HAPPY TRAILS

All Dressed Up

2011-11-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

We spent Halloween this year Trick-or-Treating at the Hospital on-post. Who wants to trick-or-treat outside in sub-zero weather? Not I. Turns out there were a lot of stations for the kids to stop at and they made a big haul even though the hospital isn't that large.

The DENTAC's station. The kids got spider rings here.

One of the departments had Star Wars costumes. Love it!

Ready for a sugar high? They are! What a cute robot, ladybug, and scary witch! It was fun to have some friends with us too.

Fun in the Snow

2011-11-20T22:31:00.001-08:00

We got our first snowfall in mid-October this winter and the kids have really enjoyed it. (At least until the 40 below temperatures we've been having this week anyway.)

Kimberly's favorite activity, since Fairbanks snow isn't that great for snowmen, is to make snow angels. This is one of her first of the year.

Glade is an all-around happy guy that is pretty much up for anything. Turns out it's hard to push Libby around in the stroller with snow on the ground.

Liberty is finally old enough to enjoy the snow this year. She always says, "Coldy! Coldy! Coldy!" when we go out to the van in the mornings to go to the bus stop. :)

Pumpkins Galore!

2011-11-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

We had a great time carving pumpkins this year with some new friends. Here's a crazy picture of the kids!

What the jack-o-lanterns looked like in the dark.
It was a great evening!

Solo

2011-11-20T22:13:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to travel to Arizona by myself in September to attend my sister's sealing. It was such a nice trip. It was nice to not have to worry about kids in airports and on airplanes. It was so wonderful to see my family and share the joy on my sister's happy day. I did take the camera, but didn't manage to take many pictures. It was fun to celebrate a nephew's birthday while there and stay a night with my brother's family. Also, I loved that my friend Karen took time to drive up to Seattle to see me on my layover there. Such a great trip! Thanks to my sweet husband who made it possible for me to go by keeping the kids happy and healthy while I was gone.

Oh, and by the way, it turns out September in Arizona is still very hot. I have forgotten what it is like, having not lived there for quite a few years.

North Pole Fire Station

2011-10-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

We have been doing a home-based preschool group with some friends this year. Glade has really been enjoying it. Today was no exception. Today was actually something extra special. We went to the North Pole Fire Station to have a tour and see what firefighters do.

Glade was pretty quiet and hesitant at first.

He wasn't sure he wanted to go see the man in the funny clothes.

He warmed right up soon though and had a great time learning about the tools carried on firetrucks, hoses with different colored valves, and actually getting to climb into a fire truck. In fact, he didn't want to get out. The firefighters were very kind and patient with our small children and it made a difference.

His second time climbing in the fire truck.
Here's proof that Liberty was there too. She mostly wanted to be with me, but did occasionally hold hands with some of the other kids and go to them.

The highlight of the visit? Must be this. Who showed him what those switches did? :)

A Project Finished

2011-10-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

I cut this shirt out for Glade last year, thinking of getting it made for Christmas. I decided that it was a bit too big for him, but pulled it out and finished it up last week. It is yellow, one of his very favorite colors, which means he REALLY likes it. He even wore it to church on Sunday for the Primary Program.

The Last Adventure of Summer

2011-10-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Literally the last day before our first real snowfall, Ryan was able to take a bike ride up on Murphy Dome, down to the river and did some hunting and fishing. He had a great time.

A ptarmigan, which we ate for dinner the next day.

The river is starting to ice over, even more so now that we've had a week and a half of winter weather.

He had a little trouble with his fly getting stuck on the ice, and this was the result. No fish, just ice caught that day.
Still enjoying his mountain bike and being in the great outdoors.

Run, Kim, Run!

2011-10-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

Look closely, she's the one in turquoise with both arms in air close to the right.

Kimberly was a member of the running club at school this year. They had practices two days a week after school and then a meet each week for a month. The runs were about 2 kilometers and she had a great time. They gave each finisher a medal at all the races, which she loved. We like it when she is involved in things that make her happy, and we also are glad that she is interested in activities that keep her healthy.

Armed

2011-10-12T00:07:00.001-07:00

One of Ryan's latest projects has been designing and building a reloading center. He worked out the plans and made it fit together well. He's been able to use it a few times and we've even gone out to try out some of the rounds he loaded. What a smart guy (not to mention ruggedly handsome, maybe it's the reloading).

100 reloaded cartridges. Aren't the shiny and purty?

The Sunday Box

2011-10-12T00:04:00.001-07:00

In an on-going effort to make Sundays more painless and spiritually-uplifting, I came up with the idea of having a box that the kids are only allowed to use on Sundays. The kids help paint the letter and stars that we glued on it and we put Sunday books, lacing cards, coloring supplies, matching games, etc. into it. So far, it has kept them busy for a few hours each week. I'd say that's an improvement.

Autumn Time

2011-10-11T23:58:00.001-07:00

We were able to have some friends over for s'more making during the glorious (but short) days of Alaskan autumn. You couldn't have asked for a more glorious day for it. The sun was making the trees glow.

The Other Two-Wheeler

2011-10-11T23:46:00.001-07:00

Right after Kimberly learned to ride her bike without training wheels, she started encouraging Glade to learn also. What do you know, about 3 weeks after Kimberly learned, Glade could do it too! He needs a little help getting started because his feet don't reach the ground from his saddle, but he can turn around if he has enough space. We are really proud of him for learning.

Obligatory First Day of School Pictures

2011-10-11T23:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this one wasn't the first day of school, but you can tell that she really likes this outfit so far this year, can't you? This was one morning after I braided her hair in little braids. She thought it was so fun to have it all poofy and crimped-looking.

This one, however, really is from the first day of school. I neglected to get a picture in the morning, so we snapped one as she came off of the bus, complete with a pink sticker on her nose.

So far, Kimberly really likes second grade. She likes her teacher and does fine with all of the homework she brings home.

We Love the Outdoors

2011-10-11T23:20:00.001-07:00

In August, we had a few fun outdoor activities. One Saturday we went fishing as a family. We haven't had a lot of luck doing this, but we have had a lot of fun.

Libby just mostly enjoys throwing rocks in the water and further harming our chances of catching anything at all.

Glade enjoyed an old vest that was Grandad's when he was a kid.

Kimberly gets very serious about the art of fishing.

We also took the opportunity to use our fire ring and dutch oven to make some peach cobbler. Ice cream, peach cobbler, and a fire: what else could you want?

I just had to put these two of Liberty up. She is so cute and fun!

Don't you love the too big boots?
Kimberly had a great time too.
Glade had a little trouble keeping his ice cream in his mouth or his bowl, as evidenced by the nice dribble down his shirt.
I always enjoy a fire outside too. It's great to spend time together as a family!

The Wilds of Alaska

2011-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of July, Ryan and I had the unique opportunity of driving up into the Brooks Range of Alaska. We dropped our appropriately named friend, Brooks, and his brother off for a backpacking trip in Gates of the Arctic National Park. It was a nice drive up into country that is wild and remote. It was gorgeous though. We saw lots of neat things and had a good time. Katie and her sister-in-law kept the kids so that we could take them up and drop them off. It was nice to have a little time with just us two.

We drove over the Yukon River. It was gigantic. Neat to see.

There is a Visitor's Center by Coldfoot, AK for Gates of the Arctic. It is a really neat place. We enjoyed looking at all of the neat displays they had. Here is a huge globe showing the Arctic Circle.
Another display of animal skins they had. Look at this enormous wolf!

One thing that is unique about the Dalton Highway (of Ice Road Truckers fame), which is the only one going into the Brooks Range that I know about, is that it is only paved on and off. After Coldfoot (about halfway to Prudhoe Bay) I think it is completely dirt. The mountains were beautiful and besides the big trucks driving by occasionally, it felt pretty isolated. We had a little rain and so the roads looked like this:

This is what happens when you drive several hundred miles on a dirt highway.

At the drop off location, Brooks, Jack, Ryan, and (of course) Jessie. She is a great dog for this kind of trip. We loved keeping her for a few days and were sad to see her leave.
The riverbed where we dropped them off. Cloudy, but beautiful!
They had to cross a river first thing. Looks a little cold, don't you agree? I think Ryan was a little jealous of them at this point.
The camp Ryan and I made up stream a bit. It was a glorious place to stay. So quiet and peaceful. We enjoyed a little fishing, but didn't have any luck in the blue crystal waters.
Not that many people can say that they've been to the Arctic Circle.
It was a nice little getaway from everything. We enjoyed being together and experiencing a new part of Alaska. Hopefully someday we can go see Brooks and Katie in the village where they are teaching, Anaktuvuk Pass.

