Alaska Part 1: Sea day and Glacier Bay

A few weeks ago we returned from our trip to Alaska. It. was. incredible. Prior to leaving, I thought about it everyday, for months. It did not disappoint. I also vowed that nothing was going to ruin this vacation for me. Nothing. So despite having a horrible allergic rash covering half my body, and having to take Nell to the emergency vet the night before we left (She ran into a pole. Seriously. She was pretty banged up with a bloody nose and all. But she is ok.) I powered through and I'd say the trip went off without a hitch! It was hard to leave the kids. I may or may not have had a bit of a melt down as we were pulling out of the dock and I knew that I would be "unreachable" for a few days. They did great though, and I am so SO grateful to my mom for playing mom for the week. From melt-downs to pooping in the backyard, they gave her a run for her money. Everyone survived though and they are all still best of buddies.

We opted to drive to Seattle to save some cash. It is a long drive, but I didn't mind. It was super nice to not have to be constantly passing fruit snacks to the back, or singing songs to calm someone down, or pulling over to pee in the bushes because we were miles from the next rest stop (although we did almost have to do that once). I listened to a book, slept, took pictures of Nic sleeping, and just enjoyed the ride.

We got to Seattle Saturday evening. After asking around we found a great Thai food restaurant. It was yummy. Lloyd (Nic's dad) asked for a "2 out of 3" level of hotness and was literally sweating by the time dinner was over. It was pretty funny.

Sunday morning we headed over to Pike's Market. I had never been and wanted to squeeze it in before we got on the ship. I loved it. Flowers everywhere, food everywhere, music everywhere. Loved it.

We found a little shop run by an Austrian couple. Nic was able to get his favorite Austrian beverage and speak a bit of German.

There is this wall down one of the alleyways. There are thousands, nay, millions of pieces of gum stuck to it. Its gross and awesome at the same time.

Goofballs.

We grabbed some fresh cheese curds and mac 'n cheese from Beecher's. This macaroni was to die for. I seriously am still craving it.

Waiting to be taken to the ship. Somehow, quite mysteriously, we found one of our chip bags had a little hole nibbled in the bottom of it. We hadn't noticed it earlier on the trip and therefore thought we might come back to mouse infested car. Luckily no mice. We finally determined it must have been that way when we bought it from the gas station. Nasty. It was probably from the place that had 2 toilets in the same room. With no stalls or even a half wall for privacy. Just 2 toilets. Right next to each other. You'd have to be REALLY good friends to want to experience that together. My mother-in-law and I love each other, but not that much.

Waiting to board.

The ms Oosterdam.

Our first full day on the ship was a sea day. We went to the many activities they had on board including the kitchen tour and Tango lessons (surprisingly hard when on a rocking boat). That night was the first of two formal nights and it was really fun getting dressed up and having dinner then going to a show.

 

Victoria and me with the head chef.

Tango lessons. There were several times the ship would rock and everyone would go flying in one direction. The fact that these dancers can do this on a stage everyday is super impressive. The fact that Nic took these lessons with me is even more impressive. He was such a good sport.

Formal night in the dining room. Pretty sure I ordered two desserts every night.

I love this picture. I LOVE this picture. It cracks me up every time I see it.

Aw. Love these guys.

Day 2 we were in Glacier Bay National Park. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect (which is rare, we hear). A park ranger boarded our boat at the entrance to the park and later gave a lecture about the park. There are several glaciers in the park, some of which are often impossible to reach due to ice. We went to Marjorie glacier and attempted to get to Johns Hopkins, but the ice was too thick.

Holding our spot on the bow of the ship. The wind was chilly, but otherwise it really nice.

Marjorie glacier. We were able to see it calve. It made a impressive crack (like thunder) before a big chunk fell into the water. Awesome.

This thing was massive.

While we made our way to the Johns Hopkins glacier we decided to have dinner. The dinning room is at the back of the ship and every few minutes we could hear a crashing sound as the ship would be hitting the ice bergs. Pretty quick the captain decided to turn around. Probably a good idea. The whole voyage already had a bit of a Titanic feel ever since they announced that they were one life boat short. "It will be okay," they assured us. hmmmm.

Pictures don't do this place justice. It was beyond incredible.

Johns Hopkins glacier from afar.

I can't remember the name of this glacier.

Leaving the park.

