PORTER FAMILY

Quartz Creek Camping Trip

2010-01-15T13:58:00.008-09:00

We always look forward to camping at Quartz Creek

with David's co-workers and this year was not a disappointment!

We play pinochle, horse shoe, go on bike rides, play guitar,

play badmitton, frisbee, and eat lots of food.

Here's our family all squished in one tent. David and I have the air matresses on the left,

while Bohdan has his pack-n-play and the kids right below him.

We like a tight fit in order to keep us warm at night.

Shira is our flower girl.

Bohdan is such a chum!

Asher and his feather.
Shira & mom making smores!

Horse shoeing is a must at these camping trips!

Asher injured himself while on a bike ride, so I took over. ;-)

Shira playing in the sand/dirt.

Look! They are actually playing & getting along!

A family shot at Kenai lake, right at our campsite. Gorgeous!

If you are wondering where Bohdan is, he's sleeping.

And David, being the manly man that he is, had to jump in the glacial lake!

I know, crazy!

And thanks to Bikky & Kaori for all these great photos!

This one is my favorite of David's foot.

I love Alaska!

Asher turns Five!!!

2010-01-15T13:23:00.003-09:00

This year Asher wanted a Monster House party.

Aunt Jenni was kind enough to appease him with a fun Monster House cake!

Thanks Aunt Jenni!

For Asher's birthday he got a new bike!

All his friends are showing how old he is.

FIVE!

Joy School Graduate 2009!

2010-01-15T13:02:00.003-09:00

This is our Joy School group at the zoo.

Asher and I are at the far right.

Joy School doing arts and crafts.

Joy School graduation!Such a proud moment! ;-)

It's official! No more Joy School for Asher!

Battle of the Books

2010-01-15T12:37:00.002-09:00

In April Shira participated in Battle of the Books.

Her team took 4th place, which is pretty impressive considering

she was in 1st grade competing with 2nd graders!

We are too cheap to buy a battery for this car,

so the kids have to take turns pushing each other around.

And they still love it!

Bohdan playing peek-a-boo under the table.
We put Shira's hair up in curlers!

Start of the Iditarod

2010-01-15T12:22:00.003-09:00

In March we took the kids to see the start of the Iditarod. It was a super chilly & sunny day. The kids had a blast watching all the dogs go by pulling their sleds.

Magic in Joy School & Valentine's Day

2010-01-15T12:00:00.002-09:00

I'm attempting to update my blog.....so here goes.

We had some fun in Joy School with a magic show. I had fun dressing up and impressing little minds with simple magic. The kids were so fun to watch!

For Valentine's day the kids helped me make a heart fruit cookie for David.

We all got to enjoy eating it up.

Mexican Cruise

2009-04-16T10:48:00.002-08:00

Not sure if you've noticed, but David and I are addicted to cruising. And living in Alaska makes it almost feel like a necessity in order to get through the long, cold, dark winters. Hey, when you need an excuse any excuse will do. :-) The first week of February we left our children in the hands of loving grandparents and took off to California where the fun began. With the looming threat of Mt. Redoubt (volcano) exploding and possibly not being able to fly out, we decided to take off a day early and spend the day/night with my dear old friend, Eva Jane (she's not really that old ;-)). Thanks so much for calling in sick in order to pick us up and spend the day with us....and for letting us crash at your super cool pad!!! Once on the ship we relaxed and enjoyed beautiful weather while getting our dose of vitamin D for the year! We stopped in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta and had a great time. Thanks to all that made it possible.

Here we are with Cabo in the background.

David with his travel guitar in Puerto Vallarta.

(that is how we pay for all our trips, hee hee)

The view we enjoyed at a resort in Puerto Vallarta.....poor us.

Makes me just want to go on another one.

Weekend at Alyeska

2009-04-15T14:21:00.005-08:00

For Grandmda Kay's birthday they invited us to join them for a weekend out at Alyeska ski resort. That night we had key lime pie, played pinochle, went out to the Double Muskee, and played in the hotel pool the next day while the boys went snowboarding.....which wasn't that great, so they ended up joining us in the pool.
Kay is one of those people who has everything, so I let the kids each pick out a small gift for her. She got a candle in a log from Asher and a fake flower from Shira. I was able to find her something I was pretty sure she didn't have, a deer antler candle holder! It was super fun. Happy B-day Kay! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Playing pinochle while the kiddos sleep.Kay took over watching Bohdan in the pool while I kept the other two from drowning.
Lucky for me the boys showed up to play with the kids and entertain them.

Shira jumping in the pool to Grandpa Blake.

These two had too much fun.

December....a little late

2009-04-14T21:32:00.005-08:00

I know, I know, I'm a little behind. But after a lengthy on-again off-again relationship with our internet, we are finally back on again for good....I hope. So, I'm starting where I left off.
The middle of December we surprised the kids with a train ride on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Palmer and back, thanks to our good friends Keith & Amanda for sharing the idea and letting us tag along. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause paid us a visit on the train and the kids couldn't have been more excited.

Asher got this idea off an orange juice commercial and was determined to make it work.
This kid cracks me up!
Then we had a weekend out at G-ma Kays for a Christmas party and of course we had to stay the weekend and enjoy Kay's pancake designs the next morning.

And what kind of weekend would it be if we didn't get into Kay's costumes, which fill up her three car, yes I said three, garage! Her husband LOVES it and wishes she would buy more. ;-)

Then on Christmas Eve we went to G-ma Porters for dinner and the nativity story. This was my favorite shot. Lilli, who isn't fond of this tradition, agreed to be the Star, but here it looks like she's checking her watch and wishing it would just end. ;-)
And it just wouldn't be Christmas without turning Joseph's staff into a rifle!

On Christmas morning the kids were showered with gifts, even though every year we TRY to keep it under control, we just can't seem to control all the grandparents!

This year I decided to get a little crafty, it happens once in a blue moon, and with a lot of help from my close friend Amanda (thanks!) I made each of the kids their own little teddy bear. And thankfully they LOVED them.....which made it all worth it. ;-)

David decided he needed to get the kids their own little snowboards, just the inexpensive kind, and they loved testing them out in Grandpa Porter's driveway.

Joy School

2008-12-08T22:57:00.003-09:00

We have been doing Joy School this year with Asher.....sometimes it is anything but joyful for me, but totally worth it. Here are the fun things we did at our place for the week of Halloween.

Carving pumpkins!

Singing the 'mean old witch' song...in costume.

Halloween

2008-12-08T22:20:00.002-09:00

Since it's almost Christmas I guess I'd better blog about Halloween. ;-) My kids got really spoiled this year for halloween. They did the Trick or Treat in the Heat a few months ago, then dressed up for Shira's school carnival, then we went trunk or treating on Halloween. We are still eating candy! In case you are wondering who I am, I'm supposed to be Arwyn....come on, I look just as hot as she did in Lord of the Rings! You might as well just call me Liv. Anyway, Bohdan is a dinosaur and Shira is an Autumn witch....we doctored up her witch costume from a friend and I went a little crazy. By the time I was done it looked like fall had thrown up on the dress, thus an autumn witch. Then we have SUPERMAN! And yes, those undies are made of red duct tape! One must improvise when needed. ;-)

Arwyn & her Dinosaur

Shira the Autumn Witch

I think Superman is about to take off here.

A little dino

Space Needle, front tooth, & Beefy Boys

2008-11-19T20:39:00.003-09:00

What, might you ask, do the Space Needle, a front tooth, and Beefy Boys have in common??? They are three things I haven't blogged about....duh.

Just the other night Shira complained that one of her front teeth were hurting her, it has been loose for months now, so I recommended her daddy pull it out. He did and here is the result.

My sweet friend Amanda gave Asher this super cool t-shirt....not sure why! But he loves it and got to wear it to bed. David went recruiting last month to Minnesota, Idaho, and Washington. These are the only proof I have of his trip. ;-)

What we did for Conference weekend

2008-11-19T20:15:00.003-09:00

For general conference (first weekend in Oct.) the kids and I went up to Grandma Kays for the weekend since David was out of town recruiting. We had too much fun and Grandma Kay spoiled the kids as usual. I think we even watched a little bit of conference. hee hee.

Grandma Kay took the kids on a four wheeler ride around the house.

Kay said she found this little beauty on the side of the road, so she just HAD to pick it up!

Shira couldn't stop riding it, even though the battery was dying and it was moving slow as a slug.

I don't know where she found this one, but she did. We lost one of Asher's boots while decorating the house for Halloween, so he picked out these pink beauties from Kay's costume collection. Nice! He wouldn't stop wearing them. And yes, they are pink cowgirl/boy boots.Kay spoils the kids by making them pancakes in all sorts of shapes. Here Asher has a shark and Shira a butterfly. The kids are always begging me to make something cool whenever I make them pancakes, but I figure this can be Kay's special thing.....that and I'm super lazy!
We tortured Bohdan by putting pumpkins on his little hands.
I think we had more fun than he did.
Just a cute shot of Bohdan by the big pumpkin.

Shira playing with Bohdan.

Blueberry Pickin

2008-11-19T19:37:00.003-09:00

I posted earlier about blueberry picking at Hatchers Pass, but wasn't able to find the pics. I found them! Hatchers was gorgeous, and we even got snowed on. It whited out the mountains in the pic, but it was beautiful as always and we did come home with some berries. Success.

Mastering the pincer grasp!

2008-11-19T19:16:00.002-09:00

In September Bohdan got the pincer grasp movement down and it was worth a photo or two for grandparents. Bohdan is such a sweet baby. Still not sleeping through the night without awakening several times, but we still love him. And he's bald as ever. If he's anything like I was, he should have hair by the time he turns two! Poor guy.....but at least he's a guy and I don't have to glue bows on his head!

Ohhhh, the concentration.

"I got it!"

Trick or Treat in the Heat...sort of.

