Annual Pony Party

Grandma Jenkins saved the day on this one.

The morning of the Annual Pony Party, hosted by our family realtor, Ethan asked where his Cowboy costume was.

"Uhhhh....in Saudi," was my reply.

He had forgotten that he could only pack one costume this year due to stricter luggage requirements so the Superman Cape was in and the Cowboy out. But 4 year olds aren't the most rational thinkers and I could see melt down status emerging on his face. He just couldn't go to the Pony Party without being an official cowboy.

As usual I was quickly thinking of a resolution to this problem before it became a desperate situation and.....

I remembered that Grandma Jenkins also had a complete authentic leather cowboy costume just Ethan's size.
Luckily she was home and I picked it up later that morning.

Ahhhh.....there were only smiles to be had at this years Pony Party.

Even Zach decided to ride this year.

Graham we didn't even try, he was content to help Grandpa Slocombe eat his lunch.

After the rides and chow the cold wind brought rain so we moseyed on home for cups of hot cocoa.

Card Sharks

A couple of us were sitting at the table and kept hearing Graham say UNO!....UNO!

We look over at the two little buddies and Graham is throwing down cards into a pile and Hunter is gathering them up ready for his next play.

Graham and Hunter's first meeting didn't go so well. He yelled NO in Hunters face scaring him to tears. Now he is much quieter and a bit more gentle (we're still working on that). He gets super excited every time H comes over and just wants to love on him and play with him and make sure he's happy. Except when H tries to use G's booster then it gets UGLY as G goes into fits of screaming MINE, MINE, MY SEAT!

Hand Tram Hike

Our last family adventure before Chris left was a hike to the Hand Tram near Crow Creek. This is an easy two mile in and out trail or you can go 3.5 from the trail head to Alyeska Hotel in Girdwood.

No, Ethan is not wearing High Waters he was just lifting his pants as he the trail was a bit muddy. He liked to run or hop ahead and say, "Uh Oh, I should go too far." Instead of shouldn't go to far.

Ethan's goal initially was to step in as many mud puddles as he could and just as I was saying, "There is no way we are making it through this hike without him falling in the mud." he slipped and did just that.

I loved the earthy damp smell of the forest on this hike. There are just some smells that are truely Alaskan and this is one of them.

Because our family did not go over the combined weight limit we all crammed into the tram together. It was a bit of an awkward fit with Graham in the backpack but doable.

It wasn't difficult to pull ourselves across because there were hikers on both ends helping pull the ropes to assist in the crossing.

The door on the tram no longer locks and E of course had to unnerve us by testing the door mid crossing.

Once you cross the hike continues and less than .25 miles on is a spectacular water fall.

A Day In Seward

After our 2 hour drive south we needed to refuel before starting our Harding Ice Field adventures.

With our eyes on the prize we set out towards the Exit Glacier.

Although the hike is not strenuous it does have a few ups and downs and the boys took them all in stride.

Learning how to care for and stay on the trail and not to disturb the surrounding wildlife.

It was amazing to see how much the glacier has receded in the 9 years that we have been visiting. Global warming, perhaps?

There is a whole new path of receded area to cross to approach the glacier.

The cool wind really picks up the closer you get.

This particular glacier is not safe to hike on like some others in the state but we were able to get pretty close. An in depth conversation with Zach about how Glaciers form took us back down the mountain.

This picture cracks me up because it looks almost like E is fall off the glacier but really just jumping off a rock.

We then headed into town to the Sea Life Center.

The boys had awesome interactive experiences while Graham conveniently slept.

After dinner we took a walk along the board walk to see all the charter boats coming back with their days catch.

And you can't visit Seward without stopping at Sweet Darlings Fudge Shop.

We love having Dad joining us on our adventures this year.

Sometimes It Rains

In the land of the Midnight Sun we often get rain causing a green lushness in Anchorage and surrounding areas. But it also causes us to stay home and keeps us from some of the preferred activities like bike riding. However, it rarely pours and doesn't usually rain all day so if you are patient the rain will pause and you can get outdoors.

On one of these mornings the boy made sailboats out of juice boxes, tape, and card stock. Each sail was carefully decorated and attached to each juice box.

Then we waited for the perfect sun shiny day to set them free.

One of our favorite parks is called John's Park near our old home. It has a small playground with a lush forest and small stream. There is a dirt path that cuts through linking up different subdivisions. This was part of my 4 mile jogging route when we lived here ending at the park as a reward if the boys behaved in the chariot.

This is also a favorite moose hangout so we kept a watchful eye. In the end we only encountered pesky mosquitoes.

Zach was very helpful in retrieving boats that became stuck in the deeper areas.

It didn't take long for the boys to become completely covered in mud with boots full of water.

It also didn't take long for the smiles to appear as the boats they had created set sail on their journey.

Burn Baby Burn

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.

(Anon.)

This is what it looks like to turn 35.

(5 Bundles of 7 Candles Each)

My 35th birthday started out in a panic trying to get to the 10 AM morning temple session. 10 AM you say...why the rush because we woke up at 9:15 as our alarm didn't go off. We are staying in a nice DARK basement and had been up late the night before. The Alaska sun has us all messed up as usual and getting to bed really late.

After the session Chris took me to my favorite restaurant Simon and Seaforts and then dropped me off at the mall for some shopping all by myself. My friend Marjory then picked me up for a little mani and pedi time. We then went back to my in laws where Chris was working hard at two of the most delicious pies....

FRESH PEACH AND CHERRY!

Sometimes it pays to have an overachiever as a husband because the pies were insanely good. Most of the guests had never had a fresh cherry pie only the nasty canned kind (not my favorite). Since they weren't even in the oven when we arrived, due to a few delays, and the doorbell was ringing with guests we had a bit of fun with.....

Family and...

..... and friends.
It gave us time for some Birthday loves....

from some of my favorite people.

A few Birthday Battles with Grandpa.

And I received these beautiful flowers from my boys and it was a group effort.

Zach had the idea to get me flowers, Ethan went to the store and picked them out, and Chris paid for them. Way to go team they are lovely.

To conclude my birthday evening Marjory, my Mom, and I went to the movies to see Eclipse....which was so-so. Not a disappointment because I had really low expectations. Overall it was a wonderful day.