs right around the corner, tide pools, and a net & buoy playground.

As we arrived at the cabin there was a note from the wife of the man who the cabin was built to memorialize. It simple said that they were there on Memorial Day and their dog had run away and would not return. The dog had been on the island for an extend time and would not come to any one. Apparently this cabin is used almost everyday and there is no shortage of food for "Anchor" the dog. So the challenge was to try and catch Anchor. Caleb was playing catch with him and Heather had him eating out of her lap but he was still elusive. Anyway he was very healthy and still sported his harness and collar. I found the most interesting part was that his master had died very close to that area in a storm.

The last night we stayed Anchor proved himself very valuable as he alerted us with his barks that there was a brown bear right outside the door. You never sleep quite as soundly after you find out there is a bear just outside!

I had great time at the hot springs, once "Meggan the Wonderful" ( wow did Sheldon really score!) fixed the water for the hot springs. The tide pools were great with small fish, crayfish, small crabs, hermit crabs, star fish, and so much more. Super cool!!

If you ever get a chance to go to Sitka don't pass it up,

Love and cool cabins,

SItka ~ Sheldon & Meggan's Wedding

2009-06-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to head down to Sitka to attend our friends wedding in Sitka. Sitka is a very beautiful Southeast town. Sheldon and Meggan got married on a boat out in the bay, it was a beautifully unique wedding. We got to stay at a beautiful chalet, where most of the social happenings occurred. I really appreciated how even though it was Sheldon and Meggan's wedding the put forth such effort to make sure all their guest had the best experience possible. Thanks for a great time !!! I think the Eli wooed the photographer (Tyrone) to take more pictures of him than the bride. What a couple of hams!!

Love and wedded bliss,

Krazy Moose Subs

2009-05-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Luke is in love. He just ate a cookie from Krazy Moose Subs and I thought he was going to pass out. He laid his head on the table so he could fully enjoy the experince. As a fellow junk food junkie I can fully appreciate his love for these large perfectly baked cookies. There sandwhiches are great as well, the homemade bread is super yummy!

Love and craving that are hard on the diet,

1st Coastal Ride of the Season

2009-05-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

SO we went on our first ride on the Coastal Trail and boy was it an adventure. Caleb is getting pretty good on his bike without training wheels. This was his first trip where he was learning to share the trail and control his bike. All was going well until we got to the lagoon and there was a little traffic and Caleb flew over the edge and drove right into the lagoon. He froze and couldn't put his brakes on. I was no help at all because once I saw he was fine I couldn't move due to the fit of laughter. Caleb came running out of that freezing water like a school of piranhas were after him. He was in great spirits and continued ten more miles. He was wet all the way up to his neck.. What a sport, he has a great talent to just laugh at his mistakes. I still chuckle when I think of the water pouring out of his handlebars, seaweed stuff wrapped around his tires, his shoes squirting water like a sprinkler... yeah that's our boy!!

Love and wet kids,

Luke and Eli just watching the entrainment.

Geocaching

2009-05-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

We were off and geocaching today. This is always a great activity to get out and enjoy our local area.

Love and treasure hunting,

Yea ~ I still go to prom

2009-04-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

What can I say I still love to go to prom. It is fun to see all the kiddos all dressed up. I had a great date with my buddy Lindsey.

The funny thing this year was the building they had prom in was all windows and they didn't consider it was light until 11pm.

Love and prom '09

Mommy Quiz

2009-03-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Saw this on a friend's site and thought you might enjoy the results of the boys little interview.

1. What is something mom always says to you?

C ~ Give me a hug

L ~ Want to snuggle

2. What makes mom happy?

C ~ Snuggling you

L ~ When the kids come home from school

3. What makes mom sad?

C ~ When I don't give her a hug

L ~ When someone leaves

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

C ~ Making silly faces

L ~ When something is funny

5. What was your mom like as a child?

C ~ I don't know but I bet you spent time with your mom

L ~ You were small when you were born at the hospital

6. How old is your mom?

C ~ 33

L ~ 3

7. How tall is your mom?

C ~ 50 foot?