2008-10-21T22:21:00.003-08:00

This year our kids participated in an annual fundraiser for leukemia called Trick or Treat in the Heat. The event is in memory of a 5 year old boy named Ian who died of leukemia three years ago. His favorite holiday was Halloween and it didn't look like he was going to make it to the next one. So his neighborhood had Halloween early for him and all the kids dressed up and went trick or treating in the heat, since it's normally snowy and cold by the time Halloween arrives around here. Since then they have held the event as a fundraiser and we were lucky enough to join in on the fun. Except it was anything but warm out. The wind was blowing like crazy and it was quite chilly. But it was still tons of fun.
Below are the kids trying out some costumes.....thanks to Grandma Kay.

This is Asher as 'the Beast' and Shira as 'Belle the Beauty.' Only the bottom half of Asher's costume was a little small. You can really tell if you look close. Poor kid.

Since we also had the 'Cowardly Lion', we decided to combine the two costumes so they could go as Beauty and the Beast. But here Asher is demonstrating the not so cowardly lion.
And here is Asher as Superman!
This next shot was taken by our local newspaper. It was in the paper!

My kids are totally famous!

Siblings

2008-10-21T21:41:00.002-08:00

Just a few shots of the kids in their pjs.

They had just had blueberry shakes....thus the mustaches.
Sleeping on the way home from picking blueberries.

Sky Diving...not us, just friends

2008-10-20T21:54:00.003-08:00

We spent Saturday watching three friends go sky diving one at a time. We didn't realize it would turn into an all day event, but it was worth it. And I believe it turned out to be the nicest day of the entire summer. Next summer David and I plan on doing the jumping, but this time it was Grandma Kay, her dad Fred (who is 74, I think), and my good friend Kristi. We had a blast watching them and can't wait to do it ourselves.

This is Kristi coming in for landing.

Here is Fred, who isn't normally smiling. Isn't he handsome!?
This was the best! Fred is apparently a big joker and started off by telling his instructor his name was Hank. Then when the instructor was putting on Fred's harness he told him he would buckle him in but that he would have to make sure his 'package' was adjusted. Fred didn't miss a beat and replied, 'I don't have a package.' I was dying!
Kristi and Kay....Kay's shirt says 'Shut Up & Jump!'

Which they did. Grandpa Blake & Asher watching Fred jump.

David and Bohdan doing the same.

Labor Day

2008-10-20T21:10:00.004-08:00

I know Labor Day was quite some time ago, but whatever. We had a great weekend. We went out to Palmer and spent the weekend with Kay & Blake. On Saturday we watched Kay, Kristi, and 74 year old Fred, (Kay's Dad) jump out of a plane (pics coming soon). On Monday David took off with Blake to go moose hunting for a week, and Kay, Kristi and I took all the kids (seven in total) to go to the Alaska State Fair. It was a ton of fun and a few of the pictures are below. The best part was talking Shira into getting on the swing ride with Asher, you know, the one where you just sit in a swing and it goes around and around? Once she got on and the thing started taking off she started freaking out and crying and screaming. As the thing would come around in our direction I would start yelling words of encouragement, which just made me look foolish, trying to calm her down. Asher, who was sitting right next to her, was oblivious to her terror and just enjoyed the ride. Once Shira realized it wasn't going to get any worse, she started to calm down, but not enough to move her freaked out eyes from focusing straight ahead without blinking. She just looked so scared and I felt so bad, yet couldn't stop from laughing because she was hilarious! The best part was when she tried to acknowledge us and wave. She would just fling her arm in our direction every time she came around, as if to give us some lame attempt at a hello, but never moved her eyes in our direction. I think you get the idea. My camera died, but Kay took some pics that will hopefully get posted when I receive them. For now you can check out the horse rides below.

The Great PumpkinShira hula-hooping. Can you see the focus?

The Alaska State Flag done with flowers.

Feeding Bohdan some.....something. Me and the kiddos.

The best shot of the day! Grandma Kay eating corn on the cob.

Bath Time with Bohdan

2008-09-05T13:45:00.003-08:00

Sadly enough, these are our first photos of Bohdan in the tub. I really couldn't do it earlier with only two hands....I mean, someone has to keep the baby from choking on water, and David seems to be either working or out of town....working. Bohdan is such a sweet baby. Although he has developed an attitude this past few weeks and starts screaming if he doesn’t get what he wants….what, does he think he can think for himself??? I think not. I’m still the mom here.

You can see his two teethers in this one.
Such a happy baby.

Yummy Raspberries!

2008-08-29T11:28:00.003-08:00

Yesterday we went to a friend's house to pick some of their raspberries! I could have picked a lot more were it not for my three little 'helpers', but we had fun and it was actually sunny while we picked. We were able to fill three gallon size bags in about two hours. We love raspberries and now we get to make freezer jam! That is about as domestic as I get....there are only three steps. ;-)
David has been out of town this week, thus all the blogging, and we can't wait to have him home tonight! And if you haven't heard the crazy news, our very own governor, Sarah Palin, is running for vice president with John McCain!!!

The sun was a little bright and they weren't cooperating enough to take a second shot.

Bohdan chilling in his stroller while we picked berries.

Yummy raspberries.

First Grade!

2008-08-29T11:20:00.002-08:00

Shira started first grade this week! Here she is on her way to the first day of school. She was so excited! She is growing up way too fast. I'm going to miss my little helper around the house. I'm so proud of her.

Beauty Pageant Queens

2008-08-28T21:45:00.005-08:00

Some fabulous friends put together this Murder Mystery Mayhem of beauty pageant queens and we all dressed up as either a judge or a beauty queen. Going out to Kay's house and picking out costumes was half the fun. After dolling ourselves up we met at Lindsay's beautiful home, thanks Lindsay. We all had roles to portray and I was the cunning, yet true to my word, Miss Amy Arizona. I would stop at nothing to win the competition and that included paying off the dubious Judge Julie, aka Kay. It was all in the name of the cripple children's fund, and I didn't mind donating to such a cause. And neither did Miss Texas, aka Tiffany. She apparently out-bribed me and I had her whacked....with the ever so popular method of breath mints! You heard it. I murdered Miss Texas to become Miss America. And it was worth it. So scandalous. I didn't actually know I was the murderer until half way through the evening. I must have been good because only one person figured it out. I guess I am that innocent. ;-) (totally kidding) Thanks to Lindsay, Shawna, and Nicole for such a fun evening! Now for the photos....

Presenting Miss Amy Arizona!

I loved the shoes so much I wore them to church the next day!...but don't worry, I changed the dress and took off the tiara.

Miss Arizona, Miss Lousiana, & Miss Alabama

Miss Alabama looking sweet and innocent.

My favorite one in this shot is Shawna!

Discussing the murder that just took place.

P.I. Pete was investigating the whole evening.

Judge Julie and Miss Arizona paying her off.

Miss Mississippi threatening Judge Julie.

The nine month pregnant Shawna drinking! Now that is scandalous!

Miss Wisconsin & Miss Louisianna

Me & the one I did away with, Miss Texas.

No More Training Wheels!!!

2008-08-28T15:20:00.002-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we went out to Palmer to stay the weekend with Grandma Kay and Grandpa Blake and had a great time. The kids were riding their bikes while we were waiting for David and Kay to show up. Blake decided Shira didn't need those training wheels anymore and amazingly talked her into the same idea. Within about 10 minutes Shira was off and running, thanks to Blake's kind patience. ;-) Everyone was thrilled that Shira did so well and David was grateful someone else had taken on the task of teaching her to ride without training wheels. Thanks again Blake! The pictures say it all. She is so proud!

Pool Party

2008-08-28T15:03:00.003-08:00

It's been a while, but Kristi had a super fun pool party during one of the 12, so I've heard, sunny days of summer. I've also heard this was the worst summer in 30 years, as far as high temps and sunny days go. But it's all good. Better than 100+ degree weather....right??? Anyway, it was a great party, thanks Kristi, and the kids had a ton of fun in the pool, throwing water balloons, eating, and on the slip-n-slide.

Asher showing off his water balloon.

Asher about to throw his water balloon. (I love the evil grin.)

Do you see why this kid cracks us up on a daily basis? This is Asher running for the slip-n-slide. He wasn't going very far once he landed on the slide, so each time he did it he got a little farther back and put a little more into it.

Success.

This is actually at Grandma Kay's hot tub, formally Kristi's hot tub, but I threw it in with these shots.

The look of pure enjoyment eating a frozen treat. You'd think it was 100 degrees. ;-)

"Mom, I'm stuck!"

2008-08-27T20:52:00.002-08:00

Asher cracks us up on a daily basis. First, he loves to find all the loose boards on the fence. He then pulls them off. But this time he went a step further. He actually got stuck in the fence. David spent a few minutes trying to get his big head through the fence, then realized this was a perfect picture opportunity. So I came out and snapped a few shots and laughed at them. I suggested they might want to pull the rest of his body through as opposed to trying to yank the poor kids head off going the other way. Thanks to me our son is now a free boy.

Here he is stuck in the fence.

Here David is listening to his wife. ;-)
Asher showing us where he was stuck....and obviously happy to be out.

Potpourri

2008-08-27T20:02:00.003-08:00

The more I look at the word potpourri the weirder it looks and the less sure I am of how it's spelled....but I'm moving on. These pics are just a bunch from the last few weeks. Enjoy. Plus, Grandpa Andersen just got his knee replaced and needs some new pics to look at. :-)

On one of our sunny days a rain cloud passed by. Since the kids were already in their swimsuits running through the sprinklers we just let them keep playing. Shira & Asher are jumping with cousins Kenny & Katie.

I like to think of this as Asher's mug shot with a wink. He just finished a bowl of spaghetti and I thought it was picture worthy. He really likes spaghetti.

While the grown ups were picking out costumes for a party,

the kids couldn't resist doing the same. I love Zanders pink and black shoes! Only real men wear pink!

Daddy reading to the kids before bed....priceless. Blake practicing shooting his bow.....but he doesn't really need to practice.
David with his new rifle. The boys are going hunting next week!
And my favorite shot of the week...Asher and Bohdan giggling on the couch.

