M+M Daily Favs 5.31

MN=getting Old McDonald's for lunch

MR=going to Sandy Beach playground

Sandy Beach at high tide:

Sunny Sunday Afternoon

I should have gone out this morning to hit the trail, but bed was too cozy with Bill finally home and the girls snuggling with us!  After our awesome morning at Sunshine Cove, i headed out to see how far i could get on Perseverance trail in a couple hours.  

The trail was more crowded than i've ever seen it, i really didn't need my new bear bell!  I saw lots of people and dogs...  There were 6 people on bikes, 3 with skis, and 2 with snowboards!!  The bikes surprised me because the trail is steep and narrow.  The skis and boards were just a surprise...  I guess you hike in and up with your skis or boards, do your thing, and then hike back out.  I didn't get far enough to see where they would ski or board.

In the two weeks since i've hiked the trail, the giant boulder and rocks were moved, but another tree fell...

     

Where there once was snow, there is now open trail...

     

I did finally get to a point where i couldn't see trail beyond the snow, and that's where i called it quits for today...

In addition to being surrounded by beautiful scenery on the trail...

I saw a rainbow at the bottom of Ebner Falls...

And was finally able to get a close-up picture of M+M's favorite Juneau flower, swamp cabbage...

Sunny Sunday Morning

Bill arrived home yesterday from a 2 week trip to Cambodia.  We woke up to a gorgeous sunny day and headed out to Sunshine Cove.  It was such a pretty drive out the road this morning... Blue sky, sun glinting on the water...

We spent a lot of time this visit climbing around the tide pools...  With the camera and girls it was a little tricky, but totally worth the effort!  We saw hermit crabs...

     

and sea urchins...

and an otter...

As we were driving away, i looked out over the cove and saw sea spray in the air...  It was our first whale sighting!  We quickly pulled over and hauled M+M out of the car to watch for it again.  You can't see it very well in the picture, but if you look in the center of the picture above the spit, you can see the whale tail.

We made 2 stops on the way home: The first was lunch at McDonald's for M+M, the second was at Nugget Alaska Outfitters to buy me a bear bell.  While Bill and the girls nap, i'm off to Perseverance Trail!

Guest Blogger: Bill

Here is the family wagon... Cambodia style.  This was the norm, but i saw families of 6 on a single  moped.  Mopeds are also used to carry trunk loads of groceries, bales of hay, and plate glass windows through the controlled chaos of Phnom Penh.  I'd recommend a visit.

M+M Daily Favs 5.30

MN=watching our new movie

MR=picking up our daddy at the airport

B arrived home today bearing tons of gifts, including a new movie for the girls (which we watched late this afternoon).  I think daddy's safe arrival home was the best gift!

B+M+M at the airport unloading the goodies!

M+M Daily Favs 5.29

MN=staying in our pajamas all day

MR=that was my favorite too

I had every intention of heading to the gym and the store today, but little pleas of "5 more minutes, mommy" ended up keeping us home.  We played all day, i snuck in some cleaning, we read a ton of books, and watched too much tv.  Despite missing B and feeling a wee bit guilty about skipping my workout, i had an absolutely delicious day with my girlies.  Happy Friday!  :)

I have decided...

... that staying home in our pajamas is a perfectly acceptable way to spend a rainy Friday. 

M+M Daily Favs 5.28

MN=going to school and playing with my friends

MR=going back to school to help the grown-ups

Tonight M+M and i had to go to school to help participate in end of the year take down...  The preschool rents space from the church it is located in through the school year, but not in the summer.  Everything gets cleaned and stored in three small rooms so the church can use the large spaces for their summer activities.  We arrived half an hour late as Mary napped until 5:15 pm, but think we got some good work done.  The girls had a great time playing outside and running round inside.  They played a lot with one little girl and decided they want to have her over for a play date this summer. 

M+M Daily Favs 5.27

MN = going to the toy store and getting my new play dohs

MR = going to the toy store and getting my baby doctor kit

The girls got 2 sets of gift certificates for their birthday in March.  The first were already spent (a sparkly Belle doll and matching horse for MN and a "ireing" board, shopping cart, and grocery basket for MR), but i was saving the other for a day when we needed a little something extra.  Since B has been gone almost 2 weeks, and the "I miss my Daddy berry, berry much" is coming with more frequency, i decided that today was the day to break out those gift certificates.

