Alaskan ABC's

I saw quite a few fun ABC's done by people for the holidays and so we thought we would contribute with our very own version of Alaskan ABC's.  So sit back and enjoy your daily dose of the alphabet from Port Alexander!

A
A is for Airplane...or Sea Plane...it lands everywhere....

The quickest and best way to get to our little town.

Then and Now

I couldn't resist the comparison.  I recently got a shirt for Nia identical for the one she wore to daycare for her first photos.  So I figured why not recreate it to a certain degree.

 

Such a sweet angel.  We are sooo glad that we were blessed with this little girl!

I will always...

...have proof of how sweet my Jenner and Nia could be together.  I will have to pull this out as they get older and fight.....

We were walking to the school and he asked her if he could help her by holding her hand.  She was very willing and insistent that he continue to do so after that...

Makes my mother's heart smile!

So Sweet

Nia has decided much to her father's dismay that she really likes jewelry...even more to his dismay she has recently made the decision that she loves earrings....especially dangly ones.  So tonight when she saw me wearing my earrings she wanted some.  So I took mine off and put them one her ears so they would dangle for her.  She was so proud of her newly acquired accessories.  Kale might not want her to have her ears pierced until she is an old maid....but I think that fight is going to come sooner rather than later and I think he has already lost....

We shall see...wont we ladies?

Sunday Drive?!...Float

 Well we wanted to go and do something today with the weather being as nice as it was.  Since we can't go on Sunday drives after church, we settled for Sunday kayaking and hiking instead.

Nia was enjoying herself this time and kept trying to take the paddles from me.

Here we stopped off in the parking lot.

This IS the parking lot...a lot of people were dealing with mail so not as many boats were here as there usually are.

we have  fun bridge the kids like to cross...and do other kid things on..

What's a Sunday trip without snacks?

The kids found this twisty tree that they just had to have a picture with.

And of course mom and Nia finally got caught on camera....I guess it is fair since everyone else has to have their picture taken...

Kodak Moment

You can't help but smile with Jenner around.  He does some of the funniest things...

This is from his most recent moments of awesomeness.

He got all dressed up and declared........

"I am Gandalf the White...YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

 

\

He is pretty close right?

Just Like Dad

Friday was quite a day for the boys.  Two exciting things happened for them...one was they got to see a family of seals - or as the boys would have me correctly call them - a pod of seals swim in front of the house.  It was neat because we have seen lots of seals, but not as many as we did in that pod.  There was FIVE in the pod.  I told the kids that meant there was one for each of them.  They thought that was funny!

The other thing, which they found more exciting, was dad showed them how to use his chainsaw.  It isn't a big one.  But he showed him how to use it, and then let them cut a log in half.  They were all over the moon...don't believe Raiden and Judge if they say otherwise, but Ender by far was the most vocal about his extreme pleasure in using a chainsaw to cut a log in half.  He is like that.  He is always asking day if he will let him have an ax or a hammer to go and break things in half.  So far the answer has been no, so I am sure that was just thrilling to him.  I guess he is going to be a manly man, who LOVES himself some power tools!

 

Nia was just thrilled with being allowed to go out on the beach and be able to throw things into the water.....so she was easy to please.

It's Official

Well I know everyone has been waiting on the edge of their seats to hear about whether or not I am going to remain the lunch lady....it's been eating at you day in and day out right?

Okay, enough of the suspense...I am now the official lunch lady.  Isn't that just a grand thing to hear?

Well it's money, and money pays the bills so it works for us...

Whip it out

I love it when you are having a conversation and a kid just decides to throw something out there for all to hear.

We were opening up packages because today is mail day and Kale was showing me a rope saw that he had purchased off Amazon. 

I made some sarcastic comment and Kale said, "Well why did you think I got this?"

And delightfully quick Jenner was right outside the door and piped up, "Because I'm evil!" in a mischievous voice.

Love me my Jenner!

Happy 6 months!

Well believe it or not we have done it.  We are passing the six month mark of being here in Alaska.  I must say barring a few personality issues with the other teacher we have had an absolutely great time.

It is hard to believe that six months ago we stepped out of a van and into an airport and we haven't been in a vehicle since then.  I sure don't miss the upkeep on a car though!

So happy six months everyone!

Firsts

Well it seems like this weekend has been one for firsts...

First of the year...

First pumpkin pie made...in Alaska and 13 years of marriage...

and first family kayaking trip.

I think some of the kids were more impressed with the pie....but I don't know if I would trust their judgment...

We had a lot of fun..Nia isn't too sure of the whole kayak and paddle thing...but liked the water a lot.  It is a different feat altogether trying to kayak with a little one sitting on your lap...I think I am to short to really enjoy it, but it is transportation.

Happy New Year!

Well we believe we brought in the new year with great Alaska style.

We started with a Lord of the Rings marathon (each of the three movies IS three hours) and highlighted this with the making of treats galore.  Cake, cookies and fudge just to name the best...but we must not forget popcorn.

All this fun was given a brief intermission for a great steak and rice dinner followed by a nice walk in the dark and rain....

We had some fun by playing a new game Ender got for Christmas called Three Little Pigs.  You build houses and hope the wolf doesn't come along and blow them down....Nia had the delight and pleasure at this point of coming along and interrupting all play...she does that...

So we followed this up with the classic Spaceballs.   The boys couldn't believe that a show would make fun of Indiana Jones let alone Star Wars.....but they did laugh....

We were able to celebrate the clock hitting midnight with fireworks put on by others in the town and making noise with noisemakers that grandma was kind enough to send up so the boys didn't miss out...

Nia was the only one to miss seeing the clock turn twelve....so that was a first for us to have so many kids up.

Kale was adventurous enough to start off the new year by going swimming...YES that is swimming in the ocean, in the dark, in the winter at midnight in ALASKA!  Sounds nice and chipper....he can gladly hold that record in our house.  I told him I have no plans to join that group....


So Happy New Year!  We hope you brought in 2014 in style as well.