Labor Day Holiday

For the Holiday Weekend Kylie and I went visiting... We went to see Granny for lunch and Kylie had so much fun looking through pictures of the family.


We also went to see MelMel and PaPah. Ky spent quite a bit of time out on the deck watching the cows and the rain. Of course, when I was not looking she and her PaPah were sneaking ice cream.




Also on our trip, we saw Grandpa Phil, Aunt Yvette, Emily and Megi. Kylie had so much fun with her cousins. Sometimes we wish they did not live so far away, England is such a long trip... At least we have lots of pictures.

Prince William Sound Glacier Cruises

On one of our outings, Cody, Kylie and I went on a boat cruise to see some of the glaciers and wildlife in Prince William Sound. We first had to drive to Whittier where the boat launched from. The neatest thing was that in order to get to Whittier you had to drive through a mountain which was only open every hour for 15 minutes each direction, was only one lane, had emergency safe rooms, and had to be shared with the train. It was neat and spooky at the same time. You had to show up on time, pay the toll and wait for confirmation to go and hope that you made the tunnel back to the side of the mountain you wanted to be on so you did not get stuck on the wrong side for the night. The boat guide informed us that the town itself was occupied by about 600 people in the summer months and only 200 or so in the winter months. All of these few people lived in two buildings since there is no single family housing in town. The boat ride itself was pretty neat too! We saw thousands of birds, awesome waterfalls and quite a few glaciers. We were able to get close to two of the glaciers and saw some pretty amazing "calving". Kylie also got to hold some of the glacier ice that the crewmen fished out of the water. We also saw some otters but by this time Kylie was so tired she had crashed on the seat next to the table where we ate our lunch. Crabcakes, yum! Here are some pictures.

Ididaride

On our trip we took Kylie and Colton to Seward to tour the kennel of the Ididarod sled dogs. Ky loves dogs and Colton, so this was the perfect outing for her. We were able to see where the dogs live, what they wear and the sled they pull during the races. We also met some of the pups and we even got to ride in a summer sled behind 16 of the dogs (sled and occupants = approx 1500 lbs). Ky loved this the most I think.

Salmon Fishing

On Sunday we went Salmon Fishing and of course since the Salmon are running we caught a lot of fish. It was so much fun although we could not convince Kylie that the "fishies" were okay to touch. She just liked to stand on the bank and watch and point to all the fish that were swimming upstream. She did try to run out to Mommie once, but quickly changed her mind when she realized how cold the water was. Good thing we packed extra clothes! Colton however, was the champion fisherman that day. He caught the most fish by far. Way to go Bubba!

Fireweed Jelly

Well, we are back from Alaska and have returned to the horrible heat and humidity that our beautiful state endures during the summer. We did so much this trip that we could not possibly post it all now but at least I can get started. Since we have begun to pass out our souviners to all I figured it would be best to explain. Yes, we made jelly out of a plant called Fireweed, I know it sounds odd. It was however quite the experience and quite yummy. Fireweed grows wild in Alaska and has beautiful pink blooms. Cody and I picked quite a bit and seperated the blooms from all of the other wonderful things that accompany a flower when you pick it. Then Nicole and I boiled the flowers to get the juice, mixed it with all the other ingredients you need to make jelly and then sealed them all. It was quite a process but in the end it yielded 36 jars of jelly which taste somewhat like a cross between cactus and grape jelly. Yummo!

Cousins, Uncles & Aunts, OH MY!

Fun in the Sun!

Ky and I went to San Antonio the other day for a quick visit with Family before summer was over. Kylie enjoyed an afternoon of fun in the sun and of course her first huge popsicle which promptly stained her mouth and hands blue. We don't get to see our Great Uncle Norman, Great Aunt Loretta, Cousin Amy, Garrett, Aiden, Sorcha, Cousin Denise, Aunt Yvette, Cousin Emily & Grandpa Phil very often but when we do we make the most of it! Kudos to all for a wonderful LUNCH!!!

Yvette & Emily

My sister Yvette and her daughters Emily & Megan are in from England for a whole month! We are so excited but a little bummed because Mark could not come with them. Megi is visiting her Dad right now but Kylie did get to meet her Aunt Yvette and cousin Emily for the first time today. She was so excited and talked about "BB" (as Ky calls her since she can't say Yvette) the whole evening. Hopefully we get to see quite a bit more of them before they go back home and hopefully we get to see Megan too!

Ky's in the Kitchen!

Ky has become quite the cook, she even has her own cook toys & table settings.

MelMel Time!

MelMel came to see Me and Ky, and what fun we had watching movies and eating junk food! I needed some Mommy time and of course Ky needed her MelMel time!

Looks Puzzling!

Ky absolutely loves all of her new puzzles. She is very good at getting people to help her put them back together after she dumps all of the pieces onto the floor.

Cody's Work Toys

Ky loves when Daddy brings home his work toys! Sometimes we think he spends more time playing while at work than actually working! J/K