What's new with m&m&k?

Happy Birthday :-)

2012-01-08T23:36:00.000-09:00

Kieran has been anticipating turning 4 for a long time so he was pretty excited when it actually happened...although he insisted he wasn't 4 until his party started. His first birthday surprise was a call from cousin Sammy who stayed on the phone while Kieran opened his super cool present...a Spooner! We haven't yet figured out all it can do but so far it's been pretty fun. On the floor. the rugs, the snow. Thanks Sam and Helen! I'm sure you'll be seeing this again on the blog...

Kieran had a fun group of friends and their parents over to celebrate. His only request: a pinata. They are waiting so patiently for their next turn...it got a little more competitive as the pinata got closer to spilling its contents.

Bam!

It took a few turns but they finally did it. The pinata scramble is always exciting!

The construction theme continued with a construction cake, complete with cookie crumble dirt.

These boys haven't seen dirt in awhile! They were all over that thing with the toy construction machines. It was really amazing how quickly they got to work. Not exactly what I was picturing when I was imagining unveiling it but really cute anyway. Lola looks a little concerned about her piece.

After cake there was some bulldozing that needed to be done!

Kieran received some very nice presents...this is even better than the version at Lola's house! Plus, there's no little 1 year old destructor walking around trying to grab the gears :-)

The party construction vests have gotten a lot of use in our house since the party. I hope the other kids have been equally productive in theirs!

Playing with his new buddy baby T-Rex.

Oh, looks like someone is getting sleepy. Time for a nap...

First a hug.

Baby T-rex in his nest with mommy T-Rex keeping him warm.

This one requires a little explaining...Auntie Helen gave Kieran this dog two years ago for Christmas and it really hadn't gotten very much attention, until now. Kieran is a champ at repurposing toys and this is a perfect example. Grandma gave Kieran a dvd of the movie "Babe" about the little pig who decides to be a sheep pig (as opposed to a sheep dog). It has become Kieran's favorite movie and his favorite character (maybe more so than even Babe) is "Fly", the farm's female sheep dog. So this husky is now an Australian sheep dog named fly. Ironically, she is often hooked up to my skijor harness (I don't think Australian sheep dogs actually skijor much), attached to Kieran, following him around the house as he drags her from room to room. Unless she is riding on his shoulders, that is.

Happy Birthday kiddo! Keep up the good work :-)

New Lower Angel Creek Cabin trip

2012-01-02T23:17:00.000-09:00

This time last year we had just returned from a trip to the Lower Angel Creek cabin with Grandma. Here's a photo of us and the cabin from that trip, which turns out to be one of the last photos ever taken of the cabin because several weeks later it was accidentally burned to the ground. A little sad, but like the northern region superintendent for Alaska State Parks put it, "Of all the cabins out there, if I had to burn one down, that's the one I would have burned." Harsh, but true.

So this year, when the new replacement cabin was available for reservations we got online and got in line to check it out. We had a reservation for the day after Christmas, for which temperatures were forecast to be -20 to -30F. Not ideal for the 2 hour ski in with Kieran, but we remained hopeful. As the day approached the cold front was delayed and delayed again. On the morning of the 26th temps were only -10 at the house so we decided to go for it. Not too fast though, because Max also had a plan that day to ski his age in kilometers at Birch Hill...50 km later (no, he couldn't stop at 40km), past dark and almost dinner time, Max came home and we loaded up the car and the kid and drove to the trail head. Kieran was a brave little trooper, enduring blowing snow and gusting winds in the parking lot as we got the gear and his Chariot in order for the ski in. Once we got him bundled up and tucked into his cozy ride he was cheerful and excited to get moving. The ski in was lovely, not too cold with clear skies and a perfect trail. I could here Kieran behind me chatting to himself and quietly singing Christmas carols.

We arrived at the dark cabin, which was colder inside than out, at about 9pm. Max got a fire going and it didn't take long to get a hot dinner into us. It was far past bedtime but Kieran, too excited to close his eyes, chatted in the dark until after midnight.

In the morning, after a sleep-in and hot breakfast Kieran was excited to get out and try his new ski poles that Santa left under the tree for him.

And we had our first chance to really check out the new cabin. It's much bigger than the old one and in a much more attractive location. It has a great deck that is really going to be appreciated during warmer months.

It was just a little colder the next morning but the cold front still hadn't materialized.

We went to see the old cabin site. Nothing there but an undisturbed snowy clearing...and an outhouse.

Ski poles!

He's been wanting to be able to do this for a long time...release his ski bindings with his ski pole tips instead of his thumbs.

Sunrise.

Max found a pair of dog booties on the trail. Kieran tested them out. Woof.

When he was a boy again he helped stock the cabin for the next visitors.

Here's a look at the back room. It's a big space, great for spreading out and larger groups but harder to heat. Our three bodies didn't do much to fill, or warm it up.

Packed up, cleaned up and ready to hit the trail.

This is a great way to keep a little body warm!

He really snuggles in there!

On the trail back out. We had just met the couple that would occupy the cabin for the next three nights and Kieran, not wanting to be unsocial, peeled back his windscreen to say hi (mostly to their dog, I think). We made it back to the car and went home. That night temps were close to 30 below...sometimes things just work out.

Early winter and Christmas 2011

2012-01-02T22:45:00.000-09:00

In late September we had an early morning visitor to the deck. Kieran and I spotted something unusual as we came down the stairs one morning. Without turning on the lights we snuck to the back door and got a close up look at a great horned owl sitting on the deck railing. Beautiful.

Not long after that we had our first hard frost. Kieran was excited to scrape the car...he was still eager for winter at that point. I'm not sure he's quite so excited about it now that we're in the middle of a January deep freeze.

The first snow - oh happy day!Warming up and hamming it up in his new winter base layers.

The silly dance.Earlier in the winter we got a glimpse of some decent aurora that Max was able to capture before it disappeared, apparently for the rest of the winter! We've hardly seen any since.

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year and Kieran made the cranberry relish all by himself.A day or two after Thanksgiving Kieran said out of the blue, "Remember the Christmas drawers with the candy?" I said "The...huh?" After a little more explaining it occurred to me that he was talking about his Advent calendar, the one that he hadn't seen since last year. Good memory (perhaps reinforced by candy rewards). A few days later the elf put it out during the night and Kieran was thrilled to find it the next day.

With Christmas coming it was time to find a tree. Kieran insisted on being in charge of the saw.

Off to the spruce forest at the bottom of the property.

Still looking...it's a winter wonderland down there!

Found one! But will it fit?

This is why Kieran wanted to be in charge of the saw.

This is hard work. Kieran, still in charge, gets a little help from Daddy.

Timber!

Moving on to decorating.Ta da! Our tree and beloved cousin Sammy's sweater that Auntie Helen sent in the mail as a pre-Christmas surprise.

We had a relaxing and fun Christmas morning with some exciting surprises, like Kieran's very own salad spinner, thanks to Grandma. He pulled it out and made a variety of salads, mainly mixed toys.

And Buzz Lightyear wings and arms. He was so excited that he couldn't even look at us. Seriously, I think he was afraid he would embarrass himself if he let it out.

So he went to the chair where he quietly had a Buzz conversation talking into the chair. Then he started flying around the house.

Yes inspector?

I can't be sure but I think these are Legos...(thank you Auntie April! He LOVES them!)

We were invited to Lola's house for Christmas fondue dinner. It was a fabulous evening for all, particularly Lola and Kieran...

...who sang their school Christmas carols for the crowd...a new annual tradition, I hope.

Bushka's visit and Max's 40th

2011-12-31T19:23:00.000-09:00

At the end of August we had a very special visitor. Bushka came to stay with us for a week of walks, hikes, and more walks. We had some pretty terrific weather for outside time and the fall colors had just begun to turn the forests yellow.

Kieran took this picture on a walk in Creamer's Field where we saw the last of the geese and sandhill cranes before they left for warmer fields.

Then I got the camera back and made sure we got a good one of Kieran and Bushka to last us until we have another visit.Cranberry munching.

And mushroom petting.

It was an amazing year for autumn colors. Max took this at the top of our driveway.

Just past peak in the back yard. The brilliant sunny days seemed to go on and on.

On the road again...

Max hit a big milestone in September when entered the 40+ age bracket. We celebrated with good friends, a new grill, a bonfire and...rain. So the brilliant sunny days did come to an end after all, and just in time for our deck party. Luckily everyone came dressed for the weather and ready to have a good time anyway. Mike was one of the enthusiastic grill masters. Turns out guys really appreciate a clean, new grill.
With too many people coming to fit inside the house we had to come up with a plan B to make the deck more attractive for guests. If you have a deck and don't yet have a chimenea you should seriously consider getting one. We loved it during the party and kept loving it until the snow arrived a month later. We spent a lot more time on the deck than we otherwise would have. Plus, it's fun!

I surprised Max by bringing up our great friends Scott and Becky and little Quetzal for the weekend. Thanks to them for making the big drive!

We managed to get the party moved down to the bonfire and Kieran in bed before 11pm. We didn't get Max to bed until after 2am...a successful event. Thanks to Rachel for the clean up help. What a mess!

The not-too-tired morning crew. We woke up to pouring rain but seeing that we had such hardy visitors we braved the weather and hiked up Angel Rocks trail, visited the hot springs and had a great dinner at the local brewery. Then fell back into bed for some much-needed rest.

Westport 2011

2011-12-31T18:56:00.000-09:00

Since I'm not going to make up for the long blog inactivity over the majority of 2011 I'm just going to post some highlights from the last year, starting with a few posts from a trip we took to California that I started in May (Really? May?!?) and see how far I get. But before I forget...Happy 2012 everyone! Despite our lack of blogging, 2011 was good to us and we hope it was to you too.

Here are some pictures from our time in Westport this year, in no particular order. Max surveyed the mussel beds...not a harvest year, unfortunately. Kieran still pretends to dive for mussels though...in the bath, from the furniture, anywhere really. This tradition makes a big impression every year.

Casting lessons.Marit is a pro!

A warm up lunch in the kitchen after a chilly visit to the beach.

There are always projects to tackle here. Good thing Torin brought his tools. "Team Workers" kept busy for three days fixing everything from doors to floors.
Another happy birthday for Alegra! We were all hosted to a wonderful lunch to celebrate. Can't beat birthday lobster!

A more typical meal in Westport...friends and family around the dining table. If only we could do this all year round.

Wandering back from the wharf.A quiet moment between cousins.

And checking out the critters from the sea floor.

No mussels here!

Time with Grandma and cousin Elizabeth

2011-12-31T18:38:00.000-09:00

After Westport we joined my side of the family in Rhode Island. I guess I didn't take my camera out for most of it. Too much relaxing? Here are some from a visit to Mystic Marine Life Aquarium. Our first stop was the sting ray petting tank. This is all Kieran wanted to do for the rest of the day but we managed to check out some other exhibits before returning to the rays on the way out. His cousin Elizabeth gave him a stuffed sting ray that day..."sting ray" has been a favorite companion ever since.

Wow! I'd forgotten how impressive the displays are there. Who doesn't love to see a whale from underwater?

These baby turtles looked like they needed a hug.

In the fish nook.

And in the bird house. Everyone loved feeding the little birds.

A penguin! What's a penguin doing here?!? It was lots of fun at the aquarium and with Grandma and Elizabeth and the rest of the cousins and aunts and uncles. I wish I had taken some pictures at the house...I'm lucky I have these!

Stops on the way home...

2011-12-31T18:37:00.000-09:00

We stopped in at Grandpa's farm to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Lee and see how the veggies were coming along. Kieran's favorite thing to do at the farm is go shopping for lunch. Then we have our usual lunch (and supper) of summer squash and onions. Yum!
"Helping" Grandpa with the tomato sorting.

After a quick farm visit we had to make our way back north and had another visit with Bushka and Grandaddy. Kieran helped where he could. He watered some of the garden plots on a hot day.

These could use a drink...