Word Verification, my butt.

2008-08-26T22:08:00.002-08:00

Does anyone else think it's ironic that on some of these sites you have to verify a 'word' by typing in what you see before you can continue...cause you know, if you 'spell' the 'word' wrong the world might just go through another Y2K. But the thing is.....sometimes they aren't even WORDS! And the funny thing is, I can still spell them wrong! Ha ha ha! Did anyone else notice this, or is it just me? Because here on our very own blogspot world they do it. They are guilty!!! Don't get me wrong, I don't mind typing in the 'letters', but just don't go and call it Word Verification!!! Cause it aint a word!!! Ahhh, (deep breath) I feel better now.

All Things Bohdan

2008-08-26T14:32:00.012-08:00

Since Bohdan is the third child I want to make a point not to forget about him. I already feel like I don't blog enough about him. So this one is for you, Bohdan! (Since I'm sure I'll have him reading in no time and blogging right after that!) On the 22nd of this month Bohdan turned 1/2 a year old! In the past few months he has learned to roll over, I'm sure you are all impressed, he sits up on his own, eats his toes, has started this week on somewhat solid food, and my personal favorite, blows raspberries. It's super cute. Especially when you combine the last two.....eating baby food AND doing raspberries, which he loves to do! It's hard not to laugh. He will also go to sleep on his own when we lay him down! So nice. I didn't even have to go through the much dreaded 'cry yourself to sleep' phase. Yeah for small blessings! But just so you don't go and think he's some angel child, he doesn't take long naps and still wakes up several times in the night. :-) Don't worry, though, we aren't throwing him back....not sure where back would be, but we aren't going there. The pics below are from the last six weeks or so. Oh yeah, and he got his first tooth last week!!!! Ouch.

In the swing, which he has graduated from and put away!

Wearing my hat on one of the many camping trips.

LOVE those big (still) blue eyes.

Chomping on a fish from his saucer.

I love it when they suck on their bottom lip and their cheeks stick out even more.
Found his toes a while ago, but it's still funny.
I want to munch on them too....and do.

Blowing raspberries!

And my personal favorite because you can see his fat cheeks while he blows more raspberries! Munch munch.

Troublesome Creek

2008-08-26T13:43:00.003-08:00

This camping trip happened right after I got bronchitis. David had the week off and really wanted to go camping again. He promised two things; to take me some place warmer (north), and that I wouldn't have to lift a finger. He kept both of those promises, by the way. I don't even think I unbuckled Bohdan from his car seat more than once. And none of us had to wear our winter coats as we sat around the camp fire that night. We set up camp right next to troublesome creek and just enjoyed the sunset while Brady and David had their usual jam session on their guitars. It was nice, even though I was sick. It was fabulous to go to bed that night without cold feet and stay that way all night long in a sleeping bag. All was well, until Bohdan woke up at 6am and I realized we had a few mosquitoes in the tent. As I searched diligently for the little buggers I soon discovered that we were being invaded by little no-see-ums. They were mine. As I found them I started killing one by one. About 20 deaths later, David woke up and asked me what I was doing. I told him about the invasion and he asked me how they were getting in. After a close examination, we found out they were crawling through the mesh of our tent!!!! We were doomed. David got out of the tent to put our tarp over the top in order to prevent the rascals from getting to the mesh. As he was doing that it started to rain. So much for the warmer weather. He got back in the tent and we got a few more hours of sleep. Then my cell phone rang. It was a sweet sister from our ward who had called the day before wanting to ask me a question in preparation for her Relief Society lesson on Sunday. She found out I was on my death bed, or so I sounded and claimed to be (but I really was), and was calling back to let me know she would be dropping by some home made chicken noodle soup!!! Much to my dismay, I had to say, ever so foolishly, "but I'm not home." She just paused. I felt so dumb! I told her we would be home the following day and she kindly said, "Oh, I'll bring it by then." I felt about this small (the size of one of those no-see-ums). She was so sweet and I just wanted to shrink up and crawl under a rock. Oh well. I decided I would just explain it to her later and tell her of the promises my sweet honey made. I did, and she did bring over the soup, which was DELICIOUS! I savored it over the next couple of days and it was the best part of being sick. Back to the camping trip. By 10am we could tell the rain wasn't going anywhere, so we all agreed to just pack up and head home. Since I was sick I just had to sit in the truck and hold Bohdan. ;-) So much for camping at a spot called Troublesome Creek....should have known.

Asher fell asleep like this.

Shira, David, and Bohdan at our campsite.

Asher, Asher, Asher

2008-08-14T14:15:00.006-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I could write a book on all the joy Asher gives me. And by joy I mean grief. Yesterday he took out my car keys, unlocked the car, and got inside to play. Apparently he wanted his dinosaur that was sitting on the front seat waiting to get returned because he already has one. While playing, he somehow set off the car alarm and freaked out. As I panicked looking for the keys in my purse, which of course I couldn't find because Asher had them in the GLOVE COMPARTMENT! I ran outside, yanked him out of the car, glanced around for the keys, found nothing and for some reason thought if I locked the doors the alarm might go off. Ya right. After screaming at Asher to find out if he had my keys or not, he finally answered and said yes. "Where are they?" "In the car," he said. Of course they are. When I run out there to open the car to look for the keys, I remember my brilliant spur of the moment idea to lock the doors in hopes of the alarm shutting off. You have to remember that the car alarm is extremely loud and causes me to not think clearly at all! Now I've got to find the extra, never use them for they might reset the car's key system in case the car gets stolen, set of keys. I find them, push the key's unlock the door buttons, but sure enough the battery is dead, so I run outside and unlock the door. FINALLY!!!, the alarm stops and I can hear myself think, or should I say scream. I apologized to the neighbor who was outside working on his car, and look for the keys, remember they were in the glove compartment. I start the car, hoping it still starts because I may have reset the whole car system, etc. etc. It starts!!!!! Much to my relief. Now for a little child abuse. I threw Asher in his room, he was terrified at that point and I figured it would do him some good to be a little scared for a while. After a few minutes I went in his room and just held him. He really was scared. I gave him the whole shpeel (sp?) on why we don't play in cars and what not. I hope it worked and he stays out of my car.
You might ask yourself, what was I doing during the time Asher was stealing my car keys.....I was blogging of course!

But it doesn't end there.

Just two days ago I woke up to Asher cutting his hair....not that it wasn't getting long, but we wanted it that way. And he just had to cut it right around the top of his head about a quarter of an inch long. So, now there are about half a dozen chunks cut out of his hair. But luckily after I threw him in the bath and washed and dried his hair, you really can't tell unless you are looking for it. Yeah for small blessings.

This morning we watched Uncle Jaben while his mom and dad were working, he has down syndrome and can't be alone. Well, he spent quite a while in the bathroom this morning and during that time Asher decided he just had to go right then! After holding him off for a few minutes he told me he just couldn't wait, so I told him to go in the backyard and pee on the trees. A few minutes later he was doing just that....so I thought. When he came back in I asked him if he peed on the trees. "Nope, I peed on the deck." "On the deck??? Why?! I told you to pee on the trees, or at least the grass!" Sure enough, I went out to look at our deck and there was a huge wet spot covering the deck and everything that happen to be laying around! Argh! Oh well, we just hosed it all off and moved on.

Never a dull moment when Asher is around.

Dip Netting...sort of

2008-08-13T14:44:00.004-08:00

I LOVE dip netting, but have only been able to go a few times in my life. It's so fun. You take a huge net, five feet in diameter, attached to a 10 to 12 foot pole and push it out into the water while wearing breathables/neoprenes. You stand in the water up to your chest and wait for the fish to get in your net. Sounds boring and lame, but it's so fun! Promise. And it's subsistence fishing, so our family could get 65 fish and stock up....when the fish are in, that is. Well, we have been back in Alaska for four years and we were able to go the first year, but not since then. So, I had David plan months in advance by taking a week off work so we could join up with friends in Kenai to dip net. It was all planned out and we had tons of family joining us. It was going to be great! Then guess who got sick? I NEVER get sick!!! We had to go a day late so I could go to the doctor, who did nothing for me. I was determined to go no matter what. Then I started coughing along with the fever and chills. It was survivable, but camping just wasn't the same. Sunday, our first day there, was gorgeous, but of course no one went dip netting. Monday morning we packed up our stuff and headed out to the beach where the Kenai river opens up to the ocean. It's nice and sandy so the kids came along to have some fun on our Alaskan 'beach'. When we got there, it was cold and windy!! But we won't be stopped. We were bundled up and we weren't leaving. A few of the guys braved the water and got in with their nets, but nothing was happening. It didn't help that there were five foot swells with all the wind and the boats going in and out. It was impossible to go out very far or you would get soaked. Then is started raining!! We started a fire, but by the time we got it going we had decided to call it quits for the time being. It's way too hard to nurse a baby on a beach in the wind and rain with five layers of clothing on! But before we left, David caught two fish so we weren't going back empty handed. Although he did get soaking wet and ruined his cell phone, in case you're wondering why he never answers anymore.

The boys did go back later that day, but people weren't catching much, so they didn't stay. The next day they went halibut fishing instead and caught their limit, two each. Except David got sea sick, something that has never happened, and now the guys won't let him live it down. So much for dip netting. We even went down to the beach on our way out to see if the fish were 'in', but nothing was happening. We decided to cut our losses and head home. There is always next year.

David, not able to go in too far because of the waves. He made our nets this year, by the way, and saved us about $75! They are great nets too. Go David!

Grandma trying to get warm by the fire with the kids. At least Bohdan is smiling. ;-]

Bohdan trying to help daddy play guitar back at camp.

When we got home I went back to the doctor and he said I had bronchitis. He was about to give me a bunch of great drugs until I reluctantly told him I was nursing. He said, 'well, I can still give you the antibiotics'. Oh well. I'll have to wait for the good stuff some other time. It's been almost a month since we went dip netting and I am still trying to get rid of crud in my lungs. Such is life. I've even managed to pass it on to my kids. :-) Even Bohdan is on an inhaler this week...poor guy. But we shall persevere. A friend once said, 'it came to pass, not to stay.'

