To The Zoo!

This morning we met up with Amity and her passel of offspring at the zoo. With Grammy here, we just had to go at least once, right? We had so much fun. Zeke was SUPER excited and practically ran amok until I sat him down and had a little chat with him. I mean, it's one thing to be 5-7 feet in front of me, but it's a completely different thing to be on the other side of the zoo from me (he wasn't really that far from me, but you know what I'm saying). But he quickly calmed down and did a much better job staying with the pack.

The zoo had a few new baby animals on "display" including a baby musk ox, as well as the CUTEST baby polar bear ever. They only let her out of the infirmary from 11-12 and from 4-5, so we were able to see her out and about. But since she's behind bars all the time, it was hard to get a good picture, so I'm not going to waste blog space with pictures of animals. Well, I guess these animals are worth posting pictures of.

After spending 2 hours walking around and seeing all there possibly is to see there, we had some popcorn and headed home for lunch and much needed naps (even I laid down for a bit). A very good morning indeed.

We Laugh In the Face of Danger!

I am truly loving the weather we've been having. Spending hours outdoors each day has been wonderful. Take yesterday, for example.

Yesterday morning we went to the park for 2 whole hours. We stopped at McDs to pick up some lunch, then met some friends for fun. The big boys played and ran and jumped and rolled to their hearts content. Even Finn was great the entire time. You'd never know it was getting further and further past naptime (Finn usually gets a little cranky as his nap time approaches). And of course, 2 hours of running around a park meant 2 hours of solid nap time for all the boys. And, while we're on the topic of the park, I must say that I am impressed with all 3 of my boys who kept their baseball caps on the entire time we were there. Finn removed his a few times, but left it alone for awhile whenever I put it back on. They played so well with the other kids too. Zeke made up a game where a little girl would slide down the slide (with her mom's help - she was 19 months old) and slide into Zeke. Zeke would then "fly" off the slide and roll on the ground, causing the little girl to crack up. The girl's dad had a poodle with him, which he let Deacon and Finn pet (and Zeke when it was time for them to leave, ending his game with the little girl). It was such a good time.

As we were leaving for the park yesterday, we saw the baby moose on the side of the road, at the end of our street. As we turned the corner, Zeke got worried, and asked where the momma moose was. I assured him she was close by (and lest you're worried too, we spotted her right after we turned).

This pair have really been going about the neighborhood. This morning, as I came back in from putting out the garbage (at 6:30) I looked out the front window and there they were, right across the street. I'm wondering now where they were while I was out there, and how close I might have come to being seen as a threat and thusly attacked by Momma Moose herself. Not that she seems the attacking sort, of course.

That didn't stop Josh from freaking out when I texted him this picture last night though:

See, the boys were out back (at this point they were on the deck blowing bubbles) making all kinds of noise, as boys outside are wont to do. Oh, who am I kidding, boys will make all kinds of noise regardless of where they are. So, as the boys blew bubbles, Momma Moose came to the fence to check out what was going on. I'm pretty sure she was just assessing the situation. Zeke saw the moose and asked first if it could talk (thank you Disney), then asked if it could wave to him. I thought it was very cute, so I sent a text to Josh, with the above picture. Apparently Josh's immediate reaction upon opening the text and seeing the picture was "My kids are going to die." Puh-lease! I know moose can be fast and all, but I'm pretty sure I would have been able to grab both boys and get them safely inside (and probably out of sight downstairs or something) before Momma Moose could break through the fence, run across the yard, make her way up the stairs (I'm not even certain she'd fit up them with that big butt of her), and get at the kids.

Danger? Hah! I laugh in the face of danger. Hahahahahahahahahaaaa!

And of course, what would a great day be without a great bathtime?

I guess we've entered the season of almost daily baths. It's a tiring thought, but when I think about what it means (that the day was gorgeous and the boys spent a good part of it outside) I think it's totally worth it. We can do baths every night if means every day is like this.

A Good Afternoon

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful. The bigger boys asked to go out front to play, so I got them up a bit early from naps and took them out front while Finn continue to "rest". There was picking of berries (or bird grapes as Zeke started calling them yesterday):

There was picking of flowers (dandelions). There was "dirting the grass". Zeke remembered that all plants need dirt to grow, so he found some dirt and then sprinkled it all over the grass.

We were having such a good time, and the sun felt so glorious, that when Finn decided he was finished hanging out in bed, I brought him out too. He wasted NO time finding the dirt, and then eating the dirt. Unfortunately our front yard is a bit too steep for Finn's enjoyment. Still, he was happy sitting by the dirt for a good 45 minutes or so.

While the boys played, I worked. I got out the garden rake and started thatching the front yard. Here's what I got up after Round One (feel free to be impressed):

After I finished the yard work, I ushered the bigger boys into the backyard, and brought the baby inside. After 2 full hours of playing outside, I called the bigger boys in for dinner. (If you look closely in the next picture, you can *almost* see how dirty they got.) And since they were both fil-thy, we had a special treat of icepops after dinner.

