An amazing morning...

So happy to say that i was finally able to get back on the trail... Bill arrived home Saturday, so after trying to catch up on some much needed sleep yesterday morning, i headed out this morning for a quick hike. This is where i turned around and headed back (35 minutes from the base of the trail):

The last time i was here, this creek bed was dry:

This dense fog seemed to drift in from the north and envelop downtown this morning:

The fog lifted by mid morning and we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon!

M+M Daily Favs 8.31

MN=chalks

MR=walking to Daddy's work, riding scooters and bikes in the garage, doing chalks in the driveway

Our car is in for repair, so we spent a quiet morning at home. It was a glorious day here, so we couldn't spend the afternoon inside as well... After some drawing, we walked to Bill's office, walked home, put on our new bike helmets and rode around the garage on trikes and scooters, and did chalks in our driveway. A great afternoon in the blessed sunshine! :)

Juneau, Gastineau Channel, and Douglas Island from the Calhoun Pedestrian Bridge:

Stopping to investigate all the leaves on the was to Daddy's office:

Chalking in our driveway:

M+M Daily Favs 8.30

MN+MR=going to the playground with Daddy

M+M Daily Favs 8.29

MN=our recital dancing

MR=going to Mr. G's house

Today was a very busy day! We left the house before 8 am so i could drop the girls off at the V's house as A and i had signed up to do the Cancer Walk. It was a 2 mile walk (and 5 K run) in the pouring rain. I have never been so happy to own rain gear and Keens! After a quick trip home to shower and change, we zoomed back to the airport to pick up Bill who arrived home from a 2 week trip in time for the girls' summer dance recital. The girls were so thrilled that Daddy was there too this time (he missed their spring recital), and i was happy to have some company in the audience!

Crazy fog...

This photo was taken before 5pm tonight heading north on Egan Drive. On a clear day you can see the Chilkat Mountain in the distance, usually you can see the airport, but tonight you can't see much of anything:

M+M Daily Favs 8.28

MN+MR=going to our recital rehearsal

Tomorrow is the summer recital for M+M's creative movement class. They are doing both a creative movement and a tap number. The songs are longer than their spring number, so they don't know the dances as well; but boy do they look cute! Despite the fact that they don't know their routines perfectly, i'm very impressed with them getting up on stage and doing their best!

Thursday afternoon...

Last summer, the girls' friend S introduced us to the Cheerio Activity and Cookbook. M+M borrowed it so often, that i bought one for us. We've made a few things before, and Thursday we added two more recipes to our Cheerio repertoire:

The first recipe called for making a Rice Krispie style treat, but with Cheerios. The big draw for M+M to this recipe was the heart and star shaped cut outs and the "decorates".

The second recipe was for giant cookies. I was afraid they wouldn't cook properly (our oven is kind of funny), so i made smaller ones instead. I shouldn't haven troubled myself, they are gross! M+M each licked one and put it down. I wouldn't even eat a whole one. I don't know if i messed up the recipe or what, but yech!

It was a rainy afternoon, perfect for sitting in the oven warmed kitchen... M+M spent over an hour pouring frosting and sprinkles on the Cheerio-Marshmallow treats and really wanted to be involved in measuring the ingredients and pouring and mixing... I even got to talk fractions! ;) Despite the yucky cookies, i'm counting the afternoon as a success!

M+M Daily Favs 8.27

MN+MR=going to our new school and meeting our new teacher

Surprise, Surprise!

At the top of our stairs we have an open space the we refer to as the sitting room. It's where we have the computer, a bookshelf for the girls, and where some of their toys are kept. It has a large solarium style window that affords us a great view of our neighbors, the street below, and Mt. Juneau. Our neighbors across the street have a very pretty garden. It flourished this summer with all the sun. Last week a beautiful double stargazer lily bloomed. This morning, a car stopped in the middle of the street. The driver jumped out giggling, ran to their garden, picked the beautiful double lily, jumped back into the car, and sped away. She crouched as she ran across the street as if she didn't want to be seen and had no idea that i was staring at her from above. I was so sad to see that lily go. I have picked flowers from people's private property before, but only if there are lots (one lilac or hydrangea from a whole blooming tree or bush). I'm sure some would still consider it wrong, but this just seemed different to me. Maybe it's because i have been waiting for it to bloom for weeks and now it's gone. This prompted me to run downstairs and take pictures of the triple bloomed lily at the bottom of our front steps. hope the giggling thief doesn't strike twice!

Okay, so it wasn't nice surprise that started my day, but it ended with a nice one...

It's been mostly raining for a week and a half. We've see a few breaks of sun, but even when it has been dry, it has been mostly cloudy. This afternoon, MN and i were in the sitting room reading and waiting for MR to wake up from her nap when the sun came out! Here's a few pictures of what we've been putting up with and the nice treat we had this afternoon:

(see the waterfall? it's so quiet out there - no background noise -

that i could hear it across the channel!)