Old Photos

2008-08-13T14:18:00.003-08:00

My dad sent these old photos of me and thought I should post them. David says I look like a boy, and I really do when I was younger, but luckily that changed...I think.

Kyle, my brother, and I actually getting along.
Me and my dad...love the hat.
Proof that I did live in the seventies.

I know I look like a boy in a dress, but that's better than being a boy and looking like a girl in a dress.....right???

Arctic Thunder

2008-08-13T13:53:00.003-08:00

Way back the end of June we went to the air show (Arctic Thunder) at Elmendorf Air Force Base. We love going and haven't gone since Asher was a wee baby. The show is lots of fun, but this year it was butt cold! And of course we dressed as if it were summer....because it was summer, duh. This global warming thing is really not working out for us up here. But we had a great time, except for the walk back to the car (a little over a mile) when Asher came this close to getting hit by a bus. Details. The show featured all sorts of cool planes doing stunts with parachuters and all. The Thunderbirds were the high light and it was super awesome....all except for the fact that we can't hear as well as we used to. But who cares, we had fun!

Daddy and Asher enjoying the show. I think Asher got the best seat in the house.
planes, duh.
Shira watching the stunts. If you look close you'll see one is upside down right above the other one. Oooooohhh.
It was a spectacular show and the look on Shira's face proves it.

Hidden Lake Camping

2008-07-31T14:44:00.003-08:00

Next we went camping at Hidden Lake....don't worry, we found it. It's a great place for the kids to climb the mountains right at our campsite, ride their bikes, take the pontoon boats in the lake, or swim in the lake if it's warm enough...which it wasn't. We are also close enough for the boys to go fishing on the Kenai or Russian for part of the day...the real reason we camp here.

Making smores

I'm not sure what is going on in this picture my dad took, but the expressions on their faces are hilarious.

The ever glowing campfire with some guitar & singing.There were some older boys riding their bikes down the boat launch into the water. Asher was nearby watching them ever so closely when I looked at my dad and said, 'do you think Asher is thinking what I think he's thinking?' So my dad says, 'hey Asher, where is your bike?' And that is all it took. Next thing you know Asher is at the top of the launch about to ride straight into the water. We stopped him just in time and got David to be the lifeguard/supervisor. Asher had a blast being like the big boys.

My dad wanted to float down the Kenai while he was here, so David took him on the pontoon boats while we were camping. They had a great relaxing time and my dad caught a nice picture of an eagle on the river.

Aunt Lucy Calls!

2008-07-31T13:49:00.003-08:00

One Sunday morning I got a call from my Aunt Lucy! She is a flight attendant and was in town for the afternoon. She is my dad's youngest sister and I hadn't seen her since before I got married and had kids, so I was super excited to hook up with her and have her meet the fam. We were able to have some lunch and eat some fresh halibut we had caught down in Homer. Here are a few shots from her visit. Thanks for calling Aunt Lucy! We really enjoyed your visit.

Jumping with the kids!

4th of July in Kenai

2008-07-30T20:09:00.007-08:00

On the third of July we got together with a big group to drive down to a friend's cabin to camp on their property for a fun fourth of July weekend. Well, about an hour into the trip we hit a stand still. We all just parked our cars and waited it out. It wasn't so bad since we were right next to a beautiful lake...and we were safe and alive, which is more than I can say for the people who were in the car accident up ahead. It was a three car accident with one fatality. So sad. After about 3 hours we got on our way and made it safely to the cabin in Kenai. We had since forgotten about fireworks and had missed them anyway since we rolled into the property at 3am-ish. We set up camp and were fast a sleep before 5am. Gotta love camping.

The next day the boys went halibut fishing, thanks to Bob and his boat. Aunt Georgia and Uncle Rick were visiting and we had a great time with them...hopefully we haven't scared them too bad with all the fun we had camping. :-)

My dad had flown into town a few days before and met up with us over the weekend. Always fun to hang out with the old man, or Geezer, as his sweatshirt below says. My dad is so great with the kids and always willing to help out. He even babysat a few times, Bohdan too!, so David and I could go out on a date. I love him! I'll have you know dad, that more than one person has commented in the last few days how much Bohdan looks like you!!! I'm not sure if it's the lack of hair, or the constant drooling! ;-)

Here is Asher holding one of the things he's allergic too. He cracks me up. He'll go right up to the dog owner, announce that he is allergic to dogs, and then continue to pet and play with them. It's as if he's telling the adult that he can't hold back his urge to pet the dog, so you better make him not touch the dog or the dog is free game.
Geezer
(formerly known as "Stud Muffin")

My dad making Bohdan laugh...so cute.

Lying around in the dirt....kid haven. There were a couple of dirt piles the kids seemed to gravitate towards. Hours of unsupervised fun....and hours of clean up.

Grandpa and Asher above and the gang around the fire below.

On the way back from camping in Kenai we stopped by Clam Gulch for dinner. It was so beautiful! We drove down on the beach and the sun was setting as we cooked up some dinner. The kids enjoyed the beach and found some sand cliffs to climb up and then slide down. It as a great way to end the weekend. Next time we will do some clamming, but this time the tide wasn't right.

Climbing up....

and sliding down...

David and Asher strolling down the beach. Life is good.

Fishing with Bears

2008-07-15T23:17:00.006-08:00

The day before Shira's party David went fishing with his cousin and a few guys from work. They hiked up the Russian river and while fishing had a grizzly and her cub come join them, this is apparently not that uncommon. It caused most of the guys who were fishing to take their fish and leave, but not our guys. Oh no, they hadn't caught their fish yet, so they figured they were not in any danger. Plus, they were loving the fact that they now had the place to themselves since the other anglers had moved out. So they hung out and fished with the bears, who were luckily on the other side of the river, which I might add, is not that wide. Below is David fishing with Josh and Travis. Da Bears

Shira's Butterfly Party

2008-07-15T23:00:00.005-08:00

I'm a little late on this post, but whatever. We had Shira's party a week after her birthday, since it fell on Father's Day this year, and it was her first 'friend' party. Let's just say that we have decided to have these types of parties only on milestone birthdays...meaning at 8, 12, and 16. It was a lot of fun, but too much work and money, and I was even being frugal! She loved it, so it was all worth it. She chose to have a butterfly party this year, so we made butterfly wands, butterfly white chocolate suckers, decorated cookies since it was raining and we couldn't jump on the new trampoline, and had a butterfly pinata, cake, balloons, and so on. She had eight little friends show up (10 in all including Shira and Asher!) and they laughed, played games, and danced for several hours. Happy 6th Birthday Shira!

I forgot to take a picture of the cute pinata, so I cropped this one out of the background of another picture. :-)
Here is the butterfly cake.
Here they are playing duck, duck, goose. Asher is loving being the only boy.
About to cut the cake!

Cousins

2008-07-15T21:37:00.003-08:00

Bohdan with his cute cousin, Brenna Sophia Rose. She is just three weeks older than Bohdan. Bohdan is a week shy of being four months old in this picture. It was taken on Father's Day. Can you see the drool all down his shirt!? He's as that stage. Aren't they cute?!

Fish On!

2008-06-18T21:41:00.004-08:00

Salmon fishing season opened up on the Russian river last Wednesday night at midnight and Friday morning David and Brady were up at 4am headed down to catch some fish. They did so awesome! They caught their limit in about an hour (three each), and headed back home in time for lunch! That night we had the best fresh salmon for dinner and it was so tasty! We love our fishermen! Thanks guys!

Happy Birthday Shira!

2008-06-18T21:11:00.003-08:00

Shira got to share Father's Day this year with her daddy. She was excited about it and I got double duty trying to make them both feel super special. We are actually having Shira a girl butterfly birthday party this Saturday, but on Sunday we all got together at my in-laws for a wonderful family dinner where we celebrated Aunt Jenni's & Shira's birthdays and all three of the fathers that were there (Terry, David & Brady). It was so fun because all the ladies made their men and the birthday girls the dessert of their choice...so, needless to say, we all ate way too much dessert! It was so yummy! I'm still eating dessert daily trying to get rid of it all...life is so rough for me, and thank goodness I'm nursing and can eat the extra calories! Plus, David is in DC this week for training, so I'm having to eat twice as much dessert to make up for his portion. :-) Anyway, we love Shira so much! She is such a great helper. We appreciate her and marvel at her intelligence. She has a keen mind and is always asking such great questions. My all time favorite happened over a year ago, at the age of four, when she asked, "if Heavenly Father is Jesus' father, who is Heavenly Father's father?" Shira is great to have around. Happy Birthday Shira! And congrats on scoring SIX GOALS, yes that is right six, tonight at soccer! She was amazing! It was so cute because every time she scored a goal she would immediately look up at us to see if we were watching! Luckily we were. And grandma and grandpa Porter were there to see it all!Shira wants to be a girl who sells flowers when she grows up! I think she'll be great at it. ;-)

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2008-06-14T22:53:00.004-08:00

Here is a small tribute to my most favorite dad!!! (and I neglected to get a card in the mail.) :-) One of the greatest things my dad taught me is to love people. I can hardly remember a time in my life that we didn't have a family living with us....no matter what the size. One Christmas in Sitka we had a family of ten living with us until they found a place of their own. It was so fun to have so many playmates. Sometimes it would be for just a few weeks, other times we had people living with us for months at a time, but our home was always open to those in need. My dad is always willing to help people out. One time when we were living in Fairbanks he brought home a hitchhiker. He fed him, let him shower, and then took him back out to hitchhike, but in a better spot than before. Another thing my dad taught me is to do what you love, even if it doesn't make you rich. My dad is a retired social worker of over 35 years (?), and he actually just started working again. Being a social worker is a tough job and doesn't ever seem to pay what you put into it. But he did it anyway, because he loved it....and he's really good at it. So, here's to you, dad, for teaching me some of life's most valuable lessons. Thank you for being my dad. I love you. Happy Father's Day!

