Adventures of The Sweeties

A Very Merry Christmas

2012-01-15T21:16:00.001-09:00

Twas the night before Christmas and the house was overflowing with excitement of two small boys. The stockings were hung underneath the window with care. The cookies and milk were set out in hope that Santa would soon be there. Mama and Papa spent the night fretting about what time they would be awoken the next morning.

Everything is ready, the elves worked their magic and got the presents set out and the stockings filled.

Wyatt had strict instructions not to go downstairs before his light came on (we have a lamp set on a timer that comes on at 6:00am to let him know he can get up) and to come wake us when he left his room. Well, of course that didn't work and he came busting into our room at 5:30 jumping up and down saying "Santa brought me a pirate ship!!!"

The Pez and the Lifesavers that Santa left in the stockings may have been the most exciting part.

Santa brought ice fishing poles!

I am not sure why the kids get so excited about Santa when the pile of gifts from the Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles is so much bigger! Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful gifts.

All that excitement really wore papa out!

We had about 12 friends over for dinner on Christmas day. We cooked up our homegrown ham and everyone brought a dish to share. We always wish we could be with our families for the holidays but we are very lucky to have such a good group of friends to celebrate with, we had a wonderful Christmas. Unfortunately I did a pretty poor job of taking photos of it all.

It is Official!!

2011-12-20T21:28:00.001-09:00

The Getting of The Tree

2011-12-20T21:19:00.001-09:00

Going out a cutting a Christmas tree is something I really look forward to, this year was no exception but it ended up being kind of stressful getting there. I don't know why it was so hard to do this year but with only a few hours of daylight, sick kids and lots of other things going on it just kept getting delayed, and I kept getting frustrated- I wanted my tree!!
So thankfully it finally happened and it was a wonderful outing but...the tree is still not decorated- ARRGH! We got it last Friday left it to thaw out and went to decorate of Saturday but the lights didn't work. Sunday I went to town but the only store open is the grocery store which of course was sold out of lights, so had to wait until Monday to get the lights. But Monday night I have book club so it didn't happen, tonight the neighbor kids came over to decorate cookies and tomorrow Jeff has a meeting in the evening so it looks like our next chance is Thursday. Oh well, at least I got my tree.

The boys felt it was important to bring the heavy machinery.

I felt it was important to bring a rugged Alaskan man to chop the tree down.

Alaska is not the mecca for the big full beautiful trees that your used to. You will never find Black Spruce for sale an any parking lot at Christmas time. But this one was free and growing right on our property. And even though we had to cut down a 30 ft tree just to use the top 8ft, the base is only 3inches in diameter so it is a real pain to get to fit into any normal stand, and its a little thin and scraggy- this is the kind of tree we have come to love.

We brake for snow angels.

The rugged man also comes in handy for carrying the tree home because the sled is filled with boys and their machinery.

And who knew rugged men could be convinced to build wreaths?? Notice how he is holding it out using the "big fish method".

Stay tuned for the decorating of the tree!!!

'Tis The Season

2011-12-12T15:21:00.033-09:00

'Tis the season for building snow villages...

and for sad boys that are cold want to go inside NOW!

and for turning boxes into sleighs, legos into presents and horses into reindeer

and for christmas crafts

and for making cookies and frosting, then licking the beaters!

and for decorating the cookies with friends

and for making pizza (always in season)

and for skijoring.

It is a wonderful time of the year!!!

A Big Week

2011-12-06T21:53:00.001-09:00

This week was the never ending week, it was jammed packed full of good stuff. If you remember last weekend Jeff and his band played down at Black Rapids lodge, while I was down there the owner mentioned that she had a last minute reservation and no one available to be at the lodge. So she must have really been in a pinch because she asked me if I would be willing to stay at the lodge and cook for the 2 guests that would be staying there. Now keep in mind that this was only the second time I had met the owners, so like I said they were really in a bind or they are very trusting people- probably a little of both. I told her if I could find a babysitter for the boys and someone to help me I would do it. I couldn't believe it worked out! The neighbor girl watched the boys and my friend Gwen who is retired said she would go with me. Monday afternoon we headed down and came back Thursday morning. The lodge is about an hour south of Delta, nothing else really there except of course the mountains, Delta river, and Black Rapids Glacier.

The lodge is beautiful!! Amazing timber frame construction and very nice detail work, such as these railings and stained glass windows, most of which was done by Alaskan artists.

The work load was pretty light because the owners had quite a bit of the food prep done. They had a menu lined out and some stuff made ahead and frozen but it was still stressful just trying to figure out this huge kitchen, finding the things we needed and getting the food on the table in a timely fashion. Luckily the two guys that were staying there had pretty low expectations- they were laying some cable and thought they were staying in a military bunkhouse and didn't know if meals would be provided. So needless to say they were pleased when they saw the lodge.

I was really glad Gwen was there to keep me company, help me get everything put together and clean up the mess. We even had some free time to get out and explore the trails on snowshoes.

Everything went well and they guys seemed pleased with our cooking but I thought it wouldn't hurt to offer a side of Pepto with each meal. The best part was just the peace and quiet. Gwen hardly ever whined or cried and I only had to tell her once not to hang on my leg while I was trying to cook.

Back home Wyatt had his first hockey practice! I was sorry to miss his very first but I made it to his second on Friday. Wyatt was a little nervous at first, just waiting and watching. The coach (trying to be helpful) skated over, grabbed Wyatt and carried him away. Wyatt kicked and yelled until he stopped and then just sat on the side for a bit until he got over that shock. Once he recovered (the coach came over and apologized to us) he was up and moving. He still holds on to his bucket for balance but he can get up some speed. I don't think it will be long before he is going on his own.

The other exciting news this week is that Santa's elves showed up!!! The look on Wyatt's face when he first saw the elf was priceless. Big giant eyes filled with wonder "Mama!!! LOOK!! the elves are back!!!"

I got these elves from my Grandma. Last year after hearing my friend talk about her "Elf on the shelf" and what a good job of parenting they did, we decided to try it. We told the boys that these elves send daily behavior reports back to Santa. It fascinates me how they don't doubt any of this information for even a second, I love it. And I love the endless questions that are asked of me about the elves and Santa, although it is challenging to come up with the answers. So the Elves are back and watching. Yesterday Wyatt starting talking mean to Sam then stopped and said "Oh I am sorry Sam, I should not have talked to you like that, the Elves are looking at me." So it works as a parenting tool (sometimes) but the boys also love them and play games with them all day. The best part is that the elves hide in a different spot every night while we are sleeping so the first thing the boys do in the morning is try to find them.

This weekend was also busy. On Saturday many of the local business had their annual Holiday open houses. Its fun- lots of people out and about, tons of yummy snacks, sales, door prizes and just good holiday cheer. So we spent most of the afternoon running around town chatting and snacking, then I spent a couple hours at a friends baby shower for a few hours then met Jeff and the boys back in town for the local performance of the Nutcracker. Okay, so maybe it doesn't sound so busy to you but for a day in Delta it is!!

We ended the week with some crazy weather. The famous Delta wind starting blowing and the temps climbed up to 47 (above zero), all the snow melted and we had big puddles in the yard. Yuck! The boys enjoyed it but thankfully that evening the temps dropped back down and it started snowing. I think we got 4 inches overnight so we are back to where we started except the roads are nasty.

Oh and we bought a new (used) car.

Anybody want to buy an 1998 Subaru? We will make you a good deal!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-28T10:01:00.001-09:00

Here is a glimpse into our Thanksgiving week. We have so much to be thankful for again this year.