Three generations of handsome men. We had a very nice visit and Grandaddy and Kieran shared an emotional moment over a skinned knee. We've been grateful for the sweet moments we've had with him over our last couple of visits.

Before heading home we had a relaxed, shady walk on one of the trails nearby. Kieran brought beans for the squirrels which he left at every squirrel hole we saw.

Here you go little squirrelly.

Then we found ourselves back in Fairbanks. Our garden had done some fine growing while we were away. We had a great crop of broccoli this year. We planted it in the spot that the corn gerw in last year. Kieran wants to grow corn again. Maybe he had enough broccoli :)

Our little sweaty gardener.

Yosemite Valley

2011-06-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

In May we made a quick trip to California to attend a reunion of Max's national champion ultimate Frisbee team in Santa Cruz. Since we were going to be in the neighborhood we extended our CA time and spent a few days camping and hiking in Yosemite NP. Kieran is a BIG fan of camping without mosquitoes.

Eating meals by headlamp is hard to beat.

With noodles for dinner every night Kieran couldn't have been happier.

The only entertainment he needed was the fire pit.

We took a walk to the giant sequoia grove and found some snow along the way.

Amazing trees.

Back in the valley we had a picnic lunch in a meadow across from El Cap. Nice view!

Spying on the big wall climbers through the wrong end of the binos.

Post lunch siesta.

And back in the car for the big ride to Santa Cruz. This was the last day of our Yosemite time but the photos ended up in a strange order so the posts to follow show more from the park...

The Mist Trail

2011-06-13T11:55:00.000-08:00

More Yosemite...we spent our only full day at the park walking the famous Mist Trail. It was a highlight of the trip. Here we go...

Checking out the Merced River on the way to the trail head.

Checking out the falls in the distance.

We weren't quite prepared for the "mist" part of the trail which is a 100 ft climb up slippery stone steps while getting soaked by mist from adjacent Vernal Falls. Kieran was particularly unhappy with us, having surprised him with two of his least favorite things...wind and a cold shower. He recovered after a snack and warm wrap on the side of the trail while we chatted with other chilly hikers on their way past us. In hindsight we should have suspected something was up when we passed wet, garbage bag-clad groups of Japanese hikers on their way back to the trail head. Oh well, we've been forgiven and now it is one of Kieran's proudest moments of back country hardship.

Warmer, drier, and mostly recovered, back on the trail above the mist.

First glimpse back down the valley.

Our lunch mates at the picnic area at the top of Vernal Falls. Persistent little buggers.

We had some company to this point but from here on up we had the views mostly to ourselves.

On to Nevada Falls.

What a beautiful day! We couldn't have had better weather, the best weather day of the trip.

4,000 ft up is the top of Nevada Falls, a beautiful and tranquil spot with a spectacular view of some of the most famous peaks in the country.

Looking over the edge of Nevada Falls.

Whoaaaaa!!!!

Half Dome.

What a view! Liberty Cap with Half Dome in the background.

Too bad Kieran slept most of the way down and missed this. He was a champ, sitting in his backpack for 7+ hours that day.

Yosemite Falls from a meadow in the valley. The second half of our trip continues on the next page...

Yosemite to Santa Cruz

2011-06-13T11:51:00.000-08:00

One last look at Yosemite valley.

Kieran summited Half Dome during a quick stop on the way out of the park, with some assistance from his climbing partner.

Back at the Sequoia grove...where's Kieran?

Beautiful

After a long drive through golden hills and agricultural land we made it to Santa Cruz. Kieran was ready for the long-promised beach.

We spent a morning at a gorgeous spot north of town, apparently also popular with the nude bathing/nude jogging scene. Maybe they all are down here. Kieran didn't seem to notice but be had to be careful where we pointed the camera.

Great climbing!

We finally made it to the house where the big reunion was being held. A reunion bike ride ended up in more than a couple of bruises and scrapes and limping ex-Frisbee players the next day.

It was definitely a boy's weekend. Kieran had a blast!

Gotta love it.

The weekend ended with a day at the Banana Slug ultimate Frisbee home field. I'm going to throw these pics up and hope that Max will fill in some text. The team obviously hasn't lost the bond that they had back in college.

Santa Cruz to Fairbanks

2011-06-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Kieran made a friend of his own during the 20 year memorial game. Future Banana Slugs?

Did somebody say banana?

The love circle. This lasted awhile.

Kieran's new hero...at least for the rest of the afternoon.

Round and round...Kieran was working the brakes. OMG...THE BEST!

"That was the most fun I've ever had on a bike...EVER"

It was a great reunion but it was time to go.

Back home and back to his own bike. Harvesting the horsetails in the yard. The work is never done.

Hanging out with reindeer

2011-06-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

Max went to an end of season ski club fundraiser and won an invitation for an up close visit with reindeer at a small reindeer ranch across the valley from us. They had several adult reindeer and two brand new babies just a week or so old.

When they say up close, they mean it. No fences between you and the animals here! The babies were still learning to eat lichen and the kids were delighted to offer them fistfuls of it, most of which fell to the ground for the bigger animals to clean up.

The adults were bigger than we expected, especially next to the little kids. We had to be a little careful with the moms - particularly the one with the antler - who would do their best to stay between us and the babies, but this nice girl named Olive didn't have a baby and was gentle as could be.

Lola and Charlie came too.

The tiniest baby named Rufus was definitely Kieran's favorite.

Jasper was the most subordinate member of the group and the only adult male. Max gave him a good scratch during a rare moment when he wasn't being chased away by the ladies.

Kieran even took Jasper for a walk before we said goodbye and drove home to warm up with some hot chocolate. Thanks to Running Reindeer Farm for offering such an intimate and relaxed visit with their reindeer.

Gandma's big project

2011-06-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Kieran is a project guy so it was with great anticipation that he waited for Grandma's holiday visit and the start of his carpentry apprenticeship. It was a long wait but he was patient and filled his time with small projects of his own.

Grandma's tools began arriving before she did. Kieran explored each one and incorporated many of them into his project play. He adopted them wholeheartedly and kept them safe in his room behind the door.

Then Daddy started bringing home tools for Grandm's impending visit. This was getting exciting!

Finally, Grandma arrived and she and Kieran were ready to tackle project window seat!

They did a great job and with Kieran's help (or in spite of it) Grandma built and installed our long awaited, beautiful and cozy window seat.

A job well done! Thank you Mom, we love it! NOW it's time to relax!

It's a perfect little reading nook or a quiet place to sip tea and watch for wildlife in the yard.

Lower Angel Creek Cabin trip

2011-06-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Window seat finished, we turned our attention to some actual vacationing on our holiday vacation. We got lucky with a warm break in the weather on the day of our scheduled overnight trip to lower angel creek cabin. We packed up packs and sleds and hit the trail to try and catch the four hours of daylight. We almost made it there before dark.

The cabin reservation was a Christmas gift from Rachel to all of us so of course she had to join us!

Kieran was happy to work on the wood pile with his new chainsaw.

He slept great between his uncomfortable, mostly awake parents. I insisted on 3 sleeping pads on the next camping trip.

I guess nobody else was taking pictures so Kieran snapped a few. Pretty good ones too!

Another from Kieran.

It was a fun, quick trip and a good way to get out and stretch our legs after some big holiday meals. The cabin was accidentally burned down a month or so after our visit (by recreating firefighters, no less) so it was nice to see the cabin one more time while it was standing. Luckily, it wasn't a favorite among cabin goers (including us) and a bigger & nicer replacement cabin is already in the works.

Time to hit the trail again.

It was 20 degrees colder the morning we walked out. Rachel came prepared with handwarmers to keep everyone comfortable and happy.

Kieran stayed nice and warm in his chariot. It will be sad when he doesn't fit in it anymore.

Our first sunlight over the hills, just before we arrived back at the cars. It was still nice.

Back at the trailhead. And off to the hot springs...

Fall 2010

2011-01-14T10:24:00.000-09:00

I'm thinking about changing the name of this blog to "What's old with m&m&k". Anyway, just to let everyone know (anyone still checking, that is) that we're still here...this is what we were doing six months ago.

Lots of skiing.

The ski lift.

Whoosh!

Wipe out.

Happy Halloween!

Kieran picked out the face and directed me with the knife. He was very pleased with the result.

Kieran and Sparky the fire dog during a spooky visit to the fire station. It's so embarrassing to show up in the same outfit as the host!

Trick-or-Treating via sled in Lola and Rachel's hilly neighborhood.

Kieran's first treat. I think he was surprised that it worked :-) People really do give you candy just for getting dressed up and saying those 3 magic words!

Kieran and Rachel were sledding buddies. It was a great night.

Creamers Field and Prince William Sound - Way back in September!

2010-09-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so when my dad calls and asks what Kieran looks like these days I know it's time to get something new up on the blog. Not so easy when you can't even remember how to log on. Sorry Dad, it has definitely been too long! Here's something from September that I almost finished 4 months ago. Check back soon for a deluge of pictures that, I hope, will bring us up to date!

We were all in town for the Sandhill Crane Festival this year which happened on a gorgeous weekend with the cranes actually in attendance. The festival, the weather and the migration don't always align so nicely!

Kieran was less interested in the birds than he was in running...everywhere. Our walk through Creamers Field turned into more of a jog as we rushed to keep up with Kieran while still taking in some of the poems lining the trails and getting a few glimpses of cranes when we could. At least until he tripped and fell on his bare knees. When he calmed down he only wanted to ride on Max's shoulders which gave us a chance to slow down the pace and take our time strolling in the sun.

Strolling through the woods bordering the fields.

Snack break. Kieran is a big fan of fruit leather. He's still working on the "F"...he pronounces it "hoot"

Back on his feet and back to running. This boardwalk was just too fun to resist! Now all the leaves are yellow and the cranes have moved on...I'm so glad we were able to visit with them while they were here.

On Labor Day weekend we made the long drive to Valdez with the boat in tow. We stopped overnight on the way down and camped near the Gulkana river. Kieran was asleep when we arrived at the campground so waking up in the tent must have been a bit of a surprise for him. He loved it! It was a clear and chilly night with a bright, late moon and coyote pups howling and barking in the distance.

Time to re-stake the tent! In the morning Kieran had to explore the gear and the campsite after sleeping through the set up the night before. He's a cute little camper :)

A few more hours of driving, a few stops in Valdez and a chilly and wet ride down Valdez arm brought us to the head of Jack Bay and our little cabin home for the next two nights.

There's the cabin behind us.

The next morning we woke up to clouds and sprinkles. We took advantage of the drier weather and visited Shoup Bay, one of the nicest spots in the sound and Max's old seabird research site.

This was Kieran's first time to Shoup. I think he was most pleased about how dirty you can get playing in the gravel left behind by the glacier.

Time to load back into the boat. Not before testing how far out toddler Extra Tuffs can go without being flooded.

Our second morning brought clear skies and gorgeous sunshine. And Kieran's first fish!

Max had a bit of work to do during the trip. Kieran was obviously proud of his daddy for the important work he was doing. He was very serious about helping, keeping a stern face while screwing and unscrewing tripod parts.

Work wrapped up and back to exploring.

A stroll up a hill between bays gave gorgeous views back toward Valdez.

Just a quick snack before returning to the cabin to pack up and make our way back to town.

August 2010

2010-09-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

August was rainy but busy around here. Here's some of what we did in no particular order:

Tanana Valley Fair: We did the usual first day of the fair with Kieran's daycare. It looked like rain but cleared up enough for most of us to feel overdressed. The pony wheel was back and Kieran enjoyed horseback riding even more than last year! While Kieran was waiting for his horse Max surprised us by showing up unexpectedly - I think Kieran was very proud that daddy was there to watch him ride the biggest pony there :)

Of course we had to take a bunch rides down the big purple slide!

Kieran's friend Lydia shared some of her cotton candy. It was a first for both of them...both reacted the same way; each looked at the parents and asked "Do I eat this?" Good question!

This game is so kids can practice their dipnetting skills for when their old, tired parents send them to Chitina for the annual salmon harvest. Kieran's dipnetting has improved greatly since last year!

