Catching Up

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, so this is just a catch-up post. We are doing well, just very busy. Darron is desperately trying to finish up a Master's Program by Oct. 15th. He still has one test and four papers to write, so he is spending most of his extra time studying. That means, the kids and I are spending our time together and trying to leave D alone! :)

It is definatley Fall time in Alaska. The leaves are all golden and falling from the trees. The temps are in the 40's during the day and 30's at night. "Termination dust" has hit the mountains. This is the first snowfall that starts at the tops of the mountains and slowly works its way down to us in the town....therefore, it is slowly "terminating" our summer and Fall.

The kids are both doing great, growing like weeds. Preston is getting so tall and we're continuing to work on expressing our frustrations without major fits....the joys of a 3 1/2 year old! He is surrounded with wonderful friends and has a group of about 4 little boys is "hangs with" on a regular basis. Here's a great smile from my big boy!


Darron went Halibut fishing this summer with some of his buddies. They had a great trip and came back with a lot of fish for the freezer. This was D's biggest catch of the day...about 70 lbs!

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Payton is also doing great, growing up so quickly! She is such a momma's girl and I LOVE it! She is so happy (most of the time) and always smiling and laughing. She is learning so many words and tries to repeat everything we say. Her favorite thing to say right now is "no, no" while shaking her head....this is her general response to anything we ask her.

Preston and Payton love each other (for the most part) and their favorite thing to do together is wrestle and tackle. Usually, it's Payton taking her brother down. A few tears are shed if it gets out of hand, but most of the time the tackle sessions are full of laughter! It's so cute to watch!

Pres and Payton also love trying new things together...like Preston pulling Payton in a miniature red wagon around the living room! I think her toppling over was the funniest part for both of them. :)



These pictures are obviously out of order but here is Darron and his buddies with all of their fish....halibut, sea bass, link cod, and a red snapper!

And last, but certianly not least, the beginning of our summer was filled with putting in a backyard...a three year long project has finally come to life! When we bought this house 5 years ago, the backyard was mainly dirt, little grass. Over the years, the little grass became all dirt. We have spent the last two summers putting up fences so Maverick, our dog, would have his own area. We also had to take down old decks and make a deck for our hot tub (a big $200 purchase from Craigslist). Then, we had to move sheds, level out the yard, bring in 2 dump loads of topsoil, and spread it all. Finally, the hydroseed. I had pics of the entire process, but can't locate them now. However, this is the finished product! Complete with a hamock, an outdoor firepit, a box for a veggie garden next year, a trampoline, and a fort/slide/sandbox for the kids. We LOVE our backyard!! Thank you to my main man for working so hard to give our kids such a great place to play!

Well, that's our mid-summer/Fall catch-up. Now it's getting colder, my hockey season has started (yep, I play hockey with my girlfriends!), school is going, and we are beginning to hibernate for the long, cold winter!

Hope you all are doing well and thanks for checking in on our family. Leave us a comment and let us know how you are!