Fish In!

Some places one might say "Fish On" but here in Alaska in late July, we are slaying  'em. We are throwing our nets in the water and fish are jumping in them! Fish In!

(I don't know this lady, but her fish was trying to get back to the water, she couldn't get a hold of it so she just flopped down on it! Maybe you had to be there! :)

Truth be said, we didn't dip net this year, Scott did. He went with his friend Dan while I toted Cassi and Cali to cheer camp. After getting the girls to their destination Cori and I headed to the beach to take a few pictures of Daddy and all the fish he caught and all the other crazy people trying to do the same thing.

Then, being good timing and all, we ran the mile (at least it felt like it) back up hill to get the truck and pick those guys up. Dip netting is hard work and since we didn't have to stand in the water, fighting the current and freezing our hineys off, the least we could do was run up a hill to keep them from having to walk back to their car.

Way up in the right corner of this picture, in the dark trees is where Cori and I ran to. Trust me, thee is a big hill there, one which I can not run up very well!

Scott ended up with more than 20 fish! WooHoo! I think Dan got 10. Do you know how much that many fish weigh? A LOT! Both of them tried to individually pull the sled of fish on their own which didn't work so well so they toted it together. Yeah, I didn't even try. Cori and I carried the nets, trying to do at least some small part.

The girls love taking smoked salmon to school for lunch. These fish will go a long way in that regard. We are really grateful that living in Alaska grants us this opportunity.

And of course, dip netting is always fun for the kids.

Holy H (ot) ell?

That is exactly what I was thinking each time I stumbled across my children acting like heathens in our hotel this past weekend.

Certainly I am not the only mother in the world who believes they have wonderfully behaved children only to find out they are evil little monkeys!

Behaving like clowns for all the world to see. All I could think was, how did I end up with my very own little circus?

Then I realized they had a ring leader!

*Cori has a friend that traveled with us this weekend adding to the brouhaha. 

Daddy Day!

(I'm catching up on a few old posts- I'll never catch up on everything I've missed but I'm trying)

I should start by saying Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful Daddy. My girls are lucky ladies to be sure. Also to my Daddy. I am grateful for him and for the relationship we have. We are fortunate to live closely- I know many who aren't as lucky.

The girls started the day with Breakfast for Daddy. There was a lot of Mommy help but they certainly added many personal touches including personal delivery of said nutrition.

We struggled in a big way with what to give Scott for Father's Day. The fact is, giving Scott a gift that we can afford on any given day is nearly impossible. First, his tastes are expensive! Second, he usually buys himself all the things he wishes for at the exact moment we can afford them. Third, it seems he does not really enjoy the little things. The girls worked really hard to surprise him. We finally decided on a Fantasy Football yearly magazine, a box of nice golfballs, his favorite candy bars and...the best gift all day, a stack of Cali-made gift certificates for 2 minute head rubs. :)

As for the rest of the day, Barry called me and organized a beach party celebration much like our Mother's Day festivities. Rocky was in town for the first time in many years so it was extra special. Of course, Grandpa was there too and all the big kids came out, which fills me with joy. Also, Nana was here making it an extra special day for Scott.

We set up a day camp like we always do. There was a ton of food, like there always is!  Since it was a holiday of sorts, some of us even had a few extra sweet moments.

Cali climbed the bluff, with nary a thought for it's height or instability. Scott kept an eye on her and since we couldn't seem to keep her away from it all of a sudden, Grandpa took a few turns going up and down with her too.

I didn't get a ton of pictures and I'm not real sure why but I did manage to get Holly to capture a Holmes family photo which is hard to get being that I am the one usually taking all the pictures.

I almost took a group shot of all the kids with their Dad's- fortunately my Dad remembered that I was one of his, and I got in the picture rather than taking it!

The best picture of the day however would have to be this one. We were joking with the guys and asking them to take a 'jump' picture which the kids do all the time. There were some super funny takes and it was hysterical to be a part of. I'm glad we did it because it's a memory we won't forget for a while.

