Big Man Gets His Hair Cut

Ethan got his very first hair cut!

We spared "no expense" and took him to a friend's house for Big Man's first hair cut. (Hey, there isn't much to choose from and this guy does good cuts!)

He was prepped with a red mini-smock around his neck. And never cried or threw a fit. Chris and Ethan went together...male bonding!

His hair is now clean and trim on the sides with a little length on the top. He looks like such a little man.

Here are some pictures from his very first hair cut:

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning Emily came running upstairs to our room; she was so excited about the previous night and all the presents she received that she completely forgot about Santa!! We soon reminded her about Santa, and asked her if Santa came this morning.

She got a big sparkle in her eye, and said "I dunno" while shrugging her shoulders. We all raced downstairs. I went to wake Ethan, and Chris took Emily to inspect the scene. They looked at the cookies and the milk...the cookies had been eaten, and the milk was half-gone. There were presents sticking out of the stockings, and there were new presents under the tree!!

More presents! Emily was SO EXCITED!! Ethan was in a good mood too! We were joined via gmail video for our morning festivities by Papa, Grandma, Lisa, David, as well as Kim & Kaylyn who popped in to say "hello." We hooked them up to the tv, and we were hooked up to their tv...It was a fun interaction.

We had a few presents left over from the previous night; we couldn't get through all of the other presents in one night, the kids were just too tired and cranky. So, there were a few extra presents mixed in with the ones Santa brought. Both kids got some pretty cool stuff...an iXL, which is like a kid palm pilot, princess book/toy, shoes, art kit, a play tent, games, but perhaps the coolest present was the bike and truck!

Santa brought a pink bike for Emily, with a helmet and a bell. Ethan got a big red truck that he can ride. Both the bike & truck were a BIG HIT and the kids spent most of the morning riding them. Unfortunately the weather hasn't been good, so the kids haven't been able to take their toys outside just yet.

Chris and I got a pretty cool gift from mom & dad...a black Wii with Wii Sports and Wii Resort! Lisa even gave us the Wii Fit!! We're SO EXCITED!! We didn't get to play much with our new toy on Christmas because we were too busy taking all the kids' toys out of the boxes...all those damn zip ties...ARG!! (We did have a great time playing the Wii a few days after Christmas...what fun!)

After Christmas presents were all opened we sat down and ate a fantastic breakfast...waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, cinnamon rolls, orange juice...it was yummy! The rest of Christmas weekend was engulfed with taking the toys out of the boxes. I cannot believe HOW HARD some of those toys were to get out of the box! The packaging is incredible! At the end of the day we were left with so much trash & cardboard that we had to do a special dump run that following week. We're limited to the amount of trash we can produce each week, and with Christmas we quadrupled our regular trash disposal...so, Chris just took it directly to the dump himself.

We had a terrific Christmas, considering that we couldn't make it home to be with family. We missed sharing the holidays with you guys, but hopefully we may be able to make it next year...we'll see. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here are some pictures from Christmas Morning...

Christmas Traditions

This was our first year to have Christmas alone, without extended family. I tried very hard to stay true to many traditions, and couldn't keep up with many others. It was a busy & stressful month. It's extremely difficult to have all the festivities when you have two small children running amok nonstop.

I baked countless cookies as my mother did when I was a kid. Emily helped with some of the cookies, but she usually had an ulterior motive...she wanted a taste. Once I completed my last batch I realized...who, in the hell, am I going to give all these cookies to?!?! I gave out as many plates as I could, but we still had leftovers.

With Christmas Eve I felt a large responsibility to uphold the Swedish Traditions. It was rather stressful. We did the best we could, but there were a few Christmas Eve Standards that we missed out on. For dinner we had honey baked ham, green bean casserole, cheesy potato casserole, pickled cucumbers, olives, and rolls. No, there was no lutefisk at our table...we'll have to double-up for next year.

After dinner we opened all of the presents that were sent to us from our families. YOU GUYS ARE WAY TOO GENEROUS! THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR LONELY CHRISTMAS EVE A VERY SPECIAL ONE! We got boxes in the mail nearly every day for the entire month of December! The ladies at the Post Office know us!

Emily was SO EXCITED to open Christmas presents! She not only wanted to unwrap the gifts, she also wanted to open all the toys immediately after they were unwrapped. Once a gift was opened, we kept trying to get her to open something else because she'd be so mesmerized by the previous gift.

Ethan wasn't quite sure what was going on. We urged him to open gifts, and he did a few...but his main interest was to take all the decorations off of the Christmas tree. (That's been his focus all month...and now, with the presents being unwrapped and moved away from the tree, he could now reach the branches. He's a Boy-Destroyer!)

The kids got some awesome gifts: toy laptops, books, little people, clothes, trains, crayons, DVDs, tea parties, games, remote control cars, heated blankets, barbies, stuffed animals, plus much more. The night was a little overwhelming for them. Yes, we did get through everything, but it was rushed toward the end as they were just too fussy!