Then it was time for baths, and She-Ra, and bed. All in all, it was a very good afternoon. A very good afternoon.

Nature! Goulet.

It's been like Animal Planet up in here you guys.

It started with the moose in the back yard (not actually in our yard, but just on the other side of the fence). At one point there were 3 of them back there. A medium sized one, then a big momma and her calf. The momma kept chasing the other one further and further away so the calf could run about as it pleased. (Once the calf goes behind the tree you can stop the video, I tried to follow it to the other side, but got distracted by Zeke.)

It's been fun. Also fun, is when Peavey caught (and killed) a bird Saturday morning and brought it home for us. Who's a good hunter with his big, sharp claws? Peavey is! When Peavey dropped off the bird, Zeke asked if Peavey shot it. I had to explain then how cats catch birds using their claws and fangs. Zeke was impressed, then pointed out how the bird is now dead. Which is good he realized the bird was dead, because shortly after our conversation about the bird, Peavey ate the bird's head. Yeah. No other part of the bird was eaten, just the head. My cat is so weird sometimes.

(I guess I should clean the back door again.) Shortly after Peavey had killed the bird, I took the boys food shopping. As we were walking across the parking lot, Zeke said, somewhat matter-of-factly, "So. Peavey caught the bird." To which Decon replied in possibly the most excited voice ever, "AND THEN HE ATE THE HEAD!" My middle child is so weird sometimes. And I'm guessing that my kids are not going to be bothered by death much. At least, not when it comes to the animals living in our neighborhood. Or, the animals no longer living in our neighborhood, I guess I should say. I am so weird sometimes.

My Apologies To Those Who May Be Squeamish

Last Wednesday, the guys Josh worked with here had a farewell lunch for him. While we were there, they presented Josh a really sweet bow as a going away gift.

What's really cool about this bow is that they had the Air Force symbol engraved on one side of it and the Army symbol engraved on the other.

So Friday afternoon, a squirrel dared to come out of hibernation a little too early and got itself killed by Josh (with the pellet gun). Always the clever one, Josh decided to set things up so that it looked like he had killed the squirrel with his new bow, and texted the picture (that I took) to his friend.

Yesterday, a second squirrel dared to show itself on our back fence, causing Josh to rush through the house like a crazy man. He emerged from the bedroom with his new bow this time. After mentally debating whether or not her really wanted to try shooting the squirrel with his bow, he drew back and let that arrow fly - right into the squirrel! You guys, my husband SHOT a SQUIRREL with a BOW AND ARROW! I'll spare you that picture since it's kind of gory, but as I saw the squirrel fall from the fence I immediately thought, "I guess I know what I'm blogging about tomorrow."

Now, to say that Josh was totally pumped about SHOOTING A SQUIRREL WITH A BOW AND ARROW might be a slight understatement (sorry to get all "capsy" on you there). But he really was totally pumped. And really, who can blame him?

Déjà Vu

After I wrote Tuesday's post, Josh and Zeke went outside and did even more work on the driveway. And since I got some good pictures, I figured I'd do another post about the state of our driveway, since it was just about finished.

As you can see, the ice at the bottom of the driveway was incredibly thick.

And yeah, we've pretty much acclamatied to Alaska weather. Josh was out there in the 33 degree weather in just a t-shirt. Of course, the sun was beating down and he was doing some hard work.

Zeke was also doing some "hard work".

When I took this picture I told Josh not to worry, that I had captured the moment he broke his back playing with the ice. (He didn't actually break his back, he didn't even get that piece of ice off the ground whole. He broke the giant chunk into smaller chunks and moved them.)

Eventually Zeke got tired of "working" and decided to play. And what better game to play when you're outside than Puddle Jumping.

By the end of Tuesday, Josh (and Zeke) had cleared most of the driveway. I asked Josh to leave that foot and a half of ice that you see by where Zeke was jumping because as the snow and stuff melts from the neighbor's yard, it trickles across our driveway. Not a big deal, except when it gets cold at night and the run-off melts and makes the driveway a slippery mess until the sun comes out again. That foot and a half or so of ice makes for some nice traction.

What doesn't make for nice traction though, is the 2 inches of snow we got this morning. That's right. After all the work the town did to clear the roads, and all the work Josh did to clear the driveway, it snowed. Again. It's not surprising since it is still March, after all, and last year it was snowing in May. It's just a little disheartening after all the spring-like weather we've been having. Also disheartening is slipping on said snow taking Zeke to the bus this morning, falling rather hard, pulling Zeke down with me. He was fine since he had his snowpants and coat and mittens on. I, on the other hand, have bruised my left knee, my left elbow, and the palm of my left hand. Sigh.

A Work In Progress

Starting last week (essentially), Josh has been coming home from work super early (a little after 11am yesterday and today, for example). With the weather being so nice, and the sun shining so warmly on our driveway, Josh took the initiative last week and spent an hour a day chipping and scraping away at the inches of ice covering our driveway. Of course, with the time change this past weekend, things have slowed a little since they sun doesn't hit the driveway as long as it was the week before, but it's still coming along.

