The Wacky Pepperds

Week night adventures.

2010-08-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I

Jeremy and I

In front of the glacier at Lake George

The family at Thunderbird Falls

The past two evenings I have had the chance to go hiking. I am so blessed to be able to take a 20 minute car ride or a 15 minute plane trip and have the luxury of hiking and goofing around in some of Mother Nature's best wsettings! Monday night after dinner we were antsy and so we decided to hop in the car and drive to a local hiking trail about 20 minutes south of our home. The entire family went including our very dear friend Heidi. We had a BLAST! Yesterday evening the kiddos were at Nana and Papa's house so Jeremy, Heidi and I decided it would be a good night for a picnic up the Knik Valley.

Early birthday excursion to Katmai.

2010-08-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Jeremy took me and Heidi down to Katmai this past weekend in anticipation of my...GULP.... 30th birthday. It was probably one of the most amazing excursions I have had this year. It was a spectacular 3 hour flight (yes we flew) down there and on the way we must have seen 200+ bears scattered about. We arrived on a beach and decide to camp next to this salmon stream that emptied into the ocean right there. We hiked up stream and photographed many bears right close and the later sat by the fire while they would come mosey down the beach or bluffs behind us. We were even able to lie in our tent and see them fish in the river. Amazing weekend! Thanks Babe!

The Spot...Home Sweet Home and our ride!

Our view from the campfire...Mt. Saint Augustine

Mr. Bear

Spot Mr. Bear in the background.

On the way home , landed on the beach to stretch our legs a bit a take a few more bear pics.
Me - Jeremy -Heidi

Grrrrrrr.....

Look Who's Back!!!!

2010-07-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Howdy all!
My absence has come to an end! Shortly after my last post my computer took a turn for the worst. It was sad but I as an advocate of limiting the amount of technology and electronic entertainment. I decided that I would not get in a huge rush to purchase a new computer just to see how my family would fare. I am happy to report that we all fared "OK". I say OK because really we didn't mind to terribly bad not have a desktop computer but we did use our iPhone's to supplement our love of the Internet. I realized that I have gotten accustomed to the web and the ease and efficiency it provides when taking care of everyday business. I didn't realize just how much the Internet has integrated itself into our everyday lives. After my little experiment I figure I'm not as addicted as I could be and the Internet and all it has to offer is here to stay in my life! So look forward to lots of catch up posts and adventures.....after all we did have more time on our hands!
Danielle

*Above pic was taken up on the mountain at the cabin by yours truly.... I love it!

Sledding in June?

2010-06-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last year when we hiked up to the top of the mountain behind the cabin there were some small snow patches. This year we wanted to go check the out in early June to try to get some sledding action in before it all melted. It was ~~dangerous~~ a blast!!! We all took a ride down this icy slope and let me tell you it was FAST really really FAST. We did everything we could to slow ourselves down and we still crashed pretty hard at the bottom. The kids each took one trip and that was enough for them... They really did have fun despite the pictures but these pictures are just too funny not to share!

Headed up....

Lainie, Landin, and Heidi

Lexi...she looks thrilled!

Now these are the post sled pictures.... Before you all comment about me being an unfit mother, know that sledding was actually their idea and they willingly got in the sleds. The also recovered quickly and had fun the rest of the day!

Aww...

Brrrrrrrrrr........

Thinking about it.....

Letting us know what she thinks about it.....

When she's mad.....she cries...

The adults had fun too! All three of us made repeated trips down while the kids cheered us on and ate Doritos.

See... I told you they recovered quick!

Jeremy

Heidi....she always lost her sled!

Danielle

There were a few wipe outs too!

Uh-Oh!

OUCH!!!

Three adults in ONE sled.....this did not end well! :)

Awesome Day! *Lainie was the photographer that is why she's missing*

Definitely a yearly tradition now! Can't wait to go again next year....

Commitment.....

2010-04-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Commitment, I don't like that word much. I usually trick myself into thinking I like it and that I am committed...but really am I?

That hurts, to sit down and really think about my life and my commitments. Sure I am committed to the things that I HAVE to be committed to. I am committed to cooking dinner, clean clothes, picking kids up from school, brushed teeth and hair, basically the day to day tasks that wouldn't get done unless I did them. I look at these things like taxes and the IRS... they have to be done no matter what, serious consequences occur when not done. Don't get me wrong, I do a pretty good job at all of these things, my family is fairly functional, I have amazing kids and a wonderful husband. We enjoy life and all of the activities Alaska has to offer. Life looks pretty good.

I am talking about a totally and entirely different realm. What I have recently begun to struggle with is that when a day is done and everyone is tucked in and sleeping peacefully, did I really go any further than I promised myself I would. Did I go above and beyond my basic call of duty? Do I require, desire, or deserve more out of this life? Does my family? Even bigger question.....Does God require, desire, or deserve more than I am giving him or my family? OUCH!!! That one stings a bit. I know and accept the stage of life I am in now, I am happy with raising kids, building lives, and feel that as of now this is my calling. This is what I am supposed to be doing. The question is, should I be giving it more gusto? Am I satisfied with my efforts and my fruits? NO, not by a long shot. I was created to be and do so much more than what I settle for and make others settle for on a daily basis.

I look back over my life and think of all the promises I have made to myself and others over the years. You know the ones I am talking about.... the I'm gonna lose 10 lbs by my birthday, the I'm gonna get totally organized by the beginning of the year, the I'm gonna run a marathon this summer, the I'm gonna take my kids on more day trips and outings, the I'm gonna keep my blog updated, the I'm gonna read the bible all the way through this year, the I'm gonna establish a daily devotional and prayer routine .....the list could go on and on and on.... These are all desires of my heart, that is what a promise is right? It's something you want so badly at the moment that you make a promise meaning that you will stop at nothing to get or achieve it. Something always gets in the way of my nothing. That something is commitment. You are probably thinking by now where is all of this coming from, it is a concept that I have struggled with for a while now. When I stumbled across this blurb on the internet the other day it hit me HARD...

"COMMITMENT, Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions and the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none, coming through time after time, year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of: the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism."

Do my actions speak louder than my words....NO, Do I make time for the other things in my life....NO, Do I come through time after time....Definitely NO......BUT do I have the power through God and my commitments to change the face of things.....YES!!!! Thank you Jesus for that! Can I change my life......YES, Can I bear more fruit....YES!!! It all begins with me...and so here I am committed to rectifying one of my promises and updating my blog.

Thanks for listening...
Danielle

Costa Rica: Kayak fishing

2010-03-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

So some of you are probably thinking, Danielle in a kayak....again???? Yes I know, I even doubted it, but reassured myself that this was in a tropical location, it was a double kayak, we would only be out for four hours, and someone had to take pictures of the adventure. We have been out twice now and the first excursion was great! Perfect weather, no wind, and a few fish even. Jeremy is on the hunt for his elusive roosterfish and so we paddled one beach over to Potrero bay and fished for bait and caught a few barracuda as well. After we had caught a couple bait fish we paddled out a ways and hooked our live bait up. It was a gorgeous morning and while sitting out in the middle of the ocean the silence strikes you. It was so serene and peaceful....until we decided that it was time to "troll" our live bait. We had to reel it in, hook it up a different way and use nothing but our own strength to "troll". Great arm, ab, and back workout! The hunt for the roosterfish was unsuccessful.

The second trip out was not as peaceful OR serene. The wind was blowing...HARD. If the water hadn't been so warm I may have started having flashbacks of Prince William Sound. The morning started out great, Jeremy had two fish on the "Walter" fly before we even made it to Potrero bay. One was a Bonita, which he lost right next to the boat and the other was a Jack Crevalle.

We paddled around Potrero Bay for a while trying to catch the small bait fish so that we could "troll" for the roosterfish. I use the word troll in quotations because I was the motor that kept the boat going!!! Jermy was fishing of course and it was my job to "TROLL"!!! The wind was blowing away from the beach so when we finally caught our bait fish and headed out to sea to "troll" we actually didn't have to do anything but steer. Now this means two things: One.... You are way out to sea before you know it and two.... You are forced to paddle into the wind and the waves in order for your family to ever see you again! It was blowing so HARD and the waves kept splashing up over the bow of the kayak directly into my face....My $10 Target sunglasses really were worth every penny out there. We made it to shore finally, roosterfishless, and tired but we had yet one more adventure to tuck into our belts. That is what fun is all about anyways, the adventure, good or bad.

Headed home....

Costa Rica: relaxation

2010-01-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of daily posting, but our daily routine was getting pretty mundane and boring but oh so relaxing. Jeremy and I are taking every advantage of no schedule and no responsibilities. Our days have consisted of a morning adventure and then back home for lunch, sunbathing, reading or napping. Pretty exiting huh.... We have enjoyed every minute. Settling in and just enjoying time with each other was exactly what we needed.