We had a grand time browsing around the store!  I was surprised by the play doh pick... we have a ton at home, but there is nothing like new pastel play doh to get a little girl excited.  Nice new play doh tools help too!  The doctor kit was also a surprise... We have 2 of the Fisher Price kits, but this one was for a baby and is pink!  They had a super time playing with their new things, and even shared!  Here they are playing in the kitchen:

You can't see me!

I'm very happy (and lucky) to be able to say that my daughters still (at age 4) are nappers.  This was a hard fought battle...  

Once they got on a good sleeping schedule (at about 3 months) they took 3 naps a day (don't be too jealous, these naps were less than 30 minutes each!)  Before they were 6 months old, it had dropped to 2 less than 30 minute naps a day.  Once they turned 1, the morning nap was tricky...  If they took an am cat nap (about 15 minutes before 9), i could get 30 minutes in the afternoon.  If that catnap happened after 10 am, i could kiss the afternoon nap goodbye and say hello to long afternoon.

A friend told me to hang in with the naps as her daughter had become a better napper with age...  As an adult, i am not know for my napping, but my mom told me that i napped until i was 5 1/2 and started pm kindergarten.  My husband is a terrific napper and can practically fall asleep on command.  The girls have good napping genes, it just took time for them to surface...

After age 1, the morning nap mostly disappeared, but the afternoon nap started to last more than 30 minutes...  After the girls turned 2, i could count on almost 45 minutes... At 2 3/4 they caught bronchitis.  They took some really long naps and just stuck with it (the naps, not the bronchitis).  Now at age 4, i can count on at least 1 1/2 hour naps, 2+ if they had a super active morning.  These days it's just getting them to sleep that is the tough part...

As they share a room, the girls like to share books and talk while falling asleep.  I usually have to go in 2 or three times to quiet them down, and then they will fall asleep.  Sometimes, they will hear me opening the door and throw themselves down on the pillow and feign sleep...

I just checked on them...  I have one asleep and one with her hands clamped over her eyes.  I don't think she wants me to know that she's still awake!  ;)

Why can't we have a baby elephant?

The rain returned to Juenau last night...  I'm not really complaining, we had a great stretch of weather, but MN (M1) is less than thrilled.  Here is a conversation that took place this morning on our way to the gym...

MN: I hate the rain.

me: Please don't say hate... I understand the rain is not always fun, but we need the rain.

MR: Yes, we need the rain for the flowers.

MN: Why can't we water the flowers and trees with a watering can?

me: We would never be able to finish the job...  Look at all the trees...

MN: I know, we can get an elephant to water all the trees and flowers!  Yeah!!  That's a great idea!!!

me:  Where would we keep the elephant?  We don't have a yard.

MN: We could get a baby elephant and it could stay in the secret room.

MR: I love baby elephants!

M+M Daily Favs 5.26

M1 = going to school

M2 = doing my marble painting at school

Today was the girls' last day at preschool for the year.  They had a great time with their teachers and made some new friends too.  I think it was a tough transition for them (starting in CT, moving cross country, starting school again), but we were very lucky to find a school with two compassionate women who really took extra care of my girlies when they needed it.  Next fall, they will attend the same school for three mornings a week.  This is their first official summer vacation from school... Feels like a beginning instead of an end!

M+M Daily Favs 5.25

M1 = going to the Sandy Beach playground and to The Blue Hangar

M2 = going to The Blue Hangar

We had a very busy day, but it was really fun.  We spent most of it with good friends, and that's never a bad thing!

Here's a picture of why i think The Hanger got its name: 

The restaurant is off to the left and looks out on the cruise ships and the sea planes taking off and landing.

Here's to good food, great beer, and terrific friends!  :)

An amazing stretch of weather...

We arrived in Juneau at the tail end of a record breaking number of days in a row with rain.  I thought that was how it would be here...  The rain turned to snow for the winter and then back to rain when spring arrived.  We did have some nice sunny days, but i thought those would be few and far between.  But now, i can't remember the last time it rained...  We've had some showers, but no real rain.  

