Winter in Alaska

We are well into winter in Alaska. Its at this point that it seems like it will never end. There are still more than a couple of cold months ahead but today was great. It was really warm outside today, I'm talking like 30 or so. This is a big change from the below 0 weather we had all last week. Its a good thing we have indoor play areas in Anchorage because the kids might go crazy if we didn't. I'm posting pictures from our new camera, big THANK YOU to Grandpa Shuck for that. We love it. So we usually start out our week with a trip to the zoo. They have a Sing-a-long every Monday and Liam really gets into it. We started going about a month ago and he gravitated to the microphone right away. Now he stands front and center waiting for the chance to sing in the mic. The lady who does the sing along is really great. She plays the guitar and sings stuff the kids love. Liam surprised me the first day when he got up there and belted out a few lines of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I laughed so hard I was crying, it was the cutest thing I think I have ever seen. I'm trying to figure out how to upload video to the blog and then you will all get to
hear him sing. I love the Sing along because we get to hang out in the greenhouse where there are beautiful plants and it nice and warm. You will notice in the pics that Liam has his snow suit around his waist, you have to walk through the zoo to the green house. He loves to see the animals every week and he knows them all if you ask him.
Since its been so nice the boys have been skiing and Liam gets better and better every time they go. He really enjoys going. We spent some time out in the back yard today on the swings, sledding and just playing in the snow. When we stay home for the day I put Elin down for a morning nap and Liam and I go outside if its warm enough. I think its a treat for Elin to get a real nap in the morning because we are out and about so much in the mornings that she usually just gets a cat nap in the car on the way to play dates.
She sure does love her brother. She smiles so big at him when he talks to her and she watches him all the time. Her new things to do are to watch the dog and smile at her and to inspect her hands. I think she has just figured out that she can move her hands and make them do what she wants them to do. Liam is really good with her and had no problem incorporating Elin into our family. He is so proud of her and always tells people that he has a little sister, he calls her Even because he has a hard time with the L in her name.
I will give an Elin update after our Doctors appointment on the 4th, its her 6 month check up can you believe it!!
Hope all is well.

Elin Update

We went to the Dr. yesterday to meet our new pediatrician and we all really liked her. Elin is doing wonderful. She is ahead of the game in most areas, doing things that 5 and 6 month old babies do, so that was good to know. She also weights 17 lbs., she got a few shots and that didn't make her happy but she is doing super well. The picture in the previous blog was only taken a couple of days ago. We've come up with a few nicknames for her: chubbo, marshmallow and meatball.

December Tidings

Well the kids are growing like weeds and the weather is chilly. Not to long ago it seemed like summer now its so cold out your cheek bones hurt (and there is not much sun). The sun isn't showing its face until after 9:30 in the morning these days so we are all getting up a little later than usual.
We had a good Thanksgiving with a few friends over for dinner and all the usual items on the menu. Liam was a bit shy of the guests at first. He woke up from his nap and people were here, that was kind of a shocker for him. He was, however, quick to warm up and soon became the life of the party. Elin didn't seem to have a problem being passed around the table (she was heavier than the turkey). Liam was instermental in the making of our Thanksgiving feast, he is such a good helper. I made a pumkin cake this year and he helped me scrape the pumpkin and mix the ingredients in the bowl, he had a blast. He was upset at bed time because he wanted to help more and didnt understand that we couldnt frost the cake until it cooled. I tried to tell him that all that was left was to clean up but he just didnt understand saying "I help, I help". He did help the next day though with the Brie Puff Pastry and the Roasted Garlic appitizers and he helped mix the herbs that I put on the bird to roast. I hope he always wants to help this much.
He had a big weekend on Sat and Sun. Brody took him to Hill Top Ski Area right up the road from our house and he had a blast. On Sat Brody took him to try on boots and skis and they just played around at the bottom of the hill for the afternoon, Liam is a natural by the way. Brody was super impressed and very proud of his little skier. On Sunday Brody and our friend Christian (thats him in the picture) took him up on the lift and everything. Liam was really happy and did great!! He can already ski better than his mom and he is only 21/2. Brody hooked a special harness to Liam that has straps for Brody to hold out behind Liam and he just skied right down the hill. So far he isnt really making turns so Brody just snowplows behind him and Christian skied backwards in front of him. Liam was so happy about it he said, "I ski, I ski" over and over and was shaking with delight at his accomplishment. Thats our little future Olympian!!

