Wherever the Road takes us

New Years Eve

2012-01-05T21:42:00.000-09:00

Aww, New Years! Stay up till Midnight, right? The kids were determined to do just that! However with 9 am church the next morning, this wasn't really an option. So Garry and I did what any parent in this situation would do...set the clocks ahead 4 hours of course. They had no idea, although Parker did find it strange that we didn't eat dinner till 9:00. We had a night full of celebration, complete with fireworks (just roman candles and sparklers, not the usual spread.) noise makers & junk food.

Ellie with her first sparkler!

Oh the excitement!

Blowing the noisemakers after the countdown for a FULL five minutes was more than Ellie could bear.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And they were all tucked in bed by 8:15! What they don't know wont hurt them, right?

Christmas!

2012-01-05T21:23:00.000-09:00

Kids waiting for us to get ready

the madness!

Ellie got this from Santa, but she doesn't weigh enough to make it bounce! Poor skinny thing.

We were so excited for Nana and Papa (Garry's Parents) to spend Christmas with us this year! What a blessing it is to have Family around you for the Holidays! Kids had a great time and got everything they wanted...nearly. Sophie didn't get a dead horse, but she did get a horse on a stick. Good enough for her!

Visit with Santa 2011!

2011-12-21T15:58:00.010-09:00

Parker isn't 100% sure that Santa is "real" this year, but his definitely willing to take the chance at telling some guy what he wants and hope it ends up under the tree. When we went to see Santa he didn't want to seem to eager to sit on his lap, but when asked, there wasn't enough time to finishing asking before he was on the old man's lap and telling him in detail what he wanted.

Livi was all prim and proper walked up asked the question and smiled for the camera, she had been plotting the exact words to speak for some time. It reminded me of Christmas story where he has it all planned out and then screws it up...but Livi is way to good to make a mistake like that.

Sophie has been telling us that she was going to ask for a pony that we could put in the back yard...unless it has wings, then it would have to live in the house. When we got there she asked for a dead pony...REALLY? I still have no idea what she was talking about. As we drove away she realized that mistake and shrugged it off saying "oh well, maybe he will bring me a pet shop pony instead" I love her eternal optimism.

Ellie on the other hand was the traditional first picture freak out. The second i started walking to him she turned into my and clung to me as if her life was depending on it, it amazes me how strong these little guys are in moments of "Terror".

No matter what the big man brings us we have been very blessed this year and are beyond grateful for everything we have been given and look forward to trying harder in 2012 to be worthy of the abundance we have been given. We are also trying to do a better job of helping our children (and ourselves) to know they are children of God and that he loves them and has provided a way for them/us to be together for ever, this Christmas thing is becoming more meaningful every year as i myself realize just how much i have been given. How grateful i am for the Savior and his infinite sacrifice, may we all remember the true meaning of the season and try a little harder to remember what has been done for us. I love you all.

Garry

Nana Mary

2011-11-21T17:39:00.009-09:00

On Sunday 20 November 2011 My Nana Past away. My Mother was by her side as she slipped from this life and into the next. Nana had lived with my Mom for the past 3 years after suffering a stroke that left her unable to care for herself. Rather than let her go into an old folks home my Mom stepped up and took her in and cared for her every need for the past 3 years at a great personal sacrifice, every day (with few exceptions) was dedicated to making sure Nana was taken care of. This act of selflessness was clearly passed down from one Nana to the next. How hard it must have been to watch her own mother pass away as she held her hand and let her know how much she loved her, yet what a blessing it must have been for Nana to be with her child who loved and cared for over the last few years of her life.

My Niece Savannah was a little closer to Nana than my kids as we have lived so far away, and in her grief (Savannah) my sister (Krista) in an effort to comfort her told her that we will see her again, Savannah responded with "ya, but not for a long time". I think we all new the time was drawing near, but I didn't expect it to hurt as much as it does. While I understand the Plan of Salvation, the wisdom of my 7 year old niece rings true as the memories come back...it's gonna be a while before I see my Nana again. She was a kind and humble soul who was grateful for everything you did for her, I will miss seeing her smile as you walk in the door and the constant thank you after having helped with something as simple as opening a door or helping her stand up. What a great example of Christ like love and compassion, how grateful I am to have been able to call her my Nana and I look forward to seeing her when we are able to meet in a better place and thank her for the example she set for me and my family.

I love you Nana

The above picture was from our last trip through Boise in August, we almost didn't go but at the last minute decided to take some time and spend a few days in Boise with my Mom, this is the last time my kids and I saw Nana Mary. I am glad we decided to take a few days off and see her one last time and let my kids get to know her and feel of her love even if for only a moment that may not be remembered in this life.

While we were in Boise Jenny and the Kids went to the park with Nana (my Mom) and Nana Mary (my Nana), Parker was such a kind young man as he was constantly holding his Nana Mary by the hand to steady her, opening her door to the car and helping her whenever she needed it, I was and am very proud of my man cub and the kindness/love he showed...he is a good kid and I am truly honored to be his Dad. I am not sure he would have been so willing had he known that she mistook him for a puppy when he was 1...kidding, but that is one of the many memories I will have of Nana forever.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T18:58:00.006-08:00

I made them all Angry Bird costumes! I was just going to make one for Parker, but then Olivia really wanted one. Sophie didn't want to be left out either, so all for one and one for all!
Every time someone commented on how cute they were Olivia would reply, "Thanks my Mom made them....its amazing what you can do with a little creativity and ALOT of hot glue!" Funny, funny kid! And yes, it took alot of hot glue cause this Momma doesn't sew!

Pumpkin carving! Parker and Sophie were all into it, guts and all! Olivia not so much, she had a really hard time sticking her hand into the cold and slimy guts. Once it was all cleaned out she enjoyed carving very much. Parker loved everything about this and did his pumpkin completely by himself!