L ~ So tall like when you were a kid.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

C ~ Get hugs from Caleb

L ~ Doing homework

9. What does your mom do when you aren't around?

C ~ Mom goes to school and teaches about history and stuff with homework

L ~ I don't know

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

C ~ Taking care of us

L ~ Author

11. What is your mom really not very good at?

C ~ unlocking dad's safe

L ~ cracking something

12. What is your mom really good at?

C ~ for being such a good student for two graduations

L ~ Sportsman's

13. What does your mom do for a job?

C ~ be a teacher

L ~ go to work at high school

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

C ~ everything

L ~ dinner

15. What make you proud of your mom

C ~ making money

L ~ making something and then come home

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

C ~ teacher, school, time... that is just a little thing I made up

L ~ An adult show

17. What do you and your mom do together?

C ~ we snuggle together

L ~ Play together

18. How are you and your mom the same?

C ~ We both go to school

L ~ We both like toys and play together

19. How are you and your mom different?

C ~ I like hunting you like teaching

L ~ Mom doesn't like scary things

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

C ~ Because you love me in all sorts of ways and I was born in you

L ~ That because our whole family loves... like when dad goes to work you stay with the

kids

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

C ~ That you are married together

L ~ Because you like and love him then a long time ago you married dad

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

C ~ to school

L ~ to the store.

Winter at Hatcher's

2009-02-03T11:47:00.001-08:00

We just got about 11 inches of snow so everyone was anxious to get out and enjoy it. We headed to Hatcher's played and in the snow for awhile. Our buddy Autumn went too, the boys enjoyed playing with her, she weathers the cold a little better than mom! It was -1 but that didn't slow the boys down.

Love & winter fun,

Ah, Nuts... Eli!

2009-01-21T22:03:00.001-08:00

Well, it was bound to happen... & leave it to baby Eli to be allergic to nuts. We aren't sure which nuts he is allergic to since he was eating a variety of nuts.

The doctor's office told Jarrett to give him benedryl and go to the hospital parking lot and wait so if the swelling didn't go down he could get him to the emergency room asap.

There is never a shortage of crazy activity around this house!

Love & the nutty boy,

Jarrett has entered blog-land

2009-01-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

I am so excited Jarrett has started his own hunting blog. You can check out right here.

Love and blogging husbands,

I've been tagged.

2009-01-11T17:05:00.001-08:00

I've been tagged by my fried Jill, I think that I have to post the fourth picture in my fourth folder. Haven't done one of these before so here it goes!

hee... hee... this is photo of my wonderful husband and one of his black bears. Pretty funny. This black bear now presides in our living room. You have to love taxidermy.

I tag Jen, Tanya, & Jolene.

Love and hunting husbands,

Summer Memories

2009-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

So when it is so chilly out I have to remind myself of the times when it was warmer. Since I took a six month break I have lots to back blog, so I will begin with a summer trip to the cabin. It was great. Super fun!! I was so excited that our kids would have some of the same fun lake memories I have from growing up. We stayed a week and just hung out, ate, fished, water skied, jet skied, knee boarded, and enjoyed the sandy beach.

I also had to post this for my friend Jill who lives in Florida and asked.... Do you have to wear winter clothes all the time? Well, Jill, not quite all the time but we pretty much wear layers all the time. I go to her blog for my summer fix.

Our cabin neighbors are the best they have all the toys and love to share. Better yet, they love to teach others how to have fun. That's how Caleb (5) learned to water ski and knee board. Caleb and Luke(3) both loved to ride the "Stable Mable" behind the water ski.

I loved the day that Luke fell asleep on the beach, he was just laying there playing then next thing we knew he was asleep with sand stuck to his face. Eli (11 months) would fall asleep, we took the pack and play, he would nap. It was a great restful week.

Love and warm sandy beaches,

Learning something new in 2009!

2009-01-10T11:37:00.001-08:00

So in an effort to keep my mind and body active I signed up for kayaking classes. When you think of kayaking in Alaska it generally isn't during the winter. However, I and my buddy who I drug along, are taking lessons in our local pool. Last night was our first lesson and we learned a lot.... parts of the boat, paddling strokes, wet exits, and the T rescue. So I look forward to learning and practicing more.

The kayaks are stored outside, so it was funny to have the instructor pulling out pieces of ice before telling me to jump in. It was fun and I look forward to next week..... the eskimo roll!

Love & frozen kayaks,

To Freezing and beyond!

2009-01-07T22:57:00.003-08:00

So I had to take a photo of the thermometer in our car. It is still really chilly, I know it is much colder in other parts of the state but Yikes!!!!

