WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

It's official...we're home owners! I feel so excited and scared all at the same time...it's such a commitment, both financially and emotionally. We have so many "plans" for the house and so many plans for our future; the sad part is that we're only here for 3 years and most of our "plans" will never be realized.

But, either way, this is a great opportunity for us to build equity and begin to learn the "tricks of the trade" with home ownership. So, today we signed our life away. The purchase will be recorded on Sept 2nd, and on the 2nd we will be able to move into the new house. Be prepared for many more blog posts coming your way about our newest experience!

"Daddy" Came to Dinner

It was a beautiful day in Kodiak; Emily brought "daddy" along to all of the places we went today. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at McD's, and of course, "daddy" came along. Here's a video of Emily trying to make sure that "daddy" is eating dinner.

PS - She took "daddy" to bed with her tonight when she went to sleep.

She holds on to him as tightly as she does her binkis.

Missing Daddy

It's never easy when Chris is away. Usually Emily doesn't sleep through the night or she asks about him constantly. Last night as I was taking her up the stairs to go to bed she looks at me and shrugs her shoulders and says "Daddy work?" I said "Yes, daddy is at work." It's so sad, but whether it's traveling on business or standing duty...often times daddies need to go away to work.

Well, this morning I was changing her diaper, and on a shelf in her room is a USCG toy helicopter with a Coastie hanging from a line out of the helo's door...much like Chris would do as a Rescue Swimmer. Chris got the toy as a Christmas gift last year from Grandpa & Grandma Humphrey, but it has really been with Emily ever since. She often points to the toy and says "Daddy," we usually agree with her and continue getting ready to go. But, this morning she kept saying "Daddy" over and over again. So, I took the Coastie-man down from the helicopter and gave it to her. She was SO EXCITED!!! She had daddy back!

She took "daddy" downstairs and he has been with us all day. "Daddy" watched Bolt this morning with Emily. They danced together. "Daddy" went to lunch with us and had to sit on the table near Emily, watching her eat her food. "Daddy" sat in the car seat next to Emily on the way home from lunch. And, now as I write this, "Daddy" is upstairs with Emily taking an afternoon nap right by her side.

Here's a video of Emily and "Daddy" when she brought him downstairs with her to watch Bolt:

Packing

I know I haven't blogged much about our new house. It's been a long process and we're almost at the end of it. We started the "House Buying Process"back in June, and here it is...September...and we're FINALLY going to close on the new house!

So, this weekend we started packing. We won't actually start moving boxes until Wednesday, but we're getting started on some of the items we won't need between now & Wednesday. There isn't much we are planning to pack; we're only moving a few miles down the road...but, Emily got to join in on the fun of packing.

Here's a video of her putting DVDs into a box:
(thank goodness that DVDs can't break if thrown!)

Chasing the Roach Coach

Tonight we planned to go out for some good Mexican food. As you may have heard me mention in the past, "good food" is almost non-existent here in Kodiak. But, we planned to go to Martha's Place tonight for dinner. Martha's Place is only open seasonally from May to October. So, quick and easy...and off to Martha's we went.

Now, usually Martha is parked in the True Value parking lot. Or, sometimes she's parked in the Elk's Club parking lot. Well...it was 6pm and we went searching for Martha. We searched True Value, we searched Elk's...we searched all the other parking lots downtown, but no Martha.

Just when we thought that we would have to think of something else to eat...here comes Martha! We were down the street and saw her driving by. So, we followed Martha to her parking lot of choice.

Dinner with Martha was really good...a couple of real Mexican burritos (actually made by Mexicans!), nachos, and a side of rice. Don't worry, we have leftovers. Oh, PS, a side of guacamole is $8.00! It's crazy...guacamole is definitely a delicacy here in Kodiak!

Here's some pics of us chasing Martha:

Hanging Tags

Yes, Lisa came with some cute clothes for Emily. Emily had no problem opening the bag and pulling out all of the goodies...but, she did have a problem with the tags on the clothes. She refused to take anything else out of the bag until all of the tags were removed from each piece of clothing. She's a crack-up!

Here's a video:

Future Photographer

Give the kid a camera...and they take the most random pictures.

The cute part is that she says "cheese" every time she pushes the button down to take the picture...even though the camera isn't pointed at her. It's too cute!