And here are some shots of the other 'dad' in my life. I love you, David. One of my most favorite things to do is to watch you be a father to our three wonderful children. Each time I see you with them I fall in love with you even more. Thanks for being a great dad to our children. I love you!

My CPA Man!

2008-06-12T12:12:00.003-08:00

I'm a bad wife for not posting this earlier, but better late than never! Just over a year ago David passed his first exam for his CPA (certified public accountant). There are four exams in total and he took his last one the first week of April. A few weeks ago we received the letter saying that he passed the last one! So.....drum roll please.....he is done with his CPA! We are so incredibly proud of him. He's been working REALLY hard at this for the past year and a half and we couldn't be more excited that he is done! When he hasn't been working, he has been studying and we are so happy to finally get to see him more around the house and have his undivided attention...sort of. I am still his wife and so we all know how well husbands listen to their wives. He's probably tuning me out right now. DAVID! Listen. We are so proud of you! Thanks for working and studying so hard to provide for our family and making it possible for me to be a stay-at-home mom! We love you so much! Congratulations on passing your CPA!
Now, other than the day we got married, this is the happiest I've ever seen David. His good buddy, Blake, took him fishing to an undisclosed location where he caught this 47 1/2 (if I remember correctly) inch pike! Just look at that grin! Doesn't he make a great looking CPA?

Trampoline Fun

2008-06-11T16:26:00.003-08:00

This year for Shira's & Asher's birthdays we decided to get them a trampoline. We got it the day before Asher's birthday, but didn't get it up for a few days due to the rain. The kids love it and it has a net around it to TRY and keep them safe. It's nice to have a yard big enough to put one up. Here are a few pictures of the kids jumping around on it.

Soccer Mom!

2008-06-09T22:26:00.003-08:00

Well, maybe not a full blown soccer mom, but tonight the kids started soccer and LOVED it! I put them on the same team and they just ate it up. Shira is the one with red striped socks and Asher is in the green shorts. They are the black spyders and they just practice for a half hour and then have 'games' with other spyder teams. They didn't want to go home and can't wait to do it again on Wednesday.

Asher leading the pack...or at least it looks that way. :-)

Shira flying through the air!
After the game they had snacks and I just love the view behind them. I could never get sick of Alaska, I love it here! They are sitting with Asher's buddy Zachary, thanks to him we are playing soccer on the same team.

Camping at Granite Creek

2008-06-09T21:33:00.006-08:00

This weekend we took our first camping trip of the summer to Granite Creek in Ptarmigan Pass. It was a beautiful drive and, after we were able to find a campsite suitable for tents, we had a great time. Brady & Becky Tew came with us and although it was a little chilly we had a great time being outdoors, thanks to the fire that never died. I believe Brady was a pyro-tech in his earlier life...or maybe a lumber jack. This was also Bohdan's first camping trip, and besides not sleeping much during the day without his swing, he did pretty well. He seemed to love looking around at the great outdoors and watching daddy & Brady play with the fire. We had a little trail that led down to a creek that the kids loved throwing rocks into. We also enjoyed Brady and David playing and singing on their guitars by the campfire. All in all we just had a nice time being outdoors surrounded by the mountians and we can't wait to go again.

Here is just one of the gorgeous views we enjoyed on our drive up to Ptarmigan Pass.A shot of the campfire that Shira took Shira down by the creek.
Asher 'painting' rocks using a stick & water.
Brady set up a hammock and would bungee the kids in for a ride.
Brady & David doing what they do best together.

Daddy made some super yummy smores.
Shira had it all over her face!
Bohdan sitting in his 'bumbo' chair loving being outside.

The Rocket Man!

2008-06-02T16:33:00.005-08:00

On Friday night we had the time of our lives! We were lucky enough to get tickets to Elton John (the tickets sold out in less than an hour!) and it was AWESOME!!! We went with our friends, Kristi (the rock star) and Bob (the pimp), and I think everyone will agree that we were by far the best dressed. We borrowed some costumes from Kay, thanks again, and people were taking pictures of us! It was so much fun! Elton John is incredible on the piano and it is amazing how great he still sounds after all these years. He is one of those people who sound even better live in concert! He played non-stop for almost three hours! It was unforgettable.
Here are the four of us after the concert outside the arena.

Bob the pimp & his ho....hot wife.Bob & Kristi If you look real hard you can see Elton behind us. Our seats were about as far away as you could get, but they were still pretty good.
Took some glamour shots after getting home. Gotta love the 15 buckles going up the side of my leather pants. Not to mention David's red snake skin shoes with the pimpin white socks.

Pool Party!

2008-06-02T16:27:00.002-08:00

It was finally warm enough, 65 degrees!, to go out and have some fun in the sun. We Alaskans are crazy. We went to or sweet friend Kristi's house and had a blast. That's her in the kiddie pool with all the kiddos. She rocks! Asher is the only boy in the pool...go Asher!

Memorial Day

2008-06-02T16:12:00.004-08:00

For Memorial Day we went out to Kay's house, she lives in Palmer and has a gorgeous house with a gorgeous view to enjoy. Cousin Brady and his family came with and we barbequed, went hot tubbing, and four wheeling. We had a great time! Thanks Kay!
On the drive out to Kay's house I tried talking to Shira about the reason for the holiday. I told her it was a day to remember all the men and women who died for our freedom. She just looked at me all funny and said, I just don't really remember all that. Kids!

Here are the four of us after four wheeling (we also got ice cream, but couldn't let the kids know. :-). You can see Pioneer Peak in the background. Beautiful!

Me & David
After David got me the slightest bit muddy he figured it didn't matter anymore and went to town. You should see what Kay picked out for me to wear from her costume collection....let's just say there will be no proof with pictures.
Here we are all in the hot tub. It was so fun and such a beautiful view of the mountians. We had four of the kids with us until Kay took them inside to her nice big bathtub. Thanks again Kay. We were able to enjoy some grown up time with no one threatening us with 'poopie' diapers in the hot tub, you know who you are Kaitlyn! :-)

Pirate Asher Turns 4!

2008-06-02T15:39:00.003-08:00

Asher turned four on May 14, but we waited until his cousins from Idaho got into town to have a birthday bash. We had all seven of the cousins together. Asher chose to have a pirate party. It was a blast! We had bandanas, skull suckers, a treasure hunt with a pirate ship pinata at the end, and a pin the treasure on the map game. Asher loved it!

Here is Asher with his pirate cake. Notice the McDonald's happy meal toy in the center...I'm so resourceful, or is it cheap, who knows.

Here is Asher with all the cousins, except Lilli (they were late!). The only non-cousin is Zachary in the blue.

Arghhh, we are pirates!
Cousin Lilli and Asher cheesin' it up.
Shira and her cousin Makayla with pirate flags.
Asher and his 'best friend' Zachary from church. They look like pirates who have had too much fun....if you know what I mean.
Asher hitting his pirate ship pinata.
Here is Grandpa Porter holding his newest grandchildren while we party it up with Asher and his pirate friends. Thanks Grandpa!

Birthday Boys!

2008-06-02T13:37:00.003-08:00

Grandpa Blake, also known as David's best friend's dad, had a birthday on the 18th of May, so we took him out for dinner and we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the employees sing to him and Asher (his birthday was May 14th). Here they are with their ice cream sundaes.

We love the bug-eyed Asher.

And here is Bohdan, he looked like he had his hand in his pocket all chillin out.

Clean Up Day!

2008-06-02T13:27:00.003-08:00

Shira's school had a clean up contest and for every bag of garbage you brought in you would have your name put in a drawing for a bunch of cool prizes. So, we took the kids out to pick up trash and filled three bags full. Shira didn't win any prizes, but we had fun teaching them the importance of cleaning up Alaska.

And here is Bohdan sitting in his new Bumbo chair.

Steelhead Fishing on the Situk River

2008-05-16T21:43:00.005-08:00

David gets to go and work in Yakutat every year right around steelhead fishing season....yes, it's planned that way. This year he was there for two weeks and stayed the weekend to do some extra fishing. He went with two good work buddies and they all had a great & successful time fly fishing. David got to test out his new four piece fly rod he purchased recently, one of the greatest purchases of his life. They had a great time and the pictures to prove it are below.

Mark & Travis, his buddies from work.

Grandma Kay & Bohdan

2008-05-16T21:36:00.002-08:00

Grandma Kay stopped by on a Sunday morning and we took these cute pictures of her and Bohdan.

I think he's actually trying to grab her chest in this shot....look close.

And thus the grin on his face. :-)

Shira's Cute Haircut

2008-05-16T21:31:00.002-08:00

Our sweet friend Melanie offered to cut Shira's hair before she moved to Oregon, (we mis you guys!) and it turned out so cute.

Shira showing off her new cute haircut.

No Training Wheels!!!

2008-05-16T21:27:00.003-08:00

Just a month before Asher's fourth birthday my neighbor pointed out that Asher wasn't really using his training wheels, because they were so warped they were turned up. So, daddy took them off and he was riding like a pro. Here are the shots to prove it. He was so proud of himself.

Kids in April

2008-05-16T21:17:00.002-08:00

Asher hardly ever gets a chance to hold and feed Bohdan, simply out of fear for Bohdan's life, so when Asher did get to feed him, he was super excited. Notice the bottle isn't even in Bohdan's mouth. :-)

This is what happens when parents leave the room.

But Bohdan doesn't seem to mind.
Shira took this shot of Bohdan smiling. She was so proud of herself. My SIL offered to stay with Bohdan and Asher while I picked up Shira from school. Jenni's little girl, Brenna, is 3 weeks older than Bohdan. This is what I found when I got back. Both babies were zonked.

You could totally handle twins, Jenni!

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!

