IDITAROD

One of the unique perks about living in Alaska is getting to be part of the Iditarod and other cool winter events. This was our first year getting to watch the start of the race because we were closing and moving into our house last year at this time. So FYI, the Iditarod just has a ceremonial start through Anchorage; after riding through town, the dogs and mushers are flown to Willow, where the race officially starts. The race is from Willow to Nome, and has an interesting history. It commemorates a rescue trip made by early mushers to bring medicine to dying children in Nome when bad weather prevented any other form of transportation to the city. In Anchorage the race goes through the town, and people cheer all along the way. Here we are watching the dogsleds about a mile from the starting line.

The Iditarod coincides with Fur Rendezvous, which we posted a little about earlier. Fur Rondy started with trappers coming together around this time of year from the villages to trade and sell their furs. This week we went to the snow sculptures, which were pretty amazing. The first prize was a giant-size polar bear playing a piano which was balanced on top of a walrus. Pretty creative, and I don't know how they managed to balance the snow just right so the whole thing wouldn't collapse. The one below is one of the simpler sculptures, but we liked it because we were celebrating Christian's second birthday and it seemed appropriate. We also went to a fur auction, and watched it for a while. The bidding ranged from about $200 for fox skins up to $650+ for bear skins. I didn't know this kind of thing still went on, but I guess people have to acquire all their animal furs somehow. We see furs on the walls of many of the homes we've been to up here. Check out some of the characters we got to rub shoulders with at the auction: one guy had a white wolf hat, a fur coat, and then two wolf heads for gloves. These are actual dead animals! His thumb went in the lower jaw, and the other four fingers were in the nose section, kind of like a puppet. And...they wanted to picture with us! Actually they thought their grandchild would like Christian's froggy hat. Maybe they thought it was a real frog. :) Honestly though, there were quite a few sporting the furs, and it was a unique experience being part of the true Alaskan crowd.

Christian's Birthday

Last week we celebrated Christian's birthday. I can' t believe our baby is two! Of course, he hasn't been the baby of the family since Elliott was born, but sometimes he still wants to be, and he definitely still has plenty of baby chubs to squeeze. A little about Christian: he loves to do whatever his older sister and brother are doing, even if his little body can't quite do it at their speed; he is a pro-climber, gives great hugs, likes to look at books, and loves anything to do with Cars (note the huge Cars swimsuit he is wearing--Ethan's, but he insists on wearing it all the time, even to bed). He has some awesome facial expressions, likes to throw things, and loves to help cook and go outside. Here are some pictures of the birthday celebrations, including his train cake and a few presents.

Winter Fun

Since the weather has been really nice (high 20s) lately, we have been able to attend some fun community events these last few weeks. The first was an Ice Fishing Jamboree put on by a local boy scout troop (we think). It was held at a local lake, where the scouts? had drilled dozens of holes in the ice and also cleared a large area for racing, provided fishing poles and bait, a warming tent with hot chocolate and snacks, and prizes to boot! Although we didn't stay for too long, we had a really good time and were impressed with the work put into it and the focus on children. The kids fished for a little while, then warmed up in the tent and played a little on the big toy (half covered in snow) before we headed out.

This last weekend was Fur Rondy, which is an annual city event to kick off the Iditarod. There are sled dog races, ice and snow sculptures, trappers trading furs, fur bikini contest (true!), outhouse races, footraces, snowshoe softball, and a big carnival to give you an idea. We went on Friday to see some of the sled dogs race around the town and the ice sculptures. It is still going on, so we may attend some more events next weekend.


And some pictures at home:
Did we mention we have been getting record-breaking snowfalls this year? This picture doesn't give it justice really, but the snow in our yard is currently above the kids' waists and would be much higher if you counted the snow that has melted and/or packed down. We all had to literally wade through it last week in making a snowman. Christian couldn't move through it at all (it was about as high has he was) and had to be carried to wherever he needed to go.