Our trip has included a few adventures and new friendships as well. A man in Alaabama, David, replied to the add that we posted on Craigslist. He and Jeremy shot emails back and forth about a man here by the name of Walter. Walter and David met here in Potrero about a year back and after meeting Walter and his family David decided to help Walter out and equip him with the gear to be able to guide small fishing trips from kayaks. David sent us the directions to Walters house and after getting just a little bit lost we found him, and set up a fishing trip. We went out in the kayaks a couple days later early in the morning and while fishing he asked what we were doing later on that afternoon. Obviously we have no plans and so he asked if we wanted to go spear fishing with him later that day. We of course took him up on his offer and Jeremy had a great time. I sat on the beach and perfected my tan, while Jermy tried his luck under water. Every day since then we have had a daily adventure with Walter. Jeremy even taught him to tie flies at his home.

Walter has a wife, two daughters, and his brother in law, who live with him in this one bedroom home. His home and his belongings are quite humble but his love for hs family, friends, life,Costa Rica, and of course fishing are extremely apparent. I am honored to have met such a man and have been reminded of what really counts in this life. He told us that he has no worries, he may not have many physical belongings but he is very rich in the things that matter, his family and his friends, and his faith in God' s provisions for him and his family. I am thankful for this new friendship, God's reminders, and this entire trip.

until next time....Pura Vida!

Costa Rica: day 5..... Llano de Cortes, monkeys, lizards, and a cattle drive!

2010-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

Our day began with, yep you guessed it, coffee on the balcony, and ~~a whole lot of nothing~~ tranquil relaxation. We were both a little pink from the pool so we figured a day with less sun would be wise. There is a Costa Rica travel guide here in our condo and I saw that there was a waterfall about an hours drive from our condo that does not cost to see. ***Just about everything to see and do here costs $, something free is a rare find from what I can tell. We hopped in the car and sett off for the falls.

Our SWEET ride. Thanks Jeremy for driving me all over Costa Rica! You are too sweet, I know you hate driving but you do it anyways....love ya!

One thing we have found is that since everything costs here, the tourists just expect to pay for all sorts of services. There are security guards in many parking lots here, they are supposed to make sure your car does not get broken into. When you park and leave it is pretty standard to tip them. I am all for tipping when it is neccesary but we have found that random people will "act" like security guards or say that you are parking in a national park and therefore it costs to park there. Not so...just little scammers! We turned into the "free" waterfall road and a woman standing at the bus stop with her daughter waved us down and tried to charge us to drive down the road. HA..good thing I had my travel guide with me, pointed and said. "no dinero", she then smiled and walked away. When we got into the parking lot a guy walked up to the car, stood there and waited for us to get out, and then tried to charge us. He was a little mor official though, he actually had a small receipt book with him so it looked more legit. I said the same thing to him and he smiled and walked away. Twice in ten minutes!!! Pepperds 2/ Scammers 0 When the book says it's free, it's free gosh darn it!!!!

After all that was taken care of, we hiked down this little trail down to the falls. They were so big and wide. It was an awesome little find.

Llano de Cortes

I figured this would be a great time to do a little foolin with my camera and all of it's settings. I wandered around and took pictures changed the settings and took more pictures. I love this one of Jeremy sitting in the sun admiring the falls. He is just so stinking handsome!

While exploring I came across these guys.....

When I started to see creatures, Jeremy took interest and the camera and started snapping away. He kept telling me to stand here and there....

After a while we were both silently thinking that we had seen all that we had come to see and that maybe we should make our way back up to the car, and then we saw these.....up above the waterfall in the trees.

MONKEYS!!!!!

Lots of them, it was like they were migrating through, there were probably at least 50+, one right after another hopping from tree to tree.

This guy was a bit of a showoff, he stopped, looked over the edge at all of us tourists, and then proceded to give us a show. He kept jumping tree to tree closer and closer to all of us. The rest of the monkeys stayed up top, but he came down and around...the long way!

He's getting closer!

This one is blurry (they are fast little guys) but it shows you just how close he came. No editing done.

After all the exitement a local guy saw how many pictures we were taking and offered to take one of the both of us. Definately a downfall of vacationing just the two of us, only one person at a time in the shot! I am absolutely in love with this picture though! It came out great!!!! Thanks local guy......

After he took a few pictures for us he told us that the monkey would come around and be in the trees on the trail back up too the parking lot or up above by the parking lot. We decided to go on a monkey hunt!

Headed back up the trail.... on the lookout for monkeys!

Going bananas for MONKEYS!!!

WHen we got all the way back up the trail and into the parking lot without seeing any more monkeys a little girl pointed us in the direction of this trail....

Where are the monkeys?

We never found them, but we did end up at the top of the falls. It was pretty spectacular from this vantage point too.

We called off the monkey hunt and headed home. The drive home was nice, long conversations, beautiful

sunsets and CATTLE in the middle of the road!!!

On our way home we stopped in Flamingo for a "Happy Hour" drink and an appetizer ceviche. After the long day we decided to make one more stop in Brasilito for dinner. Il Forno was the restaurant choice tonight and we were more than pleased! It was actually reasonable prices, (everything here has been as expensive or more than home) cheaper than home, good food, nice people, and great atmosphere. We will definately be going back. While waiting for our food, the couple at the next table interrupted our conversation and said that they had a personal bet going whether or not we were newlyweds! HA!!! I am so thankful that after 11 yaears of marriage and three kids we love each other enough to be mistaken for newlyweds!!! Love ya babe! Finished off the night at home.

Jeremy posted an ad on Craigslist asking for fishing info and he has been corresponding with several boats, and local fisherman, we shall see what happens! Here's hoping! Where there's a will there is a way!

Miss you all

until next time....Pura Vida!

Costa Rica: Day 4.... the pool

2010-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

Another slow day, we haven't gotten much sun yet and so we decided to stick close to home and try out the pool. We needed to run into town and ask the rental company a few questions first. On our way home we explored the local area a bit and may have found a spot that Jeremy can fish. A couple beaches north from here, Playa Potrero. ( the same beach we ate dinner at while watching the fish operation and sunset) There is a large group of rocks connecting two beaches, Playa Potrero and Play Penca. We hiked around the rocks for a while and actually did see a few fish in the water. I was dying of thirst so we made our way back to the car and then home to the pool. It was HOT...like crazy HOT! We were both dripping sweat and hopping in and out of the pool every 10-15 minutes. We braved it out though and stayed out long enough to get the first hint of color...brown and red. :( The AC was sounding pretty good by about 3:30 so we headed back to our quiet sanctuary. Just like last night it was pretty laid back. I made some pico de gallo for appetizer's and then Jermy cooked me ahi, what a guy! I ADORE him.....
Life is looking pretty darn good these days!

until next time....Pura Vida!

Costa Rica: Day 3..... Brasilito

2010-01-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

We decided to quit stressing about what Costa Rica doesn't have, (nice people, cheap prices, surf fishing)sorry where as I.... Oh yeah Sunday. It was GREAT! We woke up and just baskd in the tranquility of our surroundings. It took a little bit but we have adjusted our attitudes and are thankful for the opportunity to take a vacation together in the first place. We are very much taking advantage and enjoying our time alone with NO distractions and I mean no distractions. A family did move into the complex today, but they will only be here until Wednesday. The morning was very chill which included two pots of coffee, emails from kiddos (love you guys!) all from the balcony in our bedroom which just happens to have a gorgeous view. It doesn't get more relaxed than that. We then decided to make it a beach day. You can kinda see it in the picture but off to the left of the island is a grouping of rocks. When the tide is really low it looks as if they may form little tide pools. I suggested we should go check them out....so we did. By the time we got there the tide had come in enough to ruin the pools. Oh well...we spread out our towels, got settled, and laid down to soak up some sun. About a minute later a huge gust of wind came up and absolutely covered us in sand....ok time to fnd another beach!!!! It was a nice walk back down the beach, I picked up a few shells and some sea glass! All was great until I almost stepped on this...like inches away. FREAKED ME US OUT!!

After standing there and looking like total tourists while taking pictures of a water snake we made our way back to the car. We just started driving and found ourselves about 15 km away at Playa Grande. It was a nice beach and a local and wanabe tourist surfer hangout. Surfers definately have their own look and attitude about them. The movies (Point Break) pretty much capture it perfectly. We layed there and watched the surfers for a while. There were actually some pretty good ones. Surfing must be a total body workout because the ones who were good were RIPPED, men and women.

Local surfer

Soaking up the sun....

It is incredibly hot here for two Alaskans and so we seek AC quite early. We stopped for a snack at Outback Jacks...a Costa Rican restaurant owned by an Australian catered towards Americans, weird I know. We made it home and it was lovely, poured a glass of wine, watched the sunset, munched on ahi, and chatted the night away......

until next time.....Pura Vida!

