Halloween package from Grandma!

Last night we got a package from Grandma, who by the way...loves Halloween! Unfortunately I didn't open the box until the boys went to bed, but I was able to set up their things so that they would see them first thing in the morning! Ian was so excited about the pirate mask and the popcorn ball!! Declan slept in (shocker!) so when he started walking down the stairs Ian ran and got Declan his new kitty mask and was trying to get him to mew like a cat. The hats that she made were also a big hit, which I thought I would have a hard time getting one picture of them. They in fact still have the hats on as I work on this! I love it! So cute! Anyways, a big THANK YOU to Grandma and her amazing creativity! The boys love it all (especially the stickers, but they get those in moderation).



My little super kitty! Love those baby blues shining through!


The pirate formerly known as Ian. This is the only way I could get him to look at the camera!

Yummy popcorn balls for breakfast.

The Clouds part...finally!

Did I mentions how much I love the mountains around my house!? The clouds finally parted and I could actually get a good picture of them and the tons of snow that has been dumped on them. I guess I just don't want to take for granted this time and the fact that I live in ALASKA! It still sounds crazy to me for some reason. It's amazing how beautiful it is and how happy it makes me to have this opportunity even though I'm so far away from my family!

My little artist!

Lately Declan has really been into drawing, on almost everything! I find that he carries around a little Doodle Pro that keeps him quite occupied when we're just hanging around the house or in the car. I love that he has such pride in his artwork and has to run and show me every little mark. For some reason this just warms my heart, even if it's on the walls, books, and even his feet!

Here Comes The Snow and Other Craziness!

Yesterday was really exciting to say the least! I was loving the tiny bit of snow that was falling all day and just simply watching in work it's way down the mountains. This first picture is in the morning yesterday. The idea being able to watch the winter come down the mountain is so amazing to me! And because of that, it was a pretty nice day...until we were getting ready for bath time.

I figured I would check my email one more time before we headed upstairs for the night-time routine. The boys were playing kinda roughly, as usual, and then I heard the thump! Both boys were crying and at first glance Ian was fine and Declan was fine and then I saw the blood! Wow, head wounds bleed a lot. My neighbor (who is a God send, by the way) came and got Ian and within minutes Declan and I were off the the emergency room. I do have to send some praise the Elmendorf Air force Base Hospital ER, that was the fastest er visit I have ever experienced! A little numbing cream, a little wiping clean, a little dermabond (aka glue), and we were done! Home in less than 2 hours!



I love this picture because he looks like such a tough guy! But really it was first thing this morning and he was rather annoyed that I was taking his picture!



And of course Ian had to check out the damage on Declan's head and yes, I gave my kids a cookie for breakfast this morning. This is not a daily occurrence but I did find my self cleaning the kitchen from last night's dinner since I was so rudely interrupted but an er visit!

Another pleasant surprise showed up this morning. A little snow! I do mean little but I was still excited enough to take a picture.



Here is another picture of the mountain to the right of my house. I love comparing yesterday's to today's. I guess living in the south did something to my brain! I LOVE SNOW!!!! Hope you all have a great day!

Giggles

Have I mentioned that I love my kids? There is something so contagious about the laughter of children! I took a risk and a break from folding a giant mound of laundry to capture that beautiful sound! I hope it makes you smile as much as it does me!

Doing laundry...

For those of you that don't know, I really enjoy doing laundry for some reason!  The smell of dryer sheets and fabric softener, there is just something about it!  But yesterday's laundry was extra special because Declan really wanted to help.  I was thrilled until I opened the washer to put the wet clothes into the dryer and I didn't see him.  All I heard was his little giggles and as I bent down to put some clothes in this is what I saw:

 

He climbed right in like it was something he did every day and was just so proud of himself!  He is such a cutie!  In fact, he was so proud he needed to call for Ian to see what he was doing.  Just one more reason to love doing laundry and my boys!!

Another gift from up the nose...

So today brought another bit of excitement from my boys!  I just don't know what is bringing on this sudden need to stick things up their noses but today that was what Ian felt the need to do!  At least it was just a popcorn cernal and it came out with just a nose blow in a tissue, but come on!  I just have to laugh.  What is it that draws little boys to stick things up their noses?  Is there something I'm missing by not joining in?  Don't worry, I'm not planning anything, but one does have to wonder!  Hope this makes you laugh cause I know it makes me laugh!

This is the comparison of the two culprits that were found up the noses of my two little boys!

