Home Sweet Home

From November 2004- November 2007 we lived in Alaska. They were three extremely difficult years. Winters (Oct. - Apr.) are dark, bitterly cold, and miserable. In 2006 Jonathan was tasked for his first deployment. That was 8 months of hell. The boys got terribly sick (4 weeks of Rotovirus). It was one trial after another. I was so happy to finally be assigned to another base. So when Jonathan got a few days of leave this month we of course went home--to Alaska. I don't know why I miss Alaska so much. But when we stepped off the plane and were greeted by 6* temps and snow we smiled. It felt like coming home. We spent three days in Anchorage. Here are the highlights of our trip:
Bowling:
Kade was hilarious. He would roll the ball as hard as he could and then lay down on the floor to wait and wait and wait until the ball FINALLY made it to the pins. Or he would roll the ball and then tiptoe backwards as fast as he could. Trayton actually got a spare once. He was very proud of himself.
Swimming:
All summer Trayton asked to go swimming. He finally got his chance. Kade's my jump on the roof daredevil. Trayton is my cautious, think before you act child. Trayton was so eager to swim that when Dad walked him out to the pool he ran and jumped. No life vest, no floaties, no swim lessons, and 12 feet of water. He sunk. But that didn't deter him. As soon as he was rescued, given a life vest and taken to shallow water he jumped in again. Kade on the other hand, clung to my neck with a death grip. He would not let go or loosen his hold. It's funny how you think you know your kids and then they surprise you by doing something totally out of character.
Eating out: I love having a good excuse to not cook.
Snowball Fights:
Of course you can't go to Alaska without having a snowball fight.
Planes:
The boys were SO excited to fly in a plane.
And finally the Alaska berry store:
This place had a 20 foot chocolate fountain. And as many different kinds of chocolate covered fruits, fudge, and candy that you can imagine. Heaven on Earth.

Halloween Week

The boys got to celebrate Halloween many times this week. Wednesday they dressed up for playgroup. Thursday they had a party at school. Friday was the Ward Trunk or Treat. That was the only night Jordynn let me dress her up.
And then of course Saturday was Halloween. We decided that the kids already had too much candy from the ward party so we didn't go trick or treating. Instead we had a cookout at home and roasted smores in the backyard. The boys LOVED it. The best part of the weekend was our visitor. Kayleen it was so much fun to have you here. Thanks for making me a little less homesick. The boys and I were so sad to see you go. I love ya tons!