2011 World Ice Art Championships

March is a wonderful month to live in Alaska. You've been SO COLD all winter than when March hits and it reaches 20 degrees... it feels like a HEAT WAVE. Kids are back to playing outside everyday and being a Mom is much easier! Here are a few of our favorites from this year's ice sculptures.

Visitors

Charlie took two weeks of vacation in March and we had visitors come, Grampa and his girlfriend, Beth. They flew up from New Hampshire and stayed for a week. Our kids kept them as busy as could be and I'm not sure who is more bored now that they are gone, them or my kids. We spent a day in Anchorage with Grampa's brother and his family. Then we drove all the way back to Fairbanks (a 6 hour drive) and spent the rest of the week at our house. It was a wonderful visit and we all enjoyed spending time with them. Grampa with his grand kids. Grampa and Beth with a couple of our kids.

Grampa and Beth braved the ice slides.

Grampa with his brother, Kevin.

Dog Mushing in Alaska

A couple of weeks ago we had an opportunity to take the kids on a dog mushing field trip with a few other homeschooling families. We spent probably 4 hours with all of the dogs and everyone went home with smiles on our faces. A few family members wanted to add a couple of more dogs to our family... and of course Mom is the big party pooper on that concept. One puppy is enough for me! Every kid (including Beckett) had a chance to drive the sled with a team of dogs. For the kids the owner only put 4 dogs on a team so that they wouldn't be too fast or too strong for the kids to slow them down. Ava got a fresh team of dogs that went so fast around a corner that she dumped the sled in the deep snow. Afterwards she said she wanted to fall into the snow with them again! For all of the PETA fans out there...this is not abusive. From the moment we harnessed them to the sleds, all they wanted to do was RUN and PULL! Petting the pups before they took off. While the kids were waiting, they hooked themselves to the harnesses and pulled a sled full of kids around. Jordan is in the front in red, Ava and Brady are sitting in the sled.

Charlie getting a quick lesson in how to handle the dogs and the sled. Beckett and Ava are sitting in the front of the sled.

And he's off!

Jordan giving me a ride!

Ava's turn!

Brady driving with Ava and Beckett in the sled.

Me with Beckett and my friends' children.

Jordan is NINE!

Jordan turned NINE this past week! What a joy he is to have as our son! He's bright, caring, and can hold conversations and comprehend information nearly as well as many of the adults I know. It's crazy fun to play board games with him because he's beyond the years of Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. (Sorry Milton Bradley... but this Mom is so over Candyland. Thankfully, I have a Mommy-in-the-making who loves to play Candyland with her 3 year old brother!)

We celebrated his birthday at home on the 8th and today we held his friend party tonight. (More about that later.) For his birthday we got him a new mountain bike. For those of you that know use well... you know that we ride bikes all summer long and we don't just ride up and down the street. Last year his hand-me-down bike from a friend hit the road and for his birthday he received an upgrade to a decent bike. I was tired of adjusting his chain constantly or dealing with skipping gears every mile that we went. Last year I carried tools in my backpack on every ride. Hopefully those days are gone with his new ride.

We topped of his birthday by taking the whole family to a hockey game in town. For the 4 boys in the family, the highlight of the game was definitely the fist fight between two players.

SNOWSHOEING

We took advantage of a beautiful day and went snowshoeing today. You can tell that break-up will be here soon because the sun is shining longer and the temperatures are consistently in the late-teens during the day. While we were snowshoeing today, the temperature was 22 degrees. Our bodies have acclimated because it felt HOT.

We were sitting on a snow-covered wooden bench.
On a bridge..."Dead" with a smile on her face!

Trail blazer!

Taking a rest.

Brady's pole pushed perfectly through the snow.

Brady

Beckett continued to say, "Daddy, take a picture of ME!"

Which way should we go???

Resting on a snow-covered bench.

Brave Girl!

About a month ago, Ava decided she was brave enough to get her ears pierced. We walked by the piercing place and I asked her if she wanted her ears pierced? Something I have been asking her for at least two years. Usually the answer I received was, "NO WAY!!!!" This time she said, "Maybe." Then she decided to do it. She did a great job as they pierced one ear at a time and she never shed a tear. Usually she can be a drama queen so I was a bit apprehensive when they said that they would only do one ear at a time.

She was able to pick out these earrings. First earrings have come along way since the plain studs they used when I was little.

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

Guess who's back? Guess who else is back in the kitchen? I've had to impress him with my culinary skills because Brady ratted me out! On Charlie's first night back home, I made shrimp and pasta primavera and Brady said, "FINALLY, a real dinner!" I guess my five year old doesn't consider cereal, salad, or pizza real dinners.