Our Alyeska Trip

We went to The Alyeska Resort for a night this month. Just a quick ski trip to Girdwood, a X-mas gift for Andy. We even ran into some fellow Talkeetnans so Andy didn't have to ski alone. They have a Saltwater Pool and a hot tub, that's where the boys an I were while he was on the mountain. I got the family package so the room came with a movie, pizza and breakfast the next morning. It was nice to get out of town even if for only one night. Even though the boys played in the pool for quite awhile that evening they still wanted to play in the room's bathtub too. The next morning it was nasty out; rain, wind and hail. Not real pretty for Alaska in February.

Winter Photos

The boys playing on "my" snowmachine in the driveway.

Denali and Hunter (the smaller one) on a crisp winter day.

The view from "Rubberneck Point", not sure if that name is offical or just the local slang for it...

Jax is on his way up the hill to the trail for his first day of Jr. Nordic Ski Club with Denali and the mountains behind him. Nice Alaska afternoon.

Hope your feeling better Grammy, get well, we love you!

Troublemaker is my middle name...

I love this shirt and it suits him well... "TROUBLEMAKER IS MY MIDDLE NAME" Can you tell he is 2 now? He sure is acting like it these days. I brightened up my sign the other day and Hawken was admiring it just before he turned and gave me this scowl with a smile. Quite a cute little scowl if I do say so myself...

Many degrees below zero...

Yes it's a little chilly at 8:30 on a February morning here in Alaska but sometimes a mom has to seize the opportunity and this was mine. I had just dropped Jaxon off at school because once a week or so the extra 30-45 minutes of sleep we can get by not making the bus is more valuable to me, this was one of those mornings. I was already in downtown Talkeetna and it was amazingly light out already, or working on it we are gaining 6 minutes a day now, so I headed down to the river trail. My car was telling me it was a toasty -8 degrees below zero out, that was in the parking lot the trail at the river was a little colder still. The view looked like a painting on the horizon as it often does here. To my left was the half moon still bright in the dimly lit sky and straight across the mighty frozen Susitna & Chulitna Rivers was the alpenglow lighting the mountain range that includes Denali, Hunter and Foraker. Quite a sight, you almost forget your cheeks and toes are numb while your staring at it. Then the creaks and thunderous sounds from the river ice startle and intrigue you at the same time. The chunks of ice break off the shelf splashing into the water. These are the sounds of break up, but it's February and this isn't normal to hear now. It must be due to the warm winter we have had, warm in relation to Alaska that is. Summer last year was also quite warm, and I wouldn't mind another one like it. Even though the view is breathtaking it's not a long walk because it's cold out. I didn't have my camera or I would happily share with you what I was lucky enough to see that morning, and alot of other days too. We are blessed everyday to live where we do. On my way home the car thermometer got up to 3 above in one spot but then it plummeted to -12 and then -15 below out at my house only 5 miles from the river walk, weird. Warm thoughts from cold temps. Love from Alaska to all of you!

Eating Spinach

Last night was a monumental occasion here at our house. I got Jaxon to try a bite of SPINACH and yes he admitted to liking it! He was not interested in another bite but still, if you know my kid then you know how huge this is. It may have helped that Hawken was scarfing it down as fast as I could shovel it into his mouth. We said to him "if your baby brother is eating it, how bad could it be?!" Oh and I bribed him with a small toy next time we go to town... Which I know isn't the best tactic but a moms got to do what a moms got to do, and it's well worth it for him to know he likes a veggie like spinach. Picky eaters can be tough! He is becoming more adventurous this year when it comes to food, finally we can reason with him, sometimes. In school they learn about healthy eating and living. Our P.E. teacher is great and really incorporates alot more than just games and exercise into her curriculum. Jax has also been doing his first school sport, the Jr. Nordic Ski Club. It's after school one day a week and he's liking it. Alot of the time when he gets home from school we ask him what his favorite part of the day was and he often says "EVERYTHING!" There hasn't been a single morning all year that he has woke up not wanting to get up for school, sometimes he's even disappointed on the weekends that there's no class. They are 100 days into the school year and it's amazing all the things he has learned already. He's writing, spelling, reading, doing math and even story problems, it's awesome to see him soak it all up. Next he needs to learn to tie shoes and spell his last name, now that one could take awhile...

New Product

Yep a new product! Something not for kids, All Natural Soy Candles. I'm hand pouring these into a 6oz. tin with lid in several scents. They only have two ingredients; soywax and essential oil with a wax coated coreless cotton wick. I timed the burn of one and it lasted over 20 hours, putting out a nice but not overpowering scent of Cool Citrus Basil. Jaxon's favorite is the Spiced Cranberry, he said it smelled delicious while I was pouring them. I also tried a few with Tea Tree and just ordered some more scents, wax and wicks. Anyway I will have these out this summer. They are travel size and have my art on them, I think the tourists will like them. Guess we'll see. I'm pricing them at $8 ea. or 2 for $15, they will make nice small gifts for people to take home. Let me know what you think!? Summer will be here before we know it so I should get to work. In addition to my new hobby I have alot of BATIKING to do for this season, wish me luck...

last of the puppies...

My last puppy blog and photo and it's somewhat because of them I haven't been on the computer much, 5 puppies is alot of work! But the good news is I have found good homes for 3 of them in the last 24 hours and we are now down to 2 girls, and only 1 is still available. They are cute and fun but also loud and messy, I'm about done... At 7 weeks old today it was the perfect time to find families for them. Tonight I'm finding 2 is much more manageable for me, and Luna. The boys have enjoyed them but also don't seem to really mind they are gone. We took them a couple weeks ago to the kindergarten room for show and tell, that was fun. Looks like Luna may get fixed the next time the "Bush Vet" comes through town, I don't want to make a habit of this process. Luna is a great mom and seems to even like it but the brunt of the work falls on me and I have enough to do with my own kids. Last chance, anyone need a pup Fed Exed? :0)