Spring Has Sprung

When we lived in Nome, I loved the springtime.  The longer days meant more sunshine.  That sunshine often radiated off of the snow giving the whole frozen landscape a warm feel.  Now that we are in Anchorage, spring is different.  It really feels "like spring."  Although my lower 48 family may not agree since they just had another snowfall…….

 We enjoyed a nice outdoor egg hunt for Easter and an Arctic Hare… or possibly the real Easter Bunny stopped by to say hello!

 We have been busy exploring the woods around the house since the snow is all gone.  

 The girls even found their first WORM of the season.  Yes, it feels like spring has really sprung around here.  

Ski School

Spring Break 2016

I took the girls to Alyeska Ski Resort and met up with some friends for the day.  The girls took a lesson with the ski school and learned how to be on downhill skis.  They can now go…. and stop (pizza).  They can even "squish the marshmallow" to get the skis off.  We had a great time and I noticed a new confidence in the girls today as they skied on their cross country skis in the driveway.  This is something we will definitely put on our list of fun activities!

Time For Tea

Last May my dad drove up to Anchorage.  The neat thing about someone driving a car here is that they can bring "fragile" things with them.  Along with a baby doll crib from my childhood and grandma's china…….. my tea set came too.  A porcelain Beatrix Potter set.  I have had this at least since I was 7, and maybe even earlier than that.  

 Tonight I made the girls a special "pink" banana cake and we had a tea party!

 They sure got a kick out of pouring the tea from the little pot.  I had to make several trips "brewing" more tea!   The girls said they can't wait to do it again.  I am so pleased that I got to share this with them and that they enjoyed the experience.  

The Capital Christmas Tree

The 2015 Capital Christmas Tree was chosen from Alaska!  The tree was cut down near Seward.  On it's way to the "lower 48" it made a stop in Anchorage.  We had the pleasure of seeing it at Cabela's, while shopping for a new dog bed for Tisuk.

 There were windows on the truck and you could see in to the top half that was lit up!

 A reindeer was there to greet you.  No antlers, they were removed so he can safely visit kids. 

 And we got to sign the poster on the side of the truck.  

Inside of Cabela's we met the driver, John, and his wife.  We wished him a safe journey as he drives this 90 year old, 74 foot Lutz spruce to our Nation's capital.  Read more about it here.  

Fall Time

We enjoyed the last days of sun last weekend.  Since then the rain has set in….. and fall in Alaska has arrived.  We took a nice walk on the Potter's Marsh board walk and explored our favorite park about a mile up the road.

Seems like more than a week has passed since we had that sunny weather!  But as you can see on the mountains, the termination dust has arrived and winter will soon follow.  

First Regatta

Most summer days we have special plans…. Monday zoo, Tuesday play group…..etc.  But Wednesdays seem to be our "free" days.  Since we had no particular plans today, we decided to have a regatta…. our first boat race. 

The girls each created an egg carton boat.  They picked their favorite paint colors and got creative.  

Once the boats dried we were able to take them to "our creek." 

We are fortunate enough to have a small creek that runs through the property.  

Due to the lack of rain…. the creek was not very fast.  That was ok, because they did not want to lose their boats anyway.

They were happy the boats did not sink.  

After the "regatta" they enjoyed playing in the mud.  

Not bad for a plain ol' Wednesday…….

Bug Garden

Phew!  I finished graduate school (again)……. and the 2014-2015 school year.  It is time to enjoy, well, time.  Time is something I have lacked the past school year.  This week I finished all the gardening projects around the house.  I had a few open barrels that really cannot grow much due to the lack of sunlight, so I decided to give one to the girls…..

We made a "rock" bug garden

 We all picked different rocks to paint and got right to work. 

 V got very creative and even painted spiders on her paper. 

When we finished we placed the "bugs" in the barrel.  The girls picked out some plants to add.  One pansy and 2 kale will keep the "bugs" company…. until the moose discover the delicious treats. 

Happy Summer! 

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Since moving to Anchorage we have never visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center…….. until today!  We had a wonderful experience with some good friends.  It was a free day of drumming and dance for this February 14, Valentine's Day.  We arrived early and stayed for about 2 hours.  The girls really enjoyed it.

Victoria kept saying, "I want to dance more mom, this is fun!"  She enjoyed the "Walrus Dance" the best and wanted to hear the dancers make more animal noises.

I kept thinking that they may not have these experiences as much since leaving Nome, but you just have to find and cease these moments as they come.  I was so happy for the chance to expose them to some of the cultural traditions in Alaska, especially ones that have had an impact on my time here in the state.

When it's 2 Below…..

Time for Art!

 Winter finally arrived, and with it came a cold streak of weather.  To keep busy we did some art projects this week.  Glitter snow paint…….. shaving cream, Elmer's glue, and of course glitter.  The girls love the project and later added stickers from their "Frozen" books to the projects. 

 Then of course we enjoyed some good ol' finger painting!  V was all in and shirt off!

Great way to spend the cold day.

Gallery of Ice

We went to the Anchorage Crystal Gallery of Ice this week.  I have heard about this event since we moved to Anchorage, but haven't been able to see it until this year.  

 We did not attend the day when all the carvers we were working, we went when the show was over to see all the sculptures.    A few carvers were left making additional sculptures for children to climb on.

 It was probably the coldest day this week. As I am typing, the snow on our lawn is gone and our driveway is a sheet of ice.  Temperatures reached 45 at our house last night.  A crazy trick by mother nature indeed when snow is melting in Alaska.  I am glad we got to see the Gallery of Ice before it melts!