Look Mom, No Wheels!

2011-08-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Training wheels, that is! Kimberly finally learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. It all started when our neighbors gave us a BUNCH of bikes that their kids had outgrown. We got all sizes and kinds! In the bunch was a pink bike with flowers on it. Kimberly loved that bike and REALLY wanted to ride it. Unfortunately, there were no training wheels. She was told that if she learned to ride without training wheels, the bike was hers, but we weren't going to move the training wheels from her other bike. Needless to say, this was sufficient motivation for learning. She just decided she could do it and took off! How exhilarating! We are so proud of her!

Hopefully he'll be next:

Two Feet, Two Hands,Two Ears, Two Eyes, One Big Smile, Two Years!

2011-08-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet Little Liberty turned two at the beginning of August.

Blowing out her candles.

Enjoying her cake and ice cream.

She enjoyed her day so much, she didn't make it to bed before conking out.

Some snuggle time with Dad before going to bed.

We were lucky enough to have our friend Jesse in Fairbanks for most of the summer. We really enjoyed seeing him on a regular basis and were happy to have him for our celebration of Liberty.

Liberty sent some time riding bikes on her birthday. Love the tongue!

Looking deep into the bag. What did she find? A puppy pillow-pet!

Grammy and Grandad sent this Woody. She loves it. We found her like this the day we received the package in the mail.

We sure feel lucky to have Liberty in our home. She is such a cute little thing. She definitely has a mind of her own and doesn't hesitate to let us know what she wants. It has been fun to be able to communicate with her more and more as she learns new words.

Mt. Prindle Revisited

2011-08-10T12:00:00.001-07:00

The weekend we got home, Ryan decided to go back to Mt. Prindle, in Alaska's White Mountains, and summit. Luckily, our friend Gene was willing and able to accompany him. They seemed to have a good hike, although a malfunctioning backpacking stove and some blisters threatened to slow them down.

Enjoy a few of the pictures Ryan brought back:

Fireweed

Summit

They saw lots of wildlife, including quite a few Dall sheep. Neat landscape too.

Here's a video that he took with some dall sheep in it.

Lots of Lovely Lunts

2011-08-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

On our drive from Utah to Arizona, we drove by the Grand Canyon and crossed the Navajo Bridge. We HAD to get out and walk across the mighty Colorado River. Amazing how far down it is.

A little preview of what the Grand Canyon is like. If you've never been there, this is definitely the small part. You should go!

It was good to get to Duncan and see everyone. Uncle Scott and Aunt Mindy are always fun. They are the game King and Queen. They are always so good to play games with the kids.

In the evenings it was good to get outside. During the day it was too darn HOT.

The lawn is doing great and everyone loved playing out there.

Riding Grandpa's ATV is always a bonus! Glade especially loves it!

We spent a few days at the Old Virden Church with huge trees, a great big room for playing in, and lots of other fun things. The kids loved being boosted up into the trees. Kimberly especially enjoyed staying up there.

We did lots of fun things. This was building towers with spaghetti and marshmallows.

Mason, Lauren, Karleigh, and Uncle JT with their marshmallow towers.

We had a treasure hunt and all the kids got punch balls at the end. Unfortunately, Liberty and Glade also ended up getting sick for a day or two.

Sack Races were fun. Kimberly and Ryan especially enjoyed this activity. This was followed by a 3-legged race, which Ryan and I did really well at, until the handkerchief connecting our legs tore.

We always had a pinata at my Grandpa and Grandma Lunt's house at Christmastime. Jessie found this monster in Mexico and the kids really enjoyed hitting it and loved the prize bags she put together.

We stayed so busy that any down time was gratefully received. Glade sat down to watch the ice cream freezer and unwillingly fell asleep.

Our family took a little side trip up to Catwalk in New Mexico. The drive was great and we were happy to have Emilee go with us. I have great memories of going to the Catwalk when I was younger. They have improved the trail since then.

Liberty and Mom on the last bridge. Bouncy!

We made it to the end!!! Everyone was happy!

We were especially happy to get in the water. It was COLD, but fun. We went back by a waterfall, but couldn't take the camera, since Ryan and I were chest deep to get back there and we had to carry most of the kids.

Emilee was a real trooper and good help. Love you Em!

Almost out! This is where they've added a handicapped trail. It goes 1/2 mile into the canyon.

We had a great time seeing family, playing, meeting JT, and just having a party! Thanks to Calvin and Terra for letting us use one of their vehicles so we wouldn't have to rent one for a whole week! Thanks for everything! We loved seeing all of you!

Awesomely Amazing Adventure with ALL Abbotts

2011-08-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

On July 1st we left for our big adventure of the summer. We flew first to Bozeman where we spent a night before heading to the cabin in Island Park, ID. The cabin was built by Ryan Grandad. Grandad spent every summer there for a long time. Needless to say, it is a special place that is full of wonderful memories for Ryan and his family. We love it too. (We actually spent our honeymoon there in late December, can you say, SNOW!) Although short on sleeping quarters and space, we managed to all enjoy ourselves. We thought a lot of Grandad and Boppa while there and we loved spending the time with family.

We went to Yellowstone one day. We did a pretty good hike down a LOT of stairs to see a waterfall. Kim enjoyed climbing up by the path.

Glade enjoyed it too.

Unfortunately, we lost a car in our group and had to wait a bit. They never did find us though. At least we enjoyed being together! It was fun to see Reed and Katie's new little one, Grace.

Glade really enjoyed Addie. They played together a LOT on this trip.

We took family pictures at the cabin.

And pictures of everyone. Always tricky, but Katie did a great job! It was so fun to see everyone. All of the kids were so much bigger than the last time we got to spend time with them.

On the 4th of July, Aunt Natalie organized a parade that the kids really got into.

It rained in the evening and we were afraid the fireworks would get rained out. We haven't seen fireworks in a few years since it's not dark enough in the summer in Alaska. We didn't want to miss this chance! Ryan thought ahead enough to bring along a tarp, which came in handy as we hid from a little rainstorm using a tree to help support the tarp. It was an adventure!

The beautiful lake right before fireworks. They shot the fireworks off from the outcropping between the flag and the tall pole.

The fireworks were great! We were so close and the kids really enjoyed the experience. It was a little loud, but totally worth it!

Another fun thing we did is take out the boat, again Grandad's. I've been wanting to do this for a few years. The kids LOVED it!

When others were taking their turn, we swam in the lake. Uncle Rob even swam to the other side and back.
Ryan enjoying the water.

We went to Yellowstone a second time and Ryan and his brother Rob rode bicycles through the park.

We met them at spots and saw the geysers with them. We even saw a small grizzly bear running through the area. After a fun day at the park, we attended a play in West Yellowstone.

Ryan managed to go out fishing one day with his Dad. He was successful and ate this poor fish for lunch. Yum!

We did lots of ATV riding during the week. Everyone enjoyed it except for Liberty.

The girls picked lots of flower. Some even thought there would be none left by the end of the week. Smell it!

We had such a great time with the Abbott family, but it was time to travel down to see the Lunts for a week. Wish we could have stayed longer!

Burning Love

2011-08-02T16:05:00.001-07:00

You may or may not know that we use a lot of wood to keep our house warm in the sub-zero temperatures of winter. We recently stockpiled a LOT of wood--5 cords to be precise. We borrowed a splitter and got all of it split. Then came the stacking. We had a lot of help from the kids. All went well until a wildly swinging shovel hit an unnamed girl on the hand. Don't worry though, the offense was paid back later when she inadvertently gave the guilty party a bloody nose when trying to get his foot, which was wedged tightly between two boards, out. All in all, a successful evening.

Kimberly was our photographer for the evening. I did, however, get the camera away long enough to snap one of her.

Have you ever wondered what 5 cords of split wood looks like? Now's your chance to find out.

Glade peeking up from behind a pile of unstacked wood.

Ryan raking up lots of birch bark that fell off when we were splitting. Birch bark is really good at burning. It makes great kindling.

It's already quite a bit drier than when we stacked it in late June. We're looking forward to being able to enjoy fires from this wood and some older cords that we had all winter long. Yeah for fires!