Thankful for father-son bonding time.

Thankful for boys who love the snow so much they want to bring it into the house when it is -30 and too cold to go out and play in it.

Thankful for my boy's imaginations and their ability to entertain themselves building traps while I make dinner.

Thankful that during our 2.5 hour drive to Tok on Thanksgiving day we saw fewer than 30 cars, a very low stress holiday commute.

Thankful for a wonderful group of friends to spend the holidays with.

Thankful for an abundance of food.

Thankful for cute babies and new ones on the way.

Thankful for good cheer.

Thankful for an abundance of PIES!

Thankful for good health and a beautiful place to live.

Thankful for a warm house to return to.

Thankful for friends who entertain our children.

Thankful for good music.

Thankful for our first overnight babysitter and a lovely evening spent at Black Rapids Lodge.

From the Archives Part 3

2011-11-22T22:15:00.000-09:00

Okay just a few more. These you could almost think there were from the present but alas they are from last SPRING. You can tell because there are pictures in which people have their mittens off and it is bright and sunny. Right now it is -20 below (keep mittens ON) and the sun stays low in the sky.

These were from one of my very favorite family outings of this year. We had such a fun day ice fishing and skating and it was absolutely gorgeous.

These next few were from the ice cave at Castner glacier.

The snow here is so dry during most of the winter you can't even make a snowball, so in the spring when it starts to warm up a bit we enjoy playing in the soft snow.

Okay that is it, I am ready to move on to present day postings!

From the Archives Part 2

2011-11-22T22:00:00.000-09:00

Again, just a few more that were waiting to be posted from this summer. I think I am almost ready to move into the present and stop dwelling in the past...but the past was so much warmer!!

From The Archives

2011-11-22T21:52:00.000-09:00

As I was messing around with the blog today trying to change format and upload videos and such I discovered that I actually had a bunch of photos uploaded that were just sitting there all alone patiently awaiting words to go along with them.

These pictures were from an incredible trip I took back in way March. In my early days (before marriage and kids) I used to do this kind of thing all the time and actually got paid to do it! But it has been a long time so I was super excited to get the chance to go out with one of my former bosses and hassle some Harlequin Ducks out in Prince William Sound again. This trip was a quick follow up to the work we did looking at the effects of the Exxon Valdez Oil spill on the Harlequin ducks. We captured ducks and collected a small sample of liver tissue which was was analyzed to see if the birds are still being exposed to oil.

The boat pictured below is the Discovery. We lived aboard the boat for 10 days while we were capturing ducks. Jeff and I first met on this same boat way back in 1996. Actually three couples met on this boat on that same trip all ended up getting married!

The morning commute.

Removing birds from the mist net.

I some how ended up on the bottom of this tangle.

A happy girl and her duck.

Beautiful duck!

I assisted our vet and administered anesthia during the liver biopsy surgery.

The release.

The crew.

Old friends. I started working for Dan in 1995, my first year in Alaska.

Searching for the elusive Stellar's Sea Monkey.

Good times and an incredible group of people to work with. I do hope that someday when the boys are a bit older I can get back out and do this more often.

One Week Later, I am Back!

2011-11-20T20:42:00.001-09:00

Now I know that two Sunday night blog posts does not exactly make a tradition but it's a step in the right direction. I am just back from Fairbanks where I spent a lovely Saturday evening having dinner with good friends and a very pleasant Sunday afternoon at Lauren's baby shower. I did not take the camera (I need to work on that if I am going to keep up with my Sunday night blogging) but I am excited to share some pictures from this fall.
It has been brutally cold (-35 to -20) this last week so it is also good to think about warmer days and pictures like these are good reminders of why we put up with this kind of weather in November.

The first three pictures are from a hike/sheep scouting trip Jeff and the boys took just south of Delta.

These next pictures are from a family camping trip along the Denali Highway at Tangle lakes.

Our nature boy.

THIS is why we live here!!

This reflection on the lake was utterly amazing.

Sam was so beat from admiring all that spectacular scenery

that not even a lollipop could keep him awake, now that is tired!

See you next Sunday??

Testing.....

2011-11-13T21:37:00.000-09:00

I know it has been awhile (6 months I think) since the last posting but during my time away there have been some very positive changes in technology at the Mason residence. First, I bought a new computer (an iMac, which I love) and second, we actually got wireless internet at home! It felt REALLY good to cancel the dial-up. So I am sitting in the comfort of my own home trying to blog. It seems to be working so far. I will not make any promises but if it really does continue to work, you just might be seeing more action on the old blog.

So just to get back in to the swing of things I will post a few random pictures from this summer.

Hiking at Gakona glacier. We didn't make it past the scary bridge over the river. I was scared too!

Wyatt's first day of school picture. Needless to say, he was not happy about school starting.

We had some dirt work down on our driveway, now that was exciting for boys! What they don't know is that come spring their favorite driveway puddles will be gone, that will be sad for boys!

We have a new friend. Wyatt named him "closey" because, well, he comes close :) He eats right out of the kids hands and even jumps up on their legs. The biologist in me knows I probably should not be feeding him but the mother in me delights in seeing how happy it makes the kids.

Even the neighbor kids come to get in on the action.

Beware, our house is constantly under attack by pirates....

mean ones!!

Wyatt learned to ride a two wheeler this summer. We were going over to the neighbors one day and discovered that one of his training wheels was broken and he said "Well, Mama I think I am ready to try riding without them". So I took them off and gave Wyatt a little push and off he went!

The boys love to help Papa!!

Okay, my first blog from home seems to be a success. Could this become a Sunday night ritual??

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-04T18:55:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Memorial day weekend right this year and packed in as much as we could. We took off Thursday night and drove down to Coal Mine lakes Road where we had a public use cabin reseverd for two nights. We could not have ordered nicer weather and the cabin was in a beautiful spot. Wyatt loves to go fishing so as soon as we got to the cabin we geared up and headed out on the lake.

We only caught a couple small Char the first night but it was a great evening on the lake. It was midnight by the time we got in had some dinner and got the boys in bed. I have not been up that late in a long time but it was nice to enjoy the sunset (yes, this was taken at midnight!). The low clouds were actually smoke from a forest fire burning in the distance.

This is the view from the front porch of the cabin first thing on Friday morning- Spectacular!!

First words out of Wyatt's mouth in the morning were "Can we go fishing now?"

After fishing and breakafast we headed up to the old coal mine to do some exploring.

We went for a nice long hike up into the tundra above the mine.

View from the top of the hill we climbed.

Wyat was a great little hiker, I was surprised at how far we made it. Sam didn't hold up quite so well. He fell asleep up on Papa's shoulders. I wish I could sleep like that.

Stopped to cool off by the creek.

Got a nice look at a herd of Caribou.

I rode my bike back down to our cabin, the boys took the 4-wheeler.

And of course as soon as we got back to the cabin we had to go fishing!

We did end up catching a couple keepers for dinner but most of the fish were pretty small.

On Saturday we headed back home to catch Friendly Frontier Days here in Delta. Two of our good friends got nominated to kiss a pig. Couldn't miss that! Plus there were hay rides, straw bale mazes, homemade ice cream and baby yaks to pet.

Here is Eileen, she opted to sit on the pig before smooching it.

She did a fine job and came out of the pen in pretty good shape.

Next up is Chuck, here he is practicing his pucker.

Now Chuck took a slightly different appraoch, he went for the full body slide tackle.

He did finally land a smooch on the pig but came out of the pen in much worse shape than Eileen did.