Already October

I cant believe its already October. The snow is getting closer. The nights are chilly and so are the mornings here on Lazy Mt. We are moving into Anchorage on Nov. 1st. Sad to leave Lazy Mt behind but happy to move on with our lives, hopefully to bigger and better things. Our rental in Anchorage is only through June so really this is just a chance for us to regroup and sell a bunch of stuff in hopes of lightening our load.
For those of you that don't know our daughter Elin Story Sundquist-Shuck was born on August 3rd and weighted in at 9 lbs even. My labor was long, everyone said that the second one is easier, I'm not so sure about that. My water broke on Sunday night and I had her at 7:30 on Tues morning. She is beautiful as you can see from the pictures. Liam is handling it well, he hasn't ask if we can take her back yet. He is very proud of her and always tells people about her when we are talking to them. Having 2 is a big adjustment but we are all working through it...some days are easier than others.
We had a busy summer traveling and visiting with family. We were members of a great CSA in the Mat-Su Valley at Spring Creek Farm. It was great to have fresh local veggies all summer. This was a very rainy summer so we had lots of greens and root veggies.
We were traveling at the beginning of the summer, I went back to Vermont to finish my masters at the School for International Training, it was really hot there. Liam stayed at Mimi and Poppy's for 10 days, it was the longest we have been apart but we all did really well. I only cried once and I don't think he cried at all.
Fall is in full swing here in AK. We have 2 Halloween parties to attend and Liam has decided he wants to be James the tank engine (if you have young children you know what that means). Elin and I are going as a gardener and a potted plant. He is getting old enough to get into the holidays, its really cool to see him get excited about it. He knows about candy but the idea of trick or treating hasn't set in yet. We will get some pumpkins soon to carve and I will upload some pics of that and the costumes. We made cookies and frosted them last night. I think he ate more frosting than he frosted but he is getting the idea.

Mother's Day

Hello all and happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
Liam and I spent the day in Girdwood with some friends. He loves the kids Murphy and Wesli. We were sad that Brody had to stay in Coldfoot to continue on the monster of a project he is working on right now. We miss him so much:( Send him all your good thoughts because they are having a really hard time getting the equipment to work up there. It seems like its one thing after another and its defiantly taking its toll on moral. He is still plugging away though and working very hard for us so send him your good thoughts!!
Our friend John cooked Eggs Benedict for his wife Julia and I and it was really good. It was his first time making the dish and it came out really great. He was very proud of his poached eggs, we found that the trick is to add a little vinegar to the boiling water. John googled it.
I got up earlier than Liam this morning so that I could have a peaceful shower and some coffee. It was totally worth it. What a good way to start a morning. The drive to Girdwood was beautiful, a blue sky day. We haven't been to Girdwood for some time so Liam really enjoyed the ride down. He loved the waterfalls on the side of the road and liked looking at the sun glittering off of Cook Inlet as we drove.
After breakfast we took the kids to the playground and let them play for a while. Murphy and Wesli rode their bikes around and as you can see from the pictures Liam had a great time playing on the slide, swing and just climbing around. He was unsure of the slides at first but it only took one time of me coaxing him to go down that he did it by himself and LOVED it.
He has really been enjoying the playing outside stuff. I noticed tonight when he was in the bath that he already has a tan on the back of his neck. I noticed that after I got done washing his hair 3 times trying to get all the dirt out. I finally had to put some conditioner in it and comb the small rocks out of his hair, not his favorite bathing experience, I must say. He only wants to come inside if he is hungry and sometimes that is even a struggle. I have planters left over from last year with old soil in them so I gave him one with several containers and he is totally happy to fill and empty the soil out of them for at least 30 minutes at a time and that's saying something for a toddler.
In other news
-We are almost moved in to the new rental up on Lazy Mt. Brody moved the big stuff before he left for Coldfoot so all I had to do was move boxes. Thanks to our helpers - Kevin, Lucas and John we couldn't have pulled it off without you guys.
- The puppies are growing like weeds. They are about 3 months old now.
- Liam and I are embarking on a 2 week journey soon to Kansas City where Liam will stay with his Mimi and Poppy and I will go on to Vermont to present my Capstone. This is a big deal since I have never left Liam overnight before. I couldn't think of better people to leave him with though!!
-The baby is doing great and moving so much everyday. People keep asking me if I'm having the baby soon and when I tell them I'm only six months pregnant they say things like, "Wow, Your going to have a big baby". Note to self, don't say stuff like that to pregnant women. I'm measuring at 41 inched around my belly at my belly button right now and just keep expanding.
- Brody is working really hard up in Coldfoot and is very homesick so if anyone wants to send him a card or a little care package I will give you the address if you e-mail me, he would love to hear from you.
Hope your day went well and I will write again soon.