2008-04-26T17:05:00.003-08:00

Well, yesterday morning it started snowing....a little disappointing since the day before it was in the 50's and sunny! That snow didn't stop falling until today and it left about 18 inches at our house, more up on the hillside!!!! So much for spring. I would post some pictures, but David took the camera with him to Yakutat for two weeks! I'm dying without it. Hopefully the snow will melt in the next couple of days.
Like I said, David is in Yakutat fishing, I mean auditing, for two weeks. They are steelhead fishing and having a great time....in between working that is. He keeps telling me it's not a vacation and that he'll be working, but I say it's better than a vacation because someone else is paying for the trip AND he's getting paid on top of that. When he gets home I'll post all his fishing pictures, actually just one because all those darn fishing pictures look the same to me. Sorry honey.
On the camera are some great pictures of Asher riding his bike WITHOUT training wheels!!! He was so excited! His training wheels were so warped that he was pretty much riding by himself, so when we took them off he was on his own in no time. It was so easy. You always think of teaching a kid to ride a bike as such a nightmare, but not this way. So go out and warp your kids' training wheels so they stick up and you too can teach your kid to ride without training wheels too. :-)

Bohdan Smiles!

2008-04-14T13:27:00.003-08:00

Bohdan started smiling two weeks ago. It just melts our hearts. Even his eyes sparkle when he smiles....and it's a good thing, cause he's fussy way too much and needs to rely on his charm.
Asher got a haircut! And I'm sure you would all be proud to know that Asher has gone three days without his pull-ups to bed and he has woken up with dry underwear all three days!!! He's so excited! And we are so proud of him!

Shira wrote her first letter to her Uncle Jaren, who is in the MTC. She was so proud of herself. She drew the funniest picture of her and Uncle Jaren. He has this little speck of red hair right on top, it's cute.

And Shira loves to pose for the camera!

Sleep Deprivation

2008-04-07T22:37:00.004-08:00

I'm at that stage in motherhood where sleep deprivation is in full swing. Not that I'm complaining, Bohdan is worth every hour taken off my life due to the lack of sleep. Not to mention the dark circles under my eyes. :-) He may not be the greatest sleeper, but he's such a sweetheart. Here are some pictures from the past month.

A shot with Grandma before she went back to Idaho.

Snuggling with Grandma in between making sweet & sour chicken wings, which will now be an annual tradition in the Porter family! My mom makes the most amazing wings, but they take up most of the day....which might have to do with the fact that she never makes less than 10 pounds of them at a time! Thanks for making them for us mom!!!

Uncle Jaren dozing with Bohdan.
One last shot with Uncle Jaren before he takes off for the next two years to serve a mission in Oakland, California! Good luck Jaren!
The kids LOVE to hold Bohdan, which hardly happens since they're not allowed to hold him if he's either sleeping, fussy, or eating...which is ALWAYS!

Asher loves being big brother!
"When I sleep I'm deep in thought."

Are those boobs?

2008-03-05T19:30:00.003-09:00

Why yes, they are. My sweet mother-in-law, who gave me permission to post this picture, had a partial mastectomy a few weeks ago. (As a disclaimer, I will say that she was on drugs at the time.) Well, in order to celebrate her recovery, I baked her a cake. I got the idea from watching an old show of Roseanne on TV where she was getting a breast reduction because of back problems and her friends made her a cake like this one. And come on, how many times do you have the opportunity to make a cake with breasts on them? So I jumped at the chance. Angela is doing great. She is going in for a second surgery, but they expect a full and successful recovery. Thanks to mammograms, they caught it early!

I love you Angela!

Bohdan's First Week

2008-03-05T18:37:00.004-09:00

Bohdan (pronounced BO-den) is such a sweet little addition to our family. We love having him home with us. My mom has been helping us out the past two weeks and I'm getting so spoiled that I don't think I'll let her leave next week. Sorry dad.

I snuck this picture of daddy and Bohdan watching TV.

I think Bohdan is actually grinning!

My mom & Bohdan.
I had to show my pedicure off.

David surprised me with it on my b-day.

(The day before we had Bohdan)

Shira helping to feed Bohdan.

My mom & Bohdan. She gets to hold him a lot. :-)

The Newest Porter!!!

2008-02-25T23:53:00.006-09:00

Well, he finally came on February 22! We decided to induce on Friday afternoon, just to make sure he didn't turn back around in my tummy, which was just 4 days before my due date. We got to the hospital and they broke my water at 3:30pm. After a few hours of contractions and an epidural I only had to push for 6 minutes! He came out at 8:26pm weighing 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long! We are so excited to have him home with us and not all balled up inside my tummy. I have found that the labors get easier but the 9 months of pregnancy before that gets harder. Oh well. We picked out another Hebrew name for our third child, we didn't want him to feel left out. And this time we even picked it out a couple days before he was born, something that didn't happen with the first two children. His name is Bohdan Kapp Porter! Bohdan means gift from God and Kapp is my mother's maiden name. And Porter.....well, I got stuck with that when I married David. :-) Just kidding! I love the name Porter. If it wasn't our last name we would have named the little guy Porter.
We had quite the party in the delivery room. My mom came up from Idaho for the birth, her first one ever! Angela, my most favorite MIL, was there. And our good friend Kay, who is known as Grandma Kay, was gracious enough to be there and experience her first birth as well. Oh, and David came along for the ride as well. :-)

Here we have my mom, Kay, and Angela!

Me, my mom, and Kay enjoying Bohdan.

Everyone's favorite three generation shot.
Here are a few shots of Bohdan the day we left the hospital.

Another Tooth & A Version

2008-02-13T14:28:00.003-09:00

Shira had dad pull her second loose tooth, which was right next to the other one. She was even more brave the second time and below she is proudly displaying her tooth.
At my doc. apt. last week we found out the baby was breech, which meant I would get a c-section if he didn't turn. My doctor suggested a version, which is just an external manipulation to move the baby head down. As I did a little research I found two things out; versions can be extremely painful & not that successful (only 65%). We went into the hospital this morning at 7am where they prepare you for an emergency c-section in case anything goes wrong. After monitoring the baby and all that fun stuff, my doctor came in with his wife who is a perinatologist and would perform the version. From the time she started pushing on my stomach, which was painful but not unbearable, and the time she stopped, it only lasted about 20 seconds!!!! She was good and I was thrilled that it all went so well. The nurse said she had never seen one go so fast and easy. So, if things stay the way they are, we should be able to let this little guy come out the natural way and on his own time!!!!

Jenni & Brannon's new baby!

2008-02-02T11:47:00.000-09:00

February 1st Jenni, my SIL, was induced around 3:30pm and had the baby by 9:30pm! So jealous, her first was a c-section and I didn't think she would progress so fast. She only pushed for about 20 minutes! Lucky girl. I got to the hospital just as she dialated to a 10 and started pushing. It was fun to be in the waiting room and not the one behind closed doors doing the pushing. The little girl weighed in at 8lb 1 ounce and 21 inches. She has some fuzzy light red hair and is so cute.

Grandma Porter with baby girl...not yet named.

Aunt Amy with baby girl.
Annalee and Lilli with her new baby sister!
Jenni with her two girls!
Uncle Jaren with his new neice.

As I was holding the baby, she decided to release her bowels....with no diaper. We let the new daddy, Brannon, do the honors. Here he is demanding some plastic gloves before he starts! It took three people & and a good 15 minutes to do the job!

This Last Week

2008-02-02T11:43:00.000-09:00

Some of you may know that Asher has very sensitive skin. He is not supposed to use soap & shampoo because it makes him break out and itch, more than usual. Well, see all those bubbles? Those aren't from bubble bath. He emptied my shampoo bottle and created them all by splashing! I wasn't thrilled, but had to make them smile and take a picture after I got done ranting and raving. I went ahead and let them play in it since the damage was done. Darn kids!

Just a shot we took last Sunday after church.

That is Shira's new Christmas dress.

My sis-in-law, Jenni, is a couple weeks ahead of me, but we had to take a couple shots before she had the baby (two days later). I can't wait!

Sledding/Boarding at Hatcher's Pass

2008-02-02T11:35:00.000-09:00

Last weekend we went out to the valley to visit some friends. After that we went up to Hatcher's Pass to try a little boarding and sledding. Lucky for me, Grandma Kay came with us and did all the work with the sledding. It was a chilly 6 below by the time we left. BRRR. Plus, we didn't get there until the sun was going down. Pretty, but cold! Thanks for doing all the work, Kay! Unfortunately Asher fell asleep all bundled up on the drive and we couldn't seem to wake him.

Grandma Kay with Shira & her nephew Andy.

Shira boarding for the first time with Daddy.
David at Hatcher's Pass.

Building a Snowman!

2008-01-21T15:20:00.001-09:00

So far this winter all our snow has been really light and powdery, so we haven't had a chance to build a snowman....until now! Thanks to David, the kids finally got to build their snowman and they had a blast doing it.

Putting the final touches on the snowman.

The final product.

Asher pulling off his arm!

After the kids came in we made hot chocolate and took a picture at 35 weeks! I'm so ready to have this kid

The Punching Bag!

2008-01-21T15:08:00.000-09:00

Grandma Kay & Grandpa Blake (parents of David's best friend) got Asher a Power Ranger punching bag for Christmas, the kind you blow up, and the kids are having so much fun with it. It's hilarious to watch them beat the thing up. Thanks Kay & Blake!

Asher taking a punch at the Power Ranger!

Feeling the victory!Shira taking a turn!Asher letting the Power Ranger know who's the boss!

Ice Skating!

2008-01-21T14:50:00.000-09:00

Shira's kindergarten class went ice skating last week and although I went along, I didn't get on the ice. Asher got to tag along and he was a riot. They had some older kids there to help out the younger kids and when they would get behind Asher and put their arms under his, Asher would take off running and literally pull them along going pretty fast! It was so fun to watch. Shira went around the rink hanging to the walls for a while and then ventured off and did a little skating. They both did really well and it was fun to get to watch them.

Shira hanging on to the wall.

Shira with some of her classmates and Asher.
Taking a fall, but still smiling!

Grandma Kay came to help Asher out on the ice, thanks Kay! Asher all sweaty after skating!

First Tooth Pull!!!

