Long Awaited 2010 Wrap Up and Intro to 2011

Full Moon Winter Solstis As rising before Eclipse

Aurora at the edge of Moonshine Winter Solstis

We had a nice first Christmas in Alaska. Thanks to our friend Susan the kids got a letter from Santa that really made Lisa's day on the Wednesday before Christmas and really got her excited. Christmas eve and the day prior were spent getting stuff preped so there wouldn't be as much to do on Christmas Morning. I did alot of cooking and mixing so that things could just be tossed on the stove or in the oven. I didn't cook a thanksgiving dinner so this was my once a year huge feast. Before bed on Christmas Eve we read the nativity story and "The Night Before Christmas" Lisa put out a snack for Santa (rice crispy squares & M&M's) and they were tucked into bed. Ken and I put out the gifts from Santa got the muffins that I baked earlier and the computer upstairs so that we had everything up there and ready to go for the morning. Neither Ken or I could sleep. We were too excited to sleep..lol...I was the first one up and out of bed. I went downstairs stoked the fire, put the turkey in the oven and made some coffee. By the time the coffee was done I heard the kids stirring so I brought all our drinks upstairs to settle in for some unwrapping. We opened stockings first.

Lisa, Oak, Wyatt On Mommy & Daddies Bed

In the stockings they got some leftover Halloween candy, a little 2nd hand stuffed toy, a new headlamp, candy canes and Pez dispensers courtesy of our friend Lori who also furnished several gifts under the tree. After that they put on their headlamps and went to work on the gifts under the tree. Santa brought them each a new ball, Lisa got a big excersise ball. As usual they made out like bandits even though there were no real gifts from mom ann dad.

Using head lamps Oh the joy of no electric

The boys favorite toys were some take apart trucks from Grandma the sat for a long time with their little power tools working on them. After opening everything the kids each picked out some new clothes to wear. The boys picked new jammies and Lisa put on some jeans and a sweater from Grandma. Then they got to Skype with Grandma and their Aunt Dani and Uncle Dan.

Fixing vehicles: From Back Ken, Oak, Wyatt, Lisa



Wyatt In Thomas the Tank Engine Jammies - Oak in Cars Jammies



Skype with Grandma and Uncle Dan

After we were done and had played for a while we went downstairs. Ken and the kids watched the Newest Tinkerbell movie that Lisa got. I talked with my mom on the phone and then got to work on lunch. Our neighbor/friend came over and helped get the last minute stuff pulled together. When it was about time to eat she went and picked up her husband and we all sat down to a huge Turkey and Ham dinner. After dinner we put the kids to bed and played a couple of games in which Ken and I royaly got our bums whipped lol.. Over all I would have to say that it was a nice day.

On to the New year!

From the traditional Yule Log to the traditional Bringing in of the new LOGS!

The Wood wagon Choo Choo

On new years eve around 6pm we had our little fireworks display wich lasted about 20 minutes. The weather was warmer about +10 so a little more comfortable for the kids. By 8pm we were all in bed.

Lisa had her first shooting lesson. She has been around guns since she was a baby and we have been teaching her about gun safety. She knows better than to ever touch a gun without mommy or daddy. We went out with a kids .22 rifle and .22 pistol that were Ken's when he was little. They are both still a bit big for her but she did very well. The Targets were her rotting Halloween Pumpkins. We also took out the shotgun and my 9mm glock just to show her what they could do to the pumpkins and to hammer in the danger of guns.

Forget BOB we have Oak the Builder

The new year has found us already imbarking on our new begining here in the Alaskan frontier. We have high hopes for the comming season and the new benefits that will come with state residency such as hunting and fishing. We're hoping to have some visitors from AZ come spring if everything goes well. I would like to do some exploring of our area and the state if time and money allow. Ken has started a job that will hopefully provide a steady income and allow us a little more security. Lisa has signed up for pre-school at the Gladis Dart School in Manley hot springs and will attend class with the other pre-k kids, but only once every couple of weeks when we make our trip into the washateria. Other than that we will continue to do homeschooling. We'll sart doing regular bible studies, learning Japanese along with my sister Rebecca which should be fun. I would also like to start learning to play my guitar that I've had sitting for several years ...lol.... I look forward to all of the learning and new experiances that this year will bring and hope to meet them with joy and childlike wonder. I will do my best to share those experiances with all of you.

Again I would like to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to our family and friends who made 2010 a wonderful experiance and showed us support and love through all the stages of our move as well as helping us to get established in our new home. I look forward to spending time with loved ones either in person on the computer or on the phone and I wish you all the best and brightest this year.

May you be as blessed as we. Love, Hugs and Kisses to you all!