Speaking of dipnetting and salmon...Max had a successful Chitina trip just a couple of days after returning from his month-long field campaign. What a schedule! We had an efficient processing week even with the less than ideal rainy weather for smoking. We had it all wrapped up in less than a week. Kieran will definitely be running the vacuum sealer next year. We couldn't keep him off the counter!

Here he's giving the vacuum sealer a hug. Right after I took this picture he kissed the newly-sealed pack of smoked fish. Have I mentioned how much this kid loves salmon?

Our garden continued to do well through August. We harvested a decent amount of veggies over the summer, but the most surprising corner of the garden was the corn corner. We managed to grow 4 ears of corn! It would have been 6 if a wind storm in July hadn't knocked over two stalks.

The Botanical Gardens on campus has been a fun place to visit this summer and in August the veggies, berries and fruit trees are in prime form. So are the wildflowers!

We had an after-work outing to the gardens with Chayce and a new friend Cody and their moms. There was lots of throwing rocks into water, running through trellis tunnels, jumping off structures, laughing, playing...it was a great time.

Kieran walked this water trough a bunch of times. He has his dad's balance and body awareness. I don't know how many other two year olds can walk a 5 inch wide, 40 foot long platform without so much as a bobble. He amazes me.

The moms stood next to this cabin for 20 minutes while the boys took our orders for food and drinks. They would yell out, "Mommy, what do you want?" or "Kieran's mommy, what do you want?" and go in and prepare it. When it was ready (seconds later...this was very fast service) they would pretend to throw it out to us. We pretended to catch it and eat it, exclaiming how delicious it was. It might have gone on all night if the moms weren't hungry for some actual dinner!

They wouldn't be boys if they didn't get completely filthy on the way back to the car. This was a very fun and very effective stall tactic.

The tall grass along the trail back to the parking area proved to be one of the best play areas of all. It was perfect for hiding and falling in and even pretending to swim. the boys really lost themselves in the fun of the moment, running and rolling over each other, laughing all the way back to the cars.

Pure summer joy!

Golden days Parade

2010-09-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

This past Golden Days week Rachel, Sue, Kieran, Lola and I braved the rain and headed out to stake out our spot on the Golden Days parade route. None of us had spectated this event before and we didn't quite know what to expect. It did not disappoint!

This parade is reported to be the biggest in the state of Alaska. I believe it! It was 90 minutes of fire engines, army vehicles, bands, tiny cars, pets, political groups, big AK politicians (more on that later), religious groups, floats and candy throwing!

By the time the parade ended Lola and Kieran each had an impressive load of loot to carry back to the car.
After the parade we moved on to the open house at the newest and biggest fire station in town. Kieran was a little overwhelmed with all the people and fire fighters. He has a book that describes all the important parts of a firehouse and the important job that fire fighters do. We had free reign everywhere EXCEPT the top of the poll. We learned that this is the tallest firehouse poll in the country! It WAS pretty tall.

Of course we had to check out the engines.

And we took advantage of the free lunch, complete with chips and drinks. Just as we were finishing our hot dogs and generic high fructose corn syrup drinks we were approached by none other than...

...our good senator Lisa Murkowski! She was actually responding to Rachel taking a candid photo of her while she was getting talked up by a couple of other constituents. When she was done with them she bee-lined it to our table (to the chagrin of the people actually waiting in line to talk to her!) and said "You can't take a picture of me without getting in the picture with me!" It was a little startling! We hadn't met her before and we were both impressed with her very genuine and warm persona. If I were republican I'm sure I would have voted for her in the primary...we'll see if she can stay in the game after November. If she and Joe split the Republican vote and a Democratic senator is elected, so much the better. You're nice Lisa, but nice isn't enough for me ignore your environmental record!

Two weeks of beach house hopping

2010-09-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

When it was time for Max to join us on the east coast, Kieran and I flew back to Logan where we managed to find Max within an hour of his arrival from AK. It was good to be together again with another two weeks of vacation ahead of us. We spent the first night getting caught up with Bushka and visiting with Ganddaddy before heading to the coast.

Ah, almost to Westport! Just a quick stop at the strawberry stand. I think we all ate our weight in local strawberries this year!

We made it! We wait all year to soak in the sun and eat good food on the back porch in Westport. We were welcomed by Alegra, Sam, Auntie Helen and Uncle Rob who had been soaking in the sun for a week before arrived.

The first order of business was celebrating Bushka's birthday. What a nice way to arrive in Westport! We were treated to a delicious dinner of local seafood. Thanks Helen and Rob!

We had the best stretch of beautiful beach weather we've had in years. Our daily schedule: breakfast, beach, lunch, nap, beach, dinner, beach walk, bed. Not a bad way to spend a week and a half!

Somehow Kieran and Bushka managed to fit some annual Westport chores into our busy schedule. They did a lovely job putting in the front garden together.

Westport birthday number two...Happy birthday Alegra!

Kieran is looking forward to joining Max on the water instead of just meeting him on the shore when the sail is finished. Maybe next year kiddo!

In the meantime he's learning the ropes...mainly where to hide the boat in the reeds in between outings on the water.

Getting familiar with the important Westport landmarks. Max has a lot of history at this spot.

We had three days by ourselves after Helen, Rob, Sam and Alegra left and before Adam, Danica, Payten and Ben arrived. We managed to entice Grandma down from Connecticut for a quick overnight visit and a mussel feast. It was a great way for Kieran to have some one-on-one time with Grandma before our week with her and his cousins on my side of the family.

Then it was time for our visit with Adam, Danica, Payten and Ben. Payten is a very responsible big sister and a patient and fun big cousin. Here she is helping Kieran decorate his sand "house". Bedtime stories with Bushka...we wish we could enjoy these more than once a year.

Danica likes a good Bushka bedtime story as much as the rest of the kids. Ben had to come back downstairs for this one after protesting his early bedtime from his crib. I'm with you Ben...you have to take your Bushka story time when you can get it!

Kieran loved the beach, especially running at top speed through the shallow surf.

Digging holes with Bushka.

And boating on the river.

That was fun! Gimme five Ben!

Hanging out in the kitchen reading more stories. A very respectable Westport pastime.

We ended our last day with a warm summer evening and a walk to point of rocks. Kieran spent the rest of our trip asking if we were going back to Westport. A question he continued to ask a month after our return home. What a special place!

We packed up our things and headed east for a long weekend at Grandma's beach house next. Here Kieran demonstrates his mattress deflation technique.

Another nice beach and another stretch of perfect beach weather. We couldn't have been luckier!
Kickin' back on the deck in a diaper eating local corn on the cob...Kieran made the adjustment to the new house just fine.

Keeping cool in the late afternoon heat with Grandma. That's a happy kiddo.

And feeding the ducks with cousin Graham. We had a terrific time hopping from one family beach house to the next. It's hard to imagine a better way to spend two weeks of summer vacation.

Off to Grandpa's farm

2010-08-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

Next on our itinerary was a visit with Grandpa and Grandma Lee at the farm. Again, we were incredibly lucky with the weather. The heat wave that gave us such perfect beach weather for two weeks broke the day we drove inland and we enjoyed temps in the 70's until we left for home. We heard the temperatures were in the triple digits just a couple of days later. Whew!

We took our traditional ride around the fields on Grandpa's farm cart.

We were a little early for the raspberries this year. It was slim pickins' but we did find a few just ripe enough to eat.

Apparently Kieran thought we were having a broccoli eating contest.

Kieran's driving improved over last year but he still needs to work on his steering.

The view from the house over the fields. The silhouette against the evening sky has hardly changed since I was a kid.

We had a short but fun and relaxed visit with our farm family...thank you Grandpa and Grandma Lee! We miss you!

We have been talking about a visit with our former Fairbanks friends Sarah and JR for the last few years and we finally made it happen this time. It was great to see them again and to finally meet their little cutie, Bobby.
They have a bit of a farm too. Kieran thought the hen house was pretty awesome.
"May we help you?"

Kieran is always happy to feed a new animal. "How about a nice juicy pebble for you, chicken?"
Chicken feet feel funny!

We took a break from the chickens to play a little ball in the driveway. Nothin' but net, baby!

It was great to see you guys! And it's good to see that you've managed to adjust to life "outside". Same time next year?

First stop on our summer vacation

2010-08-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

It's almost Labor Day so we might as well post a few summer pictures before the snow starts flying up here. Way back in June Kieran and I left Max at home and started our summer trip east early. We spent the better part of a week hanging out at a pool with good friends April, Jeb, Marit and Torin. We had a great time away from the pool too watching fireflies, peeking in on blue bird babies, eating peas out of the garden and catching up on what's happened since our time in Kiawah last year.

Every time we left the house (or returned) Kieran would take the shopping cart for a stroll. I'm not sure if the novelty was the cart or the sidewalks. Torin liked the new tradition too.

The zoo was a big hit with everyone. Kieran got his first look at a real giraffe. Very exciting!

Miss. Marit and Torin were looking for the alligators, both hiding out toward the back of the tank. Kieran was adamant about not wanting to see the alligators.
Baby Sampson and his mama.

Poop was the theme of the day. The first poop was left behind by this giant tortoise to the great delight of all of us.

This guy gave us the second poop of the day when he turned his back to the observation window and we all watched as he pooped in his hand! Kieran STILL mentions this at least once a day.

Marit showed Kieran how to feed a giraffe a sprig of leaves. Then Kieran got a turn. How cool!

The boys drove the Tunda Buggy through the Arctic exibit. The interior of the buggy is plastered with information about the history of Arcic tourism and other Arctic facts. One panel featured Dan Cox, one of the photographers from my cruise last October, and his years as a polar bear photographer in Churchill, Manitoba. It's a small world.

Some not-so snowy owls.

And a very hot and sleepy polar bear. It was about 90F that day. Argh. The bear should have been in the tundra buggy where it was air conditioned!

We left with some hot, tired, happy kiddos.

Nothing like a little local soft serve to cool you down in the dog days of summer!

Auntie April thinks so too!

We had a great visit and a fun time taking advantage of some of the kid-friendly offerings that we miss out on living in Fairbanks. We miss you guys! See you next summer!!

Memorial weekend in Gustavus

2010-06-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

With Max working in southeast AK for two weeks around Memorial Day weekend we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to squeeze in a short family vacation while visiting with some former Fairbanks friends living in Gustavus. The trip south was a big event for Kieran. Three airplanes and three airports each way...very exciting! And very exhausting! Kieran was terrific on the travel days - he even decided at the Juneau airport was the ideal place to begin his self-imposed potty training. We haven't changed a single dirty diaper since he asked me to take him to the bathroom in Juneau. Max and I must have done something very, very good to be blessed with this easy, and easy going, child.

Here he is after our short ride over the mountains from Juneau to Gustavus. He loved walking on the wing to get into the plane. We were met at the airport by good friend Janet who took us back to their place where Kieran continued the nap he started on the plane. We had to be up at 4am for the flight out of Fairbanks - it had been a long morning!

Max found us at Janet and Sean's and we filled the next days with all manner of Gustavus activities. Throwing rocks into the river was high on the agenda.

Gustavus is a scenic spot and we had perfect weather for sightseeing. Soggy southeast? Not while we were there.

Kieran was happy to be with his Daddy again.

Janet took us to the Gustavus beach for some relief from the hot weather. Two year old Téa was looking for some relief too! That was some REALLY cold water!

There was some first class tide pooling in the park and Max showed us his favorite spots.

Kieran wasn't terribly excited about tide pooling at first.

But after finding wiggly gunnels and worms and squirting clam siphons and baby sea stars under a few rocks he was hooked.

Happy tide poolers!

Pretty sea stars.

Once Kieran got into it we had a hard time calling him off. Just one more rock...

This is a gorgeous spot in Glacier Bay park, just down the road from Sean and Janet's house. Not bad for a back yard.

Beautiful field of lupines.

We gave the intertidal critters a break and headed for the forest. Nice to see big trees again!