2008-01-21T14:17:00.000-09:00

Shira got her first loose tooth last month and on the 14th of Jan. she decided it was hurting too much and she wanted daddy to pull it out. He tied some floss around her tooth and told her he would count to three and pull. She actually let him do it! Although she cried, she didn't once pull away or ask him to stop. We were so proud of her. The tooth came right out and she was so excited. She put her tooth in her tooth fairy pillow and sure enough, the tooth fairy paid her a visit that night and left her $2 for being so brave!

I love this picture because David looks like he's enjoying it way too much while Shira sits and cries at the thought of getting her tooth pulled. David has the floss in his hand while the other end is tied around her loose tooth!

Here is the happy child holding her first tooth! You can see gap left in her mouth.Daddy and Asher, trying to sit just like daddy, chilling on the recliner.

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-11T19:12:00.000-09:00

Happy New Year! What an amazing year! We ended the year by going to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a little bit of business and a lot of pleasure. :-) David's work sent him there to do some inventory and relax a little and I just had to accompany him. He worked for three days and we stayed another four days to play.
Although we mostly relaxed on the beach, we did go to Old San Juan and saw the forts known as the Guardians of the Caribbean built by the Spaniards. The massive masonry defenses were built in the 1500s. It was where Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico back in 1493 and it was very cool to walk through the forts and see the gorgeous views.
For New Years we went out for dinner and then went back to our hotel for the party and live band. The coolest part was the fireworks on the beach at midnight! The funny thing was that neither us or the other couple that came with us had watches, so when we knew it was getting close to midnight and I realized we didn't have our camera, I sent David to get it, thinking that we had enough time. The other wife sent her husband to get drinks. But we were too late and they were both off fulfilling our demands when the clock struck midnight! Oops. But what great husbands we have starting off the new year doing what we tell them. :-)

Sitting on the hammock outside our hotel on New Year's Eve.

Enjoying the fireworks on the beach!

David & Josh getting some rays.
David taking a nap after a hard day at the office.

The beach was right out the back door of our hotel. Our day trip to Old San Juan.
At one of the old forts with a sentry box in the background.
Sentry box. Below us is a cool cemetary and one of the forts next to it.
Me in front of one of the fort's walls.

David standing in front of a building used in the movie 'Assassins' with

Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas.

An iguana that we practically tripped over at the hotel's pool.

Me in all my glory at our hotel. I'm almost 33 weeks.

Christmas at the Porters

2007-12-28T15:54:00.000-09:00

Chirstmas was wonderful! On Christmas Eve we went to David's parent's house and had a fabulous dinner. The kids acted out the nativity scene, Shira was Mary and Asher was Gabriel and a wise man. (Those pictures will come later from Grandpa's camera.) We went home late that evening and I told the kids that the first one to fall asleep would be the first one to open a gift in the morning. Shira was bummed because Asher is usually the first one to fall asleep, but they eventually went to bed and Shira fell asleep first! In the morning I was excited to tell her she was the first one to fall asleep and she could open the first gift. She came running up to me with a gift and handed it to me. She wanted me to be the first one to open the gift she got me!
Every once in a while my little stinkers do something kind and precious and remind me that they aren't just my children, but also children of our Heavenly Father.

Asher with his new car-nivores!

David and Asher with daddy's new push-up grips.
Asher trying out the push up grips after daddy took a turn.
Shira with her new puppet gloves.

After spending a few hours opening gifts, relaxing, and taking naps, we went back to Grandpa & Grandma Porters to open up even more gifts and eat more food. With all the food Angela put out on the table, you'd think the whole ward was coming over! But there were only 11 of us. Needless to say I felt sick that night....too much junk food! But it was great fun. We even had fresh snow on the ground for Christmas, something we were actually worried about!

Tomorrow the kids are going to David's parent's house for the week while I have to accompany David to Puerto Rico, who has to go for business. Poor us. I'll be sure to post some pictures of the beached whale laying in the sun while David works. I'm just over 31 weeks pregnant and I'm sure I'll be a sight to see.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2007-12-03T12:42:00.001-09:00

This weekend we put up our Christmas tree.! Yeah! It was so much fun and nice to have David home for the weekend. We played Christmas music and put up decorations all over the living room.

Here we have Asher pretending to put up an ornament,

I got the camera out too late. :-)

Shira doing the same thing!
And here we have the two of them acting as if they never fight.

Much Needed Haircut

2007-12-03T12:14:00.001-09:00

Asher's hair was getting ridiculously long, but David liked it and he is the barber in the house. I finally convinced him to cut it and he looks so handsome in his Sunday best now. He was looking so scraggely it was embaressing to take him to church.

Look at those sideburns!
Is he not getting so big!
He actually had a lot of fun during this haircut and couldn't stop laughing.
Shira was getting a little jealous at all the pics I was taking of Asher, so we took a couple shots of her while she 'posed'. This one was the funniest.

Snow at Last!!

2007-12-03T11:55:00.000-09:00

It finally snowed here aound the middle of November. We enjoyed it while it lasted, which is usually six months, but about a week or two later we had a weeks worth of warm and rainy weather which melted what we had. Needless to say, our backyard is full of green grass! VERY unusual for us! I almost forgot it was close to Christmas without the snow. Here are some pictures of Shira enjoying the snow while we had it.

Here she is eating the snow, something both her and Asher LOVE to do.
Shira built a castle and was very proud of it. We had dinner at a friend's house and they have a little snowmachine that the kids LOVED to ride and get pulled on the sled. Of course as soon as we got home the kids started asking for a snow machine. Like that is going to happen.

Asher in Shaving Cream Heaven!

2007-11-02T14:48:00.001-08:00

I got a list of 100 things to do at home with a pre-schooler, and here is the first one I tried. Asher had so much fun. You take a cookie sheet and put shaving cream on it, supposed to be roads and what not, then have them drive cars through and around it. Asher decided he had a car wash on his hands and put all his cars through the car wash. All his cars are buried in the suds. Just a heads up, use shaving cream that doesn't have a strong smell, or better yet, cover your cookie sheet with tinfoil. Mine still smells like David's shaving cream.....ooops.

Trunk or Treating!

2007-11-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

I know, it's pretty scary. But here we are on Halloween trunk or treating at the church parking lot. It's cold, so we are all bundled up. At least there wasn't any snow! We've got, starting from the left, scary vampire with bad wig, butterfly, curious george, and Fancy Nancy (grandma). All in all we had fun and got lots of candy for mommy to eat....I mean the kids. :-) Next year David says he's helping me pick out a costume. :-)

Making Halloween cupcakes

2007-11-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

For Shira's school carnival we signed up to make cupcakes for the cake walk. We made some with oreo spiders on top, that is as creative as I get. :-)

Shira showing off the cupcakes.

Fall Carnival at Shira's school

2007-11-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

Shira's school had a Fall Carnival the Saturday before Halloween and we had a blast with the kids. There were all sorts of games, a few highlighted below, and even a mechanical whale! It was so fun to watch the kids play all the games.

Here is Shira the princess butterfly & Curious George.

Daddy helping Asher golf.

This is rope swing bowling. The kids both did it, much to my surprise, and knocked over all the pins with their feet.

Shira is fishing in this picture.

Here is Asher shooting pumpkins off a fence.

Both kids hit them! What talent!

Here is the mechanical whale....a very serious ride where you get bucked off.

Asher was holding on for dear life. Here is a demonstration of just how tight Asher was holding on. We couldn't stop laughing at him.

Halloween...a little early.

2007-10-04T21:45:00.001-08:00

My sister-in-law had this great idea to dress the kids up early and take pictures so you don't have to do it in the snow by the time Halloween is finally here. My kids didn't mind putting on their costumes and playing around. Shira picked out her costume, she is a princess butterfly fairy. Those are stickers on her face. She's a hoot. When Halloween comes we plan to paint a big butterfly on her face, but stickers worked for the moment.

Princess Butterfly Fairy deep in thought.
Asher picked out Curious George. So here is curious Asher....looks more like a puppy, but he's still cute.
There is the monkey!

kids

2007-10-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

Just a nice moment when Asher & Shira aren't fighting with each other. I love these moments.
Asher was upset with me the other day because I wouldn't let him unwind all the toilet paper....I'm so mean. Here he is pouting on the toilet.

Camping at Ladasa

2007-10-04T17:53:00.002-08:00

Ladasa is about a two hour drive north of Anchorage and it's owned by the church, usually used for scout camp, girl's camp, and ward campouts. But when it's not booked, we can book it. This year we did it the end of August with David's cousin, Brady and fam, and David's parents. We had a ton of fun and spent an afternoon at the lake, which we had all to ourselves. The water was very chilly. I think everyone got in except for me, Angela, & Jaben....the smart ones. Below you can see all the fun they had in the water. We also went canoeing and it was gorgeous. The train tracks run next to the lake so we would always run out with the kids to wave to the train and have the engineer blow his whistle. Way fun.

Becky got wet, accidentally, up to her waist, so decided to just dive in!

I love the kids cheering her on.

Good ole' grandpa showed up in dark shoes, blue dress socks, red shorts, and a maroon flanel......Gotta love grandpas!
But he was very brave and jumped in the lake!
Even Kenny jumped into his daddy's arms.
Brady relaxing on a sinking dock.
Becky & Brady in the cold water.
Shira holding onto daddy for dear life.

Asher and daddy trying to stay afloat.

What is a camping trip without Asher going potty....but in the lake,

come on dad!

David, looking thrilled again, with Shira canoeing on the lake.

Asher grinning on the canoe.

Becky, Katlyn, Kenny, and Brady.

Alaska State Fair 2007

2007-10-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

The first week of Sept. we went to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer with Grandma & Grandpa Porter. We had so much fun eating yummy food, watching the kids on the rides, playing games, seeing all the big veggies and livestock, and spending too much money. We can't wait to do it all over next year.

Shira taking her annual pony ride.

Asher had konked out by this point.