Child care was closed at the gym today, so the girls and i headed to Twin Lakes for a walk so i could get some exercise.  Here are 2 pictures from Twin Lakes.  The one on the left is from this morning and the one on the right is was taken the last week of April.  I had to include the second as it is such a neat picture showing the reflection of the mountains in the calm water.  It was breezy today as you can see by the rippled lake.

     

After leaving Twin Lakes, we headed to Sandy Beach to meet friends (same friends we had dinner with last night) for a play date.  The three grown ups sat chatting at the picnic table, while the 4 kiddos ran around like crazy.  Sandy Beach has a unique view of the channel and the arriving cruise ships...  Here's a picture of the fourth one to arrive this morning:

M+M just woke up from a nice long nap and are playing while i type.  We're meeting friends (same friends that we met at the playground this morning) tonight at The Blue Hanger for dinner to celebrate the anniversary of their first visit to Juneau last year (they came to house hunt and moved here last August).  The restaurant isn't really called The Blue Hanger, it's just The Hanger.  M+M call it The Blue Hanger as it is in a blue building.  It's one of their 2 favorite Juneau restaurants as they can order dino nuggies (dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets).

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all of the servicemen and women that i know and love!  M+M and i will say a prayer for you all tonight and for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

M+M Daily Favs 5.24

M1 = going to the V's for dinner

M2 = going to the V's for dinner and playing with Polly Pockets and riding my scooter

We've been having dinner with this family since the week we moved to Juneau.  They also have 2 children and the 4 kiddos play nicely together.  M1 loves wearing her friend's dress up clothes and M2 loves the Polly Pocket toys.

M+M Daily Favs 5.23

M1 = my yellow roses

M2 = having my green roses

Today was M+M's first dance recital.  It was so cute that i laughed until i cried.  Their teacher was fantastic and put on a great recital with almost 50 dancers.  

I always imagined giving my daughters pink or white roses, but when asked what color they would like (pink, white, or yellow), M1 said yellow and M2 said green.  I didn't know you could get green roses, and i'm so happy that i asked the florist!  The roses are now in vases in their room, i think they like them!!

M+M Daily Favs 5.22

M1 = getting a Belle picture from the computer

Last year, it took lots of time on the computer to find a costume that she liked for Halloween...  It had to be a blue princess dress that went down to her toes.  She is now a big Belle fan, but not a fan of the Disney costumes; they don't have roses on them.  She wants a Belle dress that has roses on it.  Today, we found a dress and printed out a picture that she likes.  Despite that fact that Halloween is about 5 months away, she would like me to order the dress tomorrow.  She went to bed with the printed picture.

M2 = doing our dance rehearsal

Tonight was the rehearsal for the girls' first recital tomorrow.  She enjoyed holding hands with new friends (other dancers in the big finale), and watching another class dance to Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo.

M+M Daily Favs 5.21

The girls had a lot to choose from today...  This morning they had a field trip to Swampy Acres and saw horses, pigs, ducks, chicken, rabbits, and peacocks!  

     

They took a wonderful nap, and then it was off to the end of the year school picnic at the beach in Auke Bay.  I think their answers prove how very much they are my daughters!

M1 = picnic at the beach

M2 = picmic (how she says it) at the beach

The beach was really fun...  It was nice to be able to relax and chat with some of the parents from school and see all the kids running around together.  M+M even did a little wading in the water!

Sandy Beach

This is Sandy Beach on Douglas Island.  We made our first visit here on Easter Sunday.  A few weeks ago, we had a dinner picnic with friends.  The tide seems to fly in here.  It is strange for me to be on a beach surrounded by snow capped mountains, but it is so beautiful.

M+M Daily Favs 5.20

M1 = going to Sandy Beach

M2 = going to Sandy Beach

It was a another beautiful day here so we had to spend some time outside...  It was about 60 at the house, so we slipped into our crocs and fleece, put the sand toys in the car, and drove across the channel to Douglas Island and Sandy Beach.  It was windy, cloudy and spitting raindrops there, but we headed out to the sand anyway in search of dinosaur bones.

M+M Daily Favs 5.19

M1 = planting flowers

M2 = planting flowers

We finally started planting the flowers we bought on Saturday.  However, to finish the job, we need more flowers, dirt, and pots.  I hope the girls are ready for more planting tomorrow!

My favorite part of today...

was this...

...hiking/running in the wetlands...

And we saw...

...sea planes taking off and landing...

and the glacier in the distance...