Chris and I also got some wonderful items...thank you! Oh, and the dogs (mainly Chloe), they Thank You for sending toys for them; which, as of today, Chloe has eaten and torn all of the new dog toys. She's a Dog-Toy-Destroyer!

Thank you for making our holiday special, even though we are 4,000 miles away! We love you all, and we wish you a Very Merry Christmas!!

Here are pictures from the exciting evening!

Snow Angels

The snow has arrived in Kodiak. In fact, as I write this we're in the middle of a blizzard that is supposed to drop about 9 inches this evening. It has been fun this year to play in the snow with Emily. I think Ethan will be more fun next year when he is walking, and he will be able to participate more.

Snow does have it's challenges as well. Today Emily was being a pill, and she refused to get in the car. So, for that brief two minute standoff about an inch of snow blanketed the interior of my car...of course, then she complained that there was snow on her seat!

One weekend we decided to head out to the Ski Chalet, which is about a 20 minute drive on your way toward Anton Larson, which is a bay on the other side of the island. The Ski Chalet, from what I'm told, used to have a ski rope pull lift years ago. Although this "technology" is no longer available in Kodiak, they still maintain a small hill free from bushes and shrubs where kids can go sledding.

After the hour-ordeal of getting everyone dressed and ready, we were good to go! We drove out and, by the time we got there, it was nearly dusk...so we only had a few minutes before night set in. We rushed and each kid got to sled down the hill with Chris, we grabbed some quick shots for the Christmas Cards...and then we were on our way back home.

Yes, it took about an hour to get ready to go...a 20 minute drive...for about 10 minutes of "fun" and by the time we were done, the kids were cold, wet, tired, and fell asleep in the car on the way back home. Mission accomplished.

Here are some fun snow pictures.

Emily making a snow angel...face down!

(Hey, she has her own way of doing things!)

Snow at home!

Trying for a Christmas Card pic.

Fun times in a mound of snow! Ethan just doesn't get it.

It's rare to get a picture of the parents when the kids hoard the attention. :0)

Performance Debut

Emily had her performance debut in this year's Nutcracker Performance! The Nutcracker only premiers in Kodiak once every three years, so this being a Nutcracker-Year it was a HUGE HONOR to participate in such an event!

Emily, and her Dance Class were Baby Arabians in Act I of the Nutcracker Performance. There were about 6 little girls, and 1 little boy in their performance.

They did two shows, one Friday night and the second was a Saturday matinée. She got flowers at the end of her performance, and even went out during curtain call to take a bow at the end of the show.

It was ONE HECTIC SCHEDULE! We attended rehearsal nearly every day. Mom, or dad would need to leave work early to pick Emily up...change her clothes...do her hair and make-up...and then rush to the theater. We didn't do much in the way of "a life" during the week of show-prep.

Emily loved being on stage. She calls it "The Talent Show" and had no stage fright whatsoever. She walked out, did her performance, and walked off...just as practiced. What a Performer!

We were great stage-parents. It was all about her, and she loved it! Yes, her performance was only about two minutes in length, but it was fantastic! (Besides, what do you expect for a bunch of three-year-olds!) I ordered a video, and as soon as I have it I will try to post her performance so you all can see.

Here are some pictures from The Nutcracker:

Welcoming the Holidays

We heard Santa was coming to Kodiak and so we prepared the kids to go pay him a visit. We talked about Santa for a few days prior to visiting him, in an attempt to make sure Emily would be ready to sit and talk with him.

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Santa was coming to visit and take pictures at a local coffee shop. Its rare for Santa to visit Kodiak, so you need to JUMP at the chance to go see him. We waited for about an hour before it was our turn. It was a pleasant wait though, as we just sat a a table with our coffees and a pastry waiting for our number to be called.
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When we finally were called Ethan went up first and immediately started crying. Emily was no different. Eventually Chris and I were talked in to sitting with the kids and Santa, and the four of us got our pictures taken with him. (I'm not sure if we'll use this pic for the Christmas card, so I'll show it to you later.)
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Later that day, and throughout the weekend we decorated the house for Christmas. Emily was SUPER EXCITED about decorating the Christmas Tree! She even helped daddy put up the Christmas lights on the house. Ethan was being his usual "boy self" and took ornaments off the tree, pulled things from boxes, and played with things he shouldn't...there was a lot of corralling going on while we tried to decorate.
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We had a blast decorating this year, and it was fun to share the traditions and explanations of the holidays with Emily. She is definitely looking forward to seeing Santa this year! And, Ethan, well...he has a few more years before he really knows whats going on. In the meantime, he totally LOVES the Christmas Lights!
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By the way, Santa wrote down the presents he's bringing the kids on the blog's home page, in the top left corner. Just in case you're curious. Happy Holidays!