So Much has changed

Wow, I cant believe its been this ling since Ive written anything on our blog.
Boy if its not one thing its another. And before you know it its months later.
Christmas went well. Mitzie and Eden were up to see us and even though we tried to keep the gifts to a minimum we all made out pretty well. Liam had the most by far and amazingly he still plays with many of them.
The pregnancy is going well, now anyway. I think the first 4 months were worse with this one than with Liam. I felt really gross and as Brody can attest very grouchy. Things are much better now and I'm getting bigger and bigger everyday. I'm really hoping for a natural child birth with this one! My OB is great and he has an awesome midwife who will deliver the baby if all goes well. Our due date is July 29th, Brody's birthday. Liam was born a week late so we will see what this one does. And No we are not finding out what we are having.
Now on to the all important Liam News
1) He learned to climb out of his crib, he is very agile and has managed to do this and not fall once.
2) We tried a toddler bed and cam to the conclusion, after many sleepless nap times and nights, that he wasn't ready.
3) We bought him a crib tent, you know the kind to keep cats out, and Eureka! it worked. We will try the bed later.
4) Potty training is going really well. You will see in the picture he is wearing blue underwear. He sports his training pants around the house these days.
5) He got his first haircut today and he did great!! Please see the proud pictures.
In other news-
We have 5 beautiful puppies by Natchez. We are hoping to keep them and use them for Liam when he is old enough to start mushing. Brody has always wanted a sibling team.
My job at the farm ended in February so I have been a stay at home mom since then. Its nice but who ever said a mothers work is never done really meant it.
Brody is working in Coldfoot, AK. Its really beautiful up there but defiantly still winter. Liam and I are hoping to meet him in Fairbanks for a visit some time soon.
We love you all and will write more soon!!

Thanksgiving 2009

Hello all,
Hope your reading this after you have stuffed yourself with the delights of thanksgiving. Brody is still in Coldfoot so Liam and I went to the farm for Thanksgiving this year. We missed Brody a lot but we had a good time. There were four little girls there for Liam to play with and he had a blast. He ate so much food I was impressed. We started the day off pretty easy. We outside for a walk and then Liam played in the snow while I did a little shoveling (it snowed about 5 inches last night and its snowing again right now). Liam gets really excited when we talk about going outside and he always wants to help to go out. This morning he found his gloves and was trying to put them on. Then he stands by the door and says eh, eh, eh, like he is saying, "Hurry up mom, times wasting." He is such a good little helper too. He always wants to shovel or sweep, what ever I'm doing. I hope that last through his teenage years, right.
So after we came in the house we had a lite lunch and read some stories. He is getting so he likes to play in his room a lot and I came in to see him sitting in the rocking chair looking at a story by himself. He is growing so fast, I can hardly believe that he is becoming such a little independent person. This is an all time favorite for him to read, Goodnight Moon. Thanks Gingin!!
I baked an apple pie during his nap and then off we went to the Thanksgiving Feast. The pie looked beautiful but cut very poorly so once it was cut the pretty pie was done. I also made stuffing and green bean casserole (one of my personal favorites). Liam had a super full day so he was very tired when we got home. I had to fight him to clean all the sweet potatoes off his face but after that he fell right to sleep. Speaking of sleeping I am headed that way as well.
One last thing - Calling all family and friends - I would really like to send out holiday cards this year, I have a beautiful picture of Liam to put on them. Please send me addresses via e-mail jennifer.sundquist@mail.sit.edu
Hope you all had a happy Turkey day!!!