Sun setting at midnight. (It would rise at 3:30 am).

The mountains went on forever. Behind those huge mountains in the back there were even more mountains. The mountain behind Marjorie glacier peaks at 15,000 feet. Considering the base of that mountain is pretty much sea level that is pretty incredible.

My love.

Stay tuned for Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria.

Bye bye binky

Sage has used a binky to help her fall asleep since birth. She usually just used it at nap times and bedtime, but she definitely "required" it during those times. I have been wanting to wean her from it for sometime. Mason weaned himself at like 6 months and I've always been of the opinion that the earlier you wean the easier. I have been dragging my feet, though, because this summer is a little crazy for us and I was expecting it to be an ordeal. So I was planning on doing it after our 4th of July festivities. Nic had other plans. Last night he took the binky out of her mouth and said, "tonight's the night." He kept telling me that she would be fine and that it wasn't going to be a big deal to her. I thought he was dead wrong. I warned and threatened of hysterics and late nights and overall world destruction (including a ruined 4th of July weekend), but instead we just got about 45 seconds of crying followed by 45 minutes of babbling and then a sleeping baby. Today, at both nap times, she babbled for about 15 minutes and fell asleep. (She did the same thing WITH the binky). So here it is, in writing: Nic, you were right. Don't let it go to your head.

My Brother the Ninja Rockstar

I am not aware of any fame my brother has received in regards to being a rockstar, and I'm not sure he has any real nunchuck skills, but he is still pretty cool. This is not a special birthday post or anything like that. Its just an ode to my big brother whom I happen to think the world of. He really is the best big brother. When we were little I remember him letting me tag along with him and his friends. I'm four years younger than he is and so that is kind of a big deal if you ask me. Other than pinning me down and dangling big loogie balls over my face (which more often than not ended up in my mouth), he has always been a very gentle and kind brother. I only have positive memories of him as a child and as an adult he continues to be genuine, honest, and kind-hearted. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know and that is no lie. As if all of this isn't enough, he is also one of the most talented people I know. If he is interested in something he is good at it. As a kid he liked art, and some of his work is still hanging in my mom's house. Amazing stuff for being like 13 when he did it. In high school he liked football and track and did very well at both. He likes music and so he taught himself the guitar and he also plays the harmonica. His two loves, however, are skiing and fishing, and pretty much he is awesome at both. He is loyal to his "hobbies". This loyalty is what has made him awesome at what he loves to do, but also it makes him an incredible friend/brother/son. All I would ever have to do is point to someone and tell him that they hurt me and he would possibly kill them with his bare hands. (Don't worry, you're safe. I really don't have any enemies.) That is just how he is. So kind hearted, yet fiercely loyal. He is the best brother anyone could ask for and I am so lucky that he is mine. So here's to you big brother. I love you.

I stole these from his Facebook. I don't know the people who took them (except for the last one), but I'm sure they won't mind me using them, right?

Milk Goatee

Dear "Got Milk?" campaign,

For your consideration, I present to you this:

The milk goatee.

one.

Just a year ago my baby girl looked like this.

She now is one year old (as of last Friday). This year has gone by so fast and I cannot imagine life without this darling in it. She brightens my day and I love her beyond description. Here is a run down of her big day.

Waking up a one year old!

I had to really ponder what to make for her "birthday dinner". Not because she doesn't have any favorites, but because everything seems to be her favorite. She loves food and has been known to grunt and point until you give her whatever it is that you are eating. She even grunts when we give Nell dog treats. I ended up deciding to make biscuits and eggs with orange slices. Delicious sounding I know, but she really loves biscuits.


Here is the birthday spread.


The cake. I decided to do an applesauce spice cake with a cream cheese frosting. Not a work of art by any means, (Like it would have been if we were still in Pennsylvania and the famous Deb Kreiger made the cake) but it was tasty!

She was really cute when we were singing to her. She just got this little smile on her face like, "are you singing for me??"




We didn't go crazy in terms a party. We invited our good friends the Walkers and then any family members that live in SLC. Marci, Seth, and Ellen were able to come and we loved having them here to share in her big day.






Happy Birthday baby girl! You sure are loved!


