August adventures

Our neighbors and good friends the Bangerter‘s invited us over for birthday parties and cake and ice cream. Isabell turned 16 and all the kids made homemade birthday cards. Cael’s card got the most laughs When he converted a Father’s Day card into a happy birthday card.

This hike had to of been the most sad of any that we’ve gone on when the group of toddlers we’re all stung by bees when we left the trail. To add insult to injury we weren’t even going the right way to find our sign and get a credit for the summer trails challenge. Different moms were handing off their babies that were in the packs. The toddlers that got stung by bees were screaming and crying and getting carried by their mothers, and the rest of us were just trudging along trying to make it out of there alive. It was A little better when we made it back to an elementary school playground and the bee stung kids forgot about their owies for a while.

The Platt and the Bangerter outing! On this day we went to a pick your own raspberry farm and after a good time of picking went home with over 7 pounds of berries. Brecon really was working hard to fill up his container while Brielle only lasted a little while with just a few in the bottom of hers. Even Cannon was more diligent in his picking/eating… I guess Brielle was a little distracted by a dog that was nearby that she wanted to pet.  

It has been warm enough to bring out the water and have a pool party Cannon invited his friends over and we got things set up for them. It was around 5 o’clock when the trumpet sounds for the end of the day and they lower the flag so the boys were sure to stand and show their patriotism

 This was our group of mamas on the hike for our Tuesday adventure it’s always a good time when we get together! 

Weekend with the FRYS

We had a good time hanging out with our buddies playing frisbee golf up at the birch hill recreation area... and surprisingly we didn’t lose any- but we did have some close calls with the thick forest and a throw that went too far. 

The mosquitos were pretty thick up in the shaded areas, but as long as you were moving they didn’t seem so bad. By the 7th hole cannon was starting to hit his limit and Cael stepped up and put him on his shoulders to carry him the rest of the way and Cael even finished throwing the last holes along the way.

Saturday evening we met up at Olnes pond to paddle around and have a cookout. It was a gorgeous evening! The kids were splashing around on the paddle board and little kayaks. My favorite was when my three big boys and CC got on the paddle board to play king of the hill. After they found their balance there was squealing and shrieking and everyone had fallen in except Cael- I don’t know how he stayed up. But that didn’t last long and soon the entire board flipped over and everyone splashed into the chilly pond.

 Our cookout included Cheetos otter pops, hot dogs and yummy grilled salmon. Quite a spread, I know, right?

Summer solstice midnight sun run (walk)

I have really fun neighbors that decided to celebrate the summer solstice by going on a family run/walk/scooter ride around the airfield which is about 6.1 miles. We had gone camping the night before and I was so tired and so actually I was in my pajamas ready for bed but  Brielle was going with her friend Gwen. When we saw them leave their house and walk down the street I looked it Connor who was also in bed reading with me and we said “we should go too”.... even though I was super tired and ready for bed I have major fear of missing out or FOMO. 

The Bangerter‘s were about 8 to 10 minutes ahead on the trail but Connor caught up to them very fast on his bike but I was walking. It was raining a little bit and cloudy but not in a bad way it was actually quite enjoyable to be out there. There is a nice trail that we stayed on all the way around posts off the beaten path for the most part and really a lovely sunset as we ended there was even a rainbow!! I’m glad that I didn’t let my exhaustion keep me from joining in on a fun evening with my kids and friends. Brielle and Gwen  were in the lead and they saw a baby fox run across in front of them. 

Sunset at 12:20 toward the end of the trail

Brielle's Birthday

IT'S GREAT TO BE 8... except when you can't have a birthday party with friends because of the social distancing measures and COVID-19 and it's one of the biggest birthdays of your life and you are excited but it's still a bummer...

ummm...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Even though all of that seems like it was a bit of a bummer, we tried to made it fun. Ben came home early from work and sent me to grab some *goodies from wal-mart (*essentials). The birthday banner, streamers, and balloons, and 2 exploding confetti cannons. A huge mess, but a way to add to the party atmosphere. Ben helped make the Funfetti birthday cake per Brielle's request.

Brielle says: What I like about my birthday is that grandma and grandpa Hoopes were there (on facetime) and I got my favorite kind of cereal- (Cap'n Crunch Berries.)