Hard at work trying to make the "scariest pumpkin you've ever seen"!

Olivia did this all by herself!

Nice Sophie...hmm.

Ellie in her peacock costume!

I LOVE this costume, but she disliked it VERY much!

Trick or treating! Wasn't too cold, around 40, but the girls wanted to wear coats with their costumes. This picture was taken at the church trunk or treat. On Halloween night we went door to door, but Olivia chose to wear the banana and Sophie chose the butterfly.

Parker didn't join us because he didn't want to be the only boy in the group, so he stayed behind with one of the Dads to help hand out candy. He got to run the fog machine all night and scare little kids. Pretty much heaven in Parker's world.

As the girls and I were out on Halloween night we came upon a haunted house. The other kids in our group said they had gone in it last year and they were all to scared to even attempt it again this year. However, my girls really wanted go, so I took them in, sure I was going to scar them for life! As soon as we came out Sophie did a casual shoulder shrug and said "wasn't freaky." Everyone was shocked and had a good laugh, as we always do complements of Soph.

Fall Photo Shoot 2011

2011-11-02T19:20:00.008-08:00

So I know its November but Ive finally gotten our Fall pictures taken! I had no idea where to go so we just went up to Green Bluff, I needed some fresh apples anyway. Kids were freezing so I didn't get to many.

Ellie is hard to photograph, so I was very happy to get a few smiles!

Sweet Sophie

Olivia is turning 7 in a few weeks and is very proud of it!

And Parker, also a hard one to photograph. He thinks he's getting to big, but I'm not so sure.

And then there is this. This is what I'm usually dealing with, as I said before, Ellie is very hard to photograph!!!

Kids school Pictures

2011-10-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

2011-10-16T17:29:00.012-08:00

MY BABY TURNED ONE TODAY

Its hard to believe that she has already turned one, its sad to see what Jenny says will be my last baby growing and getting so big right in front of my eyes. She is truly a blessing in our lives (as are the rest) and we have been "over joyed" (Sophie's way of describing how excited we were for her to be born) to be able to have her as a part of our family. She is starting to walk 6-10 steps at a time, has 8 teeth and is not shy about speaking her mind.

Here she is opening a present from Grandma and Papa (with a mustache) and loving it. She wrapped it around her head and made a break for it, she tried to escape before someone took her new PJ's

She was a bit timid to start, but it only lasted a few minutes before she was shredding it and loving being able to have her way with it.

This is just before she went into a sugar induced coma....not realy, but the look on her face was clearly saying "get this thing away from me before I make you wear it".

2011-09-18T16:31:00.002-08:00

Well, it has been a long time since we have updated this blog, so here is the update since out last post. We are officially stationed at Fairchild AFB, we bought another house, Garry had a B-Day, Parker turned 9, Ellie is now 11 months old and the kids have started school again. This summer went by way to fast, with 1.5 family reunions on Garry's side of the family, Garry had shoulder surgery and just trying to stay ahead of life with 4 kids. We also just got internet late yesterday so we are now capable of keeping this upto date.

Oh, Canada

2011-05-13T18:45:00.010-08:00

2011-03-30T15:00:00.002-08:00

Olivia got an award at school today! She got an ACE award (for attitude, character and effort). She was so proud of herself and loved the the "Random Applause!"

5 months

2011-03-29T13:46:00.002-08:00

Ellie is our skinniest baby yet. The others have all been rolls and rolls by 5 months. Ellie does have her fair share, but is still pretty tiny. She has found her voice this month and is not afraid to use it. She happily takes to squealing and talking all day long just to hear herself. She insisted on starting solid foods this month, and hasn't meet anything yet that she doesn't like. She is loving the outdoors here where it is a bit warmer than Alaska. She can easily be described in just one word this month: PLAYFUL! She loves when her daddy tries to wrestle, and she will now bite back, usually going for his ears. Her older siblings all still adore her, but most of her attention is taken up by Olivia, who is always happy to play with her.

4 month stats

2011-03-29T13:37:00.003-08:00

Better late than never right? Moving has really disrupted our blog. I am going to have a lot of catching up to do when we get our computer back. But for now, before I forget here are Ellie's 4 month stats: height- 23 3/4 inches. Weight- 12 lbs 2 oz. Head 40 cm.
She is still a delightful little baby. She started sleeping through the night around 3 months. Loves to smile and wrestle with daddy.

2011-03-22T18:13:00.003-08:00

We went Through a McDonald's drive through, & we hand Sophie her hamburger. We can hear her talking to it in the backseat:
"Oh hamburger, you look a-licious!!! I'm gonna put you in my big fat belly and then my belly will be out the window!
She's very proud of her chub.

Oh Alaska, goodbye to you.

2011-02-25T20:19:00.001-09:00

Good News! The sale on our house has finally closed, the movers have finished and we have started our long journey to Spokane. The drive has been uneventful so far, just one long road that never seems to end! The kids have been good little travelers and haven't complained much. We made our way into Canada, but long to be back on the smooth paved roads of the USA. Gas stations have been far and few between, but we have had to use the gas cans only once. Everything has gone well so far. no pics for now,although we have taken plenty...will post more later.

Things we will miss the most in Alaska:
- Family. : (
-Friends
-Chena hot springs and lakes
-Hunting/fishing
-Northern Lights
-Ice sculptures
-majestic mountains
-Santa Clause House
-Snow Machining/four wheeling
-the random moose
-Ect, ect, ect.

Grandma Florence's Funeral

2011-02-09T15:43:00.004-09:00

Ellie and I just got back from Utah where we attended the funeral of my last remaining grandparent. My Grandma Florence died on January 28th 2011. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. We Love you Grandma. May you find Grandpa, KFC and frosties in Heaven.

My Dad with his brothers and sister.

Everyone from our family that was able to come. We had Cassie & Dan with Andrew and Abby, Mary, Mom and Dad, Me and Ellie, Audrey and Don, And Tom and Michelle with Brooklyn. Mackenzie and Alivia.