Auntie Lisa Came to Visit

Auntie Lisa came to visit and spent the day today with Emily. They had a full day of fun! They went to the Kodiak Aquarium, The Park, McDonald's and then home for some playtime, and eventually a nap. Emily had great time and enjoyed spending the day with Auntie Lisa!

Breakfast...Lunch...Dinner...

It all started with a memory. A memory of the best tasting spaghetti sauce EVER!!

So...I was at work and it was about lunch time. Yes, it was a "craving day" and spaghetti sounded DELISH! But, not just any spaghetti...Vince's Spaghetti!! MMM...!!

So, I wrote my mom an email sharing with her my dreams of spaghetti. You know, it's hard being pregnant and being on an island where food is limited. We have ONE Italian restaurant and they SUCK! They've been in town for about a year and word on the street is that they probably won't last the rest of the year. I mean, no wonder...their food is bland and disgusting...oh, and it's about $18.00 for a plate of generic pasta!! It's just depressing.

So, I was sitting at my desk and dreaming about Vince's. For about $14.00 Vince's will give you a "Dinner for Two" which has a large portion of spaghetti, sauce, salad, minestrone soup, and a roll of garlic bread...TIMES TWO!! It's the best deal in town. They used to have a Vince's on Route 66, but it's closed since and the only one left is in Ontario.

Anyway, I digress, so...I was sitting in my office and sending dreamingly emails to my mom about my fond memories of Vince's Spaghetti. But, seriously, the whole time I was thinking "How in the HELL am I going to satisfy a Vince's Spaghetti Craving?!?!?!!" Sadly, I never was able to satisfy that craving and it just made me miss home. I tried to convince my mom that Vince's could freeze it and send it to me...she said, no, they probably wouldn't do that. So, the craving went unsatisfied. :0(

So, teleporting into the future, here we are now two weeks later. Lisa arrived in Kodiak, and like any good sister, she came bearing gifts. She brought gifts for me, Chris and Emily...from her, mom and dad. It was really nice.

So, Lisa hands me this black & green bag that looked like an Xbox Travel Bag. It was rather heavy. I curiously opened the bag and to my EXCITEMENT...Vince's Spaghetti!! Mom had gone to Ontario and ordered us the Dinner for Two and then took it home, froze it and packed it. TO DIE FOR!! We canceled our dinner plans and stayed home to eat the Deliciousness of Vince's Spaghetti. It was wonderful!

Since then I've had Vince's for lunch twice and there are still leftovers in the fridge!

...woop! woop!

THANKS MOM!!

Bolt Comes to Life...well, almost.

Lisa came to visit today and we're excited to have her here for the next 3 weeks! The best part is that Auntie Lisa comes bearing gifts!!! Grandma sent a present for Emily in a nicely wrapped Disneyland bag...Humm, I wonder what it could be...?

Well, in the bag grandma sent was BOLT!! Yep, Emily's very own BOLT!! Here's a video of Emily opening her new toy. Since then she has gone to sleep with Bolt and been carrying him around.

Special Appearance by Rockstar Emily

Yep, last night Chris pulled out Rockband to play a few tunes. He only pulled out one guitar. Emily followed right behind him and pulled out the other guitar and sat right beside him to play along.

I think she's more mesmerized by the scrolling notes on the tv screen. But, she played along and even started "rockn' out a bit"

Here's the video:

Lights On...Lights Off...

Last night, out of the blue, Emily walked into the kitchen...grabbed a stool...and walked it over to the light switch where she turned the lights off and turned the lights on.

Here's the video:

Big Girl Cup

Emily has graduated to an actual BIG GIRL CUP!

We still have the sippy cups, however, and she uses those on a regular basis as a "non-meal drink" for juice & water...just something to have around the house if she gets thirsty.

But during meal times Emily has graduated to an actual cup. She doesn't spill and she does really well with the cup.

Fireweed

Let's talk quickly about Fireweed. Personally, I have taken a fond liking to this plant. Girls are "designed" naturally like flowers, and my fav as an adult has been a mini-calla lily...that was until I gained respect for Alaska's Wildflowers.