It is amazing that each time Jarrett comes home from work the boys are so excited and all they want to do is wrestle. Even Eli (1.5) I think it is all the testosterone.

Love & Layers and Layers of clothes,

Thanks! I love my new header!

2009-01-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

Here is to my buddy Jolene and her beautiful header she made for me.

Love and beautiful views from you porch,

Freezing, Fun, Free, & Friends

2009-01-05T21:41:00.001-08:00

We have been freezing our tails off here. It's been -30F & now the wind has start in...... Oh, Alaska in the winter.

This is the only the second time I have seen -30. Needless to say it has been to cold to play, so we jumped at the chance to go a client appreciation event compliments of our wonderful friend and finaical advisor Rene. It was a free movie and snacks. How fun is that?

Then we wrapped it all up with a visit to the boys favorite playground~ Ant's. The house were the boys rule!

Love and great friends near and far,

Happy New Year!!! Bring on 2009

2009-01-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

Hello to all~

How could I let one of my favorite pastimes go by the wayside? It's easy really,

time goes by fast
computers get slower
USB cords get lost
kids.... do I have to say anymore?

So here it is 2009 and I am trying to get back on the blogging bandwagon. I really appreciate all the encouragement to bet back on my blog. So here we go....

Fourth of July 2008

2008-07-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-06-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-06-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-04-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

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

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-03-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

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

2008-03-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-02-16T22:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-02-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-01-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

And then there was five + Grandma & Aunt Stacey...... We had a great Christmas Caleb came in and woke us up at 3am and Jarrett the stickler he is made Caleb wait until 4am to wake up everyone else. The boys had such a great time and loved all their gifts.

Colony Christmas 2007

2007-12-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

We went to the Colony Christmas Parade. It was a chilly evening but fun was had by all. We got to take our friends David and Abby. Not sure I would be able to handle five kids.... but with grandma's help we can do anything.

After the parade we went out and laid on the grass by the libary and watched the fireworks. I really don't think my children will ever lay in the grass in December in Alaska to watch the fireworks agian

Love, parades, and candy,

Annual Christmas Church Dinner

2007-12-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

Our church has an annual Christmas dinner where they decorate, the teens serve and then they take family photos. It was a great evening to get us in the Christmas spirit. The boys loved it.

Love and smiles,

Baby Eli the First 3 Months

2007-12-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe Eli is now four months. He is so sweet natured. He only feels the need to cry when he is in his carseat, and only a small amount at that. He loves his big brother Caleb, smiles each time he walks in the room. He loves his grandparents who have all come to see him. He loves to snuggle. He especially loves when his daddy wrestles him.

He is now giggling when you tickle him, reaches for items, tries to hold a bottle, shakes his rattle, drools, chews on his fist, sits up with support, loves to lay on his belly, showing interest in the crawling position and babbles every chance he gets. He is now 28.5 inches and 18.5 pounds. A very large boy for his age.

Love and 3 months,

Caleb is Five!!

2007-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Caleb celebrated his fifth birthday party, just like his fourth.... with a pirate party. It was a great time, Caleb got a .22 from his dad. We had a fun time decorating and creating our own treasure cake. And what party of Caleb's would be complete without a pinta.

A half hour after everyone left our power when out. Caleb thought it was so cool that we were all going to sleep in the living room. He thought this would make a great birthday tradition, we'll see!

Love, five year olds, and pirate eyebrows and mustaches,

Eli & Daddy

2007-11-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, Jarrett really loves his little boys!!! They all love him so much, how could you not he is so fun..... all they do is play all day. If the party moves to the garage even little Eli gets to go "manland!"

Love and wrestling,

Eli Hatcher's Shower

2007-11-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

The church ladies gave Eli a great shower. It was a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. I especially loved that the ladies each had a special prayer for our little guy! What a blessing.

You have to love the picture of Ant & Autumn in the cage!! We were joking that if you were a bad party goer, that you ended up in the cage...aka "the elevator"

Caleb Lost His First Tooth

2007-11-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

This evening we were at church and singing a song when Caleb tugged on my pant leg to show me his tooth....in his hand. Yes, you guessed it he lost his first tooth. He is only four okay five next month but still my boy is growing up.

