First Alaska Road Trip

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

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

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

A New Generation

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

Together Again

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!

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!

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?

Look Who's Three!

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

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.