Ice Sculptures

Yesterday the kids and I went on an outing downtown. The temp outside was 5 degrees. We went to look at the ice sculptures in the park. There were Japanese artists creating peices of art out of huge blocks of ice. They were all disney themed. There were cars, trains, and scenes. We took a few pics and then walked quickly to the mall before we froze our ears off. LOL :> It was something we have never seen being that we are from the desert.

My journey to Adak, Alaska

Every year Alaska Airlines picks 1 remote destination to bring Christmas to. They give gifts to all of the children that live in the town, bring Santa and Mrs. Clause, and provide a party there and back for all of the employees/family/friends that travel on the flight. My friend Sara took me with her family on the Santa flight to Adak Island. It is the most Eastern part of the United States and is part of the Aleution Chain. There are close to 100 people that live there, 37 of them are children. The looks on their faces were priceless as they were able to see so many people...all there for them!

We had a blast on the flight! It was so beautiful to see. I'm so glad that I was able to be a part of something so wonderful. I will never forget it!

Christmas 2011

December has been a very fun month! The primary was in charge of the ward Christmas party this year, so me and my counselor planned and decorated for the party. We had Jason make clay oil lamps for the tables, and paint a mural of the 3 wise men on their journey to find the baby Jesus. We had so much fun decorating! We even had traditional food during the time Jesus was on the earth.

Christmas was great fun too!

School Christmas Program

The kids performed in their School Christmas Program. Hunter was part of the choir, Parker and Gunner played the recorder, and Jacey played her cello. They did a fabulous job and we had a wonderful dinner.

Scouts

Because we have 3 boys, scouting is a huge part of our lives. Hunter just turned 8, so he is in cub scouts too! Jason is the scoutmaster, so he is able to be Parker's scout leader. Jason took the scouts on a camp out. They camped on a frozen lake and did some ice fishing. They built a fire and cooked out on the ice too!

Hunter's Baptism & Birthday

We went on an adventure for Hunter's Birthday! We traveled down the Turnagain Arm and traveled to a town on the ocean called Seward. It was very beautiful that day (and cold). Jason baptized Hunter in Resurrection Bay. It was a very special moment. We had the cars heated up right by the ocean so that Jason and Hunter could jump into the warm car and change. They both said that the water was much warmer than the temperature outside. Daniel and Kadie Dahl came as well as Jason's boss, Jared and his family. We ate at a Mexican restaurant afterwards and then traveled home for Hunter's birthday party. It was a day that we will never forget! I inclued a video of us on our trip to Seward.

Thanksgiving 2011

We had Thanksgiving with the Sister Missionaries from our ward this year. It was a lot of fun! Since Gunner is allergic to turkey, he got his very own Cornish Game Hen. He was pretty excited about that. We have much to be grateful for!

Tae Kwon Do

The kids started Tae Kwon Do this year and LOVE it! They have learned so much and they all earned their yellow belts. They go up to four times per week and one of those days is for sparring.

Jason and Parker on their bear hunt

Jason and Parker had a good time on their overnight bear hunt in the Alaskan Wilderness in September 2011. They hiked their hearts out! They were on the tail of a large male black bear, but it got dark before they could catch up to him. Maybe next time boys! :>

Jason's Arctic Carribou Hunt

I headed up on my first Alaskan Big Game Hunt this last week. I left Anchorage on Wednesday afternoon and we drove all the way up past the Arctic Circle. We were Caribou hunting. The Northern Lights were out every night. We layed there and watched them glow that haunting green color and dance across the acrtic night sky. It was amazing. The Caribou hunting was slow. In fact, we missed the migration. We only saw two caribou the whole time, but we were able make a move on both and were able to take them. We backpacked out onto the tundra about 5 miles in. We sat and watched Grizzly Bears on the same ridge we were camped on. They were awesome! But, I will admit, it made it a little nerve racking to sleep in the tent. I kept my .45 colt under my pillow all night! We quarterd the 'bou and packed them out. We cut some loin and fried it for dinner one night, it was amazing. We saw dall sheep, moose, grizzly bears and caribou. Oh, we also ran into some ptarmign. They were very cool birds. I actually was able to sneak up on one and stalk it through the spongy tundra and I caught it by hand! It was a very cool trip. Alaska is an AMAZINGLY beautiful place. The Brooks Range is so awesome that it is humbling. I hope that you all enjoy the pictures.

Lewis Summer 2011

We have had such a great summer! We have been able to explore more of alaska, catch a truck load of fish, and even spend time with our parents. We've been to Valdez, Seward, and many more beautiful destinations! Here are some pics of our summer:

What we have been up to lately :>

We have had a lot of fun during the past few months. The boys participated in an ice fishing tournament in Wasilla. It was pretty crazy driving on the frozen lake to fish. All three boys won a prize and they were excited!
Both Hunter and Gunner wrecked their sleds into an ice ramp that they built in the backyard (even though I had just warned them about the importance of protecting our heads when we are outside playing). That talk lasted about 5 minutes. I was grateful that they were both OK.
We had fun at the Iditarod last week. Our family put our winter gear on and headed for Goose Lake where we were able to see the sled dog teams pass. We cheered the teams on as they ran past us. Parker was able to get two dog booties. He was very excited!
Jason ran with the reindeer. This is an anual event here in Anchorage. The streets were packed (almost impossible to get through) as everyone prepared to watch the running of the reindeer. Jason and his co-workers participated. The kids and I cheered him on from the sidelines! It was so much fun and we had some pretty good laughs as many slipped and fell (of course they weren't hurt or else we wouldn't have laughed :> There was no goring going on, just a lot of laughs.
Jacey had her honor orchestra concert last week. She did beautifully! She was one of only 60 in the whole Anchorage School District that was chosen to be a part of the orchestra. She worked hard and we are so proud of her.
Jason and I were able to see the northern lights last night.
The weather just started to rise this week and the snow is beginning to melt. Even though we are far away...we continue to love and pray for our many family members and friends. :>

Jason's trip to Valdez

In January, Jason had the opportunity to travel to Valdez (in Prince William Sound) to work a funeral. He was away for 2 days and saw some amazing sights! Here are a few pictures of his trip.

Pink Trees

Alaska is beautiful all year long. During the summer the trees are green and there are flowers all around. During the winter, everything is white and there are some beautiful scenes created by the sun. I found a great beauty during this time of year.....I call them my Pink trees!!! As we left the school yesterday, Jacey said, "Mom look at the trees...they are pink". The sun goes down pretty early right now since it is winter and as it drops just below the horizon, it reflects a beautiful pink color on all of the pure white trees. Since pink and white are my favorite colors, I love leaving work and seeing my beautiful pink trees. It is an undescribable scene.

Our December

We have had a very fun (and white) December. The kids have enjoyed playing in the backyard. They made a huge igloo in the backyard and they sled down the hill in the backyard too. We have 2 season tickets to the Alaskan Aces hockey team, so we like to take turns taking the kids. That has been fun too :> Even though we missed our families during Christmas, we had fun. Here are some pics to see how our December went. We love and miss you all :>

Ice Fishing 1/1/11

The boys had a good time ice fishing today. They used their fish camera and kept drilling holes until they found the fish. They all caught fish and had a good time. They used the sleds to get the gear back and forth from the lake. I think that this was a pretty good way for the boys to start the new year!!!