Moose in Kodiak

There are many moose throughout the state of Alaska, but sadly, there are none on Kodiak Island. We are lucky enough to have the Kodiak Bear, but no Kodiak Moose.
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A few months ago one of Chris' friends went hunting near Kotzebue which is near the top of the state and shot an 800 lb moose. When he returned he shared some of the meat with Chris.

At first I was hesitant to try moose, but because meat (in general) is so expensive here you really have no choice but to eat the sustenance from the land.
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My first moose recipe was with meatballs, and it was delicious!! It tastes just like beef, but without the grease and fat! It's wonderful!! When mom and dad were here we let them try a moose roast, and it too was delish!
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I think moose could be my new "beef replacement" - it's fabulous!!

Are There Any Good Restaurants Around Here...?

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Ever wonder what to send your friends or family who live in a remote area? Or, ever want to send something to someone serving overseas? Do they need socks, gum, books, candy, soda...ya, maybe; all these things are good.

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BUT, the BEST care-package EVER is FOOD!

FAMILIAR FOOD!

FOOD FROM HOME!

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We were OVERJOYED and EXCITED to have mom & dad bring a familiar favorite from home. Golden Bowl has the best rice bowl ever! And, their teriyaki sauce is unmatched!! The chicken, steak, green onions were frozen and brought via airplane to our island of Kodiak, Alaska.

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You have NO IDEA what a TREAT a simple rice bowl can be until you've lived without good food for three years. Usually when we come home our visits are planned around restaurants and food locations. Yes, I know that makes us sound like a bunch of fattys, but if you had Russians making Italian Food, and Filipinos making Mexican Food...you'd plan a food'cation as well!

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Its always wonderful to have a little bit of home all the way up here!

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By the way, if you haven't been to Golden Bowl they are located on Rowland and Second Street in Covina. I highly recommend the beef or chicken bowl with a side of teriyaki sauce! YUM! Oh, and you can't go on Sunday because they're "Closed for the Lord's Day" (yep, that's what their sign says on the window)

The Big E Turns 1!

Yep, November 17th the Big Guy turned 1! He has grown (or should I say "overgrown") from his small preemie stature when he was born, and he is becoming a strong and healthy little man.


We celebrated Ethan's birthday with some friends, and then again with family. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his first birthday party, but Emily was really excited! Grandma and Papa brought up all of the party decorations, as we don't have such luxuries on our tiny island. The entire house was decorated with 1st Birthday party decorations.


He didn't know what to do with the birthday cake. At his party he just kind of poked the cake until I finally broke it up a bit and fed it to him...he still wasn't too interested. BUT, on his actual birthday we celebrated again, and this time the kid was loving it! (Maybe he likes chocolate cake better than white cake...?) He tore into the chocolate cake and got it everywhere!!!


He got many presents for his first birthday and I thank everyone for sending something for him. He was excited to open the presents and the boxes, and loved unwrapping everything. All of the trucks and cars are just awesome, and he seems to take a liking to those. Its fun to watch him drive the car across the floor. The clothes were especially great...he's a fastly growing boy and those 18month clothes fit him perfectly! He also got some other cool toys like a helicopter, sensory bouncy balls, a birthday bear, talking dog, and I'm sure there are a few more in there I might have missed. He's just starting to like toys, and these are all a great start for our little man!


We were excited to have Grandma & Papa join us for this special occasion. They flew in and stayed for a total of 10 days. While they were here they were a HUGE help, and made breakfast, lunch, dinner, played with the kids, cleaned, and just hung around. We were spoiled while you guys were here, and you are welcome to come back anytime!!

Here are more pictures from Ethan's 1st Birthday:

Grandma & Papa See the 1st Rehersal

During their visit, Grandma & Papa got to see Emily dance at Dance Class; they even were able to catch her very first Nutcracker Rehearsal.

Emily has been in Dance Class for the last four months, and really loves it. She looks forward to the class every Saturday morning, and likes seeing some of her many regular school friends who also attend the same dance class.

This December she will be in the Kodiak Community Performance of The Nutcracker. This will be her first performance on the BIG STAGE and she is excited to be in "The Talent Show" (as she calls it.)

Her, and her classmates, will be the Baby Arabians. They have a 3-5 minute bit in the 3 hour production...which, in all honesty, is about the attention-span of a 3-year old.

We have had three rehearsals thus far, and with the production coming up in a few weeks, I'm sure the rehearsal schedule will increase tremendously!

Here are a few videos from the Dance Class that Grandma & Papa attended, as well as her very first rehearsal on the BIG STAGE. I'm glad Grandma & Papa were in town to see Emily dance, especially because these dance classes are "sponsored" by them. (thanks guys!)

Welcome Grandma & Papa!

Grandma & Papa came to visit and arrived on November 12th. They flew over 4,000 miles to be here with Ethan to celebrate his very 1st Birthday! All four of us were there to welcome them to the island. Both kids were excited to see Grandma & Papa, and spend the next 9 days with them.

Happy Halloween!

Well, Halloween has come and gone. Some things I've come to realize about "Halloween in Alaska" are a bit different than "Halloween in California."