Denali Highway

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

We decided to do a last-minute camping trip down on the Denali Highway in June. This is a road that is about 130 miles long and is mostly gravel.

Kim and Glade were super excited to get their own fishing rods.

Kim's favorite thing to do while riding in the car--listen to CDs.

Our camp on a little hilltop. Notice the giant rock that the kids enjoyed using as a table.

We LOVE it out here!

We fished in a lake by the lodge. Cool bear statue.

Pro Fisherman (and cute too!)

Kim hanging out in camp in her new chair.

Libby and Mom making dinner

Glade fishing in a lake about a mile from our camp. We hiked into it cross-country.

Kim at that same lake

Our morning faces. Liberty had a hard time sleeping in the light of the night.

Glade hurrying to get his shoes on so he can explore more!

Kim and Dad slept in his tadpole tent that he bought when he was a Scout. Still works pretty well.

Kim is our constant wildflower gatherer. This is a bunch of gorgeous flowers she gathered by the Castner Glacier. Unfortunately, they didn't survive the drive home and caused much vacuuming in the van.

It was a great trip although it threatened to rain much of the time we were there and poured on the morning we left. It was wonderful to spend the time together as a family and see a new part of Alaska.

Birthday Boy

2011-08-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

Glade had a birthday Shout Hooray!

Glade turned four at the end of June. We celebrated as a family and he had his first friend party. We did a racecar theme.

This was my 2nd attempt at a car cake. It's not perfect, but it turned out a lot better than the first one!

Blowing out his candles.

Opening gifts

The kids really enjoyed racing cars down this little homemade track I made out of a box.

Glade's big gift this year was a bike, which he loves and picked up really quickly.

Glade delights in being a funny boy. He loves to try to make other people laugh (although sometimes he tends to carry this too far). He is such a little sweetie and we are very grateful to have him in our family.

Little Fishies

2011-08-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

Kimberly and Glade really enjoyed doing swimming lessons this summer. They both did really well. Kimberly advanced to Level 3 and Glade got much more comfortable in the water.

Kim on Fun Friday with the big fish

Glade kicking up a storm

Now a short video of each of them in action:

Glade's the one in the green shirt.

I Love to See the Temple

2011-08-02T10:51:00.001-07:00

We finally made it down to Anchorage in May for a temple trip. Our dental school friends graciously let us stay with them, even though the movers were coming in only a week or two. It was great to see them! It was so refreshingly green down there. Spring hadn't quite made it to Fairbanks yet and we were really loving how green things were. It was a good trip that we really enjoyed! Thanks again!

Ryan and our friend Richard went for a run in the mountains.

The main reason for our trip to Anchorage was to go to the temple. We stopped by with the kids when it was closed and explored the grounds a little bit. It was a gorgeous sunny day.

We went to the zoo in Anchorage. It had been a long time for the kids. They loved it!
Bear Hug!

Kimberly getting good use out of her new camera.

We borrowed a stroller from our friends, but Liberty preferred to walk most of the time.

Glade going 90 miles an hour, as usual.

Marvelous May

2011-08-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

In May we did a lot of things, including:

Cooking Out

Camping with Friends

Ate lots of S'mores

Enjoyed Cute kids

And bought a new van.

What a month!

PUDDLES!

2011-06-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

When the snow finally started melting, it was great! Especially if you ask the kids. All three of them LOVED walking, jumping, and falling into the puddles that appeared. (Although they could have done without the falling, and I probably could have done without all the extra laundry and muddy messes the puddles created. I do like to see them having fun though.) Liberty even learned the word "puddle" and would say it in such a cute voice when asking to be taken out to splash around.

What we (or at least I) didn't love was the sheet of ice that formed in front of our garage door. The kids, however, thought the impromptu skating rink was just was the doctor ordered!

That's all for now, we need to go find a few more puddles!

Snowy Easter Day

2011-06-30T23:08:00.001-07:00

When Easter rolled around, the snow was still on the ground. (Hey, I must be a poet!)
The Easter Bunny still managed to make his way around hiding eggs outside though. The kids found them all, although it took several trips to do it, coming in to warm up in between.
Glade getting one from WAY up high

Kim found one under the tree

Libby enjoying an Easter treat from Grammy

One More Year . . .

2011-06-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

'til baptism is here!

We can't believe our sweet Kimberly is 7! She is so busy and always seems to have something going one, whether it's reading, pretending, crafting, or anything else her heart desires! She keeps on her toes and helps us do the same! We sure do love you!

Beautiful Birthday Girl in the apron Grandma made for her

Can't wait to open presents

Checking out her big gift: a camera which has gotten plenty of use since then

She chose a party at the swimming pool this year, since she is a little fish when she can be. We had a great time with all the friends who could make it and missed the ones that weren't there. Fun was had by all!

First Grade Readers

2011-06-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

This year I enjoyed going into Kimberly's classroom each week to help with reading time. I would take a group of kids and read their assigned story with them, then direct them in doing worksheets, silent reading, etc. I really loved doing this. I was fortunate that her teacher allowed me to bring Glade and Liberty also. It was so fun being a small part of my daughter's education and specifically to get to know the kids in her class.

Kim helping Flat Stanley (from a cousin) do some homework.

Kim's reading group

April Showers?

2011-06-30T22:45:00.001-07:00

I always thought April showers were supposed to bring May flowers. It doesn't work that way around here though. Even in April, we had to stay bundled up to go outside. Here's a snapshot of the kids that just happened to fall into place before going to school one day.

General Conference Fun

2011-06-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Every six months our church holds a general conference where the leaders speak. We always really enjoy it and this past April was no exception.

Libby just being darn cute!

We got some new watercolors for using while listening to the speakers. They LOVED this!

Sunday we had brunch with some friends and then watched the last session together. What a great weekend.

Snow!

2011-06-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of snow this past winter. This is our pile plowed up from our driveway. The kids love playing on it. We also used it for sledding sometimes.

St. Patrick's Day Party

2011-06-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

We had a party for St. Patrick's Day with some friends of ours. It was so fun to be with them. We don't see them nearly as often since our ward was split.

Libby is just cute!

Deiter and Glade enjoying our green lunch.

Greta, Kim, and Emma eating lunch

Sarah and her fruit rainbow

Dr. Suess Night

2011-06-22T09:33:00.001-07:00

Kimberly's school has a fun party every year for Dr. Suess's birthday. We were in town this year so we were able to go. They did a great job of having crafts, books, stories, and cake.

Kim doing a jar with tissue paper on it.

Glade stuffing his pillow.

The Cat in the Hat

Ryan Has an Adventure

2011-03-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ryan and a friend went on a trip to Castner Glacier. Find out all the details and see some gorgeous pictures of it on his blog.

Late Breaking News

2011-02-22T22:38:00.001-08:00

In other January news, I had a birthday and was spoiled by Ryan, kids, and parents.

The sun returned long enough to actually warm our part of the earth. It's nice to have direct sunlight again.

Ryan got a new pair of back-country skis. He's enjoyed taking them out.

Brrrr!

2011-02-22T22:32:00.001-08:00

Do you remember the snow cave mentioned earlier on this blog?

Well, when the temperature did this:

(That says 45 degrees below zero, in case you can't read it.)

Ryan did this:

Doesn't he look cozy?

It actually turned out to be little claustrophobic because of all the gear he had to wear to stay warm. It was a long night, or maybe short, depending on how you look at it.

XC Skiing

2011-01-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

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.

Christmas is Here!

2011-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

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.

Oh, What Do You Do in the Wintertime?

2011-01-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

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!

Christmas Trees

2011-01-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Gingerbread and Candy

2011-01-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Christmas Concert

2011-01-05T10:53:00.001-08:00

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!

Caribou, Where are You?

2011-01-05T10:18:00.001-08:00

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!

Thanksgiving and Birthdays

2011-01-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

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.

The Cupboard Under the Stairs

2011-01-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

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!

Haunting Halloween

2011-01-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

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.

Wintertime, the First Stage

2010-10-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

October brings snow. It's interesting to see the contrast between the pictures from September and October. The first part of winter is actually quite nice. The temps aren't too bad, especially once the sun comes up. The days are definitely getting shorter though. Glade has been noticing that it's still dark when Kim goes to school and it bothers him. Sorry Buddy, but it's only going to get worse over the next few months. The only pictures we have so far besides ones of the kids making funny faces are of Ryan's two big hikes.

