Hunter's Tooth

Hunter had an infected tooth that had to be extracted today. It was his back molar and it was huge! It took a while to get it out. I'm glad that he won't be in any more pain now that it's out, but I sure wish it had happened two months from now after we have insurance. I'm glad he's OK and he sure is a brave, tough little boy. Such is life!

A very cool hiking experience

We went on a family hike yesterday headed for Rabbit Lake. It's a 6 mile round trip hike in some gorgeous country. It took us about 6 hours to complete and we had such an amazing time! The hillsides were covered with blueberries and we enjoyed picking them. We made blueberry waffles last night for dinner with the blueberries we picked. Gunner found walking sticks for everyone (which definitely helped). We saw quite a few big huge bull moose scattered about the mountain side. We also saw Dall Sheep. There was bear sign all over the place, but luckily we didn't run into any (I made Jason by bear mace-Just in case). I have to say that I have some very tough kids!!! I barely made the hike-it was mostly uphill and was a long distance. My kids didn't even complain or anything. We all slept like logs last night and my body is soooo soar from the hike (note to self: don't wear shape up shoes on a 6 mile hike-my body is hurting. I guess that's a good thing though). I hope the pictures really show the beauty that we saw yesterday! What an experience!

The kids started school

Jacey, Parker, and Gunner started school this week. Hunter is in 1st grade and won't start until next Tuesday. Jacey is really enjoying middle school so far and the boys love their teachers. Gunner's teacher loves rocks and numbers just like Gunner and Parker's teachers are a lot of fun!
Hunter got to hang out at the school (since I work at the boys school in the office). He decided to build a huge tower in the principal's office out of stacking cups. It was HUGE! Ivan (the school's maintenance man), put Hunter to work. He was using tools, carrying boxes, getting recycling bins from classrooms, etc. He even paid him $1 at the end of the day. It's been fun!

What our family has been up to for the past few weeks

*We have enjoyed Alaska so far. We like to take drives around Anchorage. On a recent drive to the outskirts of Anchorage, we saw some gorgeous scenery and crazy wildlife. From a short distance, we saw a HUGE brown bear. I was glad that we weren't too close.
*We like to take walks around our house. There is a red bridge and park right behind our house. It's very pretty (check out the pics).
*We have had many moose hanging around our house lately. A cow moose and her twins are here quite often. The kids and I were afraid to leave the house the other day because they were in front of the house. I was afraid that she would trample us. I made the kids run to the car one by one. It was an adventure! (There are some pics of the moose in front of our house in the slide show)
*We had 3 kids lose teeth this week (Jacey, Gunner, & Hunter). I wonder if the tooth fairy has any $ left :)
*The kids start school in 2 days! I can't believe that Jacey is starting middle school. We went to the school and walked around to see where all of her classes will be. Her school is brand new and very large. There is an indoor walking track, dance/aerobics room, band room, orchestra room(she will be playing her cello again), and they have so many amazing activities and extra-curricular activities that she can participate in. She is soooo excited!
I'm very happy because I am working at the school that my boys will be attending. I work in the office and will be on their schedule (which I am thrilled about). I asked why there was a blow horn in the office on my first day of work and laughed when I was told it was to scare away the moose. I am not at all used to Alaskan life yet, but I am very excited to learn it! I love my job and the people that I work with.
*I will post pics of the kids at their new schools after they start school. Of coarse we miss our family and friends, but we are enjoying Alaska. We are picking up heavy coats and boots wherever we can to prepare for the snow up ahead. We will make it fun and play in the snow!

Anchorage Downtown Market

We had a fun time at the Anchorage Downtown Market. There were many tents, entertainment, and really good food.

Forts, Forts, and more Forts

My boys love making forts, what can I say? They transformed their whole room into one big fort. They had tunnels, crawl spaces, and separate rooms inside of their fort. Boys will be boys, and I love them!

"I've been chatting online with babes, all day"

We love our Gila Badger Boy even if he chews on socks, stuffed animals, and plants!