We had curry for dinner and watched the new Dr. Dolittle. It was a fun family party at home edition.

Christmas Day

LOTS OF PICTURES from our happy morning (and 1 grumpy teenager)

Matching PJs from Grandma/pa Hoopes

Sleds, Candy, cereal, toys, and gifts of love

XC Ski with some ladies

Remember that time I went cross-country skiing by myself? It was okay... but really cold and I didn't like it. The first picture shows how I feel... It was a pretty day and nice pastel lighting on the sparkling snow...

...So the next day I went with some friends up to the Birch Hill Ski trail... and it was better. But my friend Angela Jones was keeping a fast pace and so it was hard to keep up when I ran  I lost my speed. There was some variety on the trails, uphill and down which was a little weird being used to downhill skiis that respond better to turning and stopping. It was fun to be out with friends!

I can't figure out how to rotate the pictures on here...

So Cannon was a his preschool and I rushed to make it back to the building for a little craft time with Ms. Karen and the kiddos. I was worried when I saw all the glitter and confetti all over the table, chairs, and floor. The craft was a clear x-mas tree ornament and the kiddos were putting in fluffy "snow" and the glitter and confetti. I was a little later arriving than the other moms, so I felt I needed to stay and help clean up. 

Start of September

Our neighborhood has a gaggle of kids right around Cannons size- which means there will always be a friend to play with anytime of day- which can be a good thing and a bad thing... but right now it is definitely worth it- whatever makes Cannon a happy camper!

9/14 The university of Alaska Fairbanks had a planet walk community event that we happened to see and join. The kids weren’t that enthusiastic about having to walk over a mile, but the day was gorgeous and I could stand the thought of going home and trying to get the house cleaned up. Glad we didn’t have any plans for that afternoon.

The struggle is real. Wishing I was back in Hawaii and feeling some aloha with this full rainbow while Ben and I were out shopping for his big moose hunt. Trying to embrace where we are... but that isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

The colors are really beautiful this fall, I know the iphone pictures doesn't do it justice, but what a beautiful forest!

First adventures in Fairbanks

A few of our first adventures in Fairbanks include going on for Wheeler rides with our new four wheeler’s, walking at Creamer's Field for something fun to do before school started, and also hiking around birch hill with new friends from church. Melanie and Nicole said the hike went so much better with my big kids as carriers and leaders for the pack of younger kids.

 The countryside really is beautiful, the trees and forests— thankfully the mosquitos were not as horrible as I had thought they would be- at least this year they weren’t. It is always a little tricky to find friends, and I have to say that everyone from church and the neighborhood has been so friendly. I was put into phone number groups and online contacts right away, which makes it easier to get involved. It can sometimes be awkward to invite yourself along, or reach out for playdates at the park, but I've tried to push past that uncomfortable stage and just go for it! I find that it can really be the difference between feeling sad leaving  where your were (your friends and such) and being more comfortable in your new place. 

Walk around Creamers Field. The paths around this field and forest are flat and easy, on this day it was a little warm so we were hunting for the shady paths to walk along. The kids were mostly in good spirits, but there was some weeping and wailing from a few (Cael wanted to stay in the car, Brielle was too hot, etc). And don't ask me why I can't get them all to pose nicely for a "normal" sibling photo-- it just never works!

Birch Hill trail- We were sitting in the hotel, which hadn't been horrible, but we were getting pretty tired of the same breakfast every morning and the feeling of being right on top of one another-- when I looked saw an open invitation to join some ladies on a hike. I was pretty sure I had met them before (or maybe not) at church that Sunday-- it's tricky to keep track of who you have met or not- but regardless... I quickly sent a message that I would like to join and got the location and details. I had to pry the kids away from the cable television and endless cartoons (not always a bad thing) and we loaded up in the car. There was a little wait at the meeting point and the boys joked around that I had been tricked "are you sure there are people coming?" Hahaha.... And they did show up and it was really fun to walk in the forest and get some fresh air. The brightly colored mushrooms were so fun to look at- different shapes and sizes of natural decomposers!

So here are some of the first adventures of living in Fairbanks... there will be more to come!