After seeing it, I'm guessing you won't forget it for a while either!  :)

Practicing...

and Learning.

I was a little disappointed that Cali wasn't reading better than she was by the end of Kindergarten. Then they had a cool camp for kids still needing help and she wasn't invited. I was a little disappointed by that too. I decided If I didn't know the right people or wasn't one of them, (it's often a lot about who you are or you know- isn't it?) then we'd make our own path. 

Cali's new job is to make grocery lists for me. This was her first one. I found it super cute that she said to me, "In case you can't understand my writing, I drew you some pictures." I think it's pretty wonderful and it's been a fun way to encourage her to write and spell. 

In case your curious, that first word is 'sprinkles'.  :)

I Got the Hippie in Me

After much deliberation, I forced myself to head up to Girdwood, Alaska today for their annual Forest Fair. I heard about it a week or so ago and told Scott I really wanted to go. I thought the trip was going to coincide with Nana's return trip home and figured it was perfect timing. It turns out the fair was a day later and Scott ended up having to work anyway.

I am often game for new experiences but when I have to do them alone, like most every other person in the world, I get a little apprehensive. I'd heard many interesting things about this event, and was expecting to get drugged  and end up in lala land by the time I left. :)

By last night, I decided I was going to go if it killed me. I really wanted to, I just wanted a grown person with me. Since I couldn't make that happen, I took the kids and off we went anyway!  The drive was beautiful, it was unbelievably sunny, unlike Kenai when we left. I just knew it'd be a gorgeous day and it was.

When we arrived, I was mesmerized. It truly was a 'fair in the woods'.  There were tents EVERYWHERE as we drove past it; as far back into the woods as I could see. I felt like I was headed straight to meet Robin Hood, if he and every one of his friends owned a canopy tent of course.

Right when we walked in, we spotted a stage where a guy was singing something I'd never heard before and kids were hula-hoopin'.  I'm not sure what the deal is with hippies and hula hoops but it looked like a blast!

Then we wandered to a little kid area so Cali could make something. They craft was designed to make necklaces but Cali had already noticed the many women walking around with their colorful fairy skirts and tiara's and things and she had other plans. She is a whiz with a pipe cleaner and got right busy making herself her own crown.

While she was hard at work I noticed the neighboring tent was offering a breastaurant. That was a first for me. I laughed more when I noticed the back of their sign was for the beer garden. I guess that's for later after the kids are fed.

I loved snapping photos through the day and was amazed at how colorful everything is when you put in a forest!

We walked further into it and found another stage where there were some Irish singers. They were dressed in costume and while I found them cool, the kids got weirded out and didn't like the music. They did love the assortment of food and even tried things new to us! Seriously, if you ever have the chance to try spinach bread, DO! You'll be glad you did.

While we were admiring the colorful people and all their skills, the kids decided they also loved all the signage.

Every kind of thing is painted on a piece of wood. If it's wood, it's painted and it's bright and pretty. Cori wants duplicates of two signs she spotted for her birthday. I'm not an artist but I'm gonna try!  We even spotted one to make for Wren's room.

Being up in the mountains, made for wonderful scenery.  There were many flowers everywhere and it appears hippies like them too.  Flower wreaths were abundant and lots of ladies carried bouquets of them which prompted Cali to pick an assortment for herself on our l-o-n-g mile walk back to the car. Why we decided to take the shuttle down but not back, I'm just not sure.

I am really glad I braved the hemp-loving, yoga-bending, incense-burning gathering called the Forest Fair. I made it out with all my wits and was still capable of driving us all home.  I did realize that everybody doesn't have to shower every day and hair doesn't have to be brushed; life goes on and people are happy just the same.   I bought a hippie bag the other day. Today I brought it with me, I think it was kind of a security blanket. I fit right in and you can't imagine how many people asked me where I'd bought it. I told them, then asked if they knew where I could get a hula-hoop. :)