Emily is not at that age where she knows what she wants to be for Halloween. I had thought about getting her a Tinkerbell Costume because she's into Tink right now, and she would be stinking adorable as Tinkerbell. But, sadly, this type of costume isn't possible in Alaska.

You must realize that right now it is literally freezing outside during both the day and the night. So, at 32 degrees, Emily can't be walking around the neighborhood in a skimpy little green dress. If we gave in to this type of costume, she would require a ton of layers underneath the green dress, which would just look silly. Or, as most kids here, she would wander around in her heavy overcoat, and no one would know what type of costume she had on underneath.

So, this type of limitation rules out just about anything "girly cute" -- it rules out any sort of princess, fairy, witch, etc. If it is thin and has a dress...it's just not a reasonable costume for our Alaskan weather.

So, we had two monkeys this year...and they were adorable! Emily wore the monkey costume last year as well, but while deployed for Training, Chris found a matching monkey costume for Ethan. So, our two little monkeys were two little monkeys for Halloween.

Friday night kicked off the festivities. It was actually a nice evening here in Kodiak; yes, it was 32 degrees, but the sun was out and there was no sign of rain. Every year the downtown Kodiak businesses open their doors to the kids who can go trick-or-treating downtown at the business locations. Well, because we had beautiful weather, the downtown area was PACKED with kids...hundreds! Most businesses ran out of candy within the first hour of the event.

Emily went shop to shop, trick-or-treating with daddy, as I pushed Ethan along in the stroller. Ethan didn't know what to make of the whole thing. The poor guy was so tired, but was intrigued by all the activity so remained awake. He sat there in his monkey costume just watching his surroundings.

When we got home Emily was SO EXCITED about all her candy that she immediately ran to her snack drawer in the kitchen to unload. We typically don't allow her too have much candy, but considering her new stash, she could now have candy for months!

When Sunday finally came she didn't really want to go trick-or-treating again. She said that she already had enough candy. She was content with handing out candy to the people who came to the door. Yet, I managed to coax her out of the house to a few of the neighbors.

The weather Halloween Night was impossible! 40mph wind gusts, hard sideways rain, bitter cold, and pitch black...but, we managed. (Hey, we're in Alaska...you can't let the weather stop you!) We ended up going to about 8 houses and she got even more candy. The neighbors were very generous. Considering the weather, there weren't many kids out, so the neighbors handed out gobs of candy just to try to get rid of it. Her snack drawer is set for life!

Chloe and Bryndall got dressed up for Halloween. Chloe was a banana split, and Bryn a bumblebee. Bryn was pissed, so we took the costume off...but, Chloe, she wore it all night long and greeted everyone at the door. I think, in total, we got about 40 trick-or-treaters...not too shabby.

Here are some pictures from the Halloween Festivities!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Chris and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary on Friday.

Five years ago we got married, and life has been a whirlwind ever since!

During our first five years of marriage we...

• honeymooned in French Polynesia
• survived me getting laid off and being unemployed for WAY TOO LONG
• we "re"joined the military
• we moved to San Diego
• we had a baby
• we were very poor
• I moved in with my parents so Chris could go to A-School
• we did a road trip to Alaska
• we moved to Kodiak
• I got a good job
• we bought a house
• we had another baby
• and, over the last 5 years, we fought and argued...we reasoned and made up

Life over these past 5 years has been anything BUT "easy;" but, I wouldn't have changed it for the world! Everything about our life is so wonderful...especially the rocky road we took to get here.

I love you Honey, happy 5th Wedding Anniversary!

PS - Thank you for the flowers, and the cake to share with the office!

Camping with Daddy

For several weeks now, Emily has been bothering me to go camping...well she finally got her chance this weekend. I got a couple of guys together from the shop and we headed out to the beach (in the rain) to camp for the weekend. Emily was so excited to go!

We showed up at the beach around 7:30 pm on Friday night and it was raining buckets! We had rented a small camper from the base so we were set...except a friend of ours had a huge camper (with heat) so Emily and I stayed in that instead. A couple of Emily's friends were out there so she got to run around all night with them..she was pooped and crashed at about 11 pm.


On Saturday, the rain was gone and it was a gorgeous day out! We spent the day playing on the beach, fishing and playing games. We also borrowed a friends 4-wheeler and Emily got to go for a couple rides on that up and down the beach, and she loved it!! We brought Chloe along and we had a great time throwing the ball in the freezing Alaskan waters while watching Chloe fetch it with out hesitation. Chloe had a great time and was so tired she slept in the camper for hours! We finished up the night with a bonfire and smores (which Emily missed out on because she passed out from exhaustion) and some leftover fireworks from the 4th of July.


Sunday morning came around, and I think Emily was ready to go...she seemed tired, pretty cranky and lazy. She took a nap for several hours late in the afternoon. I spent the afternoon fishing for halibut just off the beach in a small inflatable pontoon boat (we launched the boat through the surf, like the Navy SEALS do...it was awesome). We loaded up the Jeep and headed home around 4:30pm, making it home by about 6, just in time to eat dinner with Tracy and Ethan!