M+M Daily Favs 8.26

MN=V's and Sandy Beach

MR=going to the V's

This morning as we arrived at the gym 1 1/2+ hours later than i had planned, we ran into our friends the V's walking out. M+M immediately burst into tears at the prospect of going inside to play without them (despite the fact that we all had dinner together last night)! A was nice enough to invite the girls back to her house to play while i worked out.

We've been in a pretty good stretch of rain, but this afternoon, the skies cleared and we got ourselves out the door and to the beach! We played on the playground and then took a walk on the beach collecting treasures. It was wonderful to see the blue sky again!

M+M Daily Favs 8.25

MN=the wedding card

MR-my earth sticker and the little thing from the thing, I mean upstairs

MR has been asking to go the the State Museum for several days... We finally made it there this morning. After playing on the ship in the kids area, we walked around the upstairs hands on exhibits: The Way We Genuinely Live: Yup'ik Science and Survival Exhibit. (One of the exhibits has a wrapped up pice of fabric that you can take home with you. That's MR's little thing from upstairs. MN forgot hers and we had to go back inside to find it. Yup, it was one of those mornings!) Before we left, we wandered into the gift shop where MN picking out a card with a Rie Munoz picture on it of a bride and groom (to which she later added a neon giraffe) and MR picked out a sticker of the Earth.

sewing a seal gut parka

M+M Daily Favs 8.24

MN=mama watching me at dance class

MR=getting a treasure (a rainbow fish) from the treasure box

Today was M+M's last dance class of the summer semester. Their recital is Saturday night. This time they are doing 2 dances... One creative movement and one tap! Anyway, i wasn't planning on staying at class today, but when we arrived (late, as usual!) the girls were trying on their costumes. Then i started talking to another mom about the recital and classes for next semester. I had a great time watching the little dancers, and i'm so happy that it meant something to MN to have me there! The girls' teacher sweetly made it work out so that their sticker charts were full on the last day... Treasure box time! t took both of them so long to choose, but each was thrilled and took their new treasure to bed with them tonight.

M+M Daily Favs 8.23

MN+MR=dancing

While living in CT last year, we rented a house with a huge kitchen. Often while i was cleaning up from dinner, Bill and the girls would keep me company by playing instruments or dancing around to music in the kitchen with me. We didn't really keep up the tradition once leaving the house (our new kitchen in AK is smaller), but tonight the girls had a blast running circles around the upstairs sitting room to their newest fav song "Life is a Highway" (the version from cars). MN seems to have choreographed a little dance, while MR danced around with her stuffed animals. It was a hoot and next time i will have to grab the video camera. I love the reckless abandon with which they twirl... No fear, no embarrassment... I hope they dance that way for a long time!

A Windshield View of the Weather

Heading into town before 7pm AST

M+M Daily Favs 8.22

MN=blue whale slide

MR=blue whale slide, old mc donald's, and putting my things in a box

This morning the girls didn't want to get out of their pajamas; so, after another marathon play-doh session, i decided to do some Wii Fit instead of dragging them to the gym in the pouring rain. I should have known that a simple 30 minute workout wouldn't be simple. First, i had to replace all the batteries in the remote and board. I tried to sneak it in when the girls we upstairs playing, but of course, they wandered downstairs and wanted in on the fun. I had to create Mii's for them and let them play a couple rounds. 30 minutes turned into 1 1/2 hours and it didn't even make MR's top 3 - ugh!

This afternoon was their end of the summer semester dance party. It was held at the SE Alaska Gymnastics Academy. They had a group warm-up and stretch, watched 3 student choreographed dances, and then ran around like maniacs for an hour. There was a giant blow-up whale slide that MR only braved once, but MN spent most of her time in. As a treat, i got them Mc D's drive thru for dinner. They very sweetly shared half eaten fries with me as we drove home. ;)

MN's snail (left) and spaghetti pie

MR's goody bags and rainbow everything foods

stretching for the party

M+M Daily Favs 8.21

MN=doing the cooking with play-dohs

MR=making a big mess with play-dohs

We have not had so much fun with play-doh in quite a while! When MN woke up from her nap, we decided to take the play-doh out. When MR woke up, sister went to get her and they started playing together. They made animals, spaghetti and meatballs, pies, cakes, elephants, and goody bags. I had to tear them away from it to feed them dinner and promise we could play again tomorrow to get into the bath... Cooperative, busy, happy kids... No problem!

playing kitchen in the kitchen

MN's spaghetti and meatballs

MR's elephants

M+M Daily Favs 8.20

MN=going to the playplace

MR=going to school

I really thought the late afternoon trip to the playground would make the list!

playing dinosaur tag:

views of Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts from the playground:

M+M Daily Favs 8.19

MN+MR=going to the library

Usually after nap, the girls are more than content to stay home and play. I wanted to both take an afternoon hike and go to the library. M+M chose a visit to the library. We left with a staggering amount of books and even 2 for me!

My favorite part of the day was watching the girls get so excited about pulling dinosaur books off the shelves to take home. I love my little bookworms!

blowing bubbles in the driveway