Halloween Trick or Treat?

Halloween is always such a fun holiday to celebrate- heaps of candy, dressing up in costumes and fun parties! Who could ask for anything more?

Well... since it is also Connor's birthday we try to really make sure he is having a great time- and he is so easy-going and happy with whatever is going on! Easy to please. So our first party was at the church a few days before actual Halloween- dinner and a trunk-or-treat outside. After the potluck  (and the massacre of spilled food and drinks on the carpet floor -ahh!) We stood by our trunk and shoved handfuls of candy into all the kids bags as they shuffled by. It was so cold... I have to wonder why we don't have the kids walk around the gym instead?

HALLOWEEN NIGHT- Bassett Army Community Hospital, where Ben works, has an incredible community event where all through the hospital kids walk around and are given more candy than is possibly healthy for any child to ingest! The time and effort made to decorate and coordinate for each speciality/group throughout the hospital was impressive. The memory I have now as I am writing this (4/1/20) so even 5 months later was the wait in line we suffered (nobody had their coats on!) and it was bitter (not -40 bitter) but a painfully chilling temperature and the kids were whining and poor Brielle with her thin black T-shirt with her arms tucked in to try to conserve her own body heat. We just thought we were going to walk right in and that's why we left our jackets and layers behind... but the gatekeepers were trying to space the people that were entering the building out so the place wouldn't be overrun! At the halfway mark there were some of the outdoor heaters which helped, but also hurt to leave behind when the line started moving along once again. 

The boys with all the loot. SO after their bags were full from the hospital, the big kids went out into the neighborhood to collect some more candy treasure. I put Cael in charge of the candy to give away at the door until we ran out - he set up a heater and covered himself with some coats as he sat outside on the porch so he wouldn't freeze! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOY

So after all the trick-or-treating was over it was time for presents and Connor's favorite- pumpkin pie!

That kid was excited about every present we had on the table.. even if he didn't know what it was. AP Biology study cards from Cael... "thanks Cael, I can't wait to read these"--Connor. We just love that Connor kid! He is sure fun to be around!

Temple trip to Anchorage

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!

First day of school 2019

It’s always a little tricky moving and making sure everyone is ready for their first day of school. This year felt a little more difficult moving out of the hotel and into the Hulls house (a missionary couple that has their house available for people who need it while they are away)— driving the kids to school and then picking them up at the end of the day. We did this for about a week before we would move into our empty house on the base, where we will have a bus to complete that task for the elementary kids.

Cael- 10th grade at Lathrop High School

Brecon- 6th grade at Ladd Elementary

Connor- 4th grade

Brielle- 2nd grade

Moving to Alaska

July 19-23 Our journey up to our new home in Alaska would require all the modes of transportation and we would eventually use them all- by air (flying to Utah for our visit), by sea (the ferry from Bellingham to Haines), and by land (hours and hours of driving --at least 12+ after our 3 day ferry)... and I have to say that our kids really were fantastic travelers!

One thing I want to remember is how refreshing the ferry ride felt- to simply relax and watch movies or take naps instead of driving- it was just nice to recover from the “lost wallet” incident and not have anything to worry about.

Also- driving through Canada was gorgeous, but long. We had made reservations to stay in Beaver (in Canada)  and the smoky skies, smell, and oppressive heat made us wondering and questioning what we were getting ourselves into? Also the summer heat and swarming mosquitoes were not making us feel very happy- trying to sleep that night wasn’t easy and everyone was feeling frustrated... we actually wish we had kept driving because the hotel wasn’t that great either. Oh well! 

The truck looks a little crowded.. .and it feels crowded too! Even though we had room for all of our gear and bags from the traveling, our food shopping and bringing along extra "just in case" things began to add up! Plus our families were handing us our treasures that they had held on to for us for years. Finally they were able to be in our possession.

WE MADE IT TO ALASKA! Only 8 more hours to go until Fairbanks.....

On one side in the YUKON Canada sign... and ALASKA on the other. The forest has a clearing separating the two countries... a line of demarcation. We jumped from one side to the other before the kids ran back to the truck so we could continue on our journey.

Cannon is 4 years old

HAP- HAP- HAP- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
After telling us for weeks what he wanted for his birthday, we had a fun party up in Star Valley with Grandma and Grandpa Hoopes in Fairview. We even sang the Perry Gripp birthday song 4 times and let the birthday boy blow out his candles 4 (or more) times. We are so happy for Cannon- he is our fun little buddy. He says the cutest things and always makes us smile at his enthusiasm for life.