Costa Rica: day 2...Flamingo

2010-01-17T04:52:00.000-08:00

Day 2 of this Costa Rican adventure was just about as laid back as the first. We got up a little earlier enjoyed a full pot of coffee, wactched a few birds, sent off some emails, and then mosied into town to try to find this "nice grocery store". We did end up finding a nicer store which happened to be not to far from the ones we were at the previous day. We quickly realized that this was no mexican grocery store. All of the brands sitting on the shelves were exactly the same ones staring back at us when we wander the aisles in Wasilla. Costa Rica imports all of their groceries from what it looks like the US and Mexico. Even the pineapple was imported! We stocked up on some groceries and got some gas.(not many gas stations around here and by the looks of these little backroads, if you ran out you would be SCREWED) When we got home we unloaded all of the groceries and just relaxed on the front porch for a while. It is so nice out there! At about 3:30 we decided to check out Flamingo, we wandered the beach for a while, and then stopped to check out some fishing charters. Just like the groceries, they are expensive...like CRAZY expensive. Jeremy is currently checking out Craigslist here in Costa Rica and threatening to buy a small panga instead!!!! When we left there we wandered down another long dirt road and found ourselves on another beach, a black sands beach. At the very end of the beach they were unloading and weighing literally boatloads of dorado. We were there for about two hours watching the sunset and eating dinner at this small beach restaurant. They unloaded the WHOLE time. Fishing must be good! When we left the beach the sun had set and so it was pretty dark. Things look alot different in the dark and we got lost! Not too bad, only a 20 minute detour. When we arrived back at our quiet litlle sanctuary when just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the evening. A couple pics from the day....

A stroll on Flamingo beach.

Jeremy watching the fish operation at sunset.

until next time...Pura Vida!

Costa Rica: day 1...Tamarindo

2010-01-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

After we slept in and enjoyed the view and our morning coffee, (I did have the forsight to bring coffee with me, and the guy at the Happy Snapper restaurant sent me home with milk and sugar free of charge so I could start my vacation out right) we attempted to find the grocery store to stock up on a few items. This quest took us to the town of Tamarindo where we took a stroll on the beach and walked around town for a bit before settling into the sand to watch the surfers. Jeremy thinks that we may need to take lessons, I on the other hand am all for adventure but am not to keen on the idea of unexpectedly falling off a board in the middle of a wave and having water shoot up my nose and who knows what else. I will be perfectly content to sit on the beach and take pictures for you all to see....we'll see if he talks me into it. Tamarindo beach was a bit busy but not to terribly crowded. We then went to two grocery stores and struck out. I had seen photos of a grocery store on the internet before we came which looked quite nice, the ones that we ended up finding were a bit of a mom and pop type variety. I was not pleased and Jeremy was tired of chasing down unwilted veggies. We ended up buying cereal and microwave popcorn to get us through the night and next morning with the intent of finding the nice grocery store the next morning. The photo is a self portrait on Tamarindo beach.

until next time...Pura Vida!

Pura Vida is what the ticos say around here meaning "good life" or "full life"

Costa Rica: the condo

2010-01-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

The condo we are staying in is quite nice with a gorgeous view. It is amazingly well stocked, it een has a docking station for our ipod...SWEET! The one thig it lacks is OTHER TENANTS! We are literally the only people in the entire complex. WEIRD and a little creepy. There may be one othe occupant but we have yet to see them...only their car. It is a red jeep if you wanted to know. We had to rent a three bedroom, two and a half bath condo. It is huge and really clean and cozy. A quiet little sanctuary if you will.

entering the front door

The kitchen...fully stocked with everthing you need, including a dishwasher and microwave!

The Master bathroom, jacuzzi tub with a view!

The Master bedroom...balcony with an even better view than downstairs.

The view from the living room balcony...great place for morning coffee and devotions!

The living room...with cable TV, real couches, WIFI, and a docking station!

until next time....Pura Vida!

Costa Rica: getting there

2010-01-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

We made it! After 20 hours of traveling, the car rental guy saying, "um we have a problem with your reservation, there is no more cars", driving in a foreign country at 11:00 pm in the dark, thinking we were lost, a few minor arguments, (we weren't actually lost just sleep deprived and a long stretch of road without any signs) getting to the "Happy Snapper" only to find out that the woman who is going to take us to the condo is not there, WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!

All of our travels, connections, and flights went relatively smooth. No complaints. Did you know that if you are traveling on two seperate airlines, they can still check your bags all the way through to your final destination!!! VERY COOL! I almost kissed the lady behind the counter when she told me that AND accepted my bag at 52 lbs. Dumb airline rules. I really need to brush upon those rules, Jeremy was none to impressed when I set my bag into the plasitic tub, took off my shoes, set them in the tub, walked through security, alarm free I might add, and then it dawned on me! The 3 ounce rule.....my luggage was a bit on the haevy side so I took out the heaviest items...logical right? Wrong, when it happens to be four bottles of suncreen and you put them in your carry on!!! I almost kissed that same lady again when I was escorted by security out of "the safe zone" (something is wrong with the world when you are not allowed to carry your own sunsceen) and asked her if she had a box that I could put these items in. She not only got me a box, taped it up, checked it all the way to Costa Rica AGAIN, and did not charge me a dime!!! How awesome is she?!? Alaska Airlnes lady...YOU ROCK! Anywhoo...we made it almost flawlessly and may I add that the Houston airport is HUGE and very confusing.

until next time Pura Vida....

Fourth of July

2009-07-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

Every year the Fourth of July is spent at the cabin. We own the large piece of property that all of our cabins are situated on with six other families that stem from three original families. It is considered that everyone involved is family and the fourth is when we all try ro make it a point to spend it together at the cabin. This year was no exception and fun was had by all. The weather was incredibly hot, food was abundantly good, and the company was great as usual.

July 4th picnic..kiddo style

2009-07-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

It was a traditional BBQ menu....and it was yummy...can't you tell?

Grammie' s lake....LOVE it there!

2009-07-25T01:37:00.000-07:00

With all of the hot weather that we have had this summer, the lake is sure to be one of our destinations. Gram or Grammie (Jeremy's grandma) depending on which generation you are, lives on the lake which just so happens to be 2.5 miles away from my house. I measured this distance, it was a sad day when we moved out of the basement living area of her house, some days I want to move back...she is that cool! We LOVE you Gram! Thank you for letting us invade you any time of any day.

One problem.....

2009-07-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

The Jeremy Pepperd household is officially, totally, and COMPLETELY out of diapers forever! We have reached that next chapter in our lives. Yippee.... can you hear me shouting from the roof tops? There is only one small tiny minor problem.... he won't pee indoors! I am not complaining,it could be worse, we could be having #2 outdoor issues..EWWWW! It is however a pain when we're at church and he wants to walk all the way outside and down to the lake to "pee in the yawter" or when it is bed time and we have to go out on the back porch to "pee in the gass". Still not complaining though! I'm sure he'll grow out of it when snow falls and it is not so fun to "feeze in the sow"! :)

I want to share how we finally finished the potty training process. It's quite cool and I take no credit at all. We had been potty training for quite a few months and Landin knew what it was all about and how to do it, he just had no desire to. I was at my wits end and seriously tired of peed in laundry. One morning while I was doing my daily devotions and prayers I prayed (in desperation) to let Landin wake up and just "get it". When Landin woke up we were sitting on the couch in our morning snuggle session I asked him if he would like to pray about going potty like a big boy. He did and we prayed and guess what...NO MORE ACCIDENTS!

I love serving a God that is just as faithful to answer my little prayers as well as my big ones, all I have to do is ask, because he loves me so.

King Fever!

2009-07-25T00:20:00.000-07:00

I am officially ruined for life when it comes to king season. Having a licensed pilot for a husband means remote access to fishing destinations such as ---------. Did you really think I would tell you where we went? That may cost me my precious pilot! Anywhoo, Jeremy took us out to the perfect spot. Perfect as in slow easy water, no huge crowds, CLEAN white sandy beach(no mud), space for the kids to run and play, and we caught fish! The night we all went we came home ALL having caught a fish...How awesome is that?!?

It was one of those mommy moment evenings when everything just goes right. The kind of night where your perfectly packed picnic is enjoyed by all, the weather is neither too cold or too warm, kids running around giggly, munching on grapes, playing in the sand, and sweet husband ecstatic he has his whole family out catching kings. Perfect night...and a stocked freezer!

Please excuse me...

2009-07-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

If these seriously ugly posts are boring you to tears I am sorry. I literally have 12-15 more posts I want to do in order to get caught up, and then I will take the time to make them more interesting to read and easier on the eyes.

I'm making it a priority in my life to record the everyday moments of our lives and not just the major "bloggable" events. I want to remember it ALL! The small moments in life are the precious and treasured ones. I'm going to live my life intentionally and be present in the moments of my everyday life. This is where I will archive those memories, and each year I will turn this into a priceless book for my future generations to gaze at and get a glimpse of the ordinary we call life but see love instead.

Super cute kiddos.....I'm not biased!

2009-07-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few random shots of my oh so adorable children, I love them so!

Beachy fun @ the cabin!