The rest of the weekend we spent working in the garden and visiting with our good friends Dave and Shiway who came down for a quick float trip on the Clearwater. I wish every weekend could be just like this one was.

Spring Pigs

2011-06-04T16:44:00.001-08:00

We are very grateful that we are able to fill our freezer with meat that we have had a hand in harvesting and processing. Most of the meat we eat is wild game (moose, caribou, Dall sheep, bison, salmon, and halibut), and some home grown turkey and chicken. But we do love bacon!! and so for the second time we decided to raise a couple hogs this year.

We went out to Pinklemen's farm to pick out our pigs and Mr. Pinkleman was kind enough to show us around and to let the boys hold the day old piglets.

This is Wyatt's "I am super excited but very nervous" face. Shortly after I took this picture a pig right behind Wyatt squeled really loudly and startled him so much that he dropped that poor little piglet flat on the ground. Opps!

Look at the size of these sows!! Amazing animals and we love the fact that Mr. Pinkleman treats them so well. This sow came right up to the fence so we could pet her. Animals this big can be quite mean and dangerous but when they are treated kindly you can certainly tell.

Here are our two girls at home. Yes the boys did name them, Oinky and Squirmy, and we all spend time in with the pigs petting and talking to them but we do know that come the end of the summer they will go in the freezer. That is Papa's job:)

Spring Clearwater Float

2011-06-04T16:05:00.002-08:00

Every spring a group of friends get together float the Clearwater river in late April. We have been doing this for almost 10 years. It is a great way to shake off the winter and gear up for summer.

Sondra was pysched to dust of her raft, Mike was pysched to be kicking back drinking beer.

This was the first year with both kids together in the boat.

There was still a bit of ice and snow along the river but we had great weather.

Wyatt and Thea sharing a stawberry on the river.

Kids had a blast running around on the sandbar where we camped.

I swear they did this on their own, we did not make the kids carry the beer!

There is also a long running tradition of playing the stick game. To play the stick game you place a stick on your chin and spin in circles while looking up at the stick and counting to ten. Then you have to drop the stick on the ground and attempt to jump over the stick. Somehow Jeff and I have avoided this game all these years but this year we were discovered and we had to play.

Jeff didn't make it to the part where you are supposed jump over the stick :)

This was Sondra and Lori's first Clearwater trip and first exposure to the stick game but they didn't hesitate to give it a try and they both did much better than Jeff! No pictures of my performance but there are videos on facebook :)

The supportive crowd.

The boys did great on the first day of floating. The second was not quite as much fun, it was windy and everyone was tired. Sam cried for aout 30 minutes before falling asleep.

Wyatt took a little snooze as well.

Wyatt also took a dip in the river right as we got to the take out at the end of the trip. We got him out of the water really fast but he was soaked and not happy. He recovered pretty well and after he was warm and dry he said he had a great time on the trip.

Remember Easter?

2011-06-04T15:34:00.001-08:00

I know Easter was a long time ago but it seemed like a good point to start catching up from.
Mama decided it would be fun to make an Easter egg tree this year. We blew out the eggs then dyed them just using regular old food coloring and a little vinegar. The boys had a grand time.

Sam was determined to make this egg green, really green. In fact he was so detemined that this was the ONLY egg that he dyed. He just kept putting the same egg back in the cup and holding it there.

In the end I think his hand was greener than his egg...and stayed that way for days.

The tree was a success!

Upon waking Easter morning Mama quickly realized that the Easter bunny had forgotten about hiding the baskets.. so she made a quick call to the bunny while Papa distracted the boys upstairs and the baskets got hidden in the backyard just in the nick of time. The bunny left a trail of eggs in the yard leading to the hidden baskets.

Wyatt was quite surprised to find a basket of goodies hidden behind the wood pile. He was a little unsure at first but when I assured him it was for him he was very excited.

Sam was a little less enthusiastic about the whole basket thing, he just wanted to go back inside and get to work on that giant chocolate Easter bunny that our neighbors gave him.

Next we were off to the Easter egg hunt in in town. Here Mr. Sloan gives the preschool group the run down on what to do.

And they are off!

Afterwards the boys compared baskets with some of thier friends.

My favorite part of the day was when a car drove past the kids and Sam (who is 2 years old) says "Throw eggs at the cars!" That must come from his Papa's side of the family.

Visit With Cousin Jeff

2010-11-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

My cousin Jeff came up for a visit in August. Second year in a row and we really hope it continues!! This year he got to do more fishing than building but we still got some hammer swinging out of him. My dad was pysched because his nephew's need to catch fish provided a much needed break from his building too. Jeff took most of the photos while he was here and I am still waiting for him to send me copies (get with it Cuz!) but here are a few I got from a family trip out to Lisa Lake..

Where to Start?

2010-10-24T15:15:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a while and I have no idea where to start so I guess I will just dump some photos from the summer and roll with it. I am really going to try to keep this up to date now that winter is approaching and things should be slowing down. I should be able to get to the library more often but the other problem is that I really don't like my new camera much so I have not been taking many pictures. Anyway, here is a quick look at what we have been up to or at least what I managed to take pictures of.

Wyatt is going to montessori preschool 2 days a week. He is growing up fast!

Sam is learning lessons in mud pies. His big brother made this one on for him on the top of his head. But it didn't seem to bother him much.

Sam is talking quite a bit now. Lots of two word combinations and yesterday he said "Ball.....bounce....up......high" He is still just a peanut weighing in at only 24lbs at 19 months but what he lacks in size he makes up for in personality and cuteness.

Family outing at Twin lakes near Delta. Wyatt LOVES to go fishing!!

See now, there is Sam sneaking a beer behind our backs while we are posing for the self-timer. We are going to have to keep our eyes on that boy.

Picking strawberries.

It is good to have friends with bouncy castle swimming pools in their backyards!!

Lots of time spent working on the house, the boys were quite the little helpers.

Everyone loves a parade..well, at least the candy.

Wyatt entered 3 chickens and some lego creations in the fair. He won two grand champion and three blue ribbons and 16 dollars in prize money. Although he was sad he didn't win a red ribbon becuase that is his favorite color :)

The boys were also a lot of help in the garden this year.

Playing in the cupboards is always a good time.

Tractors are awesome!!

Our friend Andy brought the boys new bikes.

When Grandpa was not busy working on the house he was busy being harassed by his grandsons.

Visit with Grandma and Lexi

2010-10-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

Day trip to Quartz lake to play in the sun.

Painting piggy banks that Aunt Andrea sent.

Grandma stayed home with the boys for a weekend while Lexi and I went to Denali with my neighbor and her two kids. We camped at Riley creek and rode the bus into Eielson. We had an incredible trip, good weather and amazing wildlife viewing. Bears, a wolf, caribou, dall sheep, moose, fox and we even got to see the mountain.

Lexi and Hailey pretending to be caribou.

Next it was down to Valdez to go out on a wildife/glacier cruise.

Once again we had good luck with the wildlife; whales, porpoises, sea lions, puffins, and otters.

Plus the kids got the drive the boat!

I am back!

2010-06-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got a new camera and a bit of time to get some pictures downloaded. Of course I still have to come to the library to post on my blog and it being summer and all don't expect a ton of activity on here. But it is raining today so here we are.

Here are a few pictures from Mother's day. Our neighbors had us over for brunch and kite flying. It was really fun. Wyatt's first time flying a kite, he loved it!

A bunch of us ladies from Delta made the trek down to Anchorage to do the Gold Nugget Triathlon. Such a great event. 1500 women of all shapes, sizes and ages all swimming, biking, running and cheering each other on.

