Weekend fun!

Daddy got home from being gone all week on Saturday morning. It was a nice surprise! The weather was perfect so we got to enjoy lots of time outside. Saturday was a birthday party for a little girl,Kinley, that does gymnastics with Lance. Everyone had a blast at the party. There was a bouncy house, sprinklers, a trampoline, and other fun stuff. After the party we thought we would try our luck at fishing. Well the only thing we got to bite was the mosquitoes! We left the lake and went straight home. The kids didn't get bit since I had sprayed them down at the party, but poor Andy sure did. 

Sunday was church. We have started going to a very new church. Each week there are more and more people so its great to see the church grow. I love how personable it is and how we are becoming such great friends with everyone there. The other church was so big that we always felt like the new people and never saw the same people twice. We have lots of chances to get involved with our church instead of just being a seat warmer. 

Sunday was such a great day! We had a wonderful message at church about prayer, then a quick trip to Walmart, then home to enjoy being outside washing both cars. The kids loved helping daddy wash the cars. They did a pretty good job too! 

After working so hard the kids were beat! The both took a 3 hour nap at the same time! It was great! Daddy & mommy got some much needed alone time! Plus, we got some fun things planned for when grandpa & grandma Conway come in less than two weeks!

Sunday evening was spent around the fire pit. We roasted some marshmallows and made s'mores. It was so much fun and sticky! 

We love having daddy time! We had the perfect weekend with amazing weather. 

Growing and changing

Yesterday Lance & Lexie had their very first dentist appointments. Lance went first. The hygienist gave him some cool froggy shades to wear. Lance was a champ and did everything she ask him to do with no fuss. She was super impressed with his behavior. He has great spacing between his teeth so that means his mouth won't be crowded when adult teeth come. The only concern is that Lance has an under bite, but it could correct itself when adult teeth come in or may need helped out when he is older. For now, he is looking good!

I love how relaxed he looks in this picture!

Next up was Lexie. Lexie started off by covering her mouth and saying, "No touch my teeth!" The hygienist bribed her with the cool heart shaped shades and after that she was a champ. Lexie's teeth are looking great! Great spacing and a great bite! I couldn't have been more proud of my big kiddos!! 

My kids are growing up so fast!! Lexie has went through a major growth spurt. She is a super fast runner, but lately I have noticed my little girl is pretty clumsy. She is constantly banging her poor knees  from falling. Lexie is also sleeping allot. She sleeps 11 to 12 hours a night plus about a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. I guess playing outside in the sun and growing are really wearing her out. Lexie has also developed a huge personality lately. She kind of has an attitude toward others. At home we don't have a problem, but she definitely doesn't like others touching her or telling her what to do. Lexie is all about being a pretty princess. The other day I had braided my hair and she said "mommy, you're a pretty princess!" She even commented on my mom's long nightgown. She said it was a pretty princess dress. 

Lance is growing super fast too! He has made the transition to a booster seat and he is loving it! Lance is so caring and loving. When daddy is away he becomes the man of the house. He loves hugging and kissing on me. He always ask me how I am doing and if I need help. Daddy is such a great example of how to be a gentleman. Next week Lance will move from the 3 & 4 year old class to the 4 & 5 year class in gymnastics. We are looking forward to the change and learning new moves! 

Life is happening so fast. Kids grow up so dang quick. Some days it seems like there aren't enough hours in a day. I am so blessed to be able to enjoy these fun moments everyday. 

One of the kids favorite things to do is going to open gym. Open gym is a time that parents can come with their preschool kids and play together with them. Lance doesn't really need much help on the gym equipment. He is becoming quite the pro. Lexie loves mommy helping her reach the rings and hold her hand on the balance beams. 

I know I say this all the time, but I truly am blessed by God to be these awesome kids' mom!! 

Birthday pictures!

Lance's birthday pictures are done! I am so happy. Here a few of my favorites 

O happy day!

Today Lance started out the day by asking "Mom, can we go to the zoo today?" I started to say "no" but then realized I had no reason to say no. I got some chores done while the kids did some painting then we made our way into Anchorage. 

This time I brought along the monkey leash for Lexie. When it comes to animals this girl is out of control! I was definitely glad I brought it too. 