The first hike Ryan went on was with a new friend he made at work. The hiked up by Mt. Prindle in the White Mountains. They didn't get as far as they would have liked, but still had a good time. Too bad the weather wasn't better though.

Look at that rugged Alaskan man. (Insert Tim Allen grunt here.)

There's just something about snow by water that I love. I love this picture of Ryan!

Can you see the moose in this picture? Me neither. Nice layering though!

Ryan's second trip: same place, a week later, nice, sunny weather, solo this time. We got a GPS finally and Ryan plotted himself a 15-mile hike to do.

The Jeep is still going strong.

You get ice again, just because I like it!

Look cold? It was. Ryan said up on top in the wind it felt about 20 below. His videos aren't much use since you can mostly just hear the wind blowing past the mic. His camera quite working it was so cold. Beautiful though!

Remember September!

2010-10-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

With the rosy glow of a busy but fun August fading, we plunged into September, which wasn't nearly as busy as August. Or was it?

We made a quick trip to Anchorage. We picked a beautiful weekend and actually SAW Denali this time around. Here's the view from on the way down.

At a gas station where we had a picnic, the kids found a little tree that someone had cut down. It just HAD to come home with us. On this trip we also went to an indoor water park, that was a little too cold for our liking, and had a trip to the temple. Some very nice people that live by the temple kept the kids for us so we could attend a session together.

Denali on the way back.

Ryan went grouse hunting and came back with some fresh meat. In case you can't tell, those aren't grouse.

Ryan did an epic bike ride North of Fairbanks. I can't remember how long it was, but he was gone all day. He said it was strange to think that there was basically nothing in the direction he was riding when it came to people and towns.

While Ryan was gone, the kids decorated the house for Autumn. Oops, I mean each other. It's not Halloween yet!

We finally got ourselves a pet. She's the best kind! No feeding, watering, or walking to do! The kids love her and sleep with her every night, even Liberty! We just have one rule, if she gets fought over, she has to go stay in the garage. So far, it's worked pretty well.

Autumn came and went quickly. Here's the view from our dining room. The trees all get so golden and pretty. It doesn't last long though, only a few weeks before all the leaves are gone. Then we head into winter.

Chena Hot Springs

2010-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Our family finally made it out to Chena Hot Springs, a drive of about an hour. Ryan drove out early and ran the Angel Rocks trail to meet us at the Springs. We got a later start than planned, but still managed to get there just in time to see Ryan run up. They had an indoor pool that was nicely heated and a rock pool outside that was gorgeous, but too hot from the springs for kids. Other than the nice sulfur smell, we loved the pool and have been back again since. The rock pool is beautiful with all the steam coming off of it in the cold air.

School Days

2010-10-22T14:04:00.001-07:00

Kim started First Grade in mid-August and has been enjoying it, for the most part. Her teacher just graduated from UAF and is a native Alaskan, which is kind of neat. The biggest challenge is getting herself up and ready in the morning. Oh, and keeping track of all of her cold weather gear, now that it's snowy out. The kids go out to recess until 20 below zero, so gloves, snowpants, and hats are a must.

The Reading Race

2010-10-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ryan was gone for the first half of the summer and I decided that Kimberly needed something to help keep her busy without school to fill her days. We read a story in the "Friend" about a reading race and I decided that might be just the thing. We each got a marble in a jar when we finished a book. Kim had to read several small books to get a marble or one chapter book. All of the sudden, this girl took off. She LOVES to read and finished over 75 chapter books this summer! At the end, we went out for ice cream at Cold Stone.

Three Kids in a Boat

2010-10-22T13:42:00.001-07:00

In mid-August we decided to take a trip to Quartz Lake. Ryan picked out a rod for me and we headed out pretty early in the morning. Too early, it turned out. The boat rental stand didn't open until 10:00. We had quite a bit of time to kill. We walked around by the lake and enjoyed the misty day.

Maybe this was the reason the boat rental place wasn't open. You couldn't even see across the lake to where the houses were.

Kim and Glade found some sticks to use as fishing rods. Later Dad put some fishing line on them and Glade actually caught a fish on his!

The kids also enjoyed throwing rocks into the lake. You could definitely see a reason for the name "Quartz Lake".

We finally got a boat and spent the next 4 hours fishing and riding around the lake in the boat. The kids actually enjoyed it. Ryan was a great organizer for this trip and made everything work out really well.

Our catch for the day. I think we finally decided that they were arctic char and young rainbow trout. Not real big, but it was still fun to catch them.

Kim was a little sad that they weren't alive any more.

It was a wonderful day. We all enjoyed the outing tremendously and hope to do it again next summer. Now that we have two rods, maybe we will start earlier in the year and get more out of it!

When the Abbotts Came to Town

2010-10-03T11:14:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned that Ryan's parents flew in on Liberty's birthday. We had them all to ourselves for a week and we loved having them. We stayed very busy and did lots of fun things. Here's a selection!

Grammy enjoying a beautiful day and getting to know Liberty.

A rare picture of Ryan and I together.

A salmon grilled dinner enjoyed on the porch.

One day we took a riverboat ride on the Discovery. It was a lot of fun.

The riverboat included a stop at a native Athabaskan village. There were some sled dogs there and Susan Butcher's husband was there signing books about Granite, her famous lead dog. Here's the kids next to a statue of him.

A very impressive fur coat with a full ruff. Very gorgeous. It also looked very hot!

Ryan and his dad went fishing for Arctic Grayling, and caught quite a few.

We took a train ride (Glade's favorite) and visited a gold mine.

We all enjoyed panning for a little gold.

We HAD to have a fire and make s'mores. Even Liberty got a real s'more instead of just marshmallows this time. I think she kinda liked it, what do you think?

Everyone enjoyed the treat.

Thanks for coming Grammy and Grandad! We really enjoyed it and hope you come again soon!

Finally One!

2010-08-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Liberty is finally one! We started the day with pancakes.

She's getting to be quite the stair climber!

That evening, what better way to celebrate than to welcome Grammy and Grandad for a week-long visit! We were so happy to see them.

The next night we had a real party! Cupcakes made by Kim and Grammy.

Balloons are SOOOOO fun!

I didn't have anything particularly special in mind for her birthday, so I let the kids choose a gift for her. Glade chose a microphone. I think the other two have enjoyed it at least as much as Libby (and probably more).

Kimberly chose a tip and topple friend. It's just about bigger than Liberty.

We sure do love our Liberty. She is a sweet, smiley (most of the time) little girl.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

2010-08-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

I tried my hand at an Alaskan garden this year. It seemed to work really well. Turns out up here you aren't really safe to plant things in the ground until June 1st. I started quite a few little things in small containers, then transplanted them to the garden, which was prepared by my Visiting Teacher's husband. It was awesome that they did that for me! I also planted some things straight into the ground. We are reaping the harvest now. I have only ever had a square-foot garden, so it has been really fun and exciting to get quite a bit more produce than a small garden provides. Most of what we have harvested has been snap peas, regular peas, and a few little tomatoes thrown in.

Kimberly smelling some fireweed. She told me she looked like she was covered with dew. Actually, she was running in the water spraying out of the hose.

Glade is washing one of his peas in the hose.

Kim was trying to fill up her bowl with peas. Getting there!

Even Libby was getting in on the action, although I think she enjoyed eating the dirt more than the peas!

First Alaska Road Trip

2010-08-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Shortly after Ryan returned home, we headed off on our first real Alaska Road Trip. The destination, Kenai Peninsula. We left home with no real plan or destination in mind, other than 2 nights in a hotel in Anchorage. It was great to be able to attend the temple, see some friends from dental school, and just enjoy having some family time. We enjoyed eating out and watching Toy Story 3. We ALL loved it.

We went to a bird watching area to walk around while Dad was busy. The kids really enjoyed taking turns choosing which path to take along the boardwalk. We saw a few birds, a moose, and we really enjoyed seeing the fish in a stream. The salmon were the favorites as they made their way from the ocean upstream.

After our few days in Anchorage, we drove a little way down the highway to Alyeska Ski Resort. We camped one night in Girdwood. It was beautiful and sunny. The only drawback was all of the teenagers that were kind of noisy around the campground.

Here's a beautiful shot of a glacier we saw while we were driving around.

The next day Ryan took out his mountain bike for the first time since he got home. We cleaned up camp for a while and then rode up Alyeska in the tram. It was well worth it. When we got up there I thought, "It would be fun to see Ryan up here." Just then, he came riding down the mountain! How's that for good timing!