I have another race here in Delta, a bike/run, that I am supposed to be doing next weekend but I have only been on my bike twice and been running once since the triathlon- ugh!

Here are just a few other random shots.

Believe me, they are not always this nice to each other!

Since my last posting Sam has starting walking and talking. Not quite as verbal as Wyatt was but he has around 15-20 words, a bunch of animal/vehicle noises and a handful of signs. Still very cute!!


Papa was doing some sheep surveys for work so we stopped by to see him take off.



We have a bunch of chickens and 2 turkeys and the boys LOVE to feed and chase them.

Bear Creek Hike

2010-06-05T12:09:00.031-08:00

We had a fantastic family hike up along Bear Creek (just south of Delta) a couple weeks ago. Wyatt did so great, he walked the whole way without a single compliant and was just loving being out and about in the woods finding moose poop, feathers, learning the names of flowers and looking for Dall sheep.

Sam also did great and was happy just hanging out in the pack and taking in the sights.

We did get up high enough to see a couple sheep. Wyatt was having a hard time looking through the spotting scope but when he finaly got it figured out and saw the sheep closer up his reaction was priceless, he was SOOO excited!

Famous Blogging Friend

2010-03-08T11:43:00.000-09:00

A lot of my friends have blog these days, mostly showing cute pictures of family and amazing adventures but one of my friends ( another playgroup mom) has taken it a step further. Please be sure to check out Ana's blog "Knock Off Wood". She shares her plans for making beautiful furniture the cheap and easy way. You will be amazed with her talent and I am guessing most of you will be building something from her site soon. I have my eye on lots of stuff, just waiting for the weather to warm up so I can work outside. Plus my dad is coming up again this summer so he can help me :)

In less than four months Ana had gotten one million hits on her blog not to mention has been contacted by people interested in book deals and tv shows. Go Ana!!

http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com/

Random Parting Shots

2010-03-08T11:00:00.000-09:00

I say parting becuase these were the last photos taken before my camera crapped out. So, it may be a while before anymore pictures get posted.

It is hard being a baby.

It is a good idea to wear safety googles even when spraying pretend gas into your eyes.

The dogs don't get much camera time anymore.

Wyatt actually took these last two shots...ya think that might have something to do with the demise of my camera?

Happy First Birthday Sam!!

2010-03-01T11:36:00.001-09:00

Our baby turned One on February 19th!! In keeping with the birthday tradition we didn't have a big party for Sam either, but we had some carrot cake with yogurt frosting (Wyatt only got a carrot bran muffin for his first), sang and made a mess. A good time was had by all.

A birthday smooch from big brother.....

maybe trying to make up for digging into Sam's cake before he even saw it!!

Just a few more pictures of our cute one year old boy.

Yukon Quest

2010-03-01T11:19:00.000-09:00

Mama made a break for it and went to Fairbanks all herself and had a blast! Some friends had rented a cabin along Chena Hot Springs road and hiked out along the Quest trail to watch the mushers go by.

We had the perfect weather for sitting around outside waiting for mushers to go by. They were about 50 miles into the 1,000 mile race at this point.

This was the only team that I was quick enough to get a picture of.

Max was prepared and came with the racers profile and kept track of who was going by.

Back at the cabin for some dinner and a few beers.

Adrian modeling her high class hand wear.

Not sure who brought these, I think they took most of them back home with them. But I am willingly to bet that we will see this same jug at some other event in the future.

Wanna try???

A few of us headed back out on the trail (loaded up in Jeremy's snowmachine sled) after dinner to catch our friend, Paige, who was one of the Quest 300 runners. We got to see her go by and I just heard she placed 5th in the race, awesome!! Hans Gatt was the first place winner of the Quest. Few more weeks until the Iditarod starts.

Wyatt is Three

2010-02-22T11:30:00.001-09:00

Wyatt turned three on January 6th. We didn't do too much, we celebrated with cupcakes and a birthday story from Miss Nancy at library and had some more cake at home with the family and Ellen.

So we survived the terrible twos and they were not terrible so we will see what three brings.

The day after we had a moose in the garden. Wyatt was very excited but the dogs who bark at everything that goes bump didn't even see it!!

A Couple More

2010-01-14T20:45:00.000-09:00

Sam finally started crawling right before Christmas and now there is no stopping him. And Mama is really trying hard to remember to keep a closer eye on him!

Everywhere there are little boys there are big messes..

and big smooches...

and cute little buns!!

Nellie endures a lot from Wyatt, she spends a lot of time being various farm animals. Most frequently being a horse but on this day she got to be a goat.

I didn't drink the milk! I maybe it is time to replenish the farm with some real farm animals.

Happy New Year

2010-01-14T20:20:00.001-09:00

We had a very quiet evening at home on New Years Eve, the boys went to bed early and Jeff and I watched a movie. But we spent the first day of the new year out at a public use cabin. I skied in with Sam in the chariot and Jeff walked in pulling the sled with Wyatt and all our gear. It was - 5 on our way in but the temps dropped quickly and it was -30 when we went to bed. We had planned on doing some ice fishing and skiing but it was just too cold to do too much other than hang around in the cabin and stoke the fire.

We did go out to start a fire so we could roast hotdogs just to pass the time.

It was still -30 when we woke up in the morning but it warmed up to a balmy -20 by the time the sun came up and Wyatt was very excited to go ice fishing so we figured we would give a shot. Jeff went out and dug the holes than came back in to get Wyatt. That kid sat out here on the ice staring at the hole for at least 45 minutes. I went out with Sam just to see how it was going. I asked Wyatt if he was cold and he said, " Well, Mama its just a little chilly today". That is an Alaskan kid for ya! And they didn't even catch any fish.

Despite the cold it was a nice relaxing way to kick off the new year.

Merry Christmas

2010-01-14T20:01:00.001-09:00

Okay here I go trying catch up yet again. We celebrated Christmas at home this year. And as much as we miss seeing all of our families it is nice to avoid all the stress that goes with travelling around the holidays. Wyatt was really into Christmas this year and that made it even more fun for Mama and Papa. He was interested in Santa and we talked about him quite a bit but every time I said something about Santa bringing presents Wyatt would look at the tree and say "But I already have enough presents". I loved hearing that. Santa can't compete with the Grandma's with the gift giving :)

Heading out to look for a tree.

The big problem with cutting a black spruce for a Christmas tree is that you end up cutting down a 20 ft tree to get the top 6ft. They are pretty thin. We will plant another one to make up for it!

I didn't get too many pictures of the gift opening, it was all kind of a blur.

The boys would really like to thank everyone for all the great boxes they sent!!

Christmas day we had a bunch of our Alaska family over for a wonderful celebration. We cooked our homegrown turkey and everyone brought a dish to share. It is so nice to have such good friends to share the holidays with when are families are so far away.

Sam and Wyatt

2009-12-02T11:41:00.000-09:00

Sam is 9 months old already. He is such a good baby, and an added bonus- we finally got him sleeping through the night!! He is an all around happy mellow little guy. He has got five teeth now and is working on crawling. He has been up and on his hands and knees for months, he can go backwards, turn around and get into a sitting postion but still not quite going forward. We expect it anyday, but we are happy to have him stay put for now :) He is eating pretty much anything that is put in front of him except green beans and peas. And of course he is still SUPER cute!!

Wyatt will be 3 in January and we can't believe it. He is quite the big boy now, and there is never a dull moment when he is awake! He never ceases to amaze us with his speech, memory and imagination. He is a very smart and entertaining young man. Wyatt seems to enjoy being a big brother and loves his baby Sam but wyatt is definately in charge of who gets what toys. Sam has about 3 toys that Wyatt will willingly let him play with.