REALLY big trees! Kieran was intrigued by the tree fungus. I don't know if he was getting a close look at this one or trying to eat it.

The river overlook was the end of the trail for us.
Sean took us out in his boat to check the family crab pot one afternoon. Kieran was deep into a nap when we were supposed to leave but he sprang to life when I whispered that it was time to go out in the boat. Nothing like the promise of a project with Daddy(s) to shake off sleep!

Three crabs in the pot...

And three keepers! We had a delicious crab dinner that night. Thanks Sean!

On the way back to the dock we did a little subsistence kelp fishing.

Here's Kieran giving me his newly acquired "Gustavus wave". Everyone waves in Gustavus - it's infectious.
Happy boys after the boat trip.

We had another trip to the beach on a low tide morning. Kieran had a blast chasing Max's Frisbee as he heaved it into the wind.

This never gets old. This only gets old for Max. Kieran can do it all day.

A rare family shot.

Kieran hamming it up on the whale watch charter boat. We spent several hours looking at and for humpbacks out in the bay. We had some success but Kieran wasn't especially interested in the whales and seemed to want our attention most at the exact moment a whale would surface.

So we missed more whales than we saw but we had a nice time on the water and we did get a couple of close looks at whale parts. Janet is a whale researcher - this is her office. Unfortunately, she had the entire holiday weekend off and couldn't give us a personal tour of the bay on this trip.
Going down...

And breaching...almost. I have a mental picture of a black and white body hovering above the water before Kieran demanded my attention. I don't know how he was able to tell when the whales were going to surface. He wasn't watching them but he sure knew when to make a fuss to keep us from getting a good look! In his defense, it probably seemed a little silly to a 2 year old to keep watching the water when the majority of the time there was nothing to see.

Our little distractor. He did great even after the wind kicked up and the boat started getting tossed around a bit. So far he has terrific sea legs.
Then the weekend was over, the rain and clouds came back, and we had to leave. Back in the little plane Kieran was happy to be heading home to his "meows". Shortly after I took this he was fast asleep. What a fun trip!

A smokey day in May

2010-06-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

We had an exciting Saturday afternoon in mid-May when high winds downed a power line just up the road from us. There had been little precipitation and the downed line ignited the brush just over the ridge, only a few hundred yards from our house. We were happy to see the impressive response from at least two fire stations. There was a larger fire in another neighborhood across town that was started in the same way, at the same time. It's nice to know that there are enough engines and manpower in town to respond to two potentially serious fires.
A look down the power line towards the fire. The lower access road was filled with another half dozen trucks and engines.

Another fire? Nope, that's just Max firing up the boat after its long winter rest.

The morning after the fire was clear, warm, and smoke free - a beautiful day for boating on the river. Kieran was even more excited about the boat this year than last. He takes driving very seriously. Rachel came along for the ride. What a great day!

The unseasonably warm temperatures and sunny skies in April and May made for a quick green-up this year. It's always special to see green leaves out in the yard after many months of white.

Spring house projects

2010-05-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy spring around here with much talk of gardening and house projects that need doing.

Kieran has been doing his part and helping where he can. His favorite accessory of late is Max's pair of ear protection headphones. He wears them for work and play and would likely wear them for everything else if he had his way. He has been right in the middle of the construction of our garden containers for the deck. He's an enthusiastic worker.

Getting some measurements for Daddy.

These two make a good team. Kieran beelined it out to the deck after his bath for two evenings in a row so he wouldn't miss anything. There's nothing like a good, solid day's work...before or after bath.

Max and Kieran did a nice job on the container project (a condition of approval of Max's field-heavy summer work schedule). Now Kieran and I can busy ourselves with watering while we wait for Max to come home in between trips (because we didn't have enough to keep us busy before...?!?).

Max collected a trailer load of soil for the containers, which greeted Kieran and me in the driveway when we arrived home in the evening. Kieran got right to work planting a stawberry patch. I was inside getting dinner started when he came in and pulled me outside to show me his work. I guess we'd really been talking up the garden. Kieran planted strawberries from the flat of beautiful, ripe berries we brought home from the market. Here he is counting the strawberries he planted for me.

I love this. Of course this is what a little one would expect a stawberry garden to look like!

Harvest time comes a lot sooner when you plant the mature fruit!

Just as we were beginning to think about playing the odds and planting before that "last frost" date we were surprised by a late snowfall that brought us back to reality.

Kieran couldn't have been happier. He had already harvested his strawberry crop AND he was able to give his snow shovel one last spin around the deck before summer.

Our budding outdoorsman

2010-05-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

Kieran has taken to spending as much time as possible outside now that the snow is gone and the temperatures are a bit friendlier. It's a challenge to get him in the house for meals, baths and bedtimes. For the most part we've let him sneak out to enjoy the evening sun at the end of the day when he should be heading upstairs. After such a long and dark winter we can empathize with his desire to make the most of every warm, sunny evening. In preparation of summer camping opportunities and spending whole nights outside we found a perfect Kieran-size sleeping bag that has become a very favorite thing. This is his first few minutes of getting to know his new bag and all of its features.

Happy outdoor kiddo!

After receiving the bag Kieran moved himself out of his toddler bed and onto the floor in his room where he sleeps every night in his sleeping bag. It also gets moved downstairs on chilly weekend mornings when Thomas the Tank Engine plays on PBS. We'll get the chance to try it out in a tent when we fly to meet Max out on field work near Glacier Bay later this month where we'll visit friends Janet and Sean and sleep out in their yard for a few nights.

With the snow gone we have begun exploring the woods below the house - now one of Kieran's favorite activities. Rufus won't be left behind on these backyard expeditions.

Some first tries at climbing trees.

Little buddies. Who needs a dog with a cat like Rufus?

This is one of Kieran's favorite features - the big hill. It has perfect steps for climbing up and jumping down again. The only downside of the big hill is an abandoned hare burrow at the top. The hole is a bit scary for Kieran, especially after Rufus found (and presented to us) the leg of a hare, most likely the one that was living in the burrow. How young is too young to explain that animals eat other animals? He was quiet for awhile after hearing that but luckily it hasn't quelled love of exploring the woods.

A few more Easter weekend moments

2010-05-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Max doesn't see the point of having an egg hunt without properly hidden eggs.

He was re-hiding eggs almost as fast as Kieran was collecting them.

A quick break in the hunting and hiding for a picture with Daddy.

Kieran's friend Lydia shows off a purple egg and her frog costume. Gotta love toddlers and their clothing choices!

We managed to leave the egg hunt with an empty basket and a very happy egg hunter.

Mid morning we changed venues and stopped by the "Mush For Kids" event. There's always time to drive the train.

Kieran is a big fan of slides. The faster the better.

We visited with the mushing dogs while we were there. Kieran ended up laying down and hugging this friendly guy. I put down the camera, imagining the headline: Boy mauled by sled dog while mother stands by with camera, so there are no pictures of the snuggle.

Now that was a fun morning!

End of March and Easter weekend 2010

2010-04-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Max skied in the "Retro Rendezvous" at Paige and Cody's. An anything goes, 7 mile, non-motorized fun-race on their local trails. Joined by Mette and Kieran for the outdoor pot-luck afterward. Duff's dogs are intently observing and awaiting their own outdoor pot-luck. Can you tell they're all related?

Kieran thinks it's perfectly normal to wear striped socks on his hands. "mitten-socks".

Kieran with Lydia's giraffe after the annual Easter egg and candy scramble at daycare.

We took Kieran to another Easter egg hunt at the UAF plaza. There were little plastic eggs everywhere and Kieran had no trouble filling his basket. We followed him around and re-hid eggs as fast as he could find new ones. In slightly more interesting hiding spots, I might add.
The snow was going fast in the prior week's warm weather.

Kieran came down to the kitchen Easter morning to find his very own easter basket Mette had put together for him. He loved the pig family and peanut butter cups.

For Easter lunch, I took Kieran to his friend Emmet's house for a big lunch, sledding and skating party. They flooded their own hockey rink this winter and everyone sledded down the trail to it for some fun skating. Here is a short video clip of Kieran's first slapshot. His interest in hockey is tenuous, especially when crowded by older and better skater, Emmet.

Spring skiing on the home slopes

2010-03-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Kieran has been having loads of fun in the driveway with his new downhill skis. I think he's been been bitten by the bug - no turning back now. Max is enormously pleased and proud beyond words.

Mom is pretty proud too :)

Here's a little footage from the slopes...

2010 World Ice Carving Championships

2010-03-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Over the last two weeks we have been visiting the site of the world ice carving championships, held each year here in Fairbanks. People from all over the world come here for our spectacularly clear lake ice. The carvings pretty spectacular two, but this year we've been spending most of our time in the "kid's park" and less time walking along the paths leading the the competitive artwork.

Yes, this is more our speed this year. A happy turtle greets the families looking for the ice slides.

We met Chayce there for an evening of playing. Here he is with Kieran making their way through an ice tunnel. There are nice holes along the tunnel to peek through, but they are most useful for tickling little tunnel goers.

Kieran in the igloo.

And out of the igloo...weeeeeee. We need to thank Grandpa and Grandma Lee for Kieran's terrific new winter down jacket. He loves it and calls it his "Green". We don't leave home without it :)

The ice park is greatly funded by corporate donors. Do you recognize Ronald McDonald in the background? Not wanting to encourage brand name recognition, we call this the Albert Einstein slide.

We do a lot of chasing Kieran through the ice maze. He laughs so hard he can barely run.

Here are the BIG slides! Lots of people even bring sleds to slide on, making it more of a bobsled run than a slide. We stuck to our snow pants for sliding. On Kieran's first solo run Max sort of dropped Kieran into one of the shutes and let him go. We watched as he bumped from wall to wall, all the way down on his belly. I was sure when he reached the bottom he'd look up at us crying with a "Why did you do THAT?" look on his face. Instead he jumped up an ran as fast as he could back to the top.

Up and ready for another run!

Chayce was less enthusiastic, but didn't let Kieran get in more runs than he did.

After the big slide we took a tour of the competitive sculptures on the "Choo choo". It's the first year for the free passenger service. It was a big hit with the boys, as you might imagine.

Another of the sculptures on the tour.

This is how we ended our evening with Chayce. What a fun night! We'll visit a few more times before warmer temperatures clear the ice, readying the park for summer when it transforms into an RV park.

Happy birthday Grandpa!

2010-03-10T11:37:00.000-09:00

A new year for Kieran

2010-03-07T13:27:00.000-09:00

Kieran rang in the new year with his best buddies, birthday cake and plenty of balloon dancing. We invited all of Kieran's closest friends and some of our own and partied like animals...until about 8pm. Here are a few of the highlights. Lola always seems to find her way onto the back of Kieran's bike.

After a brief "warm up" period and a little snacking it was time to party. There were several dance sessions, each one more enthusiastic than the last.

These kids know how to boogie!

This picture says it all...Kieran likes nothing more than a good party.

Everyone settled down for a few minutes to sing happy birthday. I think there was a lot of anticipation leading up to this moment. Kieran was speachless when we turned off the lights and he saw his cake with the lit candles coming toward him.

He has been practicing blowing out candles at friends' birthday parties, always taking over when the birthday boy or girl doesn't know what to do. This was a pretty big moment for him!

Then it was time for opening presents, of course. All the kids wanted a piece of this Play Doh play table set from Rachel. It has been very popular in our house ever since.

This was a surprise to both Kieran and me...Max secretly picked up a pair of down hill skis at a ski swap earlier in the winter. Kieran has since decided that down hill skiing is way more fun than cross country and he can ski down the driveway by himself pretty confidently now, as long has he has a "catcher" at the bottom waiting for him. Next year we'll have to teach him how to stop.

After presents it was time to bring out the Elmo pinata - hand made by Auntie Rachel. Everyone got a turn...whack!

Here goes Kieran's buddy Chayce. Whack whack!

Success!

Then it was time for more dancing...hop hop hippity hop hop a hippity...

And then, CRASH! You know it's been a good party when...