Ellie's First Flight

2011-02-09T15:31:00.002-09:00

On the plane going too and from Utah for My Grandma Florence's funeral.

Grandpa LOVES Ellie...Ellie LOVES Grandpa, Its a beautiful thing.

Snows Canyon Sand Dunes

2011-02-09T15:04:00.002-09:00

We took some time to do a little sightseeing/playing one afternoon while in Utah. This place is just outside Saint George, yet I haven't been here since I was a child. I had all but forgotten how beautiful it was, how nice the sand felt between my toes and how much fun you can have jumping off the sand dunes! Aww, goin back to my roots...

Some of my Sib's...Cassie, Mary and Tommy.

Me and my Momma

Me and Ellie, I really wanted some pics of her here, but it was too cold to keep her out any more than this.

My little sister Mary and I.

Mom's wind blown look

My Niece Brooklyn the photographer. She's goin pro...
Jumping off the hill... I was the first to go.

Kid Cam {everyday life}

2011-01-31T15:03:00.005-09:00

Sophie got a pink camera for Christmas and the kids have really had fun with it. Here is just a taste of what I found on it.

Who doesn't love pillow pets?

Yes, that's Grandma. This camera takes awful pictures, but that's about what I expected.

Jenny and Ellie

My little ray of sunshine!

Sophie's pictures of Dad and Ellie

Sophie taking pics of herself in the car

Parker figured out how to work the "special effects" feature. He thought he was being really funny with this one... OK, it is kinda funny

If the crown fits

This is one strange picture of Sophie...hmmm

Battleship...

Some fun pig-tails

2011-01-31T12:28:00.002-09:00

Olivia requested I take some pics of this hairdo. As many of you know, I enjoy doing fun and different hair styles on my girls. However, they don't enjoy it very much. Some days it can be a bit of a fight to get their hair done. After this was done she just loved it, so we snapped a few pics to share, but most of all so I don't forget.

Just did some plain ol' piggies, then take a small section of hair from one, and braid it, then connect it to the other one. Take a small section from the other side and twist it around (or you could braided it) the first braid. Now you can leave the piggies down or put them up in buns like I did. Easy-peasy.

Lazy Monday

2011-01-24T13:48:00.004-09:00

We are so lucky to have Sophia's friend Megan staying with us for a few days! Sophie and Livi are so excited to have a friend and lots of sleepovers!

We didn't have much going on today, so I let the girls help make sugar cookies.

And Ellison watched in amazement...

Olivia's Lost her first tooth!

2011-01-19T10:45:00.001-09:00

3 Months

2011-01-17T10:24:00.004-09:00

My sweet baby girl is 3 months old! It really does go by way to fast when they are this little. She is still just as happy as ever, she has found her voice and will talk to anyone who will listen! She is full of smiles and has even giggled a time or two. Yesterday was the first time she didn't cry in the bath, which is a big deal for her! I swear she gets cuter everyday, and her eyes are going to be blue for sure!

She loves anything soft that she can cuddle into.

I love that smile!

Just look at those CHUBBY cheeks!

And she is also a thumb sucker, whenever she can get it in there.

Everyone loves {Ellie Mae}

2011-01-15T10:59:00.007-09:00

Here are a few random pics of everyone enjoying our sweet baby girl!

You just cant stop kissing her fuzzy head!

Ellie and Grandma

Ellie and Grandpa (he was SO cute with her)

Snoozin with Dad

I Love this little Nugget!

Somehow Garry got her to smile for the camera!

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

2011-01-14T09:49:00.005-09:00

Here are some more fun pics from our little vacation! My parents have a house on a lake + snow machines & ATVs = A heck of a good time! The top picture is of Garry going by fast on the 1000.

Sophia, Uncle Jerry and Parker

Jenny

My Dad

Jerry hauling a bunch of the cousins

From left to right: Terence, Maggie, Garry, Jerry, Sophia and Jenny.

Little miss goofball

Terence, Parker (looking off into the distance deep in thought) and David.

Ellison's Blessing Day

2011-01-13T09:02:00.003-09:00

We had Ellie blessed in my parents ward on January 2nd, 2011. My {very talented} Mom made both her dress and bonnet, and I made her bracelet. She was blessed by her father, and was lucky enough to have Grandpa Hall and her great Uncle Dallas stand in as well. It was a special day for us, filled with lots of family and love. I thought she looked absolutely adorable!

These pics were taken at the church, I just thought Garry looked so sweet with her.

New Year's Eve 2010

2011-01-12T15:55:00.004-09:00

Everyone was in a crazy sorta mood...

My Dad

Out with the old, in with the new! Dad and Ellie didn't make it to midnight.

Parker misplaced his blower and didn't ask for new one. He was very upset when the clock struck 12 and all the other kids started blowing their horns.

Sophia was also upset, she thought her horn was broken. After a quick Daddy inspection, she was fine. The noise was so loud from all the others that she couldn't hear herself blowing.

After all the commotion Parker calmed down and told us what was troubling him, we fixed it and he got to blow a horn as well. Fun night, but maybe 12:00 is a little too late for this crew!

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T17:42:00.003-09:00

We drove down to Soldotna, AK to spend Christmas with my parents, aunt and uncle and sister. We had a wounderful Christmas!

Wrapping presents Christmas Eve

Sophia and Lil' Donny helping Aunt Audrey make peanut butter balls.

Christmas Morning...

Ellie and my Mom

Chillin @ Chena

2010-12-29T16:50:00.005-09:00

A few weeks ago while Garry was hunting my Mom and Sister Audrey came to visit. We took ourselves to chena hot springs along with Maaret and her kids. We snuck the kids out to the "adults only" rock lake for some fun pictures. We got caught, but the photos were worth it!