Daddy took the kids on their first 'big' ride, the ferris wheel...ohhh.
Daddy was obviously thrilled to be on the merry-go-round with Asher.
The space ship ride.
And finally the train ride.
Who can forget the huge cabbage.

Shira' First Day of School!

2007-10-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Shira started school the end of August. She was so excited! It's fun to see her growing up and being so brave. She loves her class and teacher and is doing really well. She is a seal, thus the statue next to her. It's been an adjustment for her to be gone all day, but she is hanging in there. I get to volunteer once a week for a few hours and it's so fun to see her in school. I signed up with some ladies in the stake to do co-op babysitting. Twice a week I have a place to take Asher for three hours and get some stuff done I couldn't normally do with him, like volunteer at Shira's school. Then every fifth week it's my turn to watch all the kids. It's working out really well.

Right before she entered the school.

Shira concentrating at her table.

Can you guess boy or girl???

2007-10-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what this is? It's a sonogram picture of our baby at 18 weeks. Yes, that is right, we are expecting another baby. We found out the morning we went camping to Hidden Lake, and boy were we surprised. This kid will be almost four years younger than Asher, so even though it wasn't planned,

it's about time.

This is a shot from below looking up. Those are two legs with some plumbing in between. Can you tell if the plumbing is on the outside or inside???

Did you guess a boy? If you looked too close you probably saw the word Male! on the screen. But the plumbing is on the outside, so Asher will get a little brother. Shira was a little disappointed, but she's over it. I'm 19 weeks now and due Feb. 26, 2008.

Below is a quick little clip of the sonogram. I just thought it was amazing to be able to see him rolling around in there. We even caught him yawning, but that clip was almost 6 min. So enjoy this short one. He rolls around and ends up looking at you.

Orlando, Florida.....on business.

2007-10-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Well, last year David's company sent him out for training in Chicago, but I couldn't go because it was during the school year and granmda works, so I had nobody to leave the kids with. This year they sent him to Orlando the second week of July and I was all over it. David can't have all the fun. So, we spent a week in sunny Florida with a few other co-workers and their spouses....and we had a blast. We spent a majority of our time at Universal Studios with a week long pass. We also went to Cocoa Beach, shopping at the outlet stores (we don't have any in AK), and ate one of the best meals ever at Texas De Brazil. And who can forget the lounging at the pool time....something else we never do here in AK. We stayed at this gorgeous condo our friends found on-line. The nice thing was that David's company paid for a majority of the trip since it was after all 'training'.

Our beautiful condo with Grace & Vanessa at the pool.

David soaking in the rays at the pool.
Amy & Grace at Cocoa Beach.

We got there just in time for some thunder & lightning,

but that didn't stop us Alaskans from trying to get some sun.

Eating at Universal Studios with the gang of c0-workers (six auditors & two wives....too much fun). If you look close you can see that we are all drenched! We experienced the most amazing thunder & lightning rainstorm and got a little wet in the process. I think we also dodged a couple of lightning rods. Good thing this place let us eat, we left a puddle under the table!

David & Amy getting on the Hulk rollercoaster for the fourth time. We loved it!

Seward with the Tews

2007-09-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

We went to Seward with the Tews right after the fourth of July and had a fun time visiting with them before we had to go out of town. We went to the Sealife Center and had a great time looking at all the sealife. They had salmon at every stage, seals, all sorts of birds, sea lions, and all types of creatures for the kids to see and touch. Then we had a yummy dinner, finally after waiting for what seemed like forever with four children, and then just hung out playing guitar and eating icecream in the Tews 8x10 cabin they stayed in. :-)

David & Asher taking a stroll while waiting to eat.Shira and the fish.
Asher touching sea creatures.
David & Brady playing guitar...a favorite of thiers. Aunt Georgia & Uncle Rick with our family.

Fourth of July

2007-09-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

For the fourth of July we took cousin Brady and fam along with his parents, Uncle Rick and Aunt Georgia who came up to visit Brady and his family while in Alaska, to Byron Glacier. It's always fun to hang out with Aunt Georgia and Uncle Rick!

Byron Glacier

David, Brady, Becky & Uncle Rick hiked up to the glacier ice while Aunt Georgia and I watched the munchkins.
After that we went back to Angela's for a wonderful fourth of July barbeque. And what fourth of July isn't complete without a little watermelon? So, here are some of the kiddos chowing down on the scrumtious stuff.
Weston, Shira and Lilli.....totally not posing.
And who could go a fourth of July without fireworks!? Aunt Georgia and Uncle Rick, that's who. :-) So we took the kids to see the midnight fireworks, and yes, it really is still that light out. But that doesn't stop us. I don't know what that crazy guy is doing in the background.

Good ole Alaskan outhouse

2007-09-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

On the way back from Kennicott we stopped many a times to use the 'bathroom'. This was one of my favorites.

Kennicot Copper Mines Camping

2007-09-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

One of David and his dad's favorite places in the world is the Kenniccot Copper Mines. So, the first week of July we ventured off into the great Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the US at over 13 million acres, in search of Kennicott. This was my first time to Kennicott and it was an adventure.....or at least getting there was. It took us 8-10 hours to get there, I really can't remember. And the last two hours of that was on a dirt road going 20 mph, that I remember. All together we had the Brady & Becky Tew family, David's parents and brother Jaben, and Leah & Troy's family. We found a nice tundra/rock filled campground and paid way too much to stay there for two nights. It was near the beautiful Kennicott glacier and raging Copper River. We crossed the Copper River on a foot bridge and then took a shuttle through McCarthy to get to Kennicott. It was amazing to see the history and all the old buildings. Now for some history; between 1908 & 1938 $200 million in ore was extracted from Kennicott, making it the richest concentration of copper ore known in the world. It was fascinating! But not the best place to hike around with toddlers. Difinately worth doing, and possibly returning when the kids are much older.

Here is Becky & Katelyn hiking around Kennicott.

Uncle Troy, known as the pied piper. The kids love him!
Porter family in front of some of the buildings,

known to be as high as 14 stories.
David with the kids at Kennicott.
The cousins riding a rock. Giddyup!

Camping at Hidden Lake

2007-09-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

The end of June we went camping at Hidden Lake. Auntie Leah and her kids came with us and we had tons of fun just hanging out. David even got to go fishing on the Russian with a work buddy who came up the next day. They caught us some nice red salmon that we cooked up fresh for dinner that night. Yummy!

Here are some shots of the kids playing at the lake before the cousins showed up.

Father's Day Fishermen

2007-09-25T16:46:00.001-08:00

One of David's good buddies from college came up from Oregon for Father's Day and their main mission was to fish.....and fish they did. They went fishing on the Russian River a bunch of times, then went combat fishing on the Kenai River, then went north to fish on the Deshka River, and finally went on a Halibut charter out of Whittier. On that charter they saw seals, whales, and luckily a few halibut. David had a great time seeing Jake and visiting with his awesome in-laws that came with him.

A seal on a bouy in the ocean.

A whale....look close, they're hard to catch on camera.
Men and their halibut.
Three studs and their salmon....with fly rods.

Shira Turns FIVE!!!

2007-09-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

On June 15th Shira Hope turned five years old. We had a fun birthday for her at Grandma & Grandpa Porter's house. I didn't make the lame princess cake, I got it from Costco, but I'm sure mine would have been even worse. We had tons of fun playing 'pin the wings on Tinkerbell', hitting the princess pinata, which Shira did so gracefully, and attempting to play musical chairs. The kids even got a hold of the hose in the front yard and all got wet. It was a fun day. Happy Birthday Shira!

Shira & her cake.

Shira hitting the pinata all girly like.
Cousin Weston & Shira all wet.

Asher all wet after hose fight.

Shira & her new princess bike!

Put on your Underwear

2007-09-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

One day I asked Asher to put on his underwear, and this is what I got. I just do it myself now. :-)

Annual Mikunda Cottrell Campout

2007-09-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Joy, David's c0-worker, we had our third annual Mikunda Cottrell campout at Quartz Creek the first week in June. I know what you're thinking, how fun could a weekend be with a bunch of accountants, but they are actually really cool...and fun to hang out with :-). It was a beautiful and chilly weekend. We even woke up the first night to fresh snow on the mountains! But that didn't scare off David's cousins, Brady and Becky Tew who came up from Utah for the summer to work at KPMG. We had tons of fun eating great food, thanks again to Joy, playing horse shoes, pinochle, seeing moose & mountain sheep, and just hanging out by the campfire and beautiful lake.

Resting from our walk.

The whole gang at our beautiful campsite.

(Merriners minus sleeping Colt, Tews, Porters, & Verleys)

A gorgeous rest stop on the way home.

The family. Daddy & Asher by the lake.

Shira & Asher lounging in the camp chairs. A walk around the lake. Here is the fresh snow on the mountian! It was a cold night!

Hiking with Friends!

2007-09-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy summer and I have been terrible about blogging.....if you haven't noticed. But we are back!
Our first fun adventure came the end of May when our good friends Julia and Brad came up to Alaska for a visit. We went hiking together somewhere up in the hills of Palmer. It was beautiful and fun to see our good friends.

Hiking in Palmer.

Brad & Julia doing what they do best.

Our kids with Julia's cute son Sterling.

Asher Turns Three!!!

2007-05-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

On May 14th Asher turned three! The following Saturday we all went over to Grandma and Granpa Porter's house for a little party. Aunt Jenni made an adorable truck cake for Asher that he loved! Thanks Jenni! Then we had a BBQ and played outside in the sunshine.

Triple chocolate truck cake by Aunt Jenni!

Asher loving his truck cake!
Asher trying out his bike on the road!
Asher and Daddy enjoying the sunshine.
Shira and cousin Lilli being cute girls.

Fun Times

2007-05-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

Now that Asher is in big boy underwear, it makes for lots of fun. Here he is as Batman. You can see the bat symbol right in the front, and of course we have the cape and mask to go with it. He cracks me up.

Making a muscle.

Asher running down a hill having too much fun.
Shira had to get in on the Batgirl fun.
Loving each other at the park.