Perfect, I think not!

Yesterday, I went for a run and I got to thinking about how all of my posts on here are happy, happy, happy! Sickenly sweet, perhaps. I'll admit, there are times when I don't want to look at other people's blogs because they are so stinkin' happy...their lives seem so perfect...no rough edges. And while I don't want to be depressing with my posts, I've decided to keep it real. Actually, I think that the real life stuff is more humorous, because we can relate to it. Most days are not very exciting, but they are enjoyable. Today, at church, Caleb was a bundle of fireworks. We aren't sure why we attend church right now because he isn't yet 18 months and therefore, too young for nursery. One of us usually ends up chasing him up and down the halls and it's usually Cannon. So today he left the meeting to let Caleb get the wiggles out. After sitting alone for quite some time I decided to check on them. I found them out in the car, having gotten into a key lime pie (which was placed in the car seat), which they were eating with a ladel (yes, a soup ladel, because there were no other utensils) and Cannon had Caleb on his lap, in the driver's seat...and Caleb was having a ball, trying to steer and adjust the mirror and turn on the radio. Surprisingly, there wasn't a huge mess. Oh, and I went for a run (which was actually jogging) because I'm trying to lose weight. And since I'm keeping it real, I will confess that I was the one eating key lime pie after church.
P.S. We had the key lime pie in the car because Cannon left it in the car after we got home from the grocery store, and in Alaska, you can leave a pie in the car and it will stay refrigerated.

Notice the lawn--"It looks like the map of the world!" exclaimed Cannon. He put fertilizer on the grass with a paper cup, rather than one of those scatter tools and so we have really green patches and then not-so-much green patches. Ha, ha, ha! And I love this lawnmower because it's powered with sweat rather than gas.

Buster in the backyard

I like to call Caleb "Buster" and I'm not sure why...it just fits him. Today he was having such a great time exploring the backyard. He slid face-first down those rocks that you can see to his left in the pic below. He loved it. And he was attacking the dandelions, trying to pull their yellow heads off, without much success. He pushed his car around and around and around the deck. He walked all over the whole backyard, up and down hills, crouching low to look at the grass and dirt. Oddly enough, he never wanted to taste any of it.


He's got the perfect blend of Stoddard and Mix genes...nice profile, Buster!

The old camera has returned!

We are so excited because Dianne and Trent found our old camera. I've posted some old pics and a new video (this morning). Actually, for the record, cousin Allison's husband, Jay, found the camera. Thanks Jay!

C & C took a much needed nap...love this picture.

We took the ferry to Seattle and had some good eats at the classic Ivars Restaurant.

Caleb had their purple potatoes...he wasn't sure what to think of the first bite. They were very, very good. He ended up eating quite a few spoonfuls.
Just moments after getting my braces off. Thanks a million Trent!!
This is from this morning's breakfast...Caleb loves feeding himself. After a few hit and misses, he just decided to bag the whole proper etiquette thing. And yes, I did help him eat a few more bites after he was done dumping the bowl onto himself.

Backyard

Cannon took some pics of Caleb in our backyard tonight. One of these days we need to build a treehouse, hang a tire swing, secure a zip line and a string a catwalk up in those trees. What good is a backyard without a zip line?
Caleb likes to kill the "ballerina flowers". The pods make a popping sound when he squishes them in his hand and it is tough to prevent dancer fatalities...he's quick!


Cannon showed Caleb the "Mama had a baby and it's head popped off!" trick with the dandelions...I was giving him a re-cap.

Bike Rides

Caleb found a cool bike the other day. His legs were too short to reach the pedals, but his little fingers could reach the bell. This is in Palmer, AK just an hour north of Anchorage.


The other evening we took a family bike ride to a little lake which is 2 miles from our house.
Caleb had a great time in his bike trailer. He sang the whole way and loved to go over the bumps in the road. When we would go down hills he would say "wooo!"


On the way home, we stopped at Tastee-Freez and Caleb drank/spilled some root beer and ate a grilled cheese sandwich. He gets more grown up everyday. : (

Flowers, Fudge, Fairbanks and Feeding Funnery

Cannon has been in Fairbanks since Sunday. He returned home very late last night with some of my favorite wildflowers (which he dug up from the side of the highway) and some blueberry fudge from the Fudge Pot. When we were engaged, he sent fudge from that shop...and on my first visit to Fairbanks, he took me to the museums/galleries and the Fudge Shop...so fudge is a sentimental, sweet part of our relationship! (There are no pics of the blueberry fudge because it is pretty much gone!)

