River Rats

In June we took the boys on their first rafting trip down the upper section of the Nenana River. We went with our friends from Fairbanks, the Shill's, who have this huge cataraft so we were all able to go on that. The boys were not a fan of their life jackets and screamed for the about the first 20 minutes until Hayden finally passed out in Jeff's lap and Canyon decided to deal with it. After that we had a great trip with beautiful weather and scenery and friends. During the float, at one point, Canyon started saying moose, moose and we all thought, oh how cute he thinks there's a moose, and then Ali said, no there is a moose, and sure enough up river was a mama moose and a calf standing on the bank. Jeff was so proud, his little hunter can spot the game first even at 2!

Ali passed out on the raft

Doesn't get much better than this

Canyon's favorite spot to sit was on the dry bag in front of dad

Saige and Canyon

May Moments

Here are a few of the fun moments we had in the month of May by the May's! One of the highlights was getting the HUGE Spruce tree in our front yard cut down to allow more light in. It was very impressive watching them climb up it and cut it in sections on the way down.

The BEST highlight of May was that my brother, Nathan came and visited for almost two wonderful, glorious weeks. It was so fun to have him here to play with the kids and help with all the projects I have been trying to get down. I kept him very busy building a sandbox, putting up my green house, building a toy box for the girls room, going on runs and playing with boys. I did allow him to have a little fun and at the end of the two weeks we ALL cried when he had to leave. When I returned home from taking him to the airport Ali's first words were, "dang, now all of our free days are gone!" My thoughts exactly! We love you Uncle Nate Nate and can't wait for you to get back here and play!

Swimming at Chena Hot Springs when Nate was here:

Jeff with Canyon and Hayden

Little swimmer girl Saige

Big swimmer girl Ali

Little Daredevil Hayden

Little stinker Canyon with Uncle Nate

While Nate was here Saige also had a play at school that he was able to come and watch. It was rumpus in the rainforest and Saiger was a monkey.

A whole family of monkeys

We also went with Nate down to Denali for the weekend and went into the park to Tek, before the road closed, and had a picnic and went for a hike. The weather was beautiful and the mountain was spectacular!

Ali and Canyon

Nater with the boys

Our friend Jessie and her two kids, and the girl's friends Amelia and Reed also came along with us for the ride and hike

Doesn't get much cuter than Saiger

Another not so fun highlight of May was that there was the first wildfire of the summer in Fairbanks about a mile from our house. It was just over the hill that our house was at the base of. THANKFULLY the wind was blowing in the right direction away from all the houses, and the firefighters and planes were amazing, and they were able to steer it away from any structures or homes. It was exciting for the night though.

Our house sits at the base of that hill that the fire is behind.

Canyon helping Dad build the planter box for my greenhouse and staying extra safe by wearing his bike helmet.

I had to teach a lesson in Young Women's one week on temples and was trying to think of a treat I could bring that would somewhat go along. So I ended up making a temple out of rice crispy treats. The girls thought it was great.

Sporting the first sun hats of the summer, YEAH!!!! Canyon left, Hayden right

The Boy's List

Just some up to date pics of the boys while they are being cute. To remind me of the times they are so much fun instead of the times I want to duct tape them to the wall!Trying on sister's hat. Canyon left, Hayden right

Canyon had no hair for the longest time and then it seemed like overnight it all came in and CURLY. He could get the best fro's going until Jeff decided to cut it!

Wearing Dad's crocs. We love wearing everyone's shoes when we are not throwing everyone's shoes out of the box and coat room, usually into my kitchen. We spend hours every day trying to find where the boy's put all our shoes!

The funniest, smartest, cutest, mischievous, kid around, Canyon

The cutest, sweetest, athletic, temper throwing kid around, Hayden

Everyone tells me I need to journal everything these boys do each day, all the trouble they get into to, but it's beginning to be so common place that I forget it's nothing out of the ordinary. So I am going to try and write a FEW of the highlights that have happened lately. Remembering these are only a few of the ones I can remember, there are 100's that happen each week and day!