Wyatt has been taking dance class :)

A Family Affair

2009-11-27T14:14:00.001-09:00

Most of you know that we had quite the busy summer building but it also ended up being a great summer visiting with friends and family. My dad was here pretty much all summer working away but we also had a huge outpouring of help from other family members.

Jeff's dad was here for 3 weeks. He kept very busy staining all of our siding and doing whatever else needed to be done.

My mom and Grandma were here from WI for just over a week. My mom spent most of her time wrestling the kids and helping out around the house while my Grandma jumped right in helping me with all my harvesting; garden, honey and even chicken butchering!

Next we had Jeff's cousin Kevin, he was our mudding and taping man. I don't have any photos of him actaully working but he really did work hard!!

It was nice he and Jeff finally got to play some music together!

And my Aunt Diane was our final family member to make it up. Her first trip got cancelled because of wildfire smoke but she finally did make it. Again I dont have any pictures of her working but she stained and finished our doors and also helped me out with the kids and odds jobs around the homestead.

My dad was there before anyone else came and was still there when they all were gone. This picture shows the state he was in by the time he left :)

Also my cousin Jeff was here earlier in the summer, see earlier posts for his lovely picture :)

THANKS EVERYONE!!!! And of course a huge thanks to all our freiends that helped. Too many photos to post when I am this far behind on my blogging but we do appreciate every single one of you!! The house is great and we are all staying warm and cozy. We could not have done it without all your help!

Someday...

2009-11-19T11:20:00.003-09:00

Huh, my last post was August. It's November, so I guess that means I have some work to do. I only have 10 minutes here at the library today so that's not enough time but I swear I will be back soon!! I know you have heard that before but I really mean it this time. So here are a couple not very recent photos to fill in for now.

Busy Building

2009-08-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a random assortment of building pictures. When I left the house today they had half of the roof sheathing on. We are moving right along! Wyatt has been a big help :) and so have a lot of our friends and family.

How cute is that??!!

Getting this beam on was a big accomplishment. Again we owe our friend ,Eric, and his skid steer a huge thanks!

Visit with Cousin Jeff

2009-08-09T16:09:00.003-08:00

My cousin Jeff came up from Colorado to help build....and do some fishing.

The biggest fish of the afternoon was hooked on Wyatt's Spiderman rod :)

I think Jeff may have given me my first beer so its only fitting that he give Wyatt his but I think I was a bit older than Wyatt!

Sam I am

2009-07-22T17:12:00.007-08:00

First food, he was not too excited at first but he has eaten everything we have given him since with no complaints.

Sam would be much safer if he had eyes in the back of his head!!

The Guys

2009-07-22T16:09:00.008-08:00

Just more pictures of the guys being guys.

Delta Triathalon

2009-07-22T16:00:00.004-08:00

Okay this happened so long ago I don't even remember when it was, June maybe? Anyway here are the pictures finally.

The pre -race meeting. Swim 500 meters, bike 8 miles and run 3.

I survived the first leg...

The bike /run transition

And we are off!!

Rachelle and I making our big finish!

I was just happy that I was still walking the next day!

Summer is here!!

2009-06-17T11:52:00.004-08:00

Just taking a break to enjoy a summer evening in the yard with the boys.

The piles of debris in the yard make fun play things for boys.

Wyatt was picking flowers for everyone.

Tecate even got some :)
Every day ends with a dirty nose and dirty toes.

The bedtime buggy. Every evening we load the boys up and make the trek down to our little guest cabin to go to sleep.

Demolition Party

2009-06-17T11:33:00.005-08:00

Well the demo party was a huge success and our humble litte cabin is no more. It was a little sad to see it go but i think we will be happy we did it this winter. A huge thanks goes out to all of our friends who pitched in to help- it was a big job!!

This is why we tore it down!!

A little historical art went with it :(

Eric saved the day with his skid steer!!

It was a party after all, plus we had lots of stuff to fuel the bonfire.

Nancy brought a mobile sandbox for Wyatt- he loves her!!

So she is gone, only the kitchen remains.....well and of course the junky camper.

Gramma Pam's Visit

2009-06-17T11:24:00.002-08:00

Gramma Pam came up to meet Baby Sam in early May. We had nice visit and the boys kept Gramma plenty busy while Mama slept.

Catching up again...

2009-06-17T11:11:00.004-08:00

So I think this random selection of photos are from when Sam was about 2 months old. He will be 4 months this weekend, so yeah I am a bit behind on the old blog. I am going to skip the commentary for now.....

Five Weeks!

2009-03-29T15:17:00.004-08:00

Hard to believe that Sam is over a month old already. He has still been a very good little baby. We have not had any uncontrollable crying and he is getting cuter everyday. At night he still wakes up way too frequently but he doesn't cry, just starts fussing until I feed him then he goes back to sleep or just hangs out and is awake.
Jeff has still been able to stay home in the mornings so I have been able to get a little extra sleep. Pretty amazing that I still have not had an entire day that I have been home alone with the boys yet- I feel very lucky!! Plus the moms group that I belong to has been bringing us home cooked meals. We just got our last one this weekend but I think we got approx. 15 meals total which I am incredibly thankful for!! It is so nice to have such a great group of moms around for support!! Not to mention all the gifts we have been recieved from friends and family, it is a wonderful time for us.
Here are a few random pictures of Sam from the last few weeks. I do have to admit that he has definately been getting less camera time than the first born. Sorry Sam!!

Keeping Busy

2009-03-29T14:59:00.004-08:00

Wyatt has been keeping himself pretty busy while Mama and Papa have been napping or taking care of his little brother.

One of his favorite past times is trying on Mama's underwear...

Sometimes on the bottom, sometimes on the top.

Think he is embarrassed now, just wait until I show these to his first girlfriend!!

He has also been taking care of his baby..Maybe Jeff needs to spend more time with his son doing "man" stuff :)

Hiding in the tunnel is aways fun.

Playing with Kieran made an impression on Wyatt. This was almost a month ago and for some reason practically everytime I lay Wyatt down for bed he says, "Wyatt did share with Kieran"

Wyatt is such a good helper now. He loves to help Mama feed the goats their hay. Notice the nice new hat from Carolyn :)

The cardboard box airplane I made for him months ago is still a hit.

And, yes, we sill have enough snow to make snow angels, but it should be going away anytime now.....we hope.

Name that Baby!

2009-03-29T14:23:00.007-08:00

I was looking back through some pictures of Wyatt when he was a baby and was able to reliplicate the photos with Sam at the same age (3 weeks). Take a guess, Sam or Wyatt?

#1.

#2
#3

#7. Okay, I will give you a hint for this one :)

Answers: #1 Sam, #2 Wyatt, #3 Wyatt. #4 Sam, #5 Wyatt, #6 Sam and #7 Sam.

How did you do? Needless to say the boys look like brothers!!

Waytt sure had grown! He has a lot to teach his Baby Brother.

Like where your eyes are....

How to kick a ball....

and how to laugh.

Hot Springs and Cold Parks

2009-03-29T13:55:00.007-08:00

Most of Gramma's visit was spent reading books or playing on the couch with Wyatt but we did get her out to see some sights. We made the long trek up to Chena Hotsprings- I think Gramma said "are we there yet" more often than Wyatt did!! But the soak in the springs was worth the long drive.

After the Hot Springs we headed into Fairbanks to the Ice Park. Wyatt loved the kids park with all the slides.

Sam slept through the whole thing and didn't even notice that he went down a slide made of ice with Mama.