2009-07-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

It has been the most beautiful and HOT summer this year. We have taken full advantage of it up at the cabin where it happens to be even hotter. There is somewhat of a small island/gravelbar out in front of the cabins, it being there makes a small channel of water for the kids to float down and play in. It is the perfect place to plop down in a lounge chair, read a book, sip diet coke,and work your tan while listening to giggling happy children. :)

Vacation Bible School...2009

2009-07-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

A few snapshots of Vacation Bible School this year. The water balloon fight was a hit. It was used as incentive for the kids to raise money for missions. They ended up bringing in over $500 dollars!

Easter...

2009-07-23T17:10:00.001-07:00

Easter this year was completely laid back. We didn't even get new Sunday duds to photograph. It was a great Easter and we celebrated what was most important, Jesus Christ is our Savior and he has risen for you and I! That makes a great day any day!

A few pics.....

Run!

2009-07-23T00:54:00.000-07:00

Lexi decided (or was forced to) run track this past year. The big district wide track meet started out with nice weather but ended up FREEZING! Lexi competed in the 4x100 relay, 100m dash, and the 800m run. She did fantabulous! I couldn't be more proud of her! She not only ROCKED the track but was gracious and loving while having to put up with her over-exited mother who was reliving her own track memories and trying her best to "coach" her awesome daughter along. OOPS...was that me? Oh and she ended up liking track! WOO-HOO!

Daddy getting her ready...make sure it's straight!

Baton...check!

the handoff...

She passed three girls in the last 100m and ended up with a third.

Smokin fast in the 100m....GO LEXI!!!!

After all that she still ran the 800m and took 2nd place!
"She's got legs, and she knows how to use 'em".....ok yeah I know dorky :) (it's a song by the way)

One proud Mama....

Love ya Lexi...we are so proud of you!

I want these!

2009-07-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

source

Ok so seriously these could be the most RAD cupcakes EVER!!!!! (Chantel, do you see these?)

Here is a little secret about me....get ready.....

I played The original Mario Brother's for hours and hours and HOURS when I was a kid, but was never was able to save the princess. Pathetic, I know...I may be the only kid on the planet to never conquer level 8:4

Valdez Fly-In.....

2009-07-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Every year there is a fly-in down in Valdez. With Jeremy being a pilot this year we had to go! Valdez is such a beautiful place, I love visiting. It was a bit on the chilly side but fun all in all. I did score this awesome t-shirt designed by a local artist. Check it out and see if you can find all of "everyday alaska".

There are at least ten different objects.....

Last days as a first grader....spring concert.

2009-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Before you ask, YES, I am aware that it is (shhhhh) almost fall and this post is about something that happened last spring. I'm a little behind...sue me!

Lainie was super exited for this concert, she was chosen to have a speaking part, which apparently is a HUGE deal when you are 6.

I am in disbelief that my babies are growing up so fast. Lexi will be in 5th grade this year and Lainie will be entering 2nd. Aside from the obvious reasons (i.e. gravity taking effect on EVERYTHING, wrinkles, aching joints, etc...) I simply do not want to get older for fear that I will blink and my children will be all grown up. I feel like I'm maybe and I mean maybe starting to grasp the concepts of good parenting.(notice I just said concepts) At this rate they will be out of the house by the time I figure any of it out at all. Oh well...I suppose that is how life is supposed to be, if I knew it all now what would be the fun in that! :)

***Double points if you can spot the double nose-picker!

Somethin' just doesn't look right.......

2009-05-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

WIPEOUT!!!!!!

2009-05-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

FUN TIMES!!!! LET"S GO AGAIN!

If your friend jumped off a cliff....would you?

2009-05-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Why yes we would, many times in fact! We had a spring trip to the cabin last month and it couldn't have been better. Josh, Lindsay the boys and their newest addition Annika were there as well as Grandma and Grandpa. The weather and snow conditions could not have been better! It was a PERFECT 4 days. We sledded, snowmachined, (on land and on water) snowshoed, and jumped off cliffs. :) We had an absolute blast!

Louis Giglio...heard of him?

2009-04-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

You may have, but if not HOLY MOLY!!!! I highly...no seriously recommend getting your hands on these babies! I recently watched "How Great is Our God?" at bible study (Thanks Amanda!) and I thought hmmm... that was really cool, I think Lexi would like it. I got online and found that there are four of these DVD's all on one so I thought why not, ordered 'em up and watched the rest of them....LIFE CHANGING!!!!
Louis Giglio is the pastor who speaks in these DVD's, he heads up the Passion Talk Conference, which is geared toward college students. Take a gander at his blog on my blog roll and if you go to his website you can watch other "talks" and read his podcast.
Anyway...thought I would share.

Springy Snowy Sunshine....I LOVE it!!!!

2009-04-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago when spring was just approaching us here in the great north we were able to enjoy a day with some friends at their cabin. It was a beautiful day to say the least. We snowshoed and got towed behind the snowmachine in a sled....Life needs more days like that. :)

Lexi the Scholar!

2009-04-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Lexi had a "By Invitation Only" awards night at school a couple weeks back. She came home with three awards. One for being on the girls basketball team and the other two for achieving Honor Roll in both the second and third quarter of school. The shiny gold stars on them were only given to select students whom received nothing but A's on their report cards! Way to go Lexi....We are so proud of the special girl that you are.

Update....

2009-03-10T08:49:00.001-07:00

We are currently in a state of frenzy trying to prepare for the race this weekend. Not much time to post or spring clean.
I put up some fishing pics but it loaded them on as if I did it on the 3rd, you will have to back track a little.
I am also happy to report that all my spring cleaning spots are still beautiful and perfectly organized!

Chicken Florentine

2009-03-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this recipe, it is AMAZING!!! What is also amazing is that I have a Secret Cook Fairy who sends me a weekly menu with the recipes and grocery list included! How lucky am I????? Secret Cook Fairy, you know who you are and I love you dearly!!!! Thank You so much. Anyway I made this the other night and it was too good not to share. I wish I had a picture because it looked almost as good as it tasted. I also ran this recipe through my Weight Watchers and for one serving (which is alot, I could have easily eaten a half serving) it was 12 points.

Chicken Florentine

4 chicken Breasts...boneless/skinless
Flour for dredging
6 Tbls Butter
1 tbls mince garlic
2 Tbls fine diced onion
1 ½ C Dry white wine
1 tsp thyme
1 C light Heavy Cream
1 Tbls Flat leaf parsley
2 (10oz) boxes froze spinach, thawed and drained

Sprinkle chicken with salt n pepper. Dredge in flour. Shake off excess. Melt 2 tbls butter in skillet and add chicken. Brown for 5 min each side. Transfer to a plate.
Melt 2 tbls butter same skillet over medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook 1 min. Add wine. Bring to a boil for 3 min. Add cream and thyme, boil until reduced by half 3 min. Add salt n pepper and add chicken back to the skillet. Meanwhile, melt 2 tbls butter in another skiller and add spinach. Sauté until heated through. Top spinach with chicken and sauce.
Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley

Bathrooms.....Check!

2009-03-04T12:16:00.001-08:00

Here are the freshly organized bathrooms. I was on a roll so I decided to do the kids bathroom while I was at it. (the last three pics) These pictures aren't that exiting, but let me tell you it is VERY exiting in person.

Concentrating on not getting sick....aka.... Deep sea fishing

2009-03-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the fishing trips we chartered. We had fun except for the kids getting sick. I really have to make a concentrated effort not to get sick on a boat. My eyes rarely leave the horizon and a trip to the bathroom down in the bow of the boat is DEFINATELY out of the question.The man curled in blankets on the boat was the bait guy out in the harbor. I thought it was pretty funny. The plate of food you see that has been devoured was the dorado I caught, the deck hand, Jose', sliced it up and made Mexican sushi(toritas) for us. I was SOOOO tasty.

Sorry these pics are in reverse, my brain does not work backwards when loading pictures to the blog.

Spring cleaning #2.......bathroom closet,drawers, and cabinets.

2009-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Next up on the spring cleaning checklist is my bathroom.
Here I go, Tuesday at 8:30 am.....

note: I'm not sure why blogger is rotating the picture....sorry

K-150 snowmachine race

2009-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

Jeremy's first pit

Danielle's only pit

Headed out for another lap...

The cheering section.... Go Dad!!!!

Checkered Flag!!!! WOO-HOO....notice my Dad is in every picture. I like this one with him jumping with exitement as I am coming across the finish line.

Ahhhh.... I'm done.

Jeremy getting the checkered flag

The pits after the race

Here are the pictures from the race Jeremy and I were in a couple weekends ago. Like I said before I won the women's class (only 3 women) and Jeremy placed second in the PRO class. The race was a 56 mile cross country loop on the river, swamps and through the trees. I finished two laps and Jeremy did three. We're getting ready for another race in Valdez on the 14th. It's only a 20 mile loop in the same terrain and about 200 miles...not sure how many the women do. It should be fun and I can check racing off the "Bucket List".