Alaska wildflowers are just amazing! Flowers litter the roadside from May through September...in all colors and all sizes. I would have NEVER thought that a dandelion could be beautiful; in California they are considered a weed and picked before they bloom...but, here in Alaska, they cover the hills in the early Spring and their yellow flower is just beautiful. I wouldn't dare ever pluck one again.

But, most of my respect for flowers goes to the fireweed. The fireweed flower can be found all over Alaska. They are notorious for thriving in areas that have been burnt by wildfires, which is where they get their name. But, perhaps the most interesting thing, to me, is that they predict the coming winter season.

It has been said, that as the fireweed's flowers die off, winter is near. Along the roadside from our house to my work there are hundreds of wild fireweed plants growing. I have watched them over the months develop...grow amazing flowers...and, now, dwindle away. I know that as the plants lose their flowers winter is right around the corner.

The days are growing shorter and we are on a normal daylight rotation. The weather has changed and our sunny summer days are gone. I don't fear the winter, in fact winter is beautiful in Alaska...but, being able to watch the fireweed like a clock telling time, it has brought an awareness to me of the season's changing and I am sad that this summer was so short. We will soon have many months ahead of us consumed with shoveling snow, sprinkling salt, rainy days & nights, and warm jackets. As the fireweed disappear I can feel an instinctual urge to gather food and prepare shelter for the winter - it's a weird feeling of anxiety that I have never felt before.

I guess the point of my little rant is that flowers here in Alaska serve a much more important purpose than just being "pretty" - they provide a "sign" that winter is upon us.

IT'S A BOY!!

IT'S A BOY!!

That's right...we had our 20 week ultrasound appointment and they confirmed that Baby #2 is a BOY!! We're really excited!!!!!!!!!!!

We even have proof! (LOL)

Berry Picking Adventure #2

Well, as you can guess...there is not too much to do on an island in Alaska. So, on these nice sunny days it's good to get outside while the sun is shining (it comes & goes from one hour to the next)...so, we took Emily berry picking again. She enjoys finding the berries and picking them off the bushes. It's like a little treasure hunt.

We went out this time for less than an hour and we came back with a FULL basket. I think this time I might try to find a berry pie recipe.

Jello Berry Salad

So, I made a "Jello Berry Salad" with the salmonberries we picked over the weekend. It was DELICIOUS!! It reminded me of Steve's Chocolate Dessert...but with berries!

YUM!!

Here's the recipe if you're interested:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1843,155174-231200,00.html

You can use any berries you'd like.

Big Girl Bed

Well...after nearly 2 years, Emily finally went to bed tonight in a "Big Girl Bed." Ok, yeah, it's just her crib converted into a toddler bed...but...it's just one more step to show how she's growing up.

At first she played in her "new" bed by jumping up and down very happily...and then she took all of the stuff out of her bed and put it all back in by herself. Then she refused to get out of her bed. Then she refused to go to sleep in her new bed. By the time mandatory bedtime came she had no problem going to sleep. She slept through the night with no problems...and then refused to get up to go to school because she wanted to stay and lay down in her Big Girl Bed. What Fun!

Salmonberries

It's salmonberry season once again. This year Emily is actually old enough to help pick salmonberries along the trails. So, the weather was nice today and we decided to take a short break from cleaning. It was nice to get out of the house.



We walked a short trail near the end of the Buskin River. Chloe and Bryndall came along...they were SUPER EXCITED to get out of the house!!! Emily held the basket the whole way and quickly caught on to what we were doing. At first she would hold the basket open for us to put the berries inside, but it wasn't long before she wanted to pick the berries herself.



We picked quite a few berries during our short walk and I think we may have enough berries for a pie. We will definitely have to do this again...very soon!!

4-Letter Word Starting with a "B"...

What's a 4-letter word that starts with a "B"...??

Bolt

Well, every afternoon its the same story. Emily comes home...brings the remote over to us...and says "Bolt." She watches the movie Bolt just about everyday...it's her favorite movie right now. She doesn't want to play with her toys, she just wants to watch Bolt. And, she knows the movie by heart..she says "WOW!" during the explosions and copies some of the characters gestures. It's been this way for a few weeks, and she really enjoys it!

Here's a video where you can see that she is just mesmerized!

(don't worry, she doesn't normally get that close to the TV

...we make her stay at least 8'-10' away from the TV)