Snow machines and airplanes... two of Wyatt's favorite things!!

Gramma was starting to get a little cold and wasn't too excited about sitting in her ice chair :)

The ice carvings were absolutely amazing!!

Mama really wanted to go down the big kid slides but due to cold noses and toes we had to call it a night.

Looking back we really should have done this in reverse, would have made more sense to soak in the Hot Springs after the Ice Park. Next year we will know better.

Thanks to Gramma Sherry for all her help!! Come back soon.

Visit with Gramma Sherry

2009-03-29T13:42:00.004-08:00

Gramma Sherry braved the winter weather to come up and meet her newest grandson. We had a great visit, I am super thankful to have had the help in those early weeks. It is really nice to lay down for a nap and wake up to have the house clean, laundry folded and lunch on the table!! Plus Wyatt really enjoyed the extra Gramma attention.

Not a moments rest for Gramma.

Bonding with grandson number five!

Sam's First Week

2009-03-02T16:28:00.006-09:00

We have made it through our first week as a family of four. Sam has been a very mellow, sleepy baby. He pretty much just wakes up to eat then goes back to sleep again- Mama has even been getting some good sleep, although it has been in broken blocks of time. Papa has also been enjoying these sleepy times with baby Sam.

Wyatt has been a great big brother and is very interested in what Sam is doing and asks to hold him a lot, although we are constantly having to remind him to be gentle with the baby. Wyatt has not inflicted any harm yet but I don't doubt that we will have some exciting times ahead when Mama is home alone with both of them. I am sure that Sam will be a pretty tough kid by the time he is one.

Wyatt looks like a giant next to his little brother.

My boys, handsome bunch aren't they? :)

Ahh, those first little gassy smiles-so cute!

The proud Papa.

Shiway was just sure Sam was going to be a girl and made him a darling purple hat with a flower on the top....but he is man enough to still look good in it.

This one came from Julie, he has got some growing to do before it fits him just right but he definately makes a statement when he goes out with this one.

Visiting with Ellen. Taking some time to bond with my new little boy.

He may be sweet and cute but he still has attitude!

Samuel Flynn Mason

2009-03-02T15:57:00.006-09:00

We are very hapy to announce the birth of Samuel Flynn Mason. Sam was born on February 19th at 10:35 pm and weighed 9lbs, 3oz . We were extremely lucky to have had a safe, quick and natural water birth. I started having mild contractions around 3:00 on Thursday and we decided to leave the house and head to fairbanks at 8:00 pm. Our dear friend and neighbor, Sara, came over at a moments notice to stay with Wyatt. We could never thank her enough for all she has done for us lately.
We arrived at the Birthing Center at 9:30 and had Sam in our arms about an hour later so we timed it very well. I had one pretty strong contraction in the car about 45 mintues out which got me a little nervous but Jeff kept his cool and drove quickly but safely.
Jeff was able to catch Sam and cut the cord. We were once again very happy with our experience with our midwife and the birthing center, it is such a peaceful relaxed environment to welcome a new little one into the world (well, it was peaceful after mama quit screaming).

Another well baked baby.
Our midwife made us breakfast in bed the next morning :)

The morning after Sam was born we hung out at the birthing center until mid afternoon and had a chance to call a few friends in to meet Sam before heading back home. Adrian and Dan took some nice pictures for us.

Unfortunately the super cute hat that Lauren made was just a tad too small for this big boy.

Being on the outside is tiring!

Jeff showing off his prized catch.

Heading for home.

Bonfires and Beyond

2009-01-29T18:33:00.005-09:00

Just a couple pictures from Greg and Rachelle's bonfire party to celebrate the return of near normal winter weather. Jeff was a sweetie and stayed home with Wyatt while he was sick so I could go out :)

Burning stuff with friends is always fun.

Tecate got to go with me because he and Luke are buddies now. He thought that my lap was way more comfortable then the straw Greg threw down for them.

Our sweet little boy. They are so dang cute and snuggly when they are sick. Well, not that he is not when he is healthy but it's different :)

For example, he is healthy here..... Cute but different, right?These two like to sit on the stairs watching birds at the feeder. That is sweet!

I was a little slow and missed the first few letters, but this is just about the cutest thing ever!!

He has also been successfully counting to 10 the last few days. We are going to work on his long division next!

Christmas Recovered

2009-01-29T17:59:00.004-09:00

We were able to recover a few Christmas pictures from my camera so here they are....

Trimming the tree, this was one of the nicest Black spruce trees that we have found in the yard. The tree was about 15 ft tall, we just sacrificed the top 5 ft. I promise that we will plant a new tree to replace it this spring. Wyatt was even pretty good about not yanking stuff off of it.

Cookie making and decorating with a 2 year old requires a fair bit of patience. I ran out of it during the decorating and had to have Papa remove Wyatt from the kitchen while I finished by myself.

Wyatt seemed pleased with the finished product.

Presents, presents and more presents!!!!
My mom sent my old (25 years old) cabbage patch kid to Wyatt. He loves it and has been spending a lot of time practicing to be a big brother.

Christmas night we had about 20 people over for dinner. We provided our homegrown ham and everybody contributed some thing yummy. We had a spectacular feast, but no pics of the food or many of the crowd.

Rachel and Kieran made it in front of the camera.

Mike, Laura and Brook stayed for the weekend. Mike and Jeff spent a lot of time jamming and the girls did a little skiing and kicking back. Unfortunately the video of Wyatt playing the guitar and singing his song didn't get recovered.

Random pretty picture of some moose in the yard.

Breakin'

2009-01-29T17:08:00.005-09:00

I picked a good night to get out of Delta. Brook just happened to be hosting a Sushi and break dance party at her new cabin. A strange combination maybe but it was a huge success!! I can't believe that the dancing and laughing didn't shake my baby loose.

River was giving sushi rolling instructions.

Andrea supplied the break dancing instructional videos.

One move everyone could handle (even the pregnant lady)- the point.

The windmill was a little advanced for this crowd but they definately get an "A" for effort. The most impressive part...nobody got hurt!

As the Groovaloo said "It's not in the move it's in the groove".

Thanks ladies, I needed that!!

Two Years Old!

2009-01-18T15:08:00.004-09:00

Sorry- I had to skip Christmas blogging because of technical difficulties with the camera. I hope the pictures can be saved, we are still working on it.

So on to January, Wyatt turned 2 on the 6th! Unfortunately -50 was just a tad too cold to have his little friends over for a party. So we had a quiet celebration at home, Mama made a blueberry cake and he recieved many phone calls from friends and family. Of course the gifts had been rolling in too and after Christmas he knew exactly what to do with the birthday presents!

As some of you may know, anyone who has a birthday celebrated at our house is either 40 or 4. These are the only candles we have :)

Ummm..tastes good, and still makes a good mess even without frosting!

Here is wyatt playing with his new legos that Aunt Liz and Uncle Mike sent.