Tracy had a nice relaxing weekend alone with Ethan; she had a great time playing with him and was able to catch up on alot of things. While Emily and I missed them camping this weekend, it seemed to work out great for all of us!


Here are some pictures from our trip:

The Body of a Lineman, the Arm of a Pitcher

At 10 months old, our little man has learned to throw a ball.

It's never too early to start them off right!

Humm...will he be a NY Yankee, or a Dallas Cowboy

...or both...

(Chris' 2-cents...LA Angel or KC Chief...it's arguable)

He Crawls!

One day he was rolling and scooting, and the next day he was crawling! Gosh, things change so fast. He finally built up the muscles to pull 25 lbs around the room! He is so cute! Sadly, however, we have learned that our house is NOT child-proof. Let the fun begin!

Emily's Hidden Talent

Thanks to Auntie Mel Mel, Uncle Scott and Grant we have the next American Idol.

(Mel, it is the gift that keeps on giving!!! LOL!)

More Dance Excitment

Dance Class

Here are some videos from Emily's Dance Class this last Saturday. She's having a really good time and warming up to the class; she doesn't require an escort any more. (WooHoo!)

They will be performing The Nutcracker this Christmas and the little kids will have a place in this performance. Most of their curriculum consists of getting the kids familiar with the Nutcracker music and the overall performance.

Here in Kodiak, The Nutcracker performance only happens every three years; so this is a very special event in this town, and a very special thing to be a part of!

Great BIG Spider.

The 3-Year Old 's Birthday

Emily had an AMAZING 3rd Birthday Party today! We were extremely lucky to secure a very large bouncy, we played Pin The Tail on Pluto, we had a Pinata, the kids made foam airplanes, we ate snacks and cupcakes!

Let me start with yesterday...we cleaned and prepared ALL DAMN DAY! We went to bed around 1am after a very long day of trying to find the bouncy for the party; and then trying to figure out how to get this 500 lb MASS of vinyl up our stairs to our backyard. Chris called 3 guys to come over to the house to help. It was INSANE!

This morning we woke up around 10:30am and thought..."CRAP!" ---We had people coming over in a few hours and we still had SO MUCH TO DO! We ran around the house for the next 3-4 hours cleaning and hiding all the extra stuff.

Glad to say that we made it and the house looked festive and amazing! I definitely think this will be a party that Emily will remember forever.

The first kids arrived and the bouncy was inflated...the kids LOVED the bouncy. (It is not too often that our Kodiak kids get to play in a bouncy - this was a TREAT!)

Pin-The-Tail on Pluto was fun and the kids enjoyed it. We have about 10 tails all over the piece of paper with Pluto on it. (Sadly, my camera died about here and I don't have any non-blurry pics of this game.)

The gang loved the pinata and it was Petey who slammed the Mickey pinata releasing all the candy and toys; the kids scrambled to collect everything.

Everyone came inside for cupcakes and we sang Happy Birthday. We then opened gifts; and it was all over after that.

We've been planning this birthday for months...and now it's all over. We still have a lot of clean up to do...but, that can be saved for another day.

Emily had a WONDERFUL 3rd BIRTHDAY!

(thanks to everyone who got to share this with us!)

Emily's 3rd Birthday

It's hard to believe that this wonderful little girl has been a part of our lives for the last 3 years. As most of you know, she is super adorable and just amazing! Three years ago today we were in a hospital in San Diego where we all waited for many hours for Emily to come.

She was an amazing baby from the beginning and had big, wide eyes. Being our first child, Chris and I went through a BIG learning experience on "becoming parents." We still continue to learn to this day, and although we have gotten much better, we hope to do the best we can.

We celebrated Emily's actual birth day here at home where we had hot dogs & mac n' cheese for dinner, and cupcakes with sprinkles for dessert...Emily only eating the frosting, of course!

With today's technology we were lucky enough to be able to celebrate via Skype with Grandma & Papa, Lisa, David, Grandma Lauri and Grandpa John. They all got to see Emily open gifts, and she loved everything!

She got some really nice clothes, toys, and a few gift cards. THANK YOU to everyone!

I know we are far away from our family, and times like these are hard for all of us. But we thank you all so much for going out of your way to make her day as special as you can for her. Her candid gratitude is genuine, and you are all so very special to her. Thank you!

So, here are a few pictures from her birthday at home...we still have a party for her friends coming up this weekend; stay tuned for those pictures.

Our Little Linebacker

Ethan had his 9 month check up this week (yes, we're a little behind...he is 10 months old on the 17th.)

He is growing strong and healthy, and is nearly off the charts with his development! He is in the 98th percentile for his height, and in the 100th percentile for his weight. Considering that the 50th percentile is average, Ethan is topping the scales!

