12 weeks old and cuter every day

Twelve weeks and going strong! Little Kieran has been a busy little baby over the last couple of weeks. Here he was on my first day back to work. He and Max took a snowshoe walk down the property line into Goldstream valley. Well, Max took the walk. I think Kieran mainly took a nap. The weather has turned a bit colder again and we're glad to have his little bear bunting...he's fitting into it better these days.



Kieran's nap didn't stop when the walk did. What a little boy...he's not even walking yet and he's already bringing the forest into the house on his little feet!


We hit a milestone with his favorite swing over the weekend. For the first time we tipped the seat up and gave him the toy bar it came with. To our surprise he went right for the toys and played for over an hour before falling asleep.


Another milestone...Kieran found his thumb! He still spends plenty of time sucking on giraffe's horns but his thumb is always there...giraffe isn't quite so reliable.


Tummy time. What a little cutie.


All that playing really takes it out of a baby! Time to recharge.


On Sunday the Easter bunny made a stop while Kieran napped. He's not a big candy eater. What a coincidence that the Easter bunny filled Kieran's basket with Daddy's favorites.


Max and Duff have been working on the deck over the past week or so. Today the rest of the trex will go on and the railings should get started. We can't wait to lounge out here on warm Fairbanks summer evenings!


Daddy time at the end of a long day.

The wedding of decades past

Surely it was a wedding first...a retro ski-themed wedding in an ice hotel at a hot spring in Alaska. Leave it to Paige and Cody to come up with that one! A most unconventional wedding for a wonderfully unconventional couple. Congratulations Cody...way to go Paige!


Max keeps Kieran busy and warm while we await the arrival of the bride. Max sported a 70's ski jacket complete with an ancient Alyeska lift ticket still clinging to the zipper. Very cool!



The nervous groom takes in a little calming music. These two sure can play with cold fingers! I don't know how they did it.


The ceremony was so quick we didn't have time to take pictures! Well, it wasn't quite that short, but it was too dark. Moving on. To quote the bride immediately following the I do's..."Let's drink!" The bartender lined up carved ice martini glasses lickidy split and we were all treated to an delicious appletini while we congratulated the happy couple.


A barstool. Everything in the hotel is made out of ice, except for some strategically placed pelts.



The happy mother of the bride. Probably not what she always dreamed she'd be wearing at her only daughter's wedding! Hurrah to Paige's mom and the rest of the family who all happily jumped into this adventure feet first and got decked out in retro thrift store duds!


Lookin' good Tom! Love the 'stash.


Max's fancy camera work highlights Jeremy's retro fashion sense. You're living in the wrong decade, man.
There were even a few official uniforms from the 1988 Calgary olympics in attendance. Well done. You can find anything on EBay.


We moved on to warmer accommodations following the ceremony. Cody and Paige reveal their party outfits to each other (and to the peanut gallery) for the first time. Holy s#@t! Paige is wearing a dress!! We hope not for the last time...you look maavalous dahling. Cody, you don't look so bad yourself. And you have to appreciate the matching nuptial bunny boots.


Rachel and I kept it real...Rach was reliving her junior high days in the late 80's while I took a further trip back with a vintage 70's number. What a wedding...what a party! Thanks to Paige and Cody and their families for putting together such a special and totally unique event. Great to welcome you two to the married ranks :)

March skiing on the Tanana

March is a beautiful time of year in the interior...long sunny days and mild temperatures make for some of the best skiing of the year. We took advantage of the break in the house action on Sunday and went out for a late afternoon ski on the Tanana R.


Mommy pulled Kieran the whole way! That's a lie, but I did get to try pulling Kieran in the Chariot shortly before we made it back to the car. Pretty fun, but I'm not sure I'd like it so much on an uphill! The river snow machine traffic makes for beautiful, wide ski trails and miles and miles of fast and flat skiing. Just keep an eye out for those speedy machines coming around the corners!


We were all happy to get away from the house for some sun and fresh air. Maybe next spring we can get back to the daily ski outings.


And Kieran was happy to try out his super warm and fancy booties - a gift from Tuuli's parents, Bodil and Rolf. His little feet were toasty warm at the end of the ski...thanks you three! I'm excited to have boots that the kiddo can't kick off! We know Kieran and Tuuli will have lots of fun together at Junior Nordic!