So here is Caleb's version of the story. "Mom, I was just wiggling my tooth like I always do then we started singing and I chopped down and cracked my tooth. So I felt it and then I yanked it out. There was only a little bit of blood. I am SOOOOO excited. Do you think the tooth fairy will leave me some shiny quarters? Can we write a letter to dad and tell him.... because that's what you do when you want to tell someone news you write them a letter. Can we go home so I can go to sleep and put this under my pillow???"

They grow up so fast!

Love and shiny new quarters and teeth,

You have to love photos like this!

2007-11-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

As you all know I am their mother so I may not be the most objective person but aren't these just the sweetest little guys!

The Costume Drama

2007-10-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

It is such a challenge to make the final decision what the boys are going to be for Halloween. They change their minds like the weather. So I finally decided to order Luke's Lightening McQueen costume, because you could not find it in our whole state. Anyways..... side note Luke would tell people that he was going to be McQueen, they would only hear him say Queen.... so you can image the confusion. It was pretty funny. SO the costume gets here and Luke doesn't want anything to do with it. He finally warmed up to it about 15 minutes before we went to Caleb's party. He wore it the whole time trick or treating and now the relationship is over.

Stacey's employer thought it would be funny if she was Dr. Suess and Stacey and the other assistant were Thing 1 and Thing 2. We stopped by her office to check her out.

Caleb was the Karate Kid. Good sensible choice, very easy on mom. Eli got to wear all the cool stuff people had given him. Thanks Ant & Aunt Connie and Sharon. You made our little pumpkins day!

Preschool Halloween Party

2007-10-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Luke were so excited to attend his preschool Halloween Party. The kids played games, sang songs, and had snacks. It was fun. Caleb gave all his friends sucker spiders that Grandma Linda and Aunt Stacey helped him make. Clint and Linda also got to experience the whole party scene as well.

Luke really felt like a big boy participating in a school event. He is getting so big, too.

Caleb's First Fieldtrip.

2007-10-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Caleb's preschool class has been studying fire safety. They got to meet fire fighter Kevin, practice stop, drop and roll, then go to the local fire station. It was a great trip and Caleb got to ask how fast a fire truck can go. Only 63mph if you were wondering.

They wore little fire fighter name tags and were fascinated with the inside of the truck. Caleb is pretty sure he wants to be a fire fighter now!

Bouncin' Bears

2007-10-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

Our friend Kristy was brave enough to open up her own business, Bouncin Bears it was fun to watch it grow from the ground up. The boys love to got play there! Parents play too..

Big Game Alaska

2007-10-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

We stopped in at Big Game Alaska to see the animals, luckily it wasn't very busy because Luke kept shouting each animals name at the top of his lungs. He was so excited to see all his favorite animals like the musk ox and buffalo. The duck in the photo is frozen in the pond, kind of. There is something a little unnerving that only a small fence stands between these large carnivorous animals and my little children.

Eli

2007-09-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

In this photo Eli has his billy light wrapped around his
tummy.

Caleb took this photo. A child's perspective.

Eli is a very easy baby. He really likes to be with his mom, at least for right now. He is sleeping very well, eats like a horse, and only lets you know he is uncomfortable when he is in the car seat.

Love and sweet little boys,

Harvest Time

2007-09-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's harvest time and we enjoyed a harvest festival. We went on a hayride, played games, and picked out a few pumpkins. It was a great jump start to autumn.

Caleb & Eli

2007-09-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Caleb is a great big brother, he often wants to help change diapers, hold his brother or just entertain him.

Luke has learned a lot from Caleb and has warmed up to Eli like an ole' pro, he now "pets" him a lot.

Blueberry Picking

2007-09-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

We headed North to pick blueberries. I couldn't help but to think of how many of tons of berries we drove past as we went to our "secret" blueberry spot, but the fall colors and beautiful sights made it all worthwhile.

So we rode the four wheeler in a ways, so at a month old Eli has already been on two four wheeler rides, quite the adventurer already.

Eli's First Four Wheeler Ride

2007-09-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

Eli had his first four-wheeler, we couldn't let fall get away without a ride into Eklutna. We grabbed some KFC and ventured on our 26 mile ride. The leaves are all changing and fall is in the air. It was a beautiful ride.

Caleb's First Day of Preschool

2007-09-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Our big guy is growing up. He is now attending preschool three days a week. He LOVES it! In fact, after the first day he created a thank you card for his teacher in which he included a few gifts of pens and paper. He loves school and is so independent. We went to open house to check it out and he told Jarrett and I that we could just go ahead and leave he would be fine!