You could see the ocean from up there. The drop-offs made me a little nervous.

Ryan rode his bike all the way to the top and then beat us down when we rode the tram. I'm sure it's because we had to wait. The first one we tried to get on was full. Glade wanted to hike and so Dad took the two of them up the mountain. Liberty was asleep in the pack, so I took a break. They disappeared for about an hour and when they finally came back, it turned out they had gone all the way up to that rescue station you can see in the background. What good little hikers!

We had fun playing in the snow.

We Continued driving down the road and opted for the Seward turnoff. We kept seeing this train (or one like it) throughout our trip. The kids really liked it, especially Glade.

We camped in a campground by a lake. The lake was beautiful, too bad the weather wasn't. We got rain starting in the middle of the first night. We went to the Seward branch on Sunday morning and stayed two nights in the campground. Most everyone left except for us and another family of Park Rangers and their 2 small children. We enjoyed talking to them and hearing more about Denali.

Enjoying the lake, never mind the rain.

Glade having fun camping.

Kim says hot chocolate is the best!

Dad decided it was time to buy everyone rain clothes, so we did! We stayed a lot drier after that . . . until our trip to the lake, that is! The water was just too tempting to stay out of! Too bad boots only protect you to a certain depth!
Me cooking in the rain!

Libby didn't love the poncho, but at least it kept her a little drier. She WAS loving the apple, though.

We love that our kids have good imaginations. Here they are at the lake taking Dad on a boat ride. Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Overall, it was a good trip. We enjoyed most of it, although the rain did get a little old. It was really nice to be together as a family again. We love us!

Getting Stronger

2010-07-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

During his deployment, Ryan spent a lot of time lifting weights. In order to continue with his new hobby, he bought a weight set. It is set up in the loft of our barn/garage. The view is great and it is nice to work out up there as long as it isn't too hot (and the wasps don't bother us).

The kids have really enjoyed the weight set too. I only have a picture of Glade, since Kim didn't get up and come out in the morning when we took these.

Me doing a lift that Ryan taught me.

Look at that guy doing pull-ups! He really has gotten a lot stronger. How nice for me! :)

Self-Portrait

2010-07-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Kim decided she needed a new picture after she gave herself a great haircut. What do you think?

A New Generation

2010-07-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

No matter what the age, Star Wars never grows old.

Together Again

2010-07-23T17:34:00.001-07:00

Ryan came in on a red-eye early Tuesday morning. We are SOOOO excited to have him back with us. Can you tell we're one happy family again?

The kids made their own signs for him to welcome him home. They have hardly left him alone since then and the first question I hear every morning is, "Mom, where is Dad?" They are sure lucky to have such a good father.

We had a party when we arrived home. I thought a globe cake would be appropriate and the horseshoes are a belated Father's Day present.

We enjoyed looking through the treasures that came to our family from halfway around the world. It was fun to see the wood and marble animals. This particular picture is of Ryan wearing a hat that some Afghan men wear. I am feeling beautiful in the jewelry he brought for me too!

It was hard for us to be without Ryan for half a year, but I think we grew a lot and were strengthened while he was gone. We are definitely much happier to have him back, though.

Independence Day!

2010-07-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

We had a great Independence Day this year, made better by the fact that we were expecting Ryan home any day.

We had a good time at the North Pole 4th of July Parade (complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus). It was fun to find friends to sit by.

We were able to go to Greta's birthday party that evening. Happy Birthday Greta! They had fun fireworks, good food, and great friends.

On the actual 4th (Sunday) we had a fun star shaped dinner and enjoyed each other's company.

We are so grateful to be able to live in this country. It was made even more special by having a family member serving in the military. To top it all off, Ryan and his group landed in the USA on July 4th! The good people at the Texas airport lined the walkway and cheered them into the airport and back onto US soil!

Getting Big!

2010-06-27T00:53:00.000-07:00

Our little sweetie is getting so big! She is almost 11 months old.

Here she is standing by herself. She'll be walking before we know it! Sorry I didn't get her looking at the camera!

This is one of her latest tricks. I think it is terribly cute! She does it often especially when she is doing something she isn't supposed to be doing or when other people do things she doesn't like. She usually doesn't need any prompting, but I have been trying to catch her doing it for a while and finally got it by telling her "no."

Do you think they might be related?

2010-06-27T00:41:00.000-07:00

Look Who's Three!

2010-06-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

Our big boy Glade had a birthday this week. He is getting to be so grown up. He is doing really well at potty-training and, although not always perfectly kind, he loves his sisters.

Getting ready to open his presents. He got lots of trains! Thomas galore!

Kimberly picked out this bubble gun for him. It is a relief for Mom not to have to be in charge of blowing all the bubbles! They've had a great time with it.

Look how tall I am! The floor puzzle sent by Grammy and Grandad.

We had some friends over tonight to play, eat, and have cake and ice cream. Glade asked for a firetruck cake, although he opted for yellow (his favorite color) instead of red.

Beach Babes

2010-06-25T21:57:00.001-07:00

We were invited by some friends to spend yesterday afternoon with them at the beach. It was a really beautiful, sunny day and we enjoyed the company and the water.

Kimberly was telling me all the moves she was going to do in the water (learned in swimming lessons). She had a great time and stayedin the water almost the entire time.

Glade enjoyed the water too, but he also enjoyed being by me on the blanket.

The sand was really nice and Glade enjoyed borrowing a dumptruck. We brought home a lot of sand with us, needless to say.

Kimberly is always really good at making new friends. See the tallest girl? Kim declared that she was her new good friend and was unhappy with me for saying it was time to go home, even though we had been there for over 3 hours. Oh well, can't win them all, I guess.

Poor little Liberty isn't really old enough yet. The water is still a little cold for her. Maybe when I have a little more help.

Thanks for inviting us! Beautiful lake, wonderful day! We're planning to go back when Daddy gets home.

Summer Days

2010-06-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

The long summer days are about to start getting shorter. Not so much that you would notice, though. Today was the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Kimberly asked me a month or so ago if we could have a party and stay up late. I agreed. So, on the way home from swimming lessons this morning, I talked to the kids about what they might want to do for a summer solstice party. They came up with quite a list!

I asked them to help out around the house, which they did quite willingly and happily (with a few reminders and grumbles) :). We did accomplish most of the things i wanted to get done today, included insisted upon naps or rest times. We had a late dinner and then the party started.

One of the things Kimberly wanted to do was have a puppet show, she got this ready by herself and sang a little song to go along with it. She is so imaginative.

I spent some time getting the garage swept out while the kids chased each other with squirt guns, played T-ball, and a little tennis. Then it was horseshoe time, or maybe time to try on new hats.

No, definitely horseshoe time. I guess it depends on who you ask. Kimberly is getting better at controlling her aim and distance, along with horseshoe technique, it's a fine art, I tell you.

After that we did a little more T-ball and some volleyball. Then we just HAD to take a ride on the mower. I had Liberty in the backpack, and she didn't really love it, but the other two did. It's still new and exciting.

The kids have been asking to play in the pile of clippings. Kimberly said it smelled kind of funny. (It rained yesterday.) She still jumped in though.

After that it was pool time. At this point it was 9:00, at which time they should have been in bed, snoring.

The came in when they were good and wet (not to mention cold) and got dried off and into jammies. Liberty is finally totally happy, although not for long. She was about ready for bed. She had cereal and then a brownie to top her off.

Another thing that Kim wanted to do was paint nails. We put Bob the Builder on for Glade while Kim and I got all glammed up. It was fun to do with her. She even wanted to have matching colors. Then we started another movie that all three of us enjoyed. I finally decided it was time for bed about 11:40. They were spoiled rotten tonight. I hope they remember the night. I think I was tired before they were! They got snuggled up in their beds and are hopefully in dreamland by now. That's where I want to be too. I guess I better head up there now.

I hope I don't regret this tomorrow. Naps all around tomorrow, I think!

I Am My Father's Daughter

2010-06-20T00:24:00.000-07:00

You may (or may not) know that I grew up on a dairy farm. My dad is a farmer and John Deere is is favorite kind of tractor. You know what they say: "Nothing Runs Like a Deer!" Well, it's true! To prove that I really am my father's daughter, I had to get a John Deere of my very own! (I promise to share it with Ryan when he gets home though!)

