Fried morels.
These babies are the last of ’em.
And a few of them are stuffed with Kenai Cheese dip. Oh yeah.
If you provide learning opportunities and educational activities kids will learn and their interest will be piqued. Once a child has an interest they will seek out knowledge on their own. Give them tools and they will build.
And that is my fundamental education philosophy.
Team work.
Finished!
Three years.
I often look for poems or quotes about Dads and their love, and Daughters and Dads and they all fall short.
No, we didn’t have the fairy tale Daddy/Daughter relationship, we had an imperfect relationship because sometimes that’s what life delivers you.
But we made the most out of what we had.
My imperfect life with my Dad is one of my most treasured memories.
Still miss you Dad.
Still love you.
The visitor center in Homer is full of learning experiences. We learned about our local seabird colonies, life aboard a ship, and migratory patterns of salmon. Lots of photo ops.
Science, geography, & history all in one.
Baby moose photo op.
Silly kids and an enormous seal.
On our way to the airport in January, I hit black ice and spun off the road, down the ditch and hit the moose fence in Anchorage. Not the best way to start a journey.
The wreck ended up totaling our 04 Envoy as it toasted the tranny along with the body damage.
So the search for a new ride that fit us all was on. We had found an 03 Dodge RAM 4 door that was roomy and we had settled in it. It had some body rust though and was a year older so there were some reservations.
Then we spotted this beauty and the rest is herstory. Dubbed “The Black Pearl”, Pearl for short, she’s our family’s ship.
Protected by pirates.
Pearl has magical off-road abilities and brilliantly bright headlights. And she is just plain fun to drive. Plus there’s room for a couple more pirates should any swing over for a parlay.
All settled in at home, recovered from the jet lag, still working on everyone getting over these colds. Cut wood today.
Life in Alaska.
How many states can we see on one vacation?
Start in Alaska, hop over to Washington skip to Missouri. Jump over to Iowa, kids went to Nebraska, I went back through Missouri to Kansas, then back to Missouri. Soon I’ll be headed back to Iowa for one more night, then return to Missouri to catch a flight.
So for our family, it looks like 6 is our magic number.
I think I already have jet lag.
We’ve enjoyed every minute, every mile and especially every smile.
ETA: I forgot Oklahoma.
Last Sunday I took the kids to meet their Aunt De to spend time with their Nebraska family. Talk about a sweet reunion!
They were so happy to see her!!
With the big kids being gone, me and the little mister had to hang out at Aunt Claire’s and get by without them. It was rough let me tell ya! Little Mister missed his siblings terribly.
But we managed.
We decided Monopoly was a good idea, until…
Uncle John decided to be a jerk and put hotels up.
Short bus candidate.
But all was well by morning and we had our coffee.
More quietness with -3 kids than I’m used to.
Friday was travel day, back to SE Kansas. And we’ve been going ever since.
Had a great visit with our cousins from Louisiana and reminisced some red dirt, fire ants and lizzards. Some of the best childhood memories!
Had lots of fun with Bryan and his family. Then Emma late Sat night. Finally got to meet all of her lil ones!
More to do today so I am up and at ’em earlier than I’d normally be…
But the homesickness is creeping in. And I’m ready for my big kids to be back.
A few more people to see, memories to be made and laughs to be had then it’s North to Alaska, my home, sweet home.
So much joy & laughter this weekend! Have missed these folks so much!
Food and fun!
This boy loves this dog. She tolerates him mostly…
Alaska on my mind... 