Chez Target

Today was a monumental day in Alaska history.

Forget that our Governor is running for Vice President of the United States, or that we are sitting on a rather large fossil fuel reserve. Ignore that our economy has been somewhat insulated from all the goings-on Outside. Try not to notice that winter has come early this year.


We now have a Target. Actually, two of them. One in Anchorage, one in Wasilla.

The beautiful thing? I happen to be in Anchorage right now, and my dear friend Holly Jo braved the crowds for the Grand Opening TODAY. I know. Insane amounts of people. Police directing traffic. Shoppers milling aimlessly around the store, looking at stuff. I don't generally like shopping, but I really DO like Target. I am crazy, and Holly Jo loves me (not Target) enough to go with me. We took Peanut, and had a nice time, actually! I bought new sheets and blankets for Squirt Boy's big boy bed, some lovely notecards, and Peanut's present from Aunt Sally and the gang. Don't you love it?


Yes, it's a giant frog play tent, and yes, Peanut is sitting up all by his unassisted little self. Go, Peanut! The tongue is funny; it has bugs printed all over it, and rolls up inside before you zip up the tent. I know you wish you had one in your living room.

Recent Visitors

We've had many visitors this summer, including a grizzly bear in our trash on a couple of occasions. Sadly, I have no photos of the bear.

In August, Aunt Angie and Uncle Ralph came to visit. They had a grand time driving around Alaska and learning more about where we live.


Rome wasn't built in a day, but our new woodshed was. Thank you, Ralph!


Over Labor Day, our friends the Petersons made the trek from Anchorage to play with us. The girls were delightful company, for us and for the boys. We loved just hanging out with old friends.

The following weekend, Aunt Jessica, Granny and Grandaddy came to see us. Grandaddy made a great start towards filling up the woodshed.

The leaves have almost entirely blown off the trees, and we are holing up for winter. It usually snows here right around October 1, and stays until the end of April. If you end up missing winter where you live, please come see us.

Stay tuned for future photos of home improvements, when my camera battery gets recharged...

A Busy Month

Thank you to all who've gently "encouraged" me to update the blog. If you're looking for knitting news, I'm entering Squirt Boy's Aran sweater in the Deltana Fair next week. Otherwise, we have been busy having fun since my last post.

For the Summer Solstice (where we have in excess of 22 hours of daylight), my dear friend Holly Jo and her family came to visit. Squirt Boy and Fuzzy Butt had a grand time with Bubba, Muskrat and Maisy. (And Papa and I enjoyed playing with friends, too!)


We found a wood frog in the yard. In case you didn’t know, Holly Jo is a master frog catcher, having caught many a frog as a youngster to ship in butter containers to a scientist far, far away.




We ate at the Drive In, and went to Rika’s Roadhouse to see the critters.



Daniel demonstrated our newest toy for them. Yes, it’s a real reel mower.




The boys were up early both days, and played, played, played. We are so glad they visited!



We had some down town that week, so Peanut talked to us (as he often does), and I gave Squirt Boy a “little boy” haircut.



Papa climbed Donnelly Dome, a local high spot with some friends. Here he is at the top.


Squirt Boy also bade farewell to his good buddy Rhett, who is moving to Georgia where his daddy got a new job.

The next weekend, we traveled to Tangle Lakes to camp with Granny and Grandaddy. Tangle Lakes is truly beautiful, and we love camping and boating there.

Squirt Boy went on a couple of different hikes.


One afternoon, Peanut stayed with Granny, and Papa, Fuzzy, Squirt Boy and I went paddling on the lakes.

For the 4th of July weekend, Adam and Andrea drove up to play with us. We picked wild strawberries. Oh so sweet! Oh so ripe! Oh so SMALL!

A quiet moment they spent with Peanut.

Adam and Andrea accompanied us on Squirt Boy and Peanut’s very first river canoeing trip. We traveled a several mile stretch of the Delta River, swollen with rain, on a gorgeous afternoon. We love river boating!!

Squirt Boy’s ready to paddle.

Andrea hanging with Peanut while I set up the inflatable canoe:


Notice Fuzzy standing on the edge of the boat. She tried walking around me at one point and ended up swimming. I’m glad there’s a handle on her life jacket.

The last couple weeks have been kind of rainy and blah. On the few nice days, we’ve had a chance to play with friends.

One of Squirt Boy’s new words is “backhoe”. I wonder why? (Do you see him?)

Peanut (in the middle) with two other new friends at the park last week.

In honor of the blueberries that will soon be ripe for the picking, I leave you with a picture of MY blueberry baby. Did I tell you he weighs somewhere around 16 pounds already? He’ll be three months old on Wednesday.

Happy New Year!

Lobster Boy says, "Happy New Year, friends and family!!"

Though I'm still stuck somewhere back in 2005 or so, I am looking forward to what new adventures 2008 will bring our way.

We had a lovely Christmas with Granny, Grandaddy and Aunt Jessica in Anchorage. Squirt Boy was enthralled by the lights and decorations, and finally understands the fine art of tearing paper off of packages.

Aunt Jessica and Squirt Boy baked a birthday cake for Jesus.

Adam and Andrea came to have dinner with us. We always enjoy their company and hope they'll come visit soon.

We are thankful to have spent time with family and dear friends, though we missed being with the rest of our family scattered across the U.S. Know that you are always welcome, in 2008 and beyond!