Glade is enjoying just sitting on the new lawn tractor that we got for mowing. He really liked driving tractor with Grandpa when we were in Arizona not too long ago and enjoys this variety too. Maybe even more, since it's more his size.

I just really liked this picture. The texture of the different layers of clouds is great! I took this on Friday night after I finished mowing. It was about 11:00 p.m. The sun was on it's downward slope and it just lit the clouds up! By the way, Monday is the Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year. I've gotten used to the continuous daylight, so it will be interesting to see if I notice the days getting shorter anytime soon.

Kimberly loves to ride on the lawn tractor also. Although some things (like time away from her brother that loves to do EVERYTHING with her) prove to be more important at times. At the store, she asked if we could buy a tractor and send it to Grandpa for his birthday. Hmmm, maybe NOT! :) At least she loves him!

If you buy (or rent, like us) a house with a lawn like this, watch out!

We call it Mt. Mulch. The fruits of 2 days and 6 hours of mowing. Phew! Next time remind me not to let the grass get so long! The "mountain" is about 4 feet tall and 8 feet long. I'm hoping next time will be at least a little bit faster.

Time to ride off into the sunset!

Fishy

2010-06-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kimberly is FINALLY taking swimming lessons. This is the first year we have had her in them. Yesterday was her first day and she seemed to enjoy it. Her only complaint is that she wishes I didn't have to stay there and watch her. She is little Miss Independent. Hopefully she'll learn some important water skills from this class. We're excited to see her turn into a little fish!

"Camping"

2010-06-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

The kids have been wanting to sleep in the teepee for a while. I got it out for them the other day. They slept in it for two nights and really LOVED it!

I made this for them a few years ago. We had one when I was growing up and I think it's a great toy for them to play in and enjoy.

Petting Zoo

2010-06-15T10:03:00.001-07:00

The library had a petting zoo for the weekly activity last week. The kids really loved it. Their favorites were the bunnies. They were everyone's favorite, apparently. There was quite a line. I must love them since I waited in that line so they could pet the bunnies! I actually really like to see the kids interacting with animals. It is a good thing for them to learn.

LONG days

2010-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I just love cool, misty mornings! I snapped this picture one morning early when Glade had come up to my bedroom. It was about 2:00, I think. I took him back to bed and saw a very red sunrise on my way. I don't think this picture captured the red sun, but it does have a nice misty view from our window!

It has taken a little getting used to, the having no real darkness at night. Next week is the summer solstice, so after that the days will start getting shorter again.

Memorial Day

2010-06-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

The kids and I joined some friends at Pioneer Park for Memorial Day. One of the favorite things was getting faces painted. Then we rode the train, always a favorite too!

Truck Touch

2010-05-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided to take the kids to the Truck Touch in Fairbanks. It was a fairly warm and sunny day.

Liberty was about ready for a nap. She made it through most of the time, but passed out before we were through.

The kids met Officer B. Safe. This was kind of a neat thing. It was an air-conditioned balloon with a man inside. He could walk around and wave and shake hands and things like that. They LOVED him.

They also really like this police robot. There was a man inside a truck controlling the robot. He kept taking their construction hats and then driving around with them and bringing them back to the kids. Glade thought it was so great he kept following the robot around and holding his hat out to him. So fun!

Another of Glade's favorite things! What little boy doesn't like this?

This was the most interesting thing there (to me anyway). They called it a train, and it kind of looks like one. It was from WW I. They said transportation was a problem at that time. This vehicle held 40 soldiers and 8 horses. (You can see those numbers on the side of it.) It was from France, hence the words on the side. Kind of an interesting vehicle.

A helicopter was fun to climb into and try out. They made sure to buckle up!

There were a couple of little race cars. The kids both enjoyed those.

It was such a fun day. There were lots of other things: old tractors, construction equipment. old cars, an airplane, a city bus, an ambulance, and more I'm forgetting, I'm sure. The kids had a good time and especially enjoyed the popcorn and snow cones we enjoyed!

Kindergarten No More

2010-05-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Kimberly's Kindergarten Program a few weeks ago. We came back from our trip not too long before the program, so she didn't know the songs quite as well as the other kids. She has a great memory and learns fast though, so she did all right. Unfortunately, she's not super-tall and they put her on the back row. There was a boy in front of her with paper feathers on a headdress. That meant she was covered for most of the program. It was also hard to try to get a good picture while trying to keep two other children happy and stay out of everyone else's way. This picture of when they were lining up is the best I was able to get. Sorry it's so dark.

Kimberly with her beloved Mrs. Pauley after the program. We will really miss her. She was a wonderful teacher.

On the last day of school they have a picnic where they do hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. Families are invited and the kids and I went to see Kim on her last day of school. Glade had been asking and asking to go play on the playground at Kim's school, so this was his chance!

Kim with friend Amber.

Getting ready to go home on the last day of school.

Well, I think this officially catches me up. We are hoping to do some fun things this summer and look forward to Ryan's return several months hence.

They're Back!

2010-05-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

We have moose again! At first I thought this must be the same pair that we had last winter. Then, this week, I saw a young moose in the neighborhood and was close enough to see some points. I decided that this must be the same mother with a new calf and the other single moose was her calf from last year.

Springtime in Alaska

2010-05-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

We came home to Spring. It was beautiful around here. Still lots of brown, but getting greener all the time. I really liked looking at the slough and river. There was still quite a bit of ice on the slough near our home when we got here. You can still see some of the snowmobile tracks from this wintertime road. :)

One of the things that I thought was most beautiful was this. Places where the ice had mostly melted except at the edge of the water, where it was above the water and reflected back on itself. I don't know why, but I really loved the look of this.

Traveling

2010-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, the traveling was the worst part, for obvious reasons. Fairbanks is a LONG way from Phoenix and it takes a long time to get from Point A to Point B. Fortunately, we only had one layover each way: Seattle. SEATAC is our home airport from last year, so we were a little familiar with it. We were NOT, however, knowledgeable about it's great trains. We had a 4 hour or so layover there. We walked around, played in the playground, had some lunch and later some frosties, AND we rode the train. The kids really liked the train. It was so fun to just ride around in circles. The whole loop only takes about 2 minutes and we rode the loop several times. It was a good way to kill time that the kids enjoyed.

The kids do really well with traveling overall. I can't really complain. It could have been so much worse than just a long day.

Six=Smart

2010-05-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

Kimberly had a birthday and timed it just right, in the partying sense. This girl managed to get three parties out of this year's birthday. LUCKY! She timed it just right with visits to both sides of the family around her birthday. We get to be with family so seldom for birthdays that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to celebrate with both Abbotts and Lunts.

With sweet cousin Heidi.

Cake and ice cream.

Birthday party with the Lunt cousins. Armand and Cheryl were kind enough to let us do a birthday dinner at their house. It was a lot of fun!

The cake we decorated using Grammy and Grandad's gift of a frosting decorator. In case you can't tell, it's a garden with flowers, grapes, celery, and carrots. Kim's ideas.

Kim's actual birthday, the day before we flew back to Alaska. We HAVE to do the candle in a waffle thing!

We had another little gift opening the morning after we got home with a picnic breakfast down by the fire. I really didn't want to haul any extra things (including birthday gifts) on our trip.

When I told Kim that we were going to be traveling to visit family and wouldn't be back until AFTER her birthday, she was really sad . . . until I promised to do a friend party after we got back. So we did. We made necklaces, made pizza, ate said pizza, fruit pizza, and . . .

These cute mini cupcakes, again using the cupcake and decorator set from Grammy and Grandad.

Time in Utah

2010-05-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

After being in Arizona for about 6 weeks, we flew up to Utah to spend some time with the Abbott side of the family, and Aunt Mindy, of course. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. It's always especially gratifying to see the kids form good relationships with their grandparents. It makes it worth the expense of traveling relatively often.

Glade in the lightening tree at a Living Farm in Salt Lake.

Going out for dinner to celebrate Grammy's birthday. Give that girl some food!

The birthday girl.

The kids really enjoyed having dogs around, especially Cocoa. Kimberly loved to feed her and "train" her.

A day or two after our arrival in Utah, the Abbott family had another special arrival. The long-awaited twins came! Here they are with Kimberly and Tanner (proud big brother). They are such cute little girls. They were healthy babies and identical twins.

We went to spend a night with Uncle Scott and Aunt Mindy in SLC. Liberty learned to do push-ups.