Elliott's Blessing

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, babies can be given a blessing at Church soon after they are born. So a few weeks ago, Joshua gave Elliott his baby blessing at Church; we were able to record a lot of what was said, if not all, on the I-Pad. Elliott is really special to us, and we're grateful he can be a part of our family.

These pictures are of him at one month old, so they are already outdated (I will have to do another round of pictures soon) according to baby time.

Winter In Anchorage

This winter has been a pretty rough one. On the coldest day so far our thermometer read -18 degrees F. That was at about 10am. I think it might have warmed up to about -17 degrees later in the day. We have probably had at least five other days or so where it has been around -15 and many many more days between the -5 and -10 marks. Rebecca and I were talking to each other the other day about how cold it feels outside. We have been in cold weather before--after all, we lived in Syracuse, NY for a year before moving here. In the past we have experienced cold to an uncomfortable point. The other day I had to drop our car off at the shop for a transmission fluid leak. After dropping it off I had to walk about half a mile to the bus stop. It was -14 out and all I could think was if I was stranded out in this weather for even just an hour I would probably freeze to death. All this cold weather means we have been spending a lot of time indoors. Rebecca and the kids pretty much only get outside running to and from the car in order to avoid the exposure. On most days I still ride my bike to work, but I have studded bike tires and I dress in plenty of layers.

We have been getting a lot of snow too. It has probably piled up to about three feet in our yard, but that is packed down. I am sure more than that has actually fallen. It is too bad that it has been too cold to play in it very much. Earlier on in the winter we did do a few sledding trips at neighborhood parks and the kids have loved that. I think Christian has been the biggest daredevil and has had the most fun on those trips. With all of the snow we have also gotten to enjoy some of the other fun winter activities, like shoveling the driveway, falling down many times, and driving on ice.

Our postman left this in our mailbox the other day.

I didn't think it was that bad!

It is fun to see everything so white though.

Christmas 2011

Another late post: Christmas! We were here in Alaska for Christmas, and had a nice weekend. Joshua got sick Christmas Eve, so he was pretty much in bed for all of Christmas day and a couple days afterward, so it ended up being pretty low key.

As per our Christmas tradition, on Christmas Eve we acted out the Nativity story, this year with Julia as Mary, Ethan as the Angel, and Christian as Joseph. Joshua was the donkey and narrator, and I was a narrator and the wisemen and shepherds. We start out the scene in one room and work our way around the house, to a different room where we eat a Bethlehem style dinner (fish, pitas, grape juice, olives), and then to another for the stable scene. The kids really love it, and it's a special time for all of us, remembering that special night and the special gift the Savior is to us.

Then Christmas morning the kids opened up their stockings and then the kids and I went to Church while Joshua suffered with strep throat at home. It was a really nice service with a lot of lovely music, and Julia and Ethan participated in the primary song (Julia snuck Ethan up with her, even though he wasn't officially in Primary yet but knew the song by heart). Then we came home, opened presents, talked with family, played with new toys, and ate. It was a nice day, although I wish Joshua would have been well enough to enjoy it too.

We loved celebrating the birth of our Savior, and the joy and hope He brings to our life. We were also grateful for the contact we had with loved ones during the season through cards, gifts, and Skype/phone chats. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!

Julia turns 5!

If any of you know Julia's birth date, you know this post is about two months overdue. But as Joshua has taken the three oldest kids to the library, I thought late would be better than never. Julia turned five in November, and it was a fun day. We decorated the house with pink balloons and streamers, and Julia picked to go swimming at a local fitness club for a family activity. There was even a big slide, and the kids loved it--Julia and Ethan went down the slide alone and swam a few feet on their own too! Christian also went down the slide with Joshua, and was excited to have as many turns as possible. It was a fun, snowy day, followed by cake and staying up until Mom and Dad's bedtime that evening. We love you Julia, you are so precious to us!