A tribute to our snowman

Some of you may have wondered, "what happened to the snowman"? Well, We thought it was time to share. As you can see his head fell off. We were expecting his body to topple next but it froze rock hard. After a few days we had more snow (sort of expected in Alaska) and more snow, followed by MORE snow. Some cruel neighbor kids stole one of his arms and this is what is left of our poor snowman. Hopefully an opportunity will arise to perform surgery and give him the care he desperatly needs.

Merry Christmas!

Even though we couldn't be with family and friends, we still had a great Christmas. The kids woke up around 9 and we headed downstairs to see what Santa left. First we opened the stockings and then headed for the tree.

All of us were spoiled and recieved more than we probably should have (pics will be posted later of the kids with their gifts). After presents and our traditional egg-nog french toast we popped in a few new movies and enjoyed the peaceful day.




We had dinner around 5 and it was divine. Our feast included turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberries, potatoes and gravy, and baked corn. We had plenty of tasty treats around for dessert but NO ONE had room for it. We had phone calls with family and friends as well as happy kids reveling in their new toys. Most importantly it was a day to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We hope that as a family we can always remember the true meaning of Christmas. The bright packages and beautiful decorations help this time of year sparkle but the true light only comes when we acknowledge our Redeemer. Hopefully you had a Merry Christmas and are as blessed as we are. We love you and Happy 2009!

Meet "Baby #3"

On Monday we had our last ultrasound. We decided to take this opportunity to share pics of our new addition. Everything looks healthy and appears to be developing on schedule. We are planning the arrival sometime in April. We had the ultrasound technician write the gender down for us and on Christmas we will open the envelope to find out if we are having a boy or girl. Hopefully you can make sense of the pictures. The first one is a picture of the baby sucking on it's fingers.


As you can probably tell, this is the profile shot.






This is a picture of babies foot.

Just around the corner...

It's that time of year again. We just received our annual Christmas cards and are preparing to send them out. If we don't have your current address makes sure to send it our way. Unfortunately we won't be able to spend the holidays with our family and friends this year. We love you and miss you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

Friday night was our ward Halloween party. We had dinner, played family fear factor, and ended with a trunk-or-treat. Even though it was only 16 degrees out, we still had a great time. We dressed up as the Toy Story family with Jon as Sheriff Woody (with Bullseye), Sabrina as Bo Peep, Reagan as Jesse and Gavin as Buzz Lightyear. The kids had a blast and are looking forward to Friday for even more fun.

Once there was a snowman...

A week ago when we had quite a bit of snow we built a snowman. He was doing good until the sun came out. After a few days of warmer weather and sunshine he started leaning. Now we aren't sure if he is praying for snow, or suffering from heat exhaust but we thought we'd share a few pics.

What happened to fall?

Well, we've had snow, snow... and more snow. Here are pics from the kids playing outside today. I guess winter is offically here.

Are you kidding me?

Yesterday we had quite the surprise. We looked out the window to find it dumping... SNOW! That's right, snow, in October. Our yard was transformed into a winter wonderland. When we woke this morning we checked to see if it melted. For the most part it's still there. AHHHH! So not ready for winter to be here.

Fishing 101

Fishing is the "Thing To Do" in Alaska. Tourists and Locals are obsessed. After Jon twisting my arm for months, he finally convinced me to go. The kids were ecstatic to get their own poles and "catch some fish". Well, we opted to stay on base (rules can be pretty strict on what/when/where you can fish) and headed to the lodge lake. Right next to it is a great playground and rental boats. Jon instructed the kids on how to cast and reel in the line. We didn't bring any bait and the fact that rubber fish are attached to the ends of the kid poles hindered our ability for a real catch. After half an hour the kids were ready to hit the playground. As you can see from the pics the weather was perfect. This summer blue skies and sunshine have been rare to say the least. We had been playing at the playground for about 5 minutes when all the sudden it started to pour. The sun was still shinning and we got soaked. We ended our day and made a break for the car. Even though our day was cut short, it was still fun while it lasted. Here are the pics from our latest adventure.