Aunt Mindy reading a book to Stephanie. Liberty couldn't resist going to check it out.

We got to celebrate Addie's 2nd birthday at Uncle Reed and Aunt Katie's house.

Kim lost her 2nd tooth, thanks to help from Grammy (and promptly lost it in the carpet, never to be found again).

We had a great Easter in Utah with Grammy and Grandad.

Rob and Natalie and crew made the drive for a long weekend for Easter and conference. I was so glad they made the trip, but was glad it wasn't me! Thanks for making the effort!
We managed to get a picture of all the grandsons (except the steps in ID).

Here's a picture of all of the granddaughters except Leah and Dusty's girls. We sure missed you!

Liberty getting a taste of her first Peep.

Grammy lovin' on Libby.

Aunt Katie and Addie went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point with us.

The kids had a great time playing in the snow with the sand toys the Easter Bunny brought them. (I thought we left the snow behind in AK!)

We made a quick weekend trip to Idaho. It was great to see Leah and Dusty and crew. They are obviously way more cool than we are. They had baby chicks which the kids LOVED. I somehow managed to get no good pictures of the kids together. Did you get any Leah?

Glade snuggling with Grammy. Signature happy Glade smile. I love this smile and will miss it if he ever grows out of it.

All three kids with Grammy and Grandad at the house in Idaho. Last time for us to see it.

Arizona Fun

2010-05-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Warning! Long post with many pictures. Trying to make up for lost time here! :)

We had a great time in Arizona spending a lot of time with family. It is wonderful to be able to see all of my siblings but one when I travel home. Thanks for taking the time to come and visit everyone! We miss you a lot!

Here are some of the things we did, in no particular order.

I made matching skirts for us three girls out of some retro green fabric that was in my Grandma Lunt's stash. I haven't had a twirly skirt since I was a little girl! We had to get a picture by the pink popcorn tree.

We attended Maren's baptism. She is a really special girl and we were very glad to be able to go.

Gabriel, Mason, and Lauren hanging out at Grandma's house.

The poppies were awesome this year! They were everywhere. The kids really enjoyed having a picnic with cousins and then picking huge bouquets of poppies.

Emilee and Glade sliding down a hill at our picnic.

Uncle Armand and Aunt Cheryl are always so generous and fun. Here's something they came up with during our picnic.

The cottonseed is always an attraction. They never used to let us jump in it when we were growing up. I guess that's the difference between kids and grandkids, right?

All the close by grandkids slept over together one night, except little Sarah. As you can see, it was pretty chaotic, but fun with 9 kids around. They had a great time kicking on the air mattress.

Liberty and Grandpa seemed to have a special bond. She LOVED him. He could really make her laugh and he really enjoyed doing it.

We enjoyed Grandma's tent. All three got in it this time. We need to get our tent out more often.

Kimberly and Glade really enjoyed a new selection of stuffed animals at Grandpa and Grandma's house. They had a hard time decided which to sleep with. When in doubt, choose all of them.

I made a trip to the dentist while in Arizona. Glade got to meet one of his namesakes, Glade Smith. Since he was born while in dental school, we named him after our childhood dentists, since Ryan and I both had dentists named Glade. What are the odds?

Glade and Gabriel together at Burger King, where we met them for lunch. Glade enjoyed the crown, but Gabriel wasn't taking off the hat for anything!

Kimberly with a puppy at Uncle Armand's house. The kids really enjoyed the "little butterballs," as they became known.

It was fun to be able to attend a baby shower for my cousin while at home. We were the 4 amigos in high school, each of us a year apart. My sister Tara jumped in for the picture too. Me, Mindy, Sonya, and Stacey on the couch and Tara in front.

Where else but Arizona can you do slip-and-slide in March?
I love how wet Glade's shirt is here. His sleeve is like twice as long as normal!

Flying kites!

Cooking with Grandma

Glade enjoying Grandpa's football helmet from when he was a boy.

Kimberly and Brailynn enjoying a story with Grandma.

We helped plant some onion sets with Grandpa. It was great to be able to send the kids out to play every single day.

Liberty getting acquainted with Uncle Calvin and Aunt Terra's dog.

It's amazing how much fun a kid can have with a box.

After 6 weeks of Arizona fun, we went back to Mesa for a night before flying up to Utah.

We got to go to the zoo with my sister-in-law Jessie and her two cute boys. Here are Glade and Clayton hanging out on a bench.

My brother Byron juggling 2 babies (along with school and a job!) Way to go Byron! One more year left. He's holding Liberty and their precious little Darren.

Snow to Sun

2010-05-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

How long does it take to get from snowy Alaska

to sunny Arizona?

About 12 hours. It was a L O N G day of traveling, but we made it and were happy to get to Mesa. My sister was nice enough to let us stay the night at her apartment so we wouldn't have to drive the extra 4 hours home. I even got to sleep in the next morning. It was SO nice to have help with the kids. My mom kept the kids so I could go to the temple too, which was a bonus since I hadn't been since before Liberty was born. A new temple is being built in the Gila Valley,

but the Mesa Temple will always be special to me because almost all of my siblings were married there, along with Ryan and I.

We started our trip off with tractor rides and cousin time. Grandpa was really great about letting Glade ride the tractor with him when he was running. Glade loved this and talked about it on and on.

My sister Tara came and spent a long weekend with us our first weekend there along with her little cutie Karleigh.

Liberty found joy in the jumper. (Although she has since decided she hates it. My other two loved it. Oh well, what do you do?)

Armand and Cheryl are always really good about coming to visit when we are there. They came up for Sunday afternoon and the girls enjoyed being together. Emilee, Maren, and Camryn are great fun!

The kids discovered some old-school skates that I used to love. They are pretty safe, fortunately, and I don't think anyone got hurt while using them.

Here's a six-month old picture of Liberty. She is really fun and loves to smile.

I think that's it for this post. To be continued. Hopefully tomorrow.

A Little Break

2010-04-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a really long time since I wrote on this blog. We took a trip down South to make the time go by more quickly until Ryan comes home. It worked. We are over halfway there now. I am planning to do a few posts after I get all of our pictures uploaded to the computer.

Please stay tuned . . .

The Cutest

2010-01-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that our little Liberty is the cutest? Beth, you would love to get your hands on her. She is a lot like Glade at this age. Sweet, happy, and fun. There is a lady in our new ward that always steals her during Primary (Beth and Denise, sorry to say you've been replaced! :) )

We're still waiting for her to take off crawling. She is getting happier to be on her tummy though.

Her first experience with a graham cracker. They are well acquainted now, although I'm not sure which gets more her, or her high chair tray.

My Big Day

2010-01-24T00:08:00.001-08:00

I was a little apprehensive about being without Ryan on my birthday. I decided to invite some friends over for dinner to help make it more fun. I was really glad I did, since the evening was great.

Glade, Kim, and I made this cake for my birthday. It turned out pretty well, although I wasn't crazy about the frosting. I think my favorite has been Pumpkin Praline Torte

Kimberly likes to wrap presents and she found some things to wrap for me, including this teddy bear that my mom made for me when I was a baby. What a sweetie! She is also proving that she can take decent pictures.

My mom made me the cutest bag! I didn't get a picture of it though.

Here are the kids enjoying their favorite part of the birthday. Those singing cards are really fun!

Visitors

2010-01-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the visitors we had a few weeks ago? Well, they were back. This time by daylight so we could see them well.

Mama checking things out.

It's all right, let's go. I thought it was interesting that the calf was darker than the mom. I don't know if you can really see it that well in the picture.

So Long, Farewell, Alvederzein, Goodbye

2010-01-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

Unlike "The Sound of Music," this wasn't that fun of a Goodbye. On the first day of the New Year, we took our favorite guy to the airport and kissed him goodbye for 6 months.

Daddy getting a little snuggle time in with Libby.

Dad and Kim with the polar bear. She HAD to have a picture by this.

Glade was not in the mood for picture taking. He was too busy playing in the dinosaur park. (They have a little sandbox in the airport with dinosaurs in it.) I'm sure his two-year-old mind couldn't wrap itself around the fact that Dad wouldn't be around for a while. In fact, he just asked me the other day where Dad was. It wasn't the first time I heard the question, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Ryan is serving in Afghanistan for 6 months on a Spanish/Italian base in the western part of the country. After the initial trial of losing him, we have learned that the sun still rises and sets.