Olivia and Parker

Parker, Maggie and Olivia
And some pics from the inside pool:

Sophie trying on the mask, didn't quite work out as well as she thought it would.

Sophie can touch the bottom! So Brave!

Our last North Pole Christmas

2010-12-21T20:58:00.004-09:00

We are so lucky to be living in North Pole this time of year! Here we have bragging rights to the one REAL Santa! We took the kiddos in for a little visit today since it's almost Christmas.

Waiting and waiting....

Sophie does NOT like waiting in line for Santa.

After visiting Santa we went outside to see the ice sculptures, but Olivia was the only good sport.

Ellison is two Months!

2010-12-16T15:22:00.004-09:00

Smiling at the kids...

She is so stinkin cute!

2 Month Stats:
Height: 22inches

Weight: 10lbs 9oz

Head: 38.5 cm

* has decided that she likes pasifires, but only the ones you get from the hospital.

* loves to watch her sisters sing and dance

* sleeping on Daddys chest is her favrote place to be

* is sleeping for 6 to 7 hours at night between feedings (so Mom only has to get up once!)

* cries every time she takes a bath

* loves to snuggle

Olivia's 6th Birthday!

2010-12-06T20:01:00.006-09:00

This is a few weeks late, but better late than never right? Olivia's Birthday started out with school being cancelled due to freezing rain. She was a little bummed not to be going to school (and I was a little bummed that I had made 30 cupcakes for nothing). She had really wanted to eat at Denny's, so Garry stayed home from work and we all drove the 20 ICY miles into town for lunch. Afterwards we went to my sister Maaret's for an impromptu Birthday party (thanks Maaret!!!) complete with games, presents and cupcakes!

OH sO FrOstY!

2010-11-29T12:48:00.005-09:00

Garry had them all lined up and he was throwing snow on them. They thought it was hilarious!

We have had some crazy weather in Alaska this week. First we got a foot or so of snow, then several days of 35 degrees (unheard of this time of year). Three days of freezing rain, some more snow and now it's 25 below...all within a week. The kids got 3 days off of school, also unheard of. They will hold school at 50 below but not for freezing rain. Hmmm.

Putting Parker to work. The kids like helping Garry clear the driveway.

Sophie's gonna take over the plowing...

SNOW!

Face first into the snow!

Snow machine rides, does it get any better than this?

Sophie and her tongue

This was Ellison's FIRST snow day! She didn't like it much.

Chubby cheeks, she's got chubby cheeks!

2010-11-29T12:40:00.001-09:00

Little Ellie Mae is 6 weeks old now. The kids truly ADORE her, and help whenever the can! She is a very good baby, only fusses when she is very very hungry or tired. She isn't a great eater, but is already up to 11 lbs.

Ellison pics, 4 weeks old already!

2010-11-14T14:05:00.002-09:00

2010-11-06T14:38:00.004-08:00

A few pics of Sophie playing in the snow today.

Ellison's first real bath.

I'm a little behind, but here are her 2 week stats: Height 20 3/8 (she is up 3/8), weight 8lbs 6 oz (up 1lb). She is growing a ton, 3 weeks already and losing that new born look! She hates pacifiers, loves laying on nice warm rice bags, and has started to smile. She has been a very calm baby, and sleeps for 3 or 4 hours at night. She has earned the nicknames: Squeakers and Fuzzy Nugget. Everyone loves her!

Poor, Poor, Parker..

2010-10-31T20:20:00.002-08:00

The girls are so cute with their baby sister! She looks so tiny in their little arms.

Parker crushed his finger between two 5lb dumbbells on Friday. He was in the ER for 4 hours waiting to see the Doc. He got an x-ray and 4 stitches, luckily nothing was broken. Apparently Parker has a very week stomach, he was on the verge of passing out many times. Because of this unexpected event we had to forgo a Halloween party, which made Olivia VERY upset. Oh, the joys of parenthood!

Pumpkin Patch Hair

2010-10-26T12:11:00.002-08:00

I had these adorable pumpkins I wanted to use in the girls hair. They are just little "craft" pumpkins, so I had to glue them on to bobby pins. Olivia thought everyone should see this hairstyle because she liked it so much.

All you have to do is some simple "rolls" to make the rows for the pumpkins.

Then add your pumpkins. I put the rest of the hair into a quick bun to keep it out of her face.

Ellison Mae McLean

2010-10-19T18:45:00.001-08:00

New Baby Girl!

2010-10-17T12:10:00.008-08:00

Here she is! No name yet, but a healthy happy baby. She was born on the 16th of October at 6:18 am. She was 7lbs 6oz and 20 inches long.

The proud parents

She really likes the warmer and being held by her Daddy.

Garry Loving on his young.

All packed up and ready to go home!

He's my Handy Man

2010-10-14T11:13:00.004-08:00

This was the one project we didn't get done before listing the house. This fire place area was pretty pathetic . Garry just couldn't stand it anymore, so he bought himself a tile saw, and learned a new skill!

His goofy smile, a rare sight!

And the finished product, I think he did an awesome job! It looks so much better!

Kids school Pictures

2010-10-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

My 3rd Grader

My Kindergartner

Parker's Baptism

2010-10-06T16:20:00.002-08:00

Parker was Baptised and confirmed on Friday October 1st! We had lots of visitors for the happy occasion- Grandma and Grandpa Hall and Audrey, Don and their 6 kids. Also in attendance was Maaret with her kids and the Brown Family.

Fall Photo Shoot

2010-09-12T12:58:00.012-08:00

It's time for our annual fall photo shoot again. Alaska is truly gorgeous in the fall.

This one is my Favorite of Parker. I love his eyes he can be so photogenic when he wants to be.

Olivia has started to really love the camera! She poses herself (and others), looks for her own backgrounds and has informed me that she practices her smile in the mirror. What a funny kid.