He's simply a big kid...so much so that the doctor jokingly said that he's a shoe-in for the NFL. He's already got his football jersey which he wears as he shares weekend football with daddy...we're raising a future football star...he's just naturally built for the sport. (LOL!!)

(The above picture is one of Ethan after he fell fast asleep in his bouncy-exerciser...he was having such a good time that he just decided to put his head down and take a rest right there in his toy.)

Dance Class

Class #2 went much better than her first dance class. Mommy went through about half the class with Emily, doing the stretches and some of the circle exercises. I tried to "slip" away a few times, but she caught me and brought be back to do the class with her.

About half way through I told her I was tired and I was going to sit with daddy for a few minutes, who was off to the side of the room watching. She said 'ok' and watched me go sit down. She did the rest of the class without me! And, she had a blast!

She was super cute too, and every time the lesson would have her walk toward us - or - when she'd see us...she'd smile really big and give us a BIG WAVE "Hi Mommy!" -"Hi Daddy!"

The night before class I brought out my old dance costumes I wore when I was a little girl, and she insisted on wearing my old blue sparkly outfit with fringe. She was stinking adorable! I had been waiting 25 years to share those costumes with my daughter...and it's finally here. Yes, it was a "moment."

Here are just a few pictures of her class...Chris took a ton!

Big Guy!

Ethan is growing fast! He is 9 1/2 months and about half the size of his big sister. Our next doctor check-up is next week, so I'll fill you in on his height & weight...but, thus far he's outgrown all his 9-month clothes and fits comfortably in his 12 month clothes.

No, he's not a chunky baby (with the exception of his cheeks)...he's just a BIG GUY!

Over the last week he has been moving all over the place. No, he's not walking yet nor making real words, but he's sure trying! He's almost crawling. He can scoot, roll, and army crawl to where he wants to be...and he has a "reach" that can stretch for miles! If he wants it...he'll figure out how to get it!

He also jabbers all the time. "Dadadadada...Mamamamam....Lalalala..." Just like his sister, he's a talker.

The thing he LOVES MOST is standing. He can stand for a long time; he can even stand for a few seconds without support, and isn't afraid to let go of whatever is holding him up. He is a busy little man, and once he figures it all out, he is going to be a maniac to try to contain!

These are pictures of him in his Big Boy PJs; they're a 2-piece PJ set in a size 12 mo.

Dance Class

I took Emily this morning to her first day of Dance Class. Now that she's going to be 3 she can start a class at the local studio. While we were in Anchorage with grandma, grandma bought Emily her first dance outfit; complete with: leotard, skirt, tights, ballet shoes, and a ballet bag to put everything inside.

Emily has been PUMPED about dance class for a month or so, and "the day" is finally here! Sadly, Chris had duty and wasn't able to join us for the first day...but, there will be many more to come! So, Emily, Ethan and I headed to The Little School of Dance which is just down the road.

We walked in the door and Emily was so excited! She switched out her Crocs for her ballet slippers and walked into the studio. Then her good friend, Hayden, walked in and Emily was thrilled! Hayden's dad (Chief) also came to watch, along with Hayden's little brother who is about 5 months old.

It wasn't until the teacher walked in and began to get the class together that Emily clammed up. All of a sudden, Emily turned shy. She refused to be with the group and refused to listen. She still really wanted to be there, but was too shy to participate. I kept trying to get her to go out with the group, but it was difficult while trying to watch Ethan at the same time.

About half way into the class Hayden's mom showed up and she offered to watch Ethan so I could focus on helping Emily. Hayden's dad also helped out. But, for the next 30 minutes, the dance class had another participant...ME! Once I got out there Emily began to warm up and be a part of the class, just like everyone else!

Next week Chris will come along, and I think Emily will make more progress as we keep going.

The BIG City

We just returned from a wonderful "extended weekend" in Anchorage with Grandma!

We went to the Mall...ok, many Malls and MUCH shopping!, the Anchorage Zoo, the Alaska State Fair, Boat ride to the Portage Glacier, the H2Oasis Indoor Water Park, the Anchorage Harley Davidson, Portage Wildlife Conservation Park, Wasilla, and ate at many of the SoCal-local restaurants that I miss so much after being on an island!

We had an amazing visit. Emily remembered grandma at first sight and went running to her with BIG HUGS!

For five days the kids were spoiled by their loving grandmother. (Their mother, "ME," was spoiled as well...thanks mom!) They got lots of toys, gummies, got to stay up late...and had a GREAT TIME!! I got a ton of work clothes (which are much-needed)!

It was a quick trip, but we had a blast! Thanks mom for everything and we look forward to seeing you again in November! LOVE YOU!!

Here are some pictures of our trip:

Locked Inside

This afternoon Ethan was fussing, and Emily was bored. Its raining outside and we were all stuck inside today. So, I decided to take the kids outside on the covered patio deck for a bit just to get out of the house. Emily was going to grab her Mickey & Pluto stuffed animals, and I grabbed Ethan. We were just going to sit out on the patio furniture for a few minutes until Ethan settled down.