Closet......check!

2009-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the finished project. I know it's been longer than 24 hours but I rarely have time to post on weekends,and this project took a little longer than expected with having to install closet rods and such. I'm thinking I will install one more shelf for storage area. I will put small rubbermaid totes on the shelf to hold scarves, belts, costume jewelry, and other accessories.

Spring Cleaning #1..... Do we have a deal?

2009-02-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here it is, my dirty laundry out for everyone to see. Ok, it's actually clean laundry among other things. I mentioned in an earlier post that I have started my spring cleaning early. My closet was first on the list. I am attempting an experiment to see if I(or you) can shame myself into finishing my spring cleaning this year. When I have a project in mind, I am going to post "before pics" and I will have 24 hrs to complete the task. If I don't re post "after pics" within 24 hours it is your job as blog readers to leave me nagging comments and shamelessly badger me into finishing my project. Do we have a deal?

My first project....the closet. It's bad....REALLY bad. These are during pics so it looks much worse than what I was actually co-habituating with, but still it's BAD.
Ok here I go....Friday 12:05

A few pics....

2009-02-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Crazy girls can be found on the beach at night. Shortly after we were found in the pool with glow bracelets on all of our arms and legs. :)

After lunch on the beach....relaxing.

My Girl....

I Love him.....

Waiting for the fish, rod in hand.

The salsa was HOT!!!

My boys....

Seriously, this could be the coolest slug bug EVER!!!!

The kiddos and I on a boat ride in the fresh water lagoon at the end of the beach.

How cute is he? I couldn't resist the little footprints up the beach.

My girl relaxing on the porch. Hammocks were huge in Zijuatanejo, they were everywhere, even in some restaurants.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the vacation. They are racing down the beach and Daddy was told he had to run backwards. I love the look of pure happiness and love for each other on their faces.

Fishing Frenzy.....

2009-02-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

When planning a vacation I have to take into account more than sun, sand, and fun. I have been given strict orders from my husband that we are not allowed to travel anywhere that he is not able to fish. I don't mean charter a boat and go out for a few hours fish, I mean fish off the beach with his own fly rod and hand tied flies fish. Everything about these orders is fine by me until it comes time to pack. Packing for five people for three weeks is alot of luggage, but when you add two suitcases and a gigantic rod tube to hold all of his "fishing gear" it becomes a TON of luggage. You see he does not just take fishing poles and hooks, he takes six fishing poles, reels to fit each fishing pole, fly tying matierial, fly tying vice, stripping basket, (it holds all the line in the surf) and that is just mentioning a few of the items he takes with him. Imagine going through customs with three children, five large suitcases, three backpacks, two large totes, a four foot rod tube, a five foot rod tube, and 500 bustling crazy travelers all around.....FUN!

This year it was all worth it though. The beach we stayed on had a daily fishing frenzy. It was crazy!!!! You would be laying at the pool relaxing, drifting off to sleep and the next minute there were men running to the beach with fishing pole in hand. The key to all of this was to watch for birds, lots and lots of birds. When you saw huge swarms of pelicans and small white birds it was time! Jeremy was in heaven. He made his debut into spey casting with his 15 ft spey rod. When he whipped this thing out it was impressive I must say. Salt water fishing on the beach is WAY different than river or lake fishing. You MUST be in fairly good shape. The fish don't stay in one place for very long so you end up running miles up and down the beach trying to cast your line into the school of fish, if you dont get a bite after four or five casts then it's back out of the water and another run up the beach to catch up with the birds. The day I was designated photographer I think we ended up running about five or six miles. The fish are just off the beach in the surf. When the waves come in before they crest and crash you can see the school of fish in the wave. The guys had a blast and I think they ended the trip with a count of 19 fish, two pelicans, and a dog. (the pelicans and dog were not injured) The dog thought it would be fun to chase the fly while Jeremy ran down the beach, it got stuck in it's paw, and the pelicans.... well there are just so many of them it is inevitable the will get hooked.

Which one is your favorite?

2009-02-25T07:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peak of our vacation pics....well not really....kinda. We had the luxury of living in a three bedroom condo on the beach. The sunsets were AMAZING!!!! I took a few with my totally ROCKIN camera and they turned out beautifully, just like a postcard. I want to blow one up, frame it, and hang it in the house. The only problem is that I can't decide which one I like best. That is where you all come in. I am not blog savvy enough to put a real poll on here but leave me a comment and let me know your choice...... Thanks.

I'm Back!!!

2009-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, Ok, so I know I have posted this before but this time I have a good excuse. I was on vacation for three weeks, add in the week of craziness before trying to get packed and ready, and the week after trying to adjust to life back to normal and that is FIVE weeks of excused blogging absense.....RIGHT???

All right I know I'm lame but oh well..... I will be a more regular blogger from now on I promise.

Recap on Life: (will post pics later)

*We had a fantabulous time in Mexico this year. I took almost 700 pictures. My new camera ROCKS!!!! Fishing of the beach, catching dorado and sailfish, jumping off of trees 45 ft in the air, sliding down natural rock waterslides, horseback riding, and lots of SPF!

*I was in my first snowmachine race and won.....there were only three women in the race, but I beat them anyway. It was a 120 mile cross country race. I will be racing again in March, it will be a longer, rougher, cross country race...we shall see what happens. Jeremy is also racing, he got 2nd in his class this past weekend.

* Starting my spring cleaning early this year...WOO HOO! Maybe if I start early I will actually finish the house inside and out.

* I started a new bible study called "Young Mom's" bible study. I am really exited to learn new things and since it is through another church via MOPS I am also exited to meet some new friends.

* Jeremy is SUPER DUPER busy at work and at home these days ..... poor guy. Kids are doing great.

* I just got an email that I have a new niece, Annika Reese Pepperd. 6 lb dark haired little girl, born 2:20 am. Congratulations Josh and Lindsay! I now have 12 nieces and nephews.

Well that is life for now.....pics later

Crazy 8's...I'm it!

2008-11-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by my new friend in Texas, Laura, here it goes.

8 TV shows I love to watch:

1. Friday Night Lights (I am a CRAZY football fan)
2. CSI Miami
3. What Not to Wear (sometimes I find myself guilty of the same fashion no-no's)
4. The Cosby show (I may have seen EVERY episode)
5. Sex and the City (Guilty Pleasure)
6. King of Queens (one of my favorites too, Laura)
7. Las Vegas (It comes on after FNL)
8. Hmmm...this was harder than I thought, we don't watch much TV

8 Favorite restaurants: ( This one I can do...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to eat!!!)

1. Sullivans Steak House (Mmmm.. The bleu cheese salad there makes me salivate!)
2. The Brewhouse (Mmmm...The bleu cheese salad here is also amazing)
3. Pandemonium (I love the fun,cozy bookstore/bistro atmosphere here...the food
is good here too,very fresh)
4. Taco Del Mar ( The giant burritos are my favorite)
5. The Mooses Tooth (gourmet pizza and home brewed cream soda)
6. Starbucks or Mocha Moose (ok... so it's not a restaurant but I think coffee is
a food group)
These last two aren't in Alaska but I have to hit them when I am out of town

7. P.F. Chang (oh the Lettuce Wraps!!!)
8. Cheesecake Factory

and a bonus... KRISPY KREME, a warm doughnut off the conveyor is heaven!

8 things that happened today:

1. I ran on the treadmill (while watching What not to Wear)
2. Had a "mommy moment" when I found my oh so adorable son asleep on my bed
curled up with two plastic airplanes and his blankie.
3. Cleaned out the laundry room
4. Unloaded a freezer out of the back of my truck all by myself (it was light)
5. I found THE dress I wanted for the Chrisrmas Party at a price I can afford!!!
6. I bought a new laundry sorter
7. Wondered If Jeremy has shot a mountain goat yet...about a hundred times.
8. Finished every piece of laundry in the house.

8 things I look forward to:

1. Three week vacation in Ixtapa Mexico....Jan 12th!!!!!
2. The company Christmas party
3. Jeremy coming home tomorrow
4. Getting completely organized (Hopefully sooner than later)
5. The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade (I know I'm a dork)
6. Snowmachining on the river with Jeremy
7. Meeting my goal weight and fitting into my bikini like I did pre-babies.
8. Racing my snowmachine for the first time this winter.

8 things on my wishlist:

1. Organization
2. Patience
3. Long lasting determination
4. More time in the day
5. A Pottery Barn house.....every single room
6. Lexi's dog to be potty trained....and Landin
7. My life to reflect Jesus
8. To raise my kids to lead lives that reflect Jesus

I now tag, Tasha,Amberly,Jess,Heather, and Chantel

Election day fame...

2008-11-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

The election is over and though it did not turn out as I wanted, I have to say Congratulations to Barrack Obama. I wish you and your family well in the next four years. Do America Proud.