Mama and Papa got Wyatt a ukelele. He had written his first song for the guitar at Christmas so we figured he was ready. The song goes like this....Wyatt is a big boy, give him a little smooch. He is still working on the chords and subsequent verses. I have a video of him singing it but it is stuck on the camera with the Christmas photos :(

I just got done updating Wyatt's 2 year old milestones for his baby book. So if you don't mind my bragging here is a recap. His vocabulary and speech continue to amaze us and many people we encounter when out and about. He pretty much speaks in full sentences and really doesn't stop unless he is sleeping. Actually we have even heard him talking about airplanes in his sleep a few times. He can pronounce big words, like ornament, imagination, stegasaurus, etc and his memory is very impressive. He still talks about Grandpa fixing the light which happened in back in August. Wyatt loves to sing; in addition to his own song he can sing his ABC's, Old McDonald, Ring around the Rosie, the colors of the rainbow, Patty cake, and bits and pices of many others. He knows his basic colors and shapes and is working on counting. He can also spell his name! He loves anything with wheels or motors (especially boats and airplanes), stacking blocks, scribbling with his crayons and reading books. He hates pretty much all vegetables but will eat almost any kind of meat that is put in front of him- good little Alaskan boy! Sorry I will stop now, but needless to say he is a great kid and we couldn't be prouder!! These two years have gone by quickly.

Sneak Peek -Hawaii '08

2008-12-23T19:16:00.010-09:00

We had a wonderful trip to the Big Island in Early December. I am not going to go into detail about all of our adventures because there is just not enough time (give a call if you want a full trip report) and I had over 200 photos so here is just a very quick look at our trip. Who knows maybe after the holidays sometime I will get around to adding some text. The best part about the trip was just being together as a family without any distractions. But don't get me wrong, being on the beach all warm and sunny was nice too. You will notice I opted to post pictures of Wyatt instead of a lot of scenery shots. Can you blame me? I am trying to upload all pics onto a web album so you may still have a chance to see those other shots.

Our camper broke down on us the second day so we stayed in a couple hotels and spent the rest of the time at our friend Dan's guest house near Kona. It turned into to different trip without the camper but it worked out just fine.

This was the highlight of Wyatt's trip- the captain let him drive the glass bottom boat!! Good thing we were the only ones on it :)

Lava was flowing into the ocean- it was amazing to see.

No denying that I am pregnant now!

Our hosts- thanks we had a great time!!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-18T17:07:00.004-09:00

We enjoyed a lovely thanksgving at Dan and Adrian's house. They were brave enough to tackle our homegrown 30 lb turkey. We we worried that it would be tough because it was so big but it turned out perfectly.

Even after they got it thawed out, found a pan to fit it, and squeezed it into the oven- Adrian was still a little concerned.

But look how nice it turned out, Dan was pretty excited.

Wyatt was excited that Mark and Shannon brought some friends for him to play with.

Wyatt really wanted to hold baby Hugh, he is going to be a good big brother.

Wyatt was also more than happy to soak up the attention from the adults. He took right to Adrian's parents and even got to show off a few of his spanish words to Adrian's mom.

Waytt and Dan are old pals by now...Dan is a natural with the kids ;)

There were a bunch of other people there too but I apparently only take pictures if Wyatt is in them. Thanks again to Adrian and Dan for hosting, it's so nice to spend the holidays with such good friends, our Alaskan family.

Playing Dress Up

2008-12-18T16:48:00.005-09:00

Just a few cute pictures of Wyatt showing his stuff.

Papa's glassess,
Mama's hat and boots...

Mama's hat, Papa's mittens...It's hard to find just the right combination.

These are my favorites..I was trying on some of the summer maternity clothes Mette lent me (thanks Mette!) for our Hawaii trip and Wyatt joined in. This cute pink frock was his favorite. I think it is a very nice color for him.

Wood Cutting in a Winter Wonderland

2008-11-20T14:45:00.005-09:00

Living here in the northland we always seem to be in search of more firewood. Wyatt and I were feeling a little cabin fever so we decided to accompany Papa during his woodcutting adventures. We really were not much help but we did offer our moral support and got in some good sledding while Papa did all the hard work. It was a gorgeous day to be out..if only every winter day could be just like this one!!

I love it when the plants are all frosty, I took a million pictures but they never quite come out as pretty as it really is.

Wyatt is pretty excited about the chainsaw so it was hard to pull him away from the action for some boring old sledding with Mama.
Aww, aren't we cute :)

We also met up with Rob and Ellen, they have a huge trailer so we shared a few loads. I think we (I guess I should say -they) ended up getting ~ 6 cords. It wasn't hard pulling Ellen away form the woodcutting for a little sledding!

Catching Up..Again

2008-11-20T14:36:00.007-09:00

Back at the library, lucked out today because there is a little girl here entertaining Wyatt by putting on a puppet show and enlisting his help with various other projects. It's very cute.

So here are a bunch of random shots from the past month or so. The first one is Jeff playing guitar during his first big gig! He has been playing music with some friends that have a band in town but this is the first time he has played in public in many, many years. The name of the band is "Simple Folk Uprising" and they rocked the Moose Family Lodge!!

Sometime around Halloween Wyatt and I flew down to Anchorage to meet up with Jeff who had been down there for work. We spent the weekend with Kim and Paul and got some good visiting in with a bunch of friends we had not seen in a long time. We did our traditional pumpkin craving over at Jp and Elizabeth's. The tradition is to carve the pumpkins then order food and have the delivery person judge the pumpkins. This year was kind of a bust in that the delivery guy did not speak any English but we still had fun.

April and Jeb- we missed you!!

Jp is great at keeping the youngins entertained. Oh Jp- if your reading this Wyatt was talking about you the other day and he is still saying "No talking about gansers" :) I guess your Phd defense really made an impression on him!

For Halloween Elliott was dressing up as a Worker Man and Bennett went as a Spaceman.

The dogs don't make it on the blog very often so I thought I would stick these on. Nellie and Tecate were freaking out one afternoon because a squirrel was on the wood pile. They managed to climb up on the pile and get stuck in between the top of the pile and the barn roof- it's a pretty tight squeeze and we had to help get them out, the squirrel got away.

They were up on top of this pile, crazy mutts!

Shiway and Dave came for a nice long weekend. The boys went moose hunting of course and Shi and I hung out and had some girl time. I even got her to go to my mom's group meeting. The theme of the meeting was "becoming an outdoors mom". Shiway was a good sport and took part in the obstacle course.
Walking the balance beam with baby in the backpack, waders on and 2 bags of groceries
Doing some target practice
and hauling some wood...yup, pretty typical day for an Alaskan mom. Good work Shiway, I think your ready!!!

I was bad and didn't take any other pictures of Dave and Shiway's visit. Dave and Jeff got their one moose and Shiway spoiled me being such a big help with Wyatt. I wanted to hire her as my nanny!! Come back soon!!!

Below are just a couple cute pics from our little play group. Wyatt has some good looking girlfriends.

Jen was brave and let them all paint on her floor, most of it stayed on the paper.

Happy Boy

2008-11-11T13:47:00.005-09:00

So here I am with two hours of free time at the library but I forgot my camera cord and can't download the newest batch of photos...bummmer! I guess I will have to do some online shopping instead :) But I will post a couple videos I took of Wyatt this fall. Shiway als0 posted a few pics from thier stay with us.

That laugh just melts my heart- even if he sounds a bit like a chimpanzee when he really gets going :) I try to get videos of him talking but he always comes running to the camera and wants to see the pictures. During that video I was running backwards away from him.

I also feel ike I should take a moment to comment on baby # 2. It was recently brought to my attention that I have not even mentioned #2 on the blog. I meant to post some ultrasound images but it didn't work out. So, anyone out there that doesn't know, I am 6.5 months pregnant. We expect to meet the new baby in mid-February. We did not want to know the gender of the wee one but during the ultrasound both Jeff and I thought we saw boy parts. So??? Now we think we know but we don't really know, so it will still be a surprise either way.

Jeff is taking off for NY to go hunting with his Pa. Wyatt and I will be solo for a week so don't expect the blog to be updated properly for a while. So sorry.

