Why I almost became a Vegetarian

Yesterday at the grocery store Tommy and I passed some salmon being put out. I commented on how pretty the color was and how yummy it probably tasted. Then Tommy in a loud voice asked,
Mommy is the salmon dead?
Yes the salmon is dead.
Did we shoot it with a gun?
No
Did we shoot it with a bow and arrows (add in sound effects in your head)
No, the fish just died after it got out of the water.
Oh, so we don't want to eat it while it's alive huh.
(Add in the muffled laughter of 3 or 4 shoppers listening in)
No Tom, I don't want to eat it while it's alive.
So anyway, I decided not to get any salmon this time.

Family pictures (all right I'm bragging)

Okay, my family is amazingly good looking. Now since all of you who are invited to view this are pretty much related to us you will have to agree. I'm really glad Jenny thought to have pictures on the lagoon trail. I think they really turned out.

First Day of School

Okay Ann-Maire, here are the pics from the first day of school. We are finally posting them.

Claire has a big flag ceremony and then they line up and go into school. I loved being able to see Emma go off to Kindergarten too. Claire picked out her outfit by herself, and it matched! YEA. Tommy goes to Miss. Lisa who lives about 1/4 mile away. She is very nice and perfect for early childhood education. Tom already has new friends and seems to enjoy being in a more structured routine. Now mom just needs to get up beforethe bus leaves! Just kidding we haven't missed once this year.

Tommy and I rode bikes to the preschool, however we may not do that again due to the lack of a sidewalk and Tommy's inability to ride in a straight line. There were tons of busses going to park in the bus lot and I almost lost it thinking he was going to swerve and be killed. Oh my. I can't even write about it.

ALASKA

We loved our trip to Alaska. We saw lots of wildlife, including Dave's favorite kind Fish! He slayed them on our first day on the Kenai. Our friend George and his wife Kim were so nice and took us for a float down the river. They really showed us a good time and we were so happy to get to spend time with them. The river is georgeous, with bear and eagles along the way. Amazing views of the peaks and sky. We caught Sockeye and Silver Salmon, rainbows, dollys on the river. Dave and George did a little smaller river and he caught a really nice King Salmon. And we spent one day down in the charming town of Homer and an afternoon of halibut fishing. We caught chickens (which are halibut that are 10-30 lbs.) And of course within about 10 minutes of fishing Dave had limited out. But that was fine with me becuase then he was helping me.
So friends and family. I am truly converted. Catching Salmon and big trout on an amazing river with good friends and the man I love. Well it was really what I needed. I will say though, if we go missing, look for us in Soldotna Dave bringing in a Sockeye Salmon. George with the net.
A great rainbow for Dave! Sure beats the 12 inchers we find here!
At a viewpoint near Homer.
The Best part of the trip for me was landing this awesome Rainbow! I'd already caught a nice silver and a dolly(spelling?) He was 27 to 29 inches and 14 lbs. He was a blast and I caught him when I was putting out one last cast! In a month or two he will gain a couple pounds and I hope someone else enjoys him as much as I did! I'm still laughing about it. Whew what a way to end the trip.

laundry again

So 9:51, and yes, I'm doing laundry. The kids did eat apple slices today too. And my garden pots are doing poorly. They should be stunning, but somehow, they aren't. The grasshoppers ate a lot of the sweet potatoes and other leaves, and the heat is keeping things from blooming. But the snapdragons are starting to go. So, that is gardening a little good, a little bad, and a lot of patience.

tragedy for the Hibbert family

Most of you have probably heard about the darling baby that choked on a pretzel in the car and later died. I have bben watching the web postings about him and his family. I keep thinking about his dad in high school. I can't believe how quickly life can change. I just wish there was a way to ease thier pain. Just imagining how it must feel makes me just bawl. Anyway. I love you all and I hope you know it.

ALASKA

Well, Dave talked me into an impromptu trip to Alaska to see our friend George and his family. And maybe, just maybe, we will break out some fishing rods and see if we can't bring home some dinner! It isn't what I had in mind when I said "honey, we need a vacation" but hey, I'm a sucker for a guy with a jeep and a fly rod. So let's just hope my casting gets back up to speed.

Tommy turns Four

My darling boy is four. He is ready for all sorts of advent

ures and fun. He loves being outside, almost from sun up to sun down. Or 8 pm at which I wrangle him into bed.

What makes it worth it.

So sometimes being a mom is a tiny little itsty bit frustrating and or exhausting but really it is so far beyond worth it for moments like this.

late night laundry

Well, it's 10:30 and I am waiting for that last load of laundry to come out of the dryer. At least Leno is on in a minute.

Cake in the face

Well, another baby has turned one. What a bittersweet birthday. A little more bitter this time. I really wish he was still 4 months old. However, I love to see his clapping, crawling, standing, laughing and all the other things he has learned to do.

And getting your very own cake seems to be a good reward for all the hard things he has done this year. So we will pray for a healthy second year and I'll just keep telling him he is still my baby.

Bowling with Claire

I had the adventure of taking 16 kids bowling. Thank goodness for the help I recieved becuase otherwise search and rescue would have had to come. I think it all turned out though. Claire seemed to have fun and really enjoy her friends.

Tommy Graduates

While I agree that it is totally over the top and unnecessary, I LOVE pre-school graduation. It is an adorable moment. And if we are truthful, we probably change and mature more during one year of pre-school than one year of college.

YEA BRYCE

My brother ran a triathalon. It makes me feel more in shape just to be related to him.

Have a seat

Partner rented a downhill bike so he could enjoy the trails more, But notice anything funny about the seat? Yea, it is bent. After a little while it was like riding with a stick, well you get the idea. What a trooper.

A little trip to moab

It is very windy in the arches. The kids loved hiking and biking around Moab. BUT it takes a long time to get there. I've decied that any road trip should be multipled the the number of kids in the back seat!