When we went to vote this year there was a reporter there taking pictures and he took a couple of us. One of Lainie peeking out of the voting booth and one of all of us waiting in line. Lainie was so pumped when the reporter asked her name and my permission to print it in the newspaper. She said "I am going to be FAMOUS!!!" Lexi repied, "It's only fifteen minutes of fame Lainie." OH MY!!!

Here is the link to the paper, Lainie is the first in the top row and we are the fourth.

: - Frontiersman

Catch up post # 8....Lexi's X- country meet

2008-11-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

This past fall Lexi competed on her school's X-country running team. At the end of the year meet she had a great time, while doing really well. Out of about 100 fourth graders she finished 18th. Woo-Hoo! Way to Go Lexi!!! You are totally Rockin Awesome!

Snow day!!!

2008-11-13T08:15:00.000-08:00

I am such a sucker when it comes to fresh snow. It has become an unintentional tradition in our house that when a significant amount of snow falls overnight, I keep the kids home and we have fun in the snow. We accumulated about 6.5 inches of snow Tuesday night. The kids had great fun sledding (or boating as Landin called it) in the backyard,and Landin was thrilled to have sissies at home to play with him. They are getting old enough to play a little less "safe" and a lot more fun. They were found sliding off the roof of the shed, and sledding down the steepest hill they could find which plows them directly into the house!!!

Catch up post #7....Summer of Cabin Fun

2008-10-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I could post cabin pictures all day. We have so many of them, and unlimited memories to go with them. I am thankful to be blessed so abundantly in having the opportunity to head to our mountain retreat EVERY weekend and spend time with our family. These pictures are posted in no particular order, they were just to good and to much a part of our lives to leave out.

Daddy and the kids

Happy girls....

Even happier daddy!

Our humble abode. I love it there!

Grandma and Grandpa's cabin. We love it there too!

Forging the river...

and catching doubles with Kelly.... :)

New hip waders get a thumbs up

Fresh air makes me sleepy.

Forwheeling, fishing and family...could you ask for more?

Safari Girl

Daddy, I want to drive!!

She made an awesome walking stick that day

We love our Daddy!!!

Our Grandpa is cooler than yours!!! :)

Good Morning game of Crazy Eights

Relaxin....

Catch up post #7...The Pepperd Fleet

2008-10-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

In the summer the only way to the cabin is by airplane. With seven families "weekend living" on this magnificent piece of land there is a fair amount of air traffic. Here is the Pepperd Fleet, minus Josh's Cessna 206.

Josh in his Producer

Jeremy in his PA-12

Greg in his PA-12

The Pepperd Fleet

Catch up post #6..Fourth of July hike.

2008-10-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

A hike in the woods...

Jeremy and I halfway

Can you see the cabins WAY down there?

We made it to the top!!!

Just the boys

An eagle in the sky...a bear in the distance...

AHHHH...what a day, what a place!!

Prayerful Politics

2008-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

When I think about the upcoming election to be quite honest it worries me. I think I know what direction our country needs to go but it really isn't up to me. I can't help feeling helpless. I know that the best thing I can do for our country, our current leaders, future leaders, our economy, and government is to simply pray. I stumbled upon this site, which I think is great. I encourage you all to join me in prayer.
Here is the site:
href="http://www.presidentialprayerteam.net/40days/1.html">

Thankful....

2008-10-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

As I sit here tonight listening to the silence of my home,(which means everyone is fast asleep) I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude. I am thankful for my wonderful, magnificent, amazing, husband who has loved me unconditionally and taught me so much about...well really everything. He is the most inspiring person I know and I am so grateful that he chose me all those years ago. I am thankful for my three beautiful children, each one special and unique. They add so much to my life, I can't even describe it. I am thankful for the abundance of family that I have surrounding me and the support and love they provide. I am thankful for friends, new and old. Most of all I am thankful for Jesus Christ and the blessings that he has graciously poured out onto my family. I am not worthy of his blessings and most certainly not worthy of his love and forgiveness but he is always there for me. He is always a comfort and my strength even when I don't know it or ask him to be, he is constant. I am thankful for his convictions and his call to serve him, for out of my obedience comes my biggest blessings. Thank you Jesus!!!

Big news...Little town!

2008-10-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

Well it's official, when you come to Alaska and more importantly Wasilla you can find yourself shopping at TARGET!!! Today was the soft opening, the grand opening is Sunday. Jeremy and I were invited to the special contractor opening last night. Jeremy was less than thrilled but very supportive of my enthusiasm. :) Tuesdays are our weekly "date night" and he was sweet and never complained once in the five or six laps I did around the store!! Afterwards he took me out to dinner. What a lucky girl I am! I have to admit that I'm pretty exited, Target is a huge addition to the shopping choices in Wasilla. Sad but true. :)
The girls were dying to check out the new store so after dinner was cleaned up we left the boys on the couch watching airplane movies and headed out! I think the kitchen may have been cleaned in record time. I have never seen the girls work so fast. When we got there the game plan was to browse the entire store and they could choose one item to purchase. They ended up with more than one item but only one item was an unessesary purchase. They both chose these super soft bathrobes. We have been looking for cute kiddo bath robes for a long time so they're happy and can't wait to shower in the morning.

Fall Fun!!

2008-10-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

When we got home from the cabin we decided that we had better get the most terrible job of the year (a.k.a raking) finished. There were still a few leaves on the trees but we knew that winter was coming FAST! We got the whole yard done to perfection, I think we even raked some of the driveway! It looked AWESOME, that is until twelve hours later it was buried in five inches of snow. :) We had an actually surprisingly good time with the task, Landin took a nap and the girls helped out. The job was finished with some great pictures, one broken rake, and dinner at Chili's.

First snow.....at the cabin!

2008-10-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was quite eventful. We made our last trip to the cabin for the summer. When we got there Mother Nature reminded us that winter was coming. It snowed, melted, snowed, melted and snowed again all the while giving the kids plenty to do. They built the first snowmen of the year, played in the mud, fixed the melted snowmen, and so on... I cleaned out and packed things that needed to go home for the winter, kinda bittersweet, and Jeremy worked on things around the property and of course went fishing just one more time. The next time we go will be with snowmachines. I am looking forward to it! Bring on Winter!!!

Catch up post #5...Mmmmmm....Raspberries!

2008-10-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

A friend called the other day (actually a couple months ago but I'm behind and kinda sorta catching up)and said that her raspberry bushes were loaded and in need of a harvest. The kids and I went over to her house the next day and loaded up!!! We had lots of fun and while Landin was NO help at all...he dumped the bowl many times!!! He had fun too. When we got home I was feeling domestic (for some strange reason ) and decided an attempt to make a pie(my second pie EVER). While it was not that pretty, it tasted good and I was proud of my handiwork in the kitchen.

Catch up post # 4...Zip strips, Cotton Candy, Caramel Apples, and RIDES!!!

2008-10-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the 2008 Fair outing. We went on a zip strip day and so the majority of our day was spent at the rides. We snuck off to get food every now and then, but it was always back to the rides. Daddy was able to meet us there after work and went on a few "BIG KID" rides with Lexi. It made me sad to think she was old enough to want to go on them. Lainie also was allowed to ride some of them, she barey measured tall enough. Landin stayed in the stroller most of the time...mostly because I kept giving him yummy treats to eat. My "fair" train of thought was that if he was quiet and in the stroller it was better. Probably not the best parenting moment, but hey, it worked and he didn't even get a tummy ache!

Catch up post #3... Dirty boy

2008-09-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

On one of the rare weekends we didn't go to the cabin we decided it would be fun to head into Anchorage and watch our nephew Trey race his dirtbike. I also wanted an excuse to take pictures with my new camera. We got there too late to watch Trey but luckily we knew other racers and so we spent an enjoyable afternoon at the races. It was really dusty there and so while I did not have my camera out very long I was able to capture a few of Landin being a boy. He is so funny and I am learning the true meaning of terrible twos. The girls paled in comparison when it came to mischief. It's tons of fun though and I'm grateful for the blessing of a boy!

Catch up post #2.....more birthday/Mom has lost her mind!!!