I am often reminded to enjoy my children that the time goes by so fast. It is definitely picking up speed!

Train Ride to Seward.

2007-09-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

Caleb, Luke and Eli on their first train ride.

We had a great train ride. We left Anchorage very early rode to Seward. It was a beautiful relaxing ride. The boys loved it. The scenery was awesome. Once to Seward we went to the Sea Life Center. That is were Caleb got attacked by the plastic crabs!

Our last day at the Fair

2007-09-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

We had to stop by the fair one last time. The boys enjoyed the lumber jack show, YO HO!!!!!

More Fair

2007-08-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yeee Haa!!! Luke, our little cowboy!

Caleb rode the roller coaster all by himself!!!
He is such a big boy!

Grandma with our "Alaska Giants!"

State Fair

2007-08-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

Baby Eli first trip to the fair, he slept through it all!

First family of five photo!

Baby Eli

2007-08-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Baby Eli arrived Sunday, August 12, 2007 at 5:02 pm.

He was 22 1/2 inches long and 10.13.

The boys are loving having a little brother. "The three musketeers" as Caleb puts it.

We're all home and busier than ever!

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Love and a bit of jaundice,

Here we go.... We're on our way!!

2007-08-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

We'll keep you posted!

Baby Update

2007-08-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

Everything is fine and according to Eli's due date he should be here today!!! But you know how that goes.

Anyways I had a sonogram yesterday (sorry, no cute 3D images, he was hiding) and my doctor will review the results today and decide if we should induce labor (both Caleb and Luke were induced). I am very large and the predicted weight of our little guy was 11.2#. BUT the results are skewed due to extra amniotic fluid and other factors. However it is still funny to say just for the shock factor.

We'll keep you updated.

Love and Big boys,

TWINS!!!!!!!

2007-08-06T23:46:00.001-07:00

Can you believe we had twins???

Hee Hee... did I get you just a little?
Aren't these the cutes little moose? They have been hanging around the house a lot lately.

Luke's Wild Snooze

2007-08-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

You can image my confusion when I went to check on Luke and his bed was empty......

Hmmm......

So I looked around the room.... No Luke....

Ahhh..... check the dark closet and what do I see...

One crazy kid snoozing on the floor. He hauled all his covers pushed the door off track and made himself a little nest!

Fun at the Lake

2007-07-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

We rode our four wheelers into Eklunta, had a picnic and played at the lake. The boys had a blast. So am I a "real" Alaskan woman if I can do a 15 mile four wheeler ride at 37 weeks or just crazy?

Love and Glacier Lakes

Sneak Peek

2007-07-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

Well I had a sonogram and we got a sneak peek at Eli Hatcher. So who do you think he looks like?

They estimated his weight at eight pounds... looks like he will follow in his brothers big footsteps! We still have three weeks to go!!

Love and big boys,

My Sweet Boys

2007-07-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ant watched the boys while I went to a doctor's appointment and this is what I get emailed to me. We are so thankful she loves to take pictures. (and watch the boys!!)

Love and sweet photos,

Gold Miners

2007-07-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

The boys were very excited to go gold mining. Caleb found lots of "gold."

Photographer or Song Leader???

2007-07-05T00:46:00.000-07:00

Today Caleb led his first song at church. After much consideration he chose "Jesus Loves Me".

We practiced at home and it was a very entertaining process. Each time before he sang he would clear his voice, then he would change the number of the song, and sometimes he would just create his own version of the song. He even grabbed his guitar to spice things up. It is hard to harness such a creative performer :)

But I am glad to report that he did a great job. He felt like a big boy doing such an important job.

Caleb's First Picture

2007-06-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

This is Caleb's first photo. Julie was recently visiting and said " Oh, I wish we could get a photo of the two of us......" So I thought Caleb can do it, we showed him how then posed. He took the picture and when I asked him if he got the two of us he said, "Yep!" So you can image the chuckle we got when we reviewed the picture. Yes, he did get us but only our bellies!!! So I guess everyone get to see the 8 month prego belly!

Love and new photographers,

Julie, it was a quick but fun visit!

2007-06-25T23:50:00.000-07:00

It was great to see Julie, it has been about six years! We had a great visit and the boys loved her! We ran to Hatcher's Pass, then lunch at the Sourdough Mining Company, and stopped quickly at Saturday Market. We jammed as much as we could into our 15 hour visit!