Sophie was not in the mood to have her pictures taken, she was a bit crabby. Lucky for me I had a lot of snacks in the car to bribe her with.

The sun was way too sunny.

Cheeks full of Nillia's.

Parker was so board.

Sophie wanted me to get her "cutest part".

Our own episode of "Flip that House"...

2010-09-09T16:31:00.014-08:00

We recently got orders back to Spokane WA. Although we loved Spokane before, we are incredibly sad to be leaving the GREAT state of Alaska. We have loved our 3 years up here.
We bought our first home here in North Pole, it wasn't much to start with but after all our hard work we are quite proud of what it has become. Now that it is time to sell we have finally gotten around to finishing our last few projects. So, here are a few of our before and afters.

We love the privacy of this house, 1 acre of freedom.

Back yard, its very "natural".

Back of the house before and after. It's a shame you cant see the nasty rotting deck that is hidden under the snow.

Downstairs Bathroom before...

Downstairs bath after

I cant find a "before" picture of this one, but here is the upstairs bath after.

Living Room before and after, never did get the new tile installed around the fire place...cant win them all.

Sophie had to be in on the action.

The dinning room before: who wants carpet in the dinning room, I mean really!

The After, so much better!

The old and the new...I loved having my new kitchen.

Somthing {new}, well, ok its somthing old that never got posted : )

2010-09-02T14:57:00.005-08:00

Garry and I took the kiddo's to the fair back in August. It was a very busy month, so these never got posted. We had a good day at the fair: rode the rides, climbed the rock wall, walked through the animal barns and enjoyed the overpriced funnel cake.

Parker and Olivia really wanted to climb the rock wall, Sophi did too, but alas, she is to small. Parker made it all the way to the top and climbed many more times until his hands were sore! Olivia (Dear, Brave Olivia) didn't get too far, I guess it just wasn't her thing.

Olivia, Garry and Sophie on the roller coaster.

They also rode ("the best ride ever" -Olivia) the Ferris Wheel. While Parker chose the Gravitator (aka silly silo).

Off to the petting zoo. We got to hold the nice chickens, I did not realize there was such a thing!

Feed the goats, this one tried to eat Sophie's finger.

We feed the bunnies...

And walked through the caged animals.

Olivia's first day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-27T14:49:00.004-08:00

New clothes, check. New backpack, check. New Kindergartner, check!

Sophie couldn't stand to see Olivia have all her pictures taken, so she posed herself a few times. She just LOVE'S being in the spotlight!

Olivia at her new school. Garry took the afternoon off so that he could be there to drop her off. She had no problem finding her table.

She was beyond excited to ride the bus home with the big kids!

Back to school...again

2010-08-18T17:24:00.002-08:00

It's that time of year again, summer is over too soon! Parker is in the 3rd grade this year and growing up fast. I drove him to school the first day, just to make sure he found his classroom OK. He was way to cool to let me take any pictures in his classroom, telling me that I was just embarrassing. Olivia starts kindergarten on Thursday, she can hardly wait! I bet she will let me take as many pics as I want!

He really wanted to wear his new Star Wars t-shirt, because its cool - even if you haven't ever seen the movie.

I snapped one last photo of my Man cub getting off the bus (before he had a chance to tell me no.)

Just being a kid

2010-08-17T13:20:00.004-08:00

These are just a few pics I took of the kids as they played in Grandma's yard. Parker and Olivia both found some frogs to admire/torture.

I Love these dump truck ones, Sophie is such an adorable little goofball.

Test Drive

2010-08-12T18:32:00.003-08:00

My Dad bought a pair of 4 wheelers up here in North Pole and asked us to bring them down with us. We couldn't resist taking them out for a little test drive after we picked them up. We only have one of our own, so we have to take turns on who gets to go. But today we all got to go together which was a lot more fun!

I don't drive ours very often, so I'm a bit nervous behind the wheel. It wasn't to hard to pick up on though.

Parker doing his share of backseat driven. He said they were really good four wheelers and that we had really put them to the test.

Sophie is so funny on the front of these things! Pure happiness, like a dog hanging out of a car window.

It's great being eight!

2010-08-06T09:56:00.006-08:00

Parker had yet another Birthday on Wednesday the 4th of August. I don't know how he has gotten so big, his 1st Birthday doesn't seem that long ago. I was going to have a party for him, but he declined. He told me that all he wanted was to go on a long bike ride with friends and then have cup cakes. So, that's what we did on Tuesday, bike riding in the morning and then cupcakes at the beach with friends. On his actual B-day I took him to the movies with his friends, then to McDonald's for lunch. It turns out he is officially too old for a happy meal, and has moved on to 2 double cheeseburgers, I was very surprised. Next we went to the farmers market, then to our favorite ice cream man. Before going home I took him to walmart and let him pick out a toy of his choice. It had already been a very full day, so I was happy he had chosen a simple dinner. We had Pasta w/pesto, garlic bread and cantaloupe, all of Parker's favorite things.

He finally got an iPod!

He didn't want a traditional cake, he LOVES cheese cake!

Blowing out the candles, they were "sparkler" candles which he and Garry thought were pretty cool.

He kept telling us that he only wanted one gift for his B-day...an I pod, because that would be "very valuable" to him. So Garry bought him a I tunes gift card and wrapped it up. We told Parker that he had only wanted one gift so that's what he got. He knew it was not what he wanted, but took very it well (the first video). Then we told him where to find the real gift (the second video).

Concrete

2010-08-04T07:57:00.003-08:00

We used to have an old nasty deck in the back yard but it was rotten and falling apart, so we decided to put in a patio instead. Garry called to have some delivered, and enlisted some friends to come help. The friends never showed, but the concrete mixer did, so it was all on Garry. He did an awesome job, and the driver said it was the "fastest one man pour he had ever seen". The picture at the top was taken right after the first pour, Sophie was beyond excited! She was showing me the concrete and was telling me "A real concrete mixer is here!!! And it's giving us it's mud!".

