Halloween Costumes

Connor and Gavin had a ball getting to choose their costumes and then also wear them. Gavin is so small and didn't have the choices like Connor did. All we could find for Gavin was small, cute, and cuddly. Gavin wanted something a little scary so as you can see, he was a big and mean tiger. Connor took a long time deciding what to be. He finally decided on the jungle fury power ranger. They both had a great time walking around trick or treating.

Final product--- Jack-o-lanterns

As you can see, even in the Alaskan Bush, we carve pumpkins. We put a lot of thought into the designs and faces since they cost so much. Each of these pumpkins were around 25 dollars each for a medium pumpkin. But the tradition and family time easily takes over the total cost. The first pumpkin is Gavin's "Stitch" pumpkin. Connor's was "Pokemon." Ron's was the pirate skull. Mine was the hairy spider. Hope you enjoy!

Gutting the pumpkin

Connor, Gavin, and Ron had a great time getting slimed while pulling out all the seeds and pulp of the pumpkins.

Ice Fishing

Yesterday after school, Ron, Connor, Gavin, and I went ice fishing with some people from the village. I didn't have any luck but everyone else caught grayling. Gavin caught one fish and was done. He would come and fish with me to try to show me how it was supposed to be done. Connor caught a couple and Ron caught one. Not too bad for about an hour of fishing. We all had fun and got out of the house while it was cold. I am sure, that we will have more ice fishing adventures as soon as it gets colder again.

Connor's Birthday

Well Connor just had his sixth birthday last week. He chose Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle as his theme. The cake he wanted was the easiest and fastest cake I have ever made for him. It was simple but really a neat looking cake. I quickly made up a face for "Pin the Mask" on the Turtle. The kids that came, had a great time with Connor. Connor and Gavin both had a great time with them too. Since then, some of the kids have come over to play with Connor. Man, my son is growing up so fast.

Snow

During the first week of October, we had plenty of snow for snowball fights, snow mobiling, and enough to stay on the ground. We all took a drive down to the river and had a ball in it. The only bad thing is that we will probably have an extremely long and cold winter.

Ron's hunting trip

Back in September, Ron and a friend went moose hunting. As you can see, it was a successful hunting trip for him. I am grateful, food for the freezer. It was a nice sized moose, young still and smaller than most but perfect for the tenderness. (For those of you that don't know... the older the animal, the tougher the meat)

Where do I start?

This summer was a long summer for myself and the boys. We went to the beach and saw pelicans at a lighthouse, walked in the sand, went swimming, saw kites that were bigger than our house, and rode on a couple of carnival rides. We went for walks and car rides and saw cows, hawks, osprey, horse, sheep, goats, and many other animals. We went to the zoo, and were part of the animal entourage. We went to the local fair and became spiderman and the horse lover. We were part of an almost exploding car because some fireworks misfired. Connor became a flying fish and the local pool. We laughed so many times and cried a few times when Gavin broke his leg. But all in all, we had the best summer with all the good things and a couple of not so good things. We would never trade anything for the time that we spend with our family and friends!

What will they think of next?

I was looking through the local paper online from home today and came across this article. I was shocked but can imagine these little fish tickling your feet. Don't know if I would ever try it but would like to actually see someone else try it. LOL
Any takers?


KENT, Wash. — A salon in Kent says it’s the first in the Northwest to offer a pedicure using a tank of tiny fish that nibble away dead skin.

The owner of the Peridot Nail Salon, Tuyet “Tweety” Bui, says the 15-minute soak tickles your toes and leaves healthy skin unharmed.

Beginning again

Well after having a very long summer break, I will start putting pictures of the boys and our summer on the blog. I am excited to share some of the great experiences that we had over our summer with family and friends. Hope you watch for them so you can see them change.

NO MORE SNOW!

Can you believe it? Yesterday we woke up to a sky full of snow and the ground was completely white. Thank goodness it all melted by the afternoon. Today it is warmer today. I am sure ready for spring to come. Maybe the 44 degree weather today is our first major sign of spring!

Eskimo Dolls

This is my small collection of Eskimo Dolls. The brand is "Alaskan Friends." I don't have that many but they are something that I like. Anyways, for those of you that like them, they are in the Anchorage Walmart and also at the Blue Moose in the mall in Anchorage. I have seen them downtown too. I found the tallest one on ebay and was fortunate enough to get it.

Playing out on a beautiful April day

Yes, today is April 5th, and here in Alaska we have had snow today that stuck. Crazy! But it was warm enough for the boys to play out for quite some time without heavy winter gear! Spring is finally coming!

Eskimo Dolls

This is an eskimo doll. In the past year, I have started collecting these dolls, but only specific ones. Ron has bought me some for my birthday, Christmas, and happy day gifts. I now have 5 or 6 and I know that the collection will continue to grow. I will add pictures of the ones I own in the near future.

Ivory Earrings

I have been wanting some nice ivory earrings for a while now. When I went into Anchorage, I found them and kept trying to get them but they were never open when I was there. So Ron got them for me and sent them out for me this past week. Now I have two pairs of walrus ivory earrings. If you can't tell what they are, they are whales and salmon. Can't wait to wear a pair tomorrow at work.

A Camouflage Easter

As you know that Connor and Gavin are really into camo. I was able to find camo easter egg dye and we had a lot of fun dyeing the eggs. The only thing missing was Ron. He is in Anchorage right now, recovering from knee surgery and doing rehab on his knee for six weeks. Easter was fun for the boys and they both had a ball finding the eggs.

The Ptarmigan- Alaska's state bird

As you can see, the ptarmigan is camouflaged in the winter months when there is snow. When there isn't any snow, it turns to several different shades of brown to match the tundra and camouflage itself.

Huge snow drifts

This snow drift was blown in and was huge. This is not the first time this has happened right outside of the house. But anyways, as you can see, the boys were having fun playing in it.

Gavin being Mr. Tough Guy

Gavin loves to play with his friend Pookie. She will be moving next month so I have made sure that they get to play together when possible. What a tough little guy.

Sunset in late February

These pictures were taken from my back porch with a SLR camera. They are all beautiful and very colorful.