After Max kicked all the guests out of the house at 7:50 we hurried over to campus to watch the fireworks from the roof of our office building. You can see we weren't alone. It was a cold night but a good show.

Here's the view south towards town. Traffic was stopped on every road in the picture for the duration of the show.

Kieran and Auntie Rachel, post fireworks and just about ready for bed.

One last dance...happy birthday Kieran!

Christmas 2009

2010-03-03T14:47:00.000-09:00

Hm, what month is it now? Is anyone still checking this thing for updates? It's been a busy few months since Christmas - too busy to find time to sit down and blog, apparently, but the longer days and warmer temperatures are putting the pressure on us to purge some of the winter pictures and get ready for outdoor updates again. I'll also be thrilled to cross this off my to-do list! Here is our holiday season in a nutshell.

Kieran was very pleased to decorate his first batches of Christmas cookies this year. He was even more pleased to eat them, along with the many cookies that found their way to our house from friends and neighbors. I think it's safe to say that Kieran found his sweet tooth this year.

Sometime around Christmas we visited the Large Animal Research Station just down the road from our house. They do a holiday open house each year but this is the first time we've taken advantage of it.

We got a close-up look at the muskox at the farm. Kieran was super excited when the caretaker came up with a bucket of grain which he shook to get the animals to come in closer. They came in closer in a hurry - if you've never seen a muskox run you should really put that on your life list. After all the grain was on the ground the caretaker came back out and Kieran ran over to the shed where the grain came from, gesturing wildly to the caretaker that the muskox were obviously still hungry and he would be happy to get them more food. Sadly, the caretaker just chuckled and walked back to the heated buildings.

Here's Kieran watching the caretaker walk away. You can see the concern in his face.

We also got a nice look at the reindeer. As we were walking around one of the volunteers mentioned that they have to go through training to work at the farm during tourist season. Part of their training is learning to respond respectfully to tourists' questions about the animals, one of the most popular being, "Do the reindeer and muskox interbreed?"

We had a couple of chances to see fireworks around the holidays. Downtown Fairbanks puts on a nice celebration on the winter solstice; an important day up here, as you might imagine. We ran into Dana, our very special daycare...now I never know what to call her. Provider? Lady? Person? She's more like a member of the family that lives across town and takes care of Kieran while we are at work.

Merry Solstice!

Let's see, at some point we went to Valdez, though now I can't remember if it was before or after Christmas. Kieran met his new friends Fisher and Kinsey for the first time. They were instant friends, literally. We walked in the door after our 8 hour drive and before I had my boots off Kieran was walking through the house holding Fisher's hand, Kinsey on the other side, chatting about things toddlers chat about like they had known each other for years. It continued on like that for the rest of our stay. Here Kieran surveys one of the entrances to their snow cave.

It didn't take him long to dive right in!

Back at home on Christmas morning, the cats opened their stocking first thing so our day started with some good old fashioned cat fishing. Look at that technique! Nice form maestro!

Got one!

Then there was breakfast to make. Kieran got right to work in his new kitchen.

This was Kieran's reaction to his new friend. His very own sled dog from Auntie Helen! It took us (parents) a few weeks to get used to the dog. It was particularly startling when we walked in Christmas night after a long drive and it was waiting for us around the corner in the dimly-lit living room. We've gotten used to it but the cats are still wary.

Our little ham modeling my beautiful new sweater from Bushka. We both love it, thanks Bushka!
Here's another gift from Bushka and Grandaddy...an instant hit!

Lap 128...now that's a happy kiddo!

We finished off Christmas day in Delta Junction with the Masons and friends. They are getting close to finishing a new addition to the house and Kieran was happy to help, even on a holiday. Here he is "fixing" the firewood.

The carpet also needed some fixing. We had a great Christmas. We hope you did too.

'Twas the month before Christmas and all through the house...

2009-12-18T12:05:00.000-09:00

Life has returned to normal around here since returning from the Arctic. We have taken advantage of the mild winter temperatures so far this winter and spent much of the last month enjoying some fresh snow, sledding, and an outdoor party or two. With a forecast for more of the same mild temps through Christmas and a substantial dump of fresh snow in the last 48 hours we are looking forward to the holiday break ahead.

Now that Kieran is nearly two Max thought it was high time for him to work on his ski technique. This was his first go on the skis we found for him last year and he was excited to try them out. Looking good so far!

Weeeeee!!! He did great for the 15 minutes that he tolerated them on his feet. It was a good introduction to the sport - short and sweet. In the week following this outing Max tried too often to get him back into the bindings and Kieran seemed to protest louder with each of Max's promptings. After throwing his arms up in frustration and accepting the fact that Kieran was surely destined to become a snow boarder, or worse...a snow machiner(!!) he stopped pushing the skis. Surprise, surprise...in the last two weeks Kieran has taken to pretending to ski inside, complete with "Shwoosh, shwoosh, shwoosh" sounds and polling arm motions and quietly slipping his pajama footed feet into the bindings in the front hallway. It's that old saying, the more you push kids to do something, the more they resist. Needles to say, Max is delighted with Kieran's self-motivated interest.

After his short ski lesson Kieran turned his attention to something he knows he loves.

We had a nice snow storm before Thanksgiving.

Rufus likes to play in fresh snow too.

He is still Kieran's cat buddy, rarely very far from his side.

Of course, fresh snow means shovelling, and lots of it! This is what happens when we leave the house for daycare, or return from daycare, or go outside for a walk...Kieran's favorite activity is definitely shovelling, or at least it's a close second behind vacuuming. I hope he likes doing his chores this much when he's older!

More shovelling...

And more shovelling. Anytime we get fresh snow overnight I have to let Kieran outside at least 10 minutes early so he can get his shovel fix in before I load him into the car. As you can see, he's moved on from his little red "play" shovel. Shovelling is serious business and requires serious tools. He has been enjoying his fruit and vegetable cutting sets. He appreciates a good cutting surface - a giant butcher block is ideal. I tried to catch him while we was preparing his "salad" but it was already in the bowl by the time I had the camera ready. He uses the wooden knife (aka "Ouch") that came with the set for everything from opening boxes to cutting his own grapes for his snack. It's very useful and he keeps it at the ready. Grandma started him on the cutting fruits while she was visiting. Thanks to Emily for adding the cutting vegetables! It was the perfect present at the perfect time.

Kieran's legs have been doing some growing in the last few months and he can finally reach into the sink! He spends a lot of time like this "washing" dishes while I cook dinner. The dishes don't get very clean but dinner gets made and Kieran feels very useful by the time we sit down to eat.

Last weekend we took a walk down through the woods to the base of our property to find this year's Christmas tree. Max took this picture after Kieran had already pointed out lots of perfectly suitable trees that we ultimately rejected. I think at this point he was a little frustrated. We eventually found a nice tree and Daddy carried all the way back up to the house over his head. Kieran thought that was pretty fun to watch and was very chatty and cheerful on the way back home, rejected trees forgotten.

Tall tree, tired daddy.

Kieran stepped right into his roll as project manager for tree decorating.

After hanging all the ornaments Kieran waited patiently for daddy to return with the star for the top of the tree.

And finally the finishing touch! Kieran must be part of every project. He's a great helper.

Bring on the holidays...we're ready!

Mommy's BIG Arctic adventure

2009-11-15T08:26:00.000-09:00

A little more than two years ago, after much foot dragging and commitment dodging (and a bit of what I'm pretty sure qualifies as begging) I agreed to participate in a month-long research cruise in the Arctic. It had a lot going for it...a polar bear recapture study, an ice diving component, and very few other research groups on board to haggle over station time. As cruise time approached that original month expanded to 5 1/2 weeks and I began thinking of ways I might be able to get out of it. By cruise time I had managed to resist the urge to check myself into the hospital, break a limb, or otherwise come up with an airtight excuse to stay home. I can't say the time flew by while on the ship but I will admit that in hind sight it may have been a worthwhile adventure to be a part of, and it will be a story to tell Kieran for years to come.

Near the end of September we assembled in Barrow and waited overnight for the USCGC Polar Sea to show up on the horizon. I have a picture of myself in front of this sign in 2002, taken during my first visit to Barrow. Good ole' Barrow. I hadn't been back since Spring 2007 when Kieran was still a secret and I was heading into the height of morning sickness. I'm not sure I felt any better on this visit knowing I wouldn't see Kieran again for more than a month.

Barrow doesn't have a dock - deep water or otherwise - so we were transported to the ship via helicopter from Barrow's search and rescue building at the airport. Notice the high-tech refueling operation going on here.

Final preparation for the 1 minute flight to the ship. There was another group on the ship that needed offloading as we were being flown out for our cruise. The whole operation took most of the day. It was a good time to introduce ourselves to our cruise mates.

During lunch one day I sat with Bill, the helo pilot that flew me on to the ship, for the first time. During our meal we discovered that for part of the year he flies Max around the Aleutians...it's a small world up here. When I mentioned Max's name Bill chuckled and said, "So you're the wife who always told Max not to fly in marginal conditions!" And I told him that Max would always reassure me that he had a great pilot that wasn't interested in taking chances. It's moments like these that make living in Alaska feel so special.

This was my first look at the Polar Sea. This is also one of the only pictures I took of the ship. Now that I'm home I wonder why I didn't take pictures of the lab space, the galley, my stateroom(!!) with the incredibly cramped bunk space...the only thing I can come up with is that it was all too close...literally. Particularly the bunk space. I don't think any of us actually took pictures, though there was plenty of talk about documenting the uncomfortable little spaces we slept in while on board. I think deep down none of us wanted to revisit those rooms through photographs after we returned to real life.

Here's one of the helicopters on the helo deck. The refueling operation on the ship was pretty slick compared to the one in Barrow.

We had a welcome meeting after dinner the first night. It's both meant to set the tone of the cruise and to introduce safety procedures.
The bridge is long on windows and short on chairs. The only place to sit is the captain's chair and he doesn't share. We spent lots of hours up here watching ice go by, planning station deployments, waiting to hear from the helicopters as they chased down bears, or just generally passing the time watching the scenery.

Here's a view of both the ship's main stack and some broken thin floes. The ice provided an ever-changing view and back drop for sightseeing.

Another view from the starboard side with pancake ice in the background.

A more expansive view of pancake ice. This is an early stage of forming sea ice and must be one of the most photogenic stages. I never got tired of looking at it as the ship cruised along toward the next target bear.

My job on the cruise was to sample ice along the way, whenever the ship stopped long enough to let the polar bear team look for and process their bears. Once the ship stopped and was somewhat securely lodged in the ice we were lowered off the ship by crane on this platform. The bear guards always got the first ride.

Here's the "Coring team" in action. To the coast guard we were the less interesting and less exciting cousins of the "Dive team", though we were all part of the same project. I think part of the problem was that the dive team wore dive suits and we were required to wear the very same outfit that the coasties were required to wear whenever they went out on the ice - boring. Oh, and the other part of the problem was that anyone diving under sea ice in the Arctic is pretty dang cool - and we weren't them. We were okay with our lower status and I think our big drill eventually earned us some respect among the 18 year olds on board.

Measuring ice temperature. The procedure is slightly different for taking an ice core's temperature and taking the temperature of a toddler. Good thing because I'm pretty sure Kieran wouldn't hold still for this.

There was no shortage of documentation of this cruise. We had three videographer/photographers on board and when they weren't able to film/shoot polar bear recaptures (which turned out to be often) they were happy to get off the ship and document what the rest of the scientists were up to...even the boring coring team.

Here's photographer Dan Cox using strobe lights to try to make an ice core look exciting in still photos...with limited success.

We spent a fair amount of time waiting for our experiments in the ice and on the dive team while they finished their underwater work. This was one of the more dramatic dive sites - directly in front of the bow of the ship. The ice farther off proved too thick to cut a dive hole so the divers went in where the ship had already cleared a small patch of open water.

This is a typical dive site. See, the divers look super hard core. How can we compete with that?!?

Spooling the tending line. They all said that they were colder out of the water than they were during the dives. Yes, they are slightly crazy, but they are also some of the nicest people you can imagine. Brrr.