He had to wheel it over one bucket at a time because the truck couldn't get all the way back there. It took him just under 45 minutes.

We couldn't keep the kids out of it, every time we turned around they were "helping".

Hard at work...

Just a Swingin'

2010-08-02T12:22:00.003-08:00

We got to visit my Sister Cassie while in Utah, she had a few hammocks that the kids really enjoyed. The top pic is of her baby Abby and Olivia. Abby is very happy and loves to show off her big smile.

This is Sophie and her cousin Andrew.

Hogle Zoo

2010-08-02T08:57:00.006-08:00

Drinking from the mouth of a lion, every kid has to have a picture of this.

This is the prairie dog exhibit.

Its been done!

2010-07-30T09:37:00.007-08:00

The girls have been begging to get their ears pierced for about 6 months now, so we finally gave in and headed to the mall. Sophie was so excited to get her ears pierced that she insisted she go first.

She didn't cry at first, it wasn't until the two Ladys that did it asked her if she was ok, then the tears came.

Garry's little sister Courtney and a sucker made it all better. But Olivia has chickened out by now and is ready to leave the mall...

Olivia finally got her courage back, and decided to go for it... as long as she could sit on her Daddy's lap. Papa also had a five dollar bill that helped, so brave.

She didn't cry at all and was so proud of herself!

And now were back...

2010-07-29T10:53:00.002-08:00

So, after two weeks of fun we are back in Alaska. We all had a great time catching up with Family. It has been almost 3 years since we have seen most of Garry's family. The kids didn't remember any of their cousins, and loved playing with them all! We did a lot of traveling, by air and car, going from Fairbanks to Denver, then to Fort Collins Colorado, Provo UT, and Gering Nebraska. In the pic above Livi is upset because Parker got to sit by the window (it's always something).

Parker and I got to sit in First class for one leg of the trip, while Garry and the girls were stuck back in coach. Parker LOVED it to say the least, he was livin it up like a king! His favorite part was the fancy breakfast of stuffed french toast. He told me that I could sleep, but he didn't want to "waste his experience". He didn't last too long though, and I had to wake him up to get off the plane.

These are just some cute pics of the girls at temple square, more vaca pics to come, maybe after a nap...

It's Independence Day!

2010-07-05T12:59:00.006-08:00

This is the one day of the summer I wish we had darkness. Don't get me wrong, I love the midnight sun, however fireworks just aren't the same when it's as bright as noon. But, we still had fun, and made plenty of noise!

Olivia didn't like the smoke in her eyes.

Kids loved the roman candles.

Helping Dad light the bigger ones.

Watching the Parade here in North Pole, it was small, but the kids thought it was great!

I had to take a pic of the girls "star" hair.

My Sweet Kiddos

2010-07-01T16:00:00.005-08:00

Just a few pics of the kids on a nature walk.

Olivia was really hamming it up for me! She is usually angry when I want to take her picture, so I took plenty of her today.

Parker is usually too busy to pose for me, got to get this kid on the go!

Sophie's leg is still "injured", so she watches the others play from a distance.

She is so grown up at the age of 5.

Sweet, goofy Sophie...

B-Day Present to myself!!

2010-06-27T22:58:00.008-08:00

On the last day of my bear bait I finally achieved my other goal for this years baiting, getting my first kill with a bow. However it got even better as I was able to take 2 bears in the same night just before midnight.

Yes, that is a rifle in the background...it was a back up weapon I did not use it at any point in killing these 2 bears.

I shot the Black one first and he ran and died about 20 yards away, as he died the cinnamon one came in and took an arrow through both lungs. She ran and died 12 feet from the first bear, I had been imaging this exact situation during my 3 hour drive to the bait.

I will also say that I am one tired guy now, I got a short nap after taking my Father in Law (Rod) hunting the night before and tracking a bear for several hours, I got home and saw the cinnamon bear on my trail camera and had to go back and try my luck. It took me a little over 4 hours to skin and quarter both bears, I packed out all the meat and the hides in one trip, it was well over 100 lb's...wouldn't recommend doing that. Once the bears were in the truck I had to go back and tear down my tree stands and take out the barrel which took another 2 trips. I got done around 7 AM. and then 3 hours home, I sat down at the kitchen counter for a few minutes and woke up almost an hour later. Then I spent about 7 more hours pulling the skulls and paws then fleshing them out, and I still have to finish it tomorrow.

Summer time and the livin's easy

2010-06-25T21:40:00.004-08:00

Summer time in Alaska, I LOVE it! It is sooo pretty here in the summer. This is one of my favorite things to do, meet our friends at the beach and just soak up the sun.

Maxin and relaxin.

Sophie injured her leg playing with the big kids on the trampoline a few days ago. We had it looked at, they say it's not broken, probably just sprained. So she hasn't been able to walk, just sit and play. She really has enjoyed ordering around anyone within yelling distance. In this picture she has ordered August to go and fetch her water, which he did again and again. What a nice cousin.

By the end of our time there, she had managed to crawl herself down to the water. This is where she was the happiest, playing alongside her cousin Xela.

2010-06-22T20:55:00.004-08:00

AS many of you know it is bear season up here in Alaska, I have been going at it since the last week of April and have only managed to get the one that insisted on dieing next to my truck, i have only had one bear come in to my bait while i have been sitting in the stand. The bears this year have been cautious to say the least. The one below is the one that I am really trying to meet up with, we keep setting appointments and he keep flaking on me. We have one last week of baiting and then he will have made it another year without following through with any of his appointments, if you ask me that kind of behavior is unacceptable...I think he should be shot!!

These other pictures are of bears coming and pretty much pointing and laughing as they come in to the bait just before or just after I have been there.

