Christmas 2011

We had a quiet, relaxing Christmas this year here in Alaska. We did Christmas dinner a week before, with the two of Dan's co-workers he did his residency with. The kids had tons and tons of fun playing together. Some of the highlights included Dan's deep fried a turkey, Jeff and Olga's mashed potatoes (seriously the best I've ever tasted), and Steve (the bachelor) even made Mac N Cheese for the kids.

Christmas Eve, we skyped with Dan's family, made homeade ice cream with our brand new ice cream maker (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa True!), opened our Christmas PJs and read Christmas stories. We woke up Christmas morning with a sick Brighton. Poor thing was pretty under the weather. Oakley, on the other hand, was in heaven. This was the first year she understood the concept of Santa. She insists that he lives in the mountains around our house and even informed us once that she saw him flying with his reindeer. All our attempts to use Santa to influence her behavior, however, were a complete failure. Any time we reminded her that Santa only brings toys to nice boys and girls she would reply, "Santa STILL coming, mom!" She clearly considers herself the expert on the subject, not mom and dad :) We skyped with my family later that day, then went on a beautiful drive through the snow to look at Christmas lights and listen to Christmas music. I even got to talk to my brother, David, who is on a mission in Guatemala. It was the best Christmas present ever. Most of all, we were grateful for the Spirit of Christmas that filled the holidays and the chance to spend time together as a family.

Winter is Here

The ground is covered with snow and it's not going anywhere any time soon. We've already gotten three or four decent snow falls and more is coming down now as I type. Everyone puts their lights up early, before it becomes nearly impossible in the cold and snow, so it already looks like Christmas. We've started a little walking group with the other mommies on our circle. We use the weather shield on the stroller, with those little bags filled with flax seed that you stick in the microwave and the girls stay pretty toasty. The BOB is amazingly easy to push, even in the snow. As long as it isn't windy, even 15 degrees doesn't feel too bad as long as we keep moving. Anything to beat the darkness! Right now, the sun doesn't rise until 9:30 and sets before 6:00. Every time we get ready to leave in the morning, Oakley refuses because it is "too dark, mommy!".

Dan is in surgery getting his deviated septum fixed and I am a nervous wreck. He is excited to be able to breathe better. (And for the two free paid weeks off he gets to recover). Then in January, it's back in the OR to get his tonsils removed. Poor guy. But this sweet girl is sure to help him feel better. Brighton, on the other hand, would just clobber him.

Winter's Coming...

Where did this summer go? The yellow leaves are almost gone, and everyone is waiting for the first snow to fall any day now. We are enjoying the crisp weather and I'm oddly excited for winter. (Well, the snow, not the darkness. The sun is lower in the sky already and no longer passes directly overhead. Time for the vitamin D supplements and first-thing-in-the-morning workouts to help get me going.) Fortunately, with Music Class, Ballet, Physical Therapy and Preschool there is no way we will spend the winter stuck in the house.


A few pictures from our Summer:

Oakley's first day of Preschool: It's just two hours a day, but five days a week. She absolutely loves it, and the speech therapy she receives there is working much better for her than the private therapy she received before. Her favorite part is riding the school bus everyday.


Our neighborhood mama moose with her not-so-baby-sized-anymore calf:


Gorgeous Eklutna Lake:




How Brighton spent most of the summer:
Yep, she's eating rocks. And dirt. And if you try to stop her you will quickly regret it.

We spent almost every free day this summer biking. Eklutna Lake was one of the most scenic rides we took, although we also loved the local Eagle River-Chugiak cross-country skiing courses, which make for some fun roller coaster style bike trails in the summer. The girls successfully frightened any wildlife away with their laughter and squeals of delight as we sped down the hills.

It's Alaska... for two more years.

We found out that we'll be here for two more years. After that, Dan has one more year left in the Air Force, which they may or may not move us for. So, we have no idea where we'll be next, but we're very happy we don't have to move again so soon.

The other night, Max started going crazy around 9pm. After telling him to stop, we looked out the window and saw these two jogging down our street.

They stopped to look for cars before crossing the street:




Some pictures of our Birthday Girl from last month:

The Iditarod

It was -4 degrees when we went out to watch the Iditarod in March. (While the daylight had already increased significantly, the snow didn't start to melt until April.) Apparently, this was a little warm for the dogs. Their ideal temperature for running is -15. There is a ceremonial run through Anchorage before the teams drive north to the restart. It was definitely worth braving the cold to see these incredible athletes. Just completing the 1049 mile race is an amazing feat, and this year's winner, John Baker, set a record for the fastest winning time of 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds.

The race is largely run by volunteers. To help raise funds for the Iditarod, they auction off spots on the sleds during the ceremonial run through Anchorage. They don't get to, and probably wouldn't want to ride there the rest of the race. This person, however, looks pretty toasty with all those furs.

There were no barriers between specators and the trail, so we were just feet from the teams as they ran by. One of the mushers threw Oakley a pair of the booties the dogs wear to protect their feet- just like they toss things from parade floats. She loved it.


Yep, that's Jamaica.


The dogs clearly love to do this. Mushers don't have to train them do pull the sled, they just hook them up and they're off. What they do have to train them to do is pace themselves.


Here we are standing at mile 118 of the original Iditarod trail. When settlers first came to Alaska, this was the main thoroughfare through Alaska. Before that, parts of it were used by the Native American Inupiaq and Athabaskan peoples. Brighton decided it was too cold to stay awake.

Waiting for their post-run salmon steaks:

Then it's into their straw-lined compartments in trailer:


At the Iditarod Festival, they have ice/snow sculpting competitions.

Soccer Class

This post is long overdue... so here's my excuse :) Internet up here is ridiculously expensive. If you want it decently fast, you'll shell out close to $100, for the internet alone. We opted for the more affordable, e x t r e m e l y slow connection. Seriously, our phones are faster. It has actually been so slow lately, I haven't been able to upload a single picture! Why has it suddenly gotten faster? (meaning painfully slow, but functional) Because I'm blogging at midnight :) It's strange to think about winter while enjoying sunny weather in the 60s and almost 19.5 hours of daylight... but here's something that kept us busy when it was cold and dark outside.

Oakley's soccer class was up in Palmer, about 30 minutes away. It made a fun family day trip every Saturday. The snow, ice, wind and ice fog made it an interesting drive. There was never a shortage of cars in ditches strewn along the highway. We just prayed we didn't end up one of them!
Scoring a goal:

Before learning to smile for the camera:

What toddler class is complete without playing with a parachute?


Driving her boat:

Looking for sharks: