Owen Dancing to the i-pod

 

ACG at Millcreek

 

Carol and the kids and I  got to go ha ng out with some of my friends f rom high school and their kids over the summer.   I kept meaning to pos t the photos, but never quite made it.

Anyway, we had a great time seeing everyone and the kids really got along well.  I was pretty surprised as they kind of ran around like they had been best friends for years (is friendship genetic?).  I can proudly say  that the next generation looks to have a bright future as they all seemed to be brilliant and beautiful (not that we would expect anything different).

We went up Millcreek Canyon where they have some firepits and picnic tables.  We did the fire thing and s'mores which is never a bad idea.  The fire with kids makes for a slightly higher  than normal anxiety level but it was still a great time (the rushing rivers weren't much of a calming effect either).  We were missing a few key members (Pete, Jax), but are looking forward to hooking up with them soon.

Chuck was tortured for the full 3 hours we were there with constant requests for golden brown marshmallows and nature adventures from all the kids.  He was a trooper and the kids all loved it.  Isabel still talks about Chuck's perfect marshmallow...I'll never live up to the Iron Horse.

Photos of the whole event are here.

Cruising the Costa Maya

Tom and I just got back from a great vacation with some really great friends.   We started in New Orleans, where Tom and I ran into Dale and Juliana in the French Quarters.  The next day we boarded the boat and reluctantly went to muster (note the happy faces).

 

Our first stop was in Costa Maya, where we went to some ruins and then hung out at a great little beach with some very pricey piña coladas and guacamole. 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was a very hot and muggy, but extremely beautiful Guatemala.  We had a gorgeous and bumpy boat ride up the Rio Dulce. 

We went into some caves, visited a local school, and had an encounter with the local turtles (courtesy of some of the cutest kids on earth).

 

The boys even had a little time to give a cheer out to all the Ohio State fans in Guatemala.

The next day was spent in Belize on a zip line in the jungle and cave tubing.

 

On our last port day, Tom and I saw some amazing sights under the ocean in Cozamel.  I was a little nervous to dive, but Monkey (our diving guide) was great.

 

As always on a cruise, there was food everywhere, which we took advantage of.  Crepes every night for the boys, Sushi for Tom and a really gross Chocolate buffet where every thing looked like chocolate but must have been some other terrible ingredient.  We did get our chocolate fill with the molten chocolate cake one night though! 

 

 

Our last day at sea brought some relaxation in the sun on deck for all.  Tom and Koy entered the golf competition and of course Koy got the grand prize...(a beautiful Norwegian Key Chain) and Tom second place (Norwegian Luggage Tags). 

Disembarking was bitter sweet as we would be leaving our friends, but heading home to see the kids.  We had a great time with our friends in some amazing places and can't wait until the next time!  Hawaii 2012 here we come!     

Ice Park 2009

So it's that time of year again in Fairbanks.  The Ice Park is one event that never seems to disappoint.  The kids love it and the sculptures are always amazing (mostly we go for the kids, though).  This year was no different.  The kids went three times (Beth missed the time when I had my camera hence the photo absence) and had a blast each time.  The highlight always seems to be the sled slides where you basically jump on an old plastic slide and ride i t down a big ice bobsled track (much shorter, but pretty darn quick).  I rode a couple of times with both Isabel and Owen and I can tell you the bumps at the bottom definitely require some padding.

Here's the link to the Ice Park website and you can find more photos of the kids here .

San Diego

So I took the kids to San Diego with my family.  Tom didn't make it, and we really missed him, but we had a great time!  I didn't have a camera because my old one was lost and I was acquiring a new one, so I don't have many pictures.  Here's a few of the ones I do have.  Thanks to everyone in the family who was able to make it down and a special thanks to the Hammonds for making it possible!

13 years

13 years on Friday the 13th? Hmmmm....

Yes, Carol and I were married 13 glorious years ago on a rainy day in March. Happy Anniversary to a better friend, wife and mother than I ever deserved.

Good Eats

So I have to brag a little about my wife.  She has many great friends here in AK and some of them got together last night for a little food and  games.  It's girls only, so dad had the kiddos (we went skiing) and Carol put the menu together and then everyone cooks a dish.  Well, I get to eat the leftovers which is the best part of the party for me (and some quality daddy time with the kids) and after my mouth exploded with excitement, I decided I must share the wealth.  I have eaten many a dish in my day and Carol and I have tried lots of new things as we have both kind of taken to cooking some crazy things (Carol is much more successful at this than I).  Most of them are good, but this one was great.  It starts with a little butternut squash and ends with risotto.  The middle part involves a little saffron which I had to mortgage the house to buy, but it does really add to the dish.  There's a little pancetta and a little white wine/grape juice depending on preference and the result is amazing.  The recipe is from Ina Garten at the Food Network and can be found here. 

Beth's Birthday

Our beautiful Beth turned 8 years old on the 27th of January!  Beth is such a joy in our family.  She is smart, beautiful, and talented.  We are so glad she came to our family 8 years ago!!!

Here are some pictures from her "Littlest Pet Shop" Party.  She planned the whole thing herself and she did a great job.  There was a pinata, dancing game, relay race, bunny cake, and coloring.  It was fun to have some of her friends at the house to help her celebrate.

Ice Skating

The kids went ice skating tonight and had a great time. It's basically the third time Owen has been skating and he finally got the hang of it (a little) tonight. It was pretty hilarious. I had to post the video (it is cell phone video so not that great but he's the guy in the big red coat).

San Diego

We went down to San Diego right after Christmas this year to see the sun.  It was fantastic!  Days get down to about 3 hours of sunlight and it's all kind of twilight sun so we do miss the big yellow ball quite a bit come December.  We usually try and go somewhere and that somewhere is often San Diego.  It rarely disappoints and this year was no exception.

We arrived after flying all night and were greeted with 65 degrees of heaven.  We made  our way to Coronado and spend the next couple of days at the  pool, tennis courts and beach.  The locals kind of think we're crazy swimming when it's 60 degrees outside, but that's July weather for us.  The kids I think could swim 25 hours a day and had practically grown  gills by the time we were done.

Our first trip off the island (Coronado is for  some reason referred to as an island though it is in fact a peninsula) was to see Steven and Alyson who not long thereafter became engaged (Congratulations!!!).  We went to the Wild Animal Park (kind of roaming type zoo) with Aly's sisters and the girls really bonded and had a great time.  I hadn't been to the zoo in a while and we don't have much of one up here (the whole State is kind of like a zoo :)) and it was great to see all the animals running around.  They also had free face painting by some local Jr.High kids which is always fun.

Maama and Popop came down midway into  our trip and it was so great to spend some time with them.  We went over to the Del, took bike rides, ate gelato, knit and played card games in the condo.  Carol and I also got a day on our own while they took the kids to Balboa Park and it sounds like we'll definitely have to be back.  They were there for about 4 hours and could have stayed for a couple more days.  We all went  to the Children's Museum which we hadn't been to before and while the building is nice, I must say that the exhibits need a little work.

The kids right now are prime Disneyland age and so we were all  looking forward to a day in Anaheim.  We drove up with Maama and Popop and the kids got a big surprise when Gram and Gramps met them there during the Jedi show.  They were so excited!  We ran around until we were all ready to fall over.  Autopia seems  to be the preferred ride at this point for all three kids.  The lines weren't bad (we had gone a couple of years ago and waited 2.5 hours do get on Dumbo) and there were of course lots of churros to be eaten (I think I was just shy of double digits at 9 this year).

Maama and Popop left the next day which was sad but fortunately we'll see them again in April.  Gram and Gramps stayed and the kids had a fabulous time running around Coronado and going to Sea World.  The girls did some more knitting and Owen played lots of "Go Fish".  We spent more time at the Del and swimming.  The time went by too fast.  The girls and Carol are already looking forward to seeing them again in March.

Our final days were warm, sunny and a little sad as we get ready to go.  My cousin Eric and Nicole   (his new wife) came down the weekend we left and we were so happy to get to spend an afternoon with them.  They are expecting and we are very excited for them! 

Overall it was a fabulous trip and it was so nice to be warm, see the sun and be with family.  We miss everyone and can't wait to see them again!

More photos here.