We carefully planted the wildflowers and we'll see how long they last...

While dad has been away, Caleb has been perfecting his sippy cup sucking and cereal bowl slurping abilities...as you can see, he's quite confident--no reservations--about kicking it all back. Right on, Caleb!

Out for a walk...

Caleb and I went for a long walk today. We walked down to the Campbell Creek Trail--it looks like this.

This is what was at our feet, on either side of the trail (ferns, rhubarb, blueberry, raspberry & strawberry patches, paper birch, pine, black spruce, and other beautiful flora and fauna)...

This is what was above us (honeysuckle trees)...

This is what was below, after he woke from a nice nap in the jogger...

Today Caleb and I ran a few errands, did a few chores around the house, and enjoyed a 2 hour bike ride into Kincaid Park. The weather was perfect: 59 degrees, slightly breezy and sunny all day long! We took off, sailing up and down hills, as Caleb's trailer glided smoothly behind the bike. Caleb was very comfortable in his trailer and fell right to sleep (a very good thing, since he's teething and nap time is a battle). We were too fast for mosquitoes and slow enough to enjoy the amazing scenery.

Lolly's gone...we miss her already!

Alas, Lolly is in the air, headed on to Chicago where another excited sister and nephew await her arrival. She said "It is good to leave a place better than you found it", and as you'll see below, Lolly is a woman of her word. But before those pics, check out the cute babooskha!
Sewing, painting, rearranging, organizing, hammering, hanging...those were just a few of the activities that befell the house during Lol's visit. We made covers for my couch pillows! Shazam, their cute!
Lolly painted these two walls (along with a third in the other room) and did a fantastic job.
Caleb played so hard with his favorite aunt that he fell asleep eating dinner...mid-reach for the ravioli, I might add.
We checked out the Portage Glacier, just an hour south of our house.
I miss Lolly already. I'm sure you all wish you had a sister like her!! I'm so grateful that she came to visit, bringing sunny smiles, lots of laughs, plenty of sarcastic wit, and oodles of creativity with her. Viva la Lolly! Come back soon!

We went to the Anchorage Zoo...

The polar bears were sleeping...The snow leopard was marking it's territory...

The grizzly was pacing and every time it passed, we shuddered as we heard it's 8" long claws click-clack along the rocks.The snow owl was on the lookout...

The black bear was also pacing, trying to find some berries or fish...We even saw some caged Alaskans, talking amongst themselves...

Then we went home and planted some purple pansies! Lolly loved the rich soil...
Later on she gave Caleb a bath and helped him get his jammies on! (He looks like dad/Grampa Stoddard here).
Then we made some deliciouso cookies!

Walking, swinging, driving and eating!

Caleb was showing off his walking skills to Lolly when we got home from dinner last night.


Swinging at Mirror Lake today. FYI, it is just about about 54 degrees (notice the boys swimming).


Shopping at Fred Meyer...it's the Target of Alaska.


And finally, Lolly tasted Alaskan King Crab for the first time!

LOLLY'S HERE! HURRAY FOR LOLLY!!

Aunt Jenny, this is for you!

Saturday

We had a good day yesterday. We finished unpacking most of the house, put things away...only to find them scattered or stashed in new places, thanks to Caleb's strategic stratification. We still haven't got the crackers out of the baseboard heater.After some indoor cleaning, we went outside to plant some flowers and enjoy the mosquitoes.
Caleb had a good time watching us plant flowers. Just before I snapped this pic, he had both feet up on the door of his new ride. He looks pretty James Deanish--very cool.
We came inside and Dad and Caleb had a great time playing. Caleb is getting really heavy...so the throwing up in the air stuff is usually followed by 5 minutes of gasping for breath. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that we are both very much out of shape...it is definitely because Caleb is getting so big!
After unpacking, vacuuming, dishes, weeding, planting, and playing, we finished the night off with some uber decadent chocolate cookies. I haven't made these in YEARS and whenever I make them, I think of my aunt Jennifer. The first time we made these cookies was at G & G Hillam's house, when we were like 10-11 years old. I still have the original recipe card, written in my 11 yr old handwritting, with chocolate smears all over it. I wish she were here to share these cookies with me!