Trick or Treat Town

So Laura (Brianna, Justin, and Joshua), Rose (Baylee and Jack) and I took our kids to the Anchorage Trick or Treat Town.  It's basically a safe and little kid friendly place to take the kids to trick or treat about 100 "doors" put together by some of the local businesses around Anchorage.  The kids had so much fun!  Who wouldn't when your getting candy handed to you? Declan was really unsure about the whole costume thing, but that lasted about a whole 2 minutes.  Ian was so excited to be a pirate again.  I'm so happy my boys had a good time and were able to share that with some good friends!  Happy Halloween everyone!

And Again...Here Comes the Snow!

I'm totally excited so see snow on the mountain to the right of my house once again.  It had completely disappeared as of yesterday (shown in the first picture of the previous post Where is the snow going?).  But  the cloud cover parted long enough for me to get a picture of the snow that has reappeared this morning!  I have a feeling we will be seeing some snow in our yard shortly!  I don't know that I've been this excited for snow in a very long time.  I guess it was the last winter in Georgia that gave me such an appreciation for the beloved snow of winter.  I'm convinced that a winter without snow is just weird!  Don't get me wrong, I totally love warm weather and you can give me the beach in Hawaii any day, but there is something about seeing that fresh snowfall!  All sparkly and white, making everything look so clean and pure!  Can you tell I'm excited?  Ok, I'm done rambling.  Here's a picture of our most resent snow coming down the mountain!  Yippee!

And of course, I had to stick some random pictures of Ian in here just for good measure!  Have a good day all!

Sorry for the delay...

So it's been a little while since I last posted anything simply because Declan and I were sick (and no, it wasn't the swine flu!).  But I knew Declan was feeling better when he was running around like his normal self this morning.  He has been really enjoying coloring lately which I'm totally excited about but today I had a little surprise!  After he was done coloring he came to me and was saying his nose hurt.  I didn't think anything of it since I've been wiping his nose constantly and it looked like it was sore.  But he kept telling me it hurt so I took him to the bathroom to spray some saline up there.  It sucks but it does help you breath better when your sick.  Anyways, low and behold, this is what popped out of his nose.  For those of you that don't know, it's the tip of a crayon!  No wonder he was telling me it hurt.  I guess he is doing yet another thing I never had to worry about from Ian!  Nothing like keeping me on my toes!  Oh, the fun of having little kids!

Some more pictures just for fun...

Can I tell you, I just love the birch trees here!  They are awesome!  And the gorgeous blue sky isn't to shabby!  I hope to go back to this spot in the winter, spring, and summer just to get a perspective.  So much fun.These are pictures of the Eagle River and  the mountains right at the bridge before you get to my neighbor hood.  I love passing by here almost every day and as you can see there aren't too many leaves left on the trees here.  Even though it's been warm, I know the snow will be coming soon!  Weatherman says next week...we'll see.

And of course, one of my boys being extra brotherly.  They are so cute sometimes!  Ian was actually bringing Declan back to me after he tried to run down the street to check out the Giant blow-up ghost.  Notice the snow shovel in tow.  They are ready!

Beautiful October Day!

So it was so beautiful today and I was in such a good mood (since I finally got an appointment to put the tires on Ryan's truck) I decided that we would go to Kincaid Park in Anchorage. I just wanted to walk around outside and maybe get some pictures. Cooperation from the boys is always an ify thing when I have a camera and today was no different!

The Nortic Ski Bear just for Daddy!

The one patch of daisies left on our walk/run. By the way, this is Ian declaring himself the winner of the race.

Run is one thing the boys will do no matter what their mood. Just say ready, set, go and they are off!

Off the path and quite wet. Should wear boots next time!

Ian's look cracks me up and there's Declan just checking out the airplane flying by.

Feet in the leaves.

Very unhappy Ian at this point. Time to head home!

Ian picked me a flower and was so proud of it.

Little Declan is such the explorer! He loves checking everything out!

Where is the snow going?

So apparently something crazy is happening here in Alaska! The snow is disappearing on the mountains instead of coming down to us! It's like in the 50's today and it's October! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all! It's just so odd to me! I just assumed that I would be up to my eyeballs in snow by now. After all, it is Alaska! ; )

Fun at Bouncing Bears

So it was another rainy day and the boys just have too much energy to play in the house again. Where to go? Bouncing Bears of course! I really honestly think these things are awesome and completely drain the energy out of my boys. If I could meet the person that decided it would be a good idea to put a bunch of bouncy things in a big building I would owe them so much! Thank You Thank You Thank You!