The Alaska zoo is perfect for little kids. It isn't super big, but has lots of cold weather animals that most other zoos don't have. The paths are covered in wood chips and they have lots of board walks. Another thing I love about the zoo is that the animals have large pens. 

Lance was adorable! At the entrance they gave us a map and he decided he was going to navigate the zoo for us. He did a pretty good job too. 

Lexie's favorite part was the petting zoo. She loved the goats and the rabbit. When some other kids came in and wanted to pet the goat she yelled "no, that's my goat!" 

This silly old bear had an itch. He was quite funny to watch.

The best part of the day was while we were eating our snack I got a phone call. Someone had found Happy!!! I was so excited I was crying tears of joy. We left rite away and drove to pick her up. Happy had missed us too! She had been very well taken care of though. 

Thank you, God for bringing our doggie back home to us! We have missed her so much!!

Wednesday-Tuesday

WEDNESDAY

*us girls went to some shops. Mom & dad have 11 grand kids and needed to find souvenirs for 9 of them. The guys went & did some fishing since shopping really isn't their thing.

*that evening we drove down to Cooper Landing and took an awesome float trip. It was so beautiful and we all enjoyed it.

The favorite part of the evening when we took a little ride down a side road and spotted some bears. It was so awesome to see them in the wild. One of them was huge! It definitely made me glad to be watching from inside the truck.

* Thursday we took the ferry to Cordova. This time it was the fast ferry so it only took 3.5 hours to get there. The people (Nate & Rebecca) we stayed with lived in a very big round house rite on the lake. They have 4 kids (6,5,2 and 9 months old) so Lance & Lexie had some buddies to play with. They loved catching minnows (baby salmon) out of the lake and play in the tree house, complete with a kid friendly zip line. 

* we tried our luck at salmon fishing but we were a couple weeks early for the salmon run. 

* Andrew & dad went out halibut fishing a couple times.

They caught a 65 lb and a 20 lbs halibut along with some creeping looking fish. One was a wolf eel and dad caught a spiny fish called an Irish Lord.

*the house on the lake was a perfect place to have bonfires at night. Everyone loved sitting around the fire. It was the perfect way to warm up.

Cordova is considered a rain forest so most days it rains and the temperature doesn't get super warm there. While it was in the 70's in Eagle River it only got to about 50 there. Mom wasn't a fan of the damp cool temperatures.

SATURDAY

Nate had the week off, and living in Cordova he has to cut lots of wood to get ready for winter. He also has to make sure he cuts it ahead of time so it can dry out some before winter. Dad & Andy were more than happy to help. Dad cuts wood all the time anyway. 

* mom & I took the kids to the beach during low tide to explore. It was so much fun!! We found lots of crabs, some nasty looking worms, lots of seashells, and a baby eel. The kids could have stayed forever. They love every minute of it.

* Lance and Ellie, who is 5, were the best  of friends. It was so sweet to watch him with her. When they were fishing he would bate her hook and even cast for her. He was so sweet!!

SUNDAY

*we woke up bright an early to catch the ferry to head back home. We really enjoyed our time in Cordova!! 

*once off the ferry we were headed back to Eagle River. We made a couple stops along the way though. The first stop was the Wildlife Conservation Center. They have lots of Alaskan animals. Most are animals they have raised there at the center. Some were abandoned as babies or their mother's were killed by hunters or on the highway. A few were injured and are there to be nursed back to health then released back in the wild when they have fully recovered. 

*our next stop was lunch at the Turnagain Arm Pit BBQ. I love the name and the BBQ is wonderful!!! The name comes from the location in the Turnagain Arm. 

*sunday evening was spent doing laundry. We had lots of smelly fishy clothes to wash plus I had to get Andrew ready to leave for Fairbanks on Monday morning.

MONDAY

*Monday was mom and dads last day in Alaska with us so we just wanted a nice relaxing day. Andrew left early that morning. 

*we did some fishing at mirror lake. I caught a small trout and so did Lance. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand more then they did fishing. That's ok. Dad, mom & I enjoyed ourselves just fine. 

*monday night we were all pretty tired and we had to be up super early to get MawMaw and papa to the airport so we all went to bed by 8:30.

TUESDAY

* we were up by 3:30 am to get mom and dad off to the airport 

* we sure will miss them, but next month we will be visiting them in Missouri for 12 days.