Again, brrrr. The dive team was collecting ice samples from deeper keels of ridged ice, too deep to sample from the surface with a corer. They also collected any animals they found under the ice and did some seawater measurements and videography. These guys are pros under water - I'm amazed they can get so much done with numb, glove-covered fingers.

Here's Shawn's fancy camera in action. Very impressive. Imagine this coming toward you out of the dark.

Young Arctic cod live in the crevices of ridged ice, safe from preditors. In this case, probably safe from the monster in the previous picture.

Chipping off ice samples from below.

On the top side of the ice we had some gorgeous days off the ship in the first weeks of the trip. This station started out as one of the most scenic. Nice moon in the sky, beautiful soft light with the sun close to the horizon at mid day, and clear views all around.

An ice bow - caused by ice crystals in the air - formed while we worked.

And it continued to get frostier and windier as the afternoon wore on. Eventually, we noticed that the ship had been blown off its perch on the ice and was drifting ever so slowly away from us.

Rather than fire up the engines and reposition the ship, the captain sent the helicopter out after us and our gear. We were airlifted the several hundred meters to the ship...a first for me.

Here's diver Heloise enjoying her first Arctic helidiving experience - perhaps the first ever attempted!!

Mainly the helicopters were used for bear reconnaissance and recapture. When they were on board they lived in this big hanger at the stern of the ship.

They were simply put on wheels and pushed out of the hanger to the helo deck and prepared for take off.

Here's the "darting" helicopter trying to get within range of this mom and cub. The dart gun is on the other side of the helicopter being held by the darter who is tethered and hanging half way out of the helo door. Yes, this is even more exciting than the divers!
Once the tranquilizer takes effect the team lands and starts the processing. The bears are poked and prodded, measured, written on, tagged, and otherwise molested in the name of science. Even a small but sterile surgical field is created to remove temperature loggers that were implanted in the bear's abdomen earlier this year. I find it hard to look at the pictures (this is a rather mild one) but as a scientist I also believe that this is important research that may someday help the bears. In fact, some of the people in the picture are the very ones who are responsible for getting the polar bear listed as an endangered species. These are good scientists and they do their work with care and as responsibly as they possibly can.

Every polar bear captured in the Arctic is given a lip tatoo that will identify the bear in future captures and give opportunistic data about its whereabouts, its body condition, its breeding success if traveling with cubs...it just gives the bears (a cub in this case) a green mustache for a few days.

Pre-tatoo, this is about as cute as it gets. Alex, the bird/wildlife observer who took this photo said the bears smelled just like dogs.
Toward the end of the cruise daylight was a concern. Here Merav Ben-David, the chief scientist on the cruise and the polar bear head PI helps finish an abdomenal surgery before sunset.
Polar bear research games...Merav opens the valve on a bag containing polar bear breath for one of the USCG chiefs to sniff. Bear breath is collected to get data on the bear's current metabolic condition. The isotopic makeup of the breath can show whether the bear is metabolizing fats or muscle - important information about its nutritional state.

We had some close encounters with bears on the ship as well. This was a mom and two cubs - one of which was ready to challenge the ship for dominance. The little cub in the foreground charged the ship several times and ignored the prostests of its mom until she threatened to charge him. I could almost hear her saying, "If you don't get back here right now...!"
He eventually listened, reluctantly, and continued to turn around as if to say, "I'm only leaving because I have to, NOT because I'm afraid of you!"

Then, after 3 days of sitting in ice waiting out a storm we were visited twice by this beautiful, healthy female. She was terribly curious about the ship and the good smells coming off of it. She looked us over for 20 minutes or so before walking away. An hour later she returned for an even closer look. She seemed in no way threatening. Just very curious.

George, the Inupiat bear observer that joined us in Prudhoe Bay so we could legally enter Canadian waters to recapture one of the bears said to me while we while we watchd this sweet girl, "Polar bears are actually very personable if they aren't hungry." He said they often come into their camps and check things out and then walk away without bothering anyone. It probably seemed like a very small comment to George but I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was heartening to hear that the people who live closest to polar bears know them this well. My preconceived notion of guns first, ask questions later was happily shattered with George's story.

Polar bears weren't the only wildlife sightings over the course of the cruise. There were days when the only wildlife around was almost more exciting than bears. We had heard of snowy owls spending time on the pack ice but we were still surprised and excited to see one, then two, and more owls near the ice, in some cases hundreds of miles away from shore. Alex took this picture of the only snowy owl seen actually sitting on the ice.

Here we are, the science crew with the captain (back center) just days before returning to Barrow. It's a testiment to the comeradery of this group that we are all wearing smiles at this point - it was a challenging cruise, but in the end it was a great way to meet an extraordinary group of people while sharing our research and experiences and making connections that will last for a long time to come.

Here's a nice parting shot...I need to credit the photographers who took the majority of the images posted here. Thanks to Pam, Alex, Katie, Dan, Brenna, and Heloise for sharing your pictures. And thanks to all the scientists (that includes you photo/videographers) on board for being such terrific company during our big Arctic adventure.

Oct 2009: when mommy was away on her BIG trip

2009-11-11T09:27:00.000-09:00

In October, mommy was away on a boat on the ocean. K and I held down the fort. Rachel helped out a lot with babysitting until grandma Linda's arrival mid-month.

The little man helping out around the kitchen.

Here is a video of K playing in the snow which fell at the end of September, but subsequently melted. First sledding of the fall.

Once the snow melted, I was able to get going in earnest on Deck Construction: Phase 2 "The Wrap-around". First you start with some beams, and some digging. Luckily the foreman was on site to prevent shoddy workmanship.

Snow held off for the entire month, which was great for me, working on the deck, but not so great for all the nordic skiers in town.

I had some help from neighbor Keith and friend Hank to lay the joists.
16" on center with double rim joists....this thing ain't goin' anywhere!

Daddy got to buy some new power tools instead of hiring a contractor to do the work. Not the quickest way to get it done, but I ended up with some nice equipment for the next big job: interior trim. Can you say "PFD"?

I seem to have poorly documented the process of putting up the rail posts and Trex decking. Linda helped me put on the railings one afternoon. I spent several evenings just screwing down the planks. Here is a view of the final results taken in November, after winter set in for good.

The other angle. It's pretty sweet to have access to the whole deck from outside now. We don't seem to use it too much in the winter, but it'll provide a place to grow tomatoes and to bask in the warm sun on summer afternoons. This is the warm, west side of the house. Having a deck gives daddy a place to sweep snow and feel useful in the winter.

He's showing off our haul of cherry tomatoes, picked green off the plants before a hard frost in Sept, and ripened indoors in a paper bag.

7th inning stretch.

Helping out with the vacuuming. Always wear your ear protection!

Here's another video of our boy, the Dancin' Fool.

We are grateful for the kind gifts K received, to help keep him happy while mom was up in the ice. Thanks Auntie Helen for the Ramp racer: city edition....

And thanks Rachel for the absolute classic Hammer and Pegs. K was totally ready for this and delighted in wearing his Bob the Builder hard hat while he whacked away. Note the level of concentration....and the lip.

woodstove + nearby_couch = lazy cats

Grandma Linda arrived to bail me out, and we took a little road-trip down the Richardson Highway to do some sight-seeing and spend a night in a cabin in Paxson. Kieran is a great traveler, but it's a steady job keeping him in dry pants. He loves his juice!

Denali Highway Cabins of Paxson .... cozy private cabins on the upper Gulkana River.

We had a nice visit with the winter caretaker Mary Ellen who had spent a winter at MacLaren Lodge and also worked for TAT in Talkeetna. K met Audie's seriously shaggy husky there. Mette likes buying stripey clothes for her son, apparently.

Back at home, K had some quality time with Grandma Linda, reading stories, cooking, and generally horsing around.

In mommy's absence the little guy managed to bash a front tooth on a stool, get a black eye, fall off the high chair, and crash several other times. He seemed to be a magnet for disaster, but he survived mommy's absence, which was the key.

Rachel and I took Linda and K to their first Nanooks hockey game, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the home team! Woohoo! What could be better than bleachers, popcorn and a Zamboni?

Mette's home now and will post wonderful pictures from her expedition in the icy Arctic seas.

Denali Train Ride

2009-09-18T11:51:00.001-08:00

With Max away and nothing booked for the weekend, Kieran and I made last minute plans to head out of town for some train riding and leaf peeping in Denali Park. This was Kieran's first impression of the train...soooooo big!

This was just after we boarded train and one of the few times Kieran sat in his seat during the 4 hour ride south. We logged some distance on the 5 cars that were open for touring. So much more fun than an airplane!

We had to try out the cafe car.

And we rode through Nenana Canyon in one of the open air vestibules between the cars. Most of the terrain between Fairbanks and Denali is flat and looks a lot like the woods around our neighborhood. This short stretch is definitely the highlight.

Once in the park Kieran got right to work foraging. He is a big fan of rose hips, particularly if they are hanging on the plant at mouth level.

Kieran demonstrates his technique for finding blueberries. You get your eyes down to blueberry level and look up. It was a very effective way of finding blueberries but it was less effective for hiding the fact that you are picking berries in a place where you aren't supposed to be picking berries.

Showing off his booty. Oooo.

We didn't see much wildlife outside the park visitor's center - I guess the indoor wildlife displays are for people like us.

Falling leaves have been very entertaining this year. Kieran is happy to help speed up the process by shaking the trunks. We did this for awhile while we waited for breakfast - Kieran doesn't sleep in on vacations.

This was the back yard of our hotel. We had great trails and a beautiful view of the Nenana River. It was Kieran's first hotel stay and it may have been his favorite part of the whole trip. It was a perfect location for a fun overnight stay before heading back to the park headquarters on Sunday. We had a few hours to run around and explore before getting back on the train...apparently that was enough to wear Kieran out because he slept from the moment we pulled out of the park until we pulled into the Fairbanks depot. Kieran was an ideal traveling companion, happy to take in new experiences and terribly charming to everyone we encountered. It was a great trip.

Kieran's first pony ride and the cow hair dryer

2009-09-15T16:29:00.000-08:00

Somehow August came and went and we only have a few pictures to show for it. Judging from the pictures, the Fairbanks fair was the highlight of the month. Kieran was thrilled with his first pony ride. Here he is atop the very gentle and sweet"Ninja".

Kieran's daycare buddy Chayce was right behind him.

With Kieran's love of vacuums and hair dryers he couldn't help but be drawn to this contraption. Best thing ever...a giant hair dryer that looks like a vacuum! This was before he saw the cow girls using it to dry their cow's hair. We were there for awhile "vacuuming" the fairgrounds before the girls showed him what it really did (which just about blew his mind, it was so exciting).

The biggest milestone of August might have been Kieran's first haircut. In just a few minutes he was tranformed from my whispy-haired baby to this handsome little boy.

Sweet sleepyhead.

The Deltana Fair & the big purple slide

2009-08-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

After two days of breathing thick wildfire smoke (and more days than that breathing thinner wildfire smoke) in town we decided to give our lungs a break and get out of the smoke swath for the day. We confirmed with the Mason clan that there was clean air to the southeast so we hopped into the car and followed the aroma of cotton candy, hot dogs and fried dough to the Delta Junction Fair.

Oh boy, what a good decision that turned out to be! I think it might have been the single most fun day so far in little Kieran's life. It started with this forestry fire truck and a very enthusiastic firefighter recruiter doing all he could do to get Kieran (and me) excited about Kieran becoming a member of the Delta fire crew 15 years from now. Well, I don't know about that but Kieran sure was excited to let him talk while he slid in behind the wheel. He checked out the radio, turned all the lights on and off, and generally gave the dashboard the closest inspection it's ever had. He must have been in there for half an hour. The only way I was able to lure him out was with a promise of lunch...good thing he was hungry from the drive!

We met up with the Masons, Ellen and (a surprise to us) Fairbanks friend Matt in front of the stage where Papa Mason was playing with his band. When the band was done (and Kieran was extracted from the fire truck) we collected some yummy treats and sat down to lunch. Mmmm, fair food and good friends. Like I said, it was a great decision to come to Delta!