Gavin has begged all year long to "climb a mountain". Jon pointed out we couldn't climb the mountains because they had snow on them. This didn't deter Gavin in the least. He continued pleading until all the snow was melted and Jon ran out of excuses. Well, we finally "climbed the mountain". This particular hike is called Flat Top. There were quite a few hikers and dogs which was a nice change. Thinking that Gavin had his hopes set high... maybe too high, we borrowed a backpack. We were certain he would tire out long before we reached the top. WE COMPLETELY UNDERESTIMATED HIM! He was the little engine that could. Not only did he walk all but the first 5 min. (when he whinned to get out of the pack) but he didn't complain once. Every time we tried to head back he pushed us to finish what we started. He was a trooper. This was the opposite of his 5 year old sister. Reagan whinned and complained the ENTIRE time. Her feet hurt, she was tired, she had to pee... it never ended. Funny how sometimes your kids surprise you. Here are pictures from our adventure.

Birthday Bash

The birthday bash started 2 years ago when we combined Reagan and Gavin's birthday party. Reagan's birthday is June 12th and Gavin's is July 12th. Rather than plan 2 parties a month apart and invite the same kids to more than one party, we opted to simplify. We still do a small celebration (cake/ice cream) at home on the actual birth date. This has worked so well it's become tradition. Chuck E. Cheese was the location of this years festivities. Although it was loud and there were a million kids... the party went very well. It was fun to see everyone running from one game to the next collecting their tokens. All our Alaskan friends were able to attend and it was a party we will never forget. Here are some pics from the special day.

Memory Tag

1. As a comment on our blog, leave one memory that you recall with any member of our family. It doesn't matter if you barely knew us, or if we were joined at the hip. Anything you remember is fare game.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about us, we'll assume you're playing the game and return the favor on your blog.

EAGLE RIVER HIKE

As you may have noticed, our page hasn't been updated lately. Jon finally took some much needed time off. We have hiked trails, climbed mountains, been sightseeing and still have big plans for this weekend. Bear (pun intended) with me as I try to bring you up to speed. We decided to pay a visit to the Eagle River Nature Center. This is not only a great place for hiking but you can learn all about salmon cycling (similar to a hatchery) and enjoy the majesty of Alaskan wildlife. In case you wondered... yes, we were in bear country... and yes, we were completely unprepared. Jade is very good at alerting us but the entire time we were hiking bears were on our mind. In several areas we were the only humans in sight. We found out a week after we were there, a woman was mauled by a grizzly in the same area. She is in critical condition and hopefully will recover. Let's just say we won't be going back without firearms. Gotta love Alaska. Here are pics from our day in the country.

Stop to smell the daisies

Just the other day we noticed a patch of wild daisies growing near our house. We decided to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine. Finally it's beginning to look like summer and thank heavens for that.

Alaska turns 50

The state of Alaska put together a celebration commemorating its 50th year of statehood. We attended a free Wynonna Judd concert and had the opportunity to attend a Thunderbird Air Show. If you've never been it's a fantastic event. The show began with Paratroopers jumping out of a plane with banners and smoke. The day continued with trick planes, historical planes, military planes and races. At one point an P-38raced a rocket powered car. Oh, and did I mention we were able to climb in planes, helicopters and jets all day? We had a great time exploring and strolling from vendor to vendor. The pictures don't do justice to the amazing things we experienced. Here are some pictures from our incredible day.

Canoeing 101

Life preservers... check, sunblock... check, oars... check, 2 squirmy kids in a easily tipped canoe... check check. Jon finally convinced me to take the kids canoeing. The Holt family accompanied us to Otter Lake. The scenery was beautiful (although very overcast). I was paranoid the entire time. Gavin kept leaning over the edge trying to touch the water. Reagan wanted to row. Neither of them could sit still for more than 5 seconds and I was sure the day would end with all of us swimming back to shore. Jon found my paranoia entertaining and had great fun in rocking the boat. Eventually he decided that was NOT a good idea. We covered most of the lake and Gavin was ready to move on to something else. We pulled up to the dock long enough to let Gavin and I head to the playground. Reagan and Jon stayed on the lake with some of the Holt's for a little while longer. The boys went to work making the fire while we got all the fix'ns ready for hot dogs and smores YUM! It was a great trip. No one fell in the lake, caught on fire or was eaten by a bear. Maybe canoeing isn't quite so bad.