A couple more

2008-11-11T13:30:00.000-09:00

While I was looking for the videos I saw these photos that I don't think I ever posted.

Wyatt loves to climb the Elk fence.

Rose hips are another favorite. Even now that there is snow on the ground he is still munching on them.

Enjoying one of last really nice fall days.

Getting Out With The Girls

2008-10-04T14:41:00.007-08:00

After the busy hunting season (which isn't actually over yet) I was feeling like I needed to get in some quality time with my lady friends. Mette was nice enough to host a get together at her house in Fairbanks a couple weeks ago. It was a super fun but I don't have any photos to post, not that there was anything going on that we felt like we needed to hide ;)

I also decided that it would be fun to get outside before the weather turned so I reserved the Lisa Lake Cabin and invited a bunch of my Delta lady friends out for the night. We had a blast and there are lots of photos to prove it.

If you look closely you can see the ladies hiking along the shore.

Ellen and I took the boat across the lake to the cabin, it turned out to be a lot faster to hike!The view from the cabin.

We took a hike from the cabin out to the Johnson River, very nice.

Here is Heather setting up for the group photo opp.

Here we are: Cindy, Rita, Ellen, Tiffany, Rachelle, Heather and me (minus Brooke, she showed up later).

Relaxing around the campfire.

Cindy and I caught a couple nice lake trout, they tasted great cooked fresh right on the fire.

Brooke gave Cindy some wood chopping lessons.

Dinner is ready! Beans, dogs and fish on the fire, yum! Not that we were at all hungry after eating all the yummy snacks everyone brought, but we still found room for dinner and dessert. Heather's husband had this great idea of wrapping roll dough around the hotdog then cooking them right over the fire. Try it sometime! Our timing was just right with the weather. We woke up to a blanket of white. It was gorgeous, we were all glad to be out in such a pretty spot to welcome in the first snow. Well, maybe welcome isn't the right word but it is time- we do live in Alaska!

Those hot drinks taste so good on a snowy morning.

The all the ladies ready to head back for home, husbands and kids. No offense to my boys but the trip was too short!

Amazing how much stuff eight ladies will pack in for just one night :)

Cindy rows the boat ashore.

Thanks for the great trip ladies- we will definately have to do it more often!!!

Sneak Peek

2008-10-04T13:37:00.005-08:00

Here is a quick look at some of the things we do to keep life interesting during the week.

Playing with Owen, Torsten and Sara is always at the top of our list.

Think these boys will be embarrassed when they are teenagers and we pull out this picture of them smooching in the dog kennel?

Riding the tricycle is another sure hit.
We love picking berries, unfortunately now the only thing that is left are Rose Hips. Wyatt and Nugget can have them all.

Taking the goat to the library is sure to bring alittle excitement to your day. We got invited to participate in Pet Day for the preschoolers at the library. Nugget did great and he was probably the most popular pet there, even though he pooped and peed on the floor ...well maybe that's why he was the most popular?

Play dates are always fun. We get to together with these ladies and kids once a week.

We had everyone over to our place and Wyatt showed all his little friends how to climb the Elk's fence.

And you might not think that playing with the strainer is very interesting but your not a one and half year old little boy.

It's a Helmet....

oh wait, it's a jungle gym.

Hmmm, very interesting NOW it's a drum! Amazing don't you think?

And there is soo much more, there is just not enough time to blog ALL of the fun!!!

It's Done!!

2008-09-13T16:46:00.005-08:00

We can't say how much we appreciate all the work Grampa put in building our addition and now it's done!! It turned out great, we are very pleased!! Thanks Grampa!!!!!

The bar turned out great!

I also just got a bunch of art framed so I am excited to get those up on the walls for some nice finishing touches.

Getting this drawer built in the bathroom was also another major accomplishment, Grampa sure does nice work- even if he says he hates finish work.

The siding all stained and windows trimmed :)

This is wear we made poor Grampa stay while he was slaving away building our house, nice huh? He is probably building us a house just so he doesn't have to slum it when they visit us :)

Thanks again Grampa!!!

The Hunt

2008-09-13T16:43:00.005-08:00

In addition to some quick fishing and bird hunting trips near home Grampa did get to go out Caribou hunting. Unfortunately they didn't get one but sounds like they had a good trip and did get a few stalks in. This was a bow hunt along the Hall road (the road up the Prudoe Bay)and they planned on getting out in the raft but all the Caribou they saw were in a different area so they just hunted along the road. It's very flat country which makes getting close enough to get a shot with a bow pretty challenging.
Too bad they couldn't shoot Musk Ox! But still very cool to get some nice looks at hese amazing animals.

The Jeff didn't take too many pics of their hunting adventures :)

Grampa Gary's Visit

2008-09-13T16:31:00.006-08:00

Grampa got right to work finishing all the stuff that we didn't seem to find the time to finish over the last year-opps, sorry Grampa! But he did a much better job than we would have plus it was a good excuse to get him to come back up for a month. Wyatt and Grampa had a lot of quality bonding time, Wyatt loved helping Grampa.

Grampa also helped teach Wyatt how cool it is to wear a bib.

Not the the bib really helps that much!

While Grampa was slaving away, Jeff and Dan went off Sheep hunting. Dan had the tag Jeff was the "guide" and sherpa. They got one.

Taking a break from working.

Gramma & Dru Part 2

2008-09-07T16:03:00.007-08:00

Our biggest outing of the visit was a trip down to Valdez. Long distance driving is much easier when you have a 7 year old in the backseat to entertain the one year old. We left poor Grandpa at home to work and Papa went to Chitna to catch us some fish for the winter.

Dru wanted to get his feet in the summer snow.

We took a 6 hour cruise out of Valdez. We lucked out and had great weather and got to see lots of whales, sea lions etc.

Hard to get pictures of the whales but here is one way in the distance. We did however get some really nice up close looks.

Back at the hotel playing with Gramma glasses. Again, Gramma took most of the pictures in Valdez.

Gramma relaxing at the end of her grueling vacation.This ain't no vacation for Grandpa, he has got work to do. Good thing he has a helper this year.

Well, you can't work ALL the time.

Gramma Pam & Dru In Alaska

2008-09-07T15:39:00.007-08:00

My Mom and my Nephew came up to visit us for a little over two weeks in late July. We ended up spending quite a bit of time just hanging out hoping the rain would stop but it was fun just the same. Wyatt and Dru became great pals, I even got in some extra sleep while Gramma and Dru entertained Wyatt. Any time the rain let up we made a dash for it and got outside while we could.

We took the boat out on Clearwater Lake and made a run up the Tanana river.

Can't see everyone here but we got the whole gang (3 dogs, 2 goats, 1 gramma, 2 boys, mama, papa and 2 friends from Fairbanks) all out for a nice afternoon walk behind the house.

Checking out Rika's roadhouse, climbing on fences is fun for boys.

Wyatt still says, "Dru see peacocks" almost everytime we drive past Rika's.

We also made it to the Delta Fair. This was Wyatt's first ride :)

Delta's favorite pastime...Mud boggin'

Next we headed back into Fairbanks to pick up Grandpa and do some gold panning.
Dru poses with the train conductor at the goldmine. Gramma took all the pictures this day, well most days actually. Someday maybe I will post a few of hers.
Gotta stop at the pipeline.
And on to the next fair in Fairbanks. Wyatt knew just what to do at the petting zoo.More rides for everyone. I didn't think we would get the boys out of there, they couldn't get enough of the rides.
Back to Delta for family day at the farmers market. No rides here but there were food crafts including finger painting with chocolate pudding.