Sure, there were cows, lamas, pigs, balloons, games, music, and horseback races, but the biggest hit of the day (by far!) was the giant slide. When we went down the first time I couldn't tell if Kieran liked it. However, at the bottom he jumped up, ran out the gate, ran around the crowd, blew past the guy taking tickets and was climbing back up the stairs before I could get myself through the crowd. I slapped a couple of tickets into the (now laughing) attendant's hand as I ran by and caught up to Kieran on the stairs. Phew, I guess he liked it!

Look at that hair fly! Whoosh!

Wow! What a ride! Unfortunately, I had only purchased tickets for two times down the slide. As Kieran jumped up the second time to beeline it to the stairs I had to stop him and give him the bad news. What followed was the saddest, longest, and most intense meltdown he's ever had. "Mama, why would you show me that this slide exists and immediately take it away!?!" Oh, the tears! If the rest of the group wasn't waiting on us I might have given in. Poor kiddo. All fingers are crossed that the slide will be at our local fair next week where I will let him slide until his legs can no longer take him up the stairs.

A bag of kettle corn was a good distraction. He carried it around most of the afternoon.

And still wouldn't let it go in the car on the way home. He immediately fell asleep hugging his kettle corn and thinking, I'm sure, about sliding down the biggest slide he's ever seen. What a fun day!

Salmon weekend '09

2009-08-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

Max had another whirlwind trip to Chitina and back last week. He returned just 24 hours after leaving home with empty coolers in our little Tracer. He managed to catch all of our fish in less than three hours while dip netters in the days before and after struck out completely. We're not sure if it is science or luck or secret messages he receives directly from the fish but Max never fails to hit it big down on the Copper. I smell a consulting business opportunity...

Kieran was a big helper all weekend. Here he is making the brine for the smoking fish.

With the brine finished he took his big wooden spoon down to where Max was cutting the salmon strips...all ready dad, lets get on with those strips! Max made a little stairway for Kieran on the steepest part of the yard leading down from the driveway. It's now the only way Kieran will access the back yard.

Just a few more...

It was a prefect day for smoking...dry, warm, and breezy.

With the racks full Kieran helped cut the alder for the fire.

He was very happy to help with the lighting of the fire. It's been a long time since the last indoor fire in the wood stove.

Our little supervisor. The freezer is full again...

Back in Alaska

2009-07-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

We had a great vacation but it was great to get home to the house and cats and the beautiful Fairbanks summer weather. For a second year in a row we had a perfect evening for a low-key July 4th gathering on the deck, warm enough to break in the kiddie pool that Kieran had been eyeing in the box before we went back east.

The only takers for the pool were Kieran and Miss Lola who was thrilled to discover that this was going to be a pool party!

We were too lazy and/or frugal to drive to North Pole for fireworks this year so the kids were the entertainment (and I think they knew it).

Kieran was happy to be back in Auntie Rachel's lap. He discovered Lays potato chips that evening. Bad idea, I know.

A day later we took the Whaler out for its first cruise of the season on the Chena River in town. You can see that Kieran was mighty pleased with the boat. This was his first trip on the river. We'll try to do a bit more exciting trip out of Valdez later in the summer to give him a little more to look at, but for his first time this river cruise was plenty impressive.

To my surprise he wasn't bothered at all by his life vest. I think he was actually very proud of it.

Look how serious he was about "driving" the boat!

We watched the sky as smoke from wildfires drifted in to the area. We've had smoke on and off since we've been home...the price we pay for beautiful, warm, sunny weather.

Here's the confluence of the Chena (relatively clear) and Tanana (silty) Rivers.

Taking in the breeze on the way home. I think this kid is hooked.
A day later we had more smoke drift in. Luckily it stayed fairly high above the ground. This was taken from the deck at home. Since then we've had some pretty noxious days, engulfed in ashy smoke from a wildfire 20 miles or so south of town. For the first time since we've lived in Fairbanks we're getting ash dusting outdoor (and even some indoor) surfaces. Kieran's reaction? At any mention of the word smoke (even in reference to smoking fish, which we've been doing lately) he says with obvious disgust, "Ick!" You said it kiddo.

Summer vacation (week 1)

2009-07-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

Vacation already seems so long ago. What a great trip to the east coast, beach house hopping from family to friends to more family. We had great visits all around and Kieran turned out to be a happy traveler, pleased to find plenty of playmates everywhere we went. Here he is with cousin Sam in Westport. They were instant buddies - here they are together only hours after we arrived. Kieran grabbed Sam's hand for this walk like it was something he'd done every day of his life. Sam is a pretty special big cousin.

Kieran's first impression of seaweed rotting on the beach. Stinky!

A closer inspection with dad. This was the only clear day during the week we had in Westport. What a beautiful evening to welcome us back!

Kieran's cousin Ben giving the beach pebbles a little taste.

Goofing around with Sam. Kieran misses you Sam!!

Ah, one more picture from that perfect sunny evening...

For the rest of the week his is where we spent much of our time. Sam, Kieran, Max...three peas in a pod. Nice to have a fire to tend when the sun isn't shining.

The weather didn't get Kieran down.

Besides, there's always plenty of cleaning to do in an old beach house. Kieran is very thorough with a broom.

We didn't have much sun but most days were just fine for walking the beach. Here's Uncle Adam with Ben and cousins Payten and Alegra looking just a little chilly.

Kieran and Max looking out over the ocean from the old ruins.

Marching up to the point of rocks.

Splash, splash, splash. Kirean's idea of "tidepooling".

Throwing rocks into the water.

Local fauna...Kieran thought this sea star was a little strange. Nothing like his starfish bath toy. He made me put it down after this picture was taken.

Our wet little boy splashing in the rain puddles on the way home.

We celebrated two very important birthdays. Happy Birthday Bushka!

Happy Birthday Alegra! And thanks Auntie Helen for making not one, but two delicious chocolate cakes. Yum!

Back on the beach Kieran tried a little bouldering.

And shoe burying in the sand.

And some tumbling with cousin Ben. Good times on the coast!

After a week we had to say goodbye to Westport. The weather made it a little bit easier than it would have been on a beautiful sunny day but it's always hard to leave such a lovely place and say so long to family we won't see again for another year. Sigh.

Summer vacation (week 2)

2009-07-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

After all that chilly rain and wind in Westport we were relieved to get off the plane in Charleston, SC and step out into the hottest air we've felt in years! Over 90F and not a cloud in the sky. We felt like we had come to the right place to warm up and dry out. Best of all, we could do it while visiting with dear friends in a beautiful house on a lovely marsh. What more can three Alaskans looking for a warm vacation ask for?

We drove out to meet April, Jeb, Marit and Torin who were waiting for us on Kiawah Island. Big thanks to Jeb for finding such a great spot. Here's the "back yard" of our rental house. While we were there the coast saw record breaking high tides that inched up to the back corner of the house. When the tide was out we often had a nice show of wildlife out in the marsh grass from egrets, deer, and raccoons...out the front door we had a great view of a half dozen really BIG garden spiders. I liked the view out the back better.

This is looking out the same window at low tide with a couple of morning visitors right outside the kitchen nook picture windows. Not a bad view to take in while eating breakfast!

Kiawah's beaches are beautiful and perfect for the kiddos. As the tide goes out shallow tide pools form in the depressions and warm in the sun creating excellent playing pools for the little ones. You can see the wrack of reeds that was deposited by the extraordinary tides the day we arrived. They were once removed for the convenience of the visitors but are now left in place as they protect the dunes from erosion.

Little Miss Marit modeling the latest in adorable beach wear for the preschool set. She knows what to do at the beach and she was happy to show Kieran the ropes (most of the time).

Max and Marit working on the drip castle. Max knows what to do at the beach too.

And what do you do with a sand castle? Destroy it!! Raah!

Now if that isn't cute I don't know what is.

Auntie April hanging out in the shade with little Tor, aka "Tordy". He knows how to model the latest in infant eye protection. What a couple of hams in this family! Too cute!

The dads took the kids one morning so the moms could have a couple of hours in the shops...our mission was to find replacement sandals for the ones Kieran grew out of in Westport. Everything grows faster when it's warm, I guess. Anyway, with the moms away the dads found a cool spot to chill with the kiddos and enjoy pool-side bar and restaurant service. Perfect. The kids had a FAN-TAS-TIC time and from the look of it, Max and Jeb had a pretty good time themselves

The main mode of transport on the island is by bike. Kieran wasn't so sure about his helmet but he soon forgot about it and enjoyed the open air rides on the back of Max's bike.

"Does this make my head look fat?"

Max enjoying a little bike time without his back seat rider.

Jeb and Marit out for a cruise.

Kiawah really is an ideal place for families with small children and we enjoyed it so much that we were talking about returning again next year even before we left. It would be a great tradition to start with wonderful friends whom we think of as family.

April warned us of Jeb's low country "ear rings". I think the halo effect adds a mystic ambiance to the moment -it was caused by low country humidity condensing on the camera lens.

Our time in Kiawah seemed all too short as we were just getting into the groove of the place when we had to pack our bags and head north. We'll look forward to a return trip in the future and another great visit with April, Jeb, Marit and Tor. It was hard to say goodbye.

Our next stop was Charlestown, RI to visit with Grandma and my side of the family. Unfortunately, for this part of the trip Kieran was suffering a bit from a virus he caught somewhere between Charleston and Charlestown and pictures weren't a high priority much of the time. Nonetheless, we had a great time and a fun visit with Grandma and Kieran's aunts, uncles and cousins. Here's Kieran with his cousin Maggie, just a few weeks his senior. They got along well, in the stroller and out. Here they're enjoying kicking back and re-hydrating after a busy morning of splashing in the water.

Kayaking on the salt pond with Kieran and cousin/nephew Graham. Kieran wasn't a big fan of being in such a wobbly boat so close to the water. Our trip lasted less than 10 minutes.

Our last beautiful evening on the Charlestown beach. Max was out snorkeling while Kieran and I played in the sand and enjoyed the quiet of the beach after most of the day's visitors had gone home.

Say mom, can I have a turn with that camera?

After RI we drove inland to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Lee at the farm. Grandpa gave us the keys to his cart and we took a leisurely tour around the fields. Kieran was pretty excited about our mode of transportation.

We stopped to give the early corn a taste test. Kieran thought corn came from boxes at the grocery store. He must have been surprised to see them hanging on these tall plants.

We sampled the cucumbers too. There's nothing like eating your way around the farm.

Kieran took his cuke for a walk through the greenhouse.

We had a great visit with our farm family and even had a surprise visit from Kieran's third(!!) Auntie Heather right before we had to leave. So nice to see you all!

Bushka and Grandaddy happen to live in a very convenient spot for quick visits to and from Logan airport so we were able to see them on three separate occasions on this trip. Here you see that Kieran is just fine with that. The more time with his Bushka, the better!

Sharing stories about back yard bunny sightings. Can't wait for our next visit!

Playland at Lodan airport. This sure beats those boring rows of seats and airport CNN news blaring on the tv's in the "grown up" waiting areas!

How do you start this thing?

Bye bye east coast...time to go home.

Ahhhhh Summertime!

2009-06-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

We hope you're all enjoying a great start to summer. It's been about as beautiful here as we can hope for and Kieran can't seem to get enough of it. Watermelon outdoors is far better than in a high chair in the house. Thanks Shiway for the picture!

Our little outdoor guy. This was his reaction to his first ride on the push merry-go-round at the playground behind the local ice creamery.

He's a slide lover too. Weeeee!

