Playing

Ev and I try to hit the library on Fridays. She loves the legos, blocks and puzzles. Of course she enjoys storytime and the books.

Ev's favorite companion is her ratty old Baba. Here he is taking a ride on Malchick, our lovely house guest. Malchick is fitting right in and we do not want to give him back to his family.

The best toys are out of the cupboard. Her very loud drum set at 6:45 am. Time for everyone to get up out of bed.

A Good Little Helper

After eight years of growing Hannah has become a good little assistant. For the first time when 'helping' her Dad with a project she actually did help! We only have to wait 6 more years for Evelyn to be of some use.

We have removed that scary blue rug downstairs and are installing laminate in the family room and bedroom. Robin was happy cause he got to use his two favorite saws.

Furry Guest

As his family is traveling to Hawaii for two weeks we are luck to have Malchick (aka Nana) visiting. Although he is used to having three kids I think two are acceptable. He's a bit tentative about walking on the laminate floor but with encouragement he'll muster up the courage. I love his noble face.

January 17th? Really? Feels like April!

This morning at a balmy 38F (above zero) Evelyn plays in the sand box on the deck.

After 16 days of the deep freeze the temperature jumped 80 degrees in three days as a Chinook blew in from the Pacific. Yesterday evening the temperature of 52 F (ABOVE ZERO NOT BELOW) broke a record here in Fairbanks. We are warmer here then many places in the lower48 (Atlanta and Buffalo)!

Hannah's on the Team

What to do with a daughter who completed all of the swim lessons at Hamme Pool and wants to keep swimming? Swim team. Yep, she tried out and is now on the Midnight Sun Swim Team (MSST). Way to go Hannah we are proud of you!

Hannah now has swim team practice for an hour twice a week instead of swim lessons. Still at the same pool so it hasn't been a huge change. After swimming for an hour she eats and goes to bed. Mom and Dad love swim team!!!

Ev tried on the official team cap. We'll only get it back if we can catch her!

Day 13

Thanks to our daily paper, the Fairbanks Daily New Miner (http://newsminer.com), I am up-to-date on the statistics of our latest cold snap. This is day 13. On 11 of the past 13 days the temperature has hit -40 or colder. The all-time record for consecutive days with a low temperature of -40 or colder is 18 set in 1964 and again in 1971. Lately, I was starting to feel a bit more positive and less worried about freezing pipes and broken down vehicles. Felt upbeat that the ice fog is gone around midday and I can see the clear blue sky. After reading the paper, that low level anxiety is creeping back into my psyche. Grrrr.....

Hannah is dropped off at school, -40 and ice fog. As it is still dark out at 9am the camera used the flash which reflects the ice fog producing more of a white fog that is actually present.

Evelyn's Top Five Favorite Things

Ev's favorite activities:

1. Stroking her lamb's ear and sucking her thumb.

2. Doing whatever Hannah is doing.

3. Playing birthday party.

4. Playing 'don't break the ice' over and over and over.

5. Painting! I make her stop finger painting when she starts smearing paint up her arms.

Into the Light

I have a rule. I only say that it is cold out if the temperature is -40F or colder. Otherwise I just tell myself that I live in the subarctic, it is January, and what did I expect? Our house, socked in with ice fog. The sun is shining somewhere, but not in the flat lands. This is day six or seven of a cold snap. At my house the temps have varied between -35 and -45. Whatever the temp is at the Fairbanks Airport is the temperature at our house.

The bank on the corner has a fairly accurate temperature. Note how thick the ice fog is! Driving is terrible. Worse in the dark. Please note that since the temp is only -39 it is not cold, just a winter day in Fairbanks.

The girls and I drove into the light today; visiting friends who live near the end of Gilmore Trail near the top of Mt Lulu. The sky is clear and that golden orb is the sun!!! Twenty-five degrees warmer then my house. Balmy at a clear -10F.

Christmas

Three days after Hannah's birthday party and it's Christmas! Here are the girls setting out cookies for Santa. We talked to Evelyn about Santa quite a bit and were never sure how much she processed in her little head. On Christmas Eve at bed time she was sitting at the fireplace and told me "No go bed, wait for Santa". I think she knows exactly what's going on. We reminded her that Santa waits until everyone is asleep before he arrives. She toddled off to bed with no problem. We took the girls swimming on Christmas Eve to ensure they would be tired and go to bed easily.

Opening presents. Hannah's favorite was an American Girl Doll and her scooter.

Eve adores her school bus and wooden birthday cake.

The glorious mess.

Hannah received Spirograph because her Mom and Dad wanted to relive their childhood.

December Review

The holiday season was busy filled with sick kids, a birthday and Christmas of course. On December 15th our darling Hannah turned eight years old. Robin and I are amazed by her. Wasn't she just a jelly-head the other day? Now she can read and write, swim like a fish, and go on sleepovers. On her birthday morning she opened the presents from the family. She finally got to see the barbie house we have been constructing for her. Oh yes, be careful what you teach your children. We try to teach and live in an environmentally conscious way the old adage: reuse -recycle. Well, Miss Hannah decided that she needed a barbie house and that Mom should make it from recyclable materials; items found around the house. Wow. This turned into a big project.

Lots of friends and family got into the act. Dosh, who participates in a woodworking club crafted some beautiful furniture including a dining room set that makes me envious! Check out that bureau, the drawers open! Our friend Peggy made a lovely Christmas tree with presents and Hannah's friend Tjarn sewed a pillow and blanket. Meg donated a tea set and many other accoutrement's. I enjoyed constructing the house and I will never look at a box again without thinking "What can I construct from this? A couch?"




Unfortunately Hannah got a cold and a stomach virus that put her out of commission for 5 days; missing three whole days of school. This happened on the day of her scheduled birthday party. Bummer. But we rescheduled the party for December 22. Luckily all 9 girls could attend the delayed party.


The activity of the party was decorate your own gingerbread house! A good idea but the execution of this idea was very time consuming. Building a barbie house wasn't enough, now we have to construct 11 gingerbread houses. Yep, 11 gingerbread houses. A day for making the dough...oh how I love my kitchenaid mixer. Two days of cutting and baking. Two days of constructing ....I also love my glue gun. The day after I rolled out the dough my triceps were sore from the rolling.

Next year we are having the party at the pool....easier.

Hodgepodge of Pictures from 2008

Hannah's holiday concert (K-3)Woodriver elementary. With kids constantly moving, and Evelyn on my lap, this is the only relatively un-blurry photo of the concert (i.e., each grade's kids sing 3 holiday songs) and of Hannah. I got to the gym 45 minutes beforehand to get a decent seat and managed a second row spot. These concerts are an amazement, the music teacher is a busy, busy woman.

Happy Evelyn - Unhappy Evelyn

When she is happy is is very happy and when she is not she is very very unhappy.

Thinking back to halloween.....

My little Ewok. Snowsuit is under costume. My little princess leia.

Hannah's artwork is selected to hang in the halls of Woodriver.

Note the embarrassment on Hannah's fact that Mom is taking a picture in school.