Ethan and I started walking toward the door, and Emily began to flip out because she thought we were leaving without her, and she had yet to get her stuffed animals. I paused to wait for her, but she was now too upset to regroup. So, I went outside without her.

While still crying, she quickly got Mickey & Pluto and stood in the doorway looking out at me & Ethan as we sat outside waiting for her in a patio chair. Well, Emily got so upset that we had gone outside without her that she started to scream and cry, and then she slammed the patio door shut...and locked it!

I couldn't believe she was so upset! I sat there, with Ethan, for a few seconds and then got up to attempt to open the patio door. When I tried the handle, it was locked! SHIT! I couldn't help but laugh...you've got to be kidding me! Now what the hell do I do?!!? My two-year old just locked me out of the house, and locked herself inside!

I spent another 5 or 10 minutes trying to get Emily to unlock the door, but all her attempts failed. And her "silly" crying and screaming from earlier has now turned into this frantic screaming! From the other side of the glass I tried to calm her down and walk her though 'How to Unlock the Door.' She was scared and frantic, and couldn't re-group. She made several attempts, but we have a difficult lock and she couldn't twist it far enough to unlatch it.

I walked toward the front door, but that was locked as well. I could hear her screaming from inside the house as she ran from the patio door to the front door. I tried to instruct her how to unlock the front door, but she didn't understand and gave up...screaming the entire time..."MOMMY!!!...MOMMY!!!...MOMMY!!!"

I checked all the windows, but no luck there either. "What am I going to do!" Chris wasn't going to be home for at least 4 more hours and it was beginning to get colder and rain harder outside. I thought more and more about going to a neighbor's house to call a locksmith...however, I wasn't "looking my best," so I was hesitant.

I was wearing Chris' flannel Santa & Reindeer PJ pants, which are too big for me, and an extremely clashing purple hooded sweatshirt with a florescent paint-splatter design; I hadn't done my hair, so it was all frizzy and I had no make-up on. I also wasn't wearing any shoes, but I found a pair of Chris' brown fishing boots outside and put those on...those were about 4 sizes too big for me. Ya, I looked a mess! But, I'd have no choice and have to suck it up and ask a neighbor for help.

I was on my way to the neighbor's house when I decided to check one more place to see if I could get inside. Luck!! I was able to push it open and weasel may way inside the house! I couldn't believe it! (I'm going to be vague on the specific details, for obvious reasons.)

I walked toward the locked patio door where Emily was kneeling and crying in panic waiting for me to return on the outside. I approached her from inside and gave her a big hug to calm her down. Then I unlocked the patio door and went outside to get Ethan. (The entire time I was trying to figure out how to get back in, Ethan was sitting outside under the covered patio...just chillin'.)

This whole ordeal was only about 30-45 minutes...thank God! But, what a mess! I need to have a better way to get back inside the house in case something like this happens again!

Day-to-Day

So, what do we do all day...?

I've been waiting for something to blog...anything, but we're just doing the same ol' day-to-day. Nothing really exciting is happening and we're just living the everyday life.

Our day usually starts off around 6:35am, when Chris rushes out of bed worried that he'll be late for work. He then nudges me and tells me to get up to get the kids ready while he showers. Most of the time, I stumble downstairs and wander into Emily's room but some days Chris gets the kids ready to go all by himself because I am too tired and lazy to get out of bed and help. This really stresses Chris out and I love doing it to him. Hahahaha. (Chris wrote this part...lol.)

I loudly open the door and turn on the light and say "Good Morning Emily." Lately I've been greeted with a grunt, and then she pulls the covers over her head and says: "I not ready to get up yet." But, after a few minutes of my rustling about and getting her clothes out, she then gets up with a big smile.

She always refuses to go potty when she wakes up, but then...she refuses to do just about anything. Its the "No Stage" -- she always will say "no" and then a few seconds later she'll think about it and change her mind. After she goes to the bathroom she then comes in to get dressed, and of course, no matter what I pick out the response I get from her is "I don't like that..." No matter what it is; and then a few seconds later she gets dressed in the original planned outfit.

Next we're on to Ethan. I walk in, turn on the lights, and say "Good Morning Ethan" - Emily is usually right by my side to help. She's always excited to wake her brother, and needs to give him "Good Morning Kisses" every morning. She helps with the diaper and picking out what Ethan will wear for the day.

Next...the morning's happiness turns...then it turns to a fight for Emily to get her shoes & her jacket on. The mood changes and she, all-of-a-sudden, becomes difficult. But, after a stern "1...2..." she is back on track. Then it's a quick run to the kitchen to bring the clean bottles to school for Ethan; and with a kiss goodbye, the morning rush is over.

...I can continue with our exciting day-to-day story later...stay tuned...

In the meantime, here's a video of Ethan:

Alaskan Fishers

Today we rented a boat from the USCG Base and took Lisa, David, Emily, Chris and myself out fishing in the ocean. The Goal: Halibut.