Mommy takes Kieran for a spin...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Kieran got all dressed up in his greenery today. The only pinches he'll get will be on those cute pudgy cheeks! Happy St. Patrick's Day :)

Progress continues on the house but we ran into a couple of small snags last week. Our counter top didn't get ordered until Friday due to some miscommunication between us and the store...urgh! Another two weeks on that. And our oak stairs came in but the treads don't quite cover the super-deep steps that Marcus built for us. Another re-order...custom made this time. Joy. However, we did get some good news that made all that bad news easier to swallow. We had our energy efficiency rating done last week. Everything from the amount of insulation, the number of windows, the degree to which the basement walls are buried below ground level, and the "leakiness" of the house is taken into consideration. In the picture below the leakiness is tested by blowing air out of the house with a powerful fan while measuring the change in air pressure and the amount of air that can be pulled through any leaks in the exterior walls. We got the results on Friday...five star plus!! With this rating we'll get a substantial break on our financing (and bragging rights). Congratulations go to Max for being so meticulous about sealing every pinhole in the vapor barrier. Looks like it was all worth it.


To celebrate, Max shows off his mad diapering skills.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

We're thinking about you and we are looking forward to a visit in June! Kieran was a bit preoccupied with his giraffe and he didn't realize what day it was...a birthday treat should arrive tomorrow. He hopes you're doing too many fun things today to notice it's a bit late :) We love you!

The ice park

This week wonderful friend Ann came for a visit. She lives in Anchorage but we still only get to see her once or twice each year because she spends so much time working in remote places researching seabirds and generally staying out of the big city. For the first time in years she won't be heading to Greenland this summer so maybe we'll actually get to see her a bit more than usual. She and Max went for a tour of the neighborhood trails while I stayed home keeping Kieran company after he received 4 vaccinations earlier in the day. Poor kiddo. This trail is down in the valley below us and connects to our trail up on the ridge. Can't wait to get out there exploring!

Later in the week we met Ann and some friends at the ice park. The world championship ice carving competition is held in Fairbanks each year because lakes around here provide the clearest and best carving ice around. It's a great event for the rest of us - these sculptures are amazing.


We had Kieran out in his super techie baby buggie for the first time. This little stroller converts from wheels to skis to bike trailer and back to stroller in no time. I think it may be Kieran's second home this spring and summer.


He was uncertain about it on its maiden voyage. He was plenty warm but maybe a bit lonely in the little cabin all by himself. We'll take him out during the day next time. It is a pretty strange scene to be trying out a new mode of transportation - lots of bright colored lights and large machines moving heavy pieces of ice around. I don't blame him for wanting to retreat to the car for a reassuring nursing session while Max hurried around the rest of the park snapping pictures. All in all it was a successful outing though. We didn't freeze the baby and Kieran lasted nearly 2 hours before letting us know he'd had enough of his new super deluxe ride and the ice park.


Maybe it was this scary sculpture that turned Kieran's attention toward the exit. Creepy.

Early March

Last week Kieran discovered his cute little giraffe - a Christmas present from his Uncle Adam and Aunt Danica. He loves staring at all those colorful spots and nibbling on his horns. We're pretty sure that Adam and Danica sent this with the hope that Kieran will be as hooked on his giraffe as their little Payten is on hers. Well, he's on his way. I'm sure we'll be sneaking this one into the wash to remedy the stinky horns just like they have to - only when the kiddo is asleep!


A bedtime cuddle with Daddy. Kieran is going through a daddy phase right now and Max is loving it. He calms down immediately when I turn little K over to him. Kieran already knows that his daddy doesn't take any funny business at nap time. He knows mommy won't let him cry - mommy's a bit of a softy.


We got tired of moving our two chairs from one room to another so we went out and bought some furniture to put in front of the wood stove. Unfortunately there's no room left for us. Apparently the cats have been waiting as long as we have for a place to lounge. This was hours after the couch arrived and they haven't moved much since.


The kitchen is looking more lived in and is completely functional but we've still got that darned cardboard counter top. We've finally got a real one on order though and we should be burning that cardboard by the end of the coming week - fingers crossed. We're still waiting on a few other bits and pieces - like the range vent cover and a couple of missing cabinet panels - but for the most part the counter top will finish the kitchen.


One more picture of that little cutie (stuffing giraffe's horns in his mouth). We had a 2 month checkup last week and Kieran weighed in at 14 lbs 10 oz, 24 inches long, and advanced for his age. By that I mean he's cooing. Apparently we're a couple of weeks ahead of schedule ; ) We had to dip into the 6 month old clothes this past week - it's crazy how fast these little guys grow out of their clothes! I swear he only wears each outfit 2 or 3 times before we have to put it in the "too small" bin. No wonder all those used baby clothes look so new!