Ready To Roll

Big, small, fast or slow we love our bikes. Hopefully the Alaskan summer will cooperate so we can ride often. Here is the gang ready to hit the road... well, maybe the kids will stick with the sidewalk.

Camping

When you have the privilege of spending the summer in Alaska, you must embrace the great outdoors. Camping is something Jon and I loved before our kids were around. I am a wee bit paranoid (fire, rivers, wild animals... the list goes on). Jon convinced me that we could go, have a great time and above all survive. Most people who camp here are smart enough to have an R-V. Not the Graves, nope, we roughed it. The last time we set our tent up was 2002. I kept reminding Jon how small our tent was. He kept assuring me everything would be fine. We arrived at our campsite around 4pm on Friday. Jon had the tent set up by 4:30 and came to the conclusion that our tent was indeed too small. Determined to make the best of it we started our fire and had delicious tin-foil dinners, hot dogs and of course SMORES! Daylight is a tricky thing here. The days are long in the summer and the sun begins to set around 11pm. Most the pictures taken were at 6am or 10pm and you can see how light it is. Once we finally got the kids to sleep (near midnight) we woke to the blinding morning rays. I asked Jon what time it was... only 4:30 AM. Well, we tried to go back to sleep and finally got up around 6. The forecast showed a chance of rain so we packed up early and were home by 9. Even though it was a short trip, it was fun. We made memories our family will forever cherish. Hopefully next time we can do it in a larger tent. Here are pics from our latest adventure.

Service Project

Jon's ALS class was asked to volunteer service for the Palmer baseball field. Months of snow took a toll on the field and surrounding areas. The dugouts were filled with mud, the field was flooded and all the concession areas needed a good cleaning. Rather than spend another Saturday away from his family, Jon suggested we all participate. The kids were happy to stomp in puddles and help Daddy shovel mud. After a few hours of work we were treated with hot chili and hot dogs. Hopefully this summer we can attend a game and appreciate the clean park. Here are some pics from our eventful Saturday.

Happy Easter

What a beautiful Easter Sunday. The sun was out and the mountains were glowing. Our morning began when Gavin climbed into our bed. We woke Reagan and immediately the kids started noticing eggs scattered through the house. After gathering armfuls of plastic eggs they eventually found the baskets left by the Easter Bunny. Aside from the chocolate and other goodies bubble guns and "magic eggs" were a huge hit. After a wonderful breakfast and several chocolate items we dressed for church and headed out the door. We appreciated the thought and preparation our teachers presented for this special day. The spirit was overflowing through the church. After our meeting we headed to a friends house for egg coloring and a great Mexican dinner. The kids were able to go on another egg hunt that produced more candy than we can consume in the next lifetime. We made our way home and the entire family was exhausted from our eventful day. The kids fell asleep early and Jon headed for bed (the night shift takes it's toll) leaving a quiet house, full bellies, and happy memories. These are a few pics from our wonderful Easter.

Fur Rendezvous

We had a great Alaskan weekend. The past 2 weeks have been full of celebrations in Anchorage. "Fur Rondy Days" are a huge part of the culture and history here. We went to ice carving contests, snow sculpture displays, the Iditarod, railroad shows, a carnival and several other activities. Here is a slideshow of us "experiencing Alaska".

OUR MANY HOMES

For those of you who move often, you can appreciate this. Here are pictures of some of the places we called home.

Not Pictured - Sugar City, ID

St. Anthony, ID

2003-2003

Rexburg, ID

2003-2004

Monterey, CA

2004-2005

San Angelo, TX

2005-2006

San Antonio, TX #1

2006-2007

San Antonio, TX #2

2007

Anchorage, AK

2007-current