Well, my story is somewhat short because about an hour into our journey we had stopped to begin to set the lines and then the boat went up, and down...and up, and down...and up, and down...and up, and down...

And as my head began to start swimming, and I was having flashbacks of what my breakfast tasted like, we then reeled in and set a course for the docks so that I could return home.

My journey was AWESOME...while it lasted. I got a few nibbles, but didn't get to reel in a fish myself. Emily and I got off the boat to go home, and the rest of the crew went back out to continue fishing.

Here are some pictures of the day on the boat. Lisa caught 2 lein cod and a small halibut, and Chris caught a 70 lb halibut...it looks like they may be going out again on Monday.

Coast Guard Hero Chris Moore

Chris had his first television interview...for any of you that missed it, here it is!

San Dimas native rescues crew from burning ship

San Dimas native rescues crew from burning ship

By Stacey Wang, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/22/2010 01:00:00 AM PDT
Article from: http://www.sgvtribune.com/highlanders/glendora/ci_15578149


Family members reunite with the crew of fishing vessel Nakat after the U.S. Coast Guard rescued the four men from the engulfed boat on July 11, 2010. Rescue swimmer Chris Moore, center, of San Dimas and flight mechanic Mike Gustaveson, right, receive hugs and thanks from the men and their families. (Photo courtesy of Sara Francis)


Suited in rescue swimmer gear, Chris Moore headed into the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, not knowing what to expect.

The San Dimas native, along with a United States Coast Guard crew, was responding to an emergency radio beacon from the fishing vessel Nakat.

Five miles off of Sitkinak Island and 80 miles southwest of Kodiak, Alaska, the 52-foot ship was found - looking like a fireball with a plume of smoke that could be seen on the horizon.

"We looked at each other, thinking this is probably not going to be a good thing," Moore recalled. "Obviously looking at the boat, nobody on the boat was going to be alive."

But to everyone's relief, all four fishermen of the Nakat had been able to escape on a raft

Chris Moore, 30, a San Dimas native, after graduating from rescue swimmer school in Elizabeth City, N.C. in May 2008. (Photo courtesy of Chris Moore)that had drifted two miles from the ship.

One-by-one, Moore helped each crew member to be hoisted to safety onto the awaiting helicopter.

"He was real professional. Everything went smoothly. There were no hitches," said ship captain Joe Macinko of Kodiak, who was thankful to the entire rescue team.

It was opportunities to help people in need - like the July 11 rescue - that compelled Moore to become a rescue swimmer.

"I wanted to be in the business of saving people," Moore said.

Finishing active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps years prior, the 30-year-old tried living a civilian life in management for Sparkletts.

"I had a real disciplined way about myself. I went to be a civilian and I had a real hard time doing it," he said.

Seeing a rescue swimmer demonstration in 2006, Moore decided to sign up with the Coast Guard and started boot camp.

"It was a big gamble because I left my $72,000 paycheck to go to boot camp to be in the Coast Guard," said Aviation Survival Technician 3rd Class Moore.

"He was more than happy to do that, just to be doing what he was doing. And he's been happy as a clam," said mother Lauri Crandall, 54, of San Dimas.

Moore comes from "family of warriors," as his mother puts it. His stepfather John Crandall is a retired firefighter; his brother Mike Moore, 31, is a police officer; and his stepbrother Jeremy Crandall, 36, is a also a firefighter.

"There's certainly an element of fear, but I've just learned to put it in God's hands and he's protected them so far," Crandall said. "We're just proud of what all the kids have done."

The mother encouraged her sons to choose careers they would enjoy, even if they didn't get paid for it. Like his older brothers, Moore decided it would be a career of lifesaving.

Graduating from San Dimas High School, Moore decided his next step would be to join the military.

"I had thought about it for the better part of high school to go to the Marine Corps," Moore said.

To his parents' surprise, it was their Chris who would be joining the Marines, not Mike.
"We thought it was going to be his older brother. His older brother was Mr. G.I. Joe as a kid," Crandall said.

His brother went on to attend a university after high school, while Moore decided doing so was not for him.

"He's never been a sit-behind-the-desk kind of kid," Crandall said.

Moore served a year in Iwakuni, Japan, then spent the rest of his active duty at Camp Pendleton.

"Even though he works in dangerous situations, he's focused. He tells me that he doesn't even think about the fear factor until after it's over," said father Michael Moore, 58, of La Verne. "I'm so proud of him. I could almost bust."

His career path has led him to Kodiak, a nice change of pace from California life, he said.
"Coming up here, where I live on the island, the biggest thing to do is going to Walmart," Moore said. "It's kind of a nice change."

After two more years stationed in Alaska, Moore is hoping to move with wife Tracy and kids Emily and Ethan to Astoria, Ore.

"It's a very similar place, climate-wise and slow-paced, as here but it's not as isolated," he said.
stacey.wang@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 2303

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