Church BBQ

2007-06-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

We went to a church BBQ, they had a beautiful yard, yummy food, and great fellowship! Ant was armed her camera so we got some fun shots. Have a great day!

The Range

2007-06-21T08:16:00.001-07:00

The boys had a great time at the range. Caleb got to shot his BB gun and Luke got to wear cool ear muffs and have his diaper changed. (Isn't Jarrett a great dad) The boys love hanging out with their dad.

Memory Verse

2007-06-21T08:05:00.001-07:00

Caleb received a prize from his teacher (Jake) for being the only kiddo to remember his memory verse in bible class. "For God made me." You can imagine my surprise, considering this super mom had no idea he even had a memory verse! With that being said... We are so proud of our little guy. Jake gave Caleb a little bag of candy and cars, when Luke saw his brother with candy he began to cry... he wanted a sucker... Caleb being the caring brother gave up his sucker to his brother... he said it was the nice thing to do.

So here is a picture of Caleb and his loot.. (Please note he had to wear his California shirt) And of course the camera can not be out without Luke wanting to get in on the action.

Love and memory verses,

Picnic at Cottonwood Lake

2007-06-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Isn't great to have friends who call at 6pm and say hey lets meet for a picnic in twenty minutes. I lub it and so do my boys! So party on!!!

Hatcher's Pass

2007-06-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Casey and I went to Hatcher's pass to get the boys out for a while. It was beautiful and a good workout walking the trails. Luke was, as usual, loving getting his photo taken. Caleb was of exploring everything. Busy boys!

Colony Day Parade

2007-06-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

We went to the Colony Day Parade, the boys had a good time and got a bit of candy. Caleb waved to everyone and Luke was in the comfort of Stacey's arms.

Sold

2007-06-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

To small for our growing family... bye bye Volvo!

Geocaching! We lub it!

2007-06-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

We love geocaching or treasure hunting as Caleb calls it. It is a great way to get to know your neighborhood. Caleb is a great treasure hunter perhaps it is all the pirate research or he's at just the right height. Some how he seems to always find the treasure. Luke has a good time too, but we often tucker him out! We found 9 caches last week!

Zoo

2007-06-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

We thought we should head to the zoo and visit Maggie, the lone elephant of Alaska before she is moved... Luke loves her, I guess we will be going back soon, because I forgot to take a picture of her. Twice the boys have gone into the elephant house and she actually puts her truck up close enough to touch them.

We did however get a photo of Luke's favorite animal ever.... the Musk Ox. You know your son is a real Alaskan, when his favorite animal is a Musk Ox.

Bubble Baths!

2007-05-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dad gives the best bubble baths ever!

Bunk Beds

2007-05-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

With the new little guy on the way we had to make room..... so Luke and Caleb will be sharing a room and they get to have bunk beds! They are both excited. Right now Luke is still in his crib so we can sleep the whole night but he will move in with Caleb shortly. Until then they use the section where Luke's bed will go as a cave. Even Aunt Stacey likes it!

Pirates

2007-05-26T18:52:00.001-07:00

Today Caleb got his photo taken with Jack Sparrow! Yeah,it was only a cardboard cut out, but he loved it just the same. He even got a tatoo at the little carnival. We had fun and good snacks, then headed to a church bar-b-que. Busy day the boys have already passed out!

Camping with a little clamming on the side!

2007-05-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

We headed down south to do some clamming, the boys and I have never clamming so we were very excited. Caleb had been counting down the days to go to the beach and camping.

Both boys loved the fire at the camp site. We slept in the tee pee and after clamming Jarrett and Caleb took a nap. can you find Caleb?

2007-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sweet!

More Clamming Photos

2007-05-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Clamming Photos

2007-05-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Our motley clamming crew, Marty, Kiana, Stacey and Autumn!!!

This was Caleb, Luke and my first time clamming. It was fun. Caleb and Luke just loved being at the ocean chasing birds, looking for shells, and digging in the sand.

Jarrett's Kodiak Brown Bear

2007-05-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Jarrett is now home from a week in Kodiak hunting brown bears. He had a good time but we sure are glad to have him home!!

Imaginarium & Downtown

2007-05-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

The boys and I join Maggie and Connie Friday evening at the Imaginarium, then a short walk around dowtown finished off with a trip to the mall. It was a great evening.