Mommy insists on going for the ride on the big slide though. This nice little girl offered to catch us.
Kieran and his extension cords. He loves them. He insisted on taking this one to the park with us. His other obsession is vacuum cleaners. Since summer arrived and the daycare garden was planted he has been the official (i.e. most enthusiastic about grabbing the hose) waterer. I think we'll be adding garden hoses to his list of obsessions - this makes me grateful that we don't have one.
Ah, cleaning the spatula. An age old kid job and this was Kieran's first shot at it. It was chocolate mousse and whipped cream...I think he liked it.
Kieran at a Mexican themed party last weekend at the neighbor's house. He was super excited to participate in and then watch the big kids...
...whacking a pinata to pieces. The next day we were in the grocery store and all of the sudden he said OOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that's a REALLY BIG Ooooo!). I turned around and he was pointing up to row of pinatas hanging above the fruit case. If he had had a stick they would have been toast.

Another park evening. It was after daycare and mommy forgot to bring a snack. Big mistake. We borrowed some money from Rachel and got ourselves a hot dog. Kieran loved it, of course, and wouldn't let me even hold the leftover bun for him while he cruised around the playground. Eventually he gave me what was left so he could go down the slide.

Quack quack. I hope these two wanted to get chased. I'm sure they like it.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Wishing all our favorite Moms, Grandmas, Bushkas and Aunties a wonderful Mother's Day!

We love you and miss you!

Spring break up

2009-05-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a quick change from winter to summer here...April came in cold and snowy and left with temps topping 80F in some parts of town. It's a real heat wave and it's lasted for almost a week. The 2 foot snow pack is nearly gone from everywhere and our yard is a muddy mess - all the better for Kieran. He is a true puddle lover and can't stay away from the little runoff streams meandering down every slope. More about that below. First I must share a few sweet moments...like the look on his face here. It says "I may be in trouble here but that was really fun and I'd definitely do it again - but I better not smile"

Fairbanks snow is too cold for making snowmen during winter so we took advantage of the warm spring snow and made Kieran's first snow friend. It had arms and legs and...

...antennae.

Max did what he could to mitigate another year of melt water running into the leach field. It seems to have helped and we'll have a passable yard much sooner than we would have otherwise. At the moment the yard would probably swallow you whole at your first step. Muddy mud mud.

An after school snack on the front step. This is as close as I can get Kieran to inside when we get home in the afternoon. He must be outside for an hour minimum before I can convince him that he wants to come in for dinner.

This was last night after his bath, after his book, and ready for bed...sort of. He was about to head off to bed when he heard Max shoveling outside. There is no putting Kieran to bed when something as exciting as shoveling is happening outside! He ran to the front hall, grabbed his boots and opened the door. He was too cute to stop. He picked up his shovel and ran out to help.

"It's okay, I'm here dad. What are we doing?" Kieran is so proud of his breakup boots. They're just like daddy's.

Must keep the drainage ditches free of debris! Kieran is an excellent helper.

First survey the situation.

Then get to work. Just like his papa...and I mean JUST like his papa! They're more alike every day.

Look at that technique! Sometimes I have to remind myself that he's only 16 months old. Sometimes he reminds me though, like when I'm trying to get him in the house before he's ready or he has to wait for me to peel his apple. Then he is definitely 16 months old.

Looking up the snow-free driveway. We had some exciting car rides up and down the driveway during the melt...it's nice to see dirt again.

Kieran does occasionally come inside. Here's a quiet moment on a sunny morning with his penguins. What a sweetie.

Easter

2009-04-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Easter started on Friday for us with Kieran's first Easter egg "hunt". It was actually more of an egg scramble at Kieran's daycare...look at all that stuff! It was a lot for 6 kids to collect and they gave up before it was all claimed. I think next year Dana will have to cut back just a little.And here they come! Little Kieran is the youngest of the kids and always gets special baby privileges...I wonder how much longer that will last. He was the first one in line at the door and he didn't even get trampled! These are some pretty nice kids.

There was a lot of excitement out there. I imagine this guy is thinking, "Don't move and they won't see me".
Kieran is an expert collector. He knew exactly what to do and got down to work putting everything he could find into his bag. Soon it will be pockets filled with rocks and other treasures he finds in his path. I must be better about checking pockets before sending pants through the laundry! Notice his new "big boy" shoes. He's very proud of his first pair of real shoes and will sit and hold up his feet at any mention of putting them on. There was a break in the action when the kids had had enough of picking up stuff off the deck. Kieran took a little drive...Vrrrrm.

Time to liven this party up a little...bring on the bubble stuff! Wow, was that a hit! Kieran got all the other kids running and chasing bubbles - they really got whipped up into a frenzy! He really is a fun little guy - no wonder they all like him so much :)

Ooooooooooo!

More?

Kieran's favorite gesture..."Where are the bubbles? Where are they?" We eventually had to put the bubbles away and head for home. What a great time though!

On the daycare theme...Kieran came home with a mohawk last week. Of course we had dinner plans that evening with no other than Kieran's best older girlfriend Lola and her parents. I think they were all surprised to see the "bad boy" side of Kieran. Lola is a true daredevil - surely she was impressed with Kieran's new edgy style. (We won't tell Lola that he was vacuuming when this picture was taken - that would really ruin his new bad boy reputation!) And finally, the last snowfall of the season (fingers crossed!). Kieran takes a ride down the trail in Max's snow scooper. We hope you all had a very nice Easter and are enjoying warmer spring weather wherever you are!

Mush for Kids

2009-04-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

We had a fun day at the "Mush for Kids" fund raising event last weekend. Mom and Dad were more impressed with the firetruck than Kieran was this year.

Kieran was pretty happy with the puppies though. The line was too long for Max and me. Luckily the fence was wide open to those who weren't interested in waiting for a chance at the puppy petting area. Kieran made friends with this little guy while he (the puppy) was hiding from all those crazy kids who waited in line to get inside the fence!

We had fun watching the mushing rides. Kieran was too small to get into a sled this year but he was pretty excited to see them go by!

His latest word is "Wow!", and this was a perfect opportunity to put it to use. He had many perfect and enthusiastic Wow!'s before Max broke out the video camera...here's what he caught.

Mushing kiddos

2009-03-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

While Max was skiing Anchorage's big "Tour" race, Rachel, Kieran and I were at the dog races...Anchorage had the Iditard start over the weekend but Fairbanks had the Junior North American Mushing Championships. The kids ranged in age from about 2 1/2 to 10 years - with so little weight to pull, the dogs really make quick work of the course. At the start it takes a team of adults to keep the dogs at the line, keep the kid on the sled, and keep one finger on the timing clock. When the timer says "Go!" all hands release and the dogs take off with the kiddo hanging on for dear life. Very exciting! This dog on the right (below) spent its entire wait at the line airborne, too excited to stand still.

And they're off! Most of the kids immediately duck down behind the sled to get out of the chilly wind. This little girl was from Anchorage. Where else do you find city girls doing this for fun?

Here's a 3-dog team. That's a lot of dog power attached to a little person! I've never been hooked up to more than 2 at a time. This must be a huge thrill for the riders!

Kieran had another fun day outdoors. He's very tuned in to airplanes and can hear them coming from miles away. Here he's pointing to where the plane is. Where is the airplane? "Up!" He was hanging out, exploring, watching the dogs...and being a major distraction. There was a busload of Japanese tourists at the race taking a break from their aurora watching to see some locals doing what the locals do. Well, they thought Kieran was the cat's pajamas. We were approached by nearly all the Japanese ladies asking if they could take his picture. Could they get into the picture with him? "How old?" "Live here?" "His name?" "So cute!" His face is going to be all over Japan's facebook pages ;) What a popular guy.

He got his first close-up look at a Sno-cat. I think he's going to be as much of a fan as his daddy is. Fun day at the races...who needs the Iditarod?

Hanging out at home just being cute. No wonder Japanese ladies can't stay away :)

Meeting little Sam Flynn

2009-03-06T10:33:00.000-09:00

Last Sunday we drove south to Delta Junction to meet the newest baby in the "family"...little Sam Flynn, 1 week old. We have a habit of inviting ourselves to dinner whenever Ellie and Jeff bring home a new baby - a nice tradition that we're happy to uphold (and so are they apparently). Besides, we certainly didn't want Sam to think we weren't as excited about his arrival as we were for older brother Wyatt! Sam is a mellow and sweet little guy, alert, social and not averse to getting handed around a crowd. And look at that face! He's a beauty. Mom is looking great too. Nice work Ellie!

The big boys had a nice time together. Wyatt is going to make a terrific older brother.

Kieran was pretty excited about Wyatt's squishy ball. Feels funny!

It bounces when you hit it! Bang bang bang.

So hard to remember the newborn size...was Kieran really this small??

The boys. Kieran was fine letting his daddy hold Sam...he wasn't so happy to share mommy's lap though.

Rachel had everyone's attention when she opened her bag of oatmeal cookies. Kieran didn't know he should want one until Wyatt showed him that cookies are something you should want. Showing the little guys the ropes...an excellent big brother trait!

Max looking like an old pro. 2 kids? No problem! Thanks Ellie, Jeff and Wyatt for letting us come and meet your beautiful new baby and brother...welcome Sam!

Back home with Kieran and his surprisingly sturdy balloon. It's a seat, a pillow, something to roll on...they sure make balloons tougher than they used to!

Tanana River Race

2009-03-04T10:28:00.001-09:00

2009 is proving to be a busy year for us - too busy to keep up with the blog apparently. We'll see what spring brings, but I think we're all happy to have February behind us...seemed darker and colder than usual this year - I think we're just ready for spring. Speaking of spring, it may not be here officially, but the brighter evenings, the warmer temperatures and the wonderfully heavy spring snows we've been getting make it feel like another winter is over.

We're also almost through another race season as the second to last race of the year happened last Saturday. Snow was still falling the morning of the race, the end of an overnight storm that brought another 4 or 5 inches. The temperature was mild and everyone was happy to be outside on such a beautiful day. Kieran may have been the most excited of the bunch. He was everywhere! Checking out the dog teams, following skiers, walking in the deep snow...totally happy to be there with all the pre-race activity happening around him. He tried out a mushing sled briefly...we've heard that kids start mushing in Fairbanks at around 3 or 4 years old, but their parents have to duct tape their hands to the sled handle so they don't fall off. Hmm, maybe Kieran will be sticking with skis for awhile.

Rachel manages the race results and season standings. Can't do that without breakfast!

The McEnteer's team, also know as "the puppies".

Kieran visited with nearly all the dogs. Boy, does he love dogs!

Radar is more of a mascot than a musher these days...and boy does he love kids. He stayed close to Kieran throughout the day, maybe more to catch nibbles from a sloppy eater than for companionship, but they were really cute together.

Another visit - he wanted to say hi to everyone.

Kieran and this guy were wearing the same booties. Godot is a HUGE dog! He makes Kieran look like a runt in this picture.

After an hour or so of sorting skis, dogs, harnesses, etc. Kieran was ready to get the show on the road. He stood by his chariot waiting for Max to load him up.

Off they go! Max and Kieran at the start. The course was an 8 mile loop down the Tanana River and back.

I borrowed a couple of dogs from our friend Tom and tried out the skijor harness Max gave me for Christmas. It was a fun stroll down the course and back. Little Knik was a real puller but he couldn't pull both me AND Siku all 8 miles...poor Siku is a bit too big and shaggy to be racing on such a warm day. He spent a lot of time rolling around in the deep snow right off the trail trying to cool off.

After the race everyone gathered around a fire cooking sausages and marshmallows on willow branches waiting for the last finishers and the results to be tallied.

Lunch. It tasted better than it looks.

Kieran continued his exploring after the race. We couldn't believe how he was lasting out there! We were outside for almonst 6 hours and he was still going strong when we walked him back to the car to go home.

Max and Kieran came in third...again. It was later discovered that they actually tied for second, moving Max and little K up a little further in the standings. Chocolate Easter bunnies and stuffed dogs were the prizes for this race.

Second place went to Brain and Emma...again.

And Cody won the race...again! Nice job. We're pretty certain that Paige and Cody will be running the Iditarod someday soon.

Kieran taking care of himself. He knows what to do when you get thirsty out there.

It was another fun race on a beautiful day. Only one more to go...then summer :)

Houston, I think we have a toddler

2009-01-24T15:14:00.000-09:00