Yesterday, he managed to get all of the stuff in the road up and a bit more from the right side, some of the pieces actually being 6 inches thick. Of course, yesterday he also had Zeke out there with him, telling him what to do. Today, while Zeke was getting dressed, he was telling me (again) about how he was out there with Josh, "shovelling" and picking up pieces of ice. At the end of his story he said, "I like helping Daddy."

Aaaand...that's all I have to say about that, soooo...um...The End!

Iditarod 2011

This past Saturday, Josh took the bigger boys to the Iditarod start, while I stayed home with Finn (because it was too cold for Finn [and me] to be out there is why). They had a great time. Besides splitting a reindeer dog (you know, a hot dog made out of reindeer), they got to see some of the dogs and racers start,

they got to see Izzy the Immunization Dog, and play with one of those face things (which was too big),

they went to the train station,

and to the ice sculpture display.

As you can tell by their faces, it was cold out there, but oh so much fun.

Oh, and the best part for me, besides getting to spend a morning with my sweet bug-a-boo, is the sah-weet boots Josh got for me while they were there. Apparently this once place was having a ridiculous sale and so Josh bought me some rabbit fur boots.

Aren't they lovely? They're rabbit fur and suede on the outside and wool and fleece on the inside. They are so warm and soft and while I didn't know I wanted them, I love them. And Josh says he feels better now that his wife won't be leaving Alaska without any fur.

So, a good Saturday morning all around.

February Photo Dump

I have a bunch of pictures on my computer from February that I guess I had intended on writing posts for, but now I think I'm just going to dump them all into one post so we can move on and write about whatever March brings us. And now, in no particular order, the rest of February:

This is my hunk, hoisting a hunk of ice he chipped off of our driveway on day.

Deacon worked so hard on decorating this chair. When he was finished he started singing to it. "O Christmas house, o Christmas house, something, something, something." (to the tune of O Christmas Tree)

If you thought Finn couldn't get any cuter, you should see him in a cowboy hat.

My couch got tagged one day. Thankfully he used the eraser end of the pencil and not the lead end.

Me and my boys. Not to mention further evidence that 3 kids is enough for me.

This gorgeous boy (sob! the hair!) was pretending that water tower was a megaphone. He's so clever and imaginative.

Ahh, a nice warm fire on a cold winter day.

Poor baby was having a rough time waking up this morning.

Finn decided he wanted to be "fancy" one day so I dressed him up. Eventually we did get pants on too.

On the 17th, Josh took Zeke to work with him. Since this is the last photo, I'll write a little more about that. A few weeks earlier, Josh had taken Zeke in for his 5 year check up. The original plan was for me to bring in the other boys, get Zeke from Josh's office, then take them all to the dentist. But the dentist wasn't there, so Josh took Zeke to work for a few minutes while he checked to make sure they wouldn't need him for the next half hour or so, then brought Zeke to school. Well, Zeke talked about going to work with Daddy for the rest of the day. He was so excited. So, when Zeke had off for parent/teacher conferences Josh took Zeke in to work again, this time for more then 10 minutes. They both had a great time and did a bunch of stuff.

Like sit on a stuffed musk ox that's hanging out in the building Josh works in. Good times.

And that wraps up the rest of our February. Good times, indeed.

And It Only Took 2 Hours!

They cleaned up the roads today. And by "cleaned up" I mean they brought out the big plows and got up INCHES of ice from all over the place. I know they do this every year, but it really is a fascinating process to watch.

See, it actually started one day last week when something came through and widened the roads by getting all the plowed snow off of the roads and onto our yards (yay). I'm not sure who did it since I was at speech with Zeke, but when we came home it was a noticable difference. Today though, it started with an initial plowing which left burms like this at the end of everyone's driveways.

After that, the big guy (who I think is responsible for widening the roads) came through and cleared all the driveways. Once the driveways were clear, this guy came through and just plowed the heck out of the street.

Leaving, of course, a new burm. A bigger burm. So, the first big guy came through again, and cleared all the driveways. In doing this, by the way, we all now have 4 foot walls of snow at the ends of where our yards are hidden under 2 1/2 feet of snow.

Finally, once the big guys were done, one more truck went up and down the street, clearing out all the driveways the rest of the way, and cleaning up all the extra snow and stuff that got left on the street. All told, it did take about 2 hours.

My favorite part of all this is that now we have about a good 6 inche drop at the end of our driveway. I'm not sure if any of the pictures really do it any justice, but it's about 4-5 inches of ice, topped with 1-1 1/2 inches of "snow" (really a snow/ice mixture).

At least the roads look great. Oh, and if anyone's as fascinated by this as I am, there are more pictures on flickr (which you can get to by clicking on any of the above pictures). I just couldn't help myself.