2008-09-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

The title to this post may seem strange so let me explain. I am not what you would call the "pet lover" type. Our pet fish Bob was pushing it. So when my girls showed a rather large interest in animals I knew I was in BIG trouble. Lainie has wanted a bird for a very long time and after many hours she spent hatching detailed plans to catch a wild bird, and many unsuccessful attempts we knew we had to get her one for her birthday. (Now is the time to call me a softy.)
I had been researching the whole bird purchase and what else we were going to need other than the bird itself. It was proving to be a pretty spendy gift. As a last ditch effort I checked good ole Craigslist and lo and behold there was the perfect bird setup listed just that morning for the grand total of only $100 dollars!!! The down side....three birds came in the package. Yes, you read that right THREE!!!! My mother in law, Patti, was gracious enough to go pick up three birds, a huge cage, a smaller cage, and all the accessories and supplies that went with it. She took it all home scrubbed the cage from top to bottom, put a spit shine on it, then she and Greg delivered it into my walk in closet so that we could wheel it out later and surprise the heck out of the birthday girl! It worked, she was so surprised she was speechless! Thanks Patti and Greg for all the help, it is greatly appreciated! The kids named the parakeets Opal and Tika, and the cockatiel Moey.
As if the birds weren't enough for this poor mama. Lexi has had a deal with her auntie for a while now that when she bred her Yorkies she would be able to get one. Tami's dogs did have puppies but only two. One for Tami to keep and one to give as a stud fee. That left Lexi with no dog. I was crushed...He He! That was until good ole Craigslist came to my rescue once again. Tami called me (only two days after we moved the birds in)totally exited because there was a Yorkie-poo (half yorkie and half poodle) on Craiglist that had been rescued and the woman was just trying to sell it for what she had into it. Great Bargain! I'm not a girl that has been known to pass up a great bargain so I told Tami to see if it was still available and sure enough he was. Tami and I drove down to Soldotna the next day and picked up Rosco our six week old, one pound,(at the time) peeing, pooping, chewing, (still doing these things)newest addition to our farm!!! Ugh... now you can say I am losing my mind!

Catch up post #1...Lainies sixth birthday!

2008-09-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have come to the realization that there is no way I am going to get my blog caught up AND have fabulously written and well thought out posts. My attempt to "catch up" will consist of a few mediocre posts and lots of cute pics!

We will start way back in August with Lainie's birthday on August 13th. It was a really low key day that turned out fantabulous. (My own made up word, silly but I LOVE it!!!)We went to a small park at the lake and the kids had a blast playing on the playground, feeding the ducks, and flying kites. I can't believe that she is six years old already. Thank you Lainie for being exactly who you are. You are such a blessing. Thank you Jesus for the gift of a beautiful, special, thoughtful, kind, chatterbox, fireball of a girl, that you gave us six years ago.

NOTE: My birthday was also on the 12th of August and my totally awesome husband spoiled me once again with a Nikon SLR digital camera. I am soooo exited and have been researching all the lenses and different things I can do with my "new toy". You will notice that my posts will have many more pictures now. I hope you enjoy them.

I snuck into her room and decorated while she was sleeping so she could wake up to a party! She was thrilled.

Elated to be the birthday girl!

The kids...

The gifts...

The candles...

The cake...

The six year old!!!!

Fun times with the kite. Thanks Faith and Gabe!

He kept stealing all the gumdrops

Here ducky, ducky, ducky!

HOLY MOLY!!!!

2008-08-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

What an exiting day to be an Alaskan and from Wasilla no less! Go Sarah! Go McCain! Politics just got alot more interesting. I'm actually looking forward to the campaigning.

Yes, I know I've been a very bad blogger.....

2008-08-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
I hope all of you are well. We have been up to everything and really nothing all at once, which means that we have been busy but not doing much that is blog worthy. What have we been doing then you ask? I have been working hard at letting God cultivate new life and habits in me that will allow me to be the wife and mother that I am called and commanded to be. There has been alot of GOD searching and conviction going on around here. Which has led to alot of organizing,cleaning,cooking,and even baking (I baked a pie)!!! Yes, all of that lovely domestic stuff that I am soooo fond of. :) The kids and Jeremy have LOVED the gift(I say gift because it is only by the grace of GOD) of a more "domestic" and calm mother. They both got new pets (I will post about that later) and enjoyed their last days of summer vacation. Jeremy has been busy at work and has tried to hop in the plane every chance he gets. The kids have started school and we have established our new routines. Things are going wonderfully right now. Join me in praying that our family will continue striving to glorify God.
I have many new posts in mind and I promise I will post them soon. Please help me to keep in contact with all of you. I started blogging to keep in touch with all of my scattered family and friends. I would love any comments, critisism, advice, and/or encouragement. Anyone is more than welcome to post a comment! Please do, it makes it more fun!

Summer Memories

2008-07-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of the rare days this summer. Rare you ask? Yes, rare because the sun actually came out!!! We took advantage of it and had a real summer day. The kids broke out the swimsuits and ran through the sprinkler while I mowed the lawn. We had a picnic outside complete with corn on the cob and to top it all of the ice cream truck came!!! The ice cream truck is one of those classic summertime traditions that seems to be dying. It does my heart good when you can hear the chimes in the distance and then the overpowered sounds of excitement and panic. I think kids are born with super tuned ears for the ice cream truck. They always hear the music way before an adult ever does. It always cracks me up to watch the panic that sets into a kid when they hear the sounds of the ice cream truck getting closer and closer. If they are outside (which they most always are) the scramble they go into, to get in the house, break into the piggy bank, and get back out to the road before they miss the truck! Yesterday was no exception. They were soaking wet covered in grass clippings when they came whooshing through the house screaming with excitement. They did make it to the truck and both girls ordered up bubblegum popsicles.

Waiting for the truck.....

It's Coming.....

Two bubblegum popsicles please....

Thank You!!!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Homemade water slide!

SUCCESS!!!!

2008-07-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I say success because if you know my children mainly my oldest you know that they are REALLY picky eaters. In the last few weeks I have been thinking about nutrition and whether or not my family was getting enough of it. I have been racking my brain about how to get my kids (and Jeremy) to get their full daily servings of fruits and veggies. I figured if I could get the fruits and veggies by them the protein and dairy would be easy. I was folding laundry the other day and flipped Oprah on to keep my mind occupied while I did this mindless task. Jessica Seinfeld was on the show talking about her book, "Deceptively Delicious". I had heard about this book but had never taken the time to see what it was all about.
It is essentially a cookbook that teaches you to "hide" fruits and veggies in everything from chicken nuggets to chocolate cake. The idea is that you steam and puree your veggies and then incorporate them into whatever! I was skeptical at first but Oprah kept taste testing and every time it was oohs and ahhhs! I had been hooked! The next time I was a the store I bought the book, an armload of veggies, and a steamer.
That was yesterday and the girls were sick and taking naps while I steamed and pureed...it was perfect! Now keep in mind that Lexi saw the book and while she doesn't know what is in the book she knows I am up to something. She keeps walking around the house saying "I am watching you". I have to be VERY careful or she will discover my deviousness and flat refuse to eat anything.
Ok back to the success part. This morning with a fridge and freezer stocked full of veggie puree I was dying to try this out. When the girls asked for eggs I was thrilled! I quickly went to work and carefully pulled a bag of cauliflower puree out of the fridge along with a few other misc. ingredients just to throw Lexi off in case she wandered in. She did wander in and asked what I was up to and that she saw the book. UH-OH!!! I did end up shoeing her out of the kitchen, sneaking a 1/4 cup (1/2 cup raw) of cauliflower in with 6 eggs and served them looking perfectly normal! The entire time she was looking at me crossways as I was holding my breath in anticipation of the first bite. SUCCESS!!! All three kids not only cleaned their plate but I got a "very, very tasty" from Lexi! You can bet I will be trying many more recipes in the future! I will keep you all posted on my success!

I LOVE Alaska!!!

2008-07-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to be able to live in a place that I can get the kids out of bed at 10:00 at night, walk down the airstrip, and help Daddy catch a few rainbow trout! I couldn't help but to have a "mommy moment" while I was walking down the airstrip as a family and thinking these would be the precious memories that my kids would someday hold near an dear. I know I will.

Thunderbird Falls

2008-05-30T00:20:00.000-07:00

Remember this tree Aunt Teresa?

Wednesday has come and gone and so has another field trip!!! We chose Thunderbird Falls for this weeks adventure. It has FINALLY felt like summer here the last few days so we wanted to take advantage of the sunny weather. We brought along Lexi's friend Grace which actually worked out really well because she was able to take pictures of all of us together. I was on the other side of the camera for a change!!! The down side is that it is WAY hard to get three children to look at the camera and smile nicely all at the same time. We have lots of pics but none of them turned out to be spectacular. Oh well...at least we documented the day right?!? It had been forever since I had hiked to the falls. They were alot bigger as I remembered....but then again I was alot smaller way back when!

Ole 556

2008-05-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

One field trip down, eleven to go. Last week Jeremy forgot his cell phone at home and rather than field the 1001 calls he gets a day I decided to make a quick trip into Anchorage and hand deliver his phone. What a wife huh! :) With gas prices so astronomical I decided it was the perfect opportunity to stop at the park strip and see the "legendary" Ole 556. This year Lexi read the book Ole 556 for the Battle of the Books. It is a book about the first train on the Alaska Railroad and how it saved the day when a "new" modern train got into trouble. It was actually an interesting book with alot of Alaskan facts about the railroad. When Ole 556 was retired it was made into a monument on the park strip. After reading the book the girls really wanted to see the "first train in AK!" A few pics to capture the moment! Landin really thought it was cool and he thought it was even better when he found a ball to throw around.

This weekend at the cabin...