Blackmail

2010-06-18T07:52:00.002-08:00

Sophie is usually our family's source of entertainment, her silly personality keeps us laughing. She will sing and dance for us all day, and of course she can dress herself. Here she is sporting mismatched pajamas, two different socks and a two piece swim suit. I gotta hold on to these lovely pics, I could use them later!

It ain't easy being cheesy

2010-06-16T08:48:00.011-08:00

Mmm, dandelions! Garry shows the kids everyday plants they can eat outside. Dandelions are one of them the kids actually eat, yuck! The only problem, they stain their lips yellow.

Olivia, Sophia and their cousin Maggie enjoying a train ride.

The only good shot I got of Parker, a 7 year old can be very difficult.

Oh, Sophie. This is her new posed smile. It ain't easy being cheesy ...

A few more {random} pics form my phone

2010-06-03T10:19:00.005-08:00

Dumpster Diving - one of Alaska's finer activities.

Garry in his office

Don't even know what to say about Garry in this one

Finger painting that got way out of control ...

My Sister Mary

Parker on Halloween

Me with Maarets laundry

Sophie, a long time ago

2010-05-26T22:35:00.005-08:00

These are some pics from my old phone, I just figured out how to get them off of it. This was a training "X" that we did with some "special" people that were getting ready for a deployment.
We were infilled around 6000ft for the scenerio, we landed right above some Dall sheep, unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of them.

The Dog that was with was was amazing!

Ya, she's got skills...

2010-05-26T21:43:00.002-08:00

Garry took Olivia's training wheels off this past weekend. At first she was less than thrilled, in fact she was very frustrated and angry. She told me that dad had "ruined her life". But after some convincing from Parker (who just recently re-learned to ride without his training wheels), she decided that she was going to ride that bike before the day was over. This girl has more "determination" than anyone else I know. Parker helped her at first, then Garry finished. And by the end of the day, she could ride all by herself! She couldn't be more proud of her new skill and will let everyone know about it! Now she wants to do nothing but ride.

Flying solo!

And Sophie can't hardly stand me taking pictures of someone besides her, so here is what she's got...

The results are in...

2010-05-26T09:17:00.004-08:00

I was so sure this one was a boy, I would have bet my life on it. We were so surprised yesterday when we learned he was a she! Shocker! But all is well, she seems healthy and is growing right on track. So everyone who voted on our poll was wrong, except for that one person who voted for a girl!

Bear had a hankering for some sugar

2010-05-22T19:30:00.008-08:00

Most of you already know, but it is bear baiting season again and I am avidly trying to get my 3 before it is over. I went up thursday night and sat in my stand, had a nice bear come in, just never could get my bow drawn. I sat till 4 AM and then started looking around for another place to put in another bait barrel. I took my tree stand and went walking into the woods, I found a good spot and set up my stand and walked out to get the bait and barrel. When I got back to my truck I had left a bag of dog food and a bag of brown sugar in the bed, I found them both torn into. I went about getting all my stuff into my pack and strapping the barrel to it when I heard the brush move next to my truck. It was the bear that had helped himself to some of my bait while it was still in the back of my truck. He started walking up the embankment right to me, at about 15 feet I pulled my 44 out and gave a warning shot over his head...he retreated about 10 steps and thought he would chance it again, same thing, but this time at 15 feet it wasn't a warning shot. I hit him in the left shoulder sending him down the embankment. He crawled about 20 yards parallel to the road where I walked up and gave him one more to finish the JOB. The bear is the pictures at the bottom. The ones of my truck I didn't notice till I got home, I have bear nostril prints on my window and paw prints along the bed before he found what he was wanting. A bag of powdered sugar on the seat. I must of spooked him off when I came back to the truck.

These are just a few pictures from the trail camera on the first bait barrel.

Last year I shot 2 bears with my rifle, so this year I wanted to take one with my pistol and a couple with the bow. I didn't see the pistol thing happening, but I was excited to make it happen even though he could have almost pulled the trigger for me.

I drug him about 6 or 8 feet so he was visible from the road, it was the easiest pack out I have ever been a part of.

More {Hawaii} beach pics...

2010-05-22T16:01:00.005-08:00

Here are the underwater pics from the cheep camera. Terrible quality, but memories I will treasure none the less. We found two different sea turtles, they were really quite friendly and didn't mind us following them around.

Workin at the car wash

2010-05-19T16:46:00.003-08:00

Baby #4

2010-05-17T09:51:00.004-08:00

I decided that I should go ahead and make a formal announcement. We are expecting a baby in mid-October! He (or she) will make four little ones on the ground, and that will be enough for me (but not for Garry). The kids are very excited and can't wait to see the new baby. We still don't know the sex but should be getting an ultrasound soon.
*The picture above is from an ultrasound I had done at 12 weeks.

2010-04-24T22:31:00.009-08:00

For all of you that don't already know, I just got back from Vietnam to assist in the recovery of US MIA. Below are a bunch of pictures, unfortunately in reverse order, starting with driving to the village that we started our hike at and ending with the repatriation of the 7 sets of remains that the teams I was there with were able to find and bring home. The pictures below are from the ceramony as the Vietnamiese government turned over the remains and we gave them as much respect and honor as we could for their sacrifice. I will say that the entire time that I was there I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the country I was born in, for a country that after decades is still trying to find those that we lost in order to bring them home to their families. As I contimplated this I was overwhelmed even more with the scale that our Father in Heaven works on, how he searches for us all and will never stop trying to bring his family home to him. To all of you, I love you and pray that no matter what happens in this life you know that he loves you and that he is there for you, he will never stop searching for each and every one of us. I benefited far more from my search for a man who gave his life in 1966 that his family will ever know.

Meet me in Hawaii...