Here are some stats and facts about this one year old:
Weight: 20 lbs 15.5 oz- 50%tile
Length: 30 1/4 in.- 90%tile
Head: 45%tile

• She now has 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom).
• She is finally sleeping all night long! Just like Mason, she didn't sleep all the way through the night (meaning like 7:30 pm to 8 am), until 11 1/2 months. She finally kicked the early early morning wake up and for that I am grateful.
• She is transitioning from two naps to one. She still takes an occasional morning nap, but mostly she goes down after lunch and sleeps for 1.5-3 hours. I like it better this way. It gives us the mornings to get out of the house.
  
• She is offically weaned from breastfeeding and drinks from a sippy cup.
  
• She started walking at the beginning of May. On May 10th she walked all the way across our living room and she has been at it ever since.

• She really loves to play with Mason. He calls her his "Sagie girl". Their favorite games include: Mason throws the ball and they both crawl to it as fast as they can to get to it, Mason runs around the couch and Sage chases him, climbing the stairs and singing songs.
• On her own she loves to put things inside of any container she can find. I often find little toys and trinkets inside our shoes, or inside tupperware in the cabinet.
• She loves to dance. She points at my ipod and grunts or else just starts dancing without any music. In church she dances and "sings" to all the hymns and even waves her arms around while she watches the conductor. If you just say the word "dance" to her she wiggles her bum.
  
• When she is crawling or walking really fast (usually in an effort to get something or somewhere) she breaths really quick and heavy. She usually has a big smile on her face and just acts like she is working so hard to accomplish her task. She has done that since she started crawling. Its how I know she is on the move when I can't see her.
  
• She has a cute little pout as pictured below.
  

• She still stiffens her arms and legs and rotates her wrists and ankles when she gets excited. She loves it when daddy comes home or when Mason wakes up (if she is up before him).
• She loves to be outside.
• She loves to go to the park and swing on the swings or play in the big tube. (She often does the above mentioned movement when she sees the park.)
• She still has a deep raspy little voice and the funniest laugh. Her fake laugh is super funny.
• She says "mama" "dada" and "nell nell".
  
• She scrunches up her nose when she laughs or smiles. I LOVE it.

She is such a happy girl and such a bright spot in our lives. Love you Sagie girl!

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl. One year went by so fast. Stop growing, ok?

(A more detailed post of Sage's first year to come after we celebrate tonight.)

Mason-isms

• After bath time, Mason comes into Sage's room while I'm getting her in her jammies. He has been having this conversation with Nic in the other room and wants to tell me about it.
  Mason (pointing to his nipples): "Mommy I have these on my body. So does Daddy and Sagie and Nell Nell. So does Mommy. Hers go boing boing and Mommy uses hers to feed Sagie milk. My (I) don't want to use mine to feed Sagie. Mine are just little. They don't feed Sagie." (Mine go "boing boing"? Should I have that checked out?)
• Mason was trying to ask me about a helicopter and if it was landing over our house or something like that. I wasn't entirely sure what he was saying and he was getting frustrated until he finally said, "Mommy! Tell me the truth!"
• Mason: "Mommy? You be dead and your eyes turn red and you snap books on frogs?" (What??? No idea where he got that from.)
• Sage: Babbling. Mason: "Sagie is saying 'I love you brother and you are awesome!'"
• We were at the Huntsman center having dinner with Nic and a nice elderly man, dragging around an oxygen tank, was talking to Mason about the impending storm outside. After their little conversation Masons says, "Excuse me. Is that (pointing to the oxygen tank) to spray people with?" The man just laughed and got on the elevator.
• The other day Mason was outside playing with some of the neighbor boys. As he as coming in the house I heard one of the boys yell, "I love you Mason" and without skipping a beat Mason called back, "I love you too Tavis!" Must have been a great play session.
• I was trying to reach something that was high up and Mason informed me, "Mommy, you'll never be big like Daddy. I eat lots of food and I'll be big like Daddy. You are just small."
  

• The other day we were going to the bank. When we pulled into the parking lot Mason asked, "Is this the bank?" "Yes." "Are there lots of piggies in there?"

• Mason kept pointing to his cheek saying, "Look mommy! I'm growing a horn like daddy!" "You mean a mole?" "Yeah. A mole. Like daddy!" Nic says that now he know what Mason really thinks of him.
• We use the doors on Mason's closet to display his art work. The other day I found Mason standing in front of it, hands on his hips, with a scrutinizing look on his face. I asked him what he thought of his work. He said, "Its. AWESOME!"