M+M Daily Favs 5.18

M1 = playing with our new play doh (last week she wanted to keep the giraffe that she made with play doh...  we let it dry, but it broke into several pieces.  i bought some crayola stuff that is meant to be left to dry out.  she made a zebra today, we'll have to see how this works....)

M2 = having some old Mc Donald's for dinner at home (as you probably guessed, old Mc Donald's is Mc Donald's... i was given a gift card for Mother's Day, who are the big hinters?!, and after a super fun hike, we swung through the drive thru on our way home...  that was the real gift, not having to eat it there!)

On my way home...

i stopped to take some pictures....

and had a funny conversation with the girls...

My sister-in-law sent me a very interesting NYT article about southeast Alaska and global warming.  I stopped to take some pictures for her as the wetlands are mentioned in the article.  The first picture here on the right is a view of the mountain from the Walmart parking lot.  Juneau is famous for clouds and rain, but the nice days are beyond compare!

This is what i drive by almost everyday on my way home from anywhere not in town (B's work, school, church, and the gym are all in town...  Walmart, Costco, Fred Meyer [where i do the majority of my shopping], friends, our favorite library story hour, and the recycling center are all out of town... so, i see this a lot!)

     

After i got back into the car, the following conversation took place...

M1: Are we still in Alaksa?

me: Yes.

M1: When are we going to leave Alaska again?

me: Not until November for Uncle's wedding.

M1: I want to go back to Hawaii and Disneyland.

me: Me too, but we're going to visit some other places in Alaska this summer.  Won't that be fun?

M2: That will be great!  I love to visit other places in Alaska!!

M1: Mommy, where are we going to go in Alaska?

me: We're going to visit Kodiak, Homer, and Sitka.  (B has been to Kodiak, but none of us have been to Sitka or Homer.)

some quiet thinking...

M1: Mommy, can you say those three again?

me: Kodiak, Homer, and Sitka.

M2: Sitka?!  I love Sitka, Alaska!!

M1: I love Homer!

I hope the enthusiasm holds up!  :)

on a personal note

To B...  Happy Anniversary!  

all my love, e  :)

M+M Daily Favs 5.17

M1 = going to Cope Park and making a new friend (we met a little boy and his parents there...  the three kiddos played on the equipment, played tag, and went on the swings)

M2 = making a get well card for sissie's hurt leg (M1 has a tiny scar on her leg from a tiny scratch, but still needs a bandage)

     

M+M Daily Favs 5.16

M1 = going to Home Depot where we got the flowers  (After dropping B off at the airport, we had over an hour before dance class.  We went to HD in hopes of finding new garage door remote [our suddenly stopped working, yes we tried replacing the battery!].  I bought 2 "universal" garage door remotes, but neither worked.  At least we got some pretty flowers...  We picked out some orange and yellow gerber daisies, pink geranium, and a pretty white flower that i don't know the name of.)

M2 = going to Cope Park  (After nap [Only Mary napped today - ugh!  In my previous post, i stated that we were going to the tram.  It was at Martha's request that we made that plan.  During the nap struggle, i told Martha that we wouldn't go to the tram if she didn't nap.  Big mistake!  I think i had more fun at the park than i would have on the tram.], we drove over to Cope Park.  We played on the swings, the jungle gym, played duck, duck, goose, and hide 'n seek.)

     

Misty Morning Mountains

Although it had been raining overnight, it was misting when i woke up, so i headed out the door at 5:30 am for my last solo hike for 2 weeks (B left today for a 2 week trip, no babysitter).

I took my preferred route to Basin Road and saw a bear hunting for breakfast...

  I promise it's there!

While walking up the trail, i saw the mountain goat again too...

  See the black strip running through the middle of the picture?  There is a brown patch of grass on the left hand side, the goat was hanging out at the top of that.

I know these pictures aren't the best, but if you come visit i'll take you to these places so you can see for yourself!  :)

This is as far as i have been able to go on Perseverance Trail...

     

I'm hoping that more snow will melt in the next 2 weeks so i can go farther next time. 

Finally, here are the pictures that inspired the title...

     

Walking through the mist this morning, i had no idea what a beautiful day it was going to be! It's bright and sunny here now, after naptime the girls and i are headed for the Mt Roberts Tram.