Last Saturday we decided to rent some skis and take the kids out to try Cross Country Skiing. Here's Glade all ready to go.
Kimberly picked up skiing pretty well and really enjoyed it.
We had a little trouble getting skis small enough for Glade, but he was a good sport about it. He rode in the sled and ran along with us.
Kim and I weren't as fast as Dad with Glade behind, but we caught up and had this picture taken.
Glade did get to try out Kim's ski poles and he thought that was fun.
Kim got a little tired and had to get a tow at the end. Everyone had fun even though it was only 5 degrees. Everyone, that is, except Liberty. Riding in the backpack is just no fun. Next time I think we'll get a babysitter for her so she can stay warm and be happy.
We let the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve. This year we got pillow pets for them and it made going to bed on Christmas Eve way nicer! They were excited to use their new pillows!
We are so blessed. What a bounteous looking tree. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care . . .
Ummm, ooops! Did I mention that I didn't quite finish Liberty's stocking? :) Do you like the yarn in a bag sewn to the bottom? Also notice that my stocking in the previous picture needs a lot of work. I am planning to remake it now that I have the pattern figured out. I had to remake Kimberly's too.
Kimberly enjoying the Playmobil Nativity Set from Grammy and Grandad.
Liberty enjoying Glade's cow flashlight and her stuffed animals.
Oh wait! I looked away and she managed to climb onto the table. She painted with a little sour cream and then was about to check out the hot sauce. Yummy! Glade being a cowboy in the cute chaps and vest made by Grandma. We had a great Christmas. We were all totally spoiled. I am grateful that I was able to spend the holiday with my wonderful husband and children.
Just in case the power goes out, or our house burns down. . .
Ryan and Glade went out and built this one day. It got a little cold for Glade at about 30 below so he quit early. They had a good time though. The kids really enjoyed checking out the inside of it. It was a little small for me. Makes me feel claustrophobic.
He swears he's going to sleep in it, but it hasn't happened yet. We got about 8 inches of new snow last week, so maybe he'll expand it!
Our family really enjoys having real Christmas trees. The last few years we've gone out and cut one. It's always a fun outing. This year, the weather was too cold until a week before Christmas. Finally it was only 15 below so we could go out and enjoy the forest. We had a good time looking around and choosing a tree that would fit in our house. Alaskan trees are actually a little sparse looking, but we don't mind. That way you can see the ornaments really well.
Here are Ryan and the kids by the tree we chose.
Ryan tied the tree to the Jeep, even though it looks like I'm taking credit. We let the kids get a little tree to put in their room this year. They had SOOO much fun with this. They decorated it all themselves, except for the lights. They watered it and took care of it. I think this may become a tradition.
How can you lose? The kids had a great time making little gingerbread houses this year. I love to see their creativity coming out. What a delicious way to cultivate creativity!
Kim and Glade showing off their finished products.
Notice Kimberly's chimney and wreath on her door.
Glade just enjoyed putting as much on as he could get. By the way, it's a lot easier to get candy to stay on the roof than the walls.
Kimberly's school had a Christmas concert involving three grades. The kids and I attended and got lucky. We sat on the right side and she was right at the end so we could see her really well. We enjoyed her 3 songs and the rest of the program as well. Kim really has an ear for music and only has to hear a song a few times to really remember it. We're so proud of her!
Ryan was planning to go on a caribou hunt at the beginning of December. Only one problem: the caribou were so close to the road, it would have been too easy. So the Dept. of Fish and Game closed the hunt. Ryan and a friend decided it was the perfect chance to drive up and see the caribou Thanksgiving weekend. They had a great time and saw quite a few caribou. They were even on the road, so they got a great view.
Caribou Tracks
See that big line of dots? Caribou.
Ryan, backlit by a sunset with caribou behind him.
The next weekend we decided to go up again so the kids and I could see them also. We had a good time, but the kids got tired of driving so we had to stop and go for a hike. It was a pretty warm day, about 10 above, so it was good for hiking. We started down a hill and found this great tree. The opportunity to get a picture in front of this was too good to pass up.
We continued hiking down the hill and on the frozen creek. At the end of our hike, Ryan and the kids found a great little cubbyhole to climb into. It doubled as a great bronco.
The cubbyhole.
Mom and Libby enjoying the weather
Since the days are so short here, we had to hurry back to the car so we could keep looking for caribou. We drove a little more and I was about to give up hope, when we saw a small herd. By the time we turned around and went back, they were gone. We were excited though, so we kept on going. We ended up seeing several herds off the road a little way. Then we hit the jackpot. A herd of about 20 about 30 yards from the Jeep. The kids LOVED it. The enjoyed looking through the binoculars at the animals and spotting them. The only bad thing was that Libby would get so excited she would laugh and talk really loudly and the animals would get scared and run away. Sorry, no pictures. We were too busy making sure the kids had ample opportunity to see them. We finished off a great night by stopping at the Chatanika Lodge for dinner on the way home. What a GREAT day!
We had a fairly quiet Thanksgiving. Ryan took the kids out shooting in the morning, so it was nice and quiet around here. The turkey wasn't the best I ever made, but oh well. It was nice to be together.
I should mention, however, a remarkable incident that happened Thanksgiving week. Sunday night the temperature rose to about 35 degrees. Normally, that's probably a good thing, except that it rained. It rained for about 2 1/2 days. You have to realize that the ground was still frozen. We had about a foot of snow. Put these together and what do you get? ICE! I didn't go anywhere all week. After trying to run the buses on Monday morning and having trouble on the roads, the schools closed and ended up staying closed all week. Ryan even had most of the week at work cancelled. And so it was that we learned what it takes to cancel school up here. 30 below? No. 45 below (which we have seen this year a couple of days)? No. 35 above? YES!!! So, it takes warmth, not cold to cancel school here. It will be nice when Spring comes and the ice all melts. It has definitely made driving more interesting. Fortunately, we have all managed to stay safe.
Ryan's birthday was the day after Thanksgiving. We had a good time celebrating with him. We are sure lucky to have him as a husband and father. He is a wonderful man who we ALL love and look up to.
Well, this cupboard may not be under the stairs, but we have a little girl that really likes to sit inside one of our kitchen cupboards. It's just the right size for her!
So I'm a little behind. I'm going to try to finish up last year and do better at staying on top of things this year. Looks like I left off on Halloween.
We had a great time carving pumpkins with the kids. Liberty was very interested in the cut-outs and pumpkin guts. YUMMY!
Glade really likes to make faces lately. Here's the finished product. Kimberly designed the one on the left and Ryan helped her cut it out. Do you like their little princess and dragon?
We had a great time at our ward's Halloween Carnival. Kimberly thought trying to use a hula hoop was great fun.
Liberty hung out with her Dad quite a bit.
This was Glade's favorite way to try to see everything he had in his bag.
It was a really fun Halloween, made more exciting by the fire alarms going off in the church during the party. Did I mention that smoke machines are not a good idea at ward parties? Almost everyone went out in the foot of snow to sit in their cars until the fire department came to turn off the alarm. We had a great time even though it got cut short.