2008-05-28T11:39:00.001-07:00

We had a rare find at the cabin this weekend. While four wheeling in the woods Jeremy and the kids spotted a bear skull. They brought it back to the cabin along with a vertebra. It was pretty cool. Later that day the kids took me out four wheeling and wanted to show me where they found the skull. When we got there I did a little digging and found nearly the entire skeleton!!! I decided to turn it into a little science project and we took it back to the cabin to reassemble it. The owl pellet (we dissected owl pellets and reassembled mice skeleton) day in Lexi's class turned out to be very useful information. It was great fun and I think I may have enjoyed it more than the kids did. :) I am sad to say I did not do to well with the pictures but I got a few.

Before the ribs

The sun was really bright!!!

Summer Vacation Plans!!!

2008-05-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a LONG winter and I want to get out a enjoy the summer as much as possible so I have devised a schedule for the summer. Here it is, I hope it works out.

Monday: catch up/clean up days
Tuesday: Nana day ..... My mom is awesome and takes the kids ALL day so I can have
a "day off" and Jeremy and I can have a date night. Thanks Mom ...
I love you and I love Tuesdays!
Wednesday: Field trip day ( more about that in a second )
Thursday: Errand day... also library and go visit JC day
Friday: Free day
Weekend: Family adventures

Ok more about the field trip days. I figure we have 12 weeks until school starts again so I have made a list of twelve activities so that we can pick one out for every week. Here they are:

1.climb the butte
2.hike Thunderbird Falls
3.Go see 'ole 556.....the first train in the Alaska railroad it is located on the park strip in Anchorage. Lexi read a book about it and now the kids want to go and see it.
4.Go to the Anchorage museum
5.Go to the Wasilla museum and the park probably
6.Go berry picking
7.Go to the u-pick farm
8.Take the kids on a camping trip with "just mom"
9.spend a week at the cabin
10.hike Lazy mountain
11.go fishing
12.go on a bike ride...probably the coastal trail

So there it is, our summer vacation. The list is not set in stone so if you have better suggestions let me know. Stay tuned for pictures as I am sure I will be blogging most of our adventures.

Smooth transition.....not so much.

2008-05-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

Ok, well we survived the "transition week" from school to summer vacation. You know, the week that everybody adjusts to being home ALL the time, entertaining themselves, and playing (or bickering) with their brothers and sisters full time. Meanwhile mom has to adjust to three kids and three trails of mess instead of one. It was not easy, in all my anticipation of this fun filled summer I have planned I forgot all about the dreaded "transition week." Since I was falsely floating blissfully into summer vacation, good ole Murphy or Mother Nature or whatever you want to call it threw me a few curve balls. It started with Landin coming down with some sort of cold/flu. Usually when one of my kids get sick it is really no big deal, they just lay on the couch, watch a few movies, take a few naps and then "presto" they are well and off playing in no time. Not the case with Landin.... I personally think it is because he is a MAN!!!! It is a well known fact that men are terrible sick people, I have concluded that this fact also includes little men. All he wanted to do was to have me hold him and watch his airplane movie on the couch. If I got two feet away he would whine and cry, not to mention he hardly slept...day or night. If I am just sitting on the couch watching airplanes you can imagine what my house is starting to look like, and how high my laundry is starting to pile. On top of that it was cold and windy outside so the girls were stuck inside for the week. Just as we were starting to see daylight Lainie had a trip to the ER to get a few stitches in her head. Let me tell you now that:

giant conch shell + shelf + gravity + head = 3 stitches in the back of the head

Lainie was a champ though, she took the stitches without a wince and is back to normal. No worse for the wear... we made it and are into the second week of summer vacation!

Lainie's head after the stitches

One of the RARE naps Landin took while sick...poor baby :(

My son is so stinking cute!!!

2008-05-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

I might be a little biased but he really is stinking cute!!! :) All these posts about the girls, I just had to add one about our little man. He is a total boy through and through! Guns, airplanes, tools, and growling at things are his major interests these days. He just had to shoot the .22 this past weekend because big sis was. There was no way he was going to be happy until he did. He kept yelling "NUN, NUN!" It was really cute, Dad and Grandpa loved it despite the gun was pink!!

Lexi's last day of school

2008-05-21T00:23:00.001-07:00

I am also officially the mother of a fourth grader. Can you believe it...FOURTH grade? I can't, it doesn't seem like that much time has passed. It has though and the fact of the matter is that almost 10 years of the mold able 18 years that we have are OVER!!! That is over half. People keep saying that time goes faster the older I get, I can't get any older because it really can't go any faster. Ok enough about me and my mini freak out. Lexi had a really unique third grade. Her teacher's name was Mr. Nighswonger, this was her first male teacher and his teaching style was very different than anything else that she will probably have the rest of her school career. She learned so much this year and really blossomed in herself throughout the year. Mr. Nighswonger keyed into both her strengths and weaknesses and turned everything into strengths. I know he has impacted and changed her forever. It was an extremely fun and interesting year. A few highlights of her field day.

Lainie's last day of school

2008-05-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation has finally arrived! I am super stoked!!!!! I officially am the mother of a first grader. This I am not super stoked about. I can not believe that my little baby girl is growing up so fast. She had a great year in kindergarten with the best kindergarten teacher EVER. My children have been so blessed to have had Mrs. Bates for their first teacher. (Lexi also had her) She has been the perfect person to bridge the gap between the comfortable,sheltered home life and the harsh realities of the world they are entering... without their mommy by their side!!! It comforts me to know that I already have her booked for Landin. :) Lainie has grown so much this year and has learned even more. Watch out first grade here she comes!!!
The kids had "field day" today in honor of the last day. The school rented inflatable play things and had water games. Jeremy and I went and spent the whole day with the girls. Here are a few highlights of the day.

A trip around town!

2008-05-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Lexi had her end of the year trip a couple weeks ago. It was a walking field trip around town. Lainie also had her Mothers day/end of the year program at school that afternoon. It was a busy day for me!!! We started by walking to the Dorothy Page Museum, which was surprisingly interesting! Who knew? We are planning to go back this summer so we can explore and enjoy a little more of what it has to offer. Seventy third graders spoils the atmosphere of a museum just a little. :) After the museum we started across town to Wonderland Park to eat lunch and burn a little energy. When we got to Wonderland I snapped a couple pictures of the kids eating lunch and then it was back to the school to get a good seat for the program. Lainie was so cute, she was one of the "three blind mice" in one of the skits. As I sat there watching my little girl growing up right in front of me I remembered it wasn't that long ago that I sat in this very same spot listening to my other grown up little girl sing these very same songs about how much they love me, and how quickly they are growing up and sprouting wings! Talk about a tear jerker!!! When they were finished with the program Lainie took me into the classroom where she served cake and punch while presenting me with all sorts of homemade goodies. It was a special time. Finished up with the program I put Lainie and Landin into the car with Grandma and she dropped me off at the City Hall where I met back up with Lexi and the troop. We met with the Mayor and elected city officials to have a public hearing. Lexi missed being elected Mayor by one vote! When the hearing discussing the "prized pea eating rabbits" ended the kids collected their free loot courtesy of the city and we hightailed it back to the school. All in all it was a great day.

Lainie is no longer a kindegartner!

2008-05-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

The caribou were REALLY stinky!!!

Thank You Mrs. Bates...get ready for Landin!!!

Well, it is official, Lainie is officially a "grade schooler." Even though there are two days left of school, the kindegarten "zoo field trip" marks the end of your kindegarten career. I was able to go on the field trip this time. (Lexi's zoo field trip was the day after I got my wisdom teeth pulled) Grandma Patti and Landin tagged along. It was REALLY cold. I think summer almost forgot us this year, and I am really bitter about it... but that is another blog altogether.

Landin's dedication

2008-05-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

My Mothers Day was extra special this year, we had Landin dedicated at church. Dedication is a public announcement for the family to say that they are dedicating their child to the Lord and they pledge to raise the child up to know what Jesus Christ our Savior stands for and who he is. We also ask our church family to keep us accountable to this. It is such a blessing to be able to have our church family there and witness this occasion , but to have my parents and brother, Jeremy's parents and siblings, lots of cousins, and Grammie there, to stand with us in the ceremony, now that is an extra special blessing!!! You may notice that Landin is wearing a dress. There is a very good reason for this. That dress is 120 years old and has had five generations of Pepperds dedicated in that very dress. It was originally Greg's grandfathers dress and it has been passed down generation to generation. All of my children have now been dedicated in the same dress that their father, grandfather and two great's have been. What a Christian legacy!

We're gonna try this!?!

2008-05-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

For months now I have been reading all of my friends wonderful, beautiful blogs and every time I think "WOW, how neat! What a great way to archive your everyday life for friends and family." With school coming to an end (2 days left... YAY!!!) and the plans of a very eventful and fun filled summer on the horizon, I decided that I might be able to pull off an interesting enough blog to keep you all entertained. I am making no promises though. :) So here it goes, we'll see what happens, or I should say... You'll see what happens!!! Stay tuned.