Grampa, here is something to look at..

Meagan at her first concert!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

We have had an eventful fall so far, family life is great. To start off we got a bunny, Hershey, cute little guy, he used to be a show bunny, we told him that kind of behavior won't fly here;). He started out in a cage in Meagan's room. That became a stinky situation, so he moved to the garage, still in the cage. Not much later, he sweet talked us into a pen in the backyard, that seemed to be a good fit too, well much like the Mouse and a cookie, he worked out a deal to roam the entire backyard. Hershey, was living the high life, master of his domain, king of the roost, what could he need.....out apparently. Luckily the neighbors found him in their yard, so we beefed up security.....and he breaks out again. Again we recover the little hare. Two weeks later with only minor misshaps and we are sure the worst of it is behind us. Well that little jack%$#@$! (rabbit) can't seem to get enough of the neighborhood. By now the kids don't seem to care as much, so no scouts were sent out. THREE days later he comes back, prodigal bunny,....we still love him, but he no longer is a beneficiary.

Ice Caves

So, we pay big bucks and travel to Alaska and look what's in our backyard! We hiked up with our friends the Burdicks and the Deans one week and then the next we went back with our kids. The second time we went up it was about 90 degrees out. Our only relief was at the top near the caves. The glacial air was wonderful. As soon as we stepped away we were in an oven again. The kids were melting.

Into the Wild

Alex with cousins Raymond and William at Potters Marsh in Anchorage, Alaska. Many thanks to Cousins Christine, Bill, Raymond and William, Uncle Ray and Aunt Sally. We had a fabulous trip to Alaska to kick off the summer.As mentioned we started off the summer with a trip "into the wild." We have been planning a trip to Alaska for years and finally got around to doing so. What a beautiful place. We hiked up green hills, drove to Denali State Park, smam in the rivers of McGrath, visited a glacier and bonded with family.
A lot of the 5 1/2 hr car ride to Denali state park was rocking out to Abba (the original Mama Mia soundtrack) and taking pictures out the window. Thus the blurry trees. Everything was so beautiful we had to keep trying for a good picture!

The kids dipped them selves (up to their waists) in that cold little river.Who say's you have to be 16 to drive? What helmet? So after 4 days on the wheeler, Isaac was not happy to go back to his carseat! We spent 4 fabulous, hot days in McGrath with Aunt Sally and Uncle Ray. I learned to make Alaskan blueberry pie and cowboy beans. We got around mostly by four wheeler and boat. Look Ma, the big one that didn't get away! We ate that 32" Pike for dinner. It was delicious!

Having fun at Father's Day Island. It was so peaceful. We learned the meaning of stillness. We paddled a way off the shore and just sat in the silence. The only thing to destroy it was the constant buzzing around our heads. Between mosquitos and biting flies we were swatting and scratching all day and night. Happy 4th of July. We were in a parade with most of the town of McGrath. We decorated the wheeler and wagon and hit the streets. We were supplied with candy to throw out to the bystanders. Only problem is most everyone was in the parade. So we went back afterward and collected most of what we threw out! Too fun.

We picniced on the grounds of the Anchorage Temple one day. It's small but lovely.
roarrrr
I found the spot I'd live in if we were to move to Alaska. Seward is beautiful. It is a couple of hours from Anchorage. It reminded us of a town like Mukilteo. We stopped in at the sea life center and this is the view!Exit Glacier
It was a great little hike to this glacier just out of Seward. Alex got quite sick with a fever and body aches just about an hour previous. Some dinner, tylenol and a nap and he was up for the hike. What a trooper. It was a little windy but not really cold.

The land of the midnight sun. It was great. We were able to pack so much into everyday. The sun set right around 11:45pm and stayed dusky. We were never up, but we hear it rose again about 3:30-4:00am.

dreamy dreams

For FHE we made dream jars that are filled with super powers and magical places. We had a fun time making them, finally a FHE where everyone wanted to participate!