-Dumping the syrup bottle all over them, the table, the floor, and then Canyon thinking it would be fun to dump it on his head

-Throwing the entire box of 500 count q-tips down the stairs

-Hayden stopping and starting the dishwasher over and over again until it floods my kitchen floor, while I am trying to clean up the q-tips

-Dumping two flats of my flowers and tomatoes and throwing the dirt all over the living room downstairs

-Deleafing and dedirting all my plants

-Thinking it's fun when I put them down for a nap to climb under their toddler beds and push up through the bars with their feet to knock their mattresses off and them pushing the beds up and turning them upside down.

-Pulling the drawers out of the dresser to climb on top to get the container of Vaseline and proceed to smear all over self, wall, and of course eat it. Latter resulting in call to poison control but lady said no worries!

-Hayden kicking Jeff in the shin for getting mad at him

-Standing in kitchen drawers to reach stuff on counter

-Eating hand fulls of moose poop

-Dropping large amounts of rocks for days down our fuel tank pipe before we realized what they were doing and put a lock on it. Praying it will not block or clog our fuel this winter, aagghh!

-During meal times Hayden will always throw his food on the floor if I don't stand there and watch him every second and Canyon always dumps his bowl on his head.

-Pulling out all the petunias in my flower barrel that I have been growing most of the winter and throwing them into the bushes

-Canyon climbing under the bench at church during sacrament meeting and heading for the back door and while I am trying to catch him and bring him back Hayden escapes and takes off to the front where Jeff is sitting.

-Elderly lady at church, "I know it's hard for you but it's so fun for us to watch you and those boys!" I'll take comfort in knowing I can atleast me entertainment!

-Hayden today at church, before I could stop him, in the middle of the big meeting thought it would be fun to throw all of his matchbox cars he was playing with everywhere. Now Hayden is our very athletic one and so these cars were flying across the aisles, over benches behind us and in front of us. I looked up from getting something for Canyon to see everyone in a ten foot radius around us covering their heads and ducking for cover.

This is all I can think of for the moment that has happened recently. I will probably add to it as I remember or as the week progresses. This of course is just the troublesome list, they do have some very sweet, kind, fun moments that I will try and list as well sometime. They just usually get over shadowed by this much longer mischievous list.

Easter Fun

The boy's first real Easter egg hunt. Once they realized there was candy inside it was all over!

Ali, Saige, Siwah, Nila, and Hayden

Here are a few pictures from Easter. On Easter day we had our good friends the Welerton's over for dinner and the kids had a fun time playing, looking for eggs, setting up the tramp, and of course yummy food!

Jeff's Birthday

Jeff also entered the fun realm of mid thirties but did not have the option of a party. I took him out to dinner and then we came home and had a Dall sheep birthday cake and icecream. I just have the most wonderful husband ever and I am so glad he is mine!

Birthdays, Birthdays, and more Birthdays

The first day of being 6 is great!

Her fishing pole from dad

Saiger's birthday cake

So April is a big month for our family with my birthday on the 1st, Saiger's on the 11th, and Jeff's on the 21st, plus you throw in Easter and a trip down to Anchorage to go to the temple, and my first fun run on the year and that about wrapped up April for us. So my birthday, I don't like to mention very much, I am officially in the mid thirties which just feels so old, so we'll move on to happier topics. Like our sweet Saiger, who turned a much happier age of 6! For her birthday she wanted a skateboard. Not sure where that came from but we were having a hard time thinking of what to get her so we said why not. Then I was soooo hoping to for go a birthday party this year and thought we could do something fun as a family. I made the mistake though of giving her an option and said would you like to do all these fun things as a family or have a party, and she said she just wanted some of her friends to come over and play. So thankfully I have some wonderful friends who agreed to come on a very short notice and Saiger got her party! We love you Saige!

Spring Break 2011-Part 2

Here is the second part of my spring break, only two months later. I know I have been a huge slacker in updating the blog, but I am trying for redemption! So we got home on Thursday afternoon from the White Mountains and then I left first thing Friday morning to meet my two friends, Dana and Martha, for an overnight ski trip to the Fireball cabin up Ravine Creek. We had the most beautiful weather and completely enjoyed ourselves skiing with no kids and no dogs. It was one of those trips that you never want it to end!

Lora and Martha

It doesn't get much better than this!

The cozy Fireball cabin

Dana and I

Thanks ladies, can't wait to do it again!