Otherwise...

We’ve done some celebrating the past couple of months. Papa had an October birthday, we spent Thanksgiving with Granny, Grandaddy, Adam and Andrea in Anchorage, we celebrated nine years of marriage in November, and Mama turned 34 in December. (I love the fact that we get to eat our way through all kinds of yummy festivities this time of year.)

We’re thankful that we’ve been eased into the bitter cold of winter. We’ve had a mild winter so far….only a few days below zero, before things took a plunge yesterday. We’re at 30 below right now, and with only 4 hours of sunlight, it won’t get much warmer tomorrow. The stillness captivates me: the trees with snow clinging to them, the colors of the twilight sky (at 3 o’clock in the afternoon), the distinctive squeak of the snow that only super cold weather brings. I found some bubbles while cleaning the bathroom today. I seem to remember SOMETHING fun about them in really cold weather….maybe tomorrow, Squirt Boy will get to watch them through the window. I’ll let you know!

We’re looking forward to spending Christmas with family and friends and having some relaxing time in a warmer clime.

Peanut seems to be healthy and growing. At least, I’m getting rounder. Papa can feel the baby kick now, which is fun. Squirt Boy hasn’t stayed still long enough to feel anything. Almost 23 weeks now….only 17 to go.

Winter brings a slower pace of life to us, which we welcome. Many evenings are spent reading and/or knitting in front of the fire, enjoying the quietness of each other’s company (after our favorite noise maker goes to bed, of course). It’s fun to have a season of slowness, of quiet.

Uncle Adam and Auntie Annie

They are finally married! Wahoo!!! Adam Wilson and Andrea Corens were married July 28 in Excelsior, Minnesota. They have just returned from what hopefully was a fabulous Costa Rican honeymoon. We were so blessed to be a part of this celebration.

Squirt Boy, Papa and I had a wonderful time in Minnesota, eating Swedish meatballs at IKEA, playing with friends from Colorado AND Alaska, going to the "beach", and celebrating the wonderful marriage of two precious friends.

Papa looked especially dapper in his tuxedo. Squirt Boy and I watched him (and the rest of the wedding) through the windows from the foyer of the church. Thankfully, they were able to mic the sound out to the foyer, so we didn’t miss a beat, and Squirt could cruise and move to his heart’s content.

The Update

The House

We’ve MOVED to (but not quite into) our new place! We are living in Granny and Grandaddy’s pop-up camper while we finish a bathroom in order to move in. We are enjoying dining on the deck in the evenings.


Papa worked hard to provide us a working kitchen this weekend, and hopes to have the REAL stove functional by the end of the week. Have I told you today how wonderful he is?


Look! Running HOT water!



The Visits!

We’ve been blessed with visits from family and friends the past few weeks.

Auntie Paula, Uncle Lee and The Cousins were here for a week in June (along with Granny and Grandaddy).

Blue Lantern finally met Squirt Boy, his one and only cousin so far, and gave Squirt Boy his first underdog.

Super Climber taught Squirt Boy how to climb the stairs. He was fascinated by her walking abilities, too.

Wonder Woman greatly enjoyed the hammock in the yard with her brother, mothering the dogs, coloring pictures and going on walks.

The older kiddos braved frigid Alaska waters and swam in Birch Lake with Grandaddy. They also had a super time playing with our friends Isaac and Abigail, and we of course ate at the Drive In. (More than once. Wahoo!)

Aunt Jessica visited the following week. She also experienced fine Drive In cuisine. She and Squirt Boy had a grand time!

Last weekend, Jim and Nancy from Connecticut stopped by while driving from Prudhoe Bay with Nancy’s brother, who just completed some work up there. Sadly, they didn’t see any critters on the way down, but we are glad they stopped by to see us!


Other Random Things

Thought you might enjoy seeing Fuzzy with her namesake. (I know you’re shocked to learn Fuzzy Butt is not her real name.) The irises grow wild all over town; they’re beautiful!


Miracles DO happen! My beautiful tomato plant drowned in an afternoon thunderstorm several weeks ago. I poured water out of the pot, and sadly watched the perky green leaves shrivel, blacken and fall off. Not being one to bury my dead quickly, the pot sat on the porch with my other plants (which fared a bit better, but not much).

We drove into the yard one evening about a week ago, and I yelled, “Stop the car!” I ran up the stairs, and saw this. I guess it’s not REALLY dead…..yet!


I also promised a picture of Aunt Jessica’s bag. She liked it.


We celebrated the 4th at our town’s little shindig. Papa threw an axe for fun. Squirt Boy waved a flag. (Notice how the flag matches his groovy shorts.) We ate DELICIOUS homemade ice cream. We moved over to our new place. It was sunny and beautiful. No, we didn’t see any fireworks. They don’t do them here until February. It’s not dark enough at night in July.

The following weekend, we went camping with the Ruse and Whitson families at Tangle Lakes. It rained, but we ate S’Mores and enjoyed great company all the same. On the way home, we explored some new territory for future camping excursions.

After camping, Squirt Boy went to a “Look Who’s Turning One!” party along with four other little ones who have birthdays this summer. We had glorious weather and a great time watching all the babies play and eat together.

He especially enjoyed the sandbox. We now have five bags of sand waiting for a new home.