2010-04-19T10:29:00.004-08:00

Garry has been away for about 2 months now. He has been in Vietnam recovering a lost solder from the war. On his way back home he "had" to stop over in Hawaii for a week. He surprised me with a plane ticket to meet him there! We have NEVER left our children and gone anywhere together since our honeymoon 9 years ago. He is very protective of our babies and refuses to leave them with anyone, so you can imagine my surprise when he said he wanted me to join him. What a thoughtful guy right? So I left the kids with my good friends Cindy and Kari and boarded a plane to Paradise! Garry's plane got delayed for a few days, but he did make it. We had 5 days of pure bliss together before heading home. Man, I LOVE MY MAN!

This is Hanauma Bay. We did some amazing snorkeling here. We swam with tons of fishes and a few sea turtles. I will post more pics later when I get them developed (we had a cheep underwater camera).

These pics are from the day we went kayaking. It was beautiful and so much fun. We kayaked out to two different island, about a mile and a half out. We had a hard time getting off the second island. We waited too long until the wind and waves kicked up. A bit scary, but we survived.

These pics were taken on the first island of the two, "Flat Island".

Kailua Beach...

I don't know why he wont smile for the camera, he looks so happy doesn't he?

This is Garry's idea of fun, I don't know...

Easter Ears

2010-04-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

Playgroup Easter Party

2010-04-06T12:20:00.007-08:00

Here are just a few fun pics from our playgroup party. We let the kids fingur paint sugar cookies & decorate cupcakes.

We also had a little egg hunt. The kids were delighted!

Check out Olivia's hair! I know awsome hu? Sorry, but I just have to toot my oun horn on this one! It was so cute!

Olivia checkin out her loot.

The World Ice Art Championships

2010-03-23T10:10:00.007-08:00

The World Ice Art Championships is the largest ice sculpting competition in the world, and is held every year in Fairbanks. We love to go see the amazing sculptures, but most of all, the SLIDES! Garry is away again, so this year we went with my good friend Kari and my Mom. It was a fabulous day, the high was 40 degrees, which is pretty warm for Fairbanks in March!

These slides are a bit rough, notice the sled that is almost broken in half. There is not much left on the bottom of it either. A bit rough, but soo much fun!

The kiddie slides, always a big hit!

Here is the ice tunnel, its kinda like McDonald's, only ice (and a lot cleaner!)..

Tractor trailer...

These are ice baskets, the kids can climb inside and then you spin them till they are sick, great fun!

And last, the kids sportin the true Alaskan uniform...Carhartts!

The not-so-lucky

2010-03-18T19:28:00.004-08:00

Poor Sophie, this evening she fell face first on the kitchen floor...not once, not twice, but three separate times and all within a hour of each other! All three times she landed on her lip, which is now quite swollen. She is very concerned that it looks weird. I hope it will look better in the morning.

Do you feel Lucky?

2010-03-17T09:58:00.003-08:00

Just some picks of the kids a dressed up for St. Patricks Day. Parker didn't want his picture taken (maybe he is getting too old for mom to dress him up and take pictures?). But when I told Parker to have a good day this morning he said "Oh, I Will! Cause we are going to be rich!" He then went on to tell me about his plans to catch a leprechaun and have this leprechaun take him to the pot of gold. What does he want to do with all this gold? Buy an R.V. of coarse, and he also says's if there is any gold left he will give it to me so we can pay off that big bill from the house. So thoughtful, isn't he. I hope he does find himself a leprechaun today, I could live without a mortgage!

We did Olivia's hair this morning and I thought I would share. I fashioned a four leaf clover, she was very excited.

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

2010-02-28T11:51:00.000-09:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Sophia!

2010-02-22T08:17:00.003-09:00

Sophia turned the big 3 on Feb 18th! she is officially a big girl now! We had a party for her on Saturday with some friends.
When I asked Sophia what kind of cake she wanted for her Birthday she didn't hesitate at all. "Brown." She replied. I asked what was going to be brown, the cake or the frosting. Both were to be brown. Then I asked what she wanted on top (princesses, baby's, ect). "Strawberries, FRESH strawberries!" She knew exactly what she wanted! She saw this cake on the cover of a "Taste of Home" magazine and insisted that this was the one. It took us a few tries to find strawberries fresh enough, but when Garry came home with some, they passed the test. She couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

Blowing out the candles...

She didn't eat very much of her cake, but somehow still managed to get it all over herself.

She had so many presents this year! Her favorites were the Cinderella and a Snow White dresses, and a new baby doll.

a little more of Guatemala

2010-02-17T10:59:00.012-09:00

This lake was so beautiful! It is believed to be the area of "the waters of Mormon". We took a boat tour around the lake, did some shopping then enjoyed a quick swim. The water wasn't to bad until you got all the way in, then it was pretty chilly. There were hot springs coming out of the rocks where I am standing. It wasn't until days after our swim that we learned the the water was very contaminated. Bummer. But isn't it pretty?

For so reason we forgot to bring our suits, but that wasn't going to stop us.

Aww, nothing like swimming in poison water.

Trying to dry off on the way back to shore. It didn't work, I was wet for a long long time.

Mary, looking off into the sunset...

Work like an ant, (we are achievers whatever be our task!).

Poor animal, he looks dog tired! The dogs and cats there were so pathetic, all sickly and skinny. They didn't move very much either.

The whole gang, from left to right...Audrey, Don, Dad, Maaret, Mom, Me, Mary, Brad, Joe.

Over looking Guatemala City

Most of the food there did not sit well with me. This is the food that made me the most sick of all, I was up all night getting rid of it. But it was awesome (the first time I tasted it anyway).

Fruit stands everywhere! I couldn't get enough! One day we bought avocados 16 for a dollar!

more of the poison lake, I tried to move it up with the others, but blogger kinda just freaked out.

Central Market...this was shopping at its best!

Joe (Mary's friend), Audrey, Maaret, Zusie, Mom, Me & Mary.

Climbing on some rubble, it was everywhere.

The nicest hotel we stayed in. I thought these three beds were just so cute!

Water from a bag...refreshing!