And some days are better than others.

At least the sun is returning to the frozen North.

I have been doing pretty well at coping without Ryan. His frequent calls and e-mails help with this. We all love and miss him so much.

I am looking forward to spending some time with family to help the separation go by more quickly. It will be good for everyone to meet Libby.

Not Your Everyday Park

2010-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Our last family activity with Dad was a trip to the Ice Park. They have an event every year called Christmas in Ice. We decided to go the week after Christmas. Why? I don't know since it was freezing! We should have gone Christmas week when it was only 10 below instead! It was still fun though.

That SC is for Scott Calvin, I mean Santa Claus. We missed his visit since we went after Christmas. The kids thought it was cool though.

Kim and my favorite ice sculpture. The tree looked so realistic.

We took other pictures, but it is sometimes hard to see them. Here's the website for the event where you can look at most of the pieces. I thought it was awesome!

They had some things that were fun for the kids too. There were about 5 or 6 ice slides of varying sized that you could ride down on sleds.

They also had spinners made of ice. (This clip is super short, but you get the idea.)

Even though it was cold, it was a really fun outing. We stopped by McDonald's for hot chocolate afterward and everyone enjoyed that too.

Alaska Night

2009-12-29T00:17:00.000-08:00

Tonight Heather noticed two moose sleeping in our yard. We took many pictures of them from our bedroom window. Here is a 15-second exposure of one with the planet Mars.

'Tis the Season!

2009-12-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas together as a family, made bittersweet by the upcoming deployment. The kids are great and make Christmas even better. We started out the day VERY early. After a story from her teacher, Kim decided to get up early and jump on us to wake us up. So up they both came at 5:00. This was a little surprising since she usually doesn't want to get up until 7:30 or 8:00. After trying to get them to lie down and be quiet, we gave up and started the day.

After the gifts we enjoyed a pretty quiet day as a family enjoying gifts and each other.

I just had to include this picture from Christmas Eve since she's just so dang cute! Plus, she managed to sleep through all of the gift part of Christmas morning.

Kim was excited to get this nutcracker on Christmas Eve. She really loved the ballet we attended.

I had the good surprise of a serger from Ryan. I have played with it a little bit and think it will be great to have and fun to experiment with.

Grammy sent a neat gift for Glade. An Army bear complete with beret and tan shoes. So cute! The great part is that Ryan can record a message for Glade on a little box and we can listen to it while he is deployed.

Grammy made this hat for Glade, but I think Ryan was a little jealous! She better make one for her boy next year I think!

Glade did finally get his hat back from Dad and used it riding his airplane. He did turn into a bear later in the day (from getting up so early) and had to have a nap.

I think we have an organizer on our hands. Glade has always been good about putting toys away and wanting things where they go. Here's how we found his stocking and the candy he had left. Yellow is his favorite color so all gold wrapped candy was gone.

Kimberly must be growing up. She didn't get too many toys for Christmas, mostly clothes and things like that. Here's a wonderfully soft blanket made by Grandma. She loves it and Dad has been tempted to steal it. The crib set she made for Libby is adorable too, but I didn't get any pictures of it yet.

Very cute jumper for our Princess.

More handmade creations on our girls from Grammy.

Mt Aurora

2009-12-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

I was tempted to head down to Alyeska ski resort this weekend, but it was threatening about a nine-hour drive and five total days by the time we satisfied all objectives of the trip. We decided to simplify and stay home, so I visited Mount Aurora Skiland, 30 miles north of Fairbanks, this morning. It was to be the opening day of the season. They bill the hill as "The Farthest North Downhill Ski Area in North America!"

I arrived about 9:30, before dawn, and found only a few other cars in the parking lot. Most everybody was teen or college age. We milled around waiting for some sign of life from the proprietors.

Rumors started to circulate that they weren't opening after all, so I walked over to the Ski Patrol shack and chatted with the lone patrolman there. He let me know they weren't opening, either due to thin snow or high winds--he hadn't heard which. I told him I was a dentist and thought I might be interested in doing Ski Patrol. He encouraged me to come back next year, after my deployment.

Disappointed, I considered packing up and heading out like the other people in the lot. But then I thought, "Aw, what the heck. I don't have anywhere to go." So I stepped into my skis and took a run down to the base of the lift.

It was a lot of fun. I would go back when they are open. Of course all the fresh, untracked powder helped.

I listened to Handel's Messiah hiking back to the top, and it made for a spiritually satisfying experience. I stopped to jump off a big rock that was beckoning (sorry, no video; I sure miss my brothers). Views of the sunrise on the White Mountains to the north were really gorgeous. I took another half run after reaching the lodge at the summit.

The moon rose low, near the horizon.

I finished up around 12:30 or 13:00. It was a great morning. Since the lifts didn't open, I got some extra exercise and saved twenty-five bucks.

Birthday Time!

2009-12-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

Glade has been convinced that it is someone's birthday because of the gifts under the tree. He kept asking me whose birthday it was. So on Monday for Family Home Evening, we talked about the birth of the Savior and how we celebrate his birthday at this time of year. The next day I heard him singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus." He is so darn cute!

4 Months Already?

2009-12-16T14:18:00.001-08:00

Liberty is getting so big. She is four months old as of December 1st. She grabs onto toys, binkies, and hair (unfortunately for me!). She is also starting to sit up by herself. She is a happy baby and we love her so much!

Sporting her snowsuit from Uncle Reed and Aunt Katie. Love it guys!

I put her in the bouncer and she wouldn't sit back! Getting to be such a big girl!

Hansel and Gretel

2009-12-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

We decorated a gingerbread house for Family Home Evening this week. I emphasize decorate. I didn't get around to actually making the gingerbread this year, but I did buy a pre-made house. Cheap, huh! Oh well, the kids still loved it.

It didn't last very long though. Hansel and Gretel ate most of it last night. At least it was gratifying to see that the gingerbread wasn't nearly as good as the candy on it. Homemade wins for that!

Living in the Old Days

2009-12-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

I guess we're living in the old days around here. This morning Kim commented that it looked black and white, like an old movie or picture. I had to agree with her.

It's not always like that though. We had this gorgeous sunrise last week. Although it was at 10:45!

Tired Snowman

2009-12-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

It is so cold around here that the snow isn't really that great for playing in. It doesn't stick together that well for snowballs, or snowmen. That is Kimberly's biggest complaint.

One day it actually got a little above freezing and I told Kimberly it was her chance to make a snowman. She headed out a little before it was time to leave for school. It was too hard for her to make a standing up snowman, so she made one laying down. I couldn't get out there to help since I was trying to get everything and everyone ready to get her to school on time (a process, let me tell you!). She dropped rocks into the middle part to make buttons (or holes).

Very creative little sweetie! Glad you had fun and could at least build one snowman this year!

Nutcracker

2009-12-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Gracious! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted!

Ryan was nice enough to forgo hunting or skiing to go the the matinee of the Nutcracker with us. The kids really got into the first half (more like a play). I was a little surprised at how much Glade enjoyed it. After the intermission was more ballet and Glade got a little tired. Kim seemed to really enjoy it though. She leaned over in the middle and said, "This is awesome! Thanks for bringing me!"

After the performance, they had a little tea party with cookies and punch. They handed out little autograph books that the kids to take around to the performers and get their signatures. Kim said, "This is my first time getting the signature of a famous person!" She was sooooo excited.

As you can see, she wanted to wear her leotard and tutu. Here she is with the Dew Drop Fairy.

With one of the sugar plum dancers.

Don't tell her, but we got her a nutcracker for Christmas. I hope it doesn't turn into a prince, we're not quite ready for that yet. :)

Kid Smarts

2009-12-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

Dad: "Ah, food never tastes better than after you exercise."
Kim: "Or watch a movie!"

This Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my sweetheart. Ryan managed to have his birthday on Thanksgiving this year. He opened presents right after breakfast so he could have the whole day to enjoy them.

We even got to see the sun on that morning.

We skied (cross-country), played with his new soccer ball (from Kim) outside in the snow and ate about 3:30 or so after it was dark. We didn't want to use our daylight hours for that. My turkey turned out really well and even though it was just us, we enjoyed each other and made some good memories. Kim made us some turkey placemats that were colorful and fun.

Then we had cake. No pies for me this year. Did I mention that cake is way easier to make than pie?

All in